Bad decision???

[Boost Master D]

WOW great responses from everyone. I truly do appreciate it!! No doubt that my elevator doesn't go all the way to the top, so I will fit in just fine. The warranty is all ready in writing which is good, and everyday that I have had the car (almost a week) (extended test drive I go over it with a fine tooth comb and drive the hell out of it that day looking for things wrong. It has been holding up like a champ and the only thing to go wrong with it that was not previously wrong are the snap bushings on the fan temp control, so only warm air blowing out. Not really a hard fix and the car lot will be fixing that as well. I will have everything in writing and will feel 100% confident in the inspection of the car or I will walk off the lot with my cash and look elsewhere. Again thank you all so very much for all of the advice and I will keep you posted!!!!!

[IndyTom]

Too late! You got the "BUG". And since you are infected with the New Beetle disease there is no going back. That beetle could be driving on 3 wheels without fenders and you would still keep it. Too late to walk away now. You might as well give in and make a Long Mod List. Oh, yes the "BUG" that you have been bitten with has several other Bugs that will bite you as well. It will make you spend every waking moment and every single penny on Mods and keeping the Pretty Beetle running. Time to sign up for some Overtime. You will need it

[Boost Master D]

Well Tom Ive had the bug for 33 years lol...I was literally conceived in an 74 beetle lol. I got bitten again when I spent two years and over 7k on a 1970 bug restoration and have a 69 bus in storage waiting for love. LOL anyhow time for NB update.

So I had an appointment with the car lot owner today. I had not met him and have had no dealings with him as of yet. He apologized and told me that he normally has a hand in every vehicle he sales but had no connection with this car. (another salesmans son bought the car) to resale) He bought it from a mechanic in Phoenix. Long story short I got lots of receipts and paperwork stating a new WP TB had been put on. It just had the head machined, valve job, new head gasket, oil pan gasket, coil packs, tune up and some other things he is getting the receipts for. Currently it is being inspected by his mechanic and having the spoiler motor replaces the snap bushings replaced and door trims replaced. Also checking for vacuum boost leaks. I WILL NOT BE TAKING THIS MECHANIC"S WORD,..I WILL BE HAVING IT INSPECTED BY A VW MECHANIC AFTER I GET IT BACK. I need to find one, so if anybody knows of one here in Austin that is reliable and thorough let me know. With all the head work new WP TB coil packs ect. and the car running strong I feel that I might be in ok standings with it only needing some minor repairs and some tlc. I know the head work and such was done because it was overheated, but i have driven it hard for a week and Its not leaking fluids seems strong and doesn't throw any codes. Also the 3k mile warranty is a bit of insurance. The car fax showed it had all of its scheduled maintenance until warranty expired so that just leaves the last 15k miles undocumented so to speak. However the receipts for the work cover most of that.

Its funny but Ive only had this car for a week and I all ready am willing to go to bat, make excuses and defend it lol. Like I said I only need two and a half years tops out of this drivetrain. In the meantime I will be building a complete engine piece by piece of course stroked and big turboooooo. I am still trying to name him. Funny thing is I always name my cars girls, but Zeus as I have been calling him seems to fit so I guess he is a boy.

[IndyTom]

I wonder if the timing belt broke and that's why they had to work on the head? Not sure why overheating would cause damage to the head unless they drove it until the engine litterally seized which may have also damaged the pistons and block.
Still sounds a bit suspicious to me but as long as you feel comfortable with it and they will fix everything they promise to get fixed than I guess you got yourself a Beelte

Congrats!

[Boost Master D]

I will know more details about the headwork on monday. I know they did a valve job at the machine shop and put the WP TB and head gasket on while doing the head. Maybe the water pump went out breaking the timing belt and damaging a lifter??? I dont know but with the work done , if it was done properly It should be as good as new. Like I said before the car runs good and strong. Its quiet hasn't used any oil since I topped it off, isn't smoking and isn't leaking. If any internal damage was still present I feel like It would be obvious to a point( no noise, vibration, nt getting hot or leaking). Plus since the oil pan gasket is new as well, I am thinking maybe they rebuilt the bottom end as well. The machine shop is gathering the receipts and info and will fax it over to the dealership and I will know for certain. Even so I am taking it to my mechanic when I fet it back monday and If it doesn't check out, I will walk away and look for another beetle.. The guy I dealt with today is very cooperative and had never even seen the car until today. The owners son was trying his hand at buying and selling, he bought it at an auction and drove the car for a month until he had the overheat and sent it to the machine shop. Oh well we will see....but Its looking better than it did the other day. I can live with a freshly built head, new WP and TB and new gaskets. Things I shouldnt have to do again for a long while if the work was done properly. Plus I have 3k miles worth of warranty to make sure if I decide to keep the car.

