The lip arrived boxed and primed. In hindsight, I should have stripped the primer off the lip as bare polyurethane would have been a better candidate for my the type of treatment I had in mind. Regardless, the results are good. The finish matches the rest of the OEM GLI kit pieces very well and after it has been allowed to properly dry and cure, it’s very resistant to chipping -moreso than standard paint-. While there is now a small difference in height from front bumper to side skirts and rear, the difference is not enough to make it look out of place. However, the idea is to slowly obtain the remaining pieces of the Votex kit and give them the same treatment to keep the glossy/matte black theme consistent throughout the car.

Thanks to Joel Parker for the photos!

After some consideration between pros and cons, I decided to black out my window trim. I wanted to use a material that could be removable yet provided a durable and rubberized finish. I evaluated several types of material, including vinyl, truck bed liner spray and spray paint, none of which combined both of the attributes I needed (reversibility and durability). After some searching around, I found the product I needed to carry out this project: Plasti-dip spray.

Because of the nature of the project, I knew beyond shadow of a doubt, that the outcome’s quality would be entirely dependent on two things: Surface preparation and quality of masking. With this in mind, I paid especial attention to these two steps, ensuring the stainless steel trim was correctly prepared and painstakingly masked. Masking alone took over 4 hours.

First, I covered most of the car in newspaper secured with painter’s tape. Then I worked my way around the windows with thicker painter’s tape, and utilizing an Xacto knife to trim the excess and leave only the window trim exposed. After that, I lightly sanded off the stainless steel trim with 500 grit sandpaper and dusted the areas with canned air followed by a cotton ball saturated with alcohol. I then gave all the areas a quick wipe with a clean microfiber cloth to remove any remaining dust left behind by sanding. It was only after this lengthy process that the trim was ready for coating.

Plasti-dip spray is much different than the traditional dip-in stuff. It goes on a lot lighter so I applied thick, heavy coats against the instructions in the can. I did a total of three thick coats per side letting dry approximately 15 minutes between coats (this stuff dries relatively quickly). Then let the whole thing dry overnight.

Removing the masking is a tricky step. If you do it too early you run the risk of peeling some of the Plasti-Dip with it (when it’s not fully dry it has the texture and consistency of liquid latex) and letting it dry too much makes the masking bond to it and peel even more. Therefore, the only thing to do is to go over the lines of the trim with an Xacto knife to make sure the plastic spray separates from the masking. You’re still bound to have some accidents here and there so I recommend buying a can of the dip-in Plasti-dip for retouching if necessary.

I don’t recommend washing the car or allow it to come in contact with water for at least a week in order to allow the plastic finish enough time to cure and bond. From start to finish this process took me well over 6 hours so if you plan on undertaking this project, make sure you have enough time to spare and don’t plan to use your car for at least a full day afterward.

The material is supposed to be “removable” in a sense that finding an area where to pull from should allow you to peel it off. Thus far it has endured quite a bit in terms of weather and direct hard rubbing without any damage to the trim. I can also re-apply it or retouch it at any time if necessary. I think the results speak for themselves. The pillars, which are shinny piano-black on 2006 GLIs are covered in outdoor-grade vinyl cut to size.

By pure luck, I was told by Bud@CheckerflagVW (the same vendor I purchased my 18″ Karthoum wheels from) that he happened to have a piece in stock, already pre-painted to match my car that he was looking to unload for a cheaper cost. I took this as an opportunity very difficult to resist considering the piece was already pre-painted and ready to go for well under invoice price so I promptly placed the order.

The attachment process is a bit laborious considering the preparation work needed and materials involved. I did attempt to attach it with 3M automotive tape the first time but this is not an adequate material for the job. Bud then sent me a tube of Würth Urethane Adhesive in Black color. The piece had to be sanded off inside to make for a clean and smooth surface. Then an even bead of urethane adhesive is applied to the spoiler which is then positioned in the desired area. The relatively fresh urethane allows for the piece to be positioned exactly where it should go before permanently attaching itself to the car. During the drying process, the spoiler pieces are secured to the car and quarter panels with painter’s tape. After dry, it is literally impossible to remove the spoiler without doing some serious damage to the car; urethane adhesive solidifies into the hardest, most impenetrable rubber imaginable making a permanent bond between the pieces.

