Rusty
09-01-2006, 01:49 PM
Passat of the Month - September 2006
Arjen Koers (dutch-mountains)
Groningen, the Netherlands
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains1.JPG
I would like to thank the PassatWorld moderators for selecting my car as POTM. It's a great honor and privilege to be among the ranks of all those beautiful and inspiring Passats.
It started back in 2004 when my family grew, we needed a car with lots of space, comfort and reliability. There was no need to look for a specific brand because I already liked the B5 wagon by design, and it met our requirements as well. As we weren't going to use the car often I started looking for a 1.8 engine model. After a while I found one for a decent price and right before the testdrive the seller told me the engine actually was a 1.8T, he got the ad wrong. I already drove the 1.6 and 1.8 models and was truly impressed by the power of the turbocharged one. After some negotiating I bought the wagon that same day. Some minor dings were fixed; new tires and a new timing belt were fitted. As the interior was a bit worn I replaced all doortrims, shiftboot and floormats.
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains2.JPG
At that time I knew nothing about the B5 in general but after searching on the Internet I soon read about chipping and was very interested in gaining more power. Having a background as an electronics technician I took the plunge and soldered the chip myself. I have to admit it was an exiting moment when I cranked the engine for the first time! The increased power felt great and that was the moment the mod bug hit me. I started searching and learning about the B5 and the 1.8T engine but couldn't find much useful information on European sites until I accidentally came upon PassatWorld (ClubB5 back then). Literally tons of information related to my B5 and more. After the countless hours of searching and reading I joined PassatWorld. All those beautiful Passats inspired me for doing so; CRD99's sedan comes to my mind thinking about one. I really admire his achievement.
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains3.JPG
First I started to replace the diverter valve, all vacuum lines and swapped the stock airbox for an induction kit. After tinkering with larger injectors/MAF housing, MBC and diodes I decided to get a K04 turbo upgrade. This decision was purely based on all the positive stories, a great write-up and the available software without the need to tune the setup. Besides, I'm not that mechanically inclined to manage a custom install myself, and the estimated power of the K04 seemed enough. I got the necessary software through UPsolute (thanks Scott for all your effort). At that time I was already familiar with VAG-COM and created my own set of graphs. Here is my latest one with the K04:
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains4.gif
The logs even convinced me to swap the 18" heavyweights for the much lighter 16" BBS wheels I already had. The engine is running fine these days and I'm very satisfied with the looks and power right now. I still have a few modifications to carry through in the near future; A8 front rotors and a full cat-back exhaust to let the K04 really breathe.
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains5.JPG
I’m very proud featuring the first Passat of the Month from the Netherlands and I would like to thank all of you for having such a great community. Also special thanks to ONE8T and modifiedA4 for all your technical support and insights, you really helped me through several issues I could never solve without you. I'm planning to keep and maintain the wagon as long as possible with the shared knowledge on PassatWorld. Thanks again for this great honor.
-Arjen
Arjen Koers (dutch-mountains)
Groningen, the Netherlands
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains1.JPG
I would like to thank the PassatWorld moderators for selecting my car as POTM. It's a great honor and privilege to be among the ranks of all those beautiful and inspiring Passats.
It started back in 2004 when my family grew, we needed a car with lots of space, comfort and reliability. There was no need to look for a specific brand because I already liked the B5 wagon by design, and it met our requirements as well. As we weren't going to use the car often I started looking for a 1.8 engine model. After a while I found one for a decent price and right before the testdrive the seller told me the engine actually was a 1.8T, he got the ad wrong. I already drove the 1.6 and 1.8 models and was truly impressed by the power of the turbocharged one. After some negotiating I bought the wagon that same day. Some minor dings were fixed; new tires and a new timing belt were fitted. As the interior was a bit worn I replaced all doortrims, shiftboot and floormats.
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains2.JPG
At that time I knew nothing about the B5 in general but after searching on the Internet I soon read about chipping and was very interested in gaining more power. Having a background as an electronics technician I took the plunge and soldered the chip myself. I have to admit it was an exiting moment when I cranked the engine for the first time! The increased power felt great and that was the moment the mod bug hit me. I started searching and learning about the B5 and the 1.8T engine but couldn't find much useful information on European sites until I accidentally came upon PassatWorld (ClubB5 back then). Literally tons of information related to my B5 and more. After the countless hours of searching and reading I joined PassatWorld. All those beautiful Passats inspired me for doing so; CRD99's sedan comes to my mind thinking about one. I really admire his achievement.
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains3.JPG
First I started to replace the diverter valve, all vacuum lines and swapped the stock airbox for an induction kit. After tinkering with larger injectors/MAF housing, MBC and diodes I decided to get a K04 turbo upgrade. This decision was purely based on all the positive stories, a great write-up and the available software without the need to tune the setup. Besides, I'm not that mechanically inclined to manage a custom install myself, and the estimated power of the K04 seemed enough. I got the necessary software through UPsolute (thanks Scott for all your effort). At that time I was already familiar with VAG-COM and created my own set of graphs. Here is my latest one with the K04:
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains4.gif
The logs even convinced me to swap the 18" heavyweights for the much lighter 16" BBS wheels I already had. The engine is running fine these days and I'm very satisfied with the looks and power right now. I still have a few modifications to carry through in the near future; A8 front rotors and a full cat-back exhaust to let the K04 really breathe.
http://www.passatworld.com/month/2006_09/dutch-mountains5.JPG
I’m very proud featuring the first Passat of the Month from the Netherlands and I would like to thank all of you for having such a great community. Also special thanks to ONE8T and modifiedA4 for all your technical support and insights, you really helped me through several issues I could never solve without you. I'm planning to keep and maintain the wagon as long as possible with the shared knowledge on PassatWorld. Thanks again for this great honor.
-Arjen