[OmahaTDI]

OmahaTDI's 2005 Platinum Gray TDI, aka: Shadow

dyned suggested that I start an album so here goes... Nothing much to report as this NB is intended to be my daily driver, through all types of weather & snow. Funny, although this was just to be a great-mileage daily, I really, really like it and am already thinking about performance mods in the way of chipping it, exhaust and suspension. Still need to get the windows tinted. That may come later this winter or next spring.

Mods/Repairs
Exterior
New OEM front & rear VW Emblems
Euro-style clear front turnsignal lenses with clear bulbs
Non-drilled front bumper
Satin-Black Painted lower grill & foglight bezels
Flat-Black Painted lower rear bumper where back up lights are mounted
Sharan Bee Sting Stubby Antenna
Spliced in used ambient temp sensor from Jetta, mine was missing
Painted calipers & rotors
2004 18" OEM R32 Aristos powdercoated gloss black with a coat of clear on top
7mm spacers up front to clear coilovers
17" TSW Vortex wheels - spring/summer (alternates)
16" Satin black stockers - winter
2.25" SS Magnaflow Catback
ROKKOR Coilovers

Interior:
Euro headlight switch with DRLs disabled
OEM Turbo S Pedals, Dead Peadal Set
OEM Turbo S Leather Shift Boot & Knob
Monster Mats

Here are a few pics from the dealership I was negotiating with in Colorado Springs, CO (about 600 miles away). For the most part it was in decent shape. However, the PO had run the front bumper over a curb or something and messed the lower portion of the bumper pretty good. You might be able to see it in these pics. There were also a couple of large holes in the lower mesh grill. AND, the left & right front bumpers had splits or tears in them. I don't know how, but someone must have kicked them or? The paint was OK it but the front bumpers had problems. On the plus side the interior was in great condition, it only had 47+/- miles on it and had the owners manual. But only one key & no service records other the the carfax which did show services performed.

After a few phone calls and emails, I told him we would like to trade my Jeep in towards it but would need to have the bumpers & fenders fixed and have a 2nd key made. He agreed and we jumped in my Jeep & headed West. Here are a few pics after we arrived to take posession:

Our '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We loved it but, like my wife said, "It rides like a bucking bronc" LOL. I must say, after about 6 hours on the road, when stopped and checked into our motel, it felt like we were still moving.

More with the NB in the pic. Kind of dwarfs it for sure:

The NB getting final clean up after all repairs were made. He had a locksmith come out and make a 2nd key for us.

After a few minutes of final inspection & signinig papers, he gave us $40 cash to fill it up and we left the Jeep there & headed back home to Papillion, Nebraska. Gotta say, the ride was much smoother on the way home.

 

[dnyed]

Love the pics! Make this your cars personal photo album, and add to this every time you get new pics. We Love New Beetle TDIs!

 

[OmahaTDI]

We got it back home and I did a lot of cleaning & detailing. The paint felt "dry", if you know what I mean and required a good wash, claybar and a couple of coats of a quality wax. The interior was eqaually dryed out. The leather seats needed a cleaning and needed multiple applications of leather conditioner. The rest of the interior seemed to have a fine layer of dust everywhere! Things I wanted to do cosmetically were to: swap the VW badges because that were worn, faded & cracked and to think about a new 17" tire & wheel combo. Mechanically I wanted to get it up on jack stands to inspect the undercarriage for any other damage (from the front bumper & fenders stuff) & change the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter & cabin filter. While under there, I did find that the plastic skid plate was missing, So, "dieselgeek skid plate", you are in my future.

A few pics after we got home & of the new badge install.

Engine bay all tidied up after fluids & filter change:

Badges
Rear:

I used this tape as a visual guide to help align the VW letters on the new badge:

That's better:

I added my first TDI badge, I say first because I put a different one on recently:

Front:

So much better:

Getting there

 

[OmahaTDI]

Decided on the tire wheel combo:
17" TSW Hyper Silver Vortex wheels & Hankook Ventus V2 Concept tires. Found a decent deal at Discount Tire so I ordered them - free mount & balance and shipping!
The hubcentric rings were on back order so I rode without them for about 2 weeks.

