[NorthernPhil]

For those that don't know, "ZBV" is short for "Zur Besonderen Verwendung", which is German for "For Special Use". Hopefully the car will warrant this moniker in the near future.

Right then, it's probably about time I got round to doing this. Not a huge amount to put here yet, and on my current wage there won't be massively rapid progress, but I have big/insane plans…

Current Modifications:

• Genuine R32 Brushed Aluminium Radio Cage trim and interior door handles.
• Brushed Aluminium rings on defroster vents and headlight combi-switch.
• Mk.I Audi TT Pedals.
• W8 Interior Light.
• Illuminated Vents.
• Premium quality black super velour floor carpets with silver edging.
• "Bora" and "TDi" badges removed.
• Murdered OEM Xenons retrofitted along with Headlight washer and Auto-levelling systems.
• Smoked Rear clusters.
• Swapped side indicators for smoked variants.
• Montreal II alloys (replacing original Le Castellat alloys), powdercoated satin black w/ body colour coded wheel bolt covers.
• Lowered on KW V1 Coilovers- Currently about 60mm out back/35-40mm up front.
• Replaced stock antenna with 2009 Polo Aerial.
• Interior retrim to black.
• PD150 Rad pack and FMIC conversion, now with Darkside Developments S3 FMIC.
• Darkside Developments 57mm hardpipe kit (replacing previous Allard Motorsports kit), EGR delete, and oil catch can.
• R32 DSG Airbox/snorkel mod, with gutted R32 MAF and Darkside Developments accordion pipe replacement.
• Rear valance swapped for 4Mo valance, and colour coded.
• Turbo-back non-res Milltek exhaust system, with decat.
• TurboDynamics MD376 Hybrid Turbo, with a map to suit.
• Darkside Developments SMF conversion, and Sachs uprated clutch, with modified OEM clutch bleed block (internal restrictor removed).
• Bora .:R bodykit with Oettinger spoiler, LCR splitter, and Bora .:R foglights.

Planned Modifications:

• Peloquin Limited Slip Differential (possibly).
• Rota Grid Drifts, in 18x8.5, with spacers to fit flush.
• Bigger brakes, likely LCR calipers.

Thanks List (so far):

• <a>@old_n07</a>. [Technical]
• <a>@Imagewerx</a>. [Technical]
• <a>@Bazmcc</a>. [Technical]
• <a>@graeme86</a>. [Technical/Clarification]
• <a>@[member="simonsneyd"]</a>. [Technical]
• <a>@Tom_GTI_T</a>. [Photoshopping]
• <a>@olethalb</a>. [Inspiration/Technical]
• <a>@timbomfg</a>. [Technical/General/Noob Herding].
• <a>@Gavin</a> NI. [Technical/Clarification].

WARNING: First two posts have LOTS OF BLURB!

So, passed my driving test at the end of last summer and promptly started looking for a car. Had to be a diesel, as in the near future I will have a reasonable trek to and from work every day (hopefully), and it had to be a saloon too. As the Germans make the best diesel saloons, it was going to be a VAG motor- though more likely to be a VW or Skoda than an Audi because of the insurance companies.

Couldn't bring myself to look at Skodas (stigma, anyone?), so that meant VW. Unless I was going to be going for older motors, Passats were out the window. I wanted something less than 10 years old, and most insurers would flay me for even a 5y/o Passat. Golfs and Boras/Jettas being fairly bombproof settled me on the Bora as car of choice.

Decision then came down to power. I wanted a 130 or a 150, and after some discussion with some Chocolate Camshaft owners (and finding that most of the 150's within my price and distance range were utterly ragged) and other forum members, I settled on finding myself a PD130 Bora, in either Black Magic Pearl or some form of Electric Blue-type colour. Preference was, of course, always going to be for BMP.

After some searching, and more than a couple of disappointments, I found this:

A lovely little 6-speed 53-plate 130 SE with only 77k on the clock, at a [reasonably] close garage. Not a high-end spec'd model, but it had enough toys to keep me happy for the time being: Air Con (manual), cruise control, Sony headunit w/ Aux input & USB (though sadly not entirely iPod friendly), and Multi-Function Steering wheel and Sport/Anni-type cluster to boot (courtesy of the having CC system fitted apparently).

