It's On My Driveway! Random additions.

[KBPhoto]

Any chance we could keep this thread 'on topic' please gentlemen?

[KBPhoto]

Two weeks on (almost) and a few minor issues to sort out:

• Xenon cornering function seems to not be working; I've started thread about this; Now sorted. Read the thread.
• Boot light does't work; I've read some threads (such as this one) and am trying to get a multimeter to test the wiring;
• Interior 'cat's eye' light are illuminated when the headlights are on; again one thread suggest that they shouldn't be when a sunroof is fitted;
• Incredibly slow Bolero when reading from SD card which seems to be fixable by a knowledgeable dealer.

On the plus side, I've ordered the following from Skodateile:

• a towbar and electrics; now fitted
• the frame and cover for towbar cut out; also fitted
• a Columbus fascia; and this
• wheel centres with new logo; and this
• door sill covers - still deciding whether to fit them or sell them (15/6/15)

Ales, as usual, has been great about obtaining parts not listed on the website (email direct to him in Czech - courtesy of Google Translate - seems to help). Even with a €60 shipping charge, it all comes to less that I'd pay for a towbar and dedicated Skoda 13-pin electrics in this country, so I'm happy.

I've also ordered the following from Cars Equipment:

• GPS, GSM, Radio, DAB shark fin antenna with stubby aerial; fitted - no DAB / SSD Columbus yet
• MDI Connector. fitted but not working on podcasts properly due to Apple's iOS 8 not playing fairly (15/6/15)

When it all arrives, I shall be having a lot of fun removing lots of trim to fit it all.

To fit the antenna I will be removing the headlining to run all the cables to the front and will be also checking the drain tubes from the sunroof as per this thread just in case there is a potential problem. Biggest unknown with this at the moment is the location of the airbags...

[Toxicvrs]

In Hereford Yesterday on Aylestone hill?

[KBPhoto]

Wednesday afternoon I was. But not yesterday.

[Toxicvrs]

Wednesday afternoon I was. But not yesterday.

Might have been Wednesday, it all blurs into one, was just popping to get some parts in the works pool car.

[KBPhoto]

First of the upgrades have been delivered: One from China and one from Czech Republic.

 

 

The small packet from China is a 5 meter DAB cable from China RF (via eBay). I've used them before for several cables and they have been excellent at making up cables to my spec (connectors and lengths). This one cost about £10 including delivery (which took less than 2 weeks) and have black FAKRA 'A' connectors on both ends of a RG174 cable.

 

I spent ages debating whether to go for RG316 or RG174 cable, so hopefully this will work on the DAB/DBA+ connectors for a Columbus.

 

The larger box - I don;t think I've ever had a FedEx box before - is from Cars Equipment and contains 2 x LED festoon bulbs for the rear interior lights, a MDI passthrough loom and a roof antenna for GPS, GSM, FM & DAB (p/n 6R0 035 501 D) along with the VAG stubby radio aerial / antenna.

 

 

Looks like I'm going to be busy fitting a few of these and reporting back on my findings.

[KBPhoto]

Today's upgrades: Glass dealing with Gtechniq Perfect Glass kit.

Managed to get three coats on the front and one on the back today. Will have to see how it goes when it next rains.

It's got to be better than Rain-X!

Especially for £30 for the whole kit that includes microfibre & applicators but no lint free cloths.

Oh! And a small sticker that I discovered today.

Think I may have used too much of the actual sealant though as I'm almost half way through the bottle.

It's pretty easy to apply, if time consuming, and I did have a mini heater inside the car as the ambient air temp was only about 10/11°C and Getechniq recommend 15-30°C for application.

Clean. Polish. Clean again. Seal. Wait. Seal again. Wait longer. Seal again. Clean residue. Admire.

I'll try to get video of beading (hopefully) tomorrow but think I may be converted to sealants and Gtechniq products.

[Coops]

You won't be disappointed with GTechniq - I immediately found it better than Rain X

[KBPhoto]

Following another delivery (no prizes for guessing where from) I now have several bits to add / upgrade.

 

First off was to retrofit my Columbus and the MDI controller.

I think it worked out very well, although I still need to cut a hole in either the dash top box or the 'ashtray'.

Probably the latter is my preferred location.

[littleade]

I must of missed something.... where's the planned remap or tuning box on the 'to do' list?

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Doubt that'll happen as I'm pretty happy with the 170 as is (apart from missing the low down torque of the PD140 I had).

I'm also not wanting to have to source insurance for performance changes to vehicles. It added quite a bit to my old Octavia and all I did was lower it!

