Nice and classy upgrade ! Also much easier to clean! No dust in the small gaps around buttons anymore.  

Am 31.08.2024 um 06:52 Uhr sagte JR RS:

Ich werde die Beschaffung dieses Zierteils in naher Zukunft prüfen.

 

You have to take the facelift and find the right color. Then it works again.

 

Took her for the MOT, failed on a small bulge on the O/S front outer sidewall. That’s me £360 lighter in the pocket after ordering 2 Goodyear 4Season so got to hold off on a few planned goodies for a while now 🤬

13 hours ago, Lutz_91 said:

 

You have to take the facelift and find the right color. Then it works again.

 

 

Not necessarily facelift, as the pre-facelift MY18 & MY19 models came with the MIB2.5 9.2" Columbus. 

Hence I'm looking for the trim from those models.

 

Pre-facelift MY15 to MY17 came with MIB2 8" Columbus.

 

It's not noticeable from inside the car, hence there is no urgency.

 

Edited 3 September, 20241 yr by JR RS

Vor 11 Stunden sagte JR RS:

Von innen ist es nicht wahrnehmbar, daher besteht keine Dringlichkeit.

 

But it's not perfect and OEM. But you have to at least look for a newer bar than yours. For me it was always the FL threshold. If you have other information, that's even better.

Something that has to be done, MOT and service. So I decided to take Skoda's offer of service plan, 1x oil and inspection + 1 x oil and extended scope package. At 398quids. 

 

Decent value me thinks and car will get booked in before end of the month. Not something I expected to do on my 2016 280... But at that price, I cannot complain. 

I got so much to update, done my 1st service, some towing, and so on, but can't seem to find the time ... hope soon, to exchange impressions.

In the meantime, I did manage to "unbling" part of the interior by removing the glossy, ghastly, gear knob cover.

This is what I've chose instead, more to my liking ... little but 🤩

Hope someday to be able to do the same with the horrid 'piano black' trim, which I know many like, but to me it can't beat nice "wood" type finish.

 

 

 

 

 

@leolito I agree with the wood finish, trouble is I haven't seen a mk3 with that option, maybe there is an aftermarket wood finish somewhere for them? I had that option as standard on my mk2 but my family always thought it was old-fashioned, so I guess you can call me old-fashioned then because I still love the look and finish of real wood. I used to have a Vanden Plas 3Litre and that the dashboard made from beautiful walnut, door cappings and picnic tables, just like a Rolls.

On 31/08/2024 at 14:52, JR RS said:

Mission accomplished - MIB2 to MIB2.5 conversion on Gandalf!

The whole process was quite easy to do.

Those with a MIB2 unit, aka Columbus (Harman version) with 8" screen can do the upgrade. i.e. MY15 to MY17.

No need to change the glovebox head unit. Just the screen.

I sourced a secondhand 9.2" Screen from a MY18 Superb being wrecked.

Got the G11 to G13 firmware conversion from mibsolution.

Then once done, reinstalled the latest maps.

 

Will do a how-to-guide soon.

 

 

I've now created the how to guide, for those interested.

 

MIB 2 to MIB2.5 Upgrade Guide v1.0.pdf

3 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

I still love the look and finish of real wood.

Agreed, as long as you mean "real wood" (see under Aston Martin, van den Plas et al), and not "plastic wood" (see under Ford, Mercedes...).

I just got some Hardrace goodies in - front and rear sway bars and links and a front strut brace. Will book the car for fitment and alignment next week! Can't wait to drive it after. 

Edited 5 September, 20241 yr by doluck
Typo

57 minutes ago, Paws4Thot said:

Agreed, as long as you mean "real wood" (see under Aston Martin, van den Plas et al), and not "plastic wood" (see under Ford, Mercedes...).

The "plastic" wood in my mk2 was much better all round than the silver or the black trim that comes as standard, but real, polished wood is better still.

2 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

Agreed, as long as you mean "real wood" (see under Aston Martin, van den Plas et al), and not "plastic wood" (see under Ford, Mercedes...).

Interesting fact wood in cars are veneers because it’s illegal to use standard wood as such because of injury in accidents

Good to see I am not alone in the 'taste of wood' ☺️

Curiously, I guess the 'switch' mentioned by Danoid above must have come in the '90s, because my RRC was true wood, while the P38 is veneer ... Mercedes used the real thing until the W201, W124 and W126, maybe W140 as well but not sure next time I go to my friend 'breaker' he has one and will look, if I remember.

 

Graham, unfortunately options are not many, actually it can be narrowed to two:

a) source a 'wood' trim from the Scout model, which looks fairly good at least in pictures, I have never seen it "live". Obviously it has the 'Scout' emblem which should be removed somehow. This must be pricey so only option is to find a secondhand kit from someone breaking such car ....

b) find a reasonable pattern and go hydrographics/hydro dip. I've done parts for other cars/projects and while not "the real thing", the result is suprisingly good, if well done. An advantage is that there are a multitude of patterns available, so we are spoiled for choice. The bad is that an entire trim set should be sourced, unless someone is willing to sacrifice his own (not me, I have done such things and now see them as mistakes and I no longer modify irreversibly a vehicle).

I cannot think of any other idea to "change the look".

