[SunZhine337]

Black Forest Indutries makes some solid products and has a hell of a selection as far as quality parts across the market. I recently installed their Stage 2 Motor Mount kit on my VW 2002 GTI 337 1.8t AWP. The following will be a 4/10 difficulty DIY and review of the mounts thus far. Feel free to pop in questions about the install or performance in following posts or a PM.

Becasue of picture limits I will detail this DIY in multiple posts to account for step by step install. It will go in this order:
-Prep and Parts
-Engine Side Mount Install (Passenger side)
-Transmission Side Mount Install (Driver Side)
-Dogbone Mount Install (Undercarriage)
-Stage 2 Mount Review and Comparison Pictures

PREP AND PARTS

Tools Needed listed from top to bottom:
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1x BFI Dogbone Mount Stage 2
1X BFI Transmission Mount Stage 2 (right mount in picture, notice the offset bracket)
1x BFI Engine Mount Stage 2 (left mount in picture)
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1X 3/4" Drive Torque Wrench
1X 1/2" Drive Ratchet Wrench
1x 18" 1/2" Drive Extension
1x 3/4' Female to 1/2" Male Drive Adapter
1x 19mm 1/2" Socket
1x 16mm 1/2" Socket
1x 15mm 1/2" Socket
1x 13mm 1/2" Socket
1x 10mm Deep Reach Socket
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Putting it up:
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Make sure to use either a block of wood or a thick folded towel to support the oil pan without damaging it. I prefer a towel as it allows for more cushion and some wiggle room when the engine is loose on the mounts.

As you can see the vehicle does not have to be far off the ground in order for the install. My tires are just barely lifted off the concrete. I used my pinch welds as support for my jack stands on both sides. Make sure to give your car a little nudge after its up to ensure stability.

Clearing the area for install
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Depending on what you run for an intake, you may have to remove more or less depending. I did not remove my battery box or wire harness tray for the install and it did not provide a headache. Follow manufacturer specs to remove your airbox, CAI, or pop off your air filter like how I run mine.

With the air filter/ CAI/ airbox out, remove the top to the black wireharness tray that runs below it. it has clips on both sides and hinges at the bottom. You will have to pull up on the weather seal by the windsheild's rain tray a bit to be able to pull it towards the hinge by the battery.

Once the intake and wire tray cover are removed we're ready for INSTALL!!!

 

[SunZhine337]

Engine Side Motor Mount:

Position yourself around the passenger side headlight and look for the power steering reservoir. It's a black box with a green cap. This is held to the OEM Stock Engine mount by a 10mm bolt. Use the Deep Reach 10mm Socket to free up the resevoir and move it to the side. I also uplugged my Coolant Resevoir sensor to make more room to work.

Showing the Power Steering Resevoir Bolt. A wire holster is capped over the stud the bolt is on.

With the power steering reservoir out of the way we can now see the bolts from the OEM mount to the FRAME RAIL. I capitalized this phrase to be a beacon point in this DIY. The Bolts on top of the OEM mount are to the ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET.

The FRAME RAIL bolts on the Engine Mount Side

The ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET bolts on the Engine Mount Side

After confirming that the engine is supported from the oil pan(See First Post), Crack the bolts free with a breaker bar or Torque Wrench. The OEM Bolts on the FRAME RAIL bolt down at 16mm. The Bolts on the top of the mount going to the ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET bolt down at 19mm. Loosen the bolts and remove them starting with the FRAME RAIL bolts first. There will be an additional 10mm bolt on top of the FRAME RAIL side that is connected to a small black bracket. leave the bracket attqached to the engine bay as it will serve a purpose.

After removing the OEM mount it sould look like this

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INSTALL:

Install is pretty easy. Place the mount and start the bolts. 19mm Bolts on the top(ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET side) and 15mm bolts on the bottom (FRAME RAIL side). Thread the bolts in gently while making sure the mount is lined up with the holes evenly. After the bolts are seated by hand grab your trusty Torque Wrench. Follow these torque specs to the exact Ft/Lbs. Torque down the FRAME RAIL bolts first.

