# My W12



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Hey guys..

About a year ago I bought my W12. REFERENCE



I've got a lot of ideas and plans for what I want to do to it. I figured I would make this thread to share the adventure..

I will probably make different posts in this thread about each area and then link to them for a clickable TOC.

Each area I may edit and change as we go along...but separating them into sections accessible from the first post should help for future reference.


*Walnut wood swap*

*Bentley window switches*


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

*Walnut wood swap.*

Although W12 in the U.S. came standard with Walnut wood, someone opted for Euc in this car. I don't like it.

My V8 has Walnut so the that makes having the less liked wood in the car with the more liked engine even more displeasing.

Soooo.. I have purchased an entire set of walnut interior wood for the car.

This is not as easy as it seems- there aren't many Phaeton being parted in the U.S so I had to look overseas. But ROW many of the Phaeton were short wheelbase. Complicating things further is that my car is a 4-seater. 

So yes, many of the 4-seater wood pieces you see FS online are actually for short wheelbase cars. The easy way to tell on the rear console is the distance of the cupholders from the rear control panel. On the SWB the cupholders are right next to it and on the LWB they are back 5-6 inches. The rear door wood is naturally longer as well.

To add the final complication is the facelift cars which the wood surrounding the NAV unit is different.

So no, I wasn't able to find anyone selling a complete set, LWB, 4-seater, non-facelift in walnut. I ended up having one of the Ebay.de sellers agree to take bits and pieces from all the different sets he was selling and piece me together what I wanted. It is being shipped as we speak.

I will update this section when it arrives.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

*Bentley window switches*

Many of the nice shiny metal bits on the Bentley are the same part as the Phaeton just dressed up. On my V8 I have already put on the wiper and turn stalks, steering column switch, mirror adjustment switch and lighter- Reference

I will be swapping those parts over to the W12.

But also of note, the Bentley drivers window switch assembly appears to be a direct swap. I've purchased one and it is one it's way.


*Phaeton switch*














*Bentley switch*















The surround on the arm is different but the switch with the buttons itself will swap right in.


I dig it-


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Switch arrived-


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## cswhite2 (Jul 4, 2007)

Keep posting -I'm immensely interested in this project. :thumbup:


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Sure will. This is just a drop in the bucket.

End goal is 200+ mph GPS verified. Getting the car ready for that will be interesting.


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## Tiger0002 (Apr 23, 2013)

PowerDubs said:


> Sure will. This is just a drop in the bucket.
> 
> End goal is 200+ mph GPS verified. Getting the car ready for that will be interesting.



So you updated your brake calipers?


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

I haven't done anything yet. It will take a lot of work to get it there.


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## SyncroS8 (Jul 9, 2012)

Sounds fun

If you need any W12 specific parts like 365mm brakes etc, let me know 

MG


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Shoot me a PM, or email me [email protected] and we'll talk. :thumbup::beer:


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Update-

BORING-











Switches out-










Swap the child lock switch shells (pop right off) so the color matches.












Not a direct swap on the assembly, the Bentley buttons are higher on the backside-











Easy fix. Just grab a beer and a fine flat file. The plastic is grey throughout so no touch up needed. Just take out the edge flashing + a smidge more.





















Test fit










Hard to get a good picture-


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

I love the button retro. 

You know, I've been Jones-ing for a Bentley-like grab handle for the driver's door. Have you considered fitting a RHD (English) door pull?


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Can't say that I have. I wish I could scoot the button assembly back a couple inches though.


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

Yup, moving them back is a bonus.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

+1 on the Victory Hop Devil. :beer: From where you are, if you haven't already been, it's well worth a trip to the brewery to try it cask conditioned.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

invisiblewave said:


> +1 on the Victory Hop Devil. :beer: From where you are, if you haven't already been, it's well worth a trip to the brewery to try it cask conditioned.




I haven't been there yet.. but have already told several of my friends that I want to go!


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Part 2-











It is cheaper and easier to buy another driver switch and yank the caps to use on the other 3 doors then to buy 3 separate switches.











Just like all the other bentley shiny bits, the caps are real metal. They are held in place with a little screw. The aluminum surround the seller included that I won't be using is hefty. So much in fact that I can't flex it no matter how hard I try to twist or bend it. Impressive.


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## sdavis872 (Aug 20, 2009)

Little things like these are awesome. Being form the B5/Mk4 world, it's cool seeing people do this to the Phaeton. I don't know if I'd have the guts. :thumbup::beer:


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Woods here.


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## 53 0val (Feb 23, 2010)

Hey Josh,

Wouldn't have been easier to purchase the wood from VW? I'm guessing that even the newer models would use the same spec wood. If cost was not an issue, I'm suggesting the a wood change would be possible from VW at some point. 

Bob


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Easier? Maybe, maybe not. Looking up all the part numbers would take a while.

It is certainly cheaper used.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

One of the things I've always enjoyed about VW is the lego aspect. Ever since my first car, a '73 Bug, I have been swapping parts.

Although on modern cars, parts interchangability is common, it wasn't always the case on other brands. VW are fun to modify in this regard. If I so desired, I could put the 3.2 VR6 from my MK4 R32 (same as the Phaeton V6) into any of the 3 earlier generations of Golf without much hassle.

So enough babble... today's post-

In looking around at pictures of Bentley parts, I noticed the hood release is aluminum.














Looks good to me so I acquired one.

Boring-











Nice.


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## Phat One (Jul 10, 2009)

This is the sort of thing Gruven Parts should look at manufacturing

Graham


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

12 cylinders, listen to my horses.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

For sake of clarification and reference, the mufflers above are sourced from a Bentley. They have a flapper in each muffler, the same as my MK4 R32 has from the factory.



When I bought the walnut wood earlier in this thread, it didn't include the lower wood trim on the doors. Finding walnut, long wheelbase, lower wood parts took a while.

When I received those parts today, while unpacking and checking for damage, I noticed the rear parts don't have the marker lights like the front parts do. I went out to my car just to double check. 

It is hard to tell from the picture as the part is hard to see unless you look closely.. but there is a wood piece which is attached to the main wood to take the place of the marker lights we got here in the U.S. I can just take the little wood piece out and swap over the marker lights from my original ones. It is weird that the front doors have the lights but not the rear?








