just wanted to follow the trend & create my own build thread & see the before & after shots , also receive some great feedback good & bad ofcourse
well it started in 2009 when we decided to look for a 2nd car , after wanting something different from our usual vauxhalls & fords we decided to look at vw , 1st we were looking at a bora tdi when we were offered from a family member the chance to view there vw passat tdi , on 1st viewing i have to admit i was not attracted to the colour or the fact it was dirty with missing wheel trims =;
after a few nights contemplating i took it for a test drive .... i was instantly impressed with the feel & sturdiness of the drive it handled well & seemed to have a very responsive accelerator
i was told to keep it for a week while i decide but truth be told my mind was already made up ,
so here how she looked ....
i have always liked my cars to look slightly modified nothing other the top ...... eg; alloys , tints , exhaust trim , leather interior , & keep them clean / tidy ( which is hard with 2 kids & the mrs ) haha
i said this time i was not going to do any changes & just enjoy free motoring , which didnt last long , so while on ebay i started looking for some alloys to get rid of the steelies , after searching for some thing local i found some audi a4's , over all in fair condition so i sent the ebay message do you have a buy now price in mind? the gentlemen replied £40 so i said im on my way haha,
when i got there he said one tyre will need replacing so you can have them for £30 i shook is hand & said thank you as i was loading them in the boot he returned with a bag of wheel bolts plus 2 sets of locking nuts , obviously i was over the moon 5 alloys wheels with tyres , bolts , locking nuts all for £30 !!!
despite knowing the cars history i decided to give it a major service as it had 95k miles on the clock despite having fsh i wanted to play it safe as i intended to keep her & i like my cars to run 100%
so removed the whole front end
sorry for the lame picture quality this is the only picture i taken at the time
so ....
new cambelt
water pump
glow plugs
oil filter
the correct spec oil ( as im wasnt 100% sure what had been used previously )
fuel filter
air filter
pollen filter
aux belt
bottom pulley
tentioner ( as it was bouncing around )
fresh anti freeze
thermostat
temp sender ( as it always read a tad under 90c when fully warmed up )
battery
transmission oil
brake disc / pads
after all that we put it back together 3 days later i had a screeching noise while turing the steering wheel , i didnt have a clue i was thinking bad pulley , poor belt tension , pas pump going bad , after alot of internet searching , i finally came across the alternator clutch pulley , despite being told from various garages & motor factors that my car didnt have one only the newer models did , i did more research & alot of youtube watching i was convinced so went to a local vag discount parts centre & they confirmed the part so off i went a happy bunny NO more screeching :-bd
here she is all put back together & running sweeeeet! at the time this picture was taken i thought she stood out a mile looking all cool , now i look back & see a bog standard passat parked up ( must just be my love & passion for my cars ) :-
i soon realised i needed more room after taking my estate off the road & using the passat full time so bought some roof bars to allow my bike adventures to continue
then soon came the summer & taking the family camping was a nightmere as i like to pack every thing apart from the kitchen sink , i like my comfort :- so the roof box was a must
after studying the car i knew it either needed colour coding or adding a little more black touches to match the bumper plastics , side skirts ect , after phoning a few companys none had the correct colour match but were willing to order it in for an extra fee plus they said £22 per 500ml spray can considering i would need atleast 4 i decided i would add little black touches instead , how ever i added silver wiper blades / bee sting aerial
after a quick search on ebay i found a black fk badgeless grill for £22
i was on a roll so got the tints done from a friend 5% , after wards i added a black sun strip which i was debatable about ,
next day i was offered some cheap 17's audi a3 sport wheels that required a good clean
next on my to do list was to find the right kind of suspension that was best to suit me
after getting some very good advice from friends / family / fellow members,
i decided that a 40mm suspension kit , even tho i like the look of coilovers i dont enjoy the noddy dog feel to the drive , also baring in mind this is my family car & needs to meet my requirements ..... kids , dogs , bikes , camping , ect
nice suprise one sunday morning to awake to the mrs hard at work , what must she be after ? :-??
dont think the neighbours are very happy with all these cars from one house hold %-(
apex 40mm springs before & after pictures ....
now its sitting 40mm lower & the springs have settled for a couple of weeks i have ordered 20mm hubcentric spacers
x4 to bring the wheels out a little , only problem im experiencing is the mud flaps catch on ever thing , so might have to consider removing them , i didnt realise untill closer inspection alot of you guys have done the same :-?
quick video showing me catching out side the kids school but in the video its actually the drivers side you hear not the side zoomed in on ,click on the image below to watch the video if you wish to?
Spacers arrived yesterday
before & after shot with & with out spacers
Had a spare few hours so thought I'd would rub down my old 16's & give them a fresh colour maybe to use during the winter months
After 2 light coatings of primer I'm quite pleased to see not many imperfections , but what about the final colour...... I'm thinking bright & in your face to light the mood during our horrible winter mornings!
but as it happens i went for ford dimond white
how ever when i put them on my car they stayed on for about 3 min before the car was back in the air taking them of :thumbdown
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