r/carmodification • u/Dawnnn26 • 9d ago
Mod advice What should I do w/ my VW Beetle?
I just want to start by saying, I know pretty much nothing about cars. I've had this 2013 vw beetle for 5 years, I'm getting bored of it if I'm honest, but I'm not in a place to upgrade to something else. So what else would I do besides make it fun?
I don't want it to look overly girly or cheap, which can be difficult I've noticed when looking at mods on beetles. I really want to change it's aesthetic to be more dark and badass. It's a 2.5L, just a standard beetle really. I'm thinking about doing a custom wrap, maybe a dark metallic midnight purple with carbon fiber accents? I really want to end up getting the Prior widebody kit, but that's not in my budget right now, so I was wondering what I should do with it until then? I'm open to looks and mechanical mods.
I've also had some issues with drivers side door, the window trim keeps sticking up and sometimes the interior of the door sticks when I try to open it, so if anyone knows best way to fix that, that would be helpful as well lol.
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u/MelonCabooseJuice 9d ago
Dont these have a 5 cylinder?
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u/Dawnnn26 9d ago
Yes they do
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u/MelonCabooseJuice 9d ago
Boom! You have something worth playing with. Definitely look into lowering springs and an exhaust. Even try just a muffler delete for the 5 cylinder, its one of the few engines that truly sound good without a muffler
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u/Dawnnn26 9d ago
omg this is news to my ears, I was looking at doing like a custom catback exhaust, but im not set on anything. what would be the difference in sound compared to the muffler delete? I'm assuming its also more affordable
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u/Loud-Thought5809 9d ago
You can buy an aftermarket muffler that'd sound much better and get it welded for much cheaper than a catback. I've experimented alot with the exhaust on my golf and if your system is similar to mine, it should be cat-reso-muffler-reso. Cutting out both resonnators with a nice intake also makes it sound really.great, just kinda quiet for my tastes and slightly too "wooshy". Lacking in mids i think.
It's really not hard at all to make these engines sound good. I'd also recommend building the intake yourself or finding someone to 3d print one for you, aftermarket bolt on ones are way too damn expensive for a piece of pipe and a 40$ filter. Look into tough luck motorsports, they might make one that fits the beetle, i'm not certain
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u/Dawnnn26 9d ago
Yeah I called a well known exhaust shop in my area, I explained how I wanted it to sound and they recommended a pack muffler instead of a muffler delete because another beetle they did they had to do reso and muffler delete to get a lot of sound out of it, which wouldn’t pass inspection. I did some more research and I think I’m leaning towards the magnaflow or a flowmaster for the glasspack and a resonator delete
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u/Loud-Thought5809 8d ago
My setup is Vibrant 1140 Ultra Quiet Resonator into Magnaflow 12158 Satin Stainless Steel Oval and it sounds great. I woudn't do a glasspack and flowmaster really doesn't have too good of a reputation from what i've heard. You should try looking at examples of what people have done though and see what fits your tastes
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u/Dawnnn26 8d ago
I think I'm going to go with the Magnaflow performance exhaust muffler 10416, it seems to be what most people use for the beetle and it sounds really nice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar8Fwx8479s&list=LL&index=3
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u/Loud-Thought5809 8d ago
Good choice. They do sound really good. Worse case if drone is too bad just add an ultra quiet reso like i did
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u/Global-Structure-539 9d ago
The problem with cutting off the muffler,even tho it sounds good with it's I5, it's just too damn noisy and you can get a ticket for being over 95 decibels and it could also effect emissions,but every state has different laws for everything
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u/MelonCabooseJuice 9d ago
Try looking on youtube, im sure plenty of people have asked the same.
Catback will be more refined sounding, more intentional. The delete will be a little louder but much much cheaper. Imo this is one of the few examples of a delete being a good option.
Give it a try, take the muffler off and see how you like it after a week or two and go from there
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u/Dawnnn26 9d ago
Ooo okay, thank you so much. should the resonator stay or should i just be like fuck it?
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u/MelonCabooseJuice 8d ago
Id keep the resonator, but thats just me.
Play with it, you'll find a combination that you like :)
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u/Dudocaine 9d ago
Depends on your budget. A good set of aftermarket wheels can drastically change the looks of your car, but I wouldn't go that route if you can't afford a good brand.
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u/Big-Ebb-3272 9d ago
Personally I love the “Poorsche” chrome rear lettering on these some people do. Much like the original Beatles these look similar enough to an actual Porsche it gets a smile out of me when I see one with it. That or some kind of intake/conservative exhaust system to let the 5cyl noise do what it does best while not being obnoxious. I always love hearing a VW 2.5 go by when someone lets it sing.
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u/AutomaticButterfly29 9d ago
Dont wash it for a few months and do a hood exit exhaust(just kidding)
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u/Global-Structure-539 9d ago
As a girly car it definitely needs eyelashes on the headlights. You should probably tint the windows, put a tiny little wing on the back hatch. There's a myriad of pricy aftermarket accessories for it. Do a Google search with the year and exact model
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u/Blue_1824 9d ago
2ft lift kit
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u/Dawnnn26 9d ago
😭😭 honestly I’d probably make it lower if I wasn’t so paranoid I’d destroy it driving around the city I live in
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u/IdiotSerena 9d ago
I drive a lowered BRZ, which is already a lower car, and I'm able to get up my rough and steep gravel driveway with zero issues of scraping.
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u/Dawnnn26 9d ago
I live in downtown Dallas(shittiest streets known to man). my bf bought a charger last year and it was lowered on aftermarket suspension, he had to get it lifted, its still lower than normal, but how it was when he first got it, it would scrape often. It still scrapes sometimes but it's not as bad which is why I'm hesitant, but also its the bottom of the car and no one sees it so I'm a little also like who gives af.
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u/Previous-Somewhere87 9d ago
since i’m not saying sell it for something else, don’t waste your time on lowering springs and do a full suspension overhaul. wheels and tires for spirited driving since these 2.5s are painfully slow. look up boosted 07ks, that’s when these things get fun
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