Last time, the Golf was finally running again. Since then, it has been great. I have only really taken it on one proper joyride with some friends, and other than that I have…

Last time, the Golf was finally running again. Since then, it has been great. I have only really taken it on one proper joyride with some friends, and other than that I have continued driving it carefully. No strange noises from the engine, no smoke, and no new warning lights. So naturally, I decided to start working on something electrical instead: The reverse camera. Testing the aftermarket camera I previously ordered a complete aftermarket flip-camera assembly for the Golf: Flipping Logo Rear Camera for VW Passat Golf ArteonSmarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.comaliexpress.(I chose the dynamic one, non-AHD)This replaces the entire rear emblem mechanism, including the motor and camera, and is designed to work with newer radios such as my RCD 880 Pro (Noname): DE In Stock Noname RCD880PRO Carplay Car Radio MIB Android Auto Player 8Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.comaliexpress.The original camera system was made for the RNS 510, while the RCD 880 Pro expects a normal composite video signal through an RCA connection. The aftermarket camera outputs CVBS, so in theory it should connect directly without needing an additional video converter. Before permanently installing anything, I wanted to test it. The supplied harness replaces the blue camera connector in the Quadlock with one that terminates in a female RCA socket. I connected the camera’s video cable to that, used a fuse tap to provide power, and found a suitable grounding point below the driver-side A-p

Fixing the Original Reverse Camera

Three days after writing about getting scammed, the engine is finally back in the car. That feels pretty good to write. After finishing the engine, the next job was getting it…

Three days after writing about getting scammed, the engine is finally back in the car. That feels pretty good to write. After finishing the engine, the next job was getting it installed, and connecting everything again. Once it was sitting where it belongs, I connected the wiring harness to the engine and spent a lot of time making sure nothing was missing. I probably checked the connectors four times, and I also used old photos from before the engine came out to verify that the wiring was routed correctly. Snapped a photo while working on the wiringAfter that, we installed the front bumper reinforcement and then fitted the front bumper. We also attached the AC lines and replaced a few that were old or damaged. The AC condenser was replaced as well, since the old one was quite beat up and looked like something that would start leaking sooner or later. Before starting the engine, I also replaced all the brake pads and discs. I went with OE Bosch discs and pads, because I wanted something proper and quiet. I am pretty sure running Biltema brakes on a car with around 300 hp is not the best idea, but I am not here to judge the previous owner for their decisions. 0 986 479 058 BOSCH BD997 Bremseskive framaksel, 312x25mm, 9x112, ventilert | AUTODOC pris og erfaringer【SUPERTILBUD❗】⚡️ ➤ 0 986 479 058 BOSCH BD997 Bremseskive framaksel, 312x25mm, 9x112, ventilert ❗ Sjekk ut det store sortimentet hos AUTODOC Norge ✚ gunstige priser ✚ en lang rekke merker.J.Ø. • AUTODOC Norge0 986 479 C2

It Runs Again

Swapped out injectors and battled wiring mishaps while chasing a stubborn misfire

For the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to get my "brand new" injectors to work. I discovered that one injector was stuck open, so I contacted the seller for a replacement. When he said, "Customer pays for shipping," I decided instead to try a different cylinder. It’s odd if only one injector is faulty out of four, so we decided to gamble a little. Initially, we installed all four injectors, and it turned out that injector number 4 was bad. Cylinder Injector Type 1 New injector 2 New injector 3 New injector 4 New injector (BAD!) To troubleshoot, I replaced it with our original good injector (see my previous post), swapping things around. Cylinder Injector Type 1 New injector 2 New injector 3 Original good injector 4 New injector I may have made another mistake when reinstalling the injectors—I applied dielectric grease in the connectors, a substance electricians use to protect against debris and moisture, thinking it would help prevent salt buildup from our extremely salty roads. However, our electrician friend later advised against it, and we ended up attempting to clean it out. After this, the engine misfires at idle (though it runs fine under load), and I suspect the issue might due to the grease. After driving the car for a few days—avoiding idling as much as possible—the misfire persisted in one cylinder. So, I removed the manifold again, disassembled each connector, and thoroughly cleaned them with brake cleaner and compressed air. Once everything was clean, we reinsta

Injector Trials & Wiring Woes

With a new ECU, smoother shifts, and winter-ready tires, the GTI feels closer than ever to its original factory perfection.

