MickeyB's '07 VRS

[MickeyB]

Well, I'm back in my home state now, and have had the opportunity to drive the car since the console bushes and front discs were fitted, albeit on the commute to work and back.

Aesthetically, the brakes are a significant improvement, but given the drive to work is mostly highway, I've yet to really test them: I can say that they're quiet, but haven't been aggressive enough on them to spot any improvement over oem yet. Either way, I'm happy: they are significantly cheaper than factory items at any rate.

The console bushes on the other hand: thoroughly impressed: the car feels noticeably more sure footed, a great bang-for-buck modification!

While I was away, I had the opportunity to play with an Audi SQ5 (nice drive, but not my cup of tea), and a mint condition, thoroughly restored '69 Mini Cooper S.

It was great fun: no synchros, no power steering, unassisted brakes, and all the vibrations and smells that come with a carby-fed engine... Although not overly quick, it was epic fun, and the hydrolastic (?) suspension was amazingly comfortable on a car with 10" wheels!

I got all nostalgic and ambitious, so after a couple of beers, ordered the rear discs to match my new fronts on the Skoda, and a K&N cold air induction kit, both of which should arrive next week.

I also researched flash tunes, and am leaning towards the Powerchip Gold98 tune, after I fit a (yet to be decided) exhaust.

Do you guys have any feedback on the Powerchip tunes? Not sure if they're available/common on your side of the globe...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

Edited 16 January, 2016 by MickeyB

[MickeyB]

Had a small online auction win yesterday: the factory audio/nav has been annoying me with its lack of Bluetooth/USB inputs etc.

I put in a stupidly low bid, and won a Kenwood DNX531VBT: apparently it should be a straight fit. I already have a subwoofer and amp to fit, so I'm now collecting the parts I'll need to do the whole audio system in one hit (speaker adaptors, cables, replacement speakers for the doors etc).

I'm motivated enough to attempt fitting the inlet kit this arvo, so watch this space...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

Today's lesson: always open and check a product before you set aside an afternoon for installing it!

Having taken the seller's word for it regarding compatible vehicles, I have discovered that the inlet kit I purchased is for the 2009+ Octavia RS. As my car has the integrated arm/filter/engine cover, the inlet kit won't fit. Bummer.

No great issue; I just worked on the weekend car, which my tuner has kindly offered to retune for free, as it still has some low-rev issues...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

After researching the available tunes here, I've decided to go straight for a stage 2 tune, so the hunt is on for the required supporting hardware: blowoff valve, dump pipe and decat, and a decent air filter.

Still hoping for time to detail the car, and fit the rear brakes, but hoping to have everything done in the next couple of months.

While I think about it, still need some audio components too: guess I'll be pulling some overtime in the next few weeks: which will give me less time to work on the car...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

Also, on a relatively unrelated topic, I got my weekend warrior retuned, so hopefully it will stop fouling plugs every 5 minutes, and maybe even hold idle...

Took at few snaps at the dyno, and just wanted to post this one because I think it came out well...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

Edited 10 February, 2016 by MickeyB

[MickeyB]

So... Got my stereo fitted, and decided to wrap some parts and paint others on the car at the same time.

The stereo has a few issues: my midrange amp keeps going into protection mode, so the car goes back on on Wed to sort it all out.

I will have a new set of tyres on the the car by then too...

I'll update with more pics and details ( working til then) but in the meantime, here's a teaser pic...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[tubbytommy]

It was all going so well until you did that to the bonnet

[MickeyB]

Yeah, it's a bit... Different, but it was so yellow before!

Plus: the bonnet had a whole load of touched up stone chips, and given that vinyl was a way cheaper option than respray, it will do in the meantime.

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

Edited 28 March, 2016 by MickeyB

[MickeyB]

Just spent close to 7 hours fixing the "professional" audio install in my car...

The sealed subwoofer enclosure was "perforated" with holes that had to be plugged, the subwoofers were wired in a creative new way utilizing a theory that you connect each terminal to another randomly (or not connect it at all) and consider the job done, the subwoofers which have 8 screw holes each were secured by a maximum of 3 screws apiece due to their mounting holes being too large...

... The subwoofers RCA had been split to run both subs and rear door speakers, etc etc....

After a significant cost in materials my mate and I pulled the entire install apart and wired it correctly, fixed the sub enclosure, ran new RCA cables and tuned the whole shebang for run-in.

All this on only a single beer each! I'm exhausted: I'll get details of the process and components at a later time, but it all seems to be peachy now: very impressed!

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

Ok,

So as far as the audio upgrades go, I did my research and purchased components based firstly on claimed compatibility with the 1z/mk5 platform, and then based on reviews vs. cost. Here's what I ended up with:

Kenwood DNX531VBT head unit

Front speakers: Polk Audio DB6501 6.5" splits

Rear speakers: Polk Audio DB521 5.25" coaxials

Subwoofers: 2x Polk Audio DB840DVC 8" speakers.

Amplifiers:

Clarion XR-2420 &

Clarion XR-2120

I already had one of the subwoofers and the mono amp sitting around, and having read the reviews on the 4 channel amp, decided to keep my components as consistent as possible.

We'll start with the head unit- my car was running the Nexus (?) OEM head unit, but it had no Bluetooth, and required a line converter/splitter if I wanted to run subwoofers, which I did. I was actually looking at the Audiocontrol LC6i line converter, but random browsing of a local auction netted me the Kenwood head unit for about 1/4 of the retail price. The fact that it included the nav antenna and CANBUS cable sealed the deal for me... The only drawback is that it won't stream music via Bluetooth, and is only compatible with phones/iPods up to the iphone4s, but I have a spare iPad floating around anyway.

