A few weeks before Ultimate Dubs, I was asked by my friend Mark Rodway (automotive photographer) if I fancied going on a trip with him to Wörthersee in Austria this year in May... in my car haha.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, this happens to be the largest Volkswagen and Audi car event in Europe, held every year since 1981, where you'll see the 'creme de la creme' of modified cars from all over Europe gathered in one small little town to meet up and party, all surrounded by mountains, lakes, winding roads, and breathtaking scenery. The trip to & from the UK consists of over 2000+ miles of driving (via the German Autobahn and other countries) and if you're lucky, reasonably priced accommodation once you get there. So in essence, it's a German car enthusiast's idea of a perfect holiday, albeit very costly in fuel.
I had never been before and always wanted to go, and long story short, I said yes and got the time booked off work.
The only problem is that I felt like the car in its current state wasn't yet worthy enough to go, both in regards to its health and its 'show worthiness'. So in between work, finishing off my house, and social events, I had little time to waste in sorting a few things out:
- Replace my carbon rear diffuser for the more aggressive one (I liked mine but didn't feel it was aggressive enough). Only problem is that it was too risky to try to separate it from the rear bumper without causing damage, so I opted for buying a new bumper, get the new diffuser installed on it, and have that wrapped and installed too.
Before & After Pic:
- New front discs and pads. One side had started squeaking constantly due to some of the pads being worn down to the bone, and the discs were long overdue a change as I had them only skimmed over 2 years ago. I managed to round off the retaining screw's head on one side which meant I had to drill it out. This was a few days before the trip and was bricking it a little bit haha:
Disc + Pad change at night, in the rain, because that was the only time I had free. Yay:
- Source a Flat Bottom Steering wheel and swap it with my MFSW, then get it coded in.
Much better!
- Swap the light grey interior trim and roof lining to black. In the end I didn't bother because I decided after acquiring the black trim that I would eventually get my interior retrimmed anyways, and sell it and swap the black one into the car if I ever want to take it back to stock.
Also got my hands on more carbon goodies, not going on the car yet because I'm not happy with them (still waiting on replacements, my contact is currently in hospital so I've had to wait):
Carbon side skirt extensions, again not happy with the finish so waiting on replacements:
- Nice and easy one, new smoked indicators, replaced bulbs and lenses, took about 30 seconds on each side:
Much better
- And Last but by no means least, I needed some new wheels, because OEM rotors weren't going to cut it, and once again my 360Forged wheels were out of action. Also I had to ensure there was time to get the new wheels touched up if necessary, as everything had to be perfect if I wanted the car in top form for the trip:
20x10J Rotiform Centrelock IND-t's, the only centerlock Rotiforms in Europe I've been told. Bought with G23 centerlock adaptors, porsche GT3 RS nuts, socket adaptor, and a HUGE 700NM torque wrench. Also threw on a new set of Michelin PS4's, 245/30/20 for a bit of stretch.
Really happy with the colour especially with the carbon fibre bits on the car. The wheels tuck in when aired down, but not as much as it looks due to the dish and stretched tyres.
Managed to get it to a relatively happy state, JUST in time for the trip. Here's a few pics out in Worthersee
Worthersee was one of the best holidays I've ever had in my life. Made a lot of new friends who I still talk to on a daily basis, and saw so many incredible cars, many of which put the UK car scene to shame. Oh yeah the food was pretty epic too!
Already booked it for next year... I can't wait!