In February of 2009, I sold my
GTI for an
S6
When I first bought it, it was kind of a wreck, aethetically
But it was certainly mechanically sound.
The owner had a book of receipts dating back to the original purchase date
When looking at the AAN powerplant, mileage only really becomes a concern above 200k when the valve seats start to wear and you get some blow by. This car had it's head recently removed, re-seated, reground, resurfaced, new t-belt, water pump, headgasket and bolt kit, Control arms, tie rods, wheel bearings, radiator hoses, spark plugs, CV joints, ball joints and a few other things
The suspension was blown out completely, the driver's seat was on it's way to being wasted, the steering wheel leather was peeling, the paint was hazy, a headlight was cracked, the blower motor squealed like a pig and the car also had the 1.8T Coilpack conversion (except he was using 4.2L V8 Coils)
It also came with the most awful looking 15" wheels I've ever seen, but it was clad with relatively new winter rubber, which was good because it was February.
So, I basically bought it sight unseen (in person anyway). I had literally just sold my GTI and the Porsche wheels I had on it the day before and went down there with $4000 cash in hand and bought it after a short drive with my friend.
It seemed pretty solid, aside from the wasted suspension and the loud, squirmy snow tires. So $4000 poorer (actually only about $700 poorer because I made a good sale on my GTI and the wheels) I drove it home. That's when I found the blower motor made an awful noise.
Either way, the owner gave me this giant book of details on the car. Upon inspection of the delivery documentation I found this strange line on the sheets:
Part # NPN-RS2KIT
Description - Perf Mod Kit
Price $1192.50
Hmm... Performance Mod Kit? I looked at the tech notes and one of the things it mentioned was "Instal Computor" (sic)
There was also a whole bunch of extra nuts and bolts on the parts manifest as well. What I eventually came to find out (after ripping the ECU out and diseccting it) was that the car had an RS2 Exhaust Manifold and a Lehmann Chip
Now, the RS2 exhaust manifold I knew about, as did the previous owner, but we didn't know about the chip
The RS2 manifold is an interesting one in itself. Maybe not so much the RS2 manifold, but the stock one:
RS2 on top, Stock on bottom.
For some reason, the stock manifold only feeds cylinders 2,3 and 4 to the turbo while 1 and 5 go to the wastegate.
RS2 manifolds go for $800-1200 on the market, so this was a good thing to have. It also opened up the doors to a full RS2 turbo and software for maximum benefits.
About a week after I bought it, I decided to upgrade the headlamps to HIDs and install the radio I've always had.
I also made an auxiliary in jack on the dash
the HIDs were certainly beneficial as well and thanks to the car having projectors, it actually looked good too.
At the same time I was installing my HIDs, I had got my new suspension from a guy in NJ for dirt cheap ($400 or so) and was simply waiting to install it
Of course, a few days after that, the car just up and died on me.
So, we started our first "WTF" moment with the car.
First thing we tried was a new ignition switch... that didn't work ($7)
then we tried a new camshaft position sensor... that didn't work ($10)
Figuring that I got a 'fake' Cam position sensors, I purchased the OEM one for $50 and did it again. Now, the Cam position sensor involves removing the t-belt and camshaft sprocket. The first time we did it it took about 2 hours. The second time about 30 minutes.
We tried a new fuel pump relay ($50)... that didn't work
We were checking for spark the whole time and we were getting spark... at least we were until we weren't.
In a fit of rage I called a tow truck and had it towed to my friend Lee's shop.
Lee grabbed a spare coilpack from his stash and threw it in... the car fired right up.
Of course then the coolant temp sensor housing exploded. Luckily that was cheap.
So, I got my car back and drove it for a few days. The whole time I started worrying about those shitty 1.8T coils... they sucked in the 1.8T, why would they be any better in a car not designed for them. I had a friend with a non-running S6 and he wanted to try replacing his ignition, so I sold my kit to him and bought the EFI Express LS2 Coilpack system. The car seemed to run a lot smoother now.
After all that time, I finally got around to getting the car into the shop for the suspension.
Before
After
We also found the cause for my major front end clunk:
COMPLETELY perished front strut mounts. Upon removal, the bushing simply fell out.
A few days later I got my first set of wheels:
$200 with good tires.
At this point, I took a break and started planning a dyno day and had my friend Todd do some paint restoration
Then a few days later... the front axle fell out. Luckily, it bolted back in with no major issues
I decided, after finding out that I had a chip in the car, that I wanted to find out how much boost it's making BEFORE the dyno day.
So I ordered up a Mk4 Jetta boost gauge holder and a Stewart Warner gauge.
Which doesn't fit perfectly, but it works for now
here it is installed
A few days later it was on the rollers. I was expecting about 180-190whp on this dyno as it has been a killer for me in the past. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it made 230whp
Video as well
a few weeks later, I began noticing my car was leaving oil everywhere. The oil pressure sender had gone bad and was leaking. Another $3 fix
I was scheduled to have a methanol injection setup done, but I still haven't gotten around to that. At this point I had started taking the train to work instead of driving.
The S6 is not the best on gas
After a few choice encounters with horribly faded brakes, I decided my money was best spent on upgrading to Porsche brakes. I found a set locally, used for cheap ($600) so I set about getting them. A few friends of mine orchestrated the pick up and within a few weeks I had my new brakes.
I also sent the car to my friend Lee to replace the blower motor because that was driving me mental as well as take care of a few other maintenance items like having the newest coolant flushed into it, fix some clunks and get new tranny and diff fluid.
At this point my car started to get real down on power. I replaced the N75 valve and also found that a boost line had gone sour and was crimping up.
My friends were nice enough to take my car for a week and install the brakes and lines and flush it all out
Then I promised myself and my wife that I'd be done for the year...
until I bought this...
but considering I got it for $600 when they normally go for $1200, I figured why not.
Then a few weeks later at a BBQ, I was informed of an RS2 powered car which had just met it's demise at the hands of a tree and 70mph.
I also finally got my European rear plate surround off to my friend for painting
so I should have that soon
Now I just need to install the turbo and software/injector kit and I'll REALLY be done.
Aside from a 6 speed transmission and a clutch upgrade, that's all that's left to do with the car.
Maybe the methanol injection too.
