Predatorbird's 2017 VW GTI

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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 09:31 AM
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Predatorbird's 2017 VW GTI

I pick up a 2014 Focus ST a few weeks ago. I had a 2012 Golf R previously, but after some major mechanical issues with the car, I decided to get rid of it. The ST had just under 11k miles, ST3 package, black vinyl roof wrap, H&R springs, green filter, Boomba BOV, and some sort of boost controller. All of the parts were dealer installed and covered under warranty. I was able to locate the original owner a few hours later through a FB group and the car had all of the maintenance done on time. The car is a blast to drive and I enjoy it more and more everyday. The only things I've ordered for it are a roof rack and shorty antenna. My immediate plans are to remove the boost controller for a Cobb Accessport V3, intake tube, symposer delete, rear motor mount, and 15/20 wheel spacers. My future mods will most likely be FMIC, catless DP, and catback exhaust. I'm also unsure about the green accents. They don't bother me that much at the moment, but I will probably paint the calipers black and do black emblems.

For those who don't know me, here is my progress thread for the TL and Golf R.
https://acurazine.com/forums/photogr.../#post13664215

The day I bought the car








GoPro photos on my way to a car meet





First photoshoot
<a data-flickr-embed="true" data-header="false" data-footer="false" data-context="false" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123859658@N05/20412032971/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_7657"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/533/20412032971_c2e7d111e3_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_7657"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>







Roof rack installed


Rolling shots. I got home to edit the photos and realized my settings were off. I'll redo the shots after I get wheel spacers on.


Last edited by Predatorbird; Aug 26, 2015 at 09:36 AM.

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Jan 6, 2018, 01:39 PM
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Got everything installed two days ago. I couldn't be happier with the drop! I'm at a finger gap in the front and a tight finger gap in the rear. I imagine they will settle a little more over the next couple of weeks and hopefully even out.







Old Aug 26, 2015 | 11:11 AM
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Nice pickup! Those GoPro pics look surprisingly good... or I have no idea what I'm doing with mine lol
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 12:27 PM
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Congrats! The ST is a fantastic looking little car

What issues were you having with the R?
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 12:29 PM
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<p>Both cars :thumsbup:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>But love love the ST. If I didn't have 2 kids I would probably have one in the garage.</p>
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 12:31 PM
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The white looks so good on the STs. Very nice!
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 12:41 PM
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Sorry you had such bad luck with the R. Great choice on the Focus ST
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 12:48 PM
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Me gusta.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:04 PM
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Nice upgrade!

The FoST is a great car! You will have so much fun with it. Please keep us posted as you mod your car.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:08 PM
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Looks clean! Congratulations and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

FMIC will definitely help in the hot Florida weather, and DP+CB will really give it a great sound and bring out the whistle of the turbo as well.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:13 PM
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MORE POWAR!!

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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:15 PM
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Gratz Yes it is a very fun car to drive. You got an awesome deal on it.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:19 PM
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Looks great in white!
Not feeling the 'Eco' green emblems, back to red or change to black would look great.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:23 PM
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Oh yeah, I would just take it back to stock Red for that ST emblem too!
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
Looks great in white!
Not feeling the 'Eco' green emblems, back to red or change to black would look great.
Is that what they indicate? I was wondering why they didnt match the seat emblems. I don't mind the green. If he changes the emblems, the calipers might have to go, too.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:31 PM
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<p>Looks awesome. &nbsp;Loving the Focus ST. &nbsp;Congrats and have fun with it! </p><p>&nbsp;</p>
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 01:35 PM
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Dude you look like adam levine in that gopro video.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 02:51 PM
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Butt if the green goes he would have to change to caliper color
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 03:25 PM
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Ass long as he removes all the green, it should coordinate well.
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 03:25 PM
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He said he wants to change the caliper color too!
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by JS + BRZ
He said he wants to change the caliper color too!
You missed the reference to his "butt" typo...
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 04:36 PM
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oh.....
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Old Aug 26, 2015 | 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by MeehowsBRZ
Nice pickup! Those GoPro pics look surprisingly good... or I have no idea what I'm doing with mine lol
Thanks. I forget what settings I had it on, but I just suctioned it to the sunroof and did a 30 shot/ 1 second burst. I have a Hero 4 Black edition.

Originally Posted by CLtotheTL32
Congrats! The ST is a fantastic looking little car

What issues were you having with the R?
Thanks, Tyler. Over the course of about 3 months, I spent around $4k in repairs and it was down for almost 6 weeks. The first time it was down, a fuel injector went bad. While it was in the shop, I had them do a carbon cleaning on the manifold. That took over a week to complete. The second time I ran over something in the road and the car started running like shit. It was making a weird noise and had no power. I limped it to the dealer and they initially told me the motor mount broke, causing the motor to lean and fray the timing belt. They were quoting me $2500 to fix just those two items. I had it towed to my normal shop I go to 45 min away (My AAA is the basic and only covered 5 miles, I paid $165 for the extra charge). After they took it apart, they discovered a broken motor mount bolt, frayed timing belt cover, crack in the block, and a few other maintenance items to be addressed. The turbo had to come out to repair the block with a repair kit. The car was down for a month. My mechanic said this was the first times he's seen this happen and while the repair kit felt solid, he was unsure how it would last long term. This repair bill was $2500 and I was over the car at that point. I was scared to push the car and fell out of love with it. Drove it for a month before trading it in on the Focus ST.

Originally Posted by Flipster23
Both cars :thumsbup:

But love love the ST. If I didn't have 2 kids I would probably have one in the garage.
This car is a 4 door... more reason to have one in your garage if you have kids!

