Octavia VRS mods

horgan_p

looking to do a little bit of modding to my new toy (09 pre facelift VRS with the CR engine) with rough prices :

pressed metal number plates and holder (€55)
vrs floor mats (£40/€60)
interior led lights ($30/€30)
headlights (£20/€30)
one of those gps tracker yokes
stereo RCD510 (€160) , new canbus ($54/€50) and bluetooth module ($90/€80)

eventually remap - bluefin (£400/€550)


Anything missing , or anything crazy money ? kind of my year one budget for it.

horgan_p

In the interests of adding some info for the next poor fool :

the octavia II vrs internal lights are not canbus - with the exception of the puddle lights, the boot light and the licence plate lights.

licence plates and surrounds ordered from eireplates.com

Drummerboy08

Wouldn't be bothered with a bluefin map, especially at that kinda money.

There are cheaper and better options out there, a custom remap on a rolling road in Ireland should cost around €350.

horgan_p

The remap is something I wont be going near until sept / oct , I'll bear it in mind though.
The thing attracting me to the Bluefin is how easy it is to undo when I'm selling the car on.

horgan_p

Quick update : plates arrived yesterday from Eireplates.com
Perfect in every way , the surrounds are solid and well up to the job. Got the fixing kit with them as well , used the screw caps and a bit of mastic to keep the water off the screws.
2 day delivery (ordered on Thursday delivered on Monday) with Fastway couriers.

If I catch the clown who put the original plates on my car , I will choke him. Screws practically nailled in. How can Garages have such disregard for brand new cars ?

Apparently my new headlight bulbs are waiting for me in parcel motel.


I ordered these in the end :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NMEEV9W?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
reviews seem to be good , so fingers crossed.
I think finding the head unit somewhere that isnt china is going to be interesting. Floor mats are also problematic , maybe a job for the main stealers.

Black_Knight

horgan_p wrote: »

I think finding the head unit somewhere that isnt china is going to be interesting. Floor mats are also problematic , maybe a job for the main stealers.

Breakers yard. RCD510's are everywhere. Check out crashed skoda's/VWs on donedeal and just check the interior pics for the head unit.

RNS510's would be advertised, since they're ~€500, but RCD510s just arnt as desirable.


As for a GPS tracker, you could get one from China for maybe €40-€50 I think. Get a prepay sim card, stick it into it and top it up every once and a while. Usually you can program them to alert(text you GPS coords map) you when they
a) lose signal
b) Leave certain area
c) When you ring the number

You'd probably need a way to keep it charged too - note that some battery packs will charge the GPS tracker to full, then power off (ie. car turns off, battery pack charges GPS tracker to 100%, battery pack stops charging with 90% battery left in it, GPS tracker drains and shutsdown). Found a car battery booster pack with USBs on it worked a charm.

vectra

VCDS adaptations

Enable both fogs?

Enable Fogs as CH/LH lights >> Not sure if this can be done on Pre FL models but your one has the CR engine so might be possible.
Enable fogs as Cornering lights
Enable needle sweep ( If not already enabled )
Anti Hijack

Fit and code footwell lights

tossy

horgan_p wrote: »

Explain please "needle sweep" ??? - googled it , I assume anyone with vcds can do this ?
And also "anti hijack"

I'll google the rest

Needles sweep is when you first turn the key all the needles sweep up to their end point and back again,it's 'cool' at night.

I presume by Anti Hijack he means auto-lock. the doors auto lock above 15kph or so.

Anyone who knows their way around VCDS will be able to the above.

Black_Knight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy1kCwx1uMY

horgan_p

Just changed the LEDS - for reference : 5 of the lights (both boot lights , both map reading lights and the glove box light) are of the t10 type.

horgan_p

Managed to get the canbus unit ordered over the last few days, becoming more apparent that I'd like to get my own vcds unit.
I assume that the official cables are the only way to go ? I think I'll have to wait until dollars become more palatable. Paid 52 euro for 54 dollars last night. Madness.

horgan_p

Another payday and some more toys ordered, this time the ANS620 head unit.
I'm hoping it ships with a little box called a canbus decoder , which should give me display above the steering wheel.

