# New to the beetle



## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

Hello all. My name is Justin. And I just recently purchased my second Volkswagen. I picked up a 2013 beetle turbo on Wednesday. It's a 6 speed. I didn't go to the dealership with the intentions of buying a beetle. I wanted another gti, like I had prior. But this beetle is just so different and interesting! I was blown away by the price and miles first off fit perfect into my budget! 

I will say though I bought the car and drive it for maybe 2 hrs. And the clutch went out under heavy acceleration in 3rd-6th gear! However under warranty should be a quick and easy fix for them to do.


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## PelicanParts.com (Sep 11, 2015)

Congratulations on your purchase. Got any pictures for us?


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Congrats on the Beetle! Hope they fix that clutch for ya!

posted via tapatalk


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

*Me too!*

Totaled my 07' Fahrenheit last Sat, and went in and found that VW in their wisdom no longer sells the GTI S with the performance pack. They lost that sale, but had a great deal on a '13 Beetle, so scooped that up instead Yesterday... Already ordered H&R Springs, and trying to decide on wheel spacers to get the wheels to sit flush - 15mm? Also going to see if the 034 motorsports rear bar from the Jetta will fit. Anybody upgraded one of these to the K04? 

https://flic.kr/p/CKGKz9

https://flic.kr/p/CDjFUc


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## Chris659 (Nov 16, 2012)

Yes there's plenty here that have gone K04, one that has frankenturbo, and I think even a few BT

There's tons of great info on here! 

Welcome to the Beetle community


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

Chris659 said:


> Yes there's plenty here that have gone K04, one that has frankenturbo, and I think even a few BT
> 
> There's tons of great info on here!
> 
> Welcome to the Beetle community


Thanks... Put the Jetta's 034 rear bar on yesterday - it's not listed for the Beetle but works like a charm! While under there I was surprised that there are some chassis downgrades compared to my 07 Jetta - like steel front subframe compared to the Jetta's aluminum one.


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## Chris659 (Nov 16, 2012)

Yeah they always shaft the beetle for some reason. All of the parts are interchangeable though. 

You can also take the aluminum control arms from the Passat and the spindles from the TT-RS to cut down on some weight while also using factory parts. All a matter of how much you want to put into it and what you want out of it. 

Brakes are another thing that you can interchange from the Golf R or the TT-RS. There's Porsche models that are interchangeable also. 

If you don't find the info you're looking for in the Beetle section always try the MKVI GTI section as they tend to mod them a little more


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## #1BigMike (Jan 4, 2016)

Congrats bro! It is a very cool car. I have had my 2013 for about a month now, and man oh man it has been a blast!


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

Thanks Guys.. not going too far with this one, just interesting the differences in parts between the vehicle family. I've got parts ordered and it will look mostly stock. Here's what I've done or am in the process of. SPM doesn't want to sell me an exhaust though, so that might scuttle that, and HPA wants too much for their tune, so might have to go APR again:
- K&N CAI
- SPM Turbo back exhaust with cat
- Denso Iridium plugs
- HPA Tune "Stage 2 ish"
- H&R Super Sport Springs
- 034 Motorsports Strut tops
- 034 Motorsports Rear Sway bar - This alone improved the handling 1000%!
- 034 Motorsports lower dog bone mount insert
- 15mm wheel spacers
- Performance alignment
- Porterfield R4(F) and R4S(R) Brake Pads
- USP Traction control defeat switch

- Removed stupid soundikator thing
- Daughter designing some graphics - not sure what yet (I've got sign cutting equipment)


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## Fender13 (Nov 18, 2015)

You will want to upgrade the clutch if your going to tune the car. Read through DrTechy's buil;d thread as he has or has had some of the items you looking at. I had 15mm front and 20mm rear for spacers on oem wheels and they were fairly flush. Went to VMR's now so took them off. Congrats on the new ride. Sith says Hi


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

Nice. We really wanted a black one, but for the same money it was a year old and twice the miles, so no dice... Was going for Darth, got Silver Streak instead! For the first time ever I think, I really like the factory wheels, hence the spacers. I have a set of the current S4 wheels off my crashed Jetta that I really like but the factory wheels are better on this I think...


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## Fender13 (Nov 18, 2015)

spinnetti said:


> Nice. We really wanted a black one, but for the same money it was a year old and twice the miles, so no dice... Was going for Darth, got Silver Streak instead! For the first time ever I think, I really like the factory wheels, hence the spacers. I have a set of the current S4 wheels off my crashed Jetta that I really like but the factory wheels are better on this I think...