Here they were waiting for me when I got home:

Mock Up LOL:

Of course, I couldn't roll with them until I cleaned up the rotors & painted the calipers - duh

Giving them enough time to dry:

Now I can put them on...

Hubcentric Rings finally arrived:

Pic a friend took when he brought his beetle to work:

 

[OmahaTDI]

Time to think about winter and a winter wheel/tire combo but I didn't have a lot of $$ to spend right now so it got me thinking...
To save money I have to utilize the stock 16" wheels and buy a snow/ice tire of some kind. I found a set of tires I wanted to tryout while surfing the net. They had great reviews and were surprisingly inexpensive. So I bought a set of General Altimax Artic Ice & Snow tires. They even have holes where studs could be installed if needed but I don't think I'll need studded snow tires.

Back when I was thinking about my 17" wheel/tire combo, I originally wanted to find to find a set of black wheels but really liked the hypercoated TSWs once I found them. I'm glad I did because they are the right ones for me.
Anyway, since cost was a factor, I decided to paint my stockers myself. I chose a satin black and started looking for smaller VW centercaps to fill the wheel's small hub opening instead of the stock larger centercaps that came with the wheels. I took on that mission and was on the search to find the right sized cap. I had found quite a few, varying in cost, on ebay & other VW sites, but still wasn't sure of the correct size I needed.
I have a buddy that works as the service manager at a local VW dealer so I gave him a call. He told me to bring a wheel in and he'll have the parts guy tell me which centercap would fit. I brought it out to him and the parts guy took one look at the opening and said a Jetta cenetrcap would be perfect. He brought one out and snapped it in - perfect fit. Of course, the price for them, even at the discount my friend could get, was way too much for me to spend. As we walked back to my NB my buddy said, why don't you check ebay? They may be made in China but they'll be a lot less expensive". Now that I knew the right size and part number, I did & grabbed a set. I'm going to get another set, since they were so inexpensive, just incase they fall apart this winter, LOL.

Side note: I sold the stock tires that were on the wheels to offset the cost of the new tires

Anyway, enough yakking and on to some pics:
The stockers have been painted

Test fitted the stock centercaps before committing to painting and using them.
Didn't like it so much.

Ready to go:

These came a few days later:

The rest, as they say, is history. I really like the aggresive look for this winter. What do you guys think?

77 degrees yesterday when I took this pic while fueling up. It was my first time with this new combo mounted and I couldn't help myself and snapped a pic

Today? A different story:

My new TDI emblem. Black with a chrome outline to match the VW badge

That's it for now. Thanks for looking.

 

[boertje]

You did well!! Beautiful car. I replaced my emblems too but I bought the blue and white ones from ebay. They were OEM VW and were actually cheaper then that black and silver ones. Again, nice ride!

 

[OmahaTDI]

Thanks, I appreciate it

 

[OmahaTDI]

Plastidipped the lower rear bumper

A couple of closer shots of the rear lower bumper:

I did the front lower bumper grill surround too but left the foglight bezels the factory color. I'll get a couple of pics tomorrow but you can probably tell it's been done in my previous pics. I'll get a couple of closer pics tomorrow.

62 degrees today which is amazing for mid-November out here. It should be in the mid 40s

 

[robertsnowden1990]

Very nice! 17 inch wheels look great.

 

[Tommy]

I absolutely love the summer rims!

 

[OmahaTDI]

I absolutely love the summer rims!

Thanks, Tommy. It took a while to decide since there are so many choices out there. I'm very happy with my decision.

 

[OmahaTDI]

Very nice! 17 inch wheels look great.

Thanks. I just loved the finish on them.
The description of the wheel said:
Hyper Silver
"Silver powder coat with a very thick high gloss shine appearance."

I was sold The finish really is as described.

 

[CoriBug]

Both sets of wheels look great! My stock rims need replaced or refinished. What kind of paint did you use on those? And could you provide a part number for the center cap? I've been trying to find the right size for several months. Thanks so much! Will you be able to go to Roswell in June?