Hopefully this will negate me having to buy the skoda bluetooth kit (200 euro)

horgan_p

Then after that its really just the remap left to do.
I'll be taking it to the guy in watergrasshill in Cork. I've heard good things about him.
Some new speakers to be ordered as well next month.

Never ends .....

vectra

horgan_p wrote: »

Then after that its really just the remap left to do.
I'll be taking it to the guy in watergrasshill in Cork. I've heard good things about him.
Some new speakers to be ordered as well next month.

Never ends .....

D NOT take it there
He has no dyno or anything

DPF delete and a proper remap, take it to Lukasz in Fermoy Garage and Torque center.

Before and after runs with printout on dyno.

http://fermoygarage.com/

Black_Knight

Though ive no experience, a remap without a dyno just seems wrong. You'll probably get more power, but without the figures to back it up, you've no idea how much power/torque you're getting, or where you're getting it. Too much? Too little? All top end power? If its worth doing, its worth doing right.

horgan_p

DPF removal as well to be done , and a couple of those knacky VCDS mods above.
Want to get that tracker yoke fitted too , so a small bit of work for him. He seems to know his stuff.

I'm interested in smoothening out the acceleration as well as the increase in power/ torque.
As I say , that's a job for next months paycheque.....

vectra

horgan_p wrote: »

DPF removal as well to be done , and a couple of those knacky VCDS mods above.
Want to get that tracker yoke fitted too , so a small bit of work for him. He seems to know his stuff.

I'm interested in smoothening out the acceleration as well as the increase in power/ torque.
As I say , that's a job for next months paycheque.....

He does know his stuff in the electronics department.
But trust me when I advise you not to get your remap done.
I also think he does not have the facilities to remove the dpf.

Also as far as I am aware he uses generic maps.
The garage I pointed you to write their own maps to suit your needs.

I have seen results of their maps.

horgan_p

So my new stereo (AS-620) arrived today from icebox auto, Fitting it and pictures later.
Now, next question , speakers ??

Currently looking at these : http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/speakers/component-systems/6-5-inch-comp-17cm/jbl-cs760c-17cm-6-5-150w-component-speakers

link to stereo :
http://www.iceboxauto.com/vw-octavia-2007-2013-7-as610

vectra

horgan_p wrote: »

So my new stereo (AS-620) arrived today from icebox auto, Fitting it and pictures later.
Now, next question , speakers ??

Currently looking at these : http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/speakers/component-systems/6-5-inch-comp-17cm/jbl-cs760c-17cm-6-5-150w-component-speakers

link to stereo :
http://www.iceboxauto.com/vw-octavia-2007-2013-7-as610

These >> Pioneer TS-E170ci

horgan_p

SO the stereo fitted without too much hassle - cable management on the thing is very tight.
Ran into an issue with the maps - which are shipped on a micro sd card. Just sent a mail to the uk support guys with some screenshots.
Other than that its a pretty nice unit, its billed as being able to read "2TB" hard disks ,best I've done so far is a 16GB usb disk formatted to FAT32.

I do hope it isnt a DOA issue. If it is I'll be asking for a different model. I accept its a chinese unit , but for nearly €400 I'd expect better than an error in the first 24 hours.

horgan_p

well , looks like a DOA :

sorry to hear of your issues. You seem to have covered all the angles that i would suggest to try and overcome this issue so there maybe a possibility that the SD reader maybe defective but let me speak with the tech team to see if they have any further advice. Ill get back in touch shortly.

S**te anyway. Thinking of pressing to be moved up a model to one that runs Android.
Anyone here with experience of Android head units ?


At least its the UK I'm dealing with and not Hong Kong....
And at least I paid with Paypal. I hate having to think that way......

horgan_p

disaster. these boys at iceboxauto seem to be awful hassle to deal with.

