mikesouthby

Definitely worth repairing, its a 2013 Blackline vRS with sensible miles and in otherwise pristine condition, I must admit watching it unfold I couldn't believe the damage myself I was expecting a dent of some description seeing the bike (you're right, a motorbike) fall into it but not a hole..! Needless to say it's going to be an insurance claim given its left dents all down the door too which will require some paint work; I'm hoping it'll be done properly as opposed to a packet of filler and a band aid. Not that it necessarily means anything in this day and age but I am with Admiral who guarantee all their repairs for 5 years so hoping that counts for something. The insurance claim itself was more interesting, tried to claim off the bike insurance (I am the policy holder for both policies) so that I didn't have to pay excess on 2 claims but as I own both vehicles I can't be a 3rd party so it became very confusing very quickly! Just frustrating as the bike caused the damage, the car was parked up and not in use. Such is life.

Typical. My bike fell against the vRS over the weekend (I watched it happen in slow motion, nothing I could do about it) and the brake lever appears to have gone through the sill like a bullet; I presume this won't cause any problems for repair i.e. I know on some modern cars the sills are structural and depending on where the damage is they will not always repair them. I'm really hoping there will be no issues in repairing the damage.

I'll check for the MAC first, obviously. Is there a way of pulling that up from a hidden menu without VCDS or taking the dash apart? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks guys. That's reinforced what I was already thinking, whilst the phone quality was quite good hence leaving as was, the menu system is a bit well, not OEM and annoying (especially without the proper cellular info) but the nail in the coffin is the awful quality audio! Have been quite happy listening to DAB but as I have recently upgraded to an all you can eat data package on 4G I intend to make use of my Apple Music service in the car so need reliable Bluetooth service. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a Bluetooth question which I'm sure could be answered with VCDS but I'm also hopeful which the knowledge on this forum someone may be able to answer for me. I have a 2013 vRS Blackline estate with the Amundsen+ head unit which I believe comes factory fitted with bluetooth (from what I have read elsewhere on here), albeit disabled by default. This is somewhat reinforced by the fact that when scrolling through the menus there are references to bluetooth and phone features. I also have a FISCON aftermarket bluetooth module fitted (by the original owners of the car, not me) which is the bluetooth system that the car is actually using, I know this because the maxidot doesn't show the OEM cellular integration (i.e. with the cell strength display and phone name) but rather the poor FISCON menu system. Also when trying to stream audio using A2DP it does work but the quality is frankly awful; you have to manually go into the menu system in the maxidot and select 'start A2DP' and then select AUX2 on the Amundsen+ and only then do you hear the audio. As I mentioned though, the audio is very poor quality, think mono quality and very quiet. All this being said, I have to say that the quality the the mobile phone calls through the FISCON is actually quiet good, certainly on par with previous OEM integrations I have used if not, better. So my question, if the Amundsen+ does indeed have bluetooth how easy would it be to have this enabled by a member using VCDS and take out the FISCON unit so that I can start reaping the benefits of using proper factory bluetooth integration; I presume this would mean the proper integration of cellular features in maxidot and perhaps more importantly, proper quality bluetooth audio streaming? Appreciate any comments you may have. Thank you.

Hi all, It's that time again where I am thinking about what i can do to improve my headlights as frankly, they are pretty awful; I've currently got a 2013 estate with the dreaded halogen projector headlamps fitted. My drive to and from work each day takes me through some pretty nasty B roads and whilst the roads are familiar, I'd be being dishonest if I said I had the confidence in dark conditions especially coming from previous cars that had really good headlights. In fairness, full beam isn't too bad but the dipped beam is IMO on par with running a pair of candles up front. I know the debate surrounding HID is a long one so I won't dwell on that but its certainly an option for me; with a minimal amount of outlay and effort we all know the performance gains to be had. I'm not so keen however on the the legal aspect as whilst I don't think its particularly enforced just yet it could be one day and, its a bit of a bind at MOT if they decide to get too picky. I certainly don't proclaim to be super law abiding all the time but i can't be doing with the faff if it'll attract more attention that the problem I am trying to resolve if you know what I mean. Finally of course, there is as the the concern over coding and damage to other systems but my understanding is that this should be OK if done correctly. So, I have been giving some thought towards LED and wondered if anyone has had any experience of this just yet? My previous car was a new Nissan Qashqai (company motor) with full LED headlamps so I know how great they are (certainly comparable to HID if not an even nicer temperature) and as a bonus, no self levelling or headlamp washers are required to be compliant (well, I assume this to be the case given the Qashqai is definitely not fitted with either). Looking at the technology in the Qashqai I don't think it would be too hard to install a similar lamp arrangement in the Octavia which I hope would give a good result. I realise though that coding would most likely still be needed. Finally, I could just opt for upgraded halogen headlamps which would ensure legal compliance, mitigate any risk to damaging the car and give, to some degree, a much better light output. Be interested to know your thoughts.

Gone a bit mad today; car came with a mixture of Sport Contact 2 (1 OK the other completely shafted) and Sport Contact 5 (MO fitment although as new) but have just had a complete set of Pilot Sport 3's fitted. On the way home, I happened to stop off at the local window tinters that are recommended and somehow managed to spend even more. I'm now sat in B&Q whilst the old girl has dark smoke tints applied So, if anyone is interested in some barely used Sport Contact 5's let me know; given they were barely used I've kept them as spare but have no intention of using them myself but was not gong to let them be disposed of. What next? De-chrome the grille I am thinking... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi all, I have been browsing some of the topics on this site for a few weeks after registering when I picked up my new car a few weeks ago; thought it was about time to say hello! As far as I can tell, it's standard currently but I am thinking about doing a few minor things to personalise and improve upon things. Some of the things I am thinking about include window tints, HID (or maybe even LED) headlamp conversion and HU upgrade as well as a number of core changes with VCDS (cornering lights etc.) as and when. No doubt I will be back for advice and ideas over the next few months! Any thoughts or suggestions?