Styling-wise, it is exactly what I was looking for. It enhanced the rear end of the vehicle while giving the conservative GLI rear more definition towards the sporty side of things.

The idea ran its natural course in pretty much the same way most things do; by attempting to do it myself first. However interesting this process was going to prove, It wasn’t without frustrating moments. It’s sometimes a little unnerving to gamble with $300+ auto parts particularly when there is no experience with the task that one is about to undertake.

The first step in this process was the application of smoked translucent vinyl which provided pretty bad results. The product and concept itself is not bad, unfortunately I was not apt to do this successfully. The amount of creases and bubbles that I ended up with made the results basically unacceptable. In addition, the film covers the housing in its entirety which is not something I wanted to do. The clear lenses on the outer taillight housings are the ones powered by LED and applying vinyl would tarnish to some extent the crisp light output LEDs provide. This was not a trade off I was willing to go with.

The next step in the process was the application of spray-on tint. This specific type of spray is designed specifically for polycarbonate lenses and is pretty difficult to find. The only source for this material so far has been eBay as it is a Japanese import. Sacrilege aside, the final product was something I could live with. I masked each housing and lens with painter’s tape in order to spray only the areas that needed to be tinted. I was able to apply it uniformly enough to get good coverage and even application. Unfortunately the cans are too small (about 2oz per can) and one was simply not enough to get the job done. In addition, the last few seconds worth of spray basically spit the tint onto the lens essentially ruining the job. I had to remove the tint completely with non-acetone nail polish remover. Unfortunately this caused the polycarbonate lens to fog and show very thin stress cracks in the clear areas; Not a good thing at all. I was able to polish off the lenses to an acceptable condition but now I had one side tinted and one not. I then ordered more spray, redid the process and decided to move on calling it a job well done. The slight haziness that the spray left was able to somewhat be curtailed by intensive machine polishing, although they never truly reached the gloss found in the rest of the car.

Then one night I was backing up a friend’s long, curved, pitch black driveway and stupidly backed into his car. My friend was in the car with me at the time so I assume he thought I knew his car was there. More importantly, I think he thought I could see it, with my cat-like night vision and all. In any case, as soon as I heard the crack I slammed on the brakes but it was too late: My driver’s side outer housing was destroyed. After I got over the anger I caused myself and budgeted for a new set of these (they are not cheap by any means) I figured this had given me the perfect excuse to have another go at this project, something I was not exactly thrilled with. As you can tell by reading this, while the job itself is rather easy and produced good results, it was the trial and error that led to the final result what I dreaded. And while I am aware that lessons learned are not soon forgotten, I really just wanted to have them done the right way this time around.

Enter Shifty’s Spraywerkz in Oklahoma City. Ran by Robert Lackey aka Shifty, this paint shop specializes in custom paint work for European cars. A Volkswagen enthusiast himself, Robert has been tinting lenses for years, endeavor which has become so successful that he even offers an exchange program based on a core/refundable fee system. And the results really show why Shifty’s Spraywerkz is has been in business for this long. Some minor over spray on the back of the housings aside, you would be hard pressed to detect that these are even tinted at all and didn’t come this way from factory. It is also my understanding that Shifty uses only automotive Dupont paint products which produce fantastic results. The end result is a glossy, evenly covered housing with no bleeding or haze to be found anywhere at all. The clear lens areas were masked perfectly then coated with clear coat with the rest of the pre-tinted housing so that there is no line to be felt or seen between the tinted and non tinted surface areas. The process itself is something only Robert knows for sure but I understand the prep process involves sanding the lenses, which improve greatly the adhesion the paint has with the polycarbonate. I would never be brave enough to do without the experience he has acquired through the years. However I am sure without this step, such excellent results could not have been achieved. Overall, I am extremely pleased with how the project turned out:

While I will always consider the first set I did myself a good learning experience, it was through its destruction that I ended up with a set far superior than anything I could have possibly done with a spray can.