I also picked up 2 of the little badges that go on the shifter. One to put on the walnut wood piece I bought that currently says V6 and I'll probably stick the other on the key fob itself as I currently have little labels taped to them that say V8 and W12.


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## Phat One (Jul 10, 2009)

Nice! Look forward to hearing and seeing more

Graham


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## JCJ (Nov 26, 2013)

PowerDubs

Seriously impressed with your efforts and attention to detail - amazed how much the Bentley/Phaeton share common parts (although the quality of the Bentley parts appears a few orders of magnitude better).

Cheers
John


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Hi Josh:

Be really careful when installing the wood parts. They are very fragile, in the sense that they will not tolerate any deformation - the surface finish will crack (quite visibly) if any force is used to install the part, or if any fastener attached to a wood-covered part is overtorqued.

Don't ask me how I learned this... 

Michael


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Michael-

Yes noted on the wood. I'll try my best, although blemishes happen... I don't stress too much over it.

All 4 of the Phaeton we have had aren't perfect. 

A car is a machine, meant to be driven. It will get rock chips, scratches, blemishes. As much as I used to try to avoid this at all cost, after 25 some odd year of driving..I've realized trying to keep a car spotless and perfect is more trouble than it is worth.


My V8 is pending sale, just need to pick up the check from the post office and deposit. Once it clears, it is all logistics after that.


So look for updates coming soon. Wood install w/ Bentley switches, I need to replace the broken glass from the weedwacker, new brakes, wheels, tires, mufflers, air filter pods, ecu tuning, etc...


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> For sake of clarification and reference, the mufflers above are sourced from a Bentley. They have a flapper in each muffler, the same as my MK4 R32 has from the factory.


Very very cool. I'm guessing you plan to just fix the flappers open?

VW ECU hardware is often shared between different minor engine variants... lots of them are re-flashable to operate a sibling or cousin to their original motor. I doubt VW bothered to come up with separate hardware for Bentley. I bet a skilled chip guy with a copy of the Bentley program could identify the code involved and copy that over, to activate a couple unused output pins for our NA W12s. For that matter, they might be there and operating already, just not wired up. Of course, if you like to bring the noise ALL the time, who cares.

Jason


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> ... air filter pods ...


I'm curious -- what's your plan for those?

For your purposes, I think the stock air-box setup would be hard to beat. You're not building an acceleration machine; the thing is well north of 5,000 pounds. You're building a top-speed machine. 185MPH+ of ram-air scooped into the factory sealed path is going to have a limited but very respectable turbo-like effect. If you go for the typical open K&N cone type setup, you might gain a tiny bit at launch but you'd give it all away and lots more at higher speed. There's no room to go bigger, and the existing pair of paper elements already have a ton of surface area. I suppose you could try a different kind of media, if anyone makes it shaped for our cars.



PowerDubs said:


> ... ecu tuning, etc ...


If your guy builds a BRP program that works well for you, I might like to talk to him. I don't know of anyone who sells one today. However, I'd need something that's switchable on the fly, or at least flashable in my garage. I think the people tuning BAP today are getting a lot of their result from margin VW deliberately left to protect the transmission. That means playtime for me only in moderation.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

jyoung8607 said:


> 185MPH+ of ram-air scooped into the factory sealed path is going to have a limited but very respectable turbo-like effect. If you go for the typical open K&N cone type setup, you might gain a tiny bit at launch but you'd give it all away and lots more at higher speed.




Everything I've read about true ram air setups (sportbikes use them a lot) is that it needs to be a 100% sealed system to function, the shape of the path has definite consequence and takes very high speeds to have any effect.

I've not looked at the W12 intake setup yet, so it may be capable of such attributes at high speed, but at this point I'll be going nowhere near 180+ for a while.

I think I'll go for the traditional pods for the immediate CFM gain and see what happens. The mph +/- difference between the 2 setups isn't going to make or break any speed goals, as the hp required to go just a little faster becomes much larger at speed as I am sure you know.


Yea, if flat out I got to say 196 mph and I was looking to squeeze every last trick, I could experiment.. ram air, taping over body panel seams, lowering the car beyond normal spec but there are a lot more broad based strokes to do first.

Now that I am thinking.. does the Phaeton have any cold weather environment grill block off panels? On some of the older cars, VW offered vinyl covers that were put on the grill to block airflow to keep engine temps up. The grill is an area that causes huge drag aerodynamically.






jyoung8607 said:


> If your guy builds a BRP program that works well for you, I might like to talk to him. I don't know of anyone who sells one today. However, I'd need something that's switchable on the fly, or at least flashable in my garage. I think the people tuning BAP today are getting a lot of their result from margin VW deliberately left to protect the transmission. That means playtime for me only in moderation.




There would be no need to flash back and forth. Moderation would be conveniently regulated by your right foot. I'm not sure how much of our flat curve exists to protect the trans and how much exists simply to give VW the flat power band they wanted. I've seen them use similarly artificially flat curves on many of their cars, several of which have no problems handling power well beyond stock.

If you have data from any type of W12 being tuned, I'd like to see them.


While there are places such as www.LevelTen.com that can modify the existing components to handle anything.. I may have a more effective answer if the trans balks at a little more power- a Bentley trans.

This would allow not just more power handling, the Bentley trans is a 6 speed instead of our 5, with 1-5 being geared more aggressively with 6th actually being a little lower than our 5th. So in theory even putting the trans into a bone stock car would accel more quickly with lower rpm during cruise for all the benefits that come with that.

Here are the ratios-


Phaeton

First gear ratio: 3.6
Second gear ratio: 2.0
Third gear ratio: 1.5
Fourth gear ratio: 1.0
Fifth gear ratio: 0.8
Final drive ratio: 3.2



Bentley

First Gear Ratio 4.17
Second Gear Ratio 2.34
Third Gear Ratio 1.52
Fourth Gear Ratio 1.14
Fifth Gear Ratio 0.87
Sixth Gear Ratio 0.69
Final Drive Axle Ratio 3.52


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Should have somewhat frequent updates over the next few months.

The V8 is sold and awaiting pickup.

The W12 has a lot to do to get ready for the roadtrip/airstrip event in Sept.


