Stealth TDI
Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Hi,
The amount of things going on comibined with the smoothness that each event went off shows that a lot of work went into pulling off a great Fest. GREAT JOB!
I think I could've enjoyed myself more if I had:
1) Not suffered a casualty to my car. I spent a lot of time troubleshooting and was incredibly distracted on Friday and Saturday (I hope I didn't seem too anti-social to some). I had virtually no time to prepare my car for the show. Although I won my class, the car could've been much better.
2) Stayed at the hotel. Although I made a lot of first-time-camper mistakes (such as borrowing a tent), the true killer for me was the amount of time spent commuting between the two locations (especially the wrong turns) and feeling the need to store valuables in the car while away from the camp site. Had I stayed at the hotel, I would've had an EMPTY car for the show. "Really, the trunk is clean... It's just FULL!"
3) Combining the two above would've allowed me more time for getting to know everyone. I've been a part of TDIClub.com since it was just a lowly guestbook on what was a meager website. So there were A LOT of names and faces to take in. Perhaps I can make next year's Fest (free of vehicle defects) and reinforce the names/faces I learned this year.
I want to thank those who helped with my troubleshooting efforts on my car:
1) PeterV and HamsterDiesel for the use of their VAG-COM...
2) Code Blue for the use of his ECU and MAF, plus an unknown member for the use of his MAF...
3) Jeff (Rocket Chips) for some advice and the use of his floor jack...
4) Paramedick for watching my table and loaning me his car while I grabbed lunch and did other little things...
5) WB1FLI for the use of his ramps (too tall to drive on, but worked well as supports while I worked under the car)...
6) NicerJettaGuy for the use of his EZPass, some wire repair items, and hotel room Sunday night...
7) FanOfAllDiesels and his wife for watching Diana while I packed up my campsite Sunday night...
8) Any camper who tolerated my latenight shuffle while packing the car Sunday night (those tent poles were impossible to handle quietly in the calm darkness)...
9) Anyone who provided some ideas regarding my troubleshooting direction... I think it was SVTWeb's suggestion that netted the discovery of the fault...
10) and EVERYONE who gave Diana a piggyback ride, took her to the restroom, or tolerated her energy in any way. BTW, the cheers for her on the obstacle course were great!
For those interested, the fault turned out to be a loose or faulty retaining clip for the wastegate actuator rod. Although I couldn't get under the car for another 24-hours, I felt much better after knowing what was actually wrong with the car. The rod is currently held in place by a paper-clip. It held all the way home and may stay in place for another week or so. There's plenty of rain in our forecast. So it will be a while before I can get under the car.
I hope to see everyone next year.
Take Care,
Scott
The amount of things going on comibined with the smoothness that each event went off shows that a lot of work went into pulling off a great Fest. GREAT JOB!
I think I could've enjoyed myself more if I had:
1) Not suffered a casualty to my car. I spent a lot of time troubleshooting and was incredibly distracted on Friday and Saturday (I hope I didn't seem too anti-social to some). I had virtually no time to prepare my car for the show. Although I won my class, the car could've been much better.
2) Stayed at the hotel. Although I made a lot of first-time-camper mistakes (such as borrowing a tent), the true killer for me was the amount of time spent commuting between the two locations (especially the wrong turns) and feeling the need to store valuables in the car while away from the camp site. Had I stayed at the hotel, I would've had an EMPTY car for the show. "Really, the trunk is clean... It's just FULL!"
3) Combining the two above would've allowed me more time for getting to know everyone. I've been a part of TDIClub.com since it was just a lowly guestbook on what was a meager website. So there were A LOT of names and faces to take in. Perhaps I can make next year's Fest (free of vehicle defects) and reinforce the names/faces I learned this year.
I want to thank those who helped with my troubleshooting efforts on my car:
1) PeterV and HamsterDiesel for the use of their VAG-COM...
2) Code Blue for the use of his ECU and MAF, plus an unknown member for the use of his MAF...
3) Jeff (Rocket Chips) for some advice and the use of his floor jack...
4) Paramedick for watching my table and loaning me his car while I grabbed lunch and did other little things...
5) WB1FLI for the use of his ramps (too tall to drive on, but worked well as supports while I worked under the car)...
6) NicerJettaGuy for the use of his EZPass, some wire repair items, and hotel room Sunday night...
7) FanOfAllDiesels and his wife for watching Diana while I packed up my campsite Sunday night...
8) Any camper who tolerated my latenight shuffle while packing the car Sunday night (those tent poles were impossible to handle quietly in the calm darkness)...
9) Anyone who provided some ideas regarding my troubleshooting direction... I think it was SVTWeb's suggestion that netted the discovery of the fault...
10) and EVERYONE who gave Diana a piggyback ride, took her to the restroom, or tolerated her energy in any way. BTW, the cheers for her on the obstacle course were great!
For those interested, the fault turned out to be a loose or faulty retaining clip for the wastegate actuator rod. Although I couldn't get under the car for another 24-hours, I felt much better after knowing what was actually wrong with the car. The rod is currently held in place by a paper-clip. It held all the way home and may stay in place for another week or so. There's plenty of rain in our forecast. So it will be a while before I can get under the car.
I hope to see everyone next year.
Take Care,
Scott
