Going The Distance

It’s 10 til 4 AM and here I am re-writing this feature for one amazing build. I wasn’t really happy with my original story and ended up trashing it, so here I am staring at some of the photos from the shoot, along with listening to this amazingly depressing music I have going on my Pandora station – yeah, I have a thing for music like that. With the combination of those two things happening I can’t help but think about my previous cars, things I would have done differently, mistakes I made, reasons why I sold them – and ultimately what I would do to them now if I had the chance to buy them back. How many of us have stuck by a build from start til finish? How many of us can say we went the distance?

Sometimes things change our plans to build the vehicle we had in mind; financial troubles, life happening too fast, and sadly I’ve seen people just lose their passion for it. Mike’s Jetta is a prime example of what one can accomplish if they were to just stay the course, remain patient, and ultimately follow their plans for the build they could accomplish. When I first started modding my first vehicle I started off slow, and I’d feel like I only had “X” amount of time to get it finished – or I would feel like I had missed a sort of imaginary deadline. You sometimes hear it being said, “If I only knew then what I know now”, I know I would have probably ended up keeping some of those cars longer so I might one day get it to the point like the car we’re featuring here.

Some people keep switching up their cars, sort of going with the times and keeping up with current trends that hit the community. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with doing that, but sometimes cars that can withstand the tests of time get overlooked. Every now and then you’ll see a car at a local show or gathering and you know that years from now it will still be getting the same amount of attention and respect. I’d like to think that building a car that can outlast trends has a lot to do with the owners mindset as well as the name and the quality of parts the owner decides to use.

Mike’s Wolfsburg Edition Jetta has an amazing list of parts, several of them being OEM parts from the factory- And that’s the thing I love about this build so much. Sometimes you don’t have to slap on the widest rims with the lowest offset, you don’t have to go with some one off wide-body kit, you can just build the car for yourself and you do not deviate from the path you set out on at any cost – even if that means the car wont fit into the latest craze by the time its done. The exterior styling found on this VW was kept simple but timeless with the help of a Bora R Body Kit, the Boser hood, down to the smaller pieces like the Kamei Grill. The pairing of Air Lift components along with Ride Tech’s management system gets this timeless ride its lowered stance, while remaining completely comfortable and tolerable for daily driving.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again ; trends come and go, what seems to be the biggest thing in the automotive community now might not be years down the road – we all remember how long under-glow and colored wire-loom kits lasted. This does not mean I feel that everyone should mod their vehicles in the same manner, there is a need for people that build cars that constantly evolve and change with the times just as much as there is a need for people that will preserve the aspect of a quality build that can outlast the current crazes out there. With that being said I’ll leave you with these last words ; Whether you build for now, or for 5-10 years from now – don’t be afraid to stand by your work, don’t feel you have to justify the route you went versus what others would have. At the end of the day, and this is something we should have all learned by now, the car is your’s and your’s alone – you own it, you drive it, you wash it, its the extension of you and nobody else.

Miguels Ojeda’s 2001 VW Jetta 1.8T “Wolfsburg Edition”

Performance :
GT30R Vband Turbo Kit (Pag Parts)
TIAL Blow Off Valve
TiAL Wastegate
VF Engineering Engine Mounts
Euro Jet Catch Can
Walbro Inline Fuel Pump
SEM Intake Manifold
RS4 Throttle Body
840cc Bosch EV14 Injectors
Foged Internals
ARP Rod Bolts
AEB Head with Super Tech Internals
ARP Head Studs
3″ Turbo Back Suspersprint Exhaust
42DD 4″ Exhaust Tip
Clutch Masters Stage 3 Clutch
Racing Axles “Raxles”
AGU Valve Cover
INA Billet Coolant Flange
Porsche Oil Cap
Boostvalve 2 Stage Boost Controller
Nylon Braided Fuel Lines
Silicone Coolant Hoses
Moroso Inline filler neck
Custom Intercooler
Royal Purple Oil
Integrated Engineering Manual Time chain conversion
Gates Blue Racing timing belt
Sprint Booster Pedal Module
O2M 6 speed Transmission
Clutch Masters Stage 3 Clutch
Racing Axles.
42DD Billet Shifter linkage bushings
USP Stainless steel Braided Clutch Line
Neuspeed Short Shifter
Shaved Engine Bay

Cosmetics :
Bora R Body Kit
OEM Roof Rack
Thule 38″ Fairing
OEM HID’s w/ Glass Lenses
OEM Euro Tail Lights
OEM Stubby Mirrors
OEM Euro Trunk
Caractere Roof Spoiler
Zender Trunk Spoiler
Kamei Grill
Boser Hood

Interior :
Full GLI Interior
GLI Recaro Seats
European Headlight Leveling Switch
Brushed Aluminum trim
R32 Steering Wheel
R32 Shift Knob
R32 Floor Mats
R32 Pedals
Propsort Evo X Boost Gauge
Prosport Evo X AFR Guage
Full LED Light kit
Lllumar Air Blue Window Tint

Rollers :
19″ RS4 Polished wheels
Hankook Ventus V12

Stiff Stuff :
Air Lift XL Front Struts
Air Lift XL rear bags
Ride Tech E2 Digital Management
R32 Control Arms
Defcon Control Arm Bushings w/ Sleeves
Polyurethane Control arm bushings
Rear beam axle Polyurethane Bushings
Tyrol Sport Solid Sub frame bushings
Billet Strut Half Cups
IDF Drop Plates
Front & Rear R32 Brakes
Cross Drilled Rotors
Ceramic Brake Pads
Stainless Steel Lines

Sounds :
9″ Screen
Custom Subwoofer enclosure
12″ W6 JL Audio Subwoofer
Boston Acoustic Mids
500/1 v2 JL Audio Amp (Subwoofer)
300/4 v2 JL Audio Amp (Mids)
0 Gauge Wiring
Odyssey Battery PC1500
Relocated Battery

Special Thanks :
Big Thanks to my lady Aline for supporting and putting up with my obsession . Also, I would like to thank every company and vendors who were part of this project, especially Arnold from Pagparts. Thanks to the forums, especially VWVORTEX, which played a big role in the making of this project as far as ideas, advice, support and many other things. Thanks to Bobby and Ricky who made all this possible, for their amazing photos, and for the opportunity to be featured in Gear-Trends. BIG THANKS!

You can visit or contact Mike at Volx Tuning here :
Volx-Tuning
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Instagram
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Photos courtesy of : Ricardo Reyes
Story courtesy of : Bobby Villarreal