# 2013 Hybrid Jetta build



## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Pod build: 
Unlike my last car, this will be a one-seat car, hence the dash pods. 








The pods actually vent into the defroster ducts. 
































































Bondo matching the flat bottom of the pods to match the contours of the dash. 
































The goods! 








Had to test fit in the unfinished pod. 









These pics were taken a while back and I am actually 95% finished with these now. I will get finished pics up as soon as I am done.


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## boom_squid_2 (Jan 29, 2008)

NICE!!

Looks just like my sail pods just better! 

What grit did you sand down to? Right now I'm sanding my one but I keep getting really fine lines and have to readd filler everytime I try to get rid of them.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

You want to get them down to about 160 grit and then spray the parts with several coats of a sandable filler primer to fill in all the tiny imperfections. After they are completely dry, you want to sand them to 320 or higher before applying the final coating.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Working on the amp rack today. I will try to have pics up this evening.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Time for a little amprack action!

Getting everything mapped out








Speaker and signal routed under amprack 
















This is the bus bar system I came up with to connect power and ground. 
































Please ignore the odd red wire. I was about an inch short on silver 4ga. 
















Kinetik HC600 being installed in the factory changer location.


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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

I love the amp rack...in for more pics

Oh and the pods don't look too shabby either


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## edouble101 (Dec 9, 2010)

Keep the pics coming!


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## boom_squid_2 (Jan 29, 2008)

Dmack said:


> You want to get them down to about 160 grit and then spray the parts with several coats of a sandable filler primer to fill in all the tiny imperfections. After they are completely dry, you want to sand them to 320 or higher before applying the final coating.




Awesome man! 

Thanks.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

It occurs to me that the title of this thread is a bit misleading. This is the build of my 2002 Jetta 1.8T as a competitor with Team Hybrid for the 2013 season.


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## Eggroll (Mar 2, 2012)

Those pillars are awesome!


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## Sound Suggestions (Dec 5, 2010)

Me like :snacks:


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## slowride (Jan 26, 2009)

Dmack said:


> It occurs to me that the title of this thread is a bit misleading. This is the build of my 2002 Jetta 1.8T as a competitor with Team Hybrid for the 2013 season.


Got me for a second. I really thought you were talking about the new Jetta Hybrid. Then after checking the pics I could see it was a MKIV with Hybrid speakers. 
Still looking good though!?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Updated pictures of all completed work please. You've got me chomping at the bit waiting to see.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Spent the day cleaning the daily driver crud from all the crevices and getting the front stage playing. Unfortunately, I do have to drive this sucker, so I find myself putting things back together just enough to have something to listen to. It is so nice building a car that you don't actually have to drive--the build is much more productive. I will say, however, that the Zapco amps are amazingly powerful and have TONS of headroom! I am running an H701 processor, so I don't have a lot of use for the onboard processors in the Zapcos, but I am thinking about using them, anyway, to handle some of the problem areas and to flatten out the system before tuning with the 701. I don't know whether I mentioned it, but I am running a 2-way front stage with L6SE's and L3SE's, crossed over at 250hz. Therefore, the L3's are also handling the highs, which they do beautifully. However, a little bump of the parametric EQ around 10K could certainly not hurt.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Okay, so I can say I posted something today, here goes. 
Battery mocked up








Had to get her playing, so I temprarily made some connections. This will not be the 701's home, though it will be mounted behind the back seat. When all the trim panels are done, there will be a panel along the back that closes off the drunk from the fold-down seats. That way, I will be able to mount all my electronics to the front of this panel, completely out of view, and gain access to everything just by letting down the back seats. 








Though it would seem to be the easiest part, I have had a time getting the W505 to look good in the dash. The MKIV cars have a radio opening slightly larger than double-din. The cage that came with the radio fits in there perfectly, but then the radio sticks out a mile and looks like turds. I had to do major surgery on the trim ring so that it would flush in the dash and not stick out, allowing me to move the radio back in the dash. However, as you can see, there are gaps on the sides and top of the radio. Normally, I would just mold this all in, but that is nearly impossible and still keep the cupholders. I will probably end up adding some ABS strips to the outside of the trim ring to make it larger and fill the gaps. Anyway, I sanded all the plastic down and sprayed it with Plastidip black to give everything a uniform appearance. 








Here are some fairly finished shots of the driver's pod. I say "fairly" because of the big nick in the pod at the 2 o'clock position of the speaker and because I am changing the color of the headliner and pillars to black, so this panel may also change colors. 
















The passenger side pod is just chilling in the corner, waiting on me to make up my damn mind.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Here is a little progress, but I have to warn you--this is some boring stuff. However, it has to be done. 