Emails going unanswered , phones calls are being answered , but no solutions given.
I've just sent a mail asking them what the plan is to replace this unit given it lasted less than 24 hours.
I'd prefer to pay another few bob and get a higher spec model (I bought the AS420).
If I dont hear anything back by lunchtime its time to start a paypal dispute.

The reason I bought in the UK was to avoid this rubbish.

vectra

horgan_p wrote: »

disaster. these boys at iceboxauto seem to be awful hassle to deal with.

Emails going unanswered , phones calls are being answered , but no solutions given.
I've just sent a mail asking them what the plan is to replace this unit given it lasted less than 24 hours.
I'd prefer to pay another few bob and get a higher spec model (I bought the AS420).
If I dont hear anything back by lunchtime its time to start a paypal dispute.

The reason I bought in the UK was to avoid this rubbish.

Did you pay via Paypal?
Can you possibly open a dispute with them?

horgan_p

yeah , paid with paypal , so I'll be opening a dispute at lunchtime if I don't hear back.
Disappointing , given that their website has a large "why deal with us instead of china" page.

vectra

Would you be better off buying a Columbus unit or even an Amunsden?

horgan_p

The Columbus unit would be a bit more expensive , and I'd still neeed 200 for the skoda Bluetooth.

Plus I cant see myself getting a refund from this shower unfortunately.
I'm 400euro into it with them , and if I need to ship it back , then I can count on another 30-50 at least.

horgan_p

Paypal dispute started. Just in case there's any sneaky "no refunds after 7 days " nonsense.

vectra

horgan_p wrote: »

Paypal dispute started. Just in case there's any sneaky "no refunds after 7 days " nonsense.

It could be described as "Dead on Arrival"

horgan_p

Anyone got experience of android head units ?
I'm really trying to keep the car looking OEM if I can at all.

Black_Knight

horgan_p wrote: »

Anyone got experience of android head units ?
I'm really trying to keep the car looking OEM if I can at all.

That post contradicts itself.... unless you're going all futuristic and fitting Android Auto.

horgan_p

yeah , I worded that badly.
What I meant to say was I'm looking for a head unit that runs android , but has an OEM look to it (as in the surround). So it doesn't look like I just super glued a nexus 10 to the dash.

horgan_p

Update in this : icebox have agreed to issue a refund , so I think I'll go back to the original plan and just fit the RNS510 and the OEM bluetooth kit. It just looks like its less hassle at this stage.

MuppetCheck

horgan_p wrote: »

Update in this : icebox have agreed to issue a refund , so I think I'll go back to the original plan and just fit the RNS510 and the OEM bluetooth kit. It just looks like its less hassle at this stage.

Better solution to be honest. The Columbus is a good unit, hard drive is handy and integration with the MFD is nice.

punisher5112

horgan_p wrote: »

Update in this : icebox have agreed to issue a refund , so I think I'll go back to the original plan and just fit the RNS510 and the OEM bluetooth kit. It just looks like its less hassle at this stage.

Hi Horgan p how much would a head unit of that type cost.

I would like to have the option to play mp3 or off the phone or sd card as I am sick of the area I am in that for 10 to 15 minutes I only get eastcoast fm:mad:

Not looking to spend a huge amount

horgan_p

If you're not looking to spend a huge amount I've bad news.

Expect to pay in or around 500 euros. That assumes a non stolen , working example.

horgan_p

That's second hand by the way

punisher5112

So I would guess all the ones for €160-€250 are Chinese and rubbish.

Is there any other way to add a aux port to existing radio(original)
Thanks

horgan_p

depends on what car. theres a few solutions I looked at that take the place of a cd changer.

Black_Knight

RCD510s or RCD310s are cheaper. They dont have sat nav, but they have a build in hard drive to store music and an SD card slot. Think I sold my old one for around €250 a couple of years ago.

They're not as desirable, and most decent spec'd crashed cars would have them (at least VWs I look at always seem to have them and not the more desirable (more expensive) RNS510)

vectra

punisher5112 wrote: »

Hi Horgan p how much would a head unit of that type cost.

