Niceyellow vrs' nice red VRS

[kirkynut]

Awesome project and thread, loving your Mk1.

 

Kirkynut 

[niceyellow vrs]

Been a busy couple of days on the car this week. I've always liked the seats that came with car when I bought it, as they were the standard VRS seats but without the problem of always looking grubby due to the previous owner having them professionally retrimmed with a nice leatherette infill.

 

 

 

They looked good but recently I've been felling like a change to something a bit more fancy and something with better bolstering to hold me in would be nice. I wanted something that would be a straight bolt in option as I didn't want to entertain fabricating new mountings or anything silly like that, so after a bit of research, I set my heart on Audi S3 8L black leather electric Recaros. I thought if I was going down that route, I may as well get heated ones for the ultimate luxury.

 

Searching ebay and Facebook Marketplace was showing up that decent heated sets are hard to come. I eventually found a pair of heated fronts miles away in Darlington but they looked decent and I wasn't over busy so made the trip up and got them, (after picking up a set of rears I found more locally earlier in the day.) Got them home and had a proper look at them the next day to find that the base plates were missing so I couldn't mount them in the car. Upon further investigation, they turned out to be non heated versions, which really annoyed me as they were advertised as heated and I'd had a full discussion with the seller about wanting heated seats. The seller is still adamant that they are heated despite the photos I sent him of them opened up clearly showing no heating elements and no wiring for the heating 🤔

 

Fortunately, I managed to find an absolutely dirt cheap full set of the same seats, but in the less desireable cream colour. The leather wasn't in great condition but the mechanicals were all good and they were complete with the bases and they were definitely heated so I hatched a plan to reskin them with the black leather from the first set I bought. I was also able to sell the cream coloured rear sets on, to make the fix even cheaper, as they were in decent condition. A guy bought them to make a little sofa type thing for his man cave.

 

With the cream and black seats side by side, you can tell straight away the wiring differences between heated and non heated.

 

 

 

Removing the leather from the seats is essentially easy enough, just fiddly and I wanted to be very careful not to break any clips or rip the leather.

 

 

Once the leather was off both seats, it was really clear to see that one is heated and one definitely isn't. But the seller has the switches in the car, so they must be heated 🤨

 

Anyway, putting the black leather onto the heated seat was a case of working in reverse to the dismantling, taking my time to make sure everthing was clipped and pushed back in where it should be. My hands are now destroyed, cut to ribbons from little sharp clip jobbies, but after 8 hours of work to take 4 seats apart and rebuild 2, I now finally had a pair of electrically operated, definitely heated, black leather S3 Recaros ready to fit in the car.

 

 

Really pleased with how they turned out, all the leather went back nice and tight where it should be.

 

Before they could go in the car, I needed to install some wiring for them to work. The electric operation is simple, literally just needs a live and an earth so I made up a little loom with a parallel fused wire from the switched live on the relay board under the dash. Each seat then has it's own earth running to convinient bolts on the floor with all wiring tucked under the carpet out of sight. I would show you pictures, but I purely forgot to take any as I was too deep in the zone.

 

So, with power in place, time to bolt the seats in. Pulled a muscle I didn't realise I had when maneuvering them into position because they are a bit on the heavy side, about 37kg each I've heard. Once bolted and plugged in, it really made the effort worthwhile, they look awesome, they work and they are so comfortable.

 

 

 

Rears were really easy, literally just slot them in. Just waiting on a lap belt to arrive for the middle as they don't have middle over the shoulder belt like the Octavia seats. Annoyingly, one of the first sets of S3 seats I was looking at had the rare middle belt and tripple head rest option, but the front seats weren't great and the rears were missing their head rests. Finding 3 of the correct head rests on their own would be nigh on impossible and having mis-matched stuff would really bug me.

 

 

So all that remains is to wire up the heating. I've ordered a Kufatec MK4 loom which should arrive in the next couple of days hopefully. I'm going to use switches from a Golf which I'm going to mount in a panel that I shall fix into the cubby hole under the radio. In order to use Octavia heated seat switches I'd need to get a specific Octavia loom and they're very hard to come by and expensive when you do whereas the aftermarket loom and Golf switches option will give a much easier and cheaper totally plug and play solution.

Edited 21 May, 2020 by niceyellow vrs

[Dean]

Fantastic work there! They really look the business.

 

I’ll be doing the same tomorrow on a L&K model. Taking the seats and looms out!

[skinnyman]

That's something I've been looking into doing but have bottled out when looking at the price of a good set.  

Nicely done and I know what you mean about swapping things over resulting in cut hands.  I once did the same on a set of MK3 Capri Recaros and swore I'd never do that again as it was a real test of patience and dexterity.  

[niceyellow vrs]

59 minutes ago, skinnyman said:

That's something I've been looking into doing but have bottled out when looking at the price of a good set. 

