26 April 2009

my car is no longer stealth. or, why i shouldn't do anything myself.


when i started the project Make Bug Faster, i knew i wanted it to remain understated, at least externally. i knew the gauges i put in would be a bit of a giveaway, but i told myself, "nothing else!".

i didn't want any of the modified grills, lowering (ugh), extra bits of body decor, spoiler, window decals, tinted tail lights, chrome tip exhaust, etc etc etc.

i even didn't want the underbody neon, if that can be believed.

but i did cave a little bit, when i decided i wanted it to be known that it was a diesel. save for the beetle, the other VW diesels all have a TDI badge. so i opted for an aftermarket one.

there is actually a color-coding to the letters, though VW applies this coding only in Europe (the US ones are always all-silver).

All silver: 90 hp
Red 'I': 110 hp
Red 'DI': 130 hp
All red: 150 hp

What VW does above 150, i'm not sure.

i ordered the red 'DI' before i dyno'ed, which was a bit of a leap of faith. i'd have felt silly if i hadn't dyno'ed at least 130 hp, and even sillier if it was above 150. but, i got it right, and after getting it washed and on a warm, sunny day, i put on my new badge.

first, i carefully lined up the D with the VW badge. then i put on the I, then the T. all by hand/eye, all being very careful. and when i was done, it occurred to me that the T and the I are of different widths, so the badge as a whole isn't centered. ugh!

the gf was "helpful":
it looks fine to me. you're the only one who'll notice. you and everyone who modifies their VW's.


thanks for that.

i'll do it proper if/when i go for 150 hp.

5 comments:

pyker said...

Do you have any photos of factory-mounted versions? Maybe they don't centre it either.

zim said...

actually, i don't know if VW puts TDI badges on their beetles in EU. the TDI badges on the other models aren't centered, they're usually on the lower right of the boot lid.

JustJoeP said...

nice wax job - shiny.

zim said...

i don't know why i'm paranoid about posting an image of my license plate, but i am.

what's funny is that in version 1 of this photo, i didn't notice that my plate was reflected in the flat portion below it. totally readable.

now it's cropped.

JustJoeP said...

limiting self ID info publishing helps to thwart stalkers and miscreants. I think it is prudent and good to do.