Obviously, being a second hand car it had a few detracting factors: previous owner had blagged the warning triangle, spare wheel tool kit, and medi-pack when he'd dropped it off at the garage/dealer, offside passenger speaker cover had a curiously child foot-sized whole in it, wheel trim covers in the back of the cabin were scratched to buggery, drivers armrest lid was damaged (one barrel is broken- still), and it needed the cambelt doing. Luckily, the previous owner had bought a cambelt kit shortly before deciding to sell up, and had left this in the boot- more about this later on.

After a test drive I decided to buy the car there and then. Hashed out a deal, agreed terms and paid deposit, I was to return a week later to settle the bill and pick the car up.

Having only passed my test and done PassPlus a matter of weeks earlier (six, actually) and not driven since or alone at all, and now owning a car that had more than double the power of what I passed in (a 60hp, 5-speed Fiesta sh*tbox), I was a little apprehensive about bringing the car back solo, as the journey included fun and games on the M25. So my BMW-driving gitbag of a brother came along to ride shotgun and provide support/navigation/snippy comments- lovely. Got the car home with little issue (apart from one venting of black crap from the exhaust which scared the bejesus out of me), I got down to planning the mods.

But somewhere, my own personal daemon wasn't quite finished screwing with me, oh no&#8230; You see, that vented black crap was merely a sign of things to come. Let the engine problems begin!

Within three days it was obvious there was an issue at the front: A LOT of black smoke pouring from the back when driving (even normally), and an inability to reach 50 in fourth gear. "No problem", says I, "The car is under warranty, we'll just take it back to the garage and THEY can sort the issue." So one Saturday morning:

I got the car back a week later. The pipe from turbo to intercooler had blown off, apparently, so not as huge an issue as it looked. However, what was slightly worrying was the fact that the mech who did the work [same guy who did the cambelt change- we'll hear from him again later] said to the head guy at the garage [quite a likable chap, actually] "Those pipes had to come off to make the cambelt change easier, and they can be a right bugger to get back on properly."

&#8230;.

Excuse me, but if "they can be a right bugger to get back on properly" why the chuff didn't you bloody double check them!? Fool.

Anyway&#8230; With the car now back in my hands and working properly (for the time being) I got done to the first few mods. But, like a cancer can go undiagnosed for years, there was another problem silently developing deep within the engine bay&#8230;

First job was to replace the damaged parts in the back:

A quick trip to the Stealers solved these- though at £50 for just the lid of the armrest, that repair can bloody wait!

First actual mod was the genuine R32 Alu trim swap. I had Net Optic trim originally, and though it looked reasonable, it wasn't quite my cup of tea. eBay provided the R32 trim in the form of a 3dr R32 Climatronic Trim kit (with handles), a 5dr R32 door handle set, and a new black plastic Climatic control panel trim piece. Halfords provided some Aluminium effect paint to spray the black plastic trim piece- came out surprisingly well actually, despite me cocking it up.

That Climatic panel doesn't look that bad actually does it? Perhaps a newer/older piece of alu..? Most people can't tell its plastic unless I tell them or they're like, 2 inches from it. Not bad for a bit of a bodge job methinks. Net Optic bits and the spare R32 handles were sold in short order on ebay- I've no idea about the N-O bits, but @GtiJack on here got the R32 handles.

Christmas rolled round and provided me with: mk1 Audi TT Pedal set, aluminium rings for the defroster vents, and an aluminium ring for the light combi-switch. Ties the dash trim into the door handles/trim quite nicely I think, though I'm not entirely convinced that the light switch ring ISN'T a little too much. Opinions?

Next up was new carpets. Yet another thing that the previous owner had blagged on his way out, the car didn't have any floor carpets, not even the driver's side, until I bought some shiny ones from Awesome GTi. Old style [Read: Superior] twist fits.