Thats a shot with the oem's and 15/20mm spacers on H&R SS springs


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

Thanks. Looks like 15mm should work great, and height looks perfect. I ordered the spacers and same springs a couple days ago.... Just got off the phone with HPA... hoping to do a deal on full exhaust and tune from them shortly. Thinking of doing the USP traction control mod too... Do you have any problem scraping on speed bumps? My daughter better appreciate all this when I hand it over to her lol.


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

Hey. Thanks for all the warm welcoming! I'm stoked about this beetle. And yes I have pics but I can't seem to upload them from my phone. I love the styling of this car.

I picked up this car last week and picked up my son from school and I tell him I was. Out test driving cars he asked what kinds I replied a whole bunch but I drove a beetle he immediately goes "ewe no not a beetle" haha we go outside he sees the beetle and has this discussed look on his face. He then says to me today I really love that car I can't stop thinking about it. It's just so different I love it I think I want it for my first car


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

vwsizematters said:


> Hey. Thanks for all the warm welcoming! I'm stoked about this beetle. And yes I have pics but I can't seem to upload them from my phone. I love the styling of this car.
> 
> I picked up this car last week and picked up my son from school and I tell him I was. Out test driving cars he asked what kinds I replied a whole bunch but I drove a beetle he immediately goes "ewe no not a beetle" haha we go outside he sees the beetle and has this discussed look on his face. He then says to me today I really love that car I can't stop thinking about it. It's just so different I love it I think I want it for my first car


lol.. I got some hate too, but within 30min, the whole family loved it.. Now trying to resist a K04 turbo, HPA Intake and exhaust upgrade lol.


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## grn-rs (Mar 22, 2015)

Hi and welcome!! Nice silver bug:thumbup:


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

Right I took it to the tune shop after I picked it up from the dealership. Stage 2 revo. I don't know if I want a full exhaust or not but I am for a lack of better words back into catching the mod bug! Pun can be intended! Honestly though. With the loss of manuals in the world changing into all automatics I was just happy to get into a car that I wanted and have manual. These days it's like you check of 3 of 5 things you want out of a car and seem to settle. But happy to be back In a transmission. It's so funny when you drive auto and revert back to using a clutch for stops and downshift for turns. Lol you reach for a peddle that isn't there.


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## Fender13 (Nov 18, 2015)

spinnetti said:


> Thanks. Looks like 15mm should work great, and height looks perfect. I ordered the spacers and same springs a couple days ago.... Just got off the phone with HPA... hoping to do a deal on full exhaust and tune from them shortly. Thinking of doing the USP traction control mod too... Do you have any problem scraping on speed bumps? My daughter better appreciate all this when I hand it over to her lol.


No issues with clearance at all. If you go to FB and look for "sith" thrre are a few videos plus pics of my custom exhaust

https://www.facebook.com/Sith-Welcome-to-the-Darkside-489878744511204/


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

Awesome, thx... not sure about that mini though


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Frankenturbo is a good alternative too lol, I'm a bit biased of course

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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

drtechy said:


> Frankenturbo is a good alternative too lol, I'm a bit biased of course
> 
> posted via tapatalk


Not opposed, but this is a daily driver I'm going to give to my daughter before long... I need plug and play... Already have two project cars... wish you were local; I'm stuck rewiring my Lexus! (LS/GS400 mashup).


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

So I went stage 1 revo today, my clutch is fixed up and I went for a few hundred miles. I plan to go easy. I have no need on burning it out but am happy to say it feels strong and holds up well with the power added. Also I have no desire to floor the car with summer tires and having gotten 40inches of snow. Not a superior combination. Winter tires next year. 

does anyone know if SPM Motorsports is still active I can't seem to get a hold of them?


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## 35_GTI (Oct 21, 2015)

A lot of users couldn't get a hold of them recently. So I think they must have went out of business. 

You might want to consider another set up.

Also, my friend has an SPM turboback with track J-pipe on his GTI and it drones like no tomorrow. He has to drive in lower gear all the time which kills a lot of gas


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks for the info on your buddies gti! I heard they drone or sound closer to a magma flow kit. But was curious. I don't see many people with a full turbo back exhaust for beetles. Eurojet stopped their production line for a beetle. And APR is hella expensive. But I will continue to look around. No rush! 

If anyone around is trolling and has some opinion on my next question please feel free to post. But I'm looking to improve the handeling a bit. I don't want as much disconnect from the driving experience. I'd like to get my turning into corners more stable. And less roll. Also the ride height is a bit too high for me. It sits almost as high as my buddies all road Audi! Needs a little change


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## 35_GTI (Oct 21, 2015)

I have a Billy Boat dp with Magnaflow on my Beetle. It sounds completely different from the SPM exhaust on my buddy's GTI. Magnaflow would give you a more raspy sound as opposed to a deeper sound on SPM. On cold start, Magnaflow would be louder tho. Magnaflow drones at 1500RPM and under while SPM drones around 2500RPM. 

