My Half Baked 2006 Jetta TDI

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

My buddy just told me he has a spring compressor he will let me borrow (not the autozone ones that will try to kill you), and I figured the spindle/strut separator could be solved with a BFH and lots of cursing... just curious if I actually need to remove the axles or not.

Time is of the essence as I either have to park the special car outside and leave the Jetta in the garage while I do this, or knock them out quickly in 'shifts' (which is what I'm leaning towards)... and why I'm trying to be as prepared as possible

 

[privateTDIjet]

Not to stress you out or anything but did you disconnect the battery when you installed and connected those radio wires?
Having had the same situation, with the same car... I didn't notice anything at first until it died on a highway loop ramp at night... It upset A LOT of people
Turns out I damaged a main relay and it randomly died on me. As for the missing plastic trim, I didn't have it in my 2006 either. I believe its only there to cover the wiring going into the trunk.

I also had this car with an awful paint job take a look for yourself

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Not to stress you out or anything but did you disconnect the battery when you installed and connected those radio wires?
Having had the same situation, with the same car... I didn't notice anything at first until it died on a highway loop ramp at night... It upset A LOT of people
Turns out I damaged a main relay and it randomly died on me. As for the missing plastic trim, I didn't have it in my 2006 either. I believe its only there to cover the wiring going into the trunk.

I didnt disconnect the battery, neither when I installed it nor when I removed it a few days later ... not too concerned, but curious how long after you had the surprise on the freeway?

I might actually disconnect it when the RCD300 arrives

 

[privateTDIjet]

I didnt disconnect the battery, neither when I installed it nor when I removed it a few days later ... not too concerned, but curious how long after you had the surprise on the freeway?

I might actually disconnect it when the RCD300 arrives

It had a few engine hiccups on the highway warning me and then later died taking off from a red light. It had to be boosted really hard to start again. I tried lugging it home and thats when it died on the ramp. I had to go above 70 mph to keep it alive


I believe it was a week after i installed the radio. Nothing was obvious so it was definitely a surprise but i traced it by seeing wires in my aftermarket harness with scuffs / burns on them.

If ever it happens to you, the car will die but keep rolling and only show you the red battery light. A shop wanted to charge me 1500 for a full intake replacement... claming its full of carbon / soot....

Hope it never happens to you

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

RCD330 arrived and I have to say I’m quite impressed. The harness included an antenna connection and a wire for what seems to be a 12v supply, but I, not sure for what exactly ... no instructions but it was relatively a no-brainer install otherwise. Bluetooth connected relatively easily and I even had a phone call or two already with ease. Seems like it’s ready to go for the rear camera also, but that will be a project for another day. For now I want to wrap this up, deal with the diesel geek shifter rebuild and finally get the suspension on. Trying to deal with the wheels too, but that also might have to happen next weekend.

OEM-ish

Unknown connector

...and No, I didn’t disconnect the battery lol... but I did wait like a minute at least before disconnecting anything

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Alright, so after installing the RCD head unit I was motivated to get the diesel geek shifter rebuild as my shifter has been pretty vague. A bunch of before and afters incoming:

Old bushings

New bushings installed

And finally the “super slider” which was the easiest install, but exposed what might be the final piece of the puzzle.

The center plastic bushing on the bell crank has a ton of slop, so hopefully I can get it somewhere

Final look inside.

I had bought a new shift boot and knob from eBay searching for a vendor that didn’t have red stitching as they all seemed to be coming from the same source, but sadly this one did too. It’s annoying but life goes on. I also took the opportunity to clean up the parts. Wifey wasn’t home so I used the sink and overall I feel the car is slightly better. A step in the right direction

 

[privateTDIjet]

Alright, so after installing the RCD head unit I was motivated to get the diesel geek shifter rebuild as my shifter has been pretty vague. A bunch of before and afters incoming:

Old bushings

New bushings installed

And finally the “super slider” which was the easiest install, but exposed what might be the final piece of the puzzle.

The center plastic bushing on the bell crank has a ton of slop, so hopefully I can get it somewhere

Final look inside.

I had bought a new shift boot and knob from eBay searching for a vendor that didn’t have red stitching as they all seemed to be coming from the same source, but sadly this one did too. It’s annoying but life goes on. I also took the opportunity to clean up the parts. Wifey wasn’t home so I used the sink and overall I feel the car is slightly better. A step in the right direction

Cant you use a white sharpie over the stitches?

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Cant you use a white sharpie over the stitches?

is that a hack to change the stitching to a different color? Sounds like it will make it look worse, but I’m curious and all ears.