Now then&#8230; Remember the slightly dodgy mechanic and the "cancer" from earlier..? The next major thing for me and the Bora was this matter coming to a head&#8230;

 

[NorthernPhil]

Picture the scene&#8230; A cold, damp, January Monday morning&#8230; In blissful ignorance I got ready for work&#8230; Left the house on time, despite having to do a bit of de-icing&#8230; No issues so far&#8230; Part way through the journey, I put the heater up to full blast, and was greeted by the sound of a screaming belt. "Hm," thinks I "must just be a bit of condensation on the belt, or something else minor- no worries." By the time I get to work (only 5 mins in the car, ish), the belt is still screaming- even though I switch the heater OFF some time previously. Not having the time to do anything about it there and then, and it still being dark, I left it until tea-break.

So I come out, and fire the car up&#8230; Belt screaming- still. Immediate shutdown. "What the **** is that?" says I, as I pop the bonnet. This is the sight that greets me:

[Can you see the slump towards the Driver's side?]

"WHAT THE **** IS THAT?" I say again after seeing the slumped engine (must've dropped a good 3 inches, and shifted the same sideways), loud enough this time that people of the FAR SIDE of the car park turn round. Suffice to say, after a quick chat with my boss I took the rest of the day off to sort repairs- and possibly the unanaesthetised castration of a certain someone, with a set of blunt, rusty pliers. Later that day I had the car recovered by a local garage and family friend/contact.

These next pictures were taken by him as he repaired the car (sorry about quality):

See where the Cambelt has chomped it? Obvious fray on the belt, too. The top bolt had sheared off, bottom one had vibrated undone.

The guys doing the repairs told me they were amazed the car still ran, let alone being able to drive it.

When the cambelt was changed the engine mount was removed, and upon its replacement the mechanic [yes, THAT mechanic] had put one of the three bolts in the right hole, and the other two in the wrong holes. The three bolts are all different shapes and sizes, and he'd put one with a long thread in a hole intended for a bolt with a much shorter thread, and vice versa. The only thing still holding the engine up was the third bolt- the only one in the right hole- which was very close to shearing itself. Had that gone, then&#8230; Need I finish&#8230;?

Such an error would be blatantly obvious, and totally unforgivable. I was blazing with fury when the guy doing the repairs told me and, being in a mood to start lobbing Molotov's, I had my dad call the dealer I bought the car from the next day. Had I called, I was likely to have directed such a stream of vitriol at the guy that I would have achieved nothing. As it turns out, the garage at fault provided us with a cheque to pay for the repairs (ex. VAT). Appeased, but not totally satisfied at the conclusion, I closed the matter. It still makes me mad when I think about it though. No real harm was done when the mount collapsed, but I had only been at low speed- no more than 30 mph for the whole journey. Had it happened on the motorway at 70&#8230;? Well, it probably wouldn't have been just me on the slab.

Back to happier subjects now&#8230;

Routine maintenance of the rear braking system saw this Care Package arrive:

Standard/OEM replacements, but nice enough. Happy to see that at least some things still have "MADE IN BRITAIN" stamped on them.

Rear pads were getting right low.

Pistons had come out so far that it was a right pain in the arse getting the Calliper Tool on them. I don't think the discs or pads had been changed since first installation by VW. Fronts have been done at some point though (thankfully).

An "off chance" trip to the scrappies looking for Xenons netted me these for £25:

So I bought forward my plans for fitting the W8 light and swapping over the vents. At this juncture, I'd like to state that I HATE these bloody clips!

Why do they have to make such a bloody bang when they come off?! Scared the cacky out of me when I took the first one off! I thought I'd broken the bloody dash! And who'd have thought that you had to take almost the entirety of the dash underside out just to fit some vents?! Ah well, at least my loom came out nice and tidy (first time in a long time that I'd done any soldering).

Next acquisition was these:

Just waiting to find a fifth before I have them refurbed and powder-coated in satin black, hopefully with a little bit of a fleck in it too, if Lepsons can do it. Got some nice Black Magic Pearl wheel bolt covers painted up to go with em. Once the newly refurbed Montreal II's are ready to go on I'm going to tart up the hubs a bit (rustiness it NOT appealing) and get the callipers painted black so everything is nicely tied in (starting to see a bit of a black theme here&#8230;?).

As the red letters on the back had faded to pink, I got on and debadged the rear. Looks a lot better now in my opinion. Found this later on, laid out in the kitchen, courtesy of a certain BMW-driving git.