Along with the hardware baggy, I also ordered a couple of additional items. One of them is the mini-glove box that sits under the headlight switch. This European market item is also found on Canadian models. U.S. models lack the functionality in exchange for a solid, foam-backed panel and a humongous metal bracket to obviously give the dashboard more support. See, this area is right in line with one’s left kneecap and in the event of a crash -an unrestrained head-on crash at least- I can see how one’s knee would go through this mini-glove box like a hot knife through butter. Being a responsible driver that always wears a seatbelt I figured I should add this part to my car in order to make the area more functional. It is the perfect spot to store my garage opened, my navigation system while not in use or a similarly sized item. After much argue with a bolt that just refused to come undone, I got the part installed.

Next on the agenda was the installation of the European lip or front valence. Apparently that German dude in charge of “customizing” this car for the North American market is under the impression that our sidewalks are rather tall. This is the only reason I could see why we get a front valence lacking the front section so it makes our cars look like “toothless” for lack of a better adjective. Removal of the old lip was rather easy; jack up the front of the car with two jacks and unscrew about 10 torx screws holding it in place. Installation unfortunately was another story completely. I must point out that this part is made out of plastic and temperatures in this area have been in the 30s and below for what seems like an eternity at this point. Needless to say the plastic was not very flexible and I’m willing to be it was a tad contracted as well. As always, this time of piece needs to be installed from the center, on outward. Unfortunately I lacked an extra set of hands and I had to do it each side at a time. Well, due to the above factors, after having installed one side of the piece completely, it was literally impossible to make the other side fit. I play this tug-o-war game for a while until out of desperation I starte kicking the piece into place. Voila! A little rough love gets the point across sometimes.

Here’s how the car now sits. The lip is a very subtle change but it makes a strong difference versus the factory look. Makes the entire front end look much more proportionate and “right”. The VW badge has since been returned to it’s original shinny chrome self. I thought of blacking it out with vinyl as a test but ended up removing it since it’s just not what I was going for. The signature red smirk however, remains covered in black matte vinyl for now as it has cleaned up the entire front end quite nicely. I will try to get a few pictures to showcase this fact.

I researched several different film brands to suit my specific needs. I wanted a neutral gray film, with no bronze or green in it at all, which is somewhat difficult to find since most tint makers put a slight shade color of some kind. The other option was to put on darker blue tint but the few examples I had seen, quickly changed my mind as they appear excessively blue and the appeal is lost at that point. Discussing this with one of the local installers I was told about Greystone Johnson Window Film which is a non-metallic, double layer pigment film. The legal limit for window tint in Washington is 35%. However, Greystone does not come in that shade. It was either 41% or 30% so I went with 30%.

The painstaking installation process took well over 4 hours; thankfully, the installer Frankie does house calls and can install at home as long as you have a garage in which he can work. He also used this method in which the very edge of the tint sheet was filed into the glass edge for a complete OEM look around the window edges. The only areas in which you can tell tint was applied to the glass is around the edges of the rear windshield and the rear door small windows due to the dot matrix which cannot be covered with film. In the end, I am pleased with the results. The OEM blue tint still shines though on clear days and the benefits and aesthetic enhancement of darker glass are all there.

The five-spoked wheel comes in two different finishes, Diamond Black (or Hyper-Black) and standard silver. I decided on the Diamond Black version as I believe it would better fit the Deep Black GLI. The measurements are 18″ by 8″ and has an offset of 50mm. Combined with the rear 12mm H&R spacers, the current offset on the rear wheels is 38mm which does cause some very minor rubbing on tight corners (inside of fender against sidewall of tire) but this is a non-issue at this point since it is very minimal.

The wheels enhance the look of the car quite a bit. The Karthoum five muscular thick spokes give the car a sporty and aggressive appearance. Each spoke meets the perimeter of the wheel with a triangular indentation, in a kind of throwback to the Lamborghini Gallardo. Even though they are larger than stock wheels, they weigh less than 1lb more per wheel. The five-spoke design also makes them a breeze to maintain and clean- I can fit my whole hand inside the barrel and with a thin enough brush, I can clean the barrel around the calipers without issue. The wheel is also 1/2 inch wider than the stock 17″ which to some extent enhanced the cars’ handling due to the wider contact patch. They also do a wonderful job of showcasing the GLI signature red painted calipers. Road feel is also a lot more sensitive due to less rubber to dampen imperfections on the road, which is somewhat of a sacrifice.

