Billet aluminum dash vents

Today I installed some billet aluminum dash vents I purchased yesterday at the R32 GTG. The stock vent covers pull straight out, and the new ones go right in. I'd write more but these were so easy to replace there isn't very much to say. These billet vent covers are sold by EIP Tuning for $99.95 per pair--though I bought them at a discounted price. Here's a picture of how they look from the outside; I thought these vent covers might look better than the stock black, given that my R is reflex silver.


You can click here for even more pictures.

Haldex conundrum

According to the R32 maintenance schedule I downloaded from VWoA, the Haldex oil and filter should be changed every 40k miles. This would be fine, except that Volkswagen Driver magazine, in March 2004, published an article in which they asked the technical department at Haldex Traction AB Instrumentgatan, Landskrona, Sweden, when and how to service the Haldex system on Golf 4Motion. The tech department rep advised to change the Haldex oil every 20k, and the filter every 40k. You can read the article for the DIY and part nos, or you can click here, or you can even click on the picture ;o)

I had my 20k service done a couple months ago at Pro-Imports. I debated asking them to change the Haldex oil, but ended up deciding not to; I think I'll probably request a change at 30k.

Stargazer's Garage: People are funny sometimes

Check out this post for a funny--and depressing--story about a quest to buy some floor mats.
Stargazer's Garage: People are funny sometimes

2nd East Coast R32 GTG

Today and tomorrow is the 2nd East Coast R32 GTG. Saturday everyone gathered at EIP Tuning to check out one another's rides and to see what deals the different sponsors were offering. On Sunday there will be breakfast and then a caravan to Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia where I think there are a couple club events that are free for spectators. I took a modified route to and from EIP--it still took me the same time to drive compared to my previous route, but there was less traffic through more scenic areas.

I had the impression that EIP turbos were the focus of this year's GTG i.e. encourage people to buy one :o) There wasn't the mad rush and long lines to buy things that I remember from last year. I'm guessing that after two years most everyone already has the relatively inexpensive mods that they want--number-wise I can't imagine as many people able and willing to buy a turbo as say, an intake or chip.

Those with EIP turbos were asked to park out front, and there must have been around fifteen or so. North American Motorsports was a sponsor again, this year. They had some sway bars among other things on display.



Gomobile had on display an R with an amazing sound system--with the bass going you could see the rear wiper vibrating in tune with the music. There's no way you could store anything in the back, though, which gets rid of one of the R's key appeals, IMO.

There were a couple Rs with wheels I would definitely get, if I could spend the money. I'm not sure what brand/model they are, though, or how much they cost--they just look good :p



There was also a custom car with an EIP Turbo--recently I've been whimsically wondering what colour I would choose if I were to repaint my R, but I'd probably stay away from this one. Not that I think it looks bad; it's just not for me.


For many more pics, you can click here.

Toast of the future?

Do you hate it when you burn your toast? Then this handy item is just the thing for you! Burnt toast may soon be a thing of the past if the Transparent Toaster ever comes to fruition. This toaster uses transparent heating glass so that famished toasters can keep a hungry eye on the progress of their toasting toast. Unfortunately, the glass doesn't yet get hot enough to do any toasting, so all you end up with is warm bread.

If this transparent toaster ever works out, I wonder if watching bread toast will be as mesmerizing as watching fish in an aquarium, or flickering flames in a fireplace.

Anywhoo, I posted this because I myself have recently rediscovered the wonders of toast. Too lazy to return my toaster to storage--it had been drafted for use by guests--my rediscovery was driven by whim and a desire to use up jam left-overs left by said guests. I'm proud to say that I haven't burned any toast (knock on wood), which is dandy for me, but perhaps not so dandy for the future prospects of transparent toasters.

R32 Gallery update

I found another review of the 2004 R32, originally published in Ride & Drive, in October 2004. One thing that makes this article different than most others is that this reviewer felt the front seats were uncomfortable due to excessive lumbar support. Other than that, this is another positive review of the 2004 R32. See the link on the right for more of the reviews I've collected.

I also took some pictures after applying a fourth coat of Blackfire Wet Diamond, and I put on some Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray.

You can click here for more pics of my Blackfire results, and here for a couple new exterior pics.

East Coast R32 GTG #2

This weekend is the 2nd East Coast R32 GTG at EIP (the picture is actually from last year's 1st East Coast R32 GTG). Last year EIP and other sponsors had some great deals, demonstrations, and great door prizes :o) I'm sure this year will be more of the same, though the format has changed. For more information you can check out the plan of events. Last year I picked up a spare tire, upgraded the ECU, and for the price of the gasoline I used to drive up there, picked up a CCAI.

This year I don't have firm plans to buy anything, since the R is pretty much the way I want it. The most I might do is pick up some billet aluminum dash vents. Kind of pricey ($99.95 per pair) for something purely cosmetic. I'll have to see what kind of discount they have :p