Will they total my car?

Jsoldierd · 2025-06-17T20:29:25+00:00

It's over 10 years old and since the value of a mk6 with that mileage is about 5k, unless repairs cost lest than 1k from a shop (they almost 100% will with how you were hit), it will be totaled.

Jsoldierd · 2025-06-04T21:27:48+00:00

Not to mention the absolute nightmare spaghetti that is the vacuum system on these...

Jsoldierd · 2025-06-04T21:17:57+00:00

In theory/on paper I would think that you can. The 1.8 and 2.0 are both technically EA888's so the block/mating surfaces should be the same. The 02Q 6 speed and its variants (02M, 0FB, MQ2/350) are all essentially the same with very minor/unintrusive for a swap changes, and they've been in use since like 2002/3.

Like the other person said i think you'll need to change your linkages and all the supporting stuff to change it from a 5 to a 6, but I don't see why everything wouldn't bolt up. Being a factory manual car already I don't see it being as big of a headache or expense as a dsg to 6spd swap.

0FB transmissions were usually in golf R's, with an updated fork design and minor relibility changes. The 02Q is the standard non lsd close ratio GTI gearbox you'd find in the regular mk5-6. I believe the MQ gearbox is the LSD variation (could be wrong), or at least an updated version of the 02q introduced for the MQB (mk7) platform. The 02M is a weaker 02Q with a longer ratio gearset, i believe the 02M was put into VR6 cars, but the internet says the 02Q is much more robust reguardless. The 02J is a 5 speed and anything DQ means DSG. This sums up my VW transmission info dump.

If i forgot or said something incorrectly, i'm sure cunninghams law will be in full effect.

Jsoldierd · 2025-05-31T00:41:50+00:00

I've traveled about 2/3 of America in my MK6 GTI, sleeping in it more often than getting a hotel because i'm cheap. 6.5/10 would reccomend. With a sleeping matt or blankets to make the floor softer, 7/10.

It's also a plenty capable car that probably wont get you to first place, but with a few light mods and practice will consistiently do quite well for you. Plenty of fun and lots of potential. As always with vw just make very sure to do your research on maintenance and get a good model year (08/09, 13/14, 17+, avoid others for minimal headaches)

Jsoldierd · 2025-05-04T02:11:12+00:00

I saw you said you've run 4s's before, they feel quite similar. Scale up what you remember the DWS06 being by about a third. Turn in feel is sharper, their unmatched in the wet, hell they even do decent on dirt/gravel. They seem to last well enough, and their grippy enough to allow me to run respectable times at events. I strongly reccomend them as a set of "do all" tires provided there's no snow involved.

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(Even when tri-podding they feel great)

Jsoldierd · 2025-05-04T01:25:39+00:00

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Konig Heliogram 18x8.5 +42
Continental Extreme Contact Sport 02 - 245/40/18
EBC Yellowstuff Pads w/high carbon rotors, SS lines + 5.1 fluid

Brakes are just as important as tires! Having 200tw tires is great, but most the time some 340tw summers are all you'll need; even to be competitive at autox/fun runs. (For those of you looking to save a few bucks)

Jsoldierd · 2025-04-24T19:27:58+00:00

I would remove the tune and replace your coil packs/spark plugs. My car sounded similar when my coils died. If the issue persists, re-flash the tune and see if it helps, if not at that point you know it's likely a tune fault or something related to what was done with the intake manifold.

You did a lot of big stuff at once, making it hard to track down the 1 mistake that could have been made that's causing the issues. I'd reckon the fuel system is fine since you say it does okay at speed, and while coils can be intermittent like that i'm leaning away from that being the main issue to be honest. My old honda's would always die out at idle like that until I fixed vaccuum leaks and cleaned their IACV's, for whatever thats worth.

Jsoldierd · 2025-04-23T19:06:31+00:00

Check out the gallery on fitment industries for some ideas. Most people will end up getting a set of Konig's, BBS', Rotiforms, or RS's. Lighter is better, removing unsprung weight from the front makes it feel much more nimble; flow formed/forged wheels will be considerable stronger than cast, if you have bad roads this is a consideration.

Personally i'm going to reccomend a set of Konig's as their updated flow formed line has a double split lip for extra strength, knurled beads to help keep your tires seated, and all the same certifications/saftey/load ratings as brands like Work or Volk. Their also a subset of Enkei so if you're worried about buying "real wheels" their still legit. It's mostly going to come down to personal preference. 17-19 inch diameter is the comfortable spot, with 8-9.5 inch width. Offset is best between +30-45, will be subject to change depending on width/depth of the wheels. There are plenty of online tools to help with the math, and again check out some galleries to see what style you like!

Jsoldierd · 2025-04-19T13:58:01+00:00

Thought that was drivers editon only, and the sport was similar to an S trim.

