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:
![Wheel Tire Vehicle Automotive tire Window]()
View of thespoiler wing from the rear:
![Car Vehicle Vehicle registration plate Automotive tail & brake light Automotive lighting]()
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:
![Automotive tail & brake light Automotive parking light Vehicle Automotive lighting Hood]()
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:
![Car Motor vehicle Gear shift Vehicle Car seat cover]()
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:
![Hood Motor vehicle Automotive design Car seat cover Vehicle]()
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!
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
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!
