GTI
August 27, 2008 / Wednesday
Tire Rotation Adventures
A couple weekends ago, while trying to rotate the tires on my car, I got stuck. Stuck, as in, the bolts on the wheel I'd had replaced last February would not come off. Freakin' bolts! I'm coming back with a pipe!
Off to OSH we went, where after much waiting, we procured a three foot pipe. Aaron worried that my 1/2" drive 12 point sockets would strip the bolts with that much torque, so we converted to a 3/8" drive 6 point socket instead. The setup: socket, adapter, extension, ratchet, pipe. Apply force.
To our chagrin, the bolt didn't budge, and instead the adapter ripped into two pieces. Well, isn't that just lovely?
Today, I took my car back to the tire shop to ask them to loosen and retorque the bolts to spec. I watched them do it by hand, and the guy seemed to have a pretty easy time of it. Why, then, did we have so much trouble? I'm guessing it's because my ratchet didn't have long enough of a lever arm, and although the pipe took care of that problem, we introduced a weak link by switching to a 3/8" drive. I'm glad I waited a week and a half to not be upset over the whole thing so I could go in there and ask them nicely to fix what turned out to be only a slightly overtorqued set of wheel bolts.
Also today, I took the busted socket adapter back to Sears and got it replaced for free. Much love for the Craftsman lifetime warranty.
So what did I learn?
1. Giant pipes rule.
2. Giant pipes don't play nice with 3/8" drive sockets.
3. It makes no sense that my 1/2" drive sockets are 12 point, and the smaller drives are 6 point.
4. The next time I go to a tire shop I should explicitly ask them to torque the bolts to spec.
June 19, 2008 / Thursday
Happy Car, Happy Viv
With a long drive to Mt. Whitney coming up in July, I finally got off my butt and brought my car in for repair. On Vinny's (and the internet's) glowing recommendation, I decided to bring it to Palo Alto German Car. I called them up, described my problems, and brought the car in on Monday morning.
I asked them to look at a couple leaks: the exhaust leak I discovered eons ago, and a slow but troubling fluid leak I couldn't identify under the car. They called me back Monday afternoon and let me know what they had found. The oily mess on the underside of my car was power steering fluid; I had a leak at both ends of the high pressure line. I've had this (slow) leak for years now, and given cost of fixing it, we decided that I should continue to keep an eye on it and top it off every once in a (long) while. The exhaust leak required a stethoscope (!!) to diagnose, and they narrowed it down to the exhaust manifold.
Tuesday morning, they disassembled their way to the exhaust manifold. The damage: a leaky gasket and a warped (but not cracked, hoorays) manifold. That was good news; it meant I didn't need a new manifold. New gaskets were ordered and the manifold was sent to the machine shop. Everything came in around 3 PM. Too late to reassemble and test. Another night at the shop for my car.
On Wednesday, they got everything back together. While checking things out, they found another leak: a hole in the intake manifold. This was a hole created as part of the original fabrication process, but it was supposed to be plugged. Where was the plug? Gone! They called a few dealers and located a replacement in SF (or was it SSF?). When could they get it to Palo Alto? Thursday morning. Night number three at the shop for my car.
Thursday morning came and I got a call. The part was here, but getting to the hole and putting everything back together was going to take a few hours of work. They said they would try to get it done by the end of the day, and they did. I love my car, but not how tightly everything is packed into the engine bay. Makes it hard to work on.
The above was just to document for my car. What I really want to say in this post is that despite the frustration of not having a car for four days, I was really pleased with the fact that they took the time to double check and make sure everything was okay. Harald (the owner) was great; he called to update me every step of the way, and gave me useful information on my options, what they needed to do, how much it would cost, and how long it would take. When I showed up to pick up my car, I wanted to learn more, so he did some more explaining and showed me some diagrams of what they had worked on. I asked about the stethoscope, and he showed it to me and told me how they used it. It really is a stethoscope! Minus the flat round part. Neat.
I remembered that I'd had trouble getting crush washers for my oil pan drain bolt from the dealer last month (they only sell one-piece bolt-and-washer combos now, and the one they sold me wouldn't go in), so I asked if he had any. He gave me a couple for free. Score! Also, they fixed the annoyingly misbehaving negative terminal connection on my battery. Score again!
My car runs smoothly and quietly now. Great recommendation, Vinny! Will I bring my car back here the next time it needs work? Absolutely.
• • •
"Stethoscope" is a total tongue twister for me. I can barely say it once unless I do it really slowly.
March 12, 2008 / Wednesday
Rumbly In Its Old Age
I've documented my car's life in this blog since the day I bought it, so I might as well continue.
The last time we saw our hero, the dealership had just replaced the battery draining brake light switch on VW's recall dime. I drove around with a portable jumper (thanks, April!) for a week until I was satisfied that my battery would hold a charge. I was bummed about potential damage to the battery from the deep discharge, but at least the extended reset got rid of the on again off again check engine light. (For now, at least.)
We took it down to Solvang last weekend, and it hit 100,000 miles on our drive back along Highway 1. Definitely a nice road to be on for that milestone. I felt a lot better after it reached 100,000; I'd been worrying for no good reason that it wouldn't.
Driving into work the next morning, I found myself unusually content with my car, and started wondering how many more miles I could get out of it. That evening, however, I smelled exhaust fumes from my vent at a stoplight. That can't be good. Today, I had my window open as I drove next to a wall. My car sounded deeper. "Wow," I thought, "my car sounds mean!" followed by, "Wait a minute, it's not supposed to sound like that." Uh-oh.
I guess I have some sort of exhaust leak. More miles, more maintenance, more money, cha-ching.
February 25, 2008 / Monday
Oh, So They Really DID Mean To Recall My Car
A bunch of months ago, I got a letter from Volkswagen about a recall on brake light switches. A short while later, I got another letter from them telling me that my car wasn't really affected and that I should ignore the first letter.
Last week, they sent me a postcard telling me I still had an open recall on my car. Make up your mind, VWoA!
Jump forward a few days to Saturday. I parked at Ellaine's place, transferred my gear to the rental, and noticed as we were leaving that my brake lights were on. I pumped the pedal a couple times, checked to make sure they were off, and headed out for snow.
The brake lights came back on while I was gone, and over the course of the day they drained my battery completely. Here I was, all happy that we'd gotten home at a decent hour, and we ended up spending the next two and half hours trying to get me up and running again. Ellaine was a huge help with the battery, and very graciously drove me to Kragen (super helpful, super nice, very knowledgeable), then AutoZone (begrudgingly helpful, nice, but not too bright), and then waited with me for half an hour at AutoZone while they ran a "test" that at least put enough charge back in my battery to get me going again.
Today, I called up the VW dealership down the street and took my car in for the recall. They're replacing the brake switch, but won't replace the battery. Oh well. At least if this one fails to hold a charge between now and June I can get it warranty replaced. I kind of want it to fail so I can run a pristine battery, but I also want to everything to just work so I can be done with it.
Off to pick up my car!
February 15, 2008 / Friday
4YourWheelz
Yes, the name sounds hokey, but their service and skill are excellent. [ Update: I now qualify the "service" part of that statement with the second portion of this post below. ] I always used to drive by and think "Ricer shop!" but they got a pretty good review on Yelp, so I decided to try them out. I rolled up, walked in, and someone came out right away to see what I needed. I explained to him that I needed to replace a bent wheel on my car. No problem, he said, that'll be twenty dollars. I handed him my keys and headed to the waiting area.
After last year's tire installation nightmare, I was afraid of what might happen next. Fortunately, nothing happened. Nothing, aside from what was supposed to happen. He took the damaged wheel off, unmounted the tire, remounted the tire on the new wheel, balanced it, and put it back on the car. Just like that. Done.
Now, it may be that he had an easier time because the new wheel is slightly different from the old wheel. The new one doesn't require an adapter to fit on the hub, so perhaps they also changed the way the tire bead sits on the rim to something more installation-friendly.
I guess I'll find out the next time I need new tires. I plan to come back.
• • •
Update: 2007-02-27
I noticed after I got the wheel replaced that the sidewall on that tire is damaged. It'd have been nice if they'd noticed it before sending me back out there (Am I mistaken to believe that a shop that does work on a car should look for things directly related to what they're doing that could be a potential hazard?), but whatever, at least I noticed it. I took my car back there this morning to get a new tire, calling first to see if they had the right size in stock. They said they did, and even the model I currently run. I said I'd be by in a bit, they said great, and half an hour later, I showed up with my car.
They brought my car in, took the wheel off, and then... nothing. I waited, and waited, and the finally the guy I'd been dealing with said they didn't have my tire so they went to pick one up and it was taking longer than usual to come back with it. What should have taken 15 minutes took almost an hour. This, I am VERY unhappy about. I would have been fine with getting a different tire, or going there later in the day so they had time to pick up the tire, but having to wait without being told that I'd have to wait, and being lied to about a tire being "in stock" is not okay.
I pretty much stated the above to them. No apology, just polite excuses about how the wait at the tire place was longer than usual. That's not the way to treat your customers. They're great at mounting tires on my stubborn rims, I'll give them that, but I definitely have a sour taste in my mouth from this last visit.
Do I still plan to come back? I don't know. Sigh.
January 20, 2008 / Sunday
Say It Ain't So?
I think my car senses that I sense the end, and it doesn't want to go. The on again off again check engine light turned off on my way home just now, and then when I arrived it stole (ate is probably the more appropriate term here) my license. I had to disassemble part of the car to extract it. Okay, mein kleiner GTI, I'll rethink whether to get rid you. Leave my license out of this!
I Sense The End Is Near
Gave my car some much needed maintenance and cleaning today, and wasn't happy with what I found. First, there was the usual "I was lazy/stupid and let the Oil Stop guys work on my car" rarrs. For one, my oil filter cap, which never leaks, was leaking. How did they screw that one up? Oh, look here, they left the o-ring they were supposed to use to replace the old one on the filter. Thanks for NOT REPLACING MY O-RING. I bet you didn't replace the other one, either. MAYBE THAT'S WHY MY OIL FILTER CAP IS LEAKING. This is in addition to all the battery terminal connection problems I've been having since they sprayed some sort of greasy crap on it. Oh, and they keep losing screws. Every time I take my car to them, they lose one of the Torx screws for the skid plate. All the other screws and bolts they don't lose, they strip. And did I mention they don't actually know how much oil to put in my car? Isn't that their main business?
Them (yelling back and forth as is custom there): 4.5 quarts of Mobil 1 0-40!
Me: Excuse me, my car takes 5.5 quarts.
Them: But it says right here, 4.5 quarts (shows me incorrect info for my car because they never figured out the right model to enter into the computer even though I told them exactly what to enter several times already)
Me: Can you please just put 5.5 in?
Them (after putting 5.5 in and checking the dipstick): Hey look, 5.5 is right!
Me (to myself): Well DUH, it's my fucking car!
It's just so convenient to have someone else change my oil, though, especially when it's cold and/or rainy out.
In more disturbing/less whiny news, I went to fill up my tires and found that my passenger side front rim is bent. I've hit a few newly formed potholes *really* hard since that crazy rainstorm a couple weeks ago, and while I'm glad my tire didn't blowout when it happened, I'm not at all happy about this.
Yet another thing to fix on my car. I'm approaching an expensive 100,000 mile service soon and the list of annoyances/needed fixes is much longer than I'd like to deal with. Plus, there will likely be more things to fix once I finish with this round of repairs. I think it may be time to look for a replacement.
06:19 PM | Grease Monkey:GTI| Comments (1)
November 22, 2007 / Thursday
SFIAS 2007
First the R6, and now the Z. Another vehicle off my really really want and would seriously consider buying as my next [insert vehicle type here] list.
I've been drooling over the 350Z for years now. Simply put, I think they look hot. No, not hot, hawt. I finally got to sit in one at the SF International Auto Show tonight. The exterior, still hawt. The interior, well, what's with the ugly swath of plainness on the doors? Honestly, it felt kind of cheap. It made me sad. What a letdown.
Also a surprise, but very differently so: the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky looks awesome and feels great! I'd seriously consider buying one of those (and debadging it, ha!) over a Z.
As always, checked out the BMWs even though I'll probably never get one because they're a dime a dozen here in the Bay Area. Really enjoyed the 335xi interior. Really hated its exterior. Just as well.
Sat in a bunch of Minis. LOVED them. <3 <3 <3. When they build one with a 300 horsepower engine, consider me sold. Call me, Mini, okay? Muah.
Sat in an Audi TT. It felt awesome. Too bad its exterior and teeny engine do nothing for me. Can someone build me a TT-Z? I'll take the Z body and engine with the solid classy feel of a TT interior.
Sat in an IS350. I've actually been eyeing those as a potential next car. Yes, I know, it's a sedan. Makes me feel old. It felt great, though, and retains its spot on the short list.
And now, for some whimsy. Sat in a Corvette Z06. It felt pretty sweet; too bad the car footprint makes my mental car image self feel fat. Sat in some Porsches and hated every moment of it. Sat in an Audi S5, expecting to love it, and came away disappointed. Wanted to sit in the Audi R8, but they wouldn't let me. Just as well; it's nice to have an untarnished car on the unattainable list.
Miscellaneous notes: The Xterra, still on the list. The new GTI, not much new in terms of features; things just look different. Not impressed.
A tip for future SF International Auto Show attendees: If you can go on Thanksgiving night, do it. It's totally empty there, which means you can sit in whatever you want with minimal waiting. Even better, you get to have the Fast all to yourself:
August 04, 2007 / Saturday
Bikes And BOOM!!
Now that homework is a thing of the past, I have time to start knocking items off my to-do list. Today's tasks: car, bikes, and BOOM. I rolled out of bed at the leisurely hour of something past noon, grabbed some food, and slapped on some sunblock (gosh, it was nice out today!), and got to work.
Now complete, in order:
- washed new used roof top bike rack system
- washed outside of car
- installed new used roof top bike rack system
- washed inside of car
- fixed car speaker static again (I hope it sticks this time)
- re-installed subwoofer (BOOM!!)
- put rear seats back in
I'll try to remember to take a picture of it tomorrow with a couple bikes on top. :)
[ Update: Piktar! ]
07:52 PM | Audio:GTI:School:Shiny| Comments (2)
June 14, 2007 / Thursday
Blech
My car smells like hockey gear, which isn't all that surprising ... except that my hockey gear is in the garage. :(
February 13, 2007 / Tuesday
Sorry, Tire Installation Guy
Got new tires installed on my car today. I ordered them from Tire Rack last week and had them shipped to a local shop for installation. I've sort of been dreading getting new tires because Tire Rack dented my rims when they mounted the first set, which led me to believe that (1) my rims are soft, from the looks of the dents and (2) it's not easy to get tires on those wheels. I still don't know about (1), but after spending 2 hours at the shop today I can say for sure that (2) is true.
I had an appointment for 10:30 this morning. I got there just before that, and they were ready and waiting for me. I pulled in, gave them my wheel lock and key, and they got to work. The waiting area was just inside, separated from the shop area by a wall, a window, and a door. I heard the shop guy remove the first tire and let the air out.
Later, I heard some grunting. Then, some yelling. Then, some loud dropping of tools. Cursing, followed by more cursing. The shop guy was not having a good time with my wheels. Eventually, he came in holding his elbow and asked one of the other guys for help. Someone in the waiting area asked him if he was okay, and he said yeah, but something popped when I was trying to get the tire on. Ouch.
The other guy came back. I asked him what it was about my wheel that made it so hard to work on. I knew that low profile tires were more difficult to install, but I couldn't imagine that the tire installation guy would have trouble with every set of 40 series tires that rolled in. He explained that my wheels were such that they couldn't just pop a tire on, but instead had to squish the tire to roll the lip in and then back out. Or something. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining it. It was a lot easier to understand with his hand gestures.
They finally finished at 12:30, way behind schedule, and not after sending the customers after me out for a lunch break. I felt kind of bad for the shop guy, as my wheels seem to have caused him a lot of stress and pain. I hope his elbow's okay.
But hooray, I have new tires.
February 07, 2007 / Wednesday
Everything Is An Excuse To Buy Gear
My car is due for its 80,000 mile service. There's a VW stealership just down the street from where I live, but because of its reputation, my general distrust of stealerships, and the fact that they scratched my then-perfect hood when I took my car there for a factory recall a few years back, I decided to go somewhere else. My first choice was to take it to Wolfgang, whose shop was across the street from said stealership. Unfortunately, Wolfgang seems to have disappeared over the last year. After some time on the local forums, I decided on Bugformance in San Jose. One small problem: Bugformance is 13 miles away from work. The solution? My boingy bicycle! I was happy to have an excuse to ride (It's been far too cold and early evening dark and sometimes rainy lately, waah.), and also to shop for cold weather cycling gear.
This morning, I dropped my car off and tested out my new gear. The verdict? <3! The Sugoi tights rule. They fit perfectly, are super soft on the inside, and block enough wind to keep me warm while letting enough through to keep me from overheating. I also got new full-fingered gloves, which turned out to be lightly water resistant when the sky sprinkled on me. Okay, that sounds kind of gross. It wasn't yellow, okay?
Technically, I also got to try out some new socks that I bought a couple months ago. I like them, but not any more than my regular socks. What's so special about Coolmax? I can't tell the difference.
Some bad news: My left knee is killing me. After about 6 miles I started feeling pain in my knee, which got worse as I continued to ride. It's the same pain that I felt after diving on my trip last month. At least now I know it wasn't nitrogen bubbles, but what's wrong with my knee? Sadness.
12:33 PM | Bicycle:GTI:Injuries| Comments (7)
February 04, 2007 / Sunday
I Would Have Preferred Red
My car got hit by a paintball Friday night. Aaron and I were driving down 680 around 7:30, and all of a sudden we heard a loud "THWACK!" "What kind of crazy rock was that?" I thought. A quick inspection of the windshield turned up nothing, but then I looked right and saw a big paint splat on the passenger's side window.
If this were 3 or 4 years ago, I'd have been pissed. Fortunately, I'm much less neurotic about my car now. Since there was no permanent damage and not much I could do about it anyway, it didn't really bother me. Aaron reported it to the CHP and we washed the paint off when we got back to his place.
But not before taking a picture:
I guess I could say, "Don't those people have anything better to do?" but shooting at stuff is fun, and if I operated on a different scale of what's acceptable and what's not perhaps I'd find paintballing passing cars from the side of the freeway at the top of my list, too.
Or not. It was kinda cold out.
April 09, 2006 / Sunday
Meep Meep
I put the horn back in.
Without taking the bumper out.
Sometimes, it's nice to have small hands.
I suppose I should have titled this "Honk Honk" instead.
Or maybe "Mmeeeepp Mmeeeepp", since my car horn is finally dual tone again.
SJ OilStop Lame-Os
When my car hit 65,000 miles a few months ago, I was busy with school, so I brought my car to the OilStop in San Jose for an oil change. I had hoped for nice folks like they had at the San Mateo location, but these ones seemed to take offense to (1) the fact that all I wanted was an oil change, and that I didn't need them to check any of the other stuff and (2) my request for them to please fix my car's listed model in their system (it doesn't understand that there were two different VR6 engines in 2003) because the specs listed for the 12 valve engine are different from those for my 24 valve engine.
They did the system model fix, grumpily did my oil change, assured me that they could do more than an oil change, and, as proof, told me there was an R32 who went there regularly.
So today, I did my 70,000 mile oil change myself. I get under my car, and what do I find? Oil leaking out of the drain plug.
HOW HARD IS IT TO FOLLOW A FUCKING TORQUE SPEC?!
I hate incompetent people.
I really hope that R32 doesn't go there anymore.
March 16, 2006 / Thursday
Clutchless DOWNshifting
It was nifty and all to find out that I could clutchlessly shift in my car, but I when I wrote that last post, I'd tried it only a few times to see that it worked. Well, it worked. Yeah, nifty. Woop.
On my way home from hockey tonight, I decided to see what it was really about. I blipped the accelerator, popped out of 3rd, pulled hard on 2nd, gunned it, felt it shift, and wheeeeE! Totally smooth, and it happened much faster than if I'd used the clutch.
I wish I hadn't done that.
Okay, no I don't.
Poor car.
February 23, 2006 / Thursday
Un-Pimp Your Auto
Dan0 mentioned these commercials in the Fast comments, and bubka^4 came through wit da linky.
I'm pretty sure I like these ones better than the Fast series.
Vee-dub in da house! Representing Deutschland.
Danke, bubka^4.
February 21, 2006 / Tuesday
Fast
I'm probably a little biased, but I love the commercials for the new MkV GTI.
What's that little demon creature in all the commercials? It's a Fast. Still confused? Go here and click on "fast" at the bottom of the menu on the left.
I want one. So does everyone else, apparently, because they're selling for well over $300 on eBay right now.
If only I could get *my* Fast to materialize.
I'll work on it.
• • •
Did anyone watch the joyride on that site? You select your features in the menu items on the left, then it builds a joyride using those selections. The faux-dominatrix-ey German woman makes it all worth it. Hilarious.
February 12, 2006 / Sunday
Clutchless Shifting ... In My Car??
I've known for a while now that I can jerk myself back and forth on my motorcycle by shifting sans-clutch (not that I do it much, and I realize that it jerks me back and forth only when I'm not doing it properly), but I didn't know I could do it in my car. It's not quite the same thing, but it's nifty nonetheless (to know, not necessarily to do).
Why didn't I know this? It seems I've had a big chunk of car missing in my head between the clutch and the wheels: the transmission. It's not that I didn't know the transmission existed, but I just never took the time to place it anywhere in the map-o-car that lives in my head. Go me.
In any case, it's possible, and understanding why my car lets me do it involves words like synchromesh, which should have been reason enough for me to have learned this a long time ago.
Neato.
January 05, 2006 / Thursday
Welcome Back, Car
Good news: My car is back with a new water pump and serpentine belt. Huzzah!
Better news: I found a VW shop 2 miles from my place that I like, Wolfgang's Repair and Service in Sunnyvale. Wolfgang knows his stuff, is enthusiastic about his work, and isn't an ass like some of the other VW shop folks I've talked to. Besides, who better to work on my car than a guy named Wolfgang?
Also huzzah-worthy: My suspension setup garnered test-drive praise, and the installation passed inspection with flying colors. Go me, and my week of crawling under my car after work every night. :)
This is going to sound a tad strange (though perhaps unsurprising, coming from me), but whenever I'm away from my car for more than a day, I want to give it a big hug when I drive it again.
Well, except that I'd dirty the glass if I did that. So I don't.
January 04, 2006 / Wednesday
Bye Bye, Water Pump
Bye bye, money.
I think they're designed to break right after the warranty runs out.
November 18, 2005 / Friday
Ants In My Car?!?!?!
Crawling along the inside edge of my windshield.
THERE'S NO FOOD IN HERE! GO AWAY!
November 06, 2005 / Sunday
356!
As in, 356 miles on my last tank of gas.
This is a vast improvement over my days of 270 MPT.
*petselfonheadsomemore*
November 04, 2005 / Friday
29.6!
As in, I got 29.6 miles per gallon on my drive into work this morning.
*petselfonhead*
October 09, 2005 / Sunday
Dammit, Weeble!
Not to be outdone by Flopsie, Weeble took a chunk out of my car today.
Weeble scratch center, Flopsie scratch left.
Happy one year anniversary, Flopsie scratch.
03:15 PM | GTI:Weeble| Comments (0)
September 03, 2005 / Saturday
Flashy Saturn
What? A flashy Saturn? When do the mice and chickens start running out?
August 28, 2005 / Sunday
300+!
I managed to squeeze 344 miles out of my last tank of gas. I usually have to fuel up around 300. Woot!
That also lead to my first $40+ tank at the gas station.
Can't win 'em all, I guess.
June 26, 2005 / Sunday
4 Month Ouch Cycle
Bah, I suck.
I'm good about not curbing my rims when I park, but I'm really bad about curb corners that stick out farther than I think they should.
Siiigh.
June 03, 2005 / Friday
Cool Item
It's a flashlight! It's a keychain! It's a mini strut!
It's so rad!
June 02, 2005 / Thursday
Toyota, We Wanna Be Just Like You!
Last week, on our way home from our electronics and sporting goods outing, dad said, "We're coming up on a whole lot of new Corollas!"
I wondered briefly if Toyota had done something new to their Corolla design.
Then we drove by a lot full of Jetta Vs.
Very funny, dad.
It's not just VW. Subaru's gone Toyota too. Check out the new Subaru Tribeca SUV. It looks like a big Matrix.
May 21, 2005 / Saturday
VWs Descend Upon The Bay Area!
As a bonus to the awesome Le Snack game, on our way to food afterward, I was suddenly surrounded by several sweeet VWs on 880. It started off with what looked like GTI HIDs in my rearview. That's no mod to laugh at (unlike my ghetto stubby antenna ;). He buzzed by, and as he pulled ahead of me, I noticed Jetta HIDs (Or were they just really bright blue bulbs? I can't remember.) approaching to my right. As he passed, I looked at his plate: SacWater. Those two were accompanied by a super smooth B5 with strategically placed blue masking tape (thus maintaining its super smoothness) and a Corrado.
I was so distracted I got lost. Oops.
At first, I thought maybe they were travelling either to or from a track event. After all, most cars don't drive around with tape on their fenders and mirrors. Then I realized they were probably coming into town early for the New Dimensions Charity Auto Show this Sunday.
In any case, that made my night ... er, again.
May 17, 2005 / Tuesday
Japanese Import Wannabes
I approached a new car from behind on my drive this morning. From a glance it appeared to be a Corolla. Only after I passed it did I look in my rearview and realize it was a MkV Jetta.
I thought it was bad enough that the new Jetta looked like a Camry from the side, but now this, a Corolla butt! Yuck!
And the MkV GTI? Looks like a Civic Si. Makes me s-iiiiigh.
Maybe their new designer is a rice rocketeer at heart.
May 04, 2005 / Wednesday
Bye Bye, Steelies
Sold my steelies for really cheap to a neighborhood high school kid (think Lowell) just now. He was totally adorable -- he took a quick look at the stack, gave me money, picked up the top wheel, and then, with a big grin on his face, waddled outside with it toward his friend's car, giddily exclaiming, "They're nice!"
After they left, my aunt came downstairs and said, "He was really happy with them. You must have sold them for cheap. Why are you throwing money away?"
I'm not throwing money away, I'm buying space.
*groan*
08:30 PM | Famidotes:GTI| Comments (8)
April 05, 2005 / Tuesday
How Did I Pick That One Up?
I pulled an inch-long screw out of my rear right tire this morning. It was lodged sideways, and my tires are relatively new, so I'm hoping it didn't puncture deep enough to create a leak.
I guess I'll find out after work tonight.
February 28, 2005 / Monday
Ouch!
I scraped my rear right wheel yesterday. Ugh.
Who the hell builds unrounded 90-degree angle full curbs at tight intersections?!
Dumb curb designer, look what you made me do!
Siiigh.
February 04, 2005 / Friday
Vroominate!
Vinny came by just now and whiteboard markered a picture of my car, complete with stubby black antenna and a spikey red haired Vivo in the front seat.
