[feedmefish87]

Hello fellow GTE owners!

Not too long ago I picked up a Mk7.5 Golf GTE in Atlantic Blue.

I've owned a few Golf Mk6/Mk7/Mk7.5's in my time, the Mk7 Golf R being the last Golf I owned. I used to mod and install OEM+ upgrades to most of the cars I've owned and thought I would start a little build thread of my own.

This is is no way a guide how to mod your car, more of an inspirational thread to give people ideas of what can be changed in these cars.
Not everyone will like the mods/changes I have made but hopefully will give you all some inspiration for your own cars.

Happy to share info on how I did the mods and where I sourced the parts.

So to start, a picture of the car.
(for some reason I only have a side shot!?)

First mod.
Replace the horrible centre console with an OEM arm rest version.
(why oh why is the arm rest an optional extra!)
Picked up a second hand one on fleabay for about £45. Very easy to install but does involve removing the entire centre console. Half hour job for anyone familiar with these cars.

Second mod.
Install the matching dead pedal and change the car mats.
(Sorry, not specific photo's of the new car mats but you can see the almost matching coloured piping around the edges) Yes, they already need a clean!
10min job and cost around £25 for the dead pedal and £50 for the mats)

Third mod.
Replace the worn out DSG gear leaver parts.
(This time I have a before and after photo)
Cost around £16.

Before

After

That's all for now.

Next planned mods are:

Replace scratched piano black gear lever surround
Swap the GTE chrome steering wheel trim with the piano black one from the Golf R
Install Gell front and rear plates
Replace gaitor with an alcantara version with blue stitching (will also be doing steering wheel and armrest lid at some point)

 

[Mookistar]

got a link for the gear knob parts? easy enough to fit?

 

[feedmefish87]

got a link for the gear knob parts? easy enough to fit?

DSG Gear Selector Knob Trim Cover For VW GOLF MK7 MK7.5 R GTI GTD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DSG Gear Selector Knob Trim Cover For VW GOLF MK7 MK7.5 R GTI GTD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Not the exact listing I purchased because I already had the top part from a previous car but it's exactly the same as mine.
Dead easy pal. 5min job. They just pop off with a trim tool.

 

[tom66]

You don't have to disconnect the selector cable? When I changed the metal trim on my DSG selector that was a headache!!

 

[feedmefish87]

You don't have to disconnect the selector cable? When I changed the metal trim on my DSG selector that was a headache!!

I didn't change the gear knob trim, only the insert on the sides and the top.

I've heard it's a ball ache to disconnect the selector cable, hence why I didn't bother lol

 

[Mookistar]

DSG Gear Selector Knob Trim Cover For VW GOLF MK7 MK7.5 R GTI GTD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DSG Gear Selector Knob Trim Cover For VW GOLF MK7 MK7.5 R GTI GTD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Not the exact listing I purchased because I already had the top part from a previous car but it's exactly the same as mine.
Dead easy pal. 5min job. They just pop off with a trim tool.

Thanks, I've ordered just the centre strip as that's all I need on mine. Get ready for me asking how to fit in a few weeks time lol

 

[feedmefish87]

Thanks, I've ordered just the centre strip as that's all I need on mine. Get ready for me asking how to fit in a few weeks time lol

Happy to help pal

 

[JT-GTE]

Hi I've just joined here. An interesting thread. I'm on my 2nd Golf GTE (yeah, I do like them), and I've gone a little bit crazy with this one, I know this appearance won't be to everyone's taste, but I'm not a fan of "understatement". For me, if I spend £32k on a "special" car, I don't want it to look like a base-spec model, and I've long felt that VW have under-styled the 7/7.5 GTx cars a bit. So I decided to "style" (or "ruin" if you prefer) my current machine. It's not so much to make it look like some "boy racer car" but rather to make it stand apart from other white 7.5 GTEs. I'm very happy with my choices, it feels much more like "mine" now, rather than just another GTE. And these mods are easily reversed, should I later decide to move the vehicle on, or just change my mind.

First thing was to swap out the wheels. I've never been keen on the GTE Advance 18s, they have always looked a little too "aero" for me. I much prefer the Pretorias (i.e. Golf R) with their thin spokes and lightweight design, but couldn't afford and didn't want to spend £silly on OEM Pretorias, so went with these Romac Airs, which I really like, they evoke "Pretoria" but cost a fraction of the price. I decided to stick with 18s for the sake of compatibility. I know some may say the car needs lowering, but I'm not a fan of very low sitting cars, so that's not a priority right now. It was good riddance to the horrid Potenzas too, as I fitted new Michelin PS4 rubber all round at the same time.