So far today, I put in a new sunroof control switch as the old one had peeling soft touch, and just finished installing a new drivers door latch to fix the soft close door. 

I am currently working on swapping over the walnut wood handle to the door panel and will then reinstall. 

Hopefully I will have enough time to pull the passenger front door as I have to replace the broken window (weedwacker) and put on the walnut wood and Bentley window switch.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Houston we have a problem.


I removed the passenger front door panel and then went to remove the cracked window so I can replace it. One of the 2 torx holding the window in came loose, but the other stripped. It was realllly tight.

I tried all the normal things such as try to drive in a larger bit with a hammer. (typically with a torx, it is easiest just to drive in a flatblade)

No matter what I tried, it just strips again.

This is complicated by the 'screw' being on a part that is not solidly mounted so it has some give...and additionally it is recessed giving limited access.

I will probably end up drilling all the way through it. I haven't looked at the break down yet, but my guess is this will require me to have to replace the entire assembly which if I remember is about $200.


Fun fun.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> I will probably end up drilling all the way through it. I haven't looked at the break down yet, but my guess is this will require me to have to replace the entire assembly which if I remember is about $200.


Have you considered JB-welding a Torx socket into what remains of the screw head? You'll sacrifice a Torx socket, but Torx sockets are a lot less than $200.

Jason


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

PowerDubs said:


> Everything I've read about true ram air setups (sportbikes use them a lot) is that it needs to be a 100% sealed system to function, the shape of the path has definite consequence and takes very high speeds to have any effect.


Josh:

You are absolutely correct in your comments above. I spent months working with a bunch of aeronautical engineers trying to see if we could squeeze any better ram air recovery efficiency out of a engine nacelle on a turboprop that cruises at about 300 km/h, and after nearly 1,000 hours of engineering labour, a dozen design iterations, and spending a fortune on computerized fluid dynamic simulations, the best we could come up with was a 15% increase in ram air recovery, which translated to about a 1% increase in speed and a 2.2% decrease in fuel consumption.

For an automobile, it would be far simpler and much cheaper to just install a supercharger or turbocharger.

Michael


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

jyoung8607 said:


> Have you considered JB-welding a Torx socket into what remains of the screw head? You'll sacrifice a Torx socket, but Torx sockets are a lot less than $200.
> 
> Jason



Problem is, the stripped part is recessed, but not far from the inner door metal panel. A socket would stick out too far, not allowing the window to go up or down. 

Additionally, if it was just a screw that I could replace after drilling through, I would do it. I'm not sure I can.. I noticed as you loosen the screw, it goes in, not out. I need to see the other side to see what I can do to it, but I can't see the other side until I get it apart.


So tonight I am working on putting the walnut onto the passenger door panel and bentley switch cap.






































Found another issue. I had hoped the switch caps would be interchangeable, but alas they are not. The connection points are different. I will need to source 3 Bentley switches for the other doors.


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## Phat One (Jul 10, 2009)

Josh,

does the white inner part separate from the outer? I see a small screw in the Bentley switch cover. If so, maybe refashion the Phaeton inner part to accept the screw, or just glue it to the Bentley part.

Graham


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

What did you think of the Torpedo IPA? Their best effort yet at a drinkable brew, imo.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

PowerDubs said:


> One of the 2 torx holding the window in came loose, but the other stripped. It was really tight.
> 
> I tried all the normal things such as try to drive in a larger bit with a hammer. (typically with a torx, it is easiest just to drive in a flatblade). No matter what I tried, it just strips again.
> 
> This is complicated by the 'screw' being on a part that is not solidly mounted so it has some give...and additionally it is recessed giving limited access.


Hi Josh:

Let me guess: The fastener that stripped and is now giving you all the headaches is one of the two very large fasteners that holds the metal frame at the bottom of the sheet of glass to the window pantograph assembly, right? You can see these two fasteners in the picture below, on the right hand side, at the very bottom of rail assemblies?

Those frickin' fasteners have been a massive PITA to everyone I know who has ever had to change a window regulator or change a glass panel. I believe that the thread on the fasteners is threaded in the opposite direction to normal (in other words, you turn clockwise to loosen it, and counter-clockwise to tighten it). Plus, the fasteners themselves are made of a very soft metal.

So, if it eases your pain, "you are not alone". I encountered exactly the same problem many years ago when changing a window regulator on my car. Stripped the torx opening out of the middle of it, and eventually got PO'ed and took a pair of vice-grips to the perimeter of it. VW ought to put a warning sticker on those fasteners.

Also, a head's up for you: By now, the rubber that goes between the sheet of glass and the metal frame at the bottom of the sheet of glass (the frame that attaches to those two wonderful fasteners) has probably perished, and the glue on the rubber has probably dried up and turned to dust. I pulled up on one of my door windows a few years ago, and the window lifted right out of its metal frame at the bottom. So, be very careful, don't assume that the window glass is securely held in place, in fact, it would be safest if you assumed that the only thing holding the window glass in that lower aluminum frame is the force of gravity.

*Window Mechanisms*


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Window Regulator Issues*

Josh:

Some additional photos that might help you out if you have not previously disassembled a window regulator.

Below are two photos that show each side of the window regulator assembly, and a close-up photo of the fastener that is called out by the red arrows in the two upper photos. That fastener has a torx fitting on both sides. When we take the little rubber cap off to loosen the fastener (this to release the window glass), we see the torx opening on the small-diameter side of the fastener. That's what most people strip out. But, once you get the whole window regulator out, you will see that there is also a torx fastener on the other side (the large-diameter side).

If the stripped fastener is the one at the front of the door, near the stereo speaker, lower the window glass until it is about 4 inches from the lowest point, then just remove the stereo speaker and you can then get your hand (and a pair of pliers or vice-grips) in there and loosen that problem fastener from the large-diameter side.

Michael

*Window Regulator Assembly*
_This is the side you see when it is installed on the door
_

_This is the 'other side', you won't see this side until you remove the window regulator from the door of the car. This side faces out when installed.
_

_This is a close-up of one of the two fasteners that attaches the sheet of glass (to be exact, the frame at the bottom of the sheet of glass) to the window regulator. You see this view of the fastener when you take the rubber cap off the window regulator panel, when the window is rolled all the way up to the top (fully closed position)._


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Phat One said:


> Josh,
> 
> does the white inner part separate from the outer? I see a small screw in the Bentley switch cover. If so, maybe refashion the Phaeton inner part to accept the screw, or just glue it to the Bentley part.
> 
> Graham




It does indeed come off, and I considered this,.. but in looking at the plastic pieces side by side it doesn't seem feasible to make it work. You wouldn't want to glue it as that would block the light from coming through at night.

