Driving thru East Bay Streets or on the 880 you may have seen this month's feature car before. A 2003 Reflex Silver Volkswagen GTI powered by the ever so potent 1.8T owned and daily driven by Jimuelle Arafiles. For Jimuelle, or Jim as he would like to be called, the "Love for the Dub" started early as his uncle owned an mk2 Wolfsburg GTI. Memories of seeing the progression from the ground up and done up gave Jim a basis for what he wanted.

I meet up with Jim at Q-Cup in Milpitas and ask him to follow me to the photo shoot. On our way I couldn't help but notice how "aggressively clean" this particular GTI looked in my rear view mirror. The Rieger R-RS lip with the Kamei Sport mesh grill accent the Chrome-Housing Depo Projector Headlamps so nicely. The Streetone M3Style Side Skirts, Hofele Hatch Blend, Rieger front and rear valence all carefully picked by Jim were taken to Angel's Auto body in Milpitas for perfect color matching. As we exited the freeway off ramp dusk sets in, a bright flicker of 4300k HID capsules warming up catch my attention. This is when I realize, "This isn't just a regular Reflex Silver mkIV GTI".

We arrive at the shoot; Jim pulls in the GTI which keeps the ground in check with Poly Urethane Dogbone Bushings, 18x8 ASA AR1 wheels with Kuhmo ASX rubbers. Keeping the sticky ickies tight thru the corners while still maintaining a comfortable ride, Jim installed a Apex 2" drop cup kit, and a Neuspeed Upper Tie Bar. The setup gave the GTI an aggressive stance without the need to be cautious around the speed bump monsters. Coming from driving a 1984 Mustang SVO 2.3L Turbo, the transition was easy for Jim as this GTI came with the Turbocharged AWP 1.8L which he could not leave alone. Practical, Reliable power is what this 1.8T driver has always strived for. This mannered and well behaved 1.8T breathes pressurized air with the eG solid 3" CAI, the Neuspeed P-chip ups the boost to more "practical levels" at 1.1 bar. Which Jim believes, is how the car should have came from the factory. The ATP 3" Downpipe and Custom 3" CatBack give it a nice clean note with no freeway drone while helping the forced fed motor to breathe. A GREddy Type RS BOV lets you know if you didn't before, this GTI is definitely boosted and ready at any given time.

Wrapping things up, and taking a few final shots after a long nights work. We start putting all our equipment away, I recall one of the many meets/shows I have had a chance to attend with him. Particularly the Deutsch Stahl Lodi Show which was not too long ago. While at the show, these kids were staring at Jim's interior in awe. What the hell are they staring at?!?!? Maybe it was the Autometer Sport Comp boost gauge mounted in a 42 Draft Designs A-pillar Gauge pod, or maybe it was the R-Line pedals. Could it be the beautiful Pioneer DEH4700mp Head Unit providing a clean audio signal to a Rockford Fosgate p3002 2 channel and Rockford Fosgate P4004 4 channel amp? Is it the slump coming from the Rockford Fosgate stage 2 12" subwoofers that has these kids attention? The clarity of the Phoenix Gold front and rear component speakers caught my ear; maybe it caught these kids too? Or surely they must be admiring the Momo Anatomic short shift knob? No, these kids were hypnotized by the steering wheel or shall we say the lack of. To set himself apart from others, he replaced the OEM VW 3 spoke GTI sport steering wheel with a Momo Jet steering wheel mounted on NRG Steering Wheel Quick Release hubs for the extra added security. For the Deutsch Stahl Show, he placed his detachable steering wheel in his engine compartment as a hood prop to display his love for turbocharged heart. Meanwhile, one of the curious kids walks up to Jim, and asks "Excuse me, how do you drive without a steering wheel?"

In the future he plans to upgrade the OEM k-03 to a slightly bigger more "practical" gt28rs. But, it's not on his high list of priorities as he has done what he wanted to do with the car and is very happy with it, for now. Show winning looks along with Practicality, Comfort, Quality and Reliability... this month's feature has it all.

:: FEATURED VEHICLE SPECS :: Owner :: Jimuelle Arafiles. Vehicle Specs :: VW MKIV GTI 1.8t
Performance Mods : Engine : Neuspeed 1.1bar P-chip eG solid 3" CAI GReddy Type RS BOV N75 "j" valve ATP Down pipe 3" Magnaflow Highflow CAT 3" Custom Catback Custom Grounding kit Poly Urethane Dogbone Bushings : Suspension/ Wheels: Apex 2" drop cup kit Neuspeed Front Upper Tie Bar ASA AR1 18x8 wheels Kuhmo ASX tires	: Exterior : Rieger front and rear valances Streetone Side skirts (m3 style) Kamei Sport mesh grill Hofele Hatch Blend Depo Projector Headlamps S2000 Antenna Clear side markers : Interior : 3m window tint 35% Autometer Sport Comp Boost gauge 42DD Gauge pod Momo Jet Steering wheel Momo Performance shift boot Momo Anatomic short shift knob NRG Steering wheel Quick release Euroswitch Pioneer DEH4700mp HU Phoenix Gold Xenon Component front speakers Phoenix Gold Octane ZR component rear speakers Rockford Fosgate stage 2 12" subwoofer Q-logic Subwoofer enclosure Pro Sonic 1.5 Farad Capacitor Rockford Fosgate P3002 2 Channel amp (subwoofer) Rockford Fosgate P4004 4 Channel amp (components) 0-12DB bass controller Cold Cathode Trunk lights R-Line Pedals : Other Modz : 4300k HID Retrofit kit Fog lights Installed Added 2 extra brake lights Custom Europlate replica