Cheeky bloody git, comparing my Bora to a sodding Trabant! At the same time as debadging, I swapped out the damnably crap headlight bulbs for a set of Osram Nightbreaker Plus, so now I can actually see where I'm going when its dark, and decoded my VIN...

Happy to say that my Bora was built in Wolfsburg.

I bought a shark fin next, looked nice:

&#8230;but it didn't/doesn't work, so it's currently winging its way back to Germany. In time, I'll sort out a system using genuine VW parts.

So now we're up to this week, and this week's job was cleaning out the EGR and Inlet Manifold, which were quite dirty but, if I'm honest, neither were as dirty as I was expecting:

Several hours soaking in diesel and the "Special Cleaning Fluid"&#8230;

&#8230; got us to this:

So that brings us up to the present day. I almost bagged some post-2002.5 OEM Xenons on ebay yesterday, but missed them by a narrow margin, which is a pain in the arse. Separate funds are now set aside so I can pull the trigger on the xenons at any time.

Onto laying out the future plans then&#8230;

Not a huge amount decided yet. Obviously, getting the Montys sorted out is high up on the list- just waiting to buy the fifth wheel. After that, my priority is getting the Xenons sorted. But it's not just a case of buying the light units and adapters, as my Bora does not have headlight washers.

Yes, I mean it'll be a 100% legal retrofit- xenons, headlight washers, and auto-levelling. And as the operation will require removal and refitting of the bumpers, I've decided that I'll be doing my upgrade to Bora R bumpers at the same time, along with side skirts and [possibly] spoiler too. All in all that'll cost close to 2k if I buy the extra parts new.

After that&#8230; lowering at some point, though I'm not sure how much by yet. Because of the size of the speed bumps round here, I'd like to get Air, but that'll depend on the price tag. Upgrade to a heated leather interior at some point too- possibly 5dr full black leather R32 interior. Guinness style interior doesn't really fit, so I'll arrange for a black headliner and trimmings at some point. I'd like to get that shark fin shenanigans sorted too.

Audio side of things&#8230; Not really that much thought gone into it yet, though I've been looking at Pioneer double DIN units as possible upgrades: can't say no to full iPod compatibility, hands-free system, Sat-Nav, and DVD all in one unit.

To pre-empt the "bigger wheels" demands I'm likely to receive: The Monty II's are a stop-gap measure, I'd like some 17/18" BBS CH Black Editions, but they're damnably expensive. I've no doubts the Montys will look great though.

I suppose that just leaves the engine/drivetrain mods then&#8230;? Those, I'm afraid, are "EYES ONLY" at the mo, so I'm not telling. Suffice to say, they have been variably described as "inspired" and "insane" by those that have been told. This I can tell you: a friend recently suggest the name "The Chimera" for the vehicle once it's completed, and it is a very apt name.

 

[Qais]

Coming along nicely

 

[NorthernPhil]

Aye. Shame I don't have more to show yet, but I just don't really have the cash at the moment...

Really all i've done so far is tidy it up a bit and get the mechanical issues sorted- though there wouldn't have been any mechanical issues if I'd had the cambelt done by my local garage and not the dealer...

 

[NorthernPhil]

Been doing some research, spitballing, and general plotting with regards to the future plans over the last couple of days, mainly to do with the bodyworks I want to get done when I do the xenon install- which, ebay providing, will hopefully occur some time around May... -ish.

Thanks to Tom_GTI_T for the Photoshopping the possibles:

All are (sort of) Murdered, had the Aerial erased, had the Monties blacked, and lowered approx. 40mm. Only differences are the spoilers. First is the Bora R item, second is a [sort of] Oettinger, and third has no spoiler. Opinions are split between the three so far, and I must admit that I'm torn now I have pictures to consider, so further opinions are welcome.

Pics:

Note: In the unlikely event that someone has a working set of post-august 2002 OEM Bora Xenons they might like to sell me, I am actively looking at the moment.

 

[NorthernPhil]

Well, preparation for my OEM xenon install is coming on a storm. Got the headlight washers sorted last week, and as of today the wiring components for the washers and the Auto-levelling system (and xenon adaptors) are on order.