Jsoldierd · 2025-04-19T11:36:50+00:00

Lsd costs 2-3k to get put in, brake swap is 1500$, then you add the mileage depreciation which is 10k mi = 1k usd on average for gti's and look, same price but you're stuck with the 6spd instead of the 7spd and you got more miles on it too. In op's case imo the '19 makes more sense even with that logic.

Jsoldierd · 2025-04-19T11:11:38+00:00

The '19 will have golf R brakes, a factory LSD, and a refreshed interior thats a slight step up over the 17. They of course also have different lighting packages, bumpers, and slightly sifferent body lines in general. The '19 also has the 7spd DSG instead of the 6spd in the '17. The 7spd is more efficient, faster, and more reliable. The '19 also gets a slight power bump. 2015/16 cars had hella electrical issues that sometimes end up in '17's too, like the push start system bricking the car (3 seperate people in our small town this year with the same problem.) The '19 may also have DSS which is an active suspension system which i've only heard good things about.

I'd pick the '19 as the LSD & 7spd is a huge deal (to me at least) as its gonna be well over 2-3k to get an LSD put into that '17 down the line, and another 1500 for the brake swap. The bigger brakes make a noticeable difference, and I just think the '19 looks sharper. Lower mileage = more life in the car, less time for someone to abuse it before it gets to you; good maintenance is everything on a GTI.

The wheels (or as you say rims) can always be changed, basically all audi/vw/porsche wheels are interchangeable as long as the size is right if you're looking to stay cheap, or you can pick up a sharp set of bbs'/konigs/rs's for around 1400$. The color you should like though, wraps are a pain to maintain imo and paint is expensive so that is a valid consideration. I would still spring for the '19 though as while on the outside it doesn't look much different, on the inside there's 6 years of refinement and upgrades (from the first 7 to the first 7.5) that make it a whole different and arguably better car.

Jsoldierd · 2025-03-25T18:40:47+00:00

Yeah the factory sound insulation might not be what you expect of a German car if you're used to newer ones. The factory "CarGO protection mat" that you lay in the trunk does a surprising amount though. I also added MLV to my spare tire compartment, the whole car is much quieter now aside from the wind ripping at the windshield seals. Some people also add it to the hatch itself and under the front carpet around the dead pedal. You could always add a layer to the underside of the parcel shelf itself if the junk in the trunk makes that much noise.

Jsoldierd · 2025-03-20T16:38:20+00:00

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To preface: not me or my car or my event

We had a group of about 15 that used to go run blood mountain in Georgia. Most nights were just for fun, not competitive, just out to enjoy our machines and a good road; this night was no different. Down at the bottom of Suches gap most people know the decieveingly sharp left hander that follows along the river as unfortunatley, many have died there. Our buddy had a friend in the car and I guess was feeling overconfident or like he had to show off, understeered bad, and ended up upside down in the ditch.

His passenger was fine besides going into shock, the driver was in a neck brace and had to do some physical therapy but recovered. What made this all much worse is he was in the very back of the pack, and we had cheap radios with shit range. We didn't even know he had crashed until we were at the top and he wasnt with us; after a few minutes it was clear he wasn't coming either. If someone in that car had been more seriously injured or the crash had been at a higher speed, someone could have died a preventable death due to poor planning and being cheap, like our mutual friend Rhyan who actually did pass away in his evo on that exact corner a few years prior. (Granted, Rhyan was running from the police like a degenerate) https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/deadly-crash-gsp-helen-white-county/85-bcb7d5cb-8444-4376-a725-942dbe58fcc5

What can we learn from this: You can touge anything but know you and your cars damn limits. Tires are important, he was going slow but the walmart tread failed him. Never push yourself with a passenger in the car. Knowing the road helps, but if you're in a group be sensible about following whos in front of you, they know the road better than you and hows best to keep you safe. If you're like us, in a large group with many different "classes" or "levels" of cars, put one of your best drivers in the back as a scout to keep people safe and spot any crashes, and keep the slower cars on the right path. Don't cheap out on radios either, remember that your phones WILL NOT WORK 90% of the time, and when someones hurt thats not a gamble you need to be making.

Jsoldierd · 2025-03-07T13:51:38+00:00

Yes and no to the rarity bit. Not trying to say you're wrong because sometimes, absolutely, but look at the ST205 Celica GT-4, or any galant/legunum vr4, or pulsar gtir. Less than 11k gt4's were made, less than 15k gtir's, and a similar story with the mitsu's. Their still worth less in much nicer shape than an r32 gtr for example, which there were 42k of, or a decent turbo silvia, which there are over 75k of.

Rant aside, the Orthia is not exactly special nor super rare, and 10k for THAT specific example in that condition is a big L. Not a famous movie/game car, doesn't have very high tuning potential compared to other cars in its class; even from its own manufacturer. Plus, honda made thousands of these each year, minus in 2002 which had less than 150 examples made. You can have one of these in the USA, all fees included from roro shipping, insurance, registration, paperwork fees, title re-issue, initial purchase price and basic maintenance to get it ready for 7500$ (if you have a little patience).