13 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

@leolito I agree with the wood finish, trouble is I haven't seen a mk3 with that option, maybe there is an aftermarket wood finish somewhere for them? I had that option as standard on my mk2 but my family always thought it was old-fashioned, so I guess you can call me old-fashioned then because I still love the look and finish of real wood. I used to have a Vanden Plas 3Litre and that the dashboard made from beautiful walnut, door cappings and picnic tables, just like a Rolls.

Don't forget, your Mk3 still has an umbrella like a Rolls. 😄

 

4 hours ago, leolito said:

b) find a reasonable pattern and go hydrographics/hydro dip. I've done parts for other cars/projects and while not "the real thing", the result is suprisingly good, if well done. An advantage is that there are a multitude of patterns available, so we are spoiled for choice. The bad is that an entire trim set should be sourced, unless someone is willing to sacrifice his own (not me, I have done such things and now see them as mistakes and I no longer modify irreversibly a vehicle).

I cannot think of any other idea to "change the look".

Covering with adhesive film maybe another solution?

 

Edited 5 September, 20241 yr by Bap33

1 hour ago, Bap33 said:

Don't forget, your Mk3 still has an umbrella like a Rolls. 😄

 

Haha, its one better than a Rolls, it has an umbrella in both front doors 😆

8 hours ago, Danoid said:

Interesting fact wood in cars are veneers because it’s illegal to use standard wood as such because of injury in accidents

I'm not so sure about that, veneers are used on real top end luxury cars because they can book match veneers so that large panels such as dashboards can be perfectly symmetrical so that both sides of the dashboard are identical. The veneer is bonded onto real wood before being sanded, lacquered and polished. 

 

 

10 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

I'm not so sure about that, veneers are used on real top end luxury cars because they can book match veneers so that large panels such as dashboards can be perfectly symmetrical so that both sides of the dashboard are identical. The veneer is bonded onto real wood before being sanded, lacquered and polished. 

 

 

I remember watching something like building a supercar or one of those shows and it was a regulation which stopped real wood because in accidents it doesn’t crumple and splintered into people’s faces.

 

It may have even been about a rolls Royce build thinking of it

......plugged in a USB-C charger 😁

Not a major mod but it may help someone! I wanted a USB-C charger for the rear ashtray that when fitted still allowed the tray to close, this one fits perfectly.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BTP9GF27

I would have preferred a double USB-C but all the ones I found would have stopped the tray closing when fitted.

At some point I may swap for ones of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285669357516

Edited 6 September, 20241 yr by Dave77

Today I fitted my Virtual Cockpit screen protector from Innovative Paint Protection Solutions

It has clearly up 95% of the marks I had on my original screen where the previous owner likeed to put their phone 😭 

 

Threw in a Carsifi wireless Android Auto adapter. Works flawlessly  

Well, not done "today" but a few weeks ago, but finally I managed to find some time to update my fellows about it.

I had the service done, may first to the car, still in warranty so by Skoda, and being the first time I had the car there I decided to go with the flow and let them do whatever they think was to be done.

I first went to ask, at around 9K km from the 1st service (at 30K km! 😱) so it had 39K km and they said "why bother, with long-life oils we do not do less that 15K km service intervals".

So I went now at 44K km in an interval between summer travels. I was given a choice of oil, or bring my own, but for goodwill I preferred to let them do ....

- Oil 6lt filter some plug and washer and labor

- Haldex oil (I was going to mention it but the service rep beat to it) I do not think they took out the pump and clean the strainer, but is a beginning and I plan to do that soon and labor

- brake fluid (same as above) and labor

- air and cabin filter and labor

total damage aprox 365GBP at current exchange rate.

 

What you guys think?

22 minutes ago, leolito said:

Well, not done "today" but a few weeks ago, but finally I managed to find some time to update my fellows about it.

I had the service done, may first to the car, still in warranty so by Skoda, and being the first time I had the car there I decided to go with the flow and let them do whatever they think was to be done.

I first went to ask, at around 9K km from the 1st service (at 30K km! 😱) so it had 39K km and they said "why bother, with long-life oils we do not do less that 15K km service intervals".

So I went now at 44K km in an interval between summer travels. I was given a choice of oil, or bring my own, but for goodwill I preferred to let them do ....

- Oil 6lt filter some plug and washer and labor

- Haldex oil (I was going to mention it but the service rep beat to it) I do not think they took out the pump and clean the strainer, but is a beginning and I plan to do that soon and labor

- brake fluid (same as above) and labor

- air and cabin filter and labor

total damage aprox 365GBP at current exchange rate.

 

What you guys think?

You seem to have a "different" Skoda main dealer approach to servicing in Bulgaria i.e. reasonable &, bring your own oil - unheard of here.  Something we don't seen to get in the UK. Sounds very reasonable to me. My last Fluid service (including Haldex filter, brake fluid, engine oil & new plugs) was £504. 

38 minutes ago, Colin170CR said:

You seem to have a "different" Skoda main dealer approach to servicing in Bulgaria i.e. reasonable &, bring your own oil - unheard of here.  Something we don't seen to get in the UK. Sounds very reasonable to me. My last Fluid service (including Haldex filter, brake fluid, engine oil & new plugs) was £504. 

Oh. I should add that the £504 I paid was at an independent VAG specialist garage not a Skoda main dealer!

@leolito I also did oil change service recently, at 15k km. And like you, I was thinking about bringing my own oil next time. Maybe Ravenol VSW?

 

@Colin170CR Did the independent shop have access to the digital service platform? I've heard that some of them do have.