cheers

[IndyTom]

If the head work wasn't done properly you would already know it. Make sure you get the receipts for the work and make a note for yourself or the future owner of this car if you ever going to sell it when and at what mileage the timing belt was replaced last. I would ask about the oil pan gasket as well. Do you have a hybrid pan or a regular aluminum pan? It is very easy to strip the threads on the aluminum pans and perhaps they took the pan off to helicoil and rethread the pan or maybe this Yahoo son of the dealer went hot dogging the car and cracked the oil pan and that's how the car overheated and ended up with needing a head job. I guess we will never know. Make sure they tell you what this "Warranty" covers and what it doesn't. I once bought this extended warranty for my Audi TT and when I actually needed it it didn't cover anything that was needed. Never again. Those rip off warranties are usually good about covering certain items that your car will never need or have exclusions that under certain conditions will not cover you.
Either way Good Luck to you and Enjoy your beetle.

[Boost Master D]

IN WRITING the warranty states 3k miles Drive Train. I will make all my personal notes for myself and for future reference on the car... Seems to be the stock aluminum pan. I might never know what that jack a@$ did to overheat it, but I will do follow up at the machine shop and trace all receipts. Seems like a good excuse to drive the car. Thanks again IndyTom and everyone for the help. Maybe this bad decision wasn't so bad after all.

[IndyTom]

I am sure with a little TLC you will give this Beetle the care it deserves and had missed in the last 7 years

The 1.8 is a Fun Car to drive. Just wait until you get a REVO tune. That will really put a Big on your face

You are lucky there is a REVO Certified Tuner just north of Austin near Round Rock? Soulspeed Performance, 2600 Longhorn Blvd, 1 512 832 1800.
Best $399 you will ever spend on your car!

Stock HP 150 after Revo Stage I = 200HP
Stock Torque 160 lbs after Revo Stage I = 235 lbs

Better accelleration, better drivability, greater pull in the midrange and upper end. Some even report better gas mileage. (Not me, I can't keep my foot away from the fun pedal )
Look for Sales. Sometimes they have a $100 off Sale when there is a Special Event or around Holidays.

[Boost Master D]

Hey IndyTom. Ive been looking into the revo tune and trying to find a place here to get it done and such and found the same place. I will be loving this bug to death,..either mine or its death lol. I just want to make sure the engine is tip top before I add any stress to it!!! It runs strong and I can find nothing wrong with it myself, but after I have my mechanic check it out the Revo is the first thing getting done (of course a boost gauge to monitor) Right now I am on a search to find a good place to take it to and have it checked out. From what I have read and hear from others the revo tune is a fairly dramatic change from stock. Looks like 50hpw and that extra torque make all the difference.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Boost Master D

Hey IndyTom. Ive been looking into the revo tune and trying to find a place here to get it done and such and found the same place. I will be loving this bug to death,..either mine or its death lol. I just want to make sure the engine is tip top before I add any stress to it!!! It runs strong and I can find nothing wrong with it myself, but after I have my mechanic check it out the Revo is the first thing getting done (of course a boost gauge to monitor) Right now I am on a search to find a good place to take it to and have it checked out. From what I have read and hear from others the revo tune is a fairly dramatic change from stock. Looks like 50hpw and that extra torque make all the difference.

The extra 50HP aren't bad but the extra 75lbs of extra torque makes all the difference in the world. Also this is based on a 91 Octane tune. If your area has 93 Octane gas then those numbers may even increase a little If that place that sells the REVO tunes isn't too far you can drive up and get a Test Tune. It lasts for about 6 hours (driving time) and then reverts back to stock. That way you can see if you will like the extra few ponies. But be warned, once you get a taste of the extra fun. Your face may end up looking like the Joker on Batman

[Boost Master D]

I know after the tune the stock BOV(recirc valve) doesnt hold up too well. Any recommendations?

[Smileybug]

Unitronic Stage 1 appears to give you more HP...but they also list the 1.8T having 180hp, which it doesn't unless it the Turbo S.

Stage one I think you should be fine with all stock parts. And no BOV for these cars...these get a Diverter Valve instead.

[Boost Master D]

oops I knew it was a diverter lol. These guys do not like blowing into atmospheric from what I understand. But I also hear the stock ones fail pretty soon after getting them tuned. I am not sure that we have a unitronic dealer around here. I also got confused about the hpw numbers. Mine is not a turbo S.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Boost Master D

I know after the tune the stock BOV(recirc valve) doesnt hold up too well. Any recommendations?