My current insurance are happy with the mods I'm making (towbar, Columbus, etc.) and haven't charged any extra. I'm OK with that.

I have a DTE Pedal Box sat here unused as it's just not something I want to get into. I'm sure a decent remap could add to the low down torque, improve performance & economy, but it'll also add wuite s but to my insurance costs and the hassle of renewing each year.

[KBPhoto]

First stage of fitting the tower is completed - getting the bumper cutout for the removable (or not) towbar.

 

I have a genuine Skoda towbar via Skodateile which has a lever on the side of the towball as opposed to a dial. Looks quite bit neater - will have to see how it gets on in practice.

 

On a cold but dry day I managed to remove the rear bumper separate the diffuser (part number for the diffuser without cut out is 5L6 807 835) from the bumper and take it to the dealer. Separating the two parts is not too difficult and means the main part of the rear bumper can be part re-fitted and the car driven. It is basically a series of push tabs, although some need the retaining tabs to be lifted to make it easier to get out.

 

 

 

Just wish I had remembered everything in this (back to front) thread as I managed to break one part of the interior boot trim by pulling in the wrong direction. Will have to see how it goes back together, but that could be about £65 to replace it with a new part...

 

The upshot is that I now have a removable flap in place and it looks pretty good.

 

 

 

Despite the dealer allegedly having a proper tool for 'stamping' out the hole, it came back looking like a monkey with a blunt, rusty Stanley knife had cut it out by hand.......

 

     

 

And had stressed the plastic bending the removed part out as they had not cut all the way through properly.

 

 

 

So, some time spent at home with a sharp knife and a bit of sandpaper enabled me to get the cutout looking reasonably decent with the frame glued in and the cover in place.

 

 

 

For anyone that needs to know, the frame and cover come as one kit (part number EEA 630 011) with sticky tape already applied. The inside of the bumper needs to be cleaned and then, ideally, primed with 3M 4298UV Adhesion Promoter before removing the tape covers and putting the frame up to the bumper.

 

Make sure that you have it round the right way. Initially the cover seems the wrong way round, but it makes perfect sense once the bumper is fitted and there are two rebates on the frame that match two of the indents seen in the outside of the rear diffuser.

 

Would I pay £21 + VAT for this dealer to do it again? No.

 

I'm not convinced they had the right tool to be able to do it and that they 'bodged' the cutout.

 

Could I have done a better job at home? Maybe, but it certainly wouldn't have been any worse than the finished product I have now.

[KBPhoto]

I'm just waiting for the proper Skoda wiring kit to arrive, then I'll fit the bumper and wiring and get some pictures of that part of the process.

 

Even with the proper kit and the instructions, I am a little apprehensive about removing terminals from the fuse board and ECM(?) and plugging in all the new parts. Especially as I have so far failed in all my attempts to remove terminals from connectors indoors in the warm, let alone in the cramped cold car.

[KBPhoto]

Had a call today from the local dealer saying that Skoda UK will be respraying my rear doors and applying the protective film as a 'goodwill' warranty claim.

Got to wait until January 12th for it to go in though.

[Toxicvrs]

Good progress Karl which dealer are you using, presumably not the one past Wyevale in town?

[KBPhoto]

Haven't been to the one in Hereford for ages. Something to do with them not responding to emails and no longer being a proper Skoda dealer.

It's the one over Worcester way who are trying to impress me at present in order to keep me as a customer. I'm undecided at present.

[Toxicvrs]

Haven't been to the one in Hereford for ages. Something to do with them not responding to emails and no longer being a proper Skoda dealer.

It's the one over Worcester way who are trying to impress me at present in order to keep me as a customer. I'm undecided at present.

Ohh blimey, often drive past there, still signed up as one. Will remember to avoid that one. Best of luck with the Worcester one

[KBPhoto]

As it is now spring and warm enough to spend some time outside, I have got around to a couple of upgrades: wheel centres and shark fin / stubby aerial (6R0 035 501 D).

 

   

 

I had some new tyres fitted, but forgot to ask them to knock the centres out before refitting the wheels!! Ended up putting a screw into the old green logo and pulling them out to be replaced by genuine silver new style centres. Picture to come...

 

I also managed to get the headlining down far enough to be able to run some of the cables for the GPS, GSM and DAB.

 

What I discovered is that the existing FM cable runs down the D-pillar on the passenger side and into the wheel arch before, presumably, running along the sill trim to get to the stereo.

 

I also discovered that my cable is not long enough to follow that route so had to go across the headlining. I put the DAB cable there as well, but will (at some point) actually remove the headlining fully so the cables can be fixed in place as they are loose inside at present.