I checked with AIMBotinator to make sure "vroominate" was valid.
SoopahViv: vroom!
aimbotinator: vroominate!
03:56 PM | Burninators:GTI| Comments (1)
January 11, 2005 / Tuesday
Ruhroh ...
I must be feeling off today. I drove all the way into work without using the left lane. Not once.
Even more strange is the fact that I'm considering paying someone to do my oil change today. Granted, it's because I really don't want to crawl around on cold wet pavement to do it, but still, that means letting someone else touch my car.
:-/
November 29, 2004 / Monday
5 1/2 Months
It's not supposed to take that long!
This calls for some sort of note to self, but I haven't yet decided what kind of note to make.
On a different calendar note, my car is now two years old. Happy birthday, car! I hope you're liking your recent slew of birthday presents.
No, I don't really talk to my car. I swear.
November 01, 2004 / Monday
GGVW Parts: Not Sucky
Pretty cool, in fact. I'd heard terrible things about their owner, but at least the parts guys are nice. They're the ones who patiently helped me out when I lost my wheel lock key. Today, I visited for some coolant and power steering fluid. I'd heard that the OEM power steering fluid was pricey, but there was no aftermarket alternative. The parts guy came back with the expected bottle. He asked how much I needed. "Just a bit," I replied. "Well," he said as he handed me a smaller bottle of the same stuff, "then you can have this one for free."
Wow, thanks, GGVW Parts guy! That is most cool of you!
I tried to trade him my GTI + free bottle of power steering fluid for the R32 in the showroom, but he just laughed. I guess he didn't realize I was serious.
October 31, 2004 / Sunday
My Car The Time Sink Black Hole
The to-do list for my car:
Buy and refill or flush power steering fluid.(11/1) Why is it low?Buy and(11/1) refill G12 (VW coolant). Why is IT low?Figure out if my new centering rings fit my rear wheels and(10/31) put new wheels on.- Install stainless steel brake lines.
- Flush brake fluid with Mmmotul 5.1.
Fix bad left speaker connection.(10/31)- Replace spark plugs.
- Figure out how to wire up Micro DEs to OEM light switch.
- Install Micro DEs
- Paint calipers. Red, of course!
At the moment, I am motived to do zero of those items.
October 30, 2004 / Saturday
Car Blurb 1: Static! Aurgh!
I joked before I installed my new suspension that the ride would be so rough that it'd jar my stereo connections loose. I don't know if that's what's happened, but I have yet another loose speaker connection, this time to my left front speakers. I'm not looking forward to pulling everything out to fix it. Maybe this time I should glue everything in place.
Car Blurb 2: Motul!
I finally found a place to buy Motul brake fluid. I'd been having trouble finding the stuff at car shops, but once I figured out that motorcycle shops were the way to go, I located some on my first try.
Unfortunately, being more of a motorcycle brand than a car brand, they sell the stuff in half liters, which means 3 bottles for one bleed. Ouch!
Car Blurb 3: Mmm ... Micro DEs
My Micro DE fogs are here! Picked up the package (along with my ss brake lines) from UPS on Friday. Amazingly, I haven't opened the box yet. Too many other things to do!
I go do other things now.
08:00 PM | Audio:GTI| Comments (0)
October 19, 2004 / Tuesday
Tire Rack Is d4 Sux0r
I can't fucking believe Tire Rack. The two centering rings they sent me are the exact same as the WRONG one they put on my wheel that wouldn't fit. What the fuck is their problem?
So I called them, and they think the one that doesn't fit is the right part for my car. Right.
New slogan for TR: Tire Rack, good for tires, nothing more.
October 17, 2004 / Sunday
Water Up!
Rain-X is cool stuff. I was on the freeway earlier, and all of a sudden I realized it was pouring, and I could see just fine, wipers off.
Water Up?
Rain-X is weird stuff. Water's not *supposed* to do that, huh?
October 16, 2004 / Saturday
Car Blurb 1: Wrong Road Wrong Time
Today, at 2-something in the afternoon, heading east on the San Mateo Bridge, I realized it was Cal-UCLA football day. Two years ago, this very Saturday, my Civic got totalled at the 880 interchange on east 92, soon after the SMB, on our way to the Cal-UCLA game. I had a moment of, "Oh no, I wasn't going to drive this route today." Let's just say I drove very conservatively the rest of the trip. Made it to my destinations and back in one piece. Phew!
Car Blurb 2: What Did You Say?
Another downside to the new suspension setup: increased road noise. Makes it hard to carry on a conversation when the roads are rough.
But the cornering and drop make it all worth it. ;)
11:13 PM | GTI:Mods| Comments (0)
October 15, 2004 / Friday
Corners For Lunch
Old wheels reinstalled. I'm finally driving my car again. The new suspension is tite! Pun intended, misspelling too. I'm definitely feeling and hearing the road more, but it's a fair tradeoff for the better cornering. No more spring pops, and my CD didn't skip on my way into work. The smaller wheel gap, also tite. Pun and misspelling intended again.
But, the best part is, I did it myself. I didn't really save all that much money (had to buy tools), had to spend three weeknights on it, missed a hockey clinic, and am absolutely worn out from the whole process, but it's all worth it to know that I could do it, and did do it. Plus, I learned a lot.
Ahhh ...
12:58 PM | Grease Monkey:GTI| Comments (4)
October 14, 2004 / Thursday
I Miss My Car
Unless Tire Rack manages to get the right part to me (I *hope* it's something I can just pop in) on Saturday, I realistically won't get to drive my car until at least Tuesday.
I'm starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms.
October 09, 2004 / Saturday
I Still Suck, But At Least I Tried To Suck Less
You didn't think I was really going to go to bed without at least trying to fix the scratch on my car, did you?
I used every wax and polish I own (4 total) to try to buff out as much as I could. I managed to get a lot of the white out, at least. Maybe from a distance it'll look more like a dirt streak.
Speaking of dirt, I took my car for a quick trip to Kragen after its wash (needed to steam out the engine bay ... yes, I cleaned the engine bay) and it came back with a layer of dirt on it. Already! That's nasty!
My car's due for another waxing. I could really see the difference in the area I buffed and the rest of the car body. Swirl marks everywhere! Aside from the gouge itself, that area is now the shiniest part of my car.
My bike, which has seen pavement rubber-side-sideways on several occasions, currently parked across from the bumper scratch, says to my car, "Welcome to the club."
I Suck
While trying to find a better garage parking configuration for my car and bike, I put a gimungous scratch in the car bumper with the bike exhaust pipe.
The scratch is actually worse than it looks in that picture. It's gouged all the way into the black bumper material.
Since my gut was occupied with other things, I didn't even really react. I calmly went for my camera, took a picture, and finished moving my bike into its spot.
Goddammit.
07:06 PM | Flopsie:GTI| Comments (2)
September 29, 2004 / Wednesday
350 Miles! Whoa!
That's right, I managed 350 miles on my last tank of gas. That included three commute days and nasty traffic! Perhaps I've finally learned to behave myself on the roads.
Of course, I usually follow up a good tank with a hooligan tank. Heheheh ...
August 24, 2004 / Tuesday
Wheel Lock Saga Over!
Early to mid afternoon is when my body feels best able to venture out into the world. I don't know why the evening -> morning hours suck, but they just do. Anyway, today, at the height of my Advil-induced state of semi-well being, I decided to go get a replacement wheel lock key. I headed over to GGVW with a bit of apprehension, since their managers and owner have a bad reputation. Fortunately, their parts counter guy was very nice. He brought out the key kit, found the one that fit my car, and, thank you VW parts gods, sold me their last one. Even better, it only cost me a little over $20. Phew.
August 23, 2004 / Monday
Okay, Now What?
On the off chance that my jaw would stop throbbing enough for me to go into work tomorrow, I decided to swap an unleaky steelie onto my car in place of the tire with the nail in it. Swap done, car drivable again.
Then I had this brilliant idea. I figured I'd go get it plugged, since my new rims aren't coming for another couple weeks. Off to the gas station I went, and they plugged up my tire. Great, fine, wonderful.
Then I got home, and could not, for the life of me, find my wheel lock key. I turned my garage upside down, I retraced my steps, I walked up and down my block. No wheel bolt key to be found. I have a feeling I left the key in the bolt and drove off with it. Crap.
Crap crap crap crap crap. Crap!
Now what? I suspect I'll be paying a visit to the dealership tomorrow, and I suspect they're going to charge me a gazillion dollars to replace it. All for what? So I'll have matching wheels for another few weeks. Oh, that, and so I can actually get my current wheels off my car.
Doggammit.
During all my searching, my gums started to throb again. That's just great.
On a side note, I find it amusing that my spare is bigger (16" instead of 15") and wider (205 instead of 195) than my winter steelies.
August 22, 2004 / Sunday
Need New Tires ... Uh-Oh!
Found a nail in my tire today. Found an air leak around that nail. My tires are on their last fraction of a millimeter. No sense in patching/plugging the hole. Time for new tires!
The new tires isn't the problem. I'm happy to settle for Kumho Ecsta ASXs. But I've long said that I'd replace my wheels when I finally wore down my current set of tires.
