mlk118s

I have a friend trying to buy an '04 Turbo that looks to be sort of oddly equipped from a dealer that doesnt know a whole lot about P-cars. There is no window sticker. Looking at photos is there any tell tale ways to see if this car is an X50 or not? Did all the X50 cars have Ceramic Brakes or was that an option till the Turbo "S" of '05? This car has the standard "Big Reds" with Sport Techno Alloys. He doesnt really want to be obvious about asking the dealer. Also, opinions on lack of a removable hardtop.....it doesn't have one.
Thanks.

Dock

There should be a sticker on the inside of the front hood that lists the car's options.

mlk118s

Yes but I dont have a photo of that, He is trying to get one for me. Does the engine compartment look any different?

JG 996T

Not to my knowledge on the engine compartment.

As stated above, option list sticker under hood should say X50.

PCCBs with yellow calipers were standard on S (2005) cars, not X50 (2004) cars - I think it was an option though.

jimq

The X-50 inter coolers have different fins on them. The option list under the hood will say X-50. red brakes are standard until Turbo-S. Engine looks the same. There is no badging for X-50 on the car.

997xpress

I think you can tell by comparing the intercoolers. Reach in thru the intercooler air inlets in the back. The fins will 'feel' different than a non-X50 but I'm not sure exactly how.

How's that for a partial, useless answer?

adam_

You can run the vin at a P-dealer and they can list the options on the car when ordered, IIRC (note: P dealers are generally ******, and usually will not want to do this... just ask them to read off all the options)

BostonDuce

X50 intercoolers = GT2 intercoolers, they have rough ridges if you rub your fingers across them. The standard intercoolers are smooth to the touch.

X50 has K24 turbos but unless you're a aficionado, the difference is hard to spot.

The ECU has different mapping, and the transmission was beefed up, but those are impossible to differentiate without invasive investigation.

IMO the biggest chunk of change for the X-50 pack was for the warranty coverage, but that's a moot point now.

It's possible that someone went to the trouble to bolt on the turbos, IC's, and hoses to make it look like a X-50, but that seems like a lot of change for a diminishing return. But if some can spend $15 grand for shocks, anything is possible.

That being said, the most certain way to verify options is as others said, a decode of the trunk sticker or a VIN decode.

Sport Techno's were an expensive wheel option on the TT and included rear spacers-so look for them.

PCCB's (#450) had yellow calipers, were 'standard' on the '05 TTS, and optional in the regular TT. They were also included in the Power Pack option with the X-50. You could also get speed yellow calipers w/o the ceramic disks. Many gen-1 PCCB's were swapped out however, because of poor track longevity.

The hard top delete option (#750) was IMO pretty popular, especially for warm weather cars, as it carried a $1400 credit to the bottom line of the MSRP. Haven't seen very many Cab's wearing their hard hat anywhere. It's not easy to R&R. Don't expect to easily retrofit a hardtop to a hardtop-delete car however!

Good luck
BD

pewter82

I don't think PCCB's were included in the X50 power pack.
Best to find the sticker on the inside of the front hood, or reach up and feel for the fins..

jason

flpaindoc

Mine had the hardtop delete, but I got a used ht and it bolted on fine. All the hardwere was there. Perfect fit

BostonDuce

Sorry, I was referring to the "Performance Plus Pack"


BD

DesignerGenes

But ... be careful when reaching in to feel those K24s ... the squirrels have been known to bite. "No badging" is correct. CCBS brakes standard on Turbo S, but an option on Turbo. As the people have said, look to the documentation

x50type

You can clearly see the raised cooling fins in this photo of my x50 turbo. They are quite easy to feel when you put your hand through the horizontal bars.
Hope this helps.

adam_

To state perhaps the obvious: How do you tell the difference between an X50 and a stock turbo with X50/GT2 intercoolers?

Just something to keep in mind....arguably it would be quite rare for someone to upgrade/swap intercoolers and leave the rest stock.

x50type

good point adam_

as the standard turbos and the x50 turbos are not the same size, so do you know if the stock turbo and the x50 have the same size air duct diameters? if not the standard turbo intercoolers and the x50 intercoolers are not directly interchangeable?

agree, it would quite rare for someone to upgrade/swap intercoolers and leave the rest stock.
having said that, some one will probably come with why it is a good idea.