Bye Bye Mk1 vRS, Hello Mk2 Monte Carlo.

[FurbyItself]

After unfortunately having to say goodbye to my Mk1 vRS I ended up buying myself a Mk2 Monte Carlo. The turbo was about to blow and after weighing up whether to heavily modify the vRS or buy something with less miles and starting again, I ended up doing the latter. I picked it up last Saturday and after saying emotional goodbye to my old noble steed I got into my new one. It's a 13 plate with 39k on the clock. I got a good deal on her, but knew the 75bhp would not be enough so she was booked in with Shark Performance straight away. I'm currently writing this post from their reception. So standby for the verdict.

 

I have also ordered a new headunit which should arrive in the next week and a sunglasses holder (a huge necessity). I'm keeping an eye out for a RARB as well, they're apparently on back order until July for a Whiteline one, so if one pops up in the meantime, I'll get a second hand one. Keep your eyes on the for sale section if you're after some well priced goodies for your mk1. Including the Audi TT seats which are ready converted with rear seats to match... and possibly a subwoofer and boot buddy. depending on whether I put these in mine.  

 

Like I say, watch this space for a verdict on the remap.

[DavidIF]

What power are shark quoting? I've got a 105bhp Monte Carlo Tech and are interested in remapping it.

I shall follow this with interest.

[FurbyItself]

What power are shark quoting? I've got a 105bhp Monte Carlo Tech and are interested in remapping it.

I shall follow this with interest.

Well the 75bhp and 105bhp are the same engine I believe and they reckon they're good for 135bhp. I'll let you know what it reads later. I'm happy with this for now because its about the same as the mk1 vRS. Although down the line, it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up going in for Stage 2.  

[DavidIF]

Having once had a mk1 vrs I'd be interested to know if your Monte feels similar performance wise once remapped.

ATB Dave

[iSamage]

Would like to know what you left Shark with as I'm looking at maybe getting mine done some time

[FurbyItself]

Hi all, apologies for the delayed response. There is a good reason I haven't been on though, I didn't have the car. After an unfortunate friday ahead of the bank holiday, my ECU decided to die whilst in the care of Shark Performance. At first it seemed as though the ECU was fine as it could be updated and it was reporting fine, however after days of fault finding it had to be replaced. Now I would at this point like to emphasise that Shark were superb throughout.

 

I actually feel for Ben on this one, as he had everything going against him. He made it perfectly clear that anything that was wrong would be paid for by Shark. He even tried booking the car in at the local Skoda Dealer to try and get it turned around quicker, however they had a 2 week waiting list to even see a car. So after having to order 2 ECU's in (the first one was wrong) and call in a friend with the correct equipment to code the ECU to the car, they could finally flash the map onto the car. Now I would also like to praise all the guys at Shark for their patience and general customer service. He was genuinely sorry for having to keep the car for so long that he wouldn't bill me for the original map. All in all, I'd hate to think how much they've lost on my car. But his customer care is testament to how professional Shark are as a company. So to Ben, Carl, Matt and whoever else worked on my car, thankyou.

 

Now to the map itself... Can I tell a difference? Oh yes!!! A huge difference. Does it handle like a Mk1 vRS? In short, no... however, that's not a bad thing. The Mk1 has the 6 speed box whereas the the Mk2 has the 5 speed. This means the power is distributed in a completely different way. The Mk1 was so torquey at the low end, which made up for the fact it ran out of steam further up the range. The Mk2 doesn't pack as much punch at the lower end, but the power is delivered through a much smoother range as it goes right through (almost to the red line). Maybe the more refined CR doesn't pack the low end torque that the Mk1 had, but it's no slouch. So for the map, I can once again vouch for Shark... its superb. I haven't had it on a rolling road, but I'm sure Ben had his on it at some point. Hopefully he'll be along shortly to tell you what his managed.