I decided to match them with OEM-spec Kumho ECSTA ASX rubber which is an ultra-high performance all-season tire. According to Tire Rack ratings, they have similar handling scores as the more expensive Pirelli PZero Nero M+ S at almost $60.00 less per tire so it was really a no contest. Living in Seattle, I can’t get away with summer tires year round and I do intend to run this set of wheels as a year round wheel so I had to choose an ultra-performance all-season tire regardless of brand. The rubber is still breaking in so I can’t say exactly how much better they handle compared to the stock Michelin ones but I’ll venture to guess they will handle better even if they end up sucking, which I am sure they won’t.

Overall, I am very pleased with the setup. It is exactly what I was going for; a simple, sporty, clean looking OEM wheel.

As stated by Wikipedia:

“In North America, amber front and red rear side marker lamps and rear reflectors are required. The law initially required lights or rear reflectors on vehicles made after 1 January 1968. This was amended to require lights and rear reflectors on vehicles made after 1 January 1970. These side-facing devices make the vehicle’s presence, position and direction of travel clearly visible from oblique angles. The lights are wired so as to illuminate whenever the vehicles’ parking and tail lamps are on, including when the headlamps are being used. Front amber side markers in North America may or may not be wired so as to flash with the turn signals. Side markers are permitted outside North America, but not required. If installed, they are required to be brighter and visible through a larger horizontal angle than US sidemarkers, they may not flash, and they must be amber at the front and rear unless the rear sidemarker is incorporated into the main rear lamp cluster, in which case it may be red or amber. Some Japanese, European, British and US-brand vehicles have side markers in Europe and other countries where they are not required.”

Installation of the LED tail lights does away with the rear reflectors and markers, and today, I did away with the front ones as well when I swapped them out for color-matched counterparts. Compromising safety in the name of better looks is nothing new in the VW world. However, it all has to come down to common sense. How much safety are we sacrificing really in terms of removing the side markers? That’s debatable. To many, myself included, the improved look of the car is a price worth paying. Besides, in terms of law enforcement, no one but an ultra-anal retentive police officer with deep knowledge of automotive lighting requirements and a hard-on for Volkswagens would enforce this law- or one can only hope. In any case, I kept the stock amber markers just in case. These color-matched ones are so thickly painted that they don’t allow any light to pass through them and I did not disable or disconnect the bulbs at all, so they are still working behind them. I still have the option of smoking the stock ones to let light pass through them and be more compliant but in reality it’s not a huge concern at this point. They do clean up the front end a lot. It looks less “busy”. If I had my option I would have molded them into the bumper but that’s a lot of body shop work involved and this works well for now.

As accurately described by autopia.com:

The Porter Cable 7424 most closely mimics circular hand polishing. Imagine being able to make 2,500 to 6,000 tight hand circles in a single minute and you’ll have a pretty good idea of how the Porter Cable 7424 does its job. It works just like your hand, only at super-human speed! To put the beauty of this machine into complete perspective, it works 100 times faster than a buff athlete, but it never gets tired! [...] If you have previously owned a random-orbit car polisher that made a lot of racket, but did little else for your car’s finish, you will appreciate why I call the Porter Cable 7424 an athlete. Most consumer polishers don’t have enough power, have a very small orbit (often less than 1/4 inch), and have limited accessories. The Porter Cable 7424 is the first machine to shatter these limitations.

Indeed, the machine was able to get most of the scratches out by combining it with Meguiars 83 polish and a set of Country Lake polishing pads (thanks for the tips Brian). some of the deepest hairline scratches (and other scuffs I put in myself during the claying process) did not come out. I think I need a bit more abrasive polish for those.

- Furthest front edge is 23cms from door edge
- Both strips match between doors at 25 cms from door edge
- Before the rear strip curves up, it’s at 26 cms from door edge

The result is a more balanced looking door. I have the advantage to owning a black car which makes the change very subtle, yet noticeable. The pieces also match the texturized plastic of other body kit pieces such as the side strips and rear and front valences so they look like they’ve been on the vehicle since it rolled off the assembly line. Mission accomplished. Thanks to Rich at OEMPL.US for the awesome deal on these imported pieces.