Okay, so new wheels. But then they'll look funny with the current (very large) wheel gap.
This should all sound very familiar to a post I made not so long ago.
Do I drive around with the funny looking wheel gap? Do I shell out a LOT of money for the coilovers I want? Do I get a spring and shock setup instead and save myself a few bucks?
This makes getting XM radio seem cheap.
August 16, 2004 / Monday
Note To Badass Car Owners
If you drive a badass car, please don't ruin it by leaving the dealer license plate frame on it. Especially you, Mr. R32 Driver. R32 Deep Blue clashes with McNevin license plate frame blue. What a car fashion no-no! Oh, and when you get a chance, get some new wheels. Those Aristos have way too many spokes.
03:12 PM | GTI:PSA/NTS| Comments (0)
July 22, 2004 / Thursday
Rush Hour Errand Running
Hooray for my bike! Made it to the UPS center to pick up my package before they closed. I'm totally diggin' this lane splitting thing.
I'm totally not diggin' the foolios who purposely pull over toward my side of their lane in an attempt to keep me from passing. Dude, it's legal, so fuck you.
And what did I have to pick up from UPS? Oil filters for my car. My car, which would not have gotten me to the UPS center before they closed today.
If it weren't so damned pretty / fun to drive / boom boom boomin', and if it weren't for the fact that I have hockey gear and rainy days to deal with, I'd just go with the bike! I mean, it's not as if I like my car or anything.
Heh.
June 27, 2004 / Sunday
R32! R32! R32!
Finally, an R32 sighting! Actually, three R32 sightings in three days. Maybe I just didn't have my eyes open? Nah, that can't be; I never miss a GTI, much less an R32!
The first one I saw on Friday night at the Lake Merced / Brotherhood Way intersection. That one was blue, and totally smoked out. I was so excited I almost, um, uh, never mind ...
Saw a red one on Noriega yesterday. I don't really like it in red, for some reason. Strange, given that I really like the VR6s in red.
And today, in the Lakeshore parking lot, another blue one. It wasn't bad, but not nearly as badass as the blue one from Friday night.
Okay, glad that's out of the way now.
A guide to figuring out what flavor of new Golf you're looking at (short of being close enough to see the badge):
- 4 doors: Golf
- yellow in the taillight lens: Golf
For everything else:
- exhaust tips turned down: pre-2003 GTI
- steel twin exhaust tip pointed back: 2003+ GTI 1.8T
- chrome twin exhaust tip pointed back: 2003+ GTI VR6
- chrome single exhaust tip on the left, 18" wheels: 20th anniversary
- dual chrome single exhaust tips, 18" wheels: R32 (drool)
That's how they start off, at least. They get way cooler once you throw in a few thousand dollars' worth of mods. 
I'm tempted to write up an engine/transmission/suspension/wheels comparison, but that'd be a bit overboard (as if this wasn't).
May 14, 2004 / Friday
VW Dealership Blurb 1: What a Ripoff!
Ron Price VW's prices on oil filters for my car, laaame. 20 bucks for an oil filter! A buck something for a crush washer! It makes Boardwalk VW (for which I also have a great dislike) seem like my friend. Pfft.
VW Dealership Blurb 2: GLI!
Hey ... the Jetta GLI ain't bad! Saw a beeeautiful Blue Lagoon one on the showroom floor today. It is to the Jetta what the 20th is to the GTI. Nice body colored valences and sideskirts. A shiny round single chrome tailpipe. Lowered suspension. 18" BBS wheels. Recaro seats. Brushed metal interior trim. I'm not a big fan of the Jetta, but I definitely wanted this one.
Wow, did I just say that?
10:47 PM | GTI:Money $ink| Comments (0)
March 20, 2004 / Saturday
Goodbye Ghetto Wheels!
The ghetto spinnies & steelies came off today. Back again are my rims. I've missed them! Shorter sidewalls and a wider footprint make for much much much better handling. I can take corners at a decent speed once again. Yeah!
This means, of course, that I'm giving up on Tahoe for the season. Siiigh.
This also means that Andrea can't play Wheel of Fortune on my hubcaps anymore.
March 19, 2004 / Friday
To Those Of You Who Think I'm A Little Vehicle Crazy ...
I may not be so crazy after all. I like my bike. I love my car. When I feel a little off, however, I drive my car, even though it means I'm choosing to mess up my car over my bike. See, I do have an ounce of sanity left in me!
09:03 AM | GTI:Motorcycle| Comments (0)
February 13, 2004 / Friday
Kickass GTI Commercials
The best GTI commercials I've seen ... ever ... and they're not even from VW! Some guy out there just really loves his 20th AE Dub.
Commercial 1: roller coaster
Commercial 2: kid
If you have time for only one, watch commercial 2.
January 25, 2004 / Sunday
Both Of My Vehicles Are Sputtering!
It took me a good three or four tries to get my car started this morning.
Maybe I have bad vehicle starting karma.
Maybe my car is in cahoots with my motorcycle.
09:31 PM | Flopsie:GTI| Comments (0)
January 11, 2004 / Sunday
Who Will Protect My Car From Osama And Dubya?
Thanks to the efforts of Al Qaeda and George W. Bush, Progressive has decided to amend my car insurance policy so that it no longer covers damage resulting from:
a. war (declared or undeclared), including civil war;
b. warlike action by any military force of any government, sovereign or other authority using military personnel or agents. This includes any action taken to hinder or defend against an actual or expected attack;
c. insurrection, rebellion, revolution, usurped power, or any action taken by a governmental authority to hinder or defend against any of these acts;
d. any accidental or intentional discharge, dispersal or release of radioactive, nuclear, pathogenic or poisonous biological material; or
e. any intentional discharge, dispersal or release of chemical or hazardous material for any purpose other than its safe and useful purpose
Sad, sad, very sad.
January 04, 2004 / Sunday
Hello From My Freezing Apartment in California!
It's so cold in here it registered off the thermometer! My car said it was 39° and snowflakey out.
Speaking of my car, I've missed it! I'll take my little GTI over my dad's Lexus or Maxima any day!
If I drive a really squishy car every once in a while, my lots o' sidewall steelie wheels aren't so bad.
December 24, 2003 / Wednesday
Dealership Service 1: The GTI
Got a letter from the service department at Boardwalk Auto Center today. They think I'm at 15,000 miles and should bring my car in for a service. I think not. For one thing, I gave myself a 15,000 mile service over the summer. For another, Boardwalk Auto Center hasn't been very good to me, and the only other piece of information I've heard about their service department is that one of their mechanics thinks all the other mechanics there are crazy. Plus, they charge $100 for oil changes. I can do that myself, thank you very much, OEM filter and even synthetic oil, for under $40. Thanks, but no thanks.
Dealership Service 2: The Civic
Got a letter from the service department at Menlo Honda today. They think I have a 1999 Civic. This is strange for 4 reasons:
1. My car was totalled over a year ago.
2. I bought my car from Honda of El Cerrito.
3. I've never been to Menlo Honda.
4. I never gave any Honda dealership my new address.
Anyway, they enclosed "coupons". I say "coupons" because these things are complete ripoffs. Examples below.
Front Brake Special: Replace front brake pads and inspect a bunch of stuff for $129.95. $129.95 for OEM Honda brake pads and some labor? I bought race pads for my GTI for less than that! As for the labor. It's 20 minutes of work with an unspecialized garage setup, if you know what you're doing.
Winterize Your Honda: Check a bunch of stuff for $89.95. Seriously. See:
• Check coolant (look at level. 10 seconds)
• Check wiper operation (turn on/off. 10 seconds)
• Check tire tread (got a penny? 10 seconds)
• Check lights (turn on/off. 5 seconds)
• Check heater/defroster (turn on/off. 30 seconds)
Wow, just over a minute of work for $89.95! What an undeal! It doesn't say anything about fixing, refilling, or replacing anything. I bet that costs extra.
I wonder who actually pays for this stuff, and then I realize that a year and a half ago I actually might have. I am happy to be less car stupid these days. Must be 'cause of my Dummies book collecting dust on the shelf. Learning through diffusion. Hooray for that.
December 17, 2003 / Wednesday
My Phone Is A Piece Of Crap
My stupid phone keeps dropping calls. People call, it rings, and it drops before I can even answer. I call people, I get voicemail, and it drops before I can leave a message. If it weren't for the fact that its backlight matches the instrument panel in my car I'd have replaced it long ago!
Okay, just kidding on that last part ... kind of.
December 08, 2003 / Monday
I Love My Car, But ...
I'm expecting the following to happen within the next year or so:
- My window regulators to fail and drop the glass.
- My glove compartment hinge to break and drop the door.
- My heated seat to burn a hole through the leather and set my butt on fire.
- My MAF sensor to fail and make the car sputter.
This, in addition to the warm start rev bounces and stalls that I should expect to (and actually do) experience.
And then there's my passenger side door that doesn't like to close and my steering column that clicks.
You'd think that after 4 years on the market VW would have fixed some of these known MkIV problems. I mean, if every other MkIV VW experiences half the problems listed above it's cause for concern, no?
