RNN14-000426
- Thread starter GTI-R_Registry
- Start date
Hello, my name is Taylor!
Not able to make an account here, so I asked if the GTI-Registry Moderator could make a post on my behalf.
I purchased the car non-running from RevHard Motors in Denver, Colorado on June 21st, 2025. Following the initial sale some time in 2022, the previous owner overheated the car to engine failure, and sold it back to RevHard. It sat for 2-3 years behind the shop with a "Not For Sale" sign in the window, however I bargained my way into a purchase.
RevHard did a head gasket on the car after buying it back. Following purchase, I towed it home to my garage, confirmed the head gasket, and installed a new water pump, did a full fluid change, and went over the entire car to get it roadworthy again. The overheating issue turned out not to be the water pump, but a wiring issue with the radiator fans. All of the wiring being intact, and the engine coolant temperature sensor working as it should leads me to believe the stock ECU no longer commanded the rad fans to run. After trying many different ways to get the ECU triggering the fans again, I ended up manually wiring the fans to a switch on the dash, via a relay. This works well for now because I live in the mountains of Colorado, and having the fans running during sustained climbs in hot weather helps keep the heat soak down somewhat. I plan to properly wire these into an aftermarket ECU soon, to have automatic toggling again.
In October of 2025, I installed new wheels (15x8 +25 front/rear) and BCRacing DS Series adjustable coilovers. With Colorado having significant winters, I stored the car from November 2025 to April 2026, to avoid exposing it to road salt.
After winter in April of 2026, I installed a new Momo Prototipo steering wheel due to the stock GTIR steering wheel unfortunately being wrapped in electrical tape at some point, which hid a large crack in the factory rubber. At the same time, I had the valve cover, intercooler shroud, and a new Cusco strut bar painted in Nissan JW0 Millennium Jade, due to the stock paint failing and chipping off. A 3D printed intake was installed, and quickly reversed back to the factory airbox after a few days.
In May of 2026, a spare Phoenix's Power Mid Wing was obtained from a fellow Colorado GTIR owner that wears the full kit, and installed. This wing was already painted in KH3, so installation was completed the same day. In June, I was invited to see the Samurai Speed GTIR during preparations for Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.
In June of 2026, all windows besides the windshield were tinted with quality 35% ceramic tint, to help mitigate high UV in Colorado. The car today sits at stock power, and has been reliable as a weekend fun car, and occasional daily driver. I'm still working through occasional bugs and quirks, and making progress to restore many more things that were unfortunately abused or neglected by the previous owner. If interested, I post regular updates on my Instagram page @_excite_motors_
-Taylor
Not able to make an account here, so I asked if the GTI-Registry Moderator could make a post on my behalf.
I purchased the car non-running from RevHard Motors in Denver, Colorado on June 21st, 2025. Following the initial sale some time in 2022, the previous owner overheated the car to engine failure, and sold it back to RevHard. It sat for 2-3 years behind the shop with a "Not For Sale" sign in the window, however I bargained my way into a purchase.
RevHard did a head gasket on the car after buying it back. Following purchase, I towed it home to my garage, confirmed the head gasket, and installed a new water pump, did a full fluid change, and went over the entire car to get it roadworthy again. The overheating issue turned out not to be the water pump, but a wiring issue with the radiator fans. All of the wiring being intact, and the engine coolant temperature sensor working as it should leads me to believe the stock ECU no longer commanded the rad fans to run. After trying many different ways to get the ECU triggering the fans again, I ended up manually wiring the fans to a switch on the dash, via a relay. This works well for now because I live in the mountains of Colorado, and having the fans running during sustained climbs in hot weather helps keep the heat soak down somewhat. I plan to properly wire these into an aftermarket ECU soon, to have automatic toggling again.
In October of 2025, I installed new wheels (15x8 +25 front/rear) and BCRacing DS Series adjustable coilovers. With Colorado having significant winters, I stored the car from November 2025 to April 2026, to avoid exposing it to road salt.
After winter in April of 2026, I installed a new Momo Prototipo steering wheel due to the stock GTIR steering wheel unfortunately being wrapped in electrical tape at some point, which hid a large crack in the factory rubber. At the same time, I had the valve cover, intercooler shroud, and a new Cusco strut bar painted in Nissan JW0 Millennium Jade, due to the stock paint failing and chipping off. A 3D printed intake was installed, and quickly reversed back to the factory airbox after a few days.
In May of 2026, a spare Phoenix's Power Mid Wing was obtained from a fellow Colorado GTIR owner that wears the full kit, and installed. This wing was already painted in KH3, so installation was completed the same day. In June, I was invited to see the Samurai Speed GTIR during preparations for Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.
In June of 2026, all windows besides the windshield were tinted with quality 35% ceramic tint, to help mitigate high UV in Colorado. The car today sits at stock power, and has been reliable as a weekend fun car, and occasional daily driver. I'm still working through occasional bugs and quirks, and making progress to restore many more things that were unfortunately abused or neglected by the previous owner. If interested, I post regular updates on my Instagram page @_excite_motors_
-Taylor