I build the back trunk panel. 
















Here, where you can see the top of the third amp, this is where the panel will be that houses 4 fans to cool the amp rack. 








Here is the panel without the fans installed--I have to buy a 2" hole saw, first. You will notice, where this panel meets the back wall, that my MDF for the back wall was bowed. I guess I will get some new wood and use this one as a router template to make a new one. :-/








Behold my water damaged, old a busted headliner. 
















I removed all pillars, the rear deck and headliner. Here you see the blank canvas, soon to be covered with Raamat. 








Currently, the interior of the car is tan and black, with more tan than black. I greatly prefer more black than tan, so the rear deck, all pillars and headliner are getting covered in suede headliner material. 








I only have one part left to cover. Unfortunately, it is the headliner.


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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

Nice install....i dont envy redoing the headliner...suuuccckkkkssss


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Thanks! Actually, the old foam backing is coming off very easily--it is just really messy.


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## win1 (Sep 27, 2008)

sub'd


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Got the headliner covered and it was just as much fun as I imagined. And by that, I mean is royally sucked. The suede headliner material I ordered unfortunately has very very little stretch in it. And my headliner has tons of compound angles. Therefore, it looks good, but it is not perfect. 

I used a piece of 40 grit to remove the majority of the foam. After that, I was able to just rub the part down with my hand to get it ready to cover. 
















I went ahead and painted the corners of the sunroof opening black because I knew there was no way in hell the material was going to stretch enough to make the transition. 








Finished product.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Great job on the headliner, it's looking really nice !


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Thanks!


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## Brute71 (Jun 6, 2012)

sub'd, build is looking good! Love seeing other MK4 builds to get more ideas for mine!


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Time for some trunk panel action. 
I am creating the rough shape of my panels. I try to get them close, but I don't go overboard making sure they fit absolutely perfect--you'll see why in a minute. 
















The two panels on either side of the amp rack serve as the platforms on which the finished panels will sit. 








Here is the left side panel in place. Once again, good but not perfect gaps. 








Here, I am getting the curve for the center panel. You may do it a different way, but this is how I get my curved surfaces. A pass with the flush cut bit and there you go!
























All three bottom panels in place
















One thing people tend to overlook when doing builds like this is material thickness. Everything goes in great before covering, then not so great afterwards. Here, I am using a piece of aluminum stock to gap my panels. 








And here is how I get perfectly fitting panels every time. 
































There will be a raised section on the middle and right panels, as well. Also, the cutout in the center is not the size of the window, rather the opening for my plexi. There will be a raised piece molded into the center panel with a smaller window.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I prefer using Duraglass (or similar) on edges like that...but looks good.
I don't quite get how you made the curve jig you used. Could you explain that a little more.

Jay


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

JayinMI said:


> I prefer using Duraglass (or similar) on edges like that...but looks good.
> I don't quite get how you made the curve jig you used. Could you explain that a little more.
> 
> Jay


Honestly, I prefer Duraglass, as well. Even more than that, I prefer a mixture of polyester resin, loose chop mat and cabosil--this is by far the strongest. However, though it really does not look it, the area filled was fairly small, it will be under no stress at all, and I did not have Duraglass or cabosil and I am working on a budget.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

JayinMI said:


> I prefer using Duraglass (or similar) on edges like that...but looks good.
> I don't quite get how you made the curve jig you used. Could you explain that a little more.
> 
> Jay


Oh, and to do the curves, you take a strip of 3/4 MDF about 1-1.25" wide and drill screw holes at regular intervals--about 2" apart. Then, like with the center panel where you want a large sweeping angle, you make a mark at the center of your curve and how far back you want to curve on either side. Then, screw the strip down in the center. Then, work your way out from the center placing screws, bending the strip as you go. When you bend the strip, it has a natural tendency to make perfect curves. When you are done, hit is with a flush cut bit. 

If you look in the pic, below, you will see two pencil marks on either side, about .5" back. this is how I mark how far to bend the strips.


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

Great job, although I'm not a fan of the grey bits on the roof, they stand out too much IMO.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

They are actually tan. It looks good, in person. The interior was already black and tan, anyway, so everything is consistent throughout.


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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

looks good so far...very beefy back there...it's all 3/4" MDF correct. 

I like the black and tan, i'm doing my mini's headliner in suede this week....i'm dreading it already.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Yes, it is all 3/4" with the exception to the raised details--that is 1/2" I like my panels to be solid and 3/4" tend to yeild better looking panels, IMO. Also, I will be running an IB setup, so the trunk will also double as an enclosure, or sorts.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

About to finish up the trunk panels. Things are really starting to come together.