FRAME RAIL Bolts 15mm = 32 ft/lbs
ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET Bolts 19mm = 44 ft/lbs

After the mount is in it should look like this:

Installed BFI Engine Mount (Passenger Side)

For cleanup, use the small black bracket and stud we mentioned earlier in this post to mount the Power Steering Resevoir over the new BFI Engine Mount. Don't forget to redo any clips you might have undone to clear room. AND DON'T FORGET, plug the Coolant Resevoir sensor back in.

Up next: Transmission Mount

 

[SunZhine337]

Transmission Side Motor Mount:

On the Driver side right behind the battery box is the Mount we will be pulling to replace. Once again make sure your engine is supported via the oil pan(I moved my jack closer to the Transmission for this one) then locate the 4 main bolts. In the picture below we should be able to see all 4.

OEM Transmission Mount. Notice the hole on the bottom left where the 4th bolt is

As with the Engine Mount Side, this side also has the 13mm 5th bolt visible on the far far left in the above photo underneath the thick wireharness. Use a breaker bar or Torque Wrench to crack the bolts loose. 16mm on the FRAME RAIL, 19mm on the ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET. Remove the main 4 bolts then the 13mm 5th bolt and pull out the mount. I had to gently lower my engine a tad with the jack to make room for the mount to slide it out.

Removing OEM ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET Bolts, 19mm

Removing the OEM hidden 4th FRAME RAIL Bolt, 16mm

OEM Transmission Mount removed and ready for new BFI Stage 2 Transmission Mount

Same as before, reassemble as removed. Clean off any debris from the ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET and FRAME RAIL as best a possible before positioning and slowly starting the new mounts bolts. 19mm on top(ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET) and 15mm on the bottom(FRAME RAIL). Tighten by hand and make sure engine is moved back up to be even with the mount. Gently lower or raise the jack to compensate the gap. Same torque specs as the Engine Mount side. Make sure to torque down the FRAME RAIL Bolts first then the ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET bolts last. Follow these Torque Specs:

FRAME RAIL Bolts 15mm = 32 ft/lbs
ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET Bolts 19mm = 44 ft/lbs

Once it's torqued down it should look like the below final product. For fitment you may need to pull up the wireharness tray a tad to compensate the new height of the mount. It will fit snug.

BFI Stage 2 Transmission Mount Installed

Replace the wireharness tray cover making sure it fits into the grooves and clips down evenly. Also pay attention to the weather stripping making sure it snaps on all the way. Reinstall your intake system and bask in the glory of you project in bay.

Up next: Dogbone Mount Install

 

[SunZhine337]

Dogbone Undercarriage Motor Mount:

Depending on which mount you started with, this will be by far the easiest. No need to support the engine with the jack and towel for this swap. Flip onto your back and shimmy underneath the front end to take a look.

OEM Dognone Mount

We'll be removing all 4 bolts starting with the front 2 attached to the engine first. Use a 16mm Socket with a breaker bar or Torque Wrench to crack them loose. Don't remove the bolts fully as to allow it to hang. Pop on a 13mm socket and crack the rear bolts attached to the Sub-frame. Once the bolts are loose, remove all 4 and pull down the nforward(towards the fron of the car) to remove the old mount. Place the new Mount in the same way. Sub-Frame hole first, then line up the very front 16mm bolt and gently thread it in.

BFI Stage 2 Dogbone Mount positioned with first bolt started

Seat each bolt by hand to ensure no stripping of the threads. Torque down the bolts one at a time in this order:

1. Black Bracket to Transmission Bolt: 30 ft/lbs
2. Center Section; Black Bracket, Mount, and Transmission bolt: 15 ft/lbs
3. Sub-Frame Rear Bolts: 15 ft/lbs

BFI Stage 2 Dogbone Mount fully installed

Once each of the 4 bolts are torqued down you're ALL done.

Double check your work area to make sure all connectors, wires, clips, etc. are correctly done. Clean up your tools or move them to the side and use the Jack to lower your car to the ground. Keep the hood open and fire up the engine! Look for excessive vibration. The engine shouldn't move AT ALL while running.