With the new ECU installed, the GTI is finally back on the road—and the difference is night and day. Gone is the overly sensitive throttle, and the shifts now feel buttery smooth. It’s starting to feel like the car is back to its factory standards, both in how it drives and how it looks. It’s been a long journey, but moments like this make it all worth it. With the engine behaving itself, the next step was to address the winter tires. The old ones were hardened with age, and since we live further north than the previous owner, our winters are far more challenging. We deal with unpredictable weather where snow often melts and refreezes into ice, and the city’s attempts to add gravel only end with it sinking under the ice. Proper winter tires aren’t a luxury here—they’re a necessity. The old winter tires. It is a studless tire, which you probably could guess sucks on ice.I originally wanted Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10s for the GTI, but due to the unusual 18" rim size, no local tire shop could get them in stock. Ordering them online would have meant extra costs for shipping and handling, so I settled on Continental IceContact 3s. They might not be as renowned as the Nokians, but with careful driving, they’ll do just fine. Driving in winter here means taking it easy on icy corners and staying alert regardless of tire brand. Now that the car is stable and equipped for winter, we’re down to a few last tasks. The injectors we got back from BAR-TEK in Germany came back with issues—three 

Back on the Road

Fed up with the 'riced up' look of smoked rear lights, I swapped them for original GTI Mk6 lights, giving the Edition 35 a more refined and color-matching appearance

The car came with smoked black rear lights, which can look great on cars like a white or black Golf, but on my blue Edition 35, they just didn’t suit the color. The lights gave off a “riced up” vibe, making the car look like it was owned by an 18-year-old, which I definitely didn’t want. So, I decided to replace them with original GTI Mk6 rear lights, **almost **identical to the Edition 35's (slightly brigther, Golf R and ed. cars have dimmed versions). The smoked black rear lights that didn’t fit with the blue color of the car.I started by contacting several scrapyards, asking for prices on regular Golf rear lights. One scrapyard quoted me a ridiculous 650 euros for worn, old lights that were far from perfect. However, a breakthrough came when Sigurd sent me a Facebook Marketplace listing for original GTI rear lights in near-perfect condition. The seller was asking only 1200 DKK (160 euros), claiming they were “brand new.” The Marketplace listing for the original GTI rear lights in excellent condition.I quickly got in touch to confirm the condition and shipping to Norway, and after receiving a positive response, I made the purchase. The total came to 254 euros, including shipping and import fees—half the price of those scrapyard lights. When I received the lights, I found that while they were used and had some minor scratches, they were in far better condition than the alternatives. A simple polish would restore them to near-new quality. How the lights came packagedThe rear 

Replacing the Smoked Rear Lights

After a journey of repairs and new injectors, the GTI is finally road-ready—here’s a look at what went into getting it back on track and the results from its first test drive

As the title suggests, the car is now running. However, it's not been an easy task. Before we share the details of how healthy it's running, let's go through the process of putting it all back together. First and foremost, we received the injectors from BAR-TEK in Germany, and with them came a report of their performance. As you can see, three of the boxes have "UNDLICHT" written on them, which is quite weird as it is not even a german word? However, when we check the spreadsheet it is clear why they have been marked: The results from BAR-TEK testing and servicing the injectors. Check out the exact numbers here. (make sure to select the correct sheet in the bottom left "Injector Service BAR-TEK")As we can see on the screenshot above, all cylinders do not pass a leakage test before service (indicated by the red "Nok"). However, cylinder 2 appears to be ok after servicing. The rest of the injectors are sadly leaking, which could lead to some hefty engine damage over time. Therefore, it is necessary to replace them soon. Despite three injectors leaking, the improvements from before to after is magnificent (check out the numbers in the "Dynamic sec?" row on before and after!). I would highly recommend to test your injectors at a shop like BAR-TEK, to ensure your injectors are good to go. You could also save a few bucks, if servicing fixes any leaks (as we see with cylinder 2). Something I do not recommend though is to use the seals that come with the injectors. Sadly, the seals w

Smooth Drive with "New" Injectors

After countless hours and parts sourced from everywhere, the GTI’s engine rebuild is almost complete—here’s what we’ve done so far and what’s next on the journey

Since purchasing the car, we've already covered a lot of maintenance required to get the car running smoothly. A lot of packages have been sent both internationally and domestically, and a lot of old engine parts are now swimming in the bin. While working on the car, we have replaced the following parts: HPFP Cam follower Old battery Vapor canister Evaporation hose PCV breather valve PCV seal Serpentine belt Serpentine tensioner lever Timing belt Timing belt tensioner Timing belt deflections Water pump Inlet manifold gasket Rocker cover gasket We've also removed a rubber dog bone insert that made the car really stiff. The reason we removed it was because the car would shake violently at low RPM's. This was a huge problem, and made driving the car in the city quite unbearable. What's remaining in our current plan is: Replacing: Coolant thermostat Oil filter housing Fuel filter Evaporation hose seal Hood hinges Custom tune with stock tune Installing: The tested and serviced injectors, from BAR-TEK, Germany , with new seals Focal IS VW 165 woofers (plug &amp; play woofers, similar to Dynaudio quality) Performing: Oil change DSG fluid change We also need to visit the scrapyard to find some original woofer connectors. The previous owners replaced the original Dynaudio woofers with cheap ones, throwing away the old connectors in the process. These connectors are universal, and can be found on any VW Golf (and most likely other VW models). The original VW woofer connector, needed to

Fixing the Original Reverse Camera

It Runs Again

Injector Trials & Wiring Woes

Back on the Road

Replacing the Smoked Rear Lights

Smooth Drive with "New" Injectors

Breathing Life Into the Engine