Help me spend money.

I have a silver 04 TDI Jetta Wagon and would like to do a few things to it in order to keep it around eventually as an extra vehicle.
WVWRR61J04W031372
Here's the goal. Spend $5000
What I want to do:
*Improve handling
*Give it a little more go power
*Improve breaking
*Add rear lights with orange turn signals
*Add fog lights
*Add factory style ground effects or body mods
I have no interest in gaudy teenage junk. Factory front side and rear
ground effects were just enough to differentiate from standard.
*is there small lip style spoiler anywhere for top of rear hatch
*New front fenders.
*shark fin antenna
*add plate to protect oil pan
NOTE: Paint is extra above 5G
That's where I am. Thoughts on best bang for buck to get me in under 5G?
Part #s, links, etc are greatly appreciated.
*Currently running Passat wheels with adapters -195/65 R15 with high speed 120+ rating
*Currently at 240,000 miles Unfortunately it recently got a new turbo and I was unaware it could handle a larger one.

Buy a used porsche boxter 2000 era for 3 grand. Spend the other 2 on better tires and brake pads.

vnt1749vb, peloquin diff, downpipe, brakes and suspension

Owain@malonetuning said:

vnt1749vb, peloquin diff, downpipe, brakes and suspension

Click to expand...

Forget the side skirts et al, do the Peloquin. Turbo, brakes,
at least get the vr6 fronts, suspension; are all a must. And it goes without
saying, a tune. Stage 2 would make a good daily driver. Good tires!, I prefer
the 16" rims, much better selection of rubber.

Mongler98 said:

Buy a used porsche boxter 2000 era for 3 grand. Spend the other 2 on better tires and brake pads.

Click to expand...

Drove one of the first Boxters every to hit the states. No interest. Not trying to created a fast car. Just improve this one 15% across the board and have it as a back up. Love the car.

i just cant see the point anymore other than hobby reasons to spend almost 4 times MORE than the car is worth to gain something that you can buy in a better platform.
i get it. TDI awesome. and i totally understand mod culture, i mean im probably going to blow 10 grand on a 1984 944 build with my AHU TDI.
i guess it just comes down to the reason. You just want a better car out of it or you want to do autocross or track or something else with it?
also how sturdy is the car. power mods need to be last on the list, when was your timing belt done? fluids? so on and so forth.

your going to want a good clutch on that before you build.

Mongler98 said:

i just cant see the point anymore other than hobby reasons to spend almost 4 times MORE than the car is worth to gain something that you can buy in a better platform.
i get it. TDI awesome. and i totally understand mod culture, i mean im probably going to blow 10 grand on a 1984 944 build with my AHU TDI.
i guess it just comes down to the reason. You just want a better car out of it or you want to do autocross or track or something else with it?
also how sturdy is the car. power mods need to be last on the list, when was your timing belt done? fluids? so on and so forth.

your going to want a good clutch on that before you build.

Click to expand...

A BEW, manual wagon in the condition he describes is worth *WAY* more than $1250. I'll take as many as you have at that price.
cheers,
Douglas

Have a 2004 I'm keeping for life. Sub'd!



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As someone whose goal was to reach 1 million miles on a MK IV wagon I echo the responses so far:

First work on your suspension mods; a well set-up suspension on the wagon can add a lot of driving fun. I was using mine for work and would have 500-750lbs of product in the car and I loved the way it handled. Also, control arm bushings and other polyurethane or high density rubber parts are important to change/upgrade. Perhaps a sway bar depending on your driving style could be a nice upgrade. Factory springs perform very well with either Koni or Bilstein shocks.

Buy the best tires money can buy along with doing the brakes. The brakes form a 1.8T are a very nice upgrade and easy on the wallet that will leave you more more for engine mods.

Performance mods: here is the slippery slope in which you can dump a lot of money into the car with less return on investment for each HP you are trying to gain. A turbo is a must: as mentioned a VNT 17 aka Garrett 1749vb is a time proven turbo which will support 170hp, injectors and. Side mount inter cooler along with a. 3 bar map will be needed as well. )I JUST re-read your post and you just invested in a turbo: have a tuner build you a tune around your current turbo and in about 5 years upgrade that turbo). I would Add a PD 150 TIP kit and call it the day. If you do a lot of highway driving a 6 speed manual transmission with a LSD (a must) would be a nice addition. All of these performance mods are tied together by a tune; stage 3 or 4 depending on the advice of your tuner of choice. Depending on the tune you might also want to invest in a cam since I have heard that PD engines’ cam have a tendency to wear faster than those in ALH engines.

... let me add up the total so far We are approximately at $4000 right now.

Do spend good money on oil and do all your regular maintenance and your car will easily reach 500K miles and if you do not abuse it I truly believe that these VW Diesel engines can reach 1 million miles with no problems.

More people have been into outer space than have put 1 million miles on 1 single vehicle. Not including semi trucks.
In guessing. I actually have no clue about the numbers but it happens so infrequently that when it does it makes the news. And the ones who do spend that money on a million miles spend way more than the cost of a low milage used car every 200k. Also most people would take a lifetime to do so. Especially on a modified for power performance engine. Most of the cars out there that reach 1million miles have at least gone though 1 engine transplant. Including that beetle that recently happend.

Mongler98 said:

More people have been into outer space than have put 1 million miles on 1 single vehicle. Not including semi trucks.
In guessing. I actually have no clue about the numbers but it happens so infrequently that when it does it makes the news. And the ones who do spend that money on a million miles spend way more than the cost of a low milage used car every 200k. Also most people would take a lifetime to do so. Especially on a modified for power performance engine. Most of the cars out there that reach 1million miles have at least gone though 1 engine transplant. Including that beetle that recently happend.

