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Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

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  • Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

    Greetings everyone! My name is Brandon and I’ve just begun to dip my toes into European waters. I am 19 years old and I have recently purchased my second car, a 2003 GTI VR6.



    After moving in with my buddy Jason (you may know him as GingerBeef), I quickly gained interest into the euro car scene. This was a nice switch from the JDM scene I had known through my first vehicle; a static 2006 Subaru Impreza wagon.



    After cruising around in Jason’s ginster MK3 GTI VR6, I fell in love with the car and decided I needed one for myself. A few weeks of searching later, I realized a buddy of mine had a MK4 GTI VR6 that had been sitting in his driveway for the last year and a half. It did not run, and he had little idea as to the state it was in. I took a quick look at it, and a few days later, towed it home in the darkness.



    After giving the car a good look over the next day, I realized I had gotten a little bit more car than I had anticipated. Turns out this little golf had a 24v VR6 paired with a 6 speed gearbox, as well as an AEM cold air intake and a Milltek exhaust. It came with the big bolster, leather, and heated seats (I've heard they're made by Recaro, can anyone confirm?), as well as a basically new OEM clutch! Thrilled, I quickly swapped the battery and tried to turn it over. This, of course, did not go as planned.

    An few hours later, we got the car to start. Turns out, the internals of the starter motor were quite corroded and the motor would not spin. To make sure that the car did in fact run, we pushed it up a hill and bump started it. After ensuring that it was the starter motor that was broken and not some jank wiring issue, I got the starter rebuilt, and now I have a car that can start on its own!



    Now, this isn’t the only mechanical problem that this car came with. The previous owner informed me that there is something iffy with the thermostat as the car would overheat out of nowhere when he used to drive it, which is why it had been parked for the last year. So, I’ve got to replace that at some point, but that can come later as it is just parked right now. Projects, am I right?

    Now for the body. Honestly, I’m quite happy with the condition of the car, but as with any 13-year-old car, it has its flaws. Upon closer inspection, I found two huge key marks; one in the door and one in the hatch. Conveniently, Jason is a detailer, so I’m going to make that his problem (haha). The car also has a few dents throughout; a couple on the passenger side as well as 10 or so hail(?) dents on the hood. I believe most of the dents can be PDR’d, and I’ll be filling the hood dents when I fill the hood notch, which is a must IMO if you’re going to run a badgeless grill. The bumper cover was also quite busted, with a huge crease on the top near the hatch. Overall though, the body is in pretty good shape, and has no rust! Bonus!



    Now onto the fun part; modifications. My vision for this car is to go the OEM+ route with a bit of my own touches. I’ve been hoarding parts lately as it’s been too cold to install them, as well as the fact that I have almost no time to work on the car as I’m currently in 2nd year mechanical engineering at U of C. Anyways, here’s what I have so far:
    - MK4 Jetta “Lay flat” vents
    - OEM Golf 2.0 Tails (You’ll see why)
    - So much missing trim
    - Koilhaus Coilovers
    - Badgeless Grill
    - Authentic Volk TE37’s in 18x9 with 225/40 r18 rubber
    - New OEM Rear Bumper

    It’s not much, but it’s a start. There’s a ton of stuff I need to clean up and fix with the car first before a dump a bunch more money into it. All the windows need to be cleaned of the terrible tint that was on the car when I bought it, the headlights need restoration, steering wheel and shift knob need to be reupholstered, and the whole thing needs a damn good detail. All this should be plenty to get me started. The plan for this GTI is to build it as cheap as possible, but not doing anything sketchy in order to do so. For this car, cheap and quality will go hand in hand (hopefully).

    A lot of work will need to go into it, and a few helping hands are always welcome. So, is anyone interested in a little VW/Put Brandon’s car together BBQ??
    - Brandon

    Budget Baller - 2003 GTI VR6
    Slowbaru - 2006 Subaru Impreza Wagon

  • #2
    Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

    Sounds like a great project! Hope to see you at the meets!!
    --
    Rod
    Ex-presidente

    Drive

    2016 VW Golf .:R

    Drove
    2001.5 Audi S4 / Santorin Blue STAGE II+ / JFonz Tuned

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    • #3
      Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

      Welcome to the forums. You found a nice little ride, and the fact its a MK4 with 0 rust is amazing. All the other little flaws are just minor details that can easily be fixed!
      Patryk
      Instagram: @parkus08

      91 BMW 340is ///M-Tech II - Under construction
      08 VW .:R32
      04 Audi A4 Avant 1.8TQ

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      • #4
        Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

        Welcome!!!! Tonnes of potential in that GTI!
        Derek

        -2008 Avus Silver RS4-Fat ass II
        -1996 C4S-Fat Ass
        -2007 FJ Cruiser-6 speed

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        • #5
          Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

          Looks good Brandon! Welcome and +1 for VR6!

          BBQ's are always great. In for that!
          Last edited by Danaldson; 03-06-2017, 10:19 AM.

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          • #6
            Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

            Welcome! That's a great looking base for a project, it definitely has a lot of potential!
            Scott
            '23 Audi Q5 Technik | Ultra Blue Metallic | Black​
            '01 DC5 Honda Integra Type R | Championship White | Red

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            • #7
              Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

              Welcome! Sounds like a great start!