As for handling, if you want to get the most out of our car, you would need to replace the stamped steel subframe with an aluminium subframe from Passat, which is what I'm doing . The Passat subframe can fit all subframe related parts from the GTI which our subframe cannot. It's lighter too. Also, the GTI subframe doesn't fit our car as confirmed by vwvortex team when they were working on the Super Beetle.


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## Fender13 (Nov 18, 2015)

Front and rear sways combined with springs and adj shocks/struts or coilovers is all you need for handling. My buddy AutoX's his with SPM springs, Koni Yellows and front and rear sways. Even pushed hard its flat as a pancake in the corners.


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

Oh man. That's more involved then I plan to go. However at this moment I'm stranded till my coil packs get here. My car threw a mis fire with out even hammering it. but it was bound to happen. Much work is needed for this to be anywhere close to the gti I'm assuming. Guess I just need the put the past behind me. lol like rafiki said.


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

This is more of what I plan on. Maybe not the coils but def sway bars and springs.


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

Fender13 said:


> Front and rear sways combined with springs and adj shocks/struts or coilovers is all you need for handling. My buddy AutoX's his with SPM springs, Koni Yellows and front and rear sways. Even pushed hard its flat as a pancake in the corners.


Sorry this is more of what I'm thinking minus the coils. I don't want to get too deep into this car. I just want to improve it a bit. Then let it be like the beetles! Haha nailed it


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

vwsizematters said:


> Thanks for the info on your buddies gti! I heard they drone or sound closer to a magma flow kit. But was curious. I don't see many people with a full turbo back exhaust for beetles. Eurojet stopped their production line for a beetle. And APR is hella expensive. But I will continue to look around. No rush!
> 
> If anyone around is trolling and has some opinion on my next question please feel free to post. But I'm looking to improve the handeling a bit. I don't want as much disconnect from the driving experience. I'd like to get my turning into corners more stable. And less roll. Also the ride height is a bit too high for me. It sits almost as high as my buddies all road Audi! Needs a little change


I just put on H&R super sports... cheap, not too low, not too stiff... very stock like, but a bit better height and handling... Not as far as I would normally go for good handling, but great street car setup. Also put on the big 034 motorsports rear sway bar listed for the GTI. I think before the beetle handled like a pig; much worse than my GLI (though not sure how much of that is due to the horrible Bridgestones that came on the beetle). For exhaust, its slightly different than the GTI - I will figure out exactly how... I think its just the length of the mid section. I ordered the SPM downpiped from ECS tuning, and I think the rear section will probably fit too - I just need to get a few measurements at a dealer to confirm lol. The exhausts are quite expensive for what you get. A good muffler shop should be able to do just as well a lot cheaper. I might just buy mandrel bends and bits and weld up my own. I did get a hold of SPM, but they were not up front with me. Another vendor I bought my "stage 2 chip" from speculated they were a front company - basically buying stuff out of asia and selling under their name; it seems doubtful they actually make anything themselves; that said, I do like the look of the fab work and why I got their downpipe.


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## flynavyj (Jan 26, 2007)

Welcome to the Beetle. 

That's an interesting piece on the clutch, hope it's an easy and free fix via the warranty. And hopefully it doesn't reoccur. I had a 6MT in my 2012 Jetta TDI, never had an issue with that car, and absolutely loved switching gears. Went auto when I traded it for a beetle so my wife could drive it (tried to teach her in the jetta...that didn't work)

I've absolutely loved my Beetle Turbo. WE had finally purchased a mini-van and didn't need a four door people mover anymore so my wife freed me to buy whatever i wanted (within some reason) and the beetle fit my needs. Still happy with my purchase, great fun and practical as well. Love it!


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

spinnetti said:


> I just put on H&R super sports... cheap, not too low, not too stiff... very stock like, but a bit better height and handling... Not as far as I would normally go for good handling, but great street car setup. Also put on the big 034 motorsports rear sway bar listed for the GTI. I think before the beetle handled like a pig; much worse than my GLI (though not sure how much of that is due to the horrible Bridgestones that came on the beetle). For exhaust, its slightly different than the GTI - I will figure out exactly how... I think its just the length of the mid section. I ordered the SPM downpiped from ECS tuning, and I think the rear section will probably fit too - I just need to get a few measurements at a dealer to confirm lol. The exhausts are quite expensive for what you get. A good muffler shop should be able to do just as well a lot cheaper. I might just buy mandrel bends and bits and weld up my own. I did get a hold of SPM, but they were not up front with me. Another vendor I bought my "stage 2 chip" from speculated they were a front company - basically buying stuff out of asia and selling under their name; it seems doubtful they actually make anything themselves; that said, I do like the look of the fab work and why I got their downpipe.


