[200 & 300K Club] - Repairs - Upgrades & Other Tips

[neoborn]

Hey Guys,

For those of you in this club what are those things you have learnt that are best to repair / upgrade / do to your vehicles that helped them keep running smooth or just is something you would like others in these mileage clubs know that may help them get into the 400 and 500k clubs?

Thanks much

 

[Gothmolly]

I think a common thing at the 200K point is to redo the suspension bushings. It's a good way to reinvigorate the car.
Mine are frozen (have been for 50K+), so it's like driving an old rattletrap everywhere, it sucks.

 

[cactussam85]

Regular maintenance in terms of liquids and filters, turbo rejuvenation, suspension replacement/upgrades (if not already done recently), chip tune, fuel filter upgrades (such as the CAT mod), EGR delete or at least cleaned along with the intake manifold, replace worn e-brake cables, polish/replace headlight lenses, upgrade headlights, upgraded intercooler, new t-stat, be ready to replace tubing and hoses. Most of what I've had to do or plan to eventually do.

 

[My_name_is_Rob]

One thing i will also mention about the suspension, when replacing. Using poly bushings are well worth the extra cost. Not necessarily from a performance standpoint, but just from ease of install on an undercarriage with a lot of kms.

 

[TornadoRed]

Hey Guys,
For those of you in this club what are those things you have learnt that are best to repair / upgrade / do to your vehicles that helped them keep running smooth or just is something you would like others in these mileage clubs know that may help them get into the 400 and 500k clubs?

The most important thing is the decision to reach 400k or 500k miles. If you want your car to last 400k miles, it will. If you want it to last 500k miles, it will. If you want it to last one million miles, and if you live long enough to drive that far, and if you don't total it by hitting a tree or another car, then at least theoretically it will last that long.

 

[Nevada_TDI]

If not already done by 200k miles, nozzle replacement and possible upgrade to next size along with possible tune. Everything else is basically standard wear and tear. Keep the engine from overheating and don't forget to keep the oil topped up between regular oil and filter changes. Low oil pressure for even a few seconds can--and usually does--shorten the life of the turbo.
Don't forget about the suspension either; if you need to do some evasive driving, you want the car to go where you point it not where it wobbles to.

 

[UhOh]

Drive more, worry less!

I have three 2000 Golf TDIs. First one (mine) had 118k miles when I got it, it now has 160k miles. Second one (wife's) had 143k miles on it and it now has 200k miles. Third one (designated relief car) came as a 200k club member, about 206k miles, and now has 216k miles.

All three of these cars, have DLC520 nozzles and Malone stage 2 tunes. The latest acquisition came with these: not really a coincidence because I consulted with the PO on what nozzles and tunes for my first cars nearly 3 years ago.

The 200k mile car is my wife's and it's sitting in the garage waiting for a pile of suspension and clutch parts to magically install themselves. I think that the suspension and clutch are original/stock.

I do regular maintenance like clockwork. I have everything staged for maintenance as the odometer rolls to another 10k miles. This makes things really easy to monitor for when something needs to be done. I keep a list of the common maintenance items, what mileage things were last done and at what mileage things need to be done next: helps me in making sure I have stuff ordered for the next maintenance activities.

As Nevada notes, think safety! In addition to suspension, brakes! You can't make it there if you cannot stop! And something that I've been trying to do but have had difficulties with is to regularly flush the brake fluid: stuck bleeder valves- another reason to look to flush regularly is to exercise those bleeders! (make sure you keep the rubber caps on too!)