I bought some Alloy lower control arms off an S3 Audi.  They are a direct replacement for the cast steel units on the Octavia.  The price was right so I couldn't say no.

Look like this after a clean-up - I sprayed them with clear lacquer so they wouldn't get as dirty in the future.


Rear console bush comparison.  I think my bushes were getting tired after 150,000km but were still serviceable.  You could shift them about 6mm compared to 1-2mm on the non-voided bush


S3 lower Control Arm - 2.9kg


Original cast steel lower control arm (the heaviest of the 3 types available). - 4.6kg

 

I know it's monopoly play money down under ( ), but how much were they brad?

FWIW, more info on the console bushes here http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/347398-i-need-better-suspension-to-cope-with-the-heady-16tdis-105-bhp/

I know it's monopoly play money down under ( ), but how much were they brad?

I bought them 2nd hand with a bundle of other S3 crap that a guy was trying to clear out of his lock-up.

 

AUD700 (GBP400ish???) for a set of unmarked 18" S3 rims with 6-7mm tread Bridgestone RE050A; a pair of S3 front seats with leather but no heaters and he threw in the LCAs as a sweetener.  They were covered in road grime when I got them.

 

I figure I paid $300 for the wheels/tyres, $200 for the seats & $200 for the LCAs.  To buy the LCAs locally from the gougers at VWA is $700-$800/pr I believe.  The SuperPro LCAs are better value at $550/pr.  For $200 the LCAs were a no-brainer (I keep telling myself to stop buying things for this car).

 

LCAs fitted & working - $200 well spent

 

Wheels & tyres cleaned, waxed & ready to fit before the next registration inspection in June - $300 well spent

 

S3 seat cleaned & sitting on the floor in the garage while I work out how to connect two different airbag connectors - Possibly a hasty decision there.

 

Agree, AUD has become Monopoly money again.  Weve gone from 1.10 to 0.75 against the USD.  I took the family on a holiday to the UK in 2010 and it was a very affordable 1.5:1, now it's almost 2:1.  At least it's good for the exporters - out manufacturing capability has diminished greatly because the AUD was too strong.

For the s3 seats just snip the airing connectors off your old seats and soldier them to your s3 seats. did a similar thing to some vw seats and it worked fine with no airing light issues. They should superior to the octy seats as I had some audi a3 sport seats in before and they were super comfy.

I thought of that but don't want to totally trash the old seats. 

 

I was thinking of using a 3 pin molex connector but there appears to be a piece of bridging metal in the OEM connector.  Is that something to stop a spark followed by a large bang or something?

Just bought a pair of these off a Passat b6 as they are apparently the same. How did u get yours so shiny?

You can put the correct airbag connectors on the seats so you can use them in the Octavia. You need 2x connectors 8J0 972 576 plus 6x wiring pins. The repair wire code is 000979035E but I understand that they are hard/impossible to get, so check if it is the same situation in Aus and then just give up and buy the crimp terminals as I did, eg from here;

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181510397456?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

FYI the bridging metal piece in the connector shorts the circuit when the seats aren't plugged in, presumably making an accidental ignition less likely. Once you plug the connector in, the bridge loses contact with the pins.

Just googled that wire you're saying is hard to get and I'm convinced last year I simply walked into my local dealer and ordered some to get my cat vision sunroof switch to work! I'll have to check my spare parts, but I'm absolutely sure they're the same things. They come as three wires with a connect on each end, so six in total.

Just bought a pair of these off a Passat b6 as they are apparently the same. How did u get yours so shiny?

Washed them with whatever car wash was in the bucket in the garage - I have an odd habit of washing my wheels / exhaust / sills first then changing out the water/detergent & doing the rest of the car and then keeping the relatively clean suds until the next wash.  It's interesting that some detergents turn into a jelly-like substance over a week or two.

 

I used a standard green pot scourer pad to get rid of the "baked-on" rubbish and make them relatively shiny.

 

Then I painted them with clear lacquer pressure pack that I had laying about (it's a PCB lacquer) so that the dirt would have less tendency to stick.  They look good in the photo but they aren't perfect.

You can put the correct airbag connectors on the seats so you can use them in the Octavia. You need 2x connectors 8J0 972 576 plus 6x wiring pins. The repair wire code is 000979035E but I understand that they are hard/impossible to get, so check if it is the same situation in Aus and then just give up and buy the crimp terminals as I did, eg from here;

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181510397456?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

FYI the bridging metal piece in the connector shorts the circuit when the seats aren't plugged in, presumably making an accidental ignition less likely. Once you plug the connector in, the bridge loses contact with the pins.

Thanks for the info mate.

 

You've given me the confidence that I can do the job.

No problem Brad. Seatbelt/occupancy sensor connector may need changing too, though it is only present on the drivers seat in the Octavia here in the UK - that requires connector 1J0 973 119 and wire 000 979 131, or 2x equivalent crimp terminals (e.g. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Vw-dj6181-e1-5-models-terminal-refit-pin/411650_813539209.html, though I bought mine locally).

 

My seats were from a 2005/6 A6 but I expect that the A3/S3 wiring is very similar. Managed to avoid blowing myself up; no problem removing existing seats with the battery still connected, but I did follow the recommended procedure of disconnecting the battery before connecting up the new seats, then turning on ignition before reconnecting the battery so if it does all go wrong you are under the bonnet when they ignite!

Just googled that wire you're saying is hard to get and I'm convinced last year I simply walked into my local dealer and ordered some to get my cat vision sunroof switch to work! I'll have to check my spare parts, but I'm absolutely sure they're the same things. They come as three wires with a connect on each end, so six in total.

 

You may well be right - it might have been price that guided my decision in the end. I'm sure I'd read somewhere else that they were discontinued, but that might only refer to the gold plated version that is supposed to be used. I do recall some repair wires were extortionate from both dealers and TPS, (I have £15+ each in mind for one wire but cannot remember which one) so since I have suitable ratchet crimpers I stuck with DIY terminals for most of the connections I made.