Last but not least: Stage 2 Mount Review and Comparrison Pictures

 

[SunZhine337]

Black Forest Industries Stage 2 Complete Motor Mount Review and Comparison:

At first, my car was sloppy and the engine bucked my car during shifts. I had 3/4 of a second of delay between pressing the gas and making power to the ground. My shifts felt loose and even with Solid Billet 52DD bushings it didn't improve. Alas, I decided it was time to take some preventative measures. BFI Stage 2 Complete Motor Mounts were right up my alley and with the performance goals in mind went for the stage 2 instead of stage 1 for the extra stiffness. I like to feel my car. If you do too, these are perfect.

First feel.

Install is finished and I'm sitting in the drivers seat ready to turn the key. Holding my breath here goes nothing... VROOOOM!! Holy crap these make the engine solid! My dash rattled like I had change on a washing machine. Give it some small revs to see how it bucks. No movement. Not even a hop. the exhaust note is distinctly deeper as well. It sounds like an OEM R32 with the resonator removed. Just mean. Lets take it for a spin...

On the town.

Driving is a different experience completely. Feels kinda like sitting on a motorcycle as standing still gives the car a massager feel. I have some pretty heavy vibrations for the whole vehcile under 1700 RPMs but it is extremely worth it. Shifting is spot on with 0% slack in the shifts. No more delay for gasing or braking and there is ZERO wheel hop when I give it some beef off the line. I seem to have better success with keeping vibrations down getting off the line using higher RPMs to let the clutch in. Corners and dips don't rock my car back and forth anymore. It feels too solid to believe...


Overall Review.

Top notch quality mounts, gorgeously designed from 304 Stainless Steel with BFI engraving and hard as F*** green colored 85 Durometer Polyurethane bushings. I give the setup a definitive 9/10. The vibrations are a little rough but to be expected.

Best part about my experience with BFI for these mounts was their level of customer service. I ran a string of emails with them asking basic questions and each time recieved a response on business hours within 20 minutes. Astounded by their level of commitment to their sales. Perfection!


Here are some extra comparison pictures I popped during install:

I hope your install went as swimmingly as mine. As always, this DIY is for demonstration purposes only. I take no responsibility for if you f*** up you mounts, car, or well being. Be careful and pay attention to safety first.

Hit me up via PM if you have questions or just pop a reply on this thread.

THANKS!

 

[7starmantis]

wow great write up.. i was going to upgrade mounts soon too!

 

[SunZhine337]

Few days of driving now.

Mounts are a lot quieter as far as cabin rattle. I still need to lift it and recenter the engine a bit more. It's about 3/16" off in terms of placement. Also, you can tighted up the mounts with the allen bolt on tope to add more regidity to the overall setup. With a few deletes to clean up the bay and the install of the IE Anodized Red Fuel Rail and BlueWater Performance Fuel Rail Install Package we'll be looking flashy soon enough.

 

[SunZhine337]

Fresh Update:

I've had my mounts in for a few months now and the vibrations seem irregular in comparrison with most reviews online.
Well...
After an Integrated Engineering Manual Timing Belt Conversion, I found that my Engine Side Motor Mount Bracket was stripped out on one of the two Motor Mount bolt holes. After sourcing a salvage unit, I installed and re-torqued all Mounts to install specs. One thing I didn't check previously that I will now NOTE is that the main bolt on top of the mount, holding the unit together, has a torque rating of:

**Mount assembly bolt 40ft/lbs**

After installing the new mount bracket, and torqueing to spec, the vibrations seemed to disappear and the exhaust note became even deeper. I will advise you to check your mounts every other oil change or so to make sure the torque specs are spot on. Once again enjoying my stern, mean, GTI 337.

-Sunzy

 

[tomjv]

Hey Sunzy,
Nice writeup on the motor mounts.
Question: I read elsewhere the bolts are supposed to be "stretched" an additional 1/4 turn AFTER torqing.
The BFI motor side mount came with new bolts. No prob here.
I used BFI inserts on the tranny side, so I ordered new bolts for this side and the dog bone.
Did you do the extra 1/4 turn?
TomJV