 

[OmahaTDI]

Both sets of wheels look great! My stock rims need replaced or refinished. What kind of paint did you use on those? And could you provide a part number for the center cap? I've been trying to find the right size for several months. Thanks so much! Will you be able to go to Roswell in June?

Thanks.

I washed them really well with Dawn dish soap, scuffed them up, then washed them again. I put on 2 light coats of an acid-etching primer and then used an acrylic enamel black semi-gloss rustoleum paint. It said it was a premium automotive formula...

Anyway, 2 lighter coats of the black within about 5-8 minutes of each other, then a "wetter" coat.

The caps were another story, just like you, I wasn't sure what size to get. Fortunately, I have a good friend that works at a local VW dealership. Since I didn't know exactly what size I needed, he said to bring the wheel in and he will have the parts guy try different ones to see what works. It turned out to be the centercap that fits the new Jettas. They were crazy expensive each, even at his discount price, so I told him I was going to wait. As we walked out to my car he suggested trying ebay and gave me VW's part number. I was lucky and found what I needed.

Here's the link I used for the caps (they snapped right into place):
VW Polo Jetta Passat Golf Wheel Center HUP Caps 3B7 601 171 Brand New VW 65 | eBay

They are so inexpensive, I bought a second set just in case.

 

[OmahaTDI]

We got about 10" of snow last Wednesday night and thought I'd report back on the performance of the snow/winter tires shown in the pics above.

Before leaving work and heading home the snow was coming down at a good pace. There was probably 2" on the ground when I took off. I did a couple of laps around the large parking lot and my NB held well, especially since it rained prior to snowing so there was some ice under the snow. It handled the road conditions really well and I was quite pleased with the tire's performance.
The next morning is what I was excited about. The snow had passed but left approx. 10" of snow on the streets. Our cities are pretty quick about getting the main thoroughfares cleared and ready for the morning's commuters, but, as you could imagine, there was quite a bit on the side streets.
My NB handled the road similarly to my 4x4 Grand Cherokee. I didn't slip while stopped on uphill grades and plowed through small drifts at intersections. Driving home that evening in the sloppy snowy slush was just as easy. I have to say, so far, I'm quite pleased with the tires and my NB's ability to handle the "elements".

In case anyone is interested, here is the link to the tires: http://www.tirebuyer.com/tires/gener.../p/tv121000261

 

[OmahaTDI]

...Will you be able to go to Roswell in June?

Unfortunately, no. We are driving out to San Diego in July for my nephew's wedding and wouldn't be able to afford both trips.

 

[OmahaTDI]

First Winter Season Wash

I’m determined to use this beetle as was the original plan: an all-weather daily driver.

It’s been pretty cold since the snows with morning lows in the single digits (6-9 degrees) and highs in the afternoons of 12-20 degrees.
I took it down to my local self-service car wash this afternoon since it was decent out, around 23 degrees

Before:

After:

I have to get that nastiness off fairly regularly since the grit, sand & snow melt soution they spray on the roads can do some damage. Especially if someone rubs against it in a parking lot or something.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!

 

[OmahaTDI]

Monster Mats

Got some Monster Mats. Glad to have some protection on the floors.

 

[OmahaTDI]

Snow Beetle

We got 5” of snow last night and it was still snowing on my way into work this morning at 6:30. The streets were unplowed and I decided to head up our steep hill out of our neighborhood. The bug took to it like a champ. I have to admit I was smiling as I made my way through the stuff. I thought, “This is just like our Jeeps without the ground clearance” LOL

The snow tires I bought last summer, just for this reason, are paying off big time

Absolutely zero issues going up that hill & driving to work, just at a 40 mph max pace as I knew it would be.

2 pics I shot before heading off to work:

 

[TechnoTrix'd]

I've found the beetle to be one of the best "snow" cars I've ever driven. Never been in a situation that the beetle could not handle.

Love the fact your sticking with using this as a daily driver.