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Finally got the rear hatch and side windows re-tinted(the car was originally cheap, illegally dark tint ) to match the doors and front that I did 6 months ago. Ceramic tint. It looks dark in the pics, but it is not. Just because it is in the garage. I can actually see out the back window now! Just one step darker than the side windows.
The original tint job when I bought it. Note how dark the front window was!! Got me pulled over 15 minutes after I bought it.
Last edited by Jim Stephens; 05-05-2020 at 01:23 PM.
OK, I have a set of OEM Nismo springs. Took awhile to find the rears. They are exactly the same height as the fronts. So, first question is where do I get some fresh rubber tubing material that goes around the coils. I am guessing that is for keeping the noise down as those tightly wound coils at the bottom bang against each other. What is that stuff called? The coils are about 1/2" diamater. I probably will not install them this weekend, but when I "feel" like I am ready to take it on I will do it. The rear should be no problem, but the fronts will be not so much fun. At least I know how to do it since I just installed the Bilstien shocks a few months back.
Last edited by Jim Stephens; 05-07-2020 at 01:38 PM.
Hi Jim,
I believe you're looking for item #11 and it looks to be available although at a price. As you prolly agree I wouldn't cheap out with a salvage yard piece, the rubber has a finite life span. You and your son will be fine doing the fronts (esp with the Bilstein practice run ). Just be sure to compress the springs equally as you go around. Some here suggest removing the lower ball joint section for better access. Gl!
Gotcha, my bad.
Others may call me out but if I'm not mistaken that covering appears to be a cushion/damper that is actually part of the spring itself to reduce noise and wear to the lower mount. If it were mine I'd mic the spring diameter there and look at rubber hosing from NAPA, Amazon or Ace Hardware. If you can find hosing with the exact inside diameter isopropyl alcohol will allow you to slide it on fairly easily then evaporate.
Gotcha, my bad.
Others may call me out but if I'm not mistaken that covering appears to be a cushion/damper that is actually part of the spring itself to reduce noise and wear to the lower mount. If it were mine I'd mic the spring diameter there and look at rubber hosing from NAPA, Amazon or Ace Hardware. If you can find hosing with the exact inside diameter isopropyl alcohol will allow you to slide it on fairly easily then evaporate.
You could also use a soapy water solution to help slide the tubing on. It's what I did. It will dry off and no one is the wiser.
The rears are so easy compared to the fronts. I had the rear done in under 30 minutes. But, I did change out the springs when I changed out the shocks.
Still, compared to the fronts, it is a breeze. Let your son do the rears while you drink mimosas or margaritas.
My driver's side headlight had a bunch of water and moisture in it when I bought the car (see my first posts). I eventually drained the water out of it, attempted to clean in the inside with a hanger and cloth through the light bulb holes and then reinstalled it with the missing fender liner replaced that caused the whole problem. While it looked "pretty good" the inside of the light was pretty stained and it bugged me a little. I came across someone who was selling both headlights for 100 bucks. They had some issues with the wiring, but the real thing I wanted was nice polished headlight shells and these were in great shape. Most of the ones I see are very oxidized. So, last weekend I just replaced the driver side light and it looks great now. Now I have these two headlights sitting in my garage and I started messing with them. Tonight I removed the wiring on both of them and cleaned up the exteriors. I am going to heat them up in the next day or two and separate them. Then I am then going to see if I can get them cleaned up since I have access to the inside. If that goes well, hmmm... I might buy some Halo's and the Audi-like white light to go under the light for fun. It would be fun to get just a white Halo and maybe make sure it can go yellow to match the car maybe. Not sure how far I am going to go with it, but my son is interested for sure. Really just something to mess with, and if goes poorly with the clean up effort I will probably just toss them. So, we will see which way this goes.
On a separate note, my son tuns 16 in July, so we are starting to talk about a car for him. It is a long story, but basically I am going to spend a little bit more on something he wants than my daughter got (good used Honda Accord). She got four years of private school, he is going to public school as that was his choice and he is doing very well at it. He wants a used GTI with a stick as his first choice. WRX and a few other items are on his list that I cannot recall. Something in the range of 13k - 18k. It needs to be something that will get him through High School and College(should be about dead by then). That is the hope anyway. Surprised he is interested in a GTI given it's boxy shape, but in some ways that is a good thing and its not my car so he can pick what he wants to some degree. Obviously, I do not want big horsepower, good safety and something that can go 120k miles at lease without too much trouble.
Last edited by Jim Stephens; 05-11-2020 at 05:29 PM.
My advice? The Mark IV and Mark V GTI's had some motor issues. My son had a late Mark 5 (2009) and the 2.0 motors have some issues. Oil coolers and the associated seals are notorious for going bad. I replaced it and it was a serious PITA. Then my son's motor had the death knell, the main bearings were leaving metal shavings in the oil. Time to get rid of it. The motors USED cost more than the car's are worth, unless you want to part it out.
You will pay more for a Mark VI (2010 and newer) but they have more longevity than the Mark IV or Mark V. Plus, the Mark VI has an LSD. Unless you can find a Mark I or Mark II, those are seriously Old School Cool.
If you do get a Mark V, stay way away from the DSG, it was a maintenance nightmare and the cost to fix was ridiculous.