Around the same time, I wanted a larger roof-mounted spoiler in glossy black (to match the glossy black B-pillars and sharkfin etc) as I've always felt the GTx Golfs had a far too discreet spoiler. I was going to go with a (third-party) Oettinger, as the genuine ones are difficult to source, expensive and usually need painting. But I wasn't happy with the "eBay Oettingers" as they never seem to sit properly on the existing body-colour spoiler. So I found an alternative which resembles an AMG A45 roof spoiler, which I really like. It sits on the existing spoiler and is shaped to suit a Golf 7 GTx, and almost looks OEM (IMHO). Really happy with that too.

This is my beastie with the 18" Romacs:

View of the spoiler wing from the rear:

Next, a very subtle mod ... I always felt the GTE badge on the rear made the car look "unbalanced", so I sought out little stick-on gel badge, with "ECO Performance" in silver against gloss black. After all, in E-mode (which I use a lot) it is an "eco" car, but in GTE mode, it is a "performance" car. It's just a subtle little badge, which I think improves the rear appearance. This is a closeup:

As for the interior, I've not done much, as I'm fairly happy with it as it is. But I've also replaced the boring black-edged mats with some blue-trimmed ones, a bit like those that OP Feedmefish has fitted to his Atlantic Blue GTE:

And finally (for now) in terms of trim customisations, I wanted a "splash more blue" in the rear compartment, so got some fluffy seatbelt pads that add that extra splash of colour:

I'm also running a DTUK tuning box on my car, just to give it a little extra shove. It's fast enough for most day to day driving, but like economy, when it comes to performance, we all want a bit more

Future plans ... well, I'm after some sill strips just to protect the sills from scuffing when getting in/out of the car, but can't find any I really like (sadly, GTE-branded trim is much scarcer than that for R/GTI/GTD). I've considered a rear diffuser and front splitter, but can't find any that will neatly fit the existing bodykit on the car. And besides, the OEM kit already looks great, especially on 7.5. Maybe one day I may take it down to Kent to get it tuned by that company that can also remove the 50% electric limiter in GTE mode, but that's a long way off (both in distance and in years, lol). For now, it's fast enough, especially with the chiptune.

Hope it may help others out when it comes to inspiration. The stock look is fine, it's still a great-looking car, I just wanted mine to look a little different.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Gator]

Really like this thread!!

 

[Farmer]

So which is best boot lock. Mk 7 "blue" , mk7.5 "black" , mk8 "skinny" ?

 

[Farmer]

@JT-GTE would the budget not run to having the seat belt reels re-done in electric blue ? I have another electric blue car and have been so tempted but not pulled the trigger yet !

 

[JT-GTE]

@JT-GTE would the budget not run to having the seat belt reels re-done in electric blue ? I have another electric blue car and have been so tempted but not pulled the trigger yet !

Hi Farmer, thanks for the suggestion of electric blue seat belts, but that would be a bit too much blue for me, lol

 

[sdharbutt]

How easy is it to move the rear GTE letters to move them above or below the VW badge?

 

[JT-GTE]

How easy is it to move the rear GTE letters to move them above or below the VW badge?

I guess you are after the Mk8 look? I've never tried to remove factory-fit badges or lettering, but I think it can be done with a hair-dryer (or better, hot air gun) and some fishing line (thinner the better, but with a high breaking strain). Warm the letters/badge to soften the adhesive and then use the fishing line to "slice" the letters/badge from the bodywork ... though as I say, I've never done this, and have no desire to do so. Perhaps some other members may be able to help you. Thanks.

 

[JT-GTE]

Does anyone know where I can get some blue GTE stickers/decals made please? I've searched eBay and Etsy and just a general google search, but I can't find anywhere that does small (around 5 x 2 cm or thereabouts) GTE stickers. A few places might be willing to do me a "batch" but I don't want (and can't afford) to order something like 100 of the things.

I'd like a few subtle GTE badges/decals stuck in the interior, but sadly the poor, unfairly-maligned GTE is not very well supported when it comes to things like (blue) trim bits and decals. I know it's a (much) less popular car than the GTI/D/R so there are fewer bits out there, but I'm hoping someone might knew where to get GTE stuff from. Thanks.

 

[Mookistar]

have you seen these? MK7 MK8 Golf Passat GTE Dash Trim Interior Sticker Decal | eBay

 

[JT-GTE]

have you seen these? MK7 MK8 Golf Passat GTE Dash Trim Interior Sticker Decal | eBay

Cool, that's very close to what I'm after. Thanks!

 

[Gator]

have you seen these? MK7 MK8 Golf Passat GTE Dash Trim Interior Sticker Decal | eBay

Liked that one!! Thx!!

 

[JT-GTE]

Got the little blue GTE sticker today that Mookistar suggested. Decided to stick it on the trim piece above the glovebox. Looks nice, though I just wish it were gel covered or clear covered, as I now worry it will get snagged and peel off. Oh well. Does look nice though: