This is the first of a series of updates on my current build. I want to discuss some of the parts we use in our community and the challenges faced. I have no skin in the game and do not profit off of any of it. These are my experiences and your mileage may vary. I will also add, I’m very particular and want things done right. It annoys me when they aren’t.

"In the kingdom of glass everything is transparent and there is no place to hide a dark heart." Vera Nazarian

Everyone has their issues they need to work through when doing a big build.  A simple tune is a completely different experience than a full build.  I’ve talked about my build before and discussed a lot of the positives.  More positives than negatives have resulted from my build and I’ll talk about more of them in future posts.

Having my engine built was a big choice for me. Not only is it a big expense but it also is a large undertaking. Logistics need to be taken into account on when and how it will happen. Your car will be out of service for a period of time. In addition, my engine was running great, I’d had no issues and things were kept on a “safe” level for torque.  Open heart surgery is never something someone wants to go through and the same goes for removing a perfect running engine. At the same time I was making around 650 wheel horsepower and felt that my engine was being stressed even with the torque level being kept around 500 foot pounds. You also need to consider who you want to have build your engine. More on that in a future post.  These were all factors I considered when making the decision to build. ​

I’ve had my TT RS since August 21, 2017.  It was a memorable Monday.  The journey has been incredible.  Stock, the car was lots of fun.  I ended up going to our local mountain drive the first week.  The only thing I felt it was missing was more sound.  So the downpipes got put on and voila more sound occurred.  Problem was my check engine light was on.  How to fix it?  Well a tune of course.

I no longer run an engine cover.  There are a few reasons for that.  Let me explain.

With the install of the Pure Turbos Hybrid an air intake solution was required.  APR had already released their turbo inlet and carbon fiber tube which connected to the stock air box.  They haven't released their filter at the time of this writing after teasing it 6 months ago so it required designing your own solutions.  More on that later.

Modifying your car is always fun and I haven’t had a car that hasn’t been modified in some way. This TT RS is no exception. On some cars I’ve only had a tune, other cars a suspension and wheels, and a couple of cars fully custom. This has become a car which is being modified to a large extent. In February it was time to change the turbo.

I've had my car for over a year and a half.  I've enjoyed it at the track for a couple of track days, launching it at drag strips and at half mile events and some spirited street driving.  I had never had any issues with the dreaded DSG oil spew from the breather everyone had talked about.  In fact I didn't see the need to get an oil catch can.