I’m back at it again tomorrow night and Friday as I want to finish off the front suspension so I can wrap these initial changes and get the wheels on it

 

[Rx7145]

Hey everyone, had a weird issue show up this morning, went to hop in the car, no crank. Look and see the "P" flashing on the shifter an the shifter interlock is engaged, can't get it out of park. I tried key in/out open door close to reset the ignition/computer, no love. Took a look and finding lots of info about the P-R-N-D flash of death but mines not doing that, found 1 other post suggesting it could be a blown fuse or shorted/broken wire, just trying to figure out where the DSG connector is on the trans to start troubleshooting, and if I need to get under the car (will be difficult with it parked on the street and stuck in park. Any suggestions on where to start looking, what to look for in VCDS when I get home tonight to start investigating would be much appreciated. Car ran totally fine last night, no issues, this came out of the blue this morning.

Hi everyone

I need some help. I recently bought this golf5 1.9 tdi. The owner is my uncle and he told me the car as 1 problem only. It doesn’t start in the morning but it starts in the afternoons or midday once it gets hot outside. I did speak to Mechanic. He came and tested. He told me it was the glow plug relay, bought the global plug relay, which was really expensive and it still didn’t work. I put the old sensor back and I tried to start the car. The car starts in the afternoons/midday only, now I noticed that my glow plug light is flashing and before it never used to do this. Any idea what’s wrong?

You should start a new thread and not hijack this one. You’ll need to scan the car for codes most likely one or more glow plugs is not working.

 

[privateTDIjet]

is that a hack to change the stitching to a different color? Sounds like it will make it look worse, but I’m curious and all ears.

I’m back at it again tomorrow night and Friday as I want to finish off the front suspension so I can wrap these initial changes and get the wheels on it

No clue, ive seen a short video of a guy making his dashboard stitches orange with nothing but a marker. Id thread carefully

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

No clue, ive seen a short video of a guy making his dashboard stitches orange with nothing but a marker. Id thread carefully

haha sounds like a disaster waiting for me... I'll just live with it.

 

[bc1550]

Sorry to do this to you, but I just bought one of those cheap plastic Chinese knobs too.

This one is better. The knob even feels like leather.

Shift Knob, Mk5 Mk6 5-Speed (Aftermarket) – Cascade German Parts

www.cascadegerman.com

 

[privateTDIjet]

haha sounds like a disaster waiting for me... I'll just live with it.

If you do have the patience, consider it. Its something you do once and looks nicer.

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Half Baked projects everywhere...

without removing the axle and without a strut spreader tool I’ve been able to remove one strut, but the other won’t budge... really wish I had these stupid specialized tools. Had to go out and buy a triple star 3/8” sockets because the biggest one I had was a 12, not the 14 I needed. I was making good progress but that stubborn strut holder resulted in a few smashed fingers/ blood blisters but now with rain coming in I’ve put the canopy up and called it a night.

 

[privateTDIjet]

Half Baked projects everywhere...

without removing the axle and without a strut spreader tool I’ve been able to remove one strut, but the other won’t budge... really wish I had these stupid specialized tools. Had to go out and buy a triple star 3/8” sockets because the biggest one I had was a 12, not the 14 I needed. I was making good progress but that stubborn strut holder resulted in a few smashed fingers/ blood blisters but now with rain coming in I’ve put the canopy up and called it a night.

Give those headlights a hand polish to let some anger out

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Give those headlights a hand polish to let some anger out

That's basically one of the last "to-do" items to really call it "done." I have the kit to do it, but between the lights, the wheels/tires and getting that last little shifter bushing installed Im done and can focus on maintaining the motor. I cleaned a few lbs' worth of sludge and dirt off the trans and engine block and will now want to clean that up. I might've exposed an oil leak though LOL...

In other news, the suspension is ~99% done. I had to buy a "Strut Spreading Tool" and worked a little here and there in between the freaking monsoon weather that happened this weekend.

Only pic I took of the suspension, H&R Lowering Springs & Bilstein B4. Suspension that came out was original to the car and very tired, so Im excited to drive this thing. Especially when I get the wheels and tires on the car.

Almost "done"

 

[privateTDIjet]

That's basically one of the last "to-do" items to really call it "done." I have the kit to do it, but between the lights, the wheels/tires and getting that last little shifter bushing installed Im done and can focus on maintaining the motor. I cleaned a few lbs' worth of sludge and dirt off the trans and engine block and will now want to clean that up. I might've exposed an oil leak though LOL...