Singular Bentley window switches are easy to come by fortunately.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

invisiblewave said:


> What did you think of the Torpedo IPA? Their best effort yet at a drinkable brew, imo.





One of my favorite beers. Of course I'll drink just about any IPA, double IPA, etc. I'm a hophead. The more IBU the better.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

PanEuropean said:


> If the stripped fastener is the one at the front of the door, near the stereo speaker, lower the window glass until it is about 4 inches from the lowest point, then just remove the stereo speaker and you can then get your hand (and a pair of pliers or vice-grips) in there and loosen that problem fastener from the large-diameter side.





Michael,

Thank you. That is indeed the stripped torx. They are reverse thread, BUT you still turn them counterclockwise. Oddly enough to loosen the window, the screw goes inward.

I've had them apart several times on my drivers door while investigating and replacing the soft close latch issue, as well as on Dennis's old V8 Phaeton for DIY repair of broken window regulator pulley.


This one just didn't want to budge. I like the idea you've presented about lowering the window further and taking out the speaker. I'll try that when I get a chance.


BTW- the regulator wheels on my '06 are green, not white. I wonder if they changed the material to improve durability?


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

PowerDubs said:


> Of course I'll drink just about any IPA, double IPA, etc. I'm a hophead. The more IBU the better.


+1:beer:


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

*Switch problem solved-*


The window switch on all 3 non-drivers door of the Phaeton is part # 3D0959858E

The Bentley part # for that switch is 3W0959858E

I've ordered 3 and await their arrival. Believe it or not, they are cheaper to buy new than to purchase used on Ebay.




*Wheel & tire problem solved-*


In looking for tires and especially wheels that could support not only the weight of the car, but my goal of 200mph, I was finding well, nothing. While tires are easy enough, pretty much every wheel I looked at was under spec. I may be crazy for wanting to do 200mph, but I'm still going to approach the process as safely as I can.


So, when looking for wheels and tires to suit a heavy car going fast.. the easiest approach is another heavy car going fast. Like many other parts.. look to our younger but more athletic brother for help. Yup.. Bentley to the rescue again.


I'm on Ebay quite often looking for cool or rare Phaeton and Bentley parts. I've looked at wheels on and off for the last couple years. Typically they were either beyond what I wanted to spend, bare rims, or were beat up, missing center caps, mismatched tires, half shot tires, etc.

As luck would have it, I logged in this morning and came across a set of Flying Spur take offs, described as like new, 1500 miles on the tires.. unblemished and complete with center caps. There was a buy-it-now for what was already a reasonable price, but also a make an offer option. I shot him a significantly lower offer and actually was quite surprised he accepted the deal instead of counter offer.

These have a 105 load rating, a 189*+* MPH speed rating, and essentially are in new condition. The only thing I don't like is that they are _chrome_. :laugh:

The price I paid makes the trade off on looks more than acceptable though.

So much for keeping a low profile.


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## steveskinr (Oct 31, 2007)

Nice.

I have identical set. Looks good against black.

Also a satin silver set which looks good on silver or black.

I prefer 19s rather than 20s with our potholes.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

steveskinr said:


> Nice.
> 
> I have identical set. Looks good against black.





Pics? Lowered suspension?


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## cbh123 (Aug 25, 2013)

PowerDubs said:


> ;
> The only thing I don't like is that they are chrome. :laugh:



Haha - and to think so much about this post was about ADDING. Chrome 

Very curious about what those wheels are worth - I saw another set advertised for 2500 ?


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## dlouie (Oct 31, 2008)

I have that wheel and tire setup on mine and it definitely makes the car drive differently. They are significantly heavier and it's quite noticeable in terms of acceleration and braking. They are also more sensitive to steeting input; almost twitchy even with it aligned. 

Damon

I think I paid around 800 for my take offs with perfect tires and wheels.


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

> 275/40 ZR19 (105Y)


Nice choice. And I see that the load rating is 105 and the speed rating is ZR Y (with brackets=over 186mph). I was worrying, because 200mph is awfully fast, although probably still comfortable in a P! 

Chris



*Exploding tyres at simulated 200mph*


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Pulled the rest of the door panels today and am working on swapping the wood. 

When the suns out tomorrow, I'll try to get that regulator apart and replace the broken window. After that, I'll start on the dash wood. Hopefully next weekend I can start in the center consoles front and back.

I'm going to have a bunch of Eucalyptus parts avail soon if anyone is looking for spares. 

Anyone have the workshop pages for the dash and 4-seater consoles since Bentley decided to not support modern operating systems?


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Replacing a cracked window isn't quick and painless.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Hitting worse before it can get better. Despite my better efforts, I ended up having to drill through the window clamp. I found yellow painters tape inside which leads me to think someone was in there before and explains the bolt being overly tightened. The plastic on the bottom of the door panel where the 2 screws secure it was cracked off from someone over tightening as well. Now to figure out how to repair this window clamp without spending $200+ as it is only supposed to be at a few NM anyway.


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## Cantrellc123 (Aug 5, 2012)

It's just another chapter in the joys of a pre owned automobile. Whether it was a "professional" mechanic or a do it yourselfer, it's truly amazing what you'll find in repairs on any given vehicle. I've seen a few "non OEM" good ideas, but mostly it's - what the $&@#%€£ were they thinking???

Cantrell


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Yea...it's not a big deal as it is just one of my play cars.. but annoying since it is turning into a drawn out time sucker just because of a lousy weedwacker pebble. 

I'd rather be doing other work to the car..and now it is sitting with a plastic garbage bag taped over the hole that should have a window in it.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> ... but annoying since it is turning into a drawn out time sucker...


Let me know any time you want to trade.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Yea..but that's awesome in it's own way just for the geek factor. I could/would do soo much with the engine out. Example- GT Speed cams will bolt right in. 