 

As for the car now, well it's already had a new headunit. I went with the Pumpkin Android one. So far, it's a cracking little unit and I'd be willing to recommend it to anyone. It starts up with the Skoda logo and you can set up its back lights to match the car. The android side runs very smoothly with little effort. I have even got it running with an OBD II dongle which means I can watch some pretty animations of car information. I've also wired in my 4G wifi dongle so Google Maps can be used and much to my fiance's amazement, I can have FB in my car. As for the surround, I thought I'd try 'tarting it up' a little. It now is wrapped in a sticker bomb effect, along with the steering wheel inserts and the wheel hub caps. I'm not sure whether it will stay like this, but feedback is appreciated.

 

Next on the list is some H&R springs and a RARB. But for now, this is what she's looking like.

 

The car whilst camping;

 

URL=http://s42.photobucket.com/user/FurbyItself/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150619_141711_zpse4biffih.jpg.html][/url] 

 

Badge of honour;

 

 

And a few shots of the headunit;

 

 

 

 

 

Couple of the Hub Caps;

 

 

 

Any feedback is appreciated, cheers for reading.

[FurbyItself]

Oh... and how could I forget? I also have done the best 10 minute mod any Fabia 2 owners should do... The old sunglasses holder. 

[FurbyItself]

Just a quick update... When I first got the car, I went to use the horn in anger and quickly learnt to refrain from using it... They're useless. So today I've fitted a new one. I went with the nautilus horn that so many people have reviewed highly on Amazon. It's certainly going to make up for the old one... Now I'll be giving myself a heart attack every time it's used. But at least people will know I'm there. 

 

After living with the map for a little bit longer, I honestly urge anyone with a standard TDI to go Stage 1. It's so much more driveable. I know it's not a rocket ship, but it still puts a smile on my face daily and returns very good MPG.

 

Like I say, it was only a quick update, so that's it!

[phil007]

Changed the horn in my monte but still not loud enough . Does the one youve got fit ok where the horn goes in the monte as its a bit cramped behind the drl light? Thanks

[FurbyItself]

Changed the horn in my monte but still not loud enough . Does the one youve got fit ok where the horn goes in the monte as its a bit cramped behind the drl light? Thanks

Yeah, it fits alright. You know the horn has the two small bars on top, which attach to the bracket on the car. Well I had to remove that bracket (one bolt) and use the bars to make a template to make a modified bracket. The new bracket is the shape of them two bars... It's just a little bit more sturdy. You may be able to get away with  the two bars, but I was just being careful. This allows the horn to sit below the DRL mounts. If that makes sense??? 

[phil007]

Thanks for that will get one off the bay and also the sunglasses holder

[andy14]

Hi all, apologies for the delayed response. There is a good reason I haven't been on though, I didn't have the car. After an unfortunate friday ahead of the bank holiday, my ECU decided to die whilst in the care of Shark Performance. At first it seemed as though the ECU was fine as it could be updated and it was reporting fine, however after days of fault finding it had to be replaced. Now I would at this point like to emphasise that Shark were superb throughout.

I actually feel for Ben on this one, as he had everything going against him. He made it perfectly clear that anything that was wrong would be paid for by Shark. He even tried booking the car in at the local Skoda Dealer to try and get it turned around quicker, however they had a 2 week waiting list to even see a car. So after having to order 2 ECU's in (the first one was wrong) and call in a friend with the correct equipment to code the ECU to the car, they could finally flash the map onto the car. Now I would also like to praise all the guys at Shark for their patience and general customer service. He was genuinely sorry for having to keep the car for so long that he wouldn't bill me for the original map. All in all, I'd hate to think how much they've lost on my car. But his customer care is testament to how professional Shark are as a company. So to Ben, Carl, Matt and whoever else worked on my car, thankyou.

Now to the map itself... Can I tell a difference? Oh yes!!! A huge difference. Does it handle like a Mk1 vRS? In short, no... however, that's not a bad thing. The Mk1 has the 6 speed box whereas the the Mk2 has the 5 speed. This means the power is distributed in a completely different way. The Mk1 was so torquey at the low end, which made up for the fact it ran out of steam further up the range. The Mk2 doesn't pack as much punch at the lower end, but the power is delivered through a much smoother range as it goes right through (almost to the red line). Maybe the more refined CR doesn't pack the low end torque that the Mk1 had, but it's no slouch. So for the map, I can once again vouch for Shark... its superb. I haven't had it on a rolling road, but I'm sure Ben had his on it at some point. Hopefully he'll be along shortly to tell you what his managed.

