Audi A1 by mgpdoc ••

[Nuts]

Damn bud, coming along nicely. What difference has the larger intercooler made?

[mgpdoc]

So, on thing that had been on my mind for quite some time now, is the fact that the car had a difference in high rpms- well high for a diesel anyways, due to the fact that it overheated on the Intake Air Temps. It was more than obvious that the car needed a bigger IC. Not just in summer time, which in Greece, is the rule during the year, but also in colder conditions, in repeatitive pulls. You could feel the car got hot reducing boost, and thus power.
We also checked that on the dyno.

So, you know what comes next.

Sneak pic





Wow, that is big





Lets see how it will look



Approved !!



As you can see, i went for a bolt-on solution for this car. At least that was the plan. Darkside seem to know their things on TDi engines so I went for product for my CAYC engine. However, when you always go for universan parts and make them fit your car, you know what happens when you choose a bolt-on part for the first time, dont you.

Some close-ups, prior to fitting it







Professional garage lift on the way



Removed the front end



This here, is supposed to be an IC



Lovely out of focus picture for reference



Crash bar removed





And I believe this is where it all started going awfully wrong.
I noticed how the oem ic was held in place, and then saw the fittings of the Darkside IC. I easily understood there was no way it would fit straight away. None. Yes, it says in their product description that it takes some trimming, and some modification to fit, but it surely does not say that none of the fittings, not even one, fits in the stock points.

Contacted them via email, they replied instantly, however they insisted that it was my fault and that it should fit right away. I am no new to the modding scene, i know when a thing fits and when it doesnt.



Removed the OEM IC after a lot of swelling, just to see who was right and who was wrong



Side by side





Cutting for the piping to go through





Then I understood that it was either game over and car back to stock, OR, try to mount it and make it work, like always



Tom came to the rescue

Two hours later- boom - i was exhausted, but it was ready



Went to hospital like that the next day hehe



Refitted the bumper, that went in with zero modifications





Exactly the look i was hoping for, subtle, yet visible for those who know



I love it. And I also love how it performs. Difference is massive. Car used to pull strong up till 3500rpm and then, make a pause, so you would be better of changing gear to the next one. Now, you can pull till rev limiter and feeling the car pulling still strong. massive difference without a new ecu file as well.

As for Darkside, I am happy to say, that after some emails we exchanged, they accepted their fault, and sent me back half the cost as a partial refund. I support their accepting their fault, and I made a new order, which I will show you in the next update

A teaser pic for now



Cheers

Mike, @mgpdoc over at instagram for faster updates on all of my project cars

[mgpdoc]

I love all of your build threads - great eye for details that most people wouldn't even consider. Top work.

Hello and thank you for the feedback. In the end of the day it's all in the details as they say

just read though the whole build ! this is a very cool little a1, the interior is so nice and i love the chassis set up

NICE WORK

Thank you mate

Really like your build, the attention for detail is huge.

Just a quick question, does your username refer to Valentino Rossi (MotoGP the doctor)?

Thank you !

Actually I love Valentino Rossi.

However, it also happens that i am a medical doctor in life, a medical oncologist, so that is where my nickname came from

Cheers

Mike

[Jay_]

I love all of your build threads - great eye for details that most people wouldn't even consider. Top work.

[Fons]

Really like your build, the attention for detail is huge.

Just a quick question, does your username refer to Valentino Rossi (MotoGP the doctor)?

[Fudge]

just read though the whole build ! this is a very cool little a1, the interior is so nice and i love the chassis set up

NICE WORK

[mgpdoc]

On an early spring night, prior to Easter Time in Greece, I had some work done, that led to this







Dont get me wrong, there is a plan here that it starting to evolve

Inspiration came from this





Rear seatbelts removed as well







Then had another roadtrip







Then, coming back there was a track day, in a track i had not ever before driven in, so decided i might as well go in with the AUD1ESEL, just to see the circuit, and so, naturally removed some unnecessary weight.