I'd be very tempted to swap a Bentley trans while it's on the table- 6 speeds, more aggressive 1-5 but lower RPM in 6th than our 5th.

Would be a good time to loose those primary cats as well

Even from a preventative / access viewpoint- control arms, hoses, belt, noisy pulley bearings, etc..

I guess we should ask _why_ is your engine out??


----------



## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> Yea..but that's awesome in it's own way just for the geek factor. I could/would do soo much with the engine out.


I think the dealer people were getting a kick out of me when I visited last week. I'm sure I did look like a kid in a candy store.



PowerDubs said:


> Example- GT Speed cams will bolt right in.


Bolt-in yes... timing and dwell suitable for natural aspiration? Not sure.



PowerDubs said:


> I'd be very tempted to swap a Bentley trans while it's on the table- 6 speeds, more aggressive 1-5 but lower RPM in 6th than our 5th.


This would be a very cool swap. I'm assuming it would basically bolt-up with the possible exception of drive-shaft length. The ECUs and TCM might hate each other at first, but you've got People For That.



PowerDubs said:


> Even from a preventative / access viewpoint- control arms, hoses, belt, noisy pulley bearings, etc..


I'm getting both rear upper control arms and both sway bar links. Fidelity denied me on the worn bushings. I was planning to do them myself when I got home, but when I visited last week with the engine out, I decided I was willing to overpay on parts to avoid all the work needed for UCAs. I was able to negotiate a much more appropriate labor time with everything already torn apart.

I really should have done the idler and tensionier pulleys, as at least one of them has a dry bearing, but my work order is already super complicated. I have literally eight separate items on my work order, only one of which is the engine, and it's been there since March 10th due to Fidelity BS and parts backorder and scheduling. At this point I just want her back. 



PowerDubs said:


> I guess we should ask _why_ is your engine out??


Long story short, a sticky exhaust cam phaser on bank 3/4. I have a thread over in the VAG-COM forum with additional motor-pornography and details.

Jason


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

jyoung8607 said:


> I think the dealer people were getting a kick out of me when I visited last week.


You'll know you have arrived when they give you a VW shop coat to wear and it has 'Jason' embroidered on the front of it where the name goes.

In all seriousness - you might find that the techs and the service manager at your dealership will come to greatly value your knowledge and your diagnostic / troubleshooting ability, perhaps even to the point where they start giving you a call and asking you to come in and help whenever they have a 'tough nut to crack' with a Phaeton or a Touareg. That's the point at which you ask to be granted employee pricing on parts, and access to a service bay whenever you need one to do work on your car.

Michael


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PanEuropean said:


> You'll know you have arrived when they give you a VW shop coat to wear and it has 'Jason' embroidered on the front of it where the name goes.
> 
> In all seriousness - you might find that the techs and the service manager at your dealership will come to greatly value your knowledge and your diagnostic / troubleshooting ability, perhaps even to the point where they start giving you a call and asking you to come in and help whenever they have a 'tough nut to crack' with a Phaeton or a Touareg. That's the point at which you ask to be granted employee pricing on parts, and access to a service bay whenever you need one to do work on your car.


I would dearly love that. I love troubleshooting and I love parts discounts. I'm not sure if I can pull it off though. I've bought zero cars from these guys, and I've only been here three times for service. You've had much longer to build that trust, after a much longer and more profitable relationship with your dealer.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

The 3 singular Bentley switches arrived today. Just like the driver door, a little work with the file to make the switch fit the cover-





















Also sacrificed a spare switch to see how it came apart-




















I bought a Bentley switch assembly to source the metal roller. 


And here is my solution to the window regulator clamp, <$1.50 from the local hardware store-


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## cbh123 (Aug 25, 2013)

I like the switches, now how to get them so I can reach them?


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

The Bentley window switches are all installed. 

The new passenger window is in and works great. My Ace Hardware <$2 regulator fix worked like a charm.

So the door panels are ready to go back on with the walnut wood.

Next I'll start swapping the dash wood.

The Bentley steering wheel switch showed up so I dissected it for the knurled roller.











I'll install the roller when I yank the steering wheel to put on the Bentley wiper & turn stalks.

I had intended on buying another Touareg push button and cutting a hole like I did on my old Phaeton but...

The center console chrome piece around the shifter is pretty beat up. I looked at the price of a new one and it is $300+ just for the chrome piece. Ugh. So I looked around online. On German EBay I found a complete center shifter piece, chrome, surround, push button start, etc.

I'm not thrilled about the Phaeton silver button, the words printed on the plastic nor the airbag switch...but I needed another chrome piece and the price was right for everything.


In Germany, you could buy a Phaeton with stitched leather on the door cards and dash. Switching (and shipping) and entire dashboard is more than I want to tackle.. but I found a guy selling just the 'visor' over the cluster from a stitched equipped car for a good price. It should make a nice little accent piece.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Bits and pieces-


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi Josh,

Nice to see your progress!

Is the Individual-style 'dome' instrument cover darker than a stock one? Even with my black 'dome' I suffer from overhead sunlight being reflected back up into the windshield and severely obstructing forward vision. Bear in mind I live in UK, so that's about one day every two years! 

Chris


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

The visor is the same color leather and stitching as what is on the door panel armrests.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)




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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Are we having fun yet?


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Not sure which is more impressive- the fact that they have insulation/sound deadening under the dash, or the fact that the metal is aluminum.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Stock dash visor is definitely more reflective than the leather stitched one. Hard to tell from the picture.


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Thanks, Josh. Perhaps I can have my visor re-covered.

That's a good treasure-trove on your table top!

Chris


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

It would cost more to have your cover redone than to just purchase a second hand OEM Phaeton one.

They aren't expensive since there is no demand for the parts, and I've seen numerous of them FS on Ebay.de and Ebay.co.UK over the years.

The sellers don't generally know the difference so you need to look closely at the pictures for the stitching and lack of grain in the surface as compared to the standard part.


I'll be listing all the old euc wood in the classifieds soon. I have no use for it.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Josh, can you tell me the minimum number of bits I need to remove to get to that centre vent?? From Chris's post, it looks as if I need to get that gray trim strip off, which I think means removing the trim surrounding the infotainment unit, and I suspect to get that of I need to remove the trim around the shifter. Can you post instructions, pretty please???