December 03, 2003 / Wednesday
Car Blurb 1: Gear Grinding
My little foot injury is bad for my car. It hurts to push the clutch in so I think I lift my foot too early. Been grinding gears left and right! Okay, more like forward and backward. Poor car.
I should ride my bike instead. I was planning to ride today since it's not supposed to rain but I didn't feel like it. Imagine that, I didn't feel like it. Yeah, freeway riding's not for me. It's boring going under 90 but I don't like to go over 90 'cause I don't want a ticket. Plus, going ridiculously fast doesn't really do all that much for me. Twisties and put-putting around town, cool. Freeways, not cool. Track, probably cool but I wouldn't know. Maybe next year.
Car Blurb 2: Another Poopie Porsche
Okay, Mr. Not-Even-Plated-Carrera-4, going 70 in the left lane while talking on your cell phone is NOT good etiquette for driving on 280. You want to go 70? Well then get into the right lane! I think the slower cars in that lane are going about your speed.
Yes, that was me shaking my fist at you after I cut in front.
• • •
P---B-----: interesting.... carrera 4 going 70? i didn't even know they could go that slow
P---B-----: 
SoopahViv: maybe this one's modified
Oh, and that reminds me ...
SoopahViv: he had his blinkers on the whole time, too
SoopahViv: lame-O
SoopahViv: shouldn't be allowed to drive a porsche
10:41 AM | GTI:Road Ramblings| Comments (0)
December 01, 2003 / Monday
Kleiner GTI
Kleiner GTI
Du siehst prima aus
Ich liebe, dich zu fahren
Hol' die leistrung 'raus
Hör nur, wie er sich anlasst
Steck' den schlussel 'rein
Er ist bereit zum start
Wie er braust
Wie er saust, GTI
Werde bargeld, sparen
Kauf' den GTI
Er fahrt mit mir lassig
An den andren vorbei
Uberholt benzinfresser
Macht mir spass dabei
Und jedermann sagt sich dann bloss
"Kleiner wagen -- du bist gross"
Er ist bereit zum start
Wie er braust
Wie er saust, GTI
Wah wah ... wah wah wah wah wah ...
• • •
Can anyone track down a copy of that commercial for me?
November 25, 2003 / Tuesday
Squishy Sidewalls 1
My car handles like crap now that I have 15" steelies on. I find myself taking offramps at Civic speed. Blech. I miss my rims.
Squishy Sidewalls 2
Nadsy just pulled up and parked next to my car in his M3 with its shiny rims and low sidewalls. Now I'm really missing my 17s. I wonder if his bling bling M3 even recognizes my little ghetto GTI. It's probably wondering what the hell happened to my car.
November 19, 2003 / Wednesday
Car Blurb 1: Sooo Slooow
It's hard transitioning back to my car after a couple days on my bike. I have to lower my expectations of acceleration. My car used to be fast! What happened?
Car Blurb 2: Eeek!
I almost got taken out by another VW today. Some stupid guy was chatting away on his cell phone, in a hideous Eurovan, no less, decided that he needed my lane, and didn't bother to see if there was someone next to him first. Hello! See the little red VW next to you? Nope, he didn't see, so he moved in on me. Honnnk! Boo on him. I took a picture. Why? Because I'm in a picture taking mood today.
November 14, 2003 / Friday
Pscha!
Yeah, I agree, whatever! 402 horses? Just wait* 'til I slap a twin turbo on mine. I'll put them DINAN tuned M5's outta the ride business! Ha!
"Signature Series Floor Mats", meet my all-weather GTI badged Monster Mats! And as for the "Serial Numbered Dinan S Plaque", $20 bucks and I'll be back even with one of those 20th anniversary badges with the cute little bunny. Bunny power! Can't beat that!
* Don't hold your breath.
November 12, 2003 / Wednesday
Getting Ready For Snow
Pulled the 17" rims off my car and replaced them with 15" steelies last night. My car looks fugly now! Needed to do it, though. Can't put chains on the 17" ones. Don't want to scratch up my rims and they were too wide for wheel well clearance comfort. The added bonus with the narrow steelies should be less hydroplaning down the freeway when it rains hard. Let's hope I get good use out of it! I need to justify the ghetto look.
Now that I think about it, I should put my OEM brake pads back on, since it doesn't look like I'll be doing any performance driving anytime soon.
October 31, 2003 / Friday
Hey, Where's My Car Going?
It's weird watching my car drive out of the parking lot. Bye car. Vroom.
October 30, 2003 / Thursday
Car Blurb 1: Warrrmmmmm ...
I am sooo glad my car has heated seats!
Car Blurb 2: They Put THAT On A Caddy?!
Have you guys seen the ghetto-ass exhaust tips on the new Cadillac DeVilles? Dual twin exhausts, 4 chrome ovals lookin' all bling bling (like so), but then you take a closer look and you realize they just threw those shiny ovals over round steel tips. It's downright ugly! You can kind of see it in the photo I linked to. If I come across one with my camera I'll post a pic so you can be horrified, too.
October 27, 2003 / Monday
Hello Again Car!
Up until this morning I hadn't driven my car in 5 days. 5 days! I've missed my baby. I mean, it was right there the whole time, but I appreciate it more after the little break. Smooth, cushy, and ridiculously clean, for some reason. I can't imagine why ...
October 16, 2003 / Thursday
Wednesday Night Drags
Went to Wednesday Night Drags at Infineon last night. My first drag race event! No, I didn't enter my car. I went this week because there were a bunch of local VW people racing there and I wanted to see how they'd do. I was sitting up in the bleachers going, "Go jellybean go jellybean go!" Man, our jellybeans are slow. Still, it makes me want to take my car out there to see what kind of times it can run. Doug was appalled at the terrible squidly starts the motorcycles had. Perhaps we'll head up again sometime and I'll run my car and Doug can show the squids a thing or two about launching.
VrooM!
October 12, 2003 / Sunday
Weekend Recap
Okay, now that my hockey game post is out of the way, time to do the weekend review. I feel like I did a lot, not even counting the hockey game. Here goes.
Friday night, I installed my white cold cathodes. All the interior lighting in my car is pure white now. LEDs in the cabin and two glowing tubes of crisp white light in the trunk. I'll take a picture sometime soon and post it so you guys can compare with the red ones.
I am now a solder queen. Mainly because I kept running into technical difficulties and had to reroute a whole bunch of stuff. Yes, I know there's something grammatically wrong with that last sentence.
Post install, Doug and I went to see Kill Bill. It sucked.
Saturday I went to Doug's friend's wedding. It was at a church. It was at a Catholic church. There was a lot of prayer. I couldn't help but think about how cultlike it all was. I took notes on what not to do at my wedding. No chanting, no prayer.
Saturday night, bowling! My right forearm is sore today. It lasted me about 2 games, and then I started bowling nothing but gutterballs. Bowled well enough to win dessert, though. Black Forest Dream in a waffle bowl. Yeah! It was probably about 3,000 calories. Not good for the six-pack, but Doug had a big thing of ice cream, too, so that wasn't too much of a setback.
Went for a ride down to Pescadero today. 'Twas fun! No super eek moments, thank goodness. Ran out of gas on my bike on the way down. That was certainly interesting. The stupid fuel switch is way too hard to turn on my bike. Had to pull over to switch to reserve. I'm gonna have to see if I can fix that. That and about 5 other things on my bike. So much to do!
Finally got tickets and made reservations for CES in January. Gonna catch the naked Cirque du Soleil show while we're there, too. Okay, not naked ... but close. Near-naked people doing cool stuff. Whoo.
09:24 PM | GTI:Mods:Motorcycle| Comments (0)
October 06, 2003 / Monday
Speed And Scratches
Got my car back. You know how I thought it had no go after riding my motorcycle? Well after driving 50 miles in crappy Escort rental my car feels like a Porsche.
I forgot to tell them not to wash it, and they did, and I think they put a little scratch on my hood, but I'm not sure, because I forgot to check before I dropped it off.
On the other hand, I know every ding and scratch on my car by heart, so they probably did scratch my hood.
Sunnyvale VW
Dropped my car off at Sunnyvale VW today. Those people were all so courteous I found myself wondering if they were real. Maybe they're all robots, like the kid in AI.
VWoA covered me for a crappy rental car. Today I drive a bare bones Ford Escort with zero power. It's scary driving a car that doesn't accelerate. The engine makes a lot of noise and that's about it. Aside from the transmission, this car is manual everything. There's isn't even a little knob for the side mirrors. I have to reach out and push the mirrors myself! The seats look like old armchairs, and there is no dead pedal anywhere to be found.
Okay, enough complaining from me. Time to work.
September 30, 2003 / Tuesday
Coilpacks Are In!
Hrmm, this isn't so bad. The Sunnyvale VW folks got my ignition coils in and the service advisor I talked to gave me a call just now to reschedule my appointment. 5 days turnaround doesn't suck at all. Bringing my car back Monday of next week, and VWoA will cover my rental for the day. Rad.
September 25, 2003 / Thursday
Hi Sunnyvale VW. Bye Sunnyvale VW.
So I realized today that most normal people leave for work between 7 and 8 AM. I say this because pretty much all the cars on my block are gone by 7:30.
I feel like such a slacker.
I got up at 6 this morning to go to Sunnyvale VW, though. It's nice getting on the roads before the sun comes up. I likes, I likes.