 

The GSM cable I have not fitted as yet as I want to run that down the D-pillar on the driver's side and along the sills as I'll be removing all that to fit the tower wiring later this spring. Disappointingly, there is a clip / holder for three of the FAKRA connectors, but not the fourth! With the headlining off, I'll be able to fit a single clip / holder for the GSM FAKRA connectors.

 

FM reception (with only that antenna working as my Columbus has a broken antenna 1 connection) is as good as the whip aerial. The GPS reception is better than with a puck receiver hanging from the top of the A-pillar trim (I could not get a reliable reception with the puck behind the dash trim).

[KBPhoto]

Will update on the rear foils that were applied following a rear door respray once I have washed the car - but for now I'll say that I expect to have to go back again to get the foils reapplied (again) as there are air / water bubbles under it.

[KBPhoto]

Time for it's monthly wash and I'll be able to inspect the foils on the doors properly. However, I wanted to fit the tow bar and electrics first and wash it after.

 

Two days of effort (which could easily have been one as I didn't start until lunchtime yesterday and finished before dinner tonight) and it is all complete and coded.

 

As I don't yet have anything with 13-pin electrics, I can't actually test it. But there are no fault codes stored in VCDS at present!

 

I'll try to detail the process as best I can without duplicating the excellent (if back to front) thread by Joel SHOEMARK already on the internet about fitting to a Yeti with factory preparation. I'll try to add points to this and cover the extra bits needed to fit to a car without factory prep using the original Skoda kit (EEA 630 101 E4) and using a Prof Svar s.r.o. Tower as shown in the generic Skoda accessories brochure (both supplied by Ales at Skodateile for a very reasonable price).

[KBPhoto]

Around each rear mud flap (if fitted) are three T25 Torx screws (see picture). There is also a small push rivet at the top of the mud flap that needs to be taken out. Get some spares on order as you will almost certainly ruin at least one of them. Part number is N90 536 901. There are also some push rivets on the lower edge of the mud flaps, but I had completely forgotten about those as I had previously removed the rear bumper only to discover that the wiring kit I had at that point was totally unsuitable and had not replaced these. Part number for these is: N0385012. Another job for tomorrow...

 

 

 

The mudflap seems to be held to the bumper by a clip at the lowest edge. I din't investigate too closely as the bumper came off with the mudflap attached.

 

There are also several T25 screws holding the wheel arch liner in place. You'll need to remove these to access the holes for the towbar fitting. I didn't remove the arch liner, just pulled it forward enough to gain access.

 

There is another T25 screw at each corner of the rear diffuser and three larger push rivets holding it in place (red arrows in the second and third pictures below).

 

   

 

Remove the two covers beneath the rear lights (they pull off with relative ease) to uncover two 10mm nuts that actually hold the rear bumper in place.

 

 

 

Pull the plastic trim behind the rear wheel outwards to loosen it from the clips (very easy to do) and the whole bumper can be removed - being careful of wires if you have rear parking sensors as it will be cable tied in quite short. Cut the one cable tie to the right and you'll have enough room to manoeuver the bumper around and fit the towbar.

 

[KBPhoto]

On to the interior trim: removing the first piece of boot trim caused my first mistake. Had I looked back at Joel's thread, I'd probably have seen the clear indications that there were two clips at the lower corners that needed to be pulled towards the front of the car (into the boot) before the plastic trim could be pulled upwards releasing the six clips. You have been warned twice now!
 

 

Consequently, I broke the near side one! Not a major problem, as it has all gone back together properly. Just very annoying. A replacement panel (for the left hand side) is part number 5L6 867 427 k 9B9 at £61.18 + VAT; hence why I didn't replace it.
 

 

While you have this piece off, you may as well fit the two rubber straps that are needed to hold the warning triangle in place if you want to. Part number: 5L6 860 273, £2 each + VAT.
 

 

You'll need to first off the C-pillar & D-pillar trim on both sides. These pretty much pull straight off. This is the D-pillar to give you an idea.

 

 

 

And the C-pillar and the clips that hold one edge:

 

 

 

If you have an airbag symbol on the C-pillar then there is a T25 screw underneath that. Prise the 'airbag' cover out with something soft (it is on a retaining strap) and undo the screw being very careful not to drop it as I suspect you'll never see it again if you do.

 

Then you'll need to remove the two boot trim panels that cover each wheel arch. There are 5 T25 screws: 1 on the boot edge, 2 on the D-pillar and 2 on the C-pillar and one push rivet by the rear seats.