 

The prices seem to have come down a bit from what they used to be. So far, the black fronts cost me £200 (little bit more than I should've paid due to finding them not as described)

The black rears I got for £50 and the full cream set I very luckily got for just £60 and I've already sold the cream rears on for £25. The loom for the heating is £43 and I got the pair of switches for £12 so if my maths is right, the full set owes me £340. I'm hoping to get at least £150 for my old seats so it won't actually turn out to be a too expensive upgrade.

 

[niceyellow vrs]

Still waiting for my seat heating loom but I'm able to do a bit of prep work for when it does arrive. I've got the mounting ready for the switches.

 

I've modified the under radio cubby hole by chopping a bit out the back to allow access for the wiring plugs and cut a panel which slots neatly inside it with the switches mounted through. I've ordered some silver carbon fibre type wrap so when that arrives, I can apply it to the panel and it should hopefully blend in reasonably well with the trim which surrounds the rest of the console.

 

 

Edited 23 May, 2020 by niceyellow vrs

[Dean]

Could you not use an octavia heating switch and have it in the dash next to the fuel flap?

[niceyellow vrs]

3 minutes ago, DeanVRS20VT said:

Could you not use an octavia heating switch and have it in the dash next to the fuel flap?

 

To use the Octavia switch I need an Octavia loom and they're hard to come by and expensive when you do. It's a lot cheaper to use the Kufatec loom for the MK4 Golf. I've also used the spare slot already to mount my Parrot hands free kit and don't want to have to move that. I've always found the cubby hole useless as stuff tends to fly out so it can have a better purpose this way.

[niceyellow vrs]

Well, my heated seat loom finally turned up earlier this week. Initially it was delivered to the wrong house but luckily the lady who had it was kind enough to drop it round.

 

So front seats back out, all the wires fed under the carpet and dashboard and connected up.

 

 

 

Everything tidied up and a little VRS sticker for a finishing touch on my switch panel.

 

 

So all done and working. Just need to wait for winter to reap the benefits

[niceyellow vrs]

Suppose being as quite a bit has been done to the car since I started this thread, it's probably worth an update with a list of all mods and it's current spec.

 

Engine:

Jabbasport Remap running 225bhp and 260ftlb

Various colour coding

Oil catch tank

Sai, N249, N112 delete

Baffled Sump

 

Induction/Exhaust:

Induction kit with filter relocated to inner wing

Oversize TIP

Newsouth power gasket on intake

Generic Front Mounted Intercooler with custom made hard pipes

3 inch downpipe into decat. Centre box deleted Powerflow cat back

 

Handling:

Audi TT front end setup - cast hubs and wishbones, and 2.5 turns quick rack

Audi TT upper front strut brace

S3 lower brace

Bilstein B4 dampers with standard springs

Whiteline adjustable rear anti roll bar

Polybushed dog bone

 

Brakes:

Standard

 

Transmission:

Mk4 Golf Gti EVS gearbox (slightly longer final drive so better fuel economy without noticable comprimise in acceleration)

G60/VR6 solid flywheel and clutch setup

 

Exterior:

Colour coded rear spoiler, front grille and mirrors

Standard wheels powder coating Gun metal grey

Hella Comet 500 spot lights

Air horns

 

Interior:

Full Audi S3 Heated and electric leather Recaro seats

Retrimmed door cards

MK4 Golf black carpet

Front arm rest

Retrofitted cruise control

Parrot hands free kit

6x9 speakers on rear shelf.

 

 

Latest dyno sheet from JKM's dyno in February

 

 

 

Edited 11 June, 2020 by niceyellow vrs

[skinnyman]

I didn't realise that you had a different gearbox.  So are the first four gears exactly the same?

[niceyellow vrs]

3 hours ago, skinnyman said:

I didn't realise that you had a different gearbox.  So are the first four gears exactly the same?

 

I got the different gearbox purely as at the time I needed a replacement, people were asking rediculous money for Octavia EHA boxes, £350 - £400 seemed to be the going rate. After a bit of research, I found the EVS box available for a much more reasonable £150 and as the ratios were only slightly different, I thought that was a decent option.

 

Ratios between the two boxes

 

 

                                         EHA                                EVS

 

1st                                  3.300                              3.300

2nd                                1.944                               1.944

3rd                                 1.308                               1.308

4th                                 1.034                               1.029

5th                                 0.838                               0.837

Final Drive                    3.647                               3.684

 

So, as you can see, the difference is relatively small and in practice it results in about 200 rpm less but that's enough to see consistant mid 40's for mpg on steady motorway runs.

 

When I was reseaching boxes, I found a really handy table to help me compare the different gear sets.

 

https://workshop-manuals.com/audi/a3_mk1/power_transmission/5-speed_manual_gearbox_02j/technical_data/gearbox_identification/code_letters_allocation_transmission_ratios_capacities/

[skinnyman]

Worth knowing, thanks for the info and link.👍

[niceyellow vrs]

Couple of nice subtle upgrades this week.

A friend of mine comissioned me to break his car for him and I found a couple of things that I thought would be ideal to enhance mine.