As for the car now, well it's already had a new headunit. I went with the Pumpkin Android one. So far, it's a cracking little unit and I'd be willing to recommend it to anyone. It starts up with the Skoda logo and you can set up its back lights to match the car. The android side runs very smoothly with little effort. I have even got it running with an OBD II dongle which means I can watch some pretty animations of car information. I've also wired in my 4G wifi dongle so Google Maps can be used and much to my fiance's amazement, I can have FB in my car. As for the surround, I thought I'd try 'tarting it up' a little. It now is wrapped in a sticker bomb effect, along with the steering wheel inserts and the wheel hub caps. I'm not sure whether it will stay like this, but feedback is appreciated.

Next on the list is some H&R springs and a RARB. But for now, this is what she's looking like.

The car whilst camping;

URL=http://s42.photobucket.com/user/FurbyItself/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150619_141711_zpse4biffih.jpg.html][/url]

Badge of honour;

And a few shots of the headunit;

Couple of the Hub Caps;

Any feedback is appreciated, cheers for reading.

Hi there i was just wondering where you got your head unit from & roughly how much was it if you dont mind me asking, i too have monte carlo & have been looking to upgrade my head unit but just cant seem to find one that fits unfortunately.

[FurbyItself]

Hi there i was just wondering where you got your head unit from & roughly how much was it if you dont mind me asking, i too have monte carlo & have been looking to upgrade my head unit but just cant seem to find one that fits unfortunately.

 

Alright Andy, its made by a company called Pumpkin and it came from Amazon originally. It cost a penny shy of £300. I'm not usually one for unbranded electronics, but seeing as android seems to be the way the world is going, I thought for that money, I'd give it a go. To be honest I'm over the moon with its capabilities. Plus the fact if you don't like an app, you find one you do like, so it really is personalised. It really is just plug and play. You have to isolate one cable if you aren't wanting the reversing camera feature, but other than that, you're off. It interacts with the car really well, such as giving an animation for doors open etc. I would genuinely recommend it. Good luck if this is the way you go! 

[FurbyItself]

So, since my last post, I've had a towbar fitted (I know, I'm getting old, but I needed it for a camping trailer). I went with a removable type, so it's not all bad. Although I am wondering how much I can get away with lowering the car now it's fitted? Anyone had theirs lowered with a towbar yet? I've also debadged the rear and added a bit more stickerbombing behind the number plate and the filler cap.

 

Here's a quick photo update of what I've done.

 

Towbar not fitted:

 

 

Towbar fitted:

 

 

 

Next I'm going to tart up the trailer we've bought, It's an old thing, but I want it to match the cars colours. Also, I need a quiet weekend to do some serious paint correction. There's some swirls that need attending to. Any product recommendations are appreciated.

 

Let us know what you think.

[FurbyItself]

Just a quick post to endorse Carista. For £15 you can do some decent things with it. I now have the needle sweep, one click unlock and windows open and close on remote. The lock when moving feature doesn't seem to be working though. Does anyone have experience in how to sort this?

[JimboVRS]

Just a quick post to endorse Carista. For £15 you can do some decent things with it. I now have the needle sweep, one click unlock and windows open and close on remote. The lock when moving feature doesn't seem to be working though. Does anyone have experience in how to sort this?

Cars looking good, liking the stickerbomb around the headunit, unique.

Lock doors on moving was enabled at a skoda dealer when my cruise was fitted. Can't comment on the option under carista, although all the options I selected worked; for example speed dependent wipers

[FurbyItself]

Cars looking good, liking the stickerbomb around the headunit, unique.

Lock doors on moving was enabled at a skoda dealer when my cruise was fitted. Can't comment on the option under carista, although all the options I selected worked; for example speed dependent wipers

Thanks for the comments. I must admit, it was your thread that made me go for carista. I've just signed up to the Beta version, so I'll see whether I can get it working later.