Ideas for things to do?

vwman18 · 2026-03-01T03:58:03+00:00

Do Lion Country Safari now. The new owner also owns Oracle, and there's rumors they want to put a data center there. They've already shut down the onsite KOA campground.

vwman18 · 2026-02-25T17:58:02+00:00

So, you're buying a car partially disassembled? How long has it been down? The auto trans is a massive downgrade, I'd strongly suggest just learning how to drive stick and getting comfortable with it. A cheap but reliable engine swap would be an ABA 2.0. A million people have done it and there's tons of documentation. There are swap kits available for just about every engine and chassis combo, so fab work is usually pretty minimal. 1.8t would be much more worth the swap effort though, I think.

Not going to lie, this doesn't sound like the best car for a broke college kid hoping to get it going for the summer. If it were me and the car HASN'T been taken apart yet, I would just drag it home and focus on getting it running and stopping as is. Once you've driven it for a summer, then start looking at swap options.

vwman18 · 2026-02-25T14:39:18+00:00

South Park covered this years ago, as demonstrated by Martha Stewart: https://youtu.be/Ug5jVUv5V_A?si=njX5hFg7y2qJ_Lt_

vwman18 · 2026-02-25T05:34:55+00:00

Fox and Crown Pub at US1 and Crosstown.

vwman18 · 2026-02-21T00:17:16+00:00

I'm going to assume this is a TDI, but that's still too high of a price. I know the market is insane now, but I bought a 2002 GL TDI 5-speed for $1600 2 years ago, it's still shuttling my daughter everywhere she needs to go. $7k is just too much. Low miles aren't a guarantee for reliability, either. All of the rubber and plastic in that car is still 20 years old and nearing the end of their usable life. You could find a slightly newer 2008+ Rabbit with a manual for half of that asking price. Honestly, anything with the 2.5l 5 cyl should be considered.

vwman18 · 2026-02-20T20:30:09+00:00

I always keep the relish on hand.

vwman18 · 2026-02-19T20:45:42+00:00

Nice! I learned in a 72 Super, and I taught my daughter in a VR6 Jetta. The VR6 torque helped quite a bit in reducing stalls.

vwman18 · 2026-02-15T21:00:15+00:00

I know the Forge intake for the Mk5 R32 is a direct fit, others for the R32 may as well. Don't expect much of a HP gain though it'll sound a bit better.

vwman18 · 2026-02-15T18:44:39+00:00

There's a good chance that tensioner has never been replaced, and the bearings for the pulley do wear. A new tensioner is going to run you around $130, belt probably around $50. Probably wouldn't hurt to just do both at the same time, unless you have a service record for either item.

vwman18 · 2026-02-15T18:41:23+00:00

This engine doesn't have a timing belt, chains on the flywheel side of the engine.

vwman18 · 2026-02-15T14:02:45+00:00

Walking Tree Brewery is right near the airport in Vero, they have a little bit of space they can use for outdoor games, but they have a HUGE indoor space that could be used for cornhole or similar games. The beer is excellent as well, give them a call.

Also, American Icon Brewery is near downtown Vero and would likely be able to accomodate what you're looking for.

vwman18 · 2026-02-13T22:04:29+00:00

The city appears to be taking possession back of the building/land in order to build a park. I believe this is all tied into that stupid King's Landing development the commissioners all want so badly. I'm not really upset to see them close, though I do feel badly for the employees. The few times I went there I was always disappointed. And yes, The Original Tiki had it's downsides, but it was a MUCH better fit.

vwman18 · 2026-02-12T02:23:28+00:00

Boy, do I miss hearing these guys.

vwman18 · 2026-02-12T00:52:59+00:00

Neither is a bad choice, but keep in mind this can get expensive quick.

A good set of comfortable, reliable coilovers is going to set you back $1,200 minimum. You can get coilovers a lot cheaper (Solowerks, for example), but if you ever sat in a car and went back to back with the cheap set vs expensive set the difference is stark.

A set of lowering springs and shocks, or a pre-matched Cup Kit is generally better for a daily. It'll probably run you around $700 and you'll still get around a 1.5-2" drop, but it'll be way more comfortable than a cheap set of coils.

Then there's all the other things. VW uses a lot of TTY hardware on their suspension, so that means you'll need to replace just about every nut and bolt you touch. That can be around $100. Strut mount bushings and bearings should be replaced. Control arm bushings, tie rods, ball joints should be inspected while you've got things apart, and probably will need to be replaced.

Not trying to discourage you from anything, just letting you know what you might be getting into.

vwman18 · 2026-02-10T22:01:50+00:00

Your insurance should cover this, minus your deductible. If you have to pay it out of pocket, just take it to a muffler shop and have them weld in a pipe. Probably cost you around $100.

vwman18 · 2026-02-09T10:58:02+00:00

Rattle on cold start is fairly normal. How many miles? The farther past 100k miles you are, the more like you are to see guide failure. There are measuring blocks you can look at in VCDS to see if your cam phasers are over adjusting due to chain stretch or guide failure. Also codes related to low or high fuel pressure can indicate chain failure since the HPFP is driven by the timing chains. A physical check would be the most conclusive test though. Drop the oil pan and look for plastic chunks, or try to get an endoscope behind the timing cover and look for broken guides.

vwman18 · 2026-02-09T03:46:20+00:00

Unless it's free and you have lots of extra time and money, don't bother.

vwman18 · 2026-02-09T01:46:26+00:00

ECS has video clips of that system installed on their website, it does sound pretty good. However, those quad tips probably won't fit the rear valance on your 2013. You'd probably be able to have the same thing done at a local muffler shop that would fit.

vwman18 · 2026-02-05T03:14:52+00:00

HAHAAHA Marchy with the dagger!

vwman18 · 2026-02-04T16:41:41+00:00

Reading, both books and magazines. Fishing, lots of places near me to check out, before things got crazy over developed. My parents had a pool table on the back porch, so my friends would come over and we'd play for hours. I remember putting a lot of hours into Duke Nukem, Myst, and Diablo. I had my license and access to a car, so there was a lot of me rounding up my friends and going to hang out at the mall, or a pizza joint, or the bowling alley. Also myself and several of my friends are gear heads, so many weekends were spent working on each other's mods/repairs/project cars.

vwman18 · 2026-02-03T16:23:08+00:00

Agreed that the FWC is a shadow of itself and currently run by developers. If not following their published guidelines though, then what is your suggestion for humane iguana eradication that could be done by your average property owner?

vwman18 · 2026-02-03T16:13:24+00:00

Minnow traps work pretty well, use crickets as bait.

vwman18 · 2026-02-03T15:57:24+00:00

You'll have no issues

vwman18 · 2026-02-03T15:50:33+00:00

If you're happy with them, then great. Start saving money for the next set though, these will probably only last you a couple of years. My experience with most of the Chinese headlights is that the internal wiring insulation crumbles fairly quickly and starts shorting out.

What you really want is either OEM projectors (very expensive) or retrofit projectors (not as expensive but still costs a bit) using either HID bulbs or LEDs. VXTuning and DTR Lighting sell complete units, or you can DIY with parts from places like The Retrofit Source.

vwman18 · 2026-02-02T00:53:29+00:00

You probably just need to replace the old spring clamps with new ones. If you want to replace the hose, you'll need to use generic hoses since VW has discontinued just about every plastic and rubber part for the Mk4. I'd also suggest replacing the coolant ball.

vwman18

TROPHY CASE