[dub warrior2]

First of all, I respect every car owner and there decision to modify there car in whatever form it might be.

I have spent hell of a lot of money modding cars over the years and appreciate how difficult it can be to stand out from the crowd and have a car that is personal rather than mass-produced. BUT, I am starting to worry that in an effort to make our cars look different, we are starting to make them all look the same (trust me it will make sense).

Two days ago, I went to Wolverhampton with the wife in the BOLF. As I drove out of town, a guy pulled up next to me at the lights in a MK4 Golf. Nice silver model fitted with a set of 18" A8 rims. Left the car at the lights and continued.

At the next set of lights, a Green MK4 pulled up behind me. Again, nice standard looking car. As is drove past me I could see that it also had a set of 18" A8 rims on it. Coincidence perhaps.

As I drove out of town completely another MK4 turned onto the road in front of me, in silver with (you guessed it) another set of 18" A8 rims . Three MK4s with A8 rims in less than 10 minutes.

Don't get me wrong, the A8 wheels are lovely and I nearly purchased a set due to their low cost, but it just seems to me that very few people are doing things differently at the moment. I know that the OEM+ look is the fashion at the moment, and I am not wishing for people to go all "Fast and the Furious" but it just seems that modded Golfs are all starting to look the same.

I don't want to cause any controversy or get slagged off on the forum but I just want to see more cars that do not follow the same old "anniversary front valance, anni skirts, v6 4 motion rear valance, 30 mm drop, A8 wheels" formula.

I am not knocking any cars that have gone along this route, as it is a tried and tested formula that works and looks sweet, but what does the future of MK4s hold for us?

Don't surpose anybody else agrees?

 

[jblack]

I agree with what you're saying.

However, surely just owning a Golf is not original. Every other car on the road seems to be a Golf. I must pass atleast a dozen on a daily basis just going to and from work. I have to admit this was a small part of why I traded mine in for something a little more unusual. There's no denying they are a very common, unoriginal choice of car, albeit a very good one. Unfortunately as time goes on more and more are being given the Max Power treatment by younger drivers as they become more affordable. Give it a year or so and I think they will become the new Saxo or Corsa; the Chavs choice.

Just my 2p's worth.

Jim

 

[W36 EJO]

Your gonna get seriously slagged!

This forum is unlike any forum I have been on in our attitudes to anyones cars who are slightly different to the norm. If it's not OEM, on here, it's not worthy! It's also got to be one of the (overall) most narrow minded forum I have used.

I am not trying to cause offence to anyone, just stating the obvious, I repeat, I am not trying to cause offence!!

One time that really stands out is when I went to Donny up in Doncaster and posted the pics, I got completely slated for even attending and seeing what was going on outside the OEM modding world!! I couldnt quite believe it to be honest!

Anyway, I digress. I also am getting bored of the same OEM mods, I've even stopped looking so closely at the members rides as a lot of the cars look the same! I had the choice when I was buying my wheels, Santa's, Audi rims etc, but I went completely different and went for BK Racing which can be classed as chav. I also asked about powerflo exhausts on here in my newby days and got slated and got told nothing but miltek, miltek, miltek!

I asked the guys over at www.golfgti.co.uk and got a completely different, wide and varying response. However, I stayed here because I didnt like some of the waffle at golfgti, plus not that many people had MK4's!

It would be good to see a differing approach to the golf, but I think we are all a little scared as if we did do it, and posted our pics in the members rides, we would get called chav!!!

A lot of the above is tounge in cheek, but I do genuinly feel we are quite narrow minded as a whole (not just certain people) when it comes to it.

 

[nlouch]

A flipside to the coin could be that what's popular is popular for a reason.  I'd certainly never ignore an item just because it's popular - I have no desires to "stand out" but rather to make my Golf "better"...

 

[Gti Fly]

I hear what you are saying, however there is so little to choose from that is of a high qaulity made stuff..

OEM plus keeps everything nice and original feeling. There's nothing worse than adding cheap tat to a car.

It seems that there is just 2 types of standard when it comes to Mk4 aftermarket stuff:

Crap quality stuff

and

OEM feeling stuff

I find that if you start adding cheap bits, then the car starts looking like a chav'ed up nova or corsa.

As much as I hate to think about it, the mk4 is starting to slip into
this category now, and its something that will only get worse.

I'm happy that you've seen 3 or 4 golfs all modded in the same
taste. Atleast it holds off the Barry Brigade that much longer

 

[ADH]

Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery I guess..

