2mAns Daily Driver Thread - who knows what it is today...

[2mAn]

About to click to 234k, got it aligned as I have a long drive to visit a friend this weekend and dont want to ruin the Michelin PS4S tires.



My friend is anal when it comes to cosmetics so I might spend a few minutes to clean the paint... but I have to wash the car first and thats a long shot haha

Also will be delivering a seat for kronus

[2mAn]

I found a (basically NOS) steering wheel on vwvortex and desperately needed to replace mine, so I bought it...

This was really easy to do... once I had the right tool to deal with the airbags spring clip. You really cant tell just how bad the old steering wheel was, but heres the natural 'before' pic




Done!






No new warning lights... Might finally tackle the one I added during the suspension swap, but probably wont. I probably WILL drop the car off to get the headliner done, its really bad as its fully detached at the back and I cant see behind me lol

[moatilliatta]

Score!

I rewrapped my Prius wheel.

[2mAn]

Interior looks much less sh!tbox now... though the fact that I didn't have them redo the entire headliner/ pillars/ sunroof and its not a perfect match reminds you that it IS still a sh!tbox


After!



Best Way Upholstery in Culver City did it for $420 cash out the door and was done in under 24 hours. I'm happy. I've blown the Year 1 budget, but the car is significantly better today than when I bought it.

[Northern]

Very much worth it

[2mAn]

Well, in true sh!tbox nature when I spend some money on "comfort" the mechanical stuff starts acting up. Been having an issue with no boost / laggy boost and theres a thing called a zip-tie mod (not kidding) and you basically zip tie the boost actuator to a particular length and the VNT Turbo is supposed to function properly. Simple fix, but the length of the zip tie is difficult to determine without trial and error, but easier when you have the diagnostic tools... and like most mid 00s cars, a simple OBD reader wont do it. I was able to borrow the cable, but my laptop has been shit since I havent used it in years...

However, a simple part to try and throw at it (and also HIGHLY recommended for regular maintenance) is the fuel filter. So I changed that. Didnt look horrible and the diesel that was in the reservoir was nice and clean. Good signs... Gotta keep this thing going!



I also went and logged all the receipts to get a good picture of the maintenance history and saw a lot of good things, thank God the PO kept the receipts. It was regularly serviced by the same place, but sadly they were bad at updating their dates/ miles and I have like 5 service items with the same date. I was able to sort out some of it, but regardless. The filter is new and changed, but the problem persists. Hopefully this week I can get it boosting again because the 996 is a thirsty b!tch compared the TDI...

[2mAn]

While I scratch my monkey brain trying to figure out this zip-tie mod, an order from RockAuto finally arrived and I figured I could get these installed. My hood strut has been bad since I got the car so I figured I would try and wrap up a few of the minor items that were also bothering me. Of course, it looks like the hood strut is a trunk lid strut so it’s going back, whereas everything else went in.








This included a power door lock for the driverside and also the cabin filter. Power door lock icons don’t match but I don’t care because it actually works now haha




Cabin filter was BAD!



Now to stare at this thing and hope it fixes itself lol

[2mAn]

Well, we're about a week into the 'zip-tie' mod and not too many miles. I don't fully trust this yet to fall on its face, but time will tell. I have no idea how others were able to do the mod with just a single zip tie. I linked two together so I could get it under the shaft and tie it up over the spot on the vacuum line. It obviously meant I couldn't quite get a good idea of the length, but its tied down and I'm feeling boost. Sadly, I am now getting a standing CEL and an occasion Glow Plug light (in addition to the other warning lights now haha).


Today, I hit 236k and was exciting to not see the glow plug light, hoping the car is getting back to its 'normal' self, but just then the flashing Glow plug light came back on...




Hoping the miles will let the car work itself out (delusion)...

[MrBurgundy]

They say when VW meets happen, you can see the orange glow from a distance from all the MIL indicators.

[2mAn]

and finally, after what felt like an eternity...



its the little things.