Originally Posted by SuperTrooper169
The white looks so good on the STs. Very nice!
Thanks! I was looking for white or blue. The white showed up at my local Ford dealer and I loved how it looked in person.

Originally Posted by charliemike
Sorry you had such bad luck with the R. Great choice on the Focus ST
Thanks! The only two things I miss about the R are the AWD and power. I was APR Stage 2+ that was estimated around 362bhp and 370btq.

Originally Posted by JS + BRZ
Nice upgrade!

The FoST is a great car! You will have so much fun with it. Please keep us posted as you mod your car.
Will do. This is the best forum I've been apart of. The community here is great! I hated the VW forums and never posted on any of them.

Originally Posted by RPhilMan1
Looks clean! Congratulations and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

FMIC will definitely help in the hot Florida weather, and DP+CB will really give it a great sound and bring out the whistle of the turbo as well.
Do you know when the vendors on FocusST.org offer sales? I've been spending hours on that site each day learning about the car. I live two hours away from Levels Performance and will probably drive over there for a FMIC one day and eventually pick up their DP. I'm thinking about getting the FMIC before the tune considering how bad the heat is down here.

Originally Posted by EvilVirus
Gratz Yes it is a very fun car to drive. You got an awesome deal on it.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
Looks great in white!
Not feeling the 'Eco' green emblems, back to red or change to black would look great.
I will eventually change the emblems and calipers to black. The green isn't my style.

Originally Posted by juniorbean
Looks awesome. Loving the Focus ST. Congrats and have fun with it!
Thanks

Originally Posted by JS + BRZ
Dude you look like adam levine in that gopro video.
So funny you say that, I get that on a regular basis from people! I'm told it's not a bad thing.
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Old Aug 27, 2015 | 12:48 AM
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<p></p>
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Old Aug 27, 2015 | 09:10 AM
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Old Aug 27, 2015 | 09:16 AM
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Holy shit, those were serious issues with the R. So sorry to hear! I hope the ST treats you much better for many years to come
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Old Aug 29, 2015 | 08:13 AM
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neuronbob approves. . Enjoy!

I love those little rockets.
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Old Aug 29, 2015 | 04:38 PM
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Congratz Adam!


Lookin' Good!










Love the Hatch's!
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Old Aug 30, 2015 | 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by CLtotheTL32
Holy shit, those were serious issues with the R. So sorry to hear! I hope the ST treats you much better for many years to come
I hope so! :fingerscrossed:

Originally Posted by neuronbob
neuronbob approves. . Enjoy!

I love those little rockets.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by Slpr04UA6
Congratz Adam!


Lookin' Good!










Love the Hatch's!
Thanks, Tim!
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Old Sep 3, 2015 | 04:44 PM
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I approve!! Congrats again, Adam, I love that you got it in white, looks so nice.

I wish you better times with this car
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Old Sep 3, 2015 | 04:50 PM
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White > *
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Old Sep 3, 2015 | 07:06 PM
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Update: I ordered 15/20 wheel spacers and they arrived today. I'll be installing them tomorrow. I'm also driving to Orlando next week to get a FMIC and rear motor mount installed. These two parts are essential once you start modding these cars. I'm hoping to get my Boostmax removed soon and I'll be getting a Cobb tune. I just need to figure out which tuner to go through.

Originally Posted by Undying Dreams
I approve!! Congrats again, Adam, I love that you got it in white, looks so nice.

I wish you better times with this car
Thanks, Austin! I'm already more in love with this car than the R. The mod bug has hit me with this one.

Originally Posted by JS + BRZ
White > *
I'm so happy I found this car. I was trying to decide between White and Blue. Once I saw this car in person, I knew I was going to buy it.

Last edited by Predatorbird; Sep 3, 2015 at 07:08 PM.
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Old Sep 4, 2015 | 08:52 AM
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I have a custom tune from Mountune for the AccessPort and I would recommend them. Randy is very knowledgeable and great to deal with.
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Old Sep 4, 2015 | 09:30 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by RPhilMan1
I have a custom tune from Mountune for the AccessPort and I would recommend them. Randy is very knowledgeable and great to deal with.
I'm looking at them and FreekTune. Did you order yours through Mountune's website? I don't even know what to choose for some of the settings and just want the tuner to dial it in for me.
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Old Sep 4, 2015 | 09:33 AM
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Adam are you coming to the meet in Orlando in October?

on the new ride.
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Old Sep 4, 2015 | 09:37 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by ggesq
Adam are you coming to the meet in Orlando in October?

on the new ride.
I didn't know about it. I'll check the FL section...
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Old Sep 4, 2015 | 01:06 PM
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Ran into a problem when trying to install the spacers today. The supplied lug nuts were too short and the socket wouldn't grab them after they were too far in the hole. The socket started to strip the nut when tightening them down by hand. I contacted the company and they are sending me new lug nuts for it.

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Old Sep 5, 2015 | 10:18 AM
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GarageLine? That's who I'm using for spacers at the moment. 25mm all around.
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Old Sep 12, 2015 | 12:47 PM
  #38  
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I got the new lug nuts for the wheel spacers and threw them on today. It looks much better with the 15/20 combo. The rear sits perfect, but the front could be lower. I'll have to add coilovers to my list of mods in the future.

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Old Sep 12, 2015 | 01:50 PM
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Ewww who buys a fwd car, and a ford on top of it. If you wanted reliability ford is not way to go.

My fwd honda with real lsd drives circles around FoST.
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Old Sep 12, 2015 | 03:04 PM
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Jesus Christ...ignore this guy, Adam.
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