The updated Heavy duty Bosch unit will do. But if you want to go all out you can get what I got:

Home Page > Search > Forge Splitter > ES#1832064 Splitter DV / BOV - Polished - FMDVSPLTRC

Here is the Heavy Duty TT DV: http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...r_Valve/ES581/

Here is the little cheaper Forge P7 Valve: http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...lve/ES1832053/

With the first Diverter Valve listed you can have the best of both worlds. It acts like a completely normal Diverter Valve but it also vents about 10% to atmosphere which gives you a nice woooshing sound .. Now after that sounds drives you totally crazy. (Took about 3 months for me) then the cool thing is you can convert it completely into a standard diverter valve without the annoying sound it otherwise makes. There is no difference in performance either way. The coolest thing is that this Diverter Valve is completely adjustable without changing springs or adding shims. All it takes is a couple of clicks on top of the diverter valve and you can loosen or tighten the spring resistance. BTW, it is set way to high from the factory so if you decide to get this DV you will need to adjust it which is very easy. Just turn it counter clockwise until it stops and then turn it clockwise 8 clicks. Bingo you are done. Very easy and nice looking as well. But it is a bit pricey. You can get a regular Forge P7 unit which is tried and true and a bit cheaper. I used to have about 6 different diverter valves but I like the Splitter the best and I sold all of the others.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Boost Master D

oops I knew it was a diverter lol. These guys do not like blowing into atmospheric from what I understand. But I also hear the stock ones fail pretty soon after getting them tuned. I am not sure that we have a unitronic dealer around here. I also got confused about the hpw numbers. Mine is not a turbo S.

Doesn't matter. The 150HP 1.8 is way underrated. If you get the tune regardless if you have a 150 or a 180Hp the Stage one will get you to 200HP and 235lbs of torque. I would still go with the REVO tune. I have had 3 cars tuned by REVO and one by APR and the REVO tuned cars performed better and had no reliability issues whatsoever. Sure others may tune it a bit more aggressively on paper but in real life terms I bet you will not be able to tell the difference between APR/Unitronic or REVO. Plus all the others are at least 100 dollars more expensive than REVO. They used to be $499 for the 1.8 tune but they lowered the pricing for all 1.8 Turbo cars to $399 last year and sometime they even have a Sale. Plus there is a REVO dealer close to you. So it is a no brainer in my book. Also once you add an Intake and Downpipe you can get it tuned to a Stage II for only 50 bucks more. The stage II is more aggressive and I decided not to push my old lady that far. I am very happy with the Stage I tune. If I want to go really fast I just ride my motorcycle I don't think you will be sorry getting the REVO tune. I will definitely be plenty of power for that Beetle of yours without changing the drivability or reliability of a daily driver.

But don't take my word for it. Go and get a FREE Test Tune and you will see what I am taking about.

[esse10]

welcome to the org family and congrats on your new car. Hope you like working on cars and doing your own repairs cause you're gonna be doing it alot in the near future...LOL
Hope it works out for ya, good luck.

[Boost Master D]

Thanks Esse10. Why yes I am a glutton for punishment
Couldn't help it, I have this disease where abused and neglected V-dubs give me sad looks until I adopt them and spend every last dime I have on keeping them alive and making them as shiny and fast as possible!!! Thanks for the welcome everyone.

[Boost Master D]

Hwy IndyTom, thanks for the info. I will be ordering the splitter this week and definitely keep hearing good things about revo so you are right its a no brainer since its a close drive..

I will wait till this summer to change the rods and main bearings and oil pump. That way its over and done and will be ready for BT and stage 2. Well Im not sure how the stock pistons and rings do so prob will change em out as well. Intake, downpipe and exhaust will be siting in the closet waiting as well for the build time so its done all at once.

Dang it, I knew this was going to happen. I sold my 35k dollar car in order to get something economical and to save some cash while I finish school, but looks like Im not going to be satisfied until I find Zeus living up to his name at 350 hpw.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Boost Master D

Hwy IndyTom, thanks for the info. I will be ordering the splitter this week and definitely keep hearing good things about revo so you are right its a no brainer since its a close drive..

I will wait till this summer to change the rods and main bearings and oil pump. That way its over and done and will be ready for BT and stage 2. Well Im not sure how the stock pistons and rings do so prob will change em out as well. Intake, downpipe and exhaust will be siting in the closet waiting as well for the build time so its done all at once.

Dang it, I knew this was going to happen. I sold my 35k dollar car in order to get something economical and to save some cash while I finish school, but looks like Im not going to be satisfied until I find Zeus living up to his name at 350 hpw.

You certainly dream big

[Boost Master D]

No point in Dreaming small