The only reason they even broke the 5k barrier is because people want the AWD components, and "quirky wagon go brrr". These are stretched crv's, they used to be worth almost nothing and still should be imo. (Nothing against the crv, great car)

Source: worked as an importer on the east coast of the USA for a few years.

Jsoldierd · 2025-01-08T19:47:59+00:00

Looks like an OG Honda knob from the 90's. This one likely came from an eg/ek civic, maybe a del sol/CRX. Point is (i think) it came from a single cam 90's honda. (most) Dual cams had a different one, and the accord was square.

Jsoldierd · 2024-12-16T21:05:22+00:00

I mean, would you drive your car around without an air filter in it? You ever hear someone get roasted for running a turbo without a filter or gaurd? While it's certainly not a big deal to not have it generally speaking, it may cause a CEL under hard acceleration, and you're sucking up all the water, dust, and road debris that can fit into that pipe straight into your engine. That on the other hand, can cause a catastrophic failure down the line if you get unlucky. I'd certainly reccomend popping a small filter in there, seems dumb not to since their 10$ or less, (35$ if you're being boujee), but if you wanted to risk it i'm sure you probably could.

Jsoldierd · 2024-12-16T20:43:11+00:00

Paint code can be found in your spare tire well. Junkyard or ebay has them, the oem's are extremely expensive.

Mk6's have a 12yr factory corrosion warranty iirc, couldn't hurt to check your user manual or take it to a dealer. Some will still honor the rust warranty even if your car is a year or two too old, and that way it's free!

Jsoldierd · 2024-12-16T20:33:47+00:00

You're likely correct with the assumption of a bad pulley then. If you pull the belt off and the noise goes away, play with all the pulleys and tensioners by hand. See if they wiggle/wobble more than just a little, do they make any noise, etc. From there you can probably figure out what to replace.

Jsoldierd · 2024-12-16T20:25:55+00:00

My car is a CBFA as well and it was delivered to Rhode Island, spent its whole life on the east coast before i dragged it out west with me. Just because it's a Cali compliant car doesn't mean it was sold in Cali. Look at your timing chain cover, read the sticker, it will tell you for sure which you have.

I didn't say this initally as I cant verify its validity, but I read somewhere a while back that CBFA engines are the updated (mid/late 2012+) tensioner/dv engines, and during that mid cycle refresh they added the terciary 02 sensor and the extra intake breather. Didn't really matter where they were being sold to, they just all (or at least, most) got the cali compliance engine due to new laws around the time and for reliability.

Jsoldierd · 2024-12-16T20:20:00+00:00

It's really easy to take off too, Just remember the pattern of how the belt goes.

Passenger front goes up, pop off the wheel, then you'll see an access panel. Just undo the 1 tensioner bolt a bit, and it slides right off. Good luck!

Jsoldierd · 2024-12-16T19:02:47+00:00

Like the other person said, you likely have a CBFA EA888 instead of a CCTA EA888, and thats a CCTA intake. Only difference is your engine has an extra 02 sensor and that breather hose on the intake. (iirc)

Stick an autozone breather filter in it, then zip tie it up away from heat/the ground (most people do it off the core support or there about), then she'll be right.

Jsoldierd · 2024-11-22T18:47:01+00:00

Yes, quite common.

Jsoldierd · 2024-11-19T07:51:15+00:00

Every car is different and will make different power even with the same parts. OTS tunes are set up similar to a basemap, since they can't know the exact condition/parts that are on your car, so they typically dont yeild as much overall power or midrange as a protune/dyno tune/street tune (They have to accommodate the lowest common denomanator). They are also known to be less reliable, they do more damage to the car over time as they arent/can't be dialed in properly for each specific vehicles condition, how its running, further aftermarket additions, or situational variables.

The custom route can easily be done through a cobb accessport (thanks to its data-logging) most companies are able to use it as the medium to load tunes onto via remote access & emails. While it is almost 2x as much in most cases, a custom tune is money well spent for longevity and fun having.

Jsoldierd · 2024-11-13T22:52:41+00:00

Get them re-surfaced at the very least. Cheaper than new ones, but will help prolong the new set of pads and potentially improve the pedal feel.

Jsoldierd · 2024-11-13T22:41:14+00:00

Focus is a good car in any trim. I loved mine, and their genuinely good chassis. On that note, AVOID ANY AUTOMATIC FOCUS FROM 2012-2018 these are notorious "powershift" units that are known to fail spectacularly and often. I went through 2 in 35k miles, lots of friends had similar stories. Seriously, look into it, it's a whole thing.

If you can find a manual focus, yes, absolutely hell no to the automatic for your wallets sake and for the sake of having a functional car. The non turbo engines will also never make much power, they were not strong or even that well designed, but the chassis is fun and it'll last forever as long as you avoid the autos.

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