1. Stock intercooler is between the radiator and A/C condenser, with the A/C condenser being closest to the front of the car.
2. Yes
3. From what I hear, no. Front mount is easier to install than a stock location IC.
4. IMO yes it's a waste. Either go front mount or get an aftermarket stock location IC. From my limited research, stock replacement ICs outperform front mounts. I'm sure others will chime in here.
That being said, the stock replacements aren't all that difficult to install if you have some help. With a friend, we installed an IE intercooler in his GTI in about 4 hours. We did my Golf R in about 3 hours since we knew what to do. Could have done it in 2 if we wanted to rush it.
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