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## mitchjr (Mar 8, 2010)

Subscribe


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

I wanted to retain my spare time and I actually wanted to be able to get to it. I went from fully assembled to this in about 5 minutes using nothing but a drill and #2 Phillip bit. If I used a screwdriver, it would have taken me 10. 

And this is why it needed to come out. 

I used this stuff on the inside. 

All back together with the LEDs about to go in. 

Putting it back together--this took slightly longer than taking it apart. 

Result


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Got the trunk panels covered, so I'll start out with some finished pics. 


This is the covering material. I really don't understand why people go with vinyl. A high quality vinal costs nearly as much as leather, so why not just go with the real thing? 

I covered the center panel last and the last thing I needed to do was gap the back of the panel. This is what I had to do to make sure I compensated for material thickness. I needed to be sure that this part comes out with ease for tuning. 

Respect the gaps, or lack thereof!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Looks AWESOME man!


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Looks AWESOME man!


Glad you like, sir!


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

Dmack said:


> I wanted to retain my spare time and I actually wanted to be able to get to it.


That makes two of us! Although I guess you meant tire instead of time. 

Looking very nice indeed!


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

n_olympios said:


> That makes two of us! Although I guess you meant tire instead of time.
> 
> Looking very nice indeed!


Yes, I meant spare tire--because I certainly have no spare time!!


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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

berry nice...the leather wrapped panels are a nice touch.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

great attention to detail.

i have been thinking of doing a rewrap on my headliner some areas are starting to sag a little - but being an '03 its really holding together well. 

a little tip - you may want to reinforce the aft portion of the headliner under the sunroof. that metal lip that goes all the way around will vibrate with bass and rattle on the sunroof cover. just get a piece of all-thread and fiberglass it into the nook that the metal lip creates - and it will be nice and solid. i still need to do this with mine - but its super anoying haha.

i am not a fan of the black\tan theme - but if you like it then more power to you, however - great job on the wrap. it does look well done. as far as the pods, why didnt you sink them into the pillars further? the airbag does not start till half way up - there should be an inch or two behind the pillars... just a thought


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## Eggroll (Mar 2, 2012)

Any updates?


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

req said:


> great attention to detail.
> 
> i have been thinking of doing a rewrap on my headliner some areas are starting to sag a little - but being an '03 its really holding together well.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the positive feedback. The black and tan really looks better in person than it does in the crappy cell phone pics. 

The way the pods are installed will not interfere with the airbags. The reason I did not counter-sink the L3s is because I was waiting on Scott to get the new grills. Here is a pic--crappy none the less--of how the pods look, now. 


Buch has been done to the car since I last posted. i built the IB baffle for the 2 C12SWs. However, I had to install a set of the Imagine subs in their place until they come in. 



I also started a kick panel project this past weekend, moving the L6SEs from the doors. They are vented to the atmosphere with a cutout 1/2 the SD of the speaker. I still need to build the kick panel trim to finish these out.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

very cool. did you relocate the hood latch from the kick to under the dash?

what did you do to facilitate this? just unbolt the stock latch behind the kick and move it up to a new spot? the kicks look great. i assume you just cut a hole through to behind the fender liner and there are zero problems?

why were you unhappy with the L6's in the doors? i assume the L3 can play down to 200~300hz. in my expierence, this really isnt affected much by being off axis in the doors, and a well dampened door should be able to be very quiet. what are your thoughts?


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

req said:


> very cool. did you relocate the hood latch from the kick to under the dash?
> 
> what did you do to facilitate this? just unbolt the stock latch behind the kick and move it up to a new spot? the kicks look great. i assume you just cut a hole through to behind the fender liner and there are zero problems?
> 
> why were you unhappy with the L6's in the doors? i assume the L3 can play down to 200~300hz. in my expierence, this really isnt affected much by being off axis in the doors, and a well dampened door should be able to be very quiet. what are your thoughts?


Right now, the hood latch is just up inside the dash. I am looking for a different style hood latch that is designed to mount under the dash. Another option would be to use a popper for the hood. 

I have not cut the inner fender liners. Instead, I am going to space out the fender liners about 1-1.5". I don't want any chance of water getting to the drivers. Another team member did this in his Golf and it worked perfectly. 

There were a couple reasons for the move. First and foremost was door resonance. I gave the doors massive amounts of sound deadening and foam between panels, but I was fighting a losing battle. Not to mention, even if the doors were perfectly silent, it is still not as good an option as kicks. Second, having the L6's in the kicks gives me many more possible system configurations. Right now, the midbasses are crossed at 250, meaning they are playing fairly non-directional frequencies. However, if in the future I choose to play around with higher crossover points, kick panels are a much better choice. 