The speakers were advertised as including the trim rings necessary for a straight fit into a mk5 golf, but I can confirm that they do not fit my pre facelift Octavia II. No big issue: we simply fabricated what we needed.

As stated, I already had the mono amp, and the reviews on the 4ch were very positive, especially considering the low purchase price, so I took a punt on that one.

As far as the subs go, I was happy with the single 8", but wanted more, so I simply bought an additional driver, and had a sealed enclosure fabricated to suit.

First impressions were very disappointing (see previous post), but after correcting the huge number of issues in the installation I am happy to report that I am very impressed: the head unit is a breeze to use, sounds great, and allowed me to customize the coloring to match the greenish lights in the Skoda.

The nav is easy to use, the larger screen is a nice touch, and the unit looks like a factory fitment, down to the font matching the rest of the cars gauges and controls. Plus I get control over my subwoofer levels: winning!

As far as the sound goes: it is far superior to the factory setup. I do find that the rear speakers sound significantly more punchy (mid bass) than the fronts, but I'm assuming that can be attributed to door design. As it stands, it was a reasonably priced but dramatic improvement over the OEM offering- I'm just waiting to retune it after everything is run in so I can really put it through its paces!

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

iPhone wired in, and it does in fact work with my iPhone 6, which is great!

Also ordered a bluefin stage 1 tune today: getting closer to where I want the car to be...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

Decided to investigate where the dirty dribbles just behind the front wheel arches were coming from whenever I washed the car, so I removed the inner wheel arches for a look:

Not sure if this is a common issue with the 1z body, but there was a whole load of crud in there.

I should add that I suspected my car had sat for an extended period outside before I bought it, given the large amount of dirt etc that I seem to be finding in every nook and cranny whenever I wash it.

It's worth taking a look at any rate: 4 screws each side, and a couple of minutes of your time...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

Edited 21 April, 2016 by MickeyB

[MickeyB]

Well...

After a frustrating delay at customs, my bluefin arrived.

I gave it a try this morning: plugged it into the car, followed the instructions, but every time got an error code "D003"

Googled the code and discovered that it can be caused by the car having previously run an aftermarket tune.

Contacted the Australian Bluefin distributor and was told (quite smugly) that the UK seller (Demon-Tweeks) had probably sold me a second hand unit, and I would have to pay to have it reset, and that's what you get for trying to get a bluefin cheaper than he can supply one.

Not convinced by him, I contacted both the UK seller, and Bluefin, but while I was waiting for a reply, decided to research my car as much as I was able.

Long story short, it would appear that the second owner of the car had the APR stage 1 tune installed in my car.

Not having any basis for comparison, I'm not sure whether it's been removed, or if it's still there...

Anyways, I'll find out next week. In the meantime, I'll try to sell my as yet unused bluefin...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

Um... So... I've had my car for around 6 months now, and not once have I driven it without the traction control off... Until tonight.

Suffice to say I now firmly believe that the APR software is still installed: it really does have some pull!

Very impressed!

I'll still go next week to see what actual tune is installed, but I can't believe the difference in character between having the traction control on and off: night and day...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[0ctavist]

Hi, same as mine..are the stone chips visible through the vinyl? Any experience with new stone chips on the vinyl?

[MickeyB]

No experience with stone chips on the vinyl itself yet, but a lot of the touch ups I used the vinyl to cover were pretty rough- definitely a backyard job: I'm happy to report that the textured vinyl i used (pretty sure it's 3M) hides all of them.

The worst of them were on the vertical surfaces either side of the front grille (between the headlights and grille), and a large one on the front of the roof: approx 30mm in diameter- you'd never know they were there now.

Hope that helps...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[0ctavist]

Yes, thanx.....my bonnet has 4 beside the grille and 2 in the middle of the bonnet and think about wrapping bonnet, roof and the spoiler above the rear window(combi)

[MickeyB]

I'll get some pics as soon as I can clean the car: next couple of days: it's not to everyone's taste, but I quite like like it now...

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

[MickeyB]

Still dirty, but had to move both my toys out of the garage so I can oil my deck (cars park underneath), so grabbed a quick happy snap.

I have decided that it's time to part ways with the Stagea and take on a new lady (1st gen Celica), as I've wanted one as a project for the last decade or so.

I'll be going from 600+hp to around 100hp (optimistically), and couldn't be more excited! (Another current project is to get the beast ready for sale).

Looking to restore and (significantly) modify some old Japanese muscle.

On the subject of the RS, I have something going on in the front suspension which is proving difficult to diagnose, but I'm thinking either the strut mounts or the shocks are on their way out, and I'm also getting a CEL and slightly rough idle with a noticeable decrease in my fuel economy, so also under the assumption that the ignition could may be an issue.

I'm ALSO getting the distinctive of our of cooked clutch after after an aggressive drive, so there's a few things on the "to do" list in the near future...

Still absolutely satisfied with the car, and the audio upgrade is proving to be a great upgrade, although I need to retune it as the speakers are now run in.

Stay tuned (pun intended!)... I'm on leave for the next couple of weeks, so I'll tackle as many jobs as possible (including the aforementioned deck maintenance and some landscaping).

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy

Edited 24 May, 2016 by MickeyB