Didn't get my ignition coils replaced. The lady on the phone neglected to ask me which engine I had. Supposedly the VW dealerships stock plenty of 1.8T ignition coils, but aren't allowed to do so for the VR6 due to supply issues. Lame.
Also lame is that my door cannot be adjusted under warranty because my car has logged over 12,000 miles. That, and they don't know whether my steering wheel click can be covered under warranty either until they figure out what's wrong with it. Well, screw that, I'm just gonna do it myself.
I just need to get a VAG-COM so I can clear the airbag light I'll get after messing with the steering wheel / column.
In happy car news, I got to hear my car from the outside today when the service advisor drove it around to listen for clicks. It sounds goooood.
September 23, 2003 / Tuesday
Speedy Sunnyvale VW
Wow, only 2 days to get my car in for service at Sunnyvale VW. That so rocks. Screw Boardwalk and their 2 week appointment cycle!
The lady on the phone was polite and could understand English, too!
September 09, 2003 / Tuesday
Brick Manual
The paper version of my GTI service manual just came in. 1632 pages, 7.5 pounds. It's bigger than a dictionary!
I think that means GTIs > the English language.
September 02, 2003 / Tuesday
Jelly Beans
I just came across a site that calls GTIs jelly beans.
You know, they DO look a bit like jelly beans ...
Jelly beans that cook rice!
August 28, 2003 / Thursday
Ow
You know, my car is about as injury prone as I am. 
August 19, 2003 / Tuesday
DSR
Took my car to DSR this morning. They seem to get a lot of ricers, VWs, and M3s. Not that many people working on them, though. I think there were maybe 3 employees there, and only one of them was working on something (dyno prep I think). Cars just sitting there half assembled and no sense of "hey let's get these things put together and vrooming" anywhere to be found. That didn't sit very well with me. Come on, people, it's 10 AM and you're a car shop! Get moving! Get vrooming!
August 13, 2003 / Wednesday
Phases Of Car Life
Nadsy's car is going through a midlife crisis.
Mine is just a spoiled child.
July 24, 2003 / Thursday
An Allstate Guy Who Doesn't Suck
Well, I got the repair estimate from Allstate today. I drove my car over to one of their nearby offices. The adjustor guy was awesome. I totally lucked out, because he doesn't usually work in that office. This guy totally knew his stuff, and he made sure to include in the estimate everything needed to fix the car as best as possible. He even considered that the paint blending might have to extend to the bumper because of its proximity to the dent. That and he let me look at the software he was using to do the estimate. He can literally build a car using that thing! Not only that, but he can select any part of the car and select a list of things you can do to that part. From the list of things to do the software comes up with an estimate.
I think he was making an extra effort to cover every possible thing because he saw how well taken care of my car was and how bummed I was about having it taken apart to fix something so small. In the end the estimate matched the one I got from Eurotech. I wasn't expecting that, so I was very pleasantly surprised. Hooray for Kevin the adjustor guy.
He did present me with some food for thought. Do I really want to get this fixed, or is the compensation enough for me to live with the dent? He gave me a couple good points to chew on.
Point one: They have to remove the seal on top of the panel and the seal for the window. Those seals may not necessarily be put back on the same way they were at the factory. I'd already thought of this one, but it didn't hurt to hear it again.
Point two: In order to fix that tiny bit of paint, they have to blend a pretty large area around it (thus the extension into the bumper). At the factory, the paint is heat-treated, but if I go to a shop, they will have to chemically treat the new paint because otherwise they'd melt my car. Even though the clearcoat is one sheet, there is a possibility that the chemically-treated sections may not keep its color the same way as the heat-treated rest of the car a few months down the line. I found out a little later that this guy's been working with auto body repair since before I was born (which also accounted for the fact that he felt he could do what he thought was right and not play by Allstate's lowballing rules).
Anyway, I have a check in hand. I'll think about this some more, but right now I really don't think I want put my car through the whole repair process. Getting it taken apart and getting a coat of non-factory paint on a big obvious area of the body sounds a little risky to me. I think I'll just learn to live with the dent. 
I'll spend the money on more toys for the car. That should make my car feel better, too. 
July 22, 2003 / Tuesday
Allstate Grumble
Hi. It's Tuesday. I think what I usually do after saying that is wish you all a happy Tuesday, but I have to call the Allstate guy back this morning so I really don't feel like it.
Insurance people make me pissy.
This blog's going to be boring for a while. It's just gonna be me grumbling about car and insurance stuff, I think. Sorry.
July 21, 2003 / Monday
Public Service Announcement
Okay, it's been 10 months since my last PSA. I guess nothing's really moved me to make a PSA recently. Well, I'm now officially moved. Here goes ...
When you open your car door, please please please try to be careful. Watch out for bicyclists, sidewalks, poles, and, of course, other cars ... especially since there are nutcases out there who care more about their cars than they do about themselves.
I think I just admitted to being a nutcase.
10:11 PM | GTI:PSA/NTS| Comments (0)
Ding PITA
Rarr. This whole car thing is a pain in the ass. 5 days, they say it will take. I have to be without my baby for 5 days. That and I have to deal with Allstate. I hate dealing with Allstate. They totally cheated me on my Civic. At least this time around I know better. Screw their lowball estimates and recommended cheapo shops. I get to choose who fixes my car and I don't care how much it costs 'cause Allstate's paying it.
Sucks, though, they have to practically disassemble my car to get that panel out. Can't paint it without removing the panel 'cause the clearcoat has to be continuous. They have to take the window out, too. What if they don't put everything back together just right? What if my window leaks afterward? What if they somehow screw up the window tint? Sure, they're one of the best shops in the area, but still, the thought of my car being pulled apart is pretty unsettling.
HOW Much To Fix That Ding?!
Well, the estimate for the dent on my car is in. $1012.44. All that, for something the size of, well, it's so small I don't know what to compare it to. It's smaller than a dime. It's smaller than a pea ... half a pea, even! But it's in a location that requires a lot of work to isolate and work on. They have to pop the window out of the panel, too. Damn, all this money and effort for something so little.
$1012.44 to fix this!
July 20, 2003 / Sunday
Marketing Bullshit
"VR is short for vroom" MY ASS!
What the VR in VR6 really stands for is waaay cooler than vroom.
VR = V-Reihenmotor = V-Inline Motor. That's what my car's 15° narrow V is. Technically a V but at so narrow an angle that it pretty much looks inline.
I have to admit, it's still pretty fun to say "Vroom!".
July 18, 2003 / Friday
Poor Car
Roh. It's not a good week for my car. Wednesday it got egged, Thursday it took a garage door in the face, and tonight it got a car door in the side. That makes me very, very sad.
The egging I can't do anything about. The garage door hit my license plate cover, fortunately. The car door, well, I showed up while the door was still on my car.
"You dented my car," I said unhappily.
Denial. "No, that wasn't from me."
I'm proud of myself; I kept my cool and was very polite throughout the whole process. I calmly and patiently showed her exactly where her door met my car body, showed her that there was indeed a dent in that exact spot, and had her run her finger over it to see for herself.
I got insurance info from her. I want this fixed. She thinks this is nothing. From the dings on her car I can see that to her dings are no big thing. But on my car, every ding is a huge thing. Especially dings that take off the paint.
Anyway, she asked if maybe she could pay for this instead of going through insurance, since it's such a little thing. I told her I'd get an estimate and let her know.
I took pictures, but it was dark and they didn't really come out. I'll take some more when the sun comes up tomorrow morning.
You'd laugh if you saw them. It's a tiny little ding. But it's also the only ding, and I don't want it there.
Why can't people care more about their and others' cars?
July 16, 2003 / Wednesday
Egg! Dah!
My car got egged last night. Some goddamned piece of shit punk threw an egg at my car. At least they had bad aim, since it hit low on the body close to the rear right wheel. Any higher and it would have damaged the paint in a visible location. As it is, the paint's screwed up but on the bumpy part toward the bottom that no one looks at. Still, that pisses me off. If I ever see anyone even go near my car with an egg I will break their fucking neck. No, I will beat the shit out of them first and then break their neck. Stupid fuckheads. I hope it rains tow trucks on them.
11:04 AM | GTI:Rant/Whine| Comments (0)
July 13, 2003 / Sunday
Out On The MSF Range
Just got back from motorcycle class. Got to tool around in a parking lot on a Nighthawk all morning. Some thoughts ...
Thought one: Damn, that was fun!
Thought two: I could really damage myself on one of those.
Thought three: Ow, my shoulder (aggravation of prior injury).
Thought four: Why can't I turn right?
Thought five: What's wrong with my car? I got back into my car afterward and I thought the engine was broken. Nope, my car was running just fine. I am, however, a tiny bit upset that a little Nighthawk feels that much faster than my car.
Put-put-put >> Vroom! ?!
12:32 PM | GTI:Motorcycle| Comments (0)
July 08, 2003 / Tuesday
Hooray For Evolution Sports
The folks at Evolution Sports kick ass. A great price, no tax, and free shipping on my GTI repair manual CD. But the BEST part is (and this is what makes them blogworthy), they shipped my CD one hour after receiving my order. Talk about fast service!