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

I'll write it up a little better once I get home- on the phone at a gas station. But if that picture scares you, well pretty much all that comes out.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Yeah, it scares me! It's working again for now, but I'm sure at some point it'll give up completely, hopefully during the winter months when it's cool enough to work on it. I was hoping I might get away with just the infotainment trim, then undoing the gray strip just at that end to get at the vent screws underneath it. I did take a look a few months ago, but only got as far as removing the rear shade button module, which I found had been removed before and was broken. The delicacy of that part alone put me off going further, so I repaired that and put it back.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

The big thing when removing the long grey strip is that nobody mentions you need to drop the glovebox to get to the screws needed to remove it.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

I was looking at that in your photo.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Walnut compared to eucalyptus


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## Hundikoer (Feb 2, 2012)

PowerDubs said:


> Walnut compared to eucalyptus


Great Job!

And I am glad I ordered mine with walnut instead of eucalyptus which was standard selection.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

PowerDubs said:


>







Quoting this picture again in case anyone missed the difference. The map light covers are off a Bentley and as I am sitting in the car working, I keep finding myself looking up at them. They make a big difference over the Phaeton lights which look like an old dog's eye cataracts in comparison.

I like these so much, I am going to buy another set to replace the rear light covers even though I never sit back there and won't see them. 



VW really missed an opportunity to hit the parts bin for the Phaeton, even if it was just a special edition. Some of the Bentley parts really dress up the joint without resorting to the weird angles and garish looks like a lot of modern cars.


I know now they are using the same metal trimmed seat controls that the Bentleys have always had, but still use the same lame wiper/turn levers, window switches, mirror knob, etc..


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

I sincerely admire the resourcefulness and skill involved in the change, and enjoy hearing of the satisfaction. A car is a very personal pleasure.

But the central roof console treatment on my sonnen beige interior is one of my favourite visual features. I absolutely love the smooth light lenses. But they do not add quite as much to the grey interior, perhaps.

On the other hand, the ergonomics is a mess, I never know which button is which! But beautiful. 

CB


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Agreed, everyone has different styles.

These are still smooth on the outside. The 'jewel' aspect is cut into the backside of the lens.



Once I get the interior of the car done, it is time to pull the front bumper to fix an in-op parking sensor. While I am at it, I am going to pull the orange marker lights out of the bumper and would like to replace them with the chrome strip the ROW gets. 

Would any of you guys outside the U.S. happen to know what the part #'s would be for the left & right pieces needed?

Additionally, I am going to put the earlier rearview mirror surround cover without the passenger airbag light on. A part # for that would be appreciated as well.


:beer::thumbup:


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## cata1569 (Jun 25, 2012)

PowerDubs said:


> Would any of you guys outside the U.S. happen to know what the part #'s would be for the left & right pieces needed?


I think is , 3D0807717C2ZZ right 3D0807718C2ZZ left


http://www.partscats.info/volkswage...258&bf=80700&hgug=807&ug=07&parent_id=1327193

cata


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Thanks for the trim part #'s.


Out with the old, in with the new-


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

This is tedious. Lets hope it goes back together ok!


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Extremely fiddly bits!!

Safe to say, if it works.. NOBODY else will ever do it!


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

All back together. Took about 1.5 hours to install the metal roller, and I had already removed it from the Bentley switch and had disassembled a spare Phaeton switch before to learn how it came apart. Whew!


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)




----------



## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

>


Now, that I like!

Much of the best art takes a lot of precision expertise to create. Nice...

CB


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> Once I get the interior of the car done, it is time to pull the front bumper to fix an in-op parking sensor. While I am at it, I am going to pull the orange marker lights out of the bumper and would like to replace them with the chrome strip the ROW gets.
> 
> Would any of you guys outside the U.S. happen to know what the part #'s would be for the left & right pieces needed?


OEM Plus (US-based Euro catalog parts importer) has the chrome inserts in their catalog. They look to be special-order, and I think you sometimes have to wait for their batch shipments from overseas, but they might be the easiest path for new rather than salvage.



PowerDubs said:


> Additionally, I am going to put the earlier rearview mirror surround cover without the passenger airbag light on. A part # for that would be appreciated as well.


Now there's an idea... I'll dredge through ETKA later.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Another Spur panel showed up today so I can rob it of it's light covers.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> Walnut compared to eucalyptus


That is a great pic. Not that I was really hunting around at the time, and to each their own, but I'm very glad mine is walnut.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

When I had my walnut V8 and Dennis had his euc V8, he thought I was crazy to want to get rid of the euc in my W12.


Now that he sold his V8 and owns a W12 of his own with walnut, he told me he likes the walnut better. 

I said "I thought you were a euc guy", and joked that I was getting ready to put the euc into his W12, he told me he was a walnut convert. 


I guess I just like darker wood tones in general. When I bought my waterrower, I paid extra to get it in walnut as well, over the standard ash wood which is lighter with less character.

I've seen pictures of light woods in the Phaeton that are burl based though I don't think ever in the U.S.?




Speaking of wood, does anyone want any of this euc I have piled up?


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> Speaking of wood, does anyone want any of this euc I have piled up?


It seems like it would probably disappear if you put it up in the Parts forum. I've heard of some people starting to have heat/sun-related cracking and splitting as the cars age. That said, if I recall correctly, those wood pieces are hand-matched and probably go best as a set. I think the row across the HVAC vents actually all comes from the same piece of wood. The rest might not matter as much.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Hard to say.

The lower parts on the doors of my walnut swap came from a different car than the rest of the wood. It is definitely noticeable buy doesn't bother me nearly as much as the euc did, so overall I am happy.

The euc has just about no defining feature other than it's color tone, so it should be easier to blend in than the burl woods.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Just unpackaged the Bentley wheels. The seller didn't tell me they have the self leveling center caps. Amusing.


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

So you're doing 200 mph on the airstrip and you can see/read the "B"?


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Is there an 8 mile airstrip available? 



They are advertised as staying straight to 70mph.


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

If you can figure out how to take them apart, you may discover a way to keep them straight at 200. Maybe even to 210... 
Sorry, no 8 mile runways near me.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Just spent a decent amount of time removing this Bluetooth phone B.S.