              I believe the sport seats (Wolfsburg/GLI/337/20th) were made by Recaro and the R32 seats were made by Konig.

              I'm always game for a BBQ!
              Calgary Autoworks

              2004.5 Jetta GLI
              2005 Audi Allroad

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              • #8
                Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                Great first Euro! My friends Yellow 1997 Driver's Edition GTi was what got me interested in Euros back in the day. Something about that VR6 gets under your skin. Hope to see the car out this Spring/Summer.

                +1 For a VR6 with 3 pedals!


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                Rob
                Daddy's "Hooligan" - MK4 R32 in Deep Blue Pearl
                Mommy's "Gran Turismo" - E70 X5M in Black Sapphire Metallic

                GONE... BUT NOT FORGOTTEN:

                The Family "Muscle Car" - B7 RS4 in Misano Red - Dad's 20th Anniversary "Wanna-be R32" GTi

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                • #9
                  Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                  Originally posted by Deuce View Post
                  Great first Euro! My friends Yellow 1997 Driver's Edition GTi was what got me interested in Euros back in the day. Something about that VR6 gets under your skin. Hope to see the car out this Spring/Summer.

                  +1 For a VR6 with 3 pedals!


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                  Was this in Calgary?.. cause if so im 99% sure I own that exact car now. Mines an original Calgary car, and the only 97 Ginster delivered to Calgary according to VWoC.

                  Also VR6s are aweful and you clearly made a terrible life choice Brandon
                  Jason

                  "You dont buy a Volkswagen once, you buy it ten times."
                  ---Samuel Moore

                  Instagram: @Wangtastic
                  PM me to get your car detailed! - Brightside Detailing

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                  • #10
                    Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                    Welcome!
                    Now offering detailing services!! http://www.gtrauto.ca/detailing-services.html

                    United Motorsport, Kerma TDI, KW, APR, COBB, Magnaflow, K&N, AFE, Motul, Lubromoly, Sonax, Air Lift, HPA, Ohlins, Klutch Wheels, Remus Exhaust

                    info@gtrauto.ca / www.gtrauto.ca / GTR Auto Facebook

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                    • #11
                      Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                      Oh you're the same Brandon lol!
                      Square bolster seats came on Wolfsburgs in cloth and TDI sport editions in suede and leather, and VR6 GLI and GTIs in grey or black leather, also were on Bora Rs in beige leather. They were designed by Recaro but made by VW. Turbo GLI and body kitted GTIs came with big bolster Recaros, and R32s are Konig.
                      Current Fleet
                      #ProjectICreate Jetta GLI32
                      2001 Cobra #88/3786
                      1989 Jetta Trophy 1 of 500
                      2004 Audi A2 FSI Colour Storm RHD
                      2015 B8.5 S4 Sepang/Technik/6MT/SD/AAD/CF

                      Motorsport Engineer

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                      • #12
                        Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                        Originally posted by GingerBeef View Post
                        Was this in Calgary?.. cause if so im 99% sure I own that exact car now. Mines an original Calgary car, and the only 97 Ginster delivered to Calgary according to VWoC.

                        Also VR6s are aweful and you clearly made a terrible life choice Brandon
                        That would definitely make this a small world indeed! The car was my roommates at the time. We worked oilfield together in Med. Hat. He's from Vancouver though so bought it in Van and drove it out to AB. I still remember cruising around Cowtown with her and embarrassing numerous Mustangs and Camaros back then.


                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                        Rob
                        Daddy's "Hooligan" - MK4 R32 in Deep Blue Pearl
                        Mommy's "Gran Turismo" - E70 X5M in Black Sapphire Metallic

                        GONE... BUT NOT FORGOTTEN:

                        The Family "Muscle Car" - B7 RS4 in Misano Red - Dad's 20th Anniversary "Wanna-be R32" GTi

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                          Thanks for the love guys! I'm really excited to get this thing going.

                          I'll probably be doing the BBQ at the end of April, probably during the week after school ends and before work starts. How does that work for you folks? I'll finalize all the details later of course.

                          Very interesting about the seats, thanks for the info Jerry and BaggedGLI! They're a hell of a lot nicer than the seats in my Subaru, that's for sure.

                          Any suggestions as to things I should look out for on this car? Little things that typically go wrong with MK4's? I've heard that the seatbelt bracket can rub against the wiring for the airbag, and can eventually cause a short in your airbag control module, so I'll definitely be looking out for that.

                          Hope to see you all soon!
                          - Brandon

                          Budget Baller - 2003 GTI VR6
                          Slowbaru - 2006 Subaru Impreza Wagon

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                          • #14
                            Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                            As others have said great car to start with. I've always wanted a relatively stock VR6 car. I'm jealous but admittedly not as Jealous as of your roommates car.

                            Good luck, it looks like it doesn't have the mudflaps installed on the car which usually caused the rusting issues.
                            Jay

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                            • #15
                              Re: Hello everybody! My 24v GTI VR6

                              mmmmmmmm vr6 mkiv. A few have caught my attention as well for a new project, have always found rust though

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