July 07, 2003 / Monday
Why Won't My Car Start?!
Hi. So I came back last night and my car wouldn't start.
It wouldn't start this morning, either. Finally I called up VW roadside assistance and they sent a guy over who then proceeded to crank on the ignition for a good 10 to 15 seconds and my engine turned and whined and turned and whined and after much prodding and gassing it finally wimpily started.
'Twas fine once it got warmed up, which actually was not what I wanted because when I got it to the dealership there was nothing they could do because, well, my car was running exactly as it should.
I'm due for a recall replacement of my coil packs sometime this year, and while I suspect my problem may be due to somewhat funky ignition coils, if my car starts up at the dealer and if I don't have a recall notice in hand, they can't replace them. That and they're suffering from a nationwide backorder of replacement coil packs.
That kinda sucks, huh?
If one of those dies at Thunderhill later this month I'm gonna be one unhappy camper. Vrooo -- put put put sputter plunk! Rarr!
June 15, 2003 / Sunday
Damned Carport Space!
Most days, I can make it into my carport most beautifully.
Some days, my head's somewhere else and I stall.
On really bad days, I do something stupid and psyche myself out and when I finally get my car into the damned carport all I can smell is burnt clutch.
Aie.
June 10, 2003 / Tuesday
Purrrdy
Lookie here, it's what makes my car go vroom.
June 09, 2003 / Monday
Car, Job, Car, Job ... Car!
Okay, so instead of doing job hunting stuff I just spent my evening looking at car stuff. I don't think I quite have it in my head that in order to finance my car stuff I need to have my job stuff squared away. No new job to hop to, no vacation pay to buy car toys. Hello in there, you got that? Now quit looking at GTI sites and start looking at job sites!
Pic of the Day
Dyno chart for a 2003 GTI VR6. Yummy.
10:54 PM | GTI:Pic| Comments (0)
Golf V == Civic Si
Just saw pics of the new Golf V body. Looks like the Civic Si but with four doors. Fuuugly! Glad I got my GTI when I did.
R32 > 2003 GTI ... but at least 2003 GTI >> 2005 GTI.
June 02, 2003 / Monday
RR Magnet
My car has become a bit of a rice rocket magnet.
Nadsy wondered whether that meant they got stuck to the side of my car.
May 27, 2003 / Tuesday
Ghetto Lot
Okay, there are weird people staking out our parking lot.
And weird people smoking out in the south end of the lot.
And also people having sex in the north end of the lot.
I feel bad that my car has to witness all this. Poor car.
May 21, 2003 / Wednesday
Ooh, Phaeton ...
I have to say, this may the only website that's ever made me want to buy a car. Sorry, pretty red GTI, I'm upgrading to a big black Phaeton.
April 11, 2003 / Friday
They Really Are After Me Lucky Charms Pretty Red Car!
B----K: someone was checking out ur car! :P
SoopahViv:
SoopahViv: who?
SoopahViv: la la la
SoopahViv:
SoopahViv: drat, shoulda washed it
B----K: hehe
B----K: some guy
B----K: in a grey gti
B----K: well dressed
SoopahViv: he drove into our lot?
B----K: yeah
B----K: and parked
B----K: and looked at ur car
B----K: walked around it...
B----K: and then got back in his car and left! :P
SoopahViv:
SoopahViv: coooool
Man, that's one pricey guy magnet ...
melsybo: i just saw someone checking out ur car
melsybo: a grey gti was trying to pick up on ur red one
SoopahViv: that's awesome!
melsybo: haha
melsybo: was so funny
melsybo: he looked
melsybo: was about to leave
melsybo: then looked again
melsybo: hahahaha
SoopahViv: was he cute?
SoopahViv:
melsybo: he was a little cute yes
melsybo: like a way cute version of annoying [name removed]
melsybo: but prolly less annoying
melsybo: and taller
melsybo: and more muscles
SoopahViv: oh don't bring [name removed] into it
melsybo: ok it didn't look like [name removed] at all
melsybo: haha
SoopahViv: ooh, muscley cute taller version of [name removed]
melsybo: u woulda liked him
SoopahViv: whoo
melsybo: in a nice shirt and tie
SoopahViv: la la la
P.S. Everyone, please welcome melsybo to the blog.
April 07, 2003 / Monday
Good Coffee, Bad Viv
It's really sad that these days I worry when there isn't a line at Peet's at 8 AM. Why is it so empty in here? Is something wrong? Is everyone at home watching some horrific breaking news on CNN? Maybe I should go home and watch too.
Maybe people forgot to set their clocks and they all thought it was 7.
On a related note, I was so excited about my latte that I opened my car door into a pole. I'm trying not to take it so hard by telling myself that it's okay because the passenger's side door was opened into a pole once too and now I have pole ding balance.
It's not working. I feel uncomfortable and sick about it.
It's sick that I feel sick about dinging my car, huh?
March 28, 2003 / Friday
They're All After Me Lucky Charms Pretty Red Car
SoopahViv: yeah, she drove my car last sunday when i was injured
ixx_lxx2002: I have a good idea
SoopahViv: turbocharge my vr6?
SoopahViv: hehe
ixx_lxx2002: next time I see u, I will trip u, so that I can drive your GTI
SoopahViv: if you trip me, i will bite
February 04, 2003 / Tuesday
Mmmmmmmmm3
SoopahViv: vroooom!
P---B-----: no.. that's your car
SoopahViv: oh
P---B-----: my car goes "mmmmmmmmm3"
I don't know why, but that made me laugh. Do you know how strange you sound when you laugh out loud when you're AIMing in your cube? Your cube neighbors hear you laughing over nothing and think you're crazy.
February 02, 2003 / Sunday
Losing Chunks Of Car
Well, it's been about a month since I last washed my car. I got around to being nice to it again today. In the last four weeks it's lost 3 pieces of paint and a small chunk of the windshield from the front. I blame that on my Valentine One, which, as you're correct in thinking, passes the blame on to me.
In addition to its speed-related injuries my car has also sustained its first passenger side blemish, although from the looks of it my car door pulled a Viv and ran itself into a stationary object. Poor thing.
Anyway, it's a nice day, my car is clean, and, despite some missing paint and glass, it's prettier than it was when it started the day.
Next up, laundry.
January 07, 2003 / Tuesday
Wool For Your Car
The VW DriveGear folks sent me a fuzzy car wash mitt in the mail.
It looks like a little lamb. Baa-a-a-ah!
December 24, 2002 / Tuesday
Never Drive Angry
Fuck! I totally ground my gears just now. Totally as in I had the gas pedal floored and I'm suprised the engine didn't just drop out of the car. Goddammit. Any car I drive should have a mood-detector built into the steering wheel and automatically shut off the engine when I register something other than blue, or whatever the fuck color happy's supposed to be. Rarr.
December 23, 2002 / Monday
Snowflakes In My Car
My car's instrument panel temperature display flashes a snowflake at me when it hits 40 degrees outside. I found this out just now on my way back to the office. I got all giddy 'cause my car was flashing a snowflake at me that I started bouncing up and down in my seat. Boing boing boing! Whee! Let's go ski!
11:29 PM | GTI:Snow| Comments (0)
November 22, 2002 / Friday
Weaning On To The Radio
So the last couple days I've been driving with the radio off because I need to hear exactly what my car is doing in order to drive it. Tonight I had a long freeway drive to and from hockey so I finally got to try out my sound system. Good stuff! The best part is, I forgot and left the radio on after getting off the freeway on my way home. I didn't even realize it until I was a few blocks from my apartment. After an initial split second OMG accompanied by a sudden urge to turn the radio off, I continued on to the smoothly bumpin' beats of Mr. Paul Oakenfold. It stayed on until I was nice and square in my now-not-so-riduculously hilly three point turn carport. Whee!
11:33 PM | GTI:Music| Comments (0)
November 21, 2002 / Thursday
I Think I'm Starting To Get The Hang Of This ...
I made it into my ridiculously hilly three point turn carport today without having to use the handbrake. I didn't even stall until I made it into my spot, and then only because I was so excited I forgot I was still in gear and let go of the clutch. Much much better than the three stalls I had last night.
My guess is that the hour of stop and go traffic on my way to Dry Ice in Oakland was good practice. Good enough practice that when I got back to San Mateo I managed to figure out brakeless hill starts in about 10 minutes. Yay for empty streets and hilly parking lots.
Ahh ... It's so nice to know I can kind of get into my space now.
Ahh ... It's so nice to have a bag for my hockey sticks so I can keep my car nice and purdy and shiny and clean.
Ahh ... I think maybe tonight I should try going to bed before midnight.
Ridiculously Pretty Carport
Figures I would have the carport with the ridiculously hilly three point turn.
I say ridiculous because I'm learning to drive stick.
The carport's all pretty now. Roh!
November 11, 2002 / Monday
No Room For A Motorcycle!
Okay, so my red VW GTI VR6 with the leather seats and sunroof and Monsoon sound system thing got my mind off wanting a bike for a while. CBRs, GSX-Rs, R1s, R6s, even Ducatis ... eh. But then yesterday I had to go and visit this site. That, especially in Gold-Orange Metallic (yellow!), is a pret