Note the burn mark on the blue box. They stuffed it above the footwell light on the driver footwell.

Granted it may have been fine except for a person like me having the doors open for an extended period... but...

Also they had 2 wires terminate into crimp on spades stuck into the fuse box.

Pita to yank this ****. They had wires from the rear view mirror, through the A pillar to the fuse box and foot well and tapped into the back of the head unit.

Dies anyone know what the black and white wire on the head unit originally did? I'm assuming NAV vocal directions?


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## Gabs08PHTN (Jan 6, 2011)

PowerDubs said:


> Dies anyone know what the black and white wire on the head unit originally did? I'm assuming NAV vocal directions?


Hi Josh,
According to VW wiring diagrams, the black wire is used for screening some other wires that run from the head unit to the sound amplifier. Whereas the white wire connects the head unit with the CD/DVD navigation unit, however I do not know what it exactly does.

Gabriel


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## steveskinr (Oct 31, 2007)

Walnut is much nicer than the eucalyptus you had.

My wife's eucalyptus is so brown and grainy that it is almost as nice as the walnut in my four seater.

I've seen the interior of about 20 Phaetons. None as nice as Victor's furniture on four wheels.

Generally I'm amazed at how consistent the wood is in an entire car. Fortunately all mine are nicely matched. If I get a crack, too bad. I'll live with it.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

This car will never be pretty. It has a gazillion nicks, scratches, scuffs, etc, but I'm ok with that. My other car was in way nicer shape than this one and it was a constant worry when people would get in or out of it. Having it already beat up and showing wear takes that stress out and I can just enjoy the car.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Dash is all back together. Front and rear euc center consoles are out.

I had to take a week or so off the Phaeton to do some work on one of my other cars.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Finishing up the interior wood swap. Sorry, haven't been taking many pictures.


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## SyncroS8 (Jul 9, 2012)

Wow these is a fair amount of intense work going into this Phaeton!

I'm particularly interested in any performance modifications that you manage to have carried out on the engine.

I'll be running this engine but without catalytic convertors and a one off exhaust so my engine will need tuning to make the most of this.

MG


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

I forgot what a pita it is to run the push button start harness under the carpet!!

Pop the air vent cover off under the seat to allow more flexibility.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Ok so today I am finishing up the interior so I can start on the mechanicals.

The mirror stem was missing a chunk of plastic. I believe this is from them removing it to mount that stupid Bluetooth microphone that I removed earlier-












I bought another mirror from EBay Germany but never noticed that my mirror had 2 plugs and the new one only has 1. Ugh.




















So I say to myself- easy enough, lets just swap the plastic piece missing the chunk.


Wait, what's this? The plug won't fit through the hole- 











Ok, I can fix that. 

Time to break out the terminal tool kit-




















For those of you that haven't done this yet, look inside the plug and above & below each pin are holes that the tool gets I served into-











First unclip the retainers on the outside of the plug-











Then insert the tool (hard to get a good picture of this)-










Now just pull the wire out. You can see the 2 tabs the tool depresses.











And you end up with this-












Now I discovered a problem. The mirror itself is constructed differently internally. The stem on mine is multi piece. The one from Germany is 1 piece. In order for me to get the plastic part off of the new old German mirror, I literally had to destroy it into several bits.











At this point it is safe to say if you have to ask, don't even bother trying this yourself. Much like the Bentley steering wheel roller.

But after all was said and done, the old
Mirror with new unbroken stem is in, along with the '04 surround cover to get rid of the stupid passenger airbag light.











The airbag light is just tucked into the cover with the rest of the wiring/plugs. I used one of the foam covers off the other mirror to shroud it just like the existing plugs for no rattles. Be aware the light needs to be there. I disconnected it on my old Phaeton and it threw a MIL. Dennis measured the resistance on his and bypassed it with a resistor with good results.

And here is a quick shot of some of the new to me interior bits. You can see the walnut wood, the OEM push button start, the Bentley wiper stalk, the Bentley roller wheel, the Bentley mirror switch and the stitched leather binnacle cover-


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Confirmed on the '06 W12 the passenger side crankcase vent box needs to be removed from the engine to get the air box lid off. The driver side I was able to wiggle out.











Time to get rid of these power robbers. Switching to normal filters instead of dusty area and pulling the snow screens-











Some oil-











Pulled the brakes off. They are factory vw parts and are in great shape other than surface rust from sitting. I've got the full set of 4 rotors, 8 pads. If someone local wants them, I will let them go at a great price. I'm not shipping however.












2 new belly pans and a new lower valance-












Removed the scraped up fog light with 2 broken tabs and replaced it with good used one off eBay.











New valance next to old one. Lady had no respect for the car or parking blocks!!











Much better now-












I will be disabling the washer wipers and securing the washer doors shut. I think it is a silt feature and have a thought that it may be what leads to the broken bumper cracks. There are no mounting bolts in the area to stress it. Just these washers moving in and out.


Does anyone know how to test the parking sensors? One of my front ones is failed but I cant see any loose plugs or damaged wiring.


----------



## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

How much did you pay for that bumper valance? I think the PO of my car was possibly related to yours. And how easy is it to fit? Can it just be changed without removing the rest of the bumper?


----------



## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

PowerDubs said:


> Does anyone know how to test the parking sensors? One of my front ones is failed but I cant see any loose plugs or damaged wiring.


Hi Josh:

Sometimes they just fail with no visible damage to account for the failure... I suspect perhaps because of water infiltration. The easiest way to function-test them is to have someone hold their hand in front of each sensor while you are sitting in the driver seat watching the indicator lights. You can also observe the status of them via MVBs using a VAG-COM. I can't recall offhand what controller or what the MVB numbers are.

Because you have a black car, I suggest that if you replace a parking sensor with a new one, you first see if the new sensor looks OK without painting it. They are black in colour prior to being painted. Painting the sensors is tricky... if you put more than just a very thin layer of paint on the sensor, it interferes with the operation of the sensor. But, if you just put a very thin layer of paint on it, the paint is prone to erosion. It's really tough to get it right... so, see if you can live with an unpainted sensor.

Michael


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

invisiblewave said:


> How much did you pay for that bumper valance? I think the PO of my car was possibly related to yours. And how easy is it to fit? Can it just be changed without removing the rest of the bumper?