T'was ever thus... do you remember the ridiculous ' jacked up at the rear on cart springs look' way back when..? Not on a Golf - obviously, but every man and his Mk2 Cortina wanted to look like a Yank Pro- Street drag car. Even if they did fall over on the bends...

The OEM+ and Euro look suits the Golf and therein lies the limitation. As you say, A8's are good looking rims, as are RS4's, RS6's , TT Comps, Santas... etc. etc. Styling houses like Oettinger offer valances and skirts which are as in keeping with OEM as the Votex /VW stuff - maybe the fact that the popular items are OEM is down to the limited impact on Insurance that OEM stuff can confer.
The Wings West brigade are as entitled to their opinion as are those who prefer a more subtle approach and they spend as much hard earned on Jap style as those who do more esoteric and subtle stuff like Greg's car ( Front cover Golf+ June '05).

I know what I prefer... but I'm an old git []

 

[jblack]

Absolutely.

But why would you want to change the look of your car if not to make it "stand out" from the 87 year old 1.4 Match driver. If anyone was really honest with themselves they'd admit to changing the look of their car partly to make people look and nod in agreement and say "that looks good".

 

[dub warrior2]

Like I said, I would never knock anybody elses car, and appreciate that everybodys taste is different, but its got to the point that some MK4s don't even make me turn my head anymore. I'm not being a snob and comparing all cars to mine as I know that mine is not a million miles from OEM+. Its cars like EURO SLAG and the original MK4 of Mr HANDA that make me turn my head nowadays.

I know that most after-market parts for the Golf look crap and are crap and that is why we need more people doing custom parts and making parts for themselves. Anybody noticed how few posts have gone in the "How to" forum lately, especially since Foxy went all MK5.

 

[jblack]

Anybody noticed how few posts have gone in the "How to" forum lately, especially since Foxy went all MK5.

Also, when was the last time you saw a new idea/product?

 

[dub warrior2]

I agree.

The "How to" section was what drew me to the forum in the first place and now it just seems to have dried up.

 

[bigburd]

Coming soon to a TV near you " Pimp my Dub " ... featuring the non-OEM upgrade brigade

For me OEM all the way....but modding goes back a long way, I guess as this article indicates to the hot rod days of the 1940's

http://www.the-direct-source.com/info.php/Hot-Rod-History.php

but coming back today watching programmes like American HotRod where
2nd best is a failure I admire the lengths these guys go to to make a
highly unique vehicle where they cover interior/exterior/engine/running
gear and a lot of which is custom made for the individual car - thus
you could hardly call it aftermarket modding - this is "ORIGINALITY"
not the off the shelf aftermarket stuff...which always seem to make a
production car look like a complete pile of garbage and looks nothing
more than something that fell off a theme park / fairground ride.
Then there is of course the guts - why mod a car to look nice if it
hasn't got the necessary grunt to pull off it's new image...

BUT with this said there are subtle non OEM mods which are often
considered near-OEM mods such as the Milltek Exhausts which provide
crisp tones rather than the cabbage launching cannons often located on
the rear of preferred cruising machines of said chavs.

SO OEM or BUST....!!! Ooooo baby watch this space for the the
Airbrushing Era to kick in...as it has already crept into Australia

http://www.bigburd.com/AutoSalon-Melbourne2005

E&OE

 

[ADH]

The "How to" section was what drew me to the forum in the first place and now it just seems to have dried up.

I don't think it's drying up in that sense, it's just that there are only so many viable mods and combinations of compatible hardware that are possible on any model of car. As the Mk 4 Golf ran it's course as a current model the available fund of mods was discovered, refined and written up. It's down to those who continue with the Mk 4 to develop existing knowledge and maybe apply it in different ways in the same way as guys with Mk2's are now doing 1.8T conversions... New things pop up all the time. No-one would have put 17"rims from a Polo or a Beetle on a Golf back in the day - now there are some in the Forum classifieds..

 

[Jose_Golf]

I totally agree, I joined this site a while back and well, my car was
kinda going a bit chavy lol, had lexus lights (yes i know) , and I got
slated, and not many people would reply to what I say or post (still
happens now occasionally) [:'(] but also this site has helped me as
with my mates who are into the whole euro scene, to sort out my car and
make it look so nice as it is today.

Thanks to some memebers on here selling me parts as well.