Click to expand...

On my wagon the cost of ownership was quite low. For every 100k miles there is a TB, 1 gear case oil change, 10 oil changes with filters and 5 cabin filters. Every 300k miles there is a new cam and a new turbo and perhaps 1 wheel bearing. Of course there are some unseen parts that become brittle and break but foremost these cars are built proof. I believe that transplants or rebuilding the engine mostly happens when we start modding the cars beyond what they were originally designed for. The important thing is maintenance and drive them hard; Diesel engine are not meant to be lugged around as they like to run hot. I drive about 60-80k miles per year and depending on how much longer I have before my body falls apart and I can no longer work I expect to continue to put these many miles yearly on the car. My goal is still 1 million miles and I hope to get there sooner than later or at least before fossil fuels become extinct.

I don't know how much I've spent on mods for my '02 Wagon, but it's a lot more than $5K. There are a lot of things you can do to these cars that will improve them over stock, but what I find missing from your post is a specific goal, other than longevity. For example, mods I made to my car early on were targeted on increasing power, then improving handling, and ultimately I used the car for track days. Later, after I wore out an engine, I re-focused on good power and handling, but also excellent ride and fuel economy, as the car is now a daily driver and trip car. I also have some opinions that I follow that you may not share. For example, I believe that the ALH stock turbo is the best option for street use. And I don't want to run any wheels larger than 15". And I don't like Bilstein dampers in these cars. But that's me.

One thing that probably would have made sense that I didn't do was a 6-speed swap. I avoided it when I was tracking the car because clutch selection is a bit difficult and I didn't want to add the transmission's weight to the nose of the car. But it might be a good idea for you.

Like NewTdi I regard an LSD as essential. Not so sanguine on the 6spd
tranny. It has synchro problems if you want to upgrade to an SMF, and having had both,
I'd suggest a mild upgrade to the 5th gear. IBW has a .700, I have a .717.

Depends on tire OD and tune which way you go.
And also how much highway driving you do.
A 6spd swap is expensive, 5th gear MUCH cheaper.

NewTdi said:

On my wagon the cost of ownership was quite low. For every 100k miles there is a TB, 1 gear case oil change, 10 oil changes with filters and 5 cabin filters. Every 300k miles there is a new cam and a new turbo and perhaps 1 wheel bearing. Of course there are some unseen parts that become brittle and break but foremost these cars are built proof. I believe that transplants or rebuilding the engine mostly happens when we start modding the cars beyond what they were originally designed for. The important thing is maintenance and drive them hard; Diesel engine are not meant to be lugged around as they like to run hot. I drive about 60-80k miles per year and depending on how much longer I have before my body falls apart and I can no longer work I expect to continue to put these many miles yearly on the car. My goal is still 1 million miles and I hope to get there sooner than later or at least before fossil fuels become extinct.

Click to expand...

Hi

Wow you drive a lot of miles!

What do you do for work?

Is there a need to do oil pumps/ chains somewhere on the way to 1000000 miles?

I didnt think a cam was a normal change out item ... I'm at 335k now

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As far as spending money make sure your base car is solid first...( if something needs to be repaired take that as an opportunity to change and upgrade).

Then personally I would pop for a tune ...

After that I would do handling items... some of these things can be swapped out if your base car needs repaired anyways...

Koni special active struts and shocks, front lower control arms with TT bushings, lesjofors for front VR6 Springs,
Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar.

Since summer is coming vented fender liner.

If still wanting more DLC 520 injectors.

I also recommend a ScanGauge that can be permanently mounted in the car..

Other helpful that low dollar items include Supernova V4 LED headlights...

The above is relatively low dollar stuff ( in relation to your budget) that makes a big difference in how your car feels and operates....

Have fun!

Andyinchville1 said:

Hi

Wow you drive a lot of miles!

What do you do for work?

Is there a need to do oil pumps/ chains somewhere on the way to 1000000 miles?

I didnt think a cam was a normal change out item ... I'm at 335k now

---------

As far as spending money make sure your base car is solid first...( if something needs to be repaired take that as an opportunity to change and upgrade).

Then personally I would pop for a tune ...

After that I would do handling items... some of these things can be swapped out if your base car needs repaired anyways...

Koni special active struts and shocks, front lower control arms with TT bushings, lesjofors for front VR6 Springs,
Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar.

Since summer is coming vented fender liner.

If still wanting more DLC 520 injectors.

I also recommend a ScanGauge that can be permanently mounted in the car..

Other helpful that low dollar items include Supernova V4 LED headlights...

The above is relatively low dollar stuff ( in relation to your budget) that makes a big difference in how your car feels and operates....

Have fun!

Click to expand...

I do travel a lot for work both by plane and by car. I love driving so it is easy for me to rack up some miles. This week I will rack up 1900 miles or so by the time Sunday rolls around.

I leave most of the maintenance to Matt. The only maintenance I plan for is Timing Belts and oil changes. If other things happen on the way they get addressed.

As far as cam wear I was advised at 300K miles that it would be a good idea to change the cam at the same time; was there wear? Yes; was it bad? No. In my sedan the maintenance has been similar to the wagon even though the sedan has a few mods. I am yet to install a swaybar but it was suggested to me due to how I like to take offramp and onramp turns.

Depending on my ability to work in the next few months I am going to spend money on the visual appearance of the car (sedan). It will be getting a new paint job, new custom leather interior, a headlight upgrade along with fog lights and perhaps even a light bar.

The reality is that we can dump a lot more money on our vehicles than they are worth. It is easy to do and if we love ours cars why not? Knowing that these engines can reach 1 million miles I am sure that it is cheaper to maintain the MK IV platform vs buying a new car.