There are several different front bumper and grille designs to chose from Caractere. We went with a badgeless option and the company thoughtfully provides a piece to fill the notch in the hood. Ideally this would be blended to look factory but we're expected to return the car to stock, so weren't able to do so.
Farewell
If you want to read all about Project Dub, it appeared on the cover of et 9/06. The issue contained a full feature, as well as updates in the issues listed above.
Through a combination of choosing good parts and working with top tuners, we've been fortunate in not experiencing any serious problems with our GLI. The car itself has been faultless, the suspension comfortable, the brakes reliable, the wheels durable and the polyurethane body kit beautifully withstands the knocks and scrapes of daily use.
Hopefully, we've been able to inspire some Jetta and GLI owners into owning a car with true Euro credentials. And with the addition of just a few parts, it can become a true head-turner. Many of these parts are equally applicable to the Rabbit and GTI as well. So we'd encourage you to have a go at extracting even more enjoyment from your VW.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Engine: 2.0 liter 16v i-4 with GIAC software, Techtonics downpipe, cat and system, VF-Engineering motor and transmission mounts
Driveline: six-speed manual gearbox
Suspension: Hotchkis springs
Brakes: Brembo GT big brake kit with 328x28mm cross-drilled front rotors and four-piston calipers, Brembo stainless steel lines, stock rears
Wheels/Tires: 20x8.5" DCR Monte Carlo forged three-piece wheels with color-matched centers and staggered black-chrome rims, 225/30-20 BFGoodrich g-force T/A KDW 2 tires
Exterior: Caractere front bumper with OE foglights and badgeless grille, side skirts, rear bumper pieces, low-level trunk spoiler and window spoiler
Interior: Package 2 leather, satellite radio, CD changer, sat nav, climate control
Contact: Landspeed USA (landspeedusa.com, 800/237-5625), The Wheel Supply (thewheelsupply.com, 909/468-1311), DTM Autohaus (dtmautohaus.com, 626/442-0318), Torque Factory (torque-factory.com, 310/466-4296), GIAC (giacusa.com), Techtonics Tuning (techtonicstuning.com, 503/843-2700), VF-Engineering (vf-engineering.com, 714/528-0066), Hotchkis (hotchkis.net, 877/466-7655), Brembo (brembo.com), evosport (evosport.com, 714/901-3100), BFGoodrich (bfgoodrichtires.com), Volkswagen (vw.com)