Sorry for the late response. Got married on the 23rd and have had a lot going on.

It was $200+ just for the lower valance and was a pita to change even with the bumper off. I do not think it could be done with the bumper on.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

PanEuropean said:


> The easiest way to function-test them is to have someone hold their hand in front of each sensor while you are sitting in the driver seat watching the indicator lights. You can also observe the status of them via MVBs using a VAG-COM. I can't recall offhand what controller or what the MVB numbers are.




Well, can't do the hand test as far as I know because the system is inop and all red because of the bad sensor. I guess I'll google to see what the vagcom test is.


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

This car will never be perfect and a show car... but the brake caliper carriers and rattle clips were too rusted to ignore-











So I soaked them overnight in vinegar. Yes, common household vinegar, which is typically 5% acid. Works great for rusty tools, bolts, etc. 










Then just hit them with a nylon brush and hose off before some paint. Sure, it's no sand blaster, but it is cheap and easy.


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Is anyone else as sick of ill fitting headlight washer covers as I am? I'd rather not have them then have them sit crooked. So I disabled them and affixed the covers in place.


----------



## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi Josh,

Congratulations for the 23rd! Was the wedding car a Phaeton?

I had not heard of that vinegar tip. It looks as though it worked a treat.

Chris


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Paximus said:


> Hi Josh,
> 
> Congratulations for the 23rd! Was the wedding car a Phaeton?
> 
> ...




Yes, vinegar works great for derusting stuff, you just need to do something right away when you take it out and rinse it off or else it will flash rust quickly. For tools such as wrenches, etc.. I like to wipe them down with oil. It stops the rust and gives them a nice finish. 

No Phaeton for the wedding. We did not do the traditional church then car ride to the reception. We got married at the beach at a bed and breakfast on the ocean so the ceremony, reception and lodging were all at the same place.

Since we were there for 5 days, I figured what better way to go to the beach so I bought a new toy for the occasion-


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> Well, can't do the hand test as far as I know because the system is inop and all red because of the bad sensor. I guess I'll google to see what the vagcom test is.


If it's going all-red on the driver-visible displays, you should be able to see something with VCDS.

For whatever reason, the DTCs stored in the park distance control module seem to be extremely short-lived. You're best off checking for DTCs while you're replicating the problem, when the lights are red. You may see "short to plus" or "short to ground" type errors. Be aware those aren't necessarily electrical in cause. It's just the only way the module has to flag "stuck at max range" vs "stuck at min range" type errors in a way that VCDS can read.

You can also scroll through the list of MVBs and see the live range values reported for each sensor. You should see "something" happen when you place objects in front of most of them, but for your troubled sensor(s) you'll probably see it stuck at 0 or 255 or somesuch.

_(Yes, I *have* gone through this exercise recently...)_

Jason


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Josh, what did you do to the spring clip thingies to stop them rusting again?


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Just sprayed them with black rattle can caliper paint from the local auto store.


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

> Since we were there for 5 days, I figured what better way to go to the beach so I bought a new toy for the occasion-


That's the best Beach Buggy I have seen in a while! 

CB


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Putting the front bumper back on by yourself is tons of fun.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Well, she is pretty much done. Might be some little things here or there, as I am always tinkering with my cars.. but officially the car is back together and on the road again.

Just took it out for 30 miles or so to make sure everything is ok,... it didn't blow up, catch on fire, brakes work.

You never know when it hasn't been driven in well over a year and I had the car in a million pieces. I did a lot of work that I didn't bother posting on here about as well.


----------



## pdejong0 (May 16, 2011)

Looks beautiful, Josh... an amazing amount of work went into your well chronicled transformation of a one-of-a-kind Phaeton. Congratulations, and looking forward to seeing and hearing about your upcoming adventures at wannaGOFAST and the Tail of the Dragon. ENJOY!

Peter


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## pgoober (Jan 4, 2009)

*Congrats*

on the 23rd!

Great job on the Bentlitized P too. Been fun to watch. Love the headlight washer fix!

Good luck with the land Pspeed record. 

-BD


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Update- car is currently at United Motorsport getting tuned.

Excited to see the results. :thumbup::beer:


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## B1RMA (Nov 1, 2014)

PowerDubs said:


> Update- car is currently at United Motorsport getting tuned.
> 
> Excited to see the results. :thumbup::beer:


A superb bit of work and it looks it too,
David


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## popwarfour (Mar 23, 2014)

wow, I admire the amount of work you've put into this, everything looks awesome!


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Leaving in about 30 minutes to go pick the car up from the tuner.

Next weekend is the airstrip event in VA.

There will be 2 of us there with 2006 W12 Phaetons so we will have direct comparison between a stock car and a flashed car.

:beer:


----------



## valmes (Oct 27, 2009)

"Are you there yet?"

Can't wait to see the results...


----------



## johnnyjiang (Feb 24, 2014)

Hi Josh,

how do your bentley mufflers sound? which model was the bentley? does it sound they same way like a bentley? I really want to swap mine as well.

Regards,

Johnny


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## pdejong0 (May 16, 2011)

*Results from the airstrip? (stock vs. tuned) ... tell us how it went!*

:beer::beer::beer:


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Long story.. but I didn't run the car with the new tune down the strip. Jason and I ran our cars several times head to head on the stock tunes, and while I would have liked to have then flashed my car back over to the new tune and see what happened---there was no cell service or wifi at the airport to allow me to hit the server.

I have a little bit of datalog info to look at, and I will be going back to the tuner to dyno soon.


Car still has the stock mufflers on at this point.


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## pdejong0 (May 16, 2011)

Thanks for the update, Josh. Tell me, why aren't you running the new tune full time? Sounds like you ran the stock tune for the drive to the airstrip, and then planned to change to the new tune after a few stock tune runs. I've never switched back and forth between tunes... pretty cool concept. Wouldn't the new tune generally be more efficient, better mileage, etc.... even for the trip to / from the airstrip? Educate me here... thanks!

Peter


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## andrey2 (Dec 22, 2014)

Location NWNJ - what is your ZIP code? 

Thinking to get a W12 (I know I should not but so tempting) and I am 07306.


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