 

First thing was a set of red illuminated switch gear. Looks so much better than the standard green illumination that's hard to see at the best of times.

 

 

As you can see, the heated screen, asr and fuel flap switches, light switch, all window switches and the climatronic unit now all light up red. Certainly fits my colour scheme much better. The instrument cluster still lights up green but it is possible to change the LEDs if you're careful with a soldering iron. I've ordered the different coloured bulbs and I've got a spare cluster to have a practice on.

 

I've also recently been considering options for fitting a subwoofer, I've got 6x9s on the rear shelf but at the age of 36 I'm long past the days of massive boom boxes filling the boot so wanted something a little more discreet and practical. I came across a little Bose spare wheel subwoofer. It's absolutely ideal as it sits within the spare wheel and was really easy to wire up. It's more powerful than I expected it to be, but certainly not anti social in any way, just adds a nice bit of depth to my old school beats

 

 

I just cut a little bit of the foam out of the polystyrene boot tidy jobby to move the jack into there so I can still carry the stuff to change a wheel without impacting on boot space. I also wanted the sub and spare wheel to be secure so I simply extended the original wheel holding down thingy with a length of M8 threaded rod and an M8 sleeve nut so it still all screws down into the existing hold down point.

 

Pretty pleased with this little mod

[GazzR]

I enjoyed reading through your thread, looking very nice, my favorite colour in a mk1 this

[niceyellow vrs]

Haven't done much to the car for a while, mainly because I had to go back to work. Thoroughly inconvenient but needs must I suppose. For the last 6 months or so, I've barely even driven it, it's just been sitting on the driveway with the occasional start up. That still didn't save the old battery though, the cold winter finished that off so a brand new Bosch S4 was fitted.

 

It's due an MOT and service next month so time for a bit of love. Rear brakes needed attention recently as the handbrake was nigh on touching the roof before it would do anything so I gave the calipers a working over, freeing them up and adjusted the cables. The rear discs were looking past they're best so I put on a barely used set of discs and pads I had in the garage that I'd aquired from one of my breakers. All working perfectly again so that's one job ticked off the list. Also noticed the reverse lights weren't working but that was an easy fix with just a new switch needed.

 

I made a few quid this last month by breaking a MK4 Golf I aquired from a colleague at work so I thought I'd treat the Octavia to a nice set of brand new Koni STR.T shocks and H&R 20mm lowering springs. All fitted straight on with now issues and seems to handle nice on them, stays well planted and eliminates a lot of body roll whilst still retaining a comfortable ride.

 

 

[Paul thornton]

What's the ride height like on the H&R's?

[niceyellow vrs]

10 hours ago, Paul thornton said:

What's the ride height like on the H&R's?

 

A before and after measurement at the centre of the arches showed it's now sitting 15mm lower than it was on the standard springs.

[Paul thornton]

Do you know what the part numbers were for your B4's by any chance? Trying to get some for mine but a few companies I've spoken to say that B4's aren't available for the mk1.

 

Thanks.

[Evil]

10 hours ago, Paul thornton said:

Do you know what the part numbers were for your B4's by any chance? Trying to get some for mine but a few companies I've spoken to say that B4's aren't available for the mk1.

 

Thanks.

Bilstein only list B6 and B8 for the Mk1 as far as I can see...
https://www.bilsteinsuspensionstore.co.uk/index.php

[nutters_uclan]

On 11/05/2021 at 23:11, Paul thornton said:

Do you know what the part numbers were for your B4's by any chance? Trying to get some for mine but a few companies I've spoken to say that B4's aren't available for the mk1.

 

Thanks.

 

Demon Tweeks lists these as MK1 vRS compatible

 

 

[Paul thornton]

Thanks. They are the rears which I think are the same for all mk1 Octavia models. It's the fronts I'm struggling with....

 

When I called Demon tweaks they told me B4's dont fit the VRS although that can't be true as nice niceyellowvrs had them on his car!

[nutters_uclan]

43 minutes ago, Paul thornton said:

Thanks. They are the rears which I think are the same for all mk1 Octavia models. It's the fronts I'm struggling with....

 

When I called Demon tweaks they told me B4's dont fit the VRS although that can't be true as nice niceyellowvrs had them on his car!

They also sell the fronts!

[Paul thornton]

What part number is coming up for the fronts? The guy at DT said they wouldn't fit although the website said they would...

Edited 17 May, 2021 by Paul thornton

[niceyellow vrs]

Haven't done much to the Octavia for ages, it's pretty good as it is and nothing's broken. Truth be told, it doesn't get driven all that much, I tend to use my Volvo V50 mostly which is not only my current motorsport vehicle but also a very comfortable, well equipped and convenient runabout.

 

I found the perfect number plate to go on the V50 just before Christmas and decided the Octavia needed a new plate too. I couldn't find any VRS plates that floated my boat so looked for another one with my initials on. V500 HMM was available and being just one digit different from the Volvo's plate it would have been rude not to.

 

Now when people walk past my house they can tut and utter harsh words about the smug **** that lives there.