In other news, the suspension is ~99% done. I had to buy a "Strut Spreading Tool" and worked a little here and there in between the freaking monsoon weather that happened this weekend.

Only pic I took of the suspension, H&R Lowering Springs & Bilstein B4. Suspension that came out was original to the car and very tired, so Im excited to drive this thing. Especially when I get the wheels and tires on the car.

Almost "done"

Let me know how the new suspension feels. Mine is sitting at 200 000 kms OEM shocks and bushings and handles really meh. What wheels are you getting?

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Let me know how the new suspension feels. Mine is sitting at 200 000 kms OEM shocks and bushings and handles really meh. What wheels are you getting?

I will give you an update once I replace the driveside axle... it decided it wanted to be replaced after I finished the suspension install.

In more "exciting" news, I have also been prepping the wheels. In a fun turn of events, these "BBS" wheels turned out to be 3 different wheels. Fronts will be BBS Reps that need a hubcentric ring and an et40 offset. Rears were claimed to be et35, but upon closer inspection ONE was et35 and the other was et50. Also fun fact is that the et50 wheel is a genuine BBS wheel, and doesn't need a hubcentric ring, but needs a spacer to clear the inner workings of suspension and wheel well.

SH!TBOX at its finest...

I have a pair of 15mm spacers so the rear will be et35. I also found a single genuine BBS wheel that appears to match the et50 wheel... but who knows if I will actually buy it. Full size spare would be nice, so maybe... at least the offsets will look good when its all said and done. FYI These pics are with the gigantic tires that will be replaced with some Michelin Pilot Sport 4s in a 215/40 that are BRZ take-offs. Excellent tread and not 10 year old tires.

So initial "mock-up" pics:

I HATE black wheels, so I've been working on removing the sh!tty black paint

The paint remover is working, but slowly. I tried to use a self-wash and its high pressure water and am making progress. I wish there was a better. faster way to do this without spending $1000. Any tips, please let me know

 

[Zak99b5]

Just sand, primer, and paint?

 

[privateTDIjet]

I will give you an update once I replace the driveside axle... it decided it wanted to be replaced after I finished the suspension install.

In more "exciting" news, I have also been prepping the wheels. In a fun turn of events, these "BBS" wheels turned out to be 3 different wheels. Fronts will be BBS Reps that need a hubcentric ring and an et40 offset. Rears were claimed to be et35, but upon closer inspection ONE was et35 and the other was et50. Also fun fact is that the et50 wheel is a genuine BBS wheel, and doesn't need a hubcentric ring, but needs a spacer to clear the inner workings of suspension and wheel well.

SH!TBOX at its finest...

I have a pair of 15mm spacers so the rear will be et35. I also found a single genuine BBS wheel that appears to match the et50 wheel... but who knows if I will actually buy it. Full size spare would be nice, so maybe... at least the offsets will look good when its all said and done. FYI These pics are with the gigantic tires that will be replaced with some Michelin Pilot Sport 4s in a 215/40 that are BRZ take-offs. Excellent tread and not 10 year old tires.

So initial "mock-up" pics:

I HATE black wheels, so I've been working on removing the sh!tty black paint

The paint remover is working, but slowly. I tried to use a self-wash and its high pressure water and am making progress. I wish there was a better. faster way to do this without spending $1000. Any tips, please let me know

I was gonna say the black wheels would be better looking with some shiny bright silver instead. I think all that's left is a good sanding. As for the axle, did the boot split or something?

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

Alright. "done" again... just need to get the wheels/tires on it and replace the last set of bushings I got. Then its just polishing this turd and seeing if it turns into a diamond (it wont)

Working from home today meant a double shift.

Hmmm, I dont think they are supposed to split like that haha

All new hardware, not sure if these bolts are actually better than the OEM ones, but went ahead and replaced them anyways. Stuffed her with all the grease she could take and slapped it in.

Finished with just one casualty. Luckily its a Craftsmen with a lifetime warranty. I think I've had these for ~20 years, at least. Just have to find a Sears

I think I'm going to just paint the 'BBS' wheels so I can get them on...

 

[Rx7145]

I would recheck the axle bolts after 100mi or so. I had some non-factory ones loosen up on me. What brand is that axle?

 

[jetta_coupe_gtd]

My buddy got me an axle from WorldPac. Not sure of the brand. I guess I can go look in the trash lol

 

[Rx7145]

Don’t worry about it. Probably a Chinese axle. It’ll start giving weird vibrations after a while. I’ve found that GSP axles seem to be a pretty good value. The OEM axles are too expensive.