Curiously, the jets on my Headlight washers only have 1 nozzle, but most of the ones that I have seen have got 2 nozzles each side. anyone know anything about them?

Just gotta get the lights themselves now, which may take some time...

Big saving session now though. I've decided to definately do the Bora R body-kit at the same time as the xenons- so I need about £900 for the bumpers, skirts, and spoiler, and another £450-ish for the painting.

Still can't decide on the spoiler though....

 

[vinords]

i wouldnt be to mad on the spoiler to be honest.

 

[Dodger]

Yea, I like the spoiler look, as long as it isn't too big. The one in the photoshop looks good or if not that one maybe just a boot lid lip spoiler?

Looking good so far though!

 

[NorthernPhil]

@Vinords: Looking at the pictures, I just can't help but feel something is missing from the one that has no spoiler.

@Dodger: The spoiler in the top pic is the one that goes with the Bora R bodykit. That pic is the base picture, pilfered from the VW website rather than edited on- all Tom did to it was Murder it a bit. The other two had the actual chopping done.

Like I say, with the kit on but no spoiler, I just think something is missing. Maybe a lip spoiler would be enough for it to look right- being the cheapest, it'll get tried first.

 

[NorthernPhil]

Yeah! We're on a roll!

Bagged some post-2002 xenons on tuesday, so once I've sourced a replacement ballast for the O/S, and Kufatec have delivered [hurry it up boys, I want my xenons!], I'll be getting them installed. Bit of a boost now I know everything is ordered or en route.

May have also got some spare Montreal II's cheap-ish, which is nice. Just waiting for the seller to get back to me.

All I need now is a big ol' stack o' cash so I can get everything sorted and fitted.

 

[NorthernPhil]

Slightly miffed at not being able to get the spare Montreals, but no matter...

These turned up yesterday:

Post-August 2002 RHD OEM Xenons. They are listed as "Left-Hand Traffic" on ETKA, so I guess that is where the years of confusion arose from, but I can confirm that the Part Numbers with the -M suffix are the RHD ones (BM for post-Aug, AM for Pre-Aug).

N/S unit is in perfect condition, with ballast, ignitor, all bulbs, and all wiring. O/S Unit... not so much:

So I'm off to the local Stealers today to get some new connectors to rebuild the loom. The guy I got them from was selling up because the O/S ballast had blown and it was too much to replace with a new one (£270 from VW), the 3rd party who had attempted a "repair" on the ballast/light totally butchered the internal loom [Retard]. Too bad the previous owner didn't know to look at ebay.de... Good for me though [H]

Fore reference, this is what the units are meant to look like inside:

Big difference!

Ah well, at least I still have the ignitor and the covers from the O/S unit.

So... plans... First of all, I've got to wait for Kufatec to hurry up and get my bits sorted [thank you to Mr Ridsdale for chasing Ze Germans for me yesterday], before I can so much as test the N/S unit. In the meantime I'm gonna be rebuilding the O/S loom and trying to source three ballasts (one for O/S, and one spare for each side) if not more. I've no idea how long that will take, but R/L dictates that I'm not likely to get to install them til June anyway, so no big whoop (in reality, I need the install instructions [in english] asap, for a technical project for a job application- bit hush-hush though [:-*] ].

Leaving off till June should give me enough time to find an Oettinger spoiler, and get the cash together for the Bora R front and rear bumpers, grilles, fogs, and skirts, and perhap enough left over to get the Montreal II's refurbed [finally]. Oh, and the OEM sharkfin too (£60 for an antenna? FFS!).

In the meantime, I'm going to investigate if I can joey the xenons without trashing them. As they are plastic fronted rather than glass, I should be able to bake them to soften the sealant, right? Or would it be easier/less risky to just Lamin-X them? I was reasonably surprised to find out that they were plastic fronted, given that the golf/R32 xenons are glass.

 

[NorthernPhil]

New loom for the O/S light, Kufatec order, and a NEW ballast off of ebay.de all turned up this week, so now I have a fully functioning set of OEM Bora Xenons. But now I've got all this bits, I wanna get them on the car asap, rather than waiting till I have my Bora R bumpers.

To wait or not to wait, that is the question...