 

     

 

Prise out the cover on the slide rails on each side,

 

 

undo the three slightly larger (and very long) bolts holding each one in and then the side panels will come out fairly easily. To make removal, and especially refitting easier, lift up the back seats and lift up the rear edge of the black carpet that is under the seats. It is held into place by poppers and easy to refit with a push later. This will make getting the panel back in so much easier later.

 

That's all the trim for now - you will need to remove the upper B-pillar trim (seatbelt adjuster) and lower trim as well as the black trim by the two door shuts.

[KBPhoto]

Lets return to the rear bumper section and remove the crash bar to fit the towbar.

 

My crash bar was held in with three T45 Torx screws on the near side and four on the off side. All were quite easy to undo and the crash bar quite easy to remove in comparison to my Octavia estate which had lots of 'gunk' holding it in and blocking the Torx heads.

 

 

 

After cleaning up the area where the crash bar was and putting the bolts back in the holes I would definitely spray it with Waxoyl (£8.99 for 800ml from Halfords). I did this later and found it awkward to cover the area evenly working around the fitted towbar.

 

On the internet there are mixed reviews of Waxoyl spray (clumping, propellant running out, etc.) but I did not experience these myself. Yes, the spray wasn't as even as I had hoped, but warming it (and keeping it pretty warm) helped and I got the job done without issue or using the recommended nozzle (just as well as one was not supplied).

 

There are a number of T25 screws to undo in order to remove the wheel arch lining enough to access two square patches on each side that cover the holes where the towbar bolts will go:

 

 

 

Peel these off, slide the towbar in and line up the holes before putting the bolts in by hand initially. Mine were tightened to 70Nm as per the instructor manual - you'll need to check your own bar and use the appropriate torque wrench and settings.

 

   

 

Don't put the bumper back on yet as you'll need to run the electrics from the towbar into the cabin via a little hole in the NSR corner. Press the existing rubber bung out and feed the socket end of the cables through the hole from the cabin / boot downwards and locate the rubber bung on the cable into the hole.

 

[KBPhoto]

This is the full Skoda electrical 13-pin socket set for Yeti's without factory prep (which I would recommend getting) and I have to say that I am very impressed with the kit and would buy this over any other manufacturer's kit if I did it again. Everything fitted easily, was exactly the right length and (despite the vague written instructions) the manual was very well put together.

 

   

 

The other thread details most of the fitting of the controller very well, so I'll only add a little and a couple of pictures. Everything you need to fit the controller are supplied - two push in square plastic bits to put the two screws into. One end of the controller has an 'open' clip - put this in first and then screw in the second before tightening the first one. Very secure. Plug the two connectors in and connect the earth led to the exiting on under the window (10 mm socket).

 

 

 

The socket then clips into the housing and attaches to the mounting plate on the towbar. Except mine didn't! The holes are too big and unthreaded. I suspect that three small nuts should have been in clouded but weren't. However, the instructions say to screw the three bolt sin the socket straight into the mountain plate. Anyway, I've ordered some M5 and M4 half height nuts (there is not that much of a gap between the back of the bolts and the car bodywork - hence the half height nuts).

 

While you are here, I'd add some protective film to the bodywork behind the towbar socket as it is pretty close on fitting and removing the towball and I have already caught the paint.

 

 

[KBPhoto]

Next stage is the big job and the difference between having factory prep and not. But everything is supplied except the tool needed to remove the terminals from the fuse board and the BCM.

 

Removing the interior trim in order to get the cables along the door sills and up to the fuse board is not that tricky when you do it in the right order.

 

Start with the upper B-pillar trim. There is a screw under the airbag logo - be careful not to drop it! Otherwise the panel pulls off from the bottom first (there are two bars at the top edge that fit into holes in the bodywork and help to support the headlining). Top tip here is to push the seatbelt height adjuster fully up so you know where it should be when you refit. Otherwise the height won't adjust afterwards.

 

 

Then remove the lower B-pillar trim. Again it pulls off but remember that there is an alarm button connected to the panel, so do not pull it off too far unless you unclip this. In theory this panel needs to be pushed toward the front of the vehicle in order to disengage the trim from the piece behind it (to the rear of the vehicle). In practice, this is really difficult and will probably result in a small locating lug being broken join the B-pillar trim. Don't panic as it will all go back together OK if this is broken.

 

There is a screw holding the rear door sill trim in place. It is in the boot in front of the seatbelt. then this whole panel pulls off:

 

 

With the B-pillar trim off the front door sill trim comes off easily. Start from the front with two plastic push fit / friction bolts (in the red oval). Then lift the trim up to release the five metal clips (arrowed):