I might suggest a Focus ST, they are in your price range, the insurance costs are reasonable for a teen ager (ask me how I know!!!) and the gas mileage is good. Plus there is a huge aftermarket for them. My son has a 2015 and Scooter can flat move.
My advice? The Mark IV and Mark V GTI's had some motor issues. My son had a late Mark 5 (2009) and the 2.0 motors have some issues. Oil coolers and the associated seals are notorious for going bad. I replaced it and it was a serious PITA. Then my son's motor had the death knell, the main bearings were leaving metal shavings in the oil. Time to get rid of it. The motors USED cost more than the car's are worth, unless you want to part it out.
You will pay more for a Mark VI (2010 and newer) but they have more longevity than the Mark IV or Mark V. Plus, the Mark VI has an LSD. Unless you can find a Mark I or Mark II, those are seriously Old School Cool.
If you do get a Mark V, stay way away from the DSG, it was a maintenance nightmare and the cost to fix was ridiculous.
I might suggest a Focus ST, they are in your price range, the insurance costs are reasonable for a teen ager (ask me how I know!!!) and the gas mileage is good. Plus there is a huge aftermarket for them. My son has a 2015 and Scooter can flat move.
Good call out on the Focus ST. My son did mention an interest in those, will check them out. He is telling me he is looking for a 2015 or newer GTI, not sure what Mark version that is as I know nothing about them yet. I really am looking for a car with less than 60k on it that has some legs to go the distance in terms of years of service. Have not checked the reliability of the models he is looking at yet, but certainly important to me. The ford has got to be cheaper to work on fix for sure I would think. I will share your feeback with him.
I have driven a focus ST quite a bit and I really like it. It is very fun and the aftermarket is huge for it. It will also likely be less troublesome than a GTI. They are also dirt cheap for the amount of car you can get with that budget.
Ran the idea of the Ford Focus by my son and got a lukewarm response. He is aware of them and not completely against it. At some point we will go take one for a test drive and see what he thinks.
Baked a headlight during lunch. It took about 220 and more time than most state, but I got it to come apart.
Not sure if I will mess with this. The chrome is pretty degraded from all the years and water that sat in there. I went to clean a piece of it and all the paint came off! Lol. Sure, I could invest the time and repaint it with chrome paint, but at this point I a may just toss it. If I leave it in my workshop perhaps a rainy day will get me motivated to restore it.
You can see the difference in shine on the main headlight chrome, top compared to bottom in the first and third picture. The water puddled on the bottom part of the light fixture and took the shine off of the chrome over time. Pretty bad shape.
If you look at the top of the plastic chrome in the second pic what you are are actually seeing is clear plastic and then the chrome underneath. That clear plastic was painted with chrome to give it a smooth look. That immediately came right off when I tried to clean it.
Last edited by Jim Stephens; 05-12-2020 at 10:55 AM.
I may have some spares of the chrome trim piece with the side reflector from my donor headlights that I split when doing my retrofit project. If you're interested, I can see if I can find them in the garage and their yours if you want them. I can send some pics if you want. I don't think I scrapped them, but I can double-check for you.
I may have some spares of the chrome trim piece with the side reflector from my donor headlights that I split when doing my retrofit project. If you're interested, I can see if I can find them in the garage and their yours if you want them. I can send some pics if you want. I don't think I scrapped them, but I can double-check for you.
Yes, that would be great! I only need the driver side. The passenger side appears to be fine, unless you just want to clear it out of your garage. You never know I might damage it during the process.
Good deal. I'll see if I can find them. I'm hoping my pack rat tendencies got the best of me and I didn't get rid of them.
Damn, sorry Jim. I checked through a few boxes where I thought they would be and I couldn't find them. If they pop up, I'll let you know, but I think they're gone. Just wanted to give you a heads up to not hold you up in case you were waiting around for me.
Last edited by Heel Til I Die; 05-14-2020 at 03:29 AM.
So, sporting the OEM look with the V1 Forged Track Wheels. These are 18" compared to my 19" Volks and over 10lbs lighter per tire! I weighed them myself. Just got these S595 Federal Tires installed at lunch. This was recommended by some to me and frankly it makes for a low cost way to start. This is going to be my set up to do AutoX runs. I know there are much better tires and I will eventually move up to those as our skills improve. I did not have much time to try out the new tires as I was rushing to get home and beat a big rain storm. I will say though I noticed quite a bit of difference. The car felt more nimble, the ride was definitely better. That could be because of the smaller diameter wheel and the tires are 40's not 35's like the 19" Volks. They seemed quieter than my Michelin's, but not sure I believe my ears on that one. I was able to get a 245 on the front and 275 on the back which is the same width I have on the Volks, so nothing lost there! Thanks again on all the "tire talk" that occurred a while back in the thread, that all went into the decision on what I bought.
The Volks look hands down better and will continue to be my everyday set up. Now we just need to actually have the next AutoX event that is schedule for the first week of June! Looking forward to see how the car does with the new sway bar and the different tires.
Last edited by Jim Stephens; 05-15-2020 at 02:03 PM.
Tires look great. I am nearly certain that this tire belongs on the passenger side. It is a directional tire and that is the wrong direction. It wont make any difference in the dry, but will make a substantial difference in the damp or wet.
05-05-2020, 01:01 PM
). Just be sure to compress the springs equally as you go around. Some here suggest removing the lower ball joint section for better access. Gl! 
