Body/Appearance - Exterior

"Aerodynamics", grille, bumper

• Lots of pics of "tuner" cars w/ body kits [golfmkv.com]

• Pics of MkV Jetta with blackened grille bars
  
• "R32 Bumper @ TMTuning.com!!!!!!": R32 front bumper [vwvortex]
  
• R32 rear bumper w/ center exhausts. [vwvortex]
• Pics of VW Votex body kit [vwvortex] (also here).
• Part numbers for VW Votex body kit:
  • Front valence: 1KM-071-609-U-9AX, "Skirt", $443.51
  • Rear valence: 1K0-071-610-UB-9AX, "Skirt", $499.95
  • Side skirts: 1KM-071-685-U-9AX, "Side Sill", $508.60

• "The Autobarn of Mt. Prospect sponsors a GTI Votex body kit pre-order" [vwvortex]

• Euro front valence from Hillsideimports.com [vwvortex]
• Euro front license plate holder from Hillsideimports.com [vwvortex]
• Removing the grille (the honeycomb piece with the "VW" and "GTI" enblems and the red stripe) [vwvortex]
  Pics are also here.
  And more grille removal.
  Part number for the grille: 1K0 853 653B [vwvortex]

• Pics of United Gray 2006 MkV GTI with Votex body kit and Khartoum wheels

• ABT MkV GTI body kit [vwvortex]

• Black 2006 MkV GTI with gold BBS wheels and chrome Jetta grille [vwvortex]

• One way to make a badgeless grille [vwvortex]: with an extra grille and lots of Permatex Plastic Weld.

Doors, door locks

• How to remove outside mirrors' lens & replace with aspherical lens
  Source for aspherical lens, clear or blue-tinted: http://vw.oempl.us/ ("Golf & Jetta V" > "Exterior")
  (Also here.)

• How to install smoked lens on mirror's turn signal (with pics)

• Body side moulding is attached with double sided tape, and has holes underneath. [vwvortex]

• Ice build up bending door's corner

Miscellaneous body exterior

• Electrical: Headlights, fog lights, turn signals, brake light

• How to jack up the GTI and support it w/ jack stands [vwvortex]

• Jack block, to fit between stock jack point & circular top of hydraulic jack:
  Top:     Bottom:

• Some good info on VW/Audi's "lift pads", to be used at the underbody lifting areas. These lift pads are probably designed to be used with a shop lift where all four corners are lifted at once, so each lift pad only has to support a percentage of the car's weight. There were reports of the underbody deforming when lifting the car at only one of these lift pads.
  Where to get lift pads:
  • www.worldimpex.com
  • At the dealer: ask for these part numbers: [vwvortex] you need four of these: 8N0-804-583, and four of these: 8N0-803-855.

• The four underbody lift points used to transport the chassis on the production line [vwvortex]
  
  Bigger & enhanced version:
  
  Another view:
  
  
  

• Another thread on VW/Audi lift pads

• Eastwood's pinch seam jack adapter (if not found, try searching for "Floor Jack Adapter" on the Eastwood Web site):
  

• "From chrome to black - sneak peek": painting VW logos black [vwvortex]
  

• vwvortex color registries for MkV's: GTI, GLI, Jettas

• Carbon Fiber VW Emblems [vwvortex] (added 21:19, 11 April 2006 (PDT))
  

• Pics of brake rotor w/ center and edge painted red (with red caliper)
  

• Excellent article on swapping a whip antenna for a shark fin antenna, with lots of pics.
  More info. [vwvortex]

• Weight of Carbon Limited's body pieces: hood, grille, hatch [vwvortex]

• Great series of postings on working with fiberglass and carbon fiber, making hoods, fenders, parts etc.

• Very good article on applying X-Pel clear film (on a motorcycle, but probably is generally applicable).
• Clear film installation instructions, at htpp://clearmask.com/.
  And a tip: take it slow, use a hair dryer to heat the film & make it more pliable, use firm tugs, and work it with the scraper [vwvortex].
• Lamin-X protective film:
  • Info: where to buy, installation tips & experience, etc. [vwvortex]
  • No problem peeling off two-year old film [vwvortex]
  • Car-specific pre-cut film leaves some parts uncovered, and that the best route is to buy a sheet of it and cut them yourself."
  • Lamin-X car-specific pre-cut film not fitting well/not fit at all:
    • [vwvortex]
    • [vwvortex]
    • [vwvortex]
    • ...and what to do about it: get Lamin-X to re-cut/re-send.
  • Google search of vwvortex.com for "Lamin-X"
  • Smoke Lamin-X on side mirror's turn signal, white 2007 VW MkV GTI [vwvortex]
    

• X-Pel protective film

• 2007 2.5 Jetta with color coded taillight surrounds:
  

• Trailer hitches for MkV GTI:
  • Trailer hitch for MkV GTI [vwvortex]
  • hidden-hitch.com: Hidden Hitch and Draw-Tite hitches.

• Can you pop the hatch with the remote (not just unlock it)? [vwvortex]

• Two-tone rear VW enblem [vwvortex], also: how to remove rear VW enblem.

Pics

• Under-engine splash shield
  
• Under-engine splash shield, removed
  
• Passenger side wheel well splash shield