Your H&R super sports jus to clarify are coilovers? And your sway bar what size is the MM? Did you do front and back set up and are they adjustable? And my last question for you is. Do you currently just have a downpipe installed? How do you enjoy the sound and how much sound improvement is noticed with just a downpipe.


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

flynavyj said:


> Welcome to the Beetle.
> 
> That's an interesting piece on the clutch, hope it's an easy and free fix via the warranty. And hopefully it doesn't reoccur. I had a 6MT in my 2012 Jetta TDI, never had an issue with that car, and absolutely loved switching gears. Went auto when I traded it for a beetle so my wife could drive it (tried to teach her in the jetta...that didn't work)
> 
> I've absolutely loved my Beetle Turbo. WE had finally purchased a mini-van and didn't need a four door people mover anymore so my wife freed me to buy whatever i wanted (within some reason) and the beetle fit my needs. Still happy with my purchase, great fun and practical as well. Love it!


Thanks! And yeah I am in the same boat. It fit needs. A bit tight for kids in the back but I mean it's not every day I pick up the kids I normally work late. I been taking it rather easy on the car especially lately with the new clutch and the misfire that just occurred today. But this car is nice to have I do love it far more then I have attachment to my old gti. Besides my real heart belongs to the golf r ( with traction control off)


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## spinnetti (Feb 18, 2000)

vwsizematters said:


> Your H&R super sports jus to clarify are coilovers? And your sway bar what size is the MM? Did you do front and back set up and are they adjustable? And my last question for you is. Do you currently just have a downpipe installed? How do you enjoy the sound and how much sound improvement is noticed with just a downpipe.


Disclaimers:
Your Mileage may vary
I've been modding, (auto-x mostly in street prepared the early years) and road racing for 35 years and currently have two road race cars. I'm very particular in what I want out of a car and its probably different than what others like. My "build" is very mild and loses no streetability.

Springs:
The H&R are just replacement springs. I'd have actually liked a touch lower, but these look good and are very streetable. I also got the 034 front strut tops. Most coilovers for normal people are just to get a particular stance and aren't real race parts so no real point to me if not racing and just want a mild drop. Ride is slightly choppy, but still very normal.

Sway Bars:
On the sway bars, adding a front bar increases understeer. Adding a rear bar increases oversteer. Adding both makes it corner flatter, but unless you put a king kong size rear bar on, it will keep at least some of the heavy understeer bias of the stock car which I do not like, so I just put a rear bar on. I even ran my Jetta with the big rear bar and no front bar at all for a while. The fairly big rear bar and the springs makes for a good "OEM+" kind of setup. Nothing extreme, just how I would have liked it from the factory. If you hammer into a corner and suddenly lift mid corner, the back will come around a bit until the stability control takes over - fun stuff. The rear bar is two position adjustable and I have it on the stiffest setting. The bar isn't listed for the Beetle, but is for the GTI/GLI and fits just fine - easy to install too.

Exhaust:
For now I will just have the downpipe/cat installed, no cat back for now - Will probably fabricate that myself. I don't have it on yet, but did the downpipe for performance not sound as I've got HPA software coming. I don't know yet but imagine it wont sound much, if any different.. If you are going primarily for sound, just take out the "suitcase" muffler in the back... That'd probably give a nice sound without being too loud; as I understand it, the factory exhaust is not a performance restriction when modding (except the downpipe).

034 rear bar: https://store.034motorsport.com/034...i-rabbit-8j-8p-audi-tt-a3-fwd-adjustable.html
H&R: https://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Beetle--2.0T/Suspension/Springs/ES2515427/


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## I've got the bug... (Jan 3, 2015)

My beetle has billy boat downpipe with hf cat, and self fabbed catback with only resonator and no muffler. It sounds great IMO. It is a bit loud outside but quiet enough to have good conversation inside with no drone.

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk


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## I've got the bug... (Jan 3, 2015)

I dont know how to add a you tube link, but there is a great sound clip video of my beetle and my buddies s3. Go to youtube and search: AUDI S3/VW BEETLE! 


Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk


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## vwsizematters (Sep 24, 2011)

I've got the bug... said:


> I dont know how to add a you tube link, but there is a great sound clip video of my beetle and my buddies s3. Go to youtube and search: AUDI S3/VW BEETLE!
> 
> 
> Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk


Hey I checked it out it sounded nice. The more and more I drive this car though the more I do love it. The feel is nice. It's different.


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