purchased new from Dalmar Motors in
London, ON in Summer 2002.
1.8T makes 180bhp, 175 ft.lb torque
recommended fuel : 91 Octane
Accessories / Equipment
Tinted Windows
MP3 /CD Aiwa deck
JL Sub
Leather Seats
Power Moonroof
VW 'Sport' Suspension
17" rims with Goodyear Eagle
RS-A (OEM) tires
love the rims,
luke warm on the tires.
I use the tires from mid March - early November each year,
and feel I
should get more 'stick' from a performance 'all-season' 225/45r17
tire.
I likely will switch to a either Kumho summer or Toyo summer
rubber before next fall.
main complaints about the
tires:
lack of cornering grip feel
rubber 'feels' hard
pro's of the tires
fairly quiet for a
'performance' tire
Neuspeed 28mm adjustable Rear
Sway bar - installed Spring 2004
the stock suspension left a
lot to be desired.... turn-in was a bit vague, and body roll was
excessive in my view. Many say that this modification is the best
bang for the buck. I can say that it did wonders for the
handling, If I remember correctly, it cost around $350 shipped to
my door, and with
the help of a friend, took about 2-3 hrs to install. The install
went fairly easily, except for having to struggle with one cl@mp.
our previous cars were a 1995
Integra (a sweet handling ride in terms of cornering response,
but you had to really zing it to get it moving, and a 1998 Civic Si
coupe (cdn model) . With the Neuspeed sway bar on the VW, the
excessive body roll is gone, and the car just rails around the
corners. In terms of ride handling, It approaches the
Hondas/Acura's more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension.
Hidden Hitch 1.5" Trailer Hitch
K&N Drop-in Airfilter. -
jury's still out on this one... .waiting on next oil analysis to see if
there is more dirt circulating in the oil....
Cosco child seat (got kids)
APR 91/93 Chip -
New Nov. 2005
this chip is amazing.
From the APR
website, it claims "209hp/242lb-ft and
215hp/247lb-ft" specs for the 91 Octane and 93 Octane programs
respectively. Wicked acceleration, and passing ability on 2
lane county roads. Good driveability if you don't dip too much
into the boost (Since I've had the chip, I've been running winter tires
- Toyo Observ x-10's, and hadn't had much more of problem with
wheelspin from a stop).
Noticed that you can make the
ASR light come on if you punch the throttle in 5th gear and the roads
are wet. Don't recall doing that with stock.
:) wheel spin in 1st,2nd,
3rd,. in the wet.
Note: I believe this dyno graph is from the older (pre
2002 VW 1.8T engines ) as it shows the stock peak horsepower
at around 150hp. The 2002 1.8T is spec'd at 180 hp.
Repairs / Maintenance
The jetta 's been in a few times to
the dealership for a couple warranty items/recalls.
ign. coils - 2 went bad
before 24 months
moonroof visor jammed
heated seat switch wiring
inspected
The rear brakes wore out (and wore
unevenly) at around 60,000km. I changed out both the brakes and
rotors. Got a great deal on "plain jane" rotors at Cdn Tire
($15 each?).... Using the Monroe pads. Seem to be wearing
decently with no noticeable adverse effects or noise, can't tell if
they are dustier than stock as I have the black winter steelies on at
the moment.
Oil changes
Generally done by self at
home. Currently using Valvoline SynPower 5w30 (available @
Walmart for ~ $27Cdn for a 5 L jug). I am using Fram filters, and
about a 8,000km oil change interval. I sent my last oil in for
analysis - Nov 2005, before I got the APR chip. See here
for the pdf of the analysis. From the info on the analysis. It
shows that the oil is still 'good', in terms of better than average
dirt, TBN 2.6, viscosity . I am going to do my next oil change at
around 11,000-12,000km and send it in for analysis. We'll see if
it will stand up to the chip and new K & N filter.. Check
back late March/early April for results.