Then, i had some more ideas on RECAROS. Yeap, cant lie, i love RECAROS.

and what do you know . . . . .



Scored these that came out of and Audi R8 whose owner moved to a Ferrari and then a Lambo and these were looking for a new home







They are in amazing condition





Then I went on cleaning them and enhancing them with some protection



They were in great condition like i said, no need for much work





Bought some decals to customize the look









Super excited to say the least



Specific Audi A1 mounts from Recaro on the way, pretty soon.

More things have happened, stay tuned for updates, Cheers



Mike

[mgpdoc]

I will do my best !

Thank you

[ruittie]

Sir you did a great job again!
The pictures and everything is so awesome keep it up love this build threat!

[mgpdoc]

So after about 40.000km, the car seemed to have gotten somewhat lower, to rub more easily, and to make some weird rolling sounds that it didnt in the past. After closer inspection, it seemed that some components needed further attention. And when i say, further attention, i usuallycmean replace everything with new parts, on both driver and passenger side.

Let's see





I dont know how some of these parts are called in english to be honest, so i am just gonna show some photos of them, or describe them even, hehe



The outer ball joints of the steering rack



Then the bearings of the outer part of the front control arms







Also, new top mount bushings and bearings. Next time i might even go for powerflex ones, we shall see



Wrenching time









Uppon further inspection we also replaced this part of the steering rack



It's amazing what some wheels, and spacers can do in such short mileage



Car also received a proper alignment afterwards





Needless to say the car changed significantly after all this maintenance. It sat higher, and it felt lighter, like the tyres were underinflated if you can see what i mean. One side was worse but i chose to go for both.

Next time i need to do it again i might go for some powerflex components but i dont wanna compromise the ride quality by much (much more anyway) as this is my current daily. What is more, there is no comparison between the A1 floor and the golf, and i mean in quality. It's like everything is weak in comparison, but oh well it is a smaller car. It also uses many golf mk4 platform components for what it's worth.

Cheers

More to come,

Mike

[mgpdoc]

I may have missed some changes i made so let me get back to those.
It might be some small things, but they all add to the whole result i guess.

So, bought these



Before



And after



Gotta find a black washer fluid reservoir cap as well-if anyone knows where, let me know



Then I also, started collecting another set of parts

This buzzer





And these o-rings



This unit





This oem wiring





And these OEM sensors in Misano Red







So yes, we are getting ready for a parking sensor retrofit and i think i pretty much have everything i need. For now i am doing some maintenace modifications on my front suspension which i am also going to show you

Cheers

More to come

Mike, @mgpdoc over at instagram for even faster updates

[TEASY]

Mp..

Yes, the pipes would look interesting in ceramic coated black. I have been thinking about it in the past, not sure if i will go through with it. I think first thing will be the trim painted in black at the back.

Or maybe in an Akrapovic style?

[mgpdoc]

Hello and thank you, for your feedback, and for the fact that this is your first post here

Yes, the pipes would look interesting in ceramic coated black. I have been thinking about it in the past, not sure if i will go through with it. I think first thing will be the trim painted in black at the back.

Cheers,

Mike

[1988]

mgpdoc,

I always look for your updates, it is amazing the attention you put in every detail.

your A1 is perfect!

If I were you I would ceramic coat the exhaust pipes in black.

regards!

[mgpdoc]

So, for quite some time now I've been lurking over ebay, to come acros a rear -line bumper in Misano Red , in a decent shape.

Seems like I scored





In great overall condition, just some minor cratches, mostly in this area, but i was gonna paint this part gloss black in the future anyway, so no biggy







Last shot with stock bumper on



Cleaned everything while we were there



Removal required some pretty sneaky deep sockets which i didnt have at the time with me but had to get





Trunk tray also needs to be removed



Some customization as always









Some better shots after a proper clean















All in all, i am very very pleased with how it came out. It gave exactly the rear width i was hoping for and made the wheels blend in even better.



Cheers, more to come