Understand what you mean, you do get alot of MK4's with the A8 wheels,
Personally I dont like them, im more of a dish person. I was told
to get some A8 wheels, and nearly did once , until I went to a No Rice
meet in Guildford - Busiest I went to, and just saw so many cars there
that had them wheels. I did end up getting some wrong wheels, which
just didnt seem right. But now I await my keskin kt4 freshly made in
Germany [] and awaiting the fixing up of my new ..ish lol turbo 1.8t
and hopefully se u guys soon and tell me what you think of it, if its
too much this or that, all ideas are welcome, just as long as u do talk
to me [] .

Your all a good bunch of people who have indeed prob the best site I
have ever logged onto, and ever will. Although most discussions
are very matue which makes this site different from others I use,
purely cos of the age and class. Gotta have class if u own a
vw,etc

As for new mods, what can be done? The new mk5 is out, and products for
mk4 will be left now and focused on the 5. There are alot of
products out there but really, thats if you want a need for speed type
car, which can be cool in a way if done right and you live in a
area/country where them cars are thought to be cool. But they
should remain subtle , just annoying when people dont notice the
difference on a car cos its tooo subtle - like my GF lol.

Well as usual my post is a load of nonsense and wont get a reply, but thats my views on the site, people, the styling etc

 

[tom_pearson]

gah, I miss my MK2

 

[Caged]

I painted my wheels black.. proved to be controversial! []

Agree though dub warrior you do see alot of the same things, it's no bad look but a bit common now. And don't even start me on Milltek []

 

[R44MS_K]

i agree dub warrior - A8s are infested now!! everyone has them!

thats why i sold mine!

 

[AdeMcG]

Hmm, lots of opinions here, a refreshing change for the latest incarnation of this forum.

I will add that a main driver in the past for modding (going all the way back to my MK 2 Escort days) Cough, was motorsport, rallying in particular. I ended up having a fully road / tarmac stage preped car that would not be out of place on a stage of the RAC rally, but from the outside it was very normal looking.

These days it is all about looks, and not so much the content. Refering to a point raised earlier, I think a lot of inovation has "dried up" as there simply is no real driver. It is more like fashion and we all know that peer pressure leads to all teenagers looking & dressing the same in thier vein attempt to look different and rebel.

 

[ADH]

I painted my wheels black.. proved to be controversial! []

Agree, but they look good[H]

 

[Mikedav]

This forum is unlike any forum I have been on in
our attitudes to anyones cars who are slightly different to the norm.
If it's not OEM, on here, it's not worthy! It's also got to be one of
the (overall) most narrow minded forum I have used.

1. This is complete bollocks - there are plenty of non OEM cars here

2. You say this so often, if we are all so intollerent and 'OEM only' why are you here every day?

Personally Im not a fan of everyone having cars that look the same.
RS4s and RS6s have been done to death and are so common bystanders
might think they were standard; I dont even like A8 wheels but they are
everywhere too, as are colour coded anni valances and red/clear/red/red
tails.... I bought my wheels to be different - now they are quite
common, but Im not going to change them for this reason.

These combinations all look good, but as you say are so common, many
cars look the same. The problem with being original is if something
looks good it will be copied - and there is a fine line between unique
and pig ugly. I don't agree with change for changes sake; alterations
must be in keeping with the design and improve the car in some way IMO.
This doesn't mean it has to be OEM at all - Caractere, Oettinger,
Projekctzwo all make kits that flow with the car, but look completely
different (although I think its time for some new designs!). Smoothing
too is about as far from OEM as you can get but is in keeping with the
lines of the car, so it works. BBS LMs aren't exactly OEM but
MKIVs look stunning on them.

I don't like chrome spinners and gullwing doors not because they aren't OEM, but because they look bloody awful.

 

[A7_UFO]

Modding always has and always will go in peaks and troughs....what is in today will be out tomorrow. I remember when TSW Venoms were in Vogue, now a mint set goes for beer money. What is common today will be rare/retro tomorrow.

What I have learnt over the years is that the VW scene never stands still, contrary to what we have all thought at times. How long ago was it that a set of 17" rims, respray and 200bhp 2.0 16v mk2 would've been front cover? Now it would barely make readers rides.

It is very easy on this scene to buy the popular mod and be part of "the gang" rather than being original and face getting constantly shot down. I'd rather set the trend and take the "risk" than be part of an elitest group that actually lacks character - I'm not accusing this forum of that but generally this country. The continent has always been the trend setter that we have then followed - from Porsche rims to the whole less is more. They seem to be more willing to be different to the norm and face either setting a trend or making a mess and evolving it or changing it. Maybe they face less criticism?