I would like to have the option to play mp3 or off the phone or sd card as I am sick of the area I am in that for 10 to 15 minutes I only get eastcoast fm:mad:

Not looking to spend a huge amount

Get a Bolero headunit.
No Nav. But an excellent unit
6 disc mp3 player in dash.
SD card and super sound.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2011-Skoda-Bolero-6-Disc-Cd-Player-Genuine-Touch-Screen-With-Code-Octavia-/301687904733?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item463e0019dd

horgan_p

Got the RNS-510 today (columbus) from someone in Ireland selling from a garage.
The coding seemed to be a little tricky , but the guy installing seemed to think that the Skoda / VW original Bluetooth isn't a patch on the later Parrots the ones with the colour display and support streaming.
Anyone here got the OEM kit that could comment ? I believe the hassle is with the install as opposed to anything else.

vectra

I am on my 3rd vRS with oem bluetooth.
Never had an issue and never had a complaint from anyone I would have been speaking to while using it.

horgan_p

Its possible he didn't want to do the install also , hence I'm asking here

horgan_p

OK , so I can fill in a small bit more info which should be handy for the next guy through the door.

1) Breakers yards have loads of Boleros. I was offered 3 or 4 over the phone on Friday for around €100 - €150.

2) Some breakers think the Bolero has GPS built in. It doesn't. No matter what they say.

3) partfinder.ie is handy for "putting feelers out" basically it sends a request to the breakers signed up to their system for whatever part you want. They email you back saying that johnny , jimmy and joey have this part in stock. Saves phone calls.

4) The only thing complicated about fitting the unit is coding the car to use it. Other than that its a walk in the park.

5) Be careful when coding the stereo to your car. The guy who coded mine thought I had a factory fitted amp (don't know why) , which meant that the stereo worked until the key was removed , then there was no sound from any source (stereo , parrot b/tooth). The car had to be returned to his place to recode out the amp.

As a result of this I've ordered my own Ross-Tech VCDS kit. I'm a tech nerd , and I hate not knowing whats going on with my car. It's expensive , but worth it to me. If anyone in Cork wants access to it , no problem - but you'll be doing your own coding until I'm 100% comfortable with it. No promises , no responsibility.

For my next trick , I'll be checking with breakers during the week for an OEM bluetooth controller , and order the cables new.

I do wish there was an easy way to upgrade to a multi function steering wheel though.

Black_Knight

horgan_p wrote: »

For my next trick , I'll be checking with breakers during the week for an OEM bluetooth controller , and order the cables new.

I do wish there was an easy way to upgrade to a multi function steering wheel though.

Just be sure the breakers car it comes out of hasnt had any water ingress since its crash. AFAIK the bluetooth module is under the drivers seat. A crashed Passat CC I was looking at had BT, but submerged in a few inches of water.

horgan_p

Yeah under the drivers seat is what I was told alright , that's why I'm buying the cables new.

horgan_p

So the VCDS cable arrived.

Needle sweep not available on pre facelift Octavia.
not a huge big deal.
Took a full auto sweep and backed it up. Just in case

lanciadub

glad to hear of your experience with icebox autos . I was just about to order an android head unit for my vrs , but i may keep looking they seem to be a minefield.

horgan_p

Hey everyone , time has come to get the baby remapped. Recommendations around the Cork area please ?

I presume we're talking about going from 170BHP to 200 or thereabouts ?
Any concerns regarding clutch etc. ?

GustavoFring

Its worth getting it done right so a spin to Joe Power might be your best bet. The clutch should be fine as long as you're not booting it in the lower gears all the time but if it's the original clutch you'll definitely kill it off sooner.

Also with them they don't get the power down that well, so quality tyres are really necessary. I also wouldn't get too hung up on the max power figure, even if you didn't go that far a decent remapper should be able to improve the drivability no end.

horgan_p

The lads in Fermoy know what they are doing
Need new tyres to suit. I've heard Bridgestone Potenza's ??