 

[pi5toff]

Chuck them straight on! They will look the nuts with or without the r-line bits.

Peter

 

[NorthernPhil]

I may well end up doing just that. Gotta take the bumper off tomorrow to have a look at my intercooler as I've got an oil drip that I think dates back to the turbo issues I had when I first bought the car. While I've got it off I'll find out if its got the guide profiles for the headlight washer apertures that a few people (mainly yanks though) have mentioned.

If I do fit them before I get my new body bits, I'll still be joeying/murdering themfirst.

 

[Golfin]

Lovely.. i love oem xenons on a bora!!!

 

[NorthernPhil]

Another blurb heavy post- I REALLY need to take some new pictures!

Finally finished buying everything I need (last bits were just little fiddly nick nacks like piping clips). So I'm almost set bar a few jobs to do first and booking time off work.

Gonna sort out getting the lights joey'd during the next week- though the high-temp paint I'm looking at using is caliper paint, and I'm not quite sure what the finish will be like. I'm open to input here.

Also need/want to get the indicator lenses in the units tinted to black. I know someone on here got theirs tinted to deep black, but they still came up orange on flash. Hopefully I can get both these jobs during the next week or two, as I'm looking to get the install done during the 3rd/4th week of May.

On the non-xenon side of things:

I've bought another set of Montreal II's to make myself a perfect set of 5. Just waiting to sort out a collection time/date from the seller, but I hope to have the spare 3 up for sale by next Friday (one of my current 4 was kerbed by the previous owner). Want to get the best 5 refurbed before the end of June, at the very latest.

Might have also arranged for an Oettinger boot spoiler too. Again, just waiting for a reply from the seller (a breaker) after he's checked that he's still got it. Will deffo need to get it resprayed though, as its currently in Reflex Silver.

 

[NorthernPhil]

Went to the South East RR day at AMD Essex today. Results were... unexpected.

I've not had it mapped, but it looks like someone has- but only for 20 extra hp. Might possibly be a freebie from the garage I bought the car from, as an apology for the cambelt issue, but I've no idea (and I won't be asking). I'm not exactly well up on interpreting the results, so can someone tell me why the torque drops off so much?

 

[NorthernPhil]

Actual reason for the enlarged figures was a tuning box, as Tim suspected. Looks like an Ebay Special. Removed now.

 

[timbomfg]

Hay hay! What sort was it bud (other than the obvious ebay special)? Any markings? Get some pics up!

 

[NorthernPhil]

Hay hay! What sort was it bud (other than the obvious ebay special)? Any markings? Get some pics up!

No markings whatsoever:

Here's another waffly update:

I didn't get the Oettinger spoiler I was originally looking at, as the breaker had broken it. However, managed to find another on ebay and promptly grabbed it- turned out it was being sold by @karlosR on here. Cheers mate! [Y]

Lack of funds (and Bora R bumpers) mean that the spoiler has been put into storage in the loft for now- with all the bits parked up there, its starting to look like a tuning shop's storeroom!

Picked up the second set of Monty II's a couple of weeks back, and sorted out my [not quite perfect] set of 5 from the total 8. Sold the spare 3 and used the cash to buy the above spoiler and a few unrelated bits. Still not got the cash to get them refurbed.

Xenons still not installed: I'm now looking at mid-june for that. This weekend's job RE: the xenons is splitting and Murdering them. Got the N/S unit apart (see below), and should have the O/S one done tomorrow, and then spray them on Sunday and Monday. But now I'm at this stage, I'm having second thoughts about which bits to do black. I had originally planned to do everything black, leaving just the main beam reflector chrome, but now I'm starting to think it may look unbalanced. I may leave the projector cowl chrome now- I'll see how I feel when I've sprayed the main plate. A few pics:

When the xenons do finally get fitted, I'm going to do most of the Murdering jobs in one hit: spray the grille and boot badges black, and change the side indicators and rear clusters from smoked variants. This will leave just the wheels as the the only non-black parts (other than the grey-ish valances, and the mirror mounts), but hopefully not for too long. I just hope I get the balance of the Murdering correct, as I reckon it's gonna be a fine line between just right and too much (or not enough, even).