Here is another pic of the kick panel construction. This did not get pictured on the other side. 

Chopped man, resin and cabosil was used to mold the 1.25" baffle perfectly to the car body.


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## vwdave (Jun 12, 2013)

Looking great. I expected it to be the new hybrid jetta u til I saw your post about the title being misleading. Looks great still though. You should get the new hybrid jetta as that would be great with hybrid audio speakers.


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## EuroFresh (Jun 30, 2013)

I have the same car, I really wanna make an amp rack like this, but I'm worried about ditching my spare tire, just cause of my luck :x Nice build my man!


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

EuroFresh said:


> I have the same car, I really wanna make an amp rack like this, but I'm worried about ditching my spare tire, just cause of my luck :x Nice build my man!


Spare has not been ditched! I can get to my spare and jack in about 10 minutes with nothing more than a Philips head screwdriver.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

you can build an amp rack like the one i made in my GTi (link in signature) and retain your spare tire without any tools.



thanks for the pics of the kick construction! mine are basically identical but i did not vent them, and i am using 4" midrange. i actually want to try moving my midbass AFT in the door panel, rather than forward out of it. reason being is that the thing that is weird about midbass (not amplitude directional such as 250hz and below or so) is that left and right cues are PHASE dependant rather than loudness dependant like high frequencies. since we sit off-center in a car, that means that the phase-time of the wave front reaching our ears is super important because sound leaves the diaphragm in a big arc...

(good thread about this here http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ussion/150134-crazy-imaging-stock-system.html)

so having speakers outboard directly to the LEFT and RIGHT playing less than 250hz (or thereabouts) will keep the phase dependant cues the most precise.


better explained;



Patrick Bateman said:


> I mentioned the OPSODIS paper, but failed to explain what OPSODIS is, how it works, or link to the paper.
> 
> I couldn't find the paper online, but *here's a quick summary of how this novel arrangement works:*
> 
> ...


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

This is a very cool build. Any updates?


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## Huckleberry Sound (Jan 17, 2009)

Very Nice!!!


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

Sorry for the lack of updates. It did really well last year, scoring and 1st and 2nd at major shows. However, the car came out of gear while parked and rolled two blocks into another car last August.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

See photo attached. However, it has now been fixed and is better than ever. It is currently sitting at Hybrid Audio Salon getting a little Dewayne Blackwood loving. 

This car will definitely be seen at finals this year.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

wow man love it!! did you ever ditch the 701 and just try the zapco dsp? or was it better using the two together?


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

I did ditch the 701, but I installed an H800. I use the 800 for crossover, TA, and to flatten everything out. I use the DSP in the amps for tonality.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Loving the work on the false floor.


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

REGULARCAB said:


> Loving the work on the false floor.


Thanks, sir! It certainly has a classy look about it. And, it looks ever better now that the Clarus subs are installed. However, the trunk is going to have to chance somewhat in the near future in order to accommodate more amps. I will going to one amp per speaker for the front stage. 

Also, the pods are changing as well. This should be done around the first of August.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Dmack said:


> Currently, the interior of the car is tan and black, with more tan than black.


Am I the only one who thought of "Black and Tan, a Crime of Fashion" from Psych? lol

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Dmack said:


> Thanks, sir! It certainly has a classy look about it. And, it looks ever better now that the Clarus subs are installed. However, the trunk is going to have to chance somewhat in the near future in order to accommodate more amps. I will going to one amp per speaker for the front stage.
> 
> Also, the pods are changing as well. This should be done around the first of August.


Are your current pods vented into the side defroster vents? Did you block the vent junction off somewhere? 

And it figures that if your car was going to roll 2 block into something it would have to be a Mercedes, wouldn't it? Glad to hear it survived.

Jay


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## Dmack (Mar 6, 2008)

JayinMI said:


> Are your current pods vented into the side defroster vents? Did you block the vent junction off somewhere?
> 
> And it figures that if your car was going to roll 2 block into something it would have to be a Mercedes, wouldn't it? Glad to hear it survived.
> 
> Jay


Well, it would have been totaled had I not had a client who owed me about $30K with a boyfriend who is a paint and body guy. There was significant sub-frame damage. However, if you look at my truck panels and how they are molded to the shape of the trunk, I think it speaks volumes that everything fit back in the car, perfectly. 

Luckily, the Mercedes was old and only worth about $8K. The other thing that is important to note is that this happened on Dexter Avenue--the street that leads up to the Alabama State Capital. The other funny thing is that it ran backwards through two traffic lights. 

Yes, the pods are vented into the defroster vents. I was worried that the center opening in the defroster vent would cause some issues, but I have run it with this vent covered and uncovered and it makes no difference.


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