Still havent scanned the car, but close to 100 miles and the CEL is gone. The glow plug light will occasionally flash at me towards the end of my morning commute but overall the car feels good. Probably not getting the full amount of boost, but I want to try and actually get rid of the amber lights on the dash now

[2mAn]

237K and counting...time for the beginning of 2025 updates. after successfully NOT selling the Jetta I began getting a few items taken care of before Baby #2 arrives in a few weeks.

Job 1- Oil Change. Went to the dealer to get the special oil these engines need. Realized I saw the same oil at Advance Auto earlier in the day, so I went back and bought the last of their supply. 6 quarts of Mobil 1 discounted as they are closing all their locations here in LA, maybe CA, maybe the entire West Coast. Regardless, my next oil change 'kit' is ready to go.



...While the oil drained, I removed the wheel for Job 2...

Job 2- Fix the wheel speed sensor wiring that I accidentally separated during the suspension & axle work that was done early into my ownership. I soldered and heat-shrunk the wiring, so that shouldn't resurface again...



Done, and one less warning light on the dash ... onto Job 3

Job 3- The Rear Pass Side Door lock actuator was bad, so I bought a VEMO unit from Rock Auto and began that replacement. Wasnt as bad as I thought, got it done fairly quickly.





and with that I moved to Job 4 which isnt pictured. I installed the base for the Toddler seat/ carrier thing that will be sitting back there in the rear Pass side. Back seat full of baby seats now... oh boy. My 2025 'Wish list' includes fixing the Gas door, likely to just fully disable the actuator and make it a manual door. I want to buy an 034 Motorsports rear sway bar and to slowly tackle suspension bushings on the car. I already have some front bushings I bought a while ago, so it would be nice to get those done. Maybe a good polish to restore the paint on the hood, while I still can, but we'll see

[2mAn]

As I am about to enter Year #2 of ownership, that means I can justify putting some more money into this car. Luckily it really has been trouble free so it doesn't need a whole lot. Usually Year #2 is when I get bored of a car and look to replace it, but so far this has been great and I cant picture a better Daily Driver for me. Its mostly things to just make the car feel less like a sh!tbox.

Heres my "wish list" feel free to share your input:

(1) Kerma Q-Pro tuner with a tune that I can remove during emissions time, which will roll around in late next year. How will this work while I have the zip-tie mod? ($500?)

(2) Get a full size spare BBS CH wheel / refinish all the wheels to a proper finish, perhaps go bronze finish? Maybe have a better matching setup lol ($1000+?)

(3) I found a 12" subwoofer box that fits in the trunk cubby location. ($300+?)

(4) Fix the back-up camera (No-cost, just fixing wiring)

(5) Oil change at 240k (No-cost, already have it ready)

(6) Polish up the paint, black wrap on roof since its roasted. ($$$?)

(7) Tint the windows ($$$?)

(8) Get a second key. ($165)

[MrBurgundy]

Just sell it already, we want to see what's next.

[Northern]

Just sell it already, we want to see what's next.

[2mAn]

Just sell it already, we want to see what's next.

I was having a discussion with my wife about how the E30 is on its way out and I turned the discussion over to the 16V Benz. I really want to spend some time with it, which means I want to spend money modifying it (mainly manual swap, but perhaps the wrap and more!)... I told her I was thinking about making that the 'family' car and selling the Jetta.

The look that I got... I want to bottle that and resell it

Her response was , "Can you just have ONE normal car?!" ... so the Jetta will remain as my ONE "Normal" car...

So as for the normal car, it clicked over 238k and is still doing just fine. It handles pretty damn good for what it is and I constantly wonder what a Rear Sway bar would be like, but I resist...

The only really annoying thing has been the coolant reservoir. I think it has a hairline crack somewhere so every few weeks I have to top off the reservoir. Well, I finally looked at how much a new one costs. Looks like a Genuine VW is around $75 where a Behr or Febi is right around $20 ... Tempted to NOT cheap out and get the Genuine VW one, but is it really 4x better? If cheap is OK, which of the cheaper options is the way to go? I think its time to get that and a second key... Then as we get closer to summer I will probably tint the windows. Cars been great, I would love to get another "BBS" CH wheel so there is a full size spare but they rarely come up.

Besides that, I am doing my best to resist the temptation to get a new turbo, Colt Camshaft, tune, etc and throwing thousands at this car