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It's time we found some more new mods...
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 9:57 pm
by Nelson_Wilbury
Getting bored (and axnious) and thought it would be a good time to try and find some more 9n 'niceties'
One I found this month was the MK5 Golf Chrome bottle opener which I will be getting tomorrow when it *finally* comes off back order
Something else I ordered today was a K&N drop in filter. Not expecting any gains, just wanna to 'restore' the 1nm of torque I lost fitting the back box!

Cost me £41.99 (plus £6 for quicker postage!

). Really looking forward to getting it
One other thing I'm looking into is the mini cubby opposite the Cup holder (which still isn't listed on ETKA yet.). Should be a cheap mod, but its still not 'different' enough!
Now what does interest me is this...
No, not the Satellite Navigation. What I'm hoping it is that it has is a TV function. Now this mod is expensive from the start! (£250 for the unit alone!) but its looks pukka and you still get radio/cd functions. Not the most desirable (or cheapest!) mod. But thumbs up to the person whos the first to do it out of factory!
Finally, the Polo Fun Mirrors...
Just to kill one rumour. The mirrors are NOT chrome, they are painted and you only need the mirror caps (the painted part).
Secondly (and this is what is confusing me). They DO definately look different. But ETKA is listing them as exactly the same as normal mirrors. So another headache there!
Any thoughts (or preferably any ideas!

)
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 10:12 pm
by Nelson_Wilbury
Oh, one I forgot to add...
* Cruise Control. New Stalk is £50 (or from VAG Parts about £35) and a VW labour charge of around £70-£80. Cruise control for less than £100!
I'll be sure to get that before The UK-POLO's Southern meet, should make getting there a bit more relaxing!

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:01 am
by mole
OMG at your blatent post count increasing posts!
No luck with the Group buy with K&N then?
As for the mirrors - do you want mine?
As for the cruise control - don't do anything without me!
I've been looking in to it - i'll talk to you about it when I speak to you next!
Sorry this post wasn't a bit more worth while but I'm nackered - I'm just adddicted to UK-Polos so had to come on

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 7:29 am
by sbp
I wouldn't give money to cruise control if I were you.
I've had it from the start. At first I used it quit often, now it's been 3-4 months since I've last used it. It's a luxury you don't need. I hardly use it anymore...
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 9:27 am
by des_pd_ tdi
I agree with sbp, I had cruise on my V5 Golf and used it 3 or 4 times, in this country it's a waste, but in the States I had cruise switched on for 150 miles. In the UK you'd be lucky to enable it for 10 miles.
Sorry to put a dampner on things but this is an honest opinion.
Des
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:53 pm
by markjsca1
I'd be interested in cruise control for sure - i drive like 300 miles a week minimum. It's something i've thought about before but never really got around to looking into properly and if it was only £100 - why not do it....?
Any more info on this cruise control setup would be appreciated. Could we get the parts thru vagparts?
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 5:18 pm
by dxg
It's time we found some more new mods...
<cough> Polo Fun front, rear bumpers, wheel arch extensions and side skirts on a standard car</cough>
Would look really good on a 9N - the front bumper has the honeycomb ala Lupo GTI, you'd just have to decide what bits you'd paint what colour (I really like the grey/silver bits, btw).
Deek
(Prepares to take some stick for that comment about the colour...)
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 5:18 pm
by ciden
About the SatNav thingie - it will not have a tv function, as the display is just a normal LCD screen, and it's only a basic system that's fitted to the Polo. Also check the buttons - no TV function!
As for the side mirrors...why do you say they are different? I checked your pic against those on my car...and they look exactly the same, just the colour difference - prob. why ETKA list them as the same. Think this to be a nice cheap mod. Just don't know what it will look like with a white car

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:45 pm
by Nelson_Wilbury
ciden wrote:
As for the side mirrors...why do you say they are different? I checked your pic against those on my car...and they look exactly the same, just the colour difference - prob. why ETKA list them as the same. Think this to be a nice cheap mod. Just don't know what it will look like with a white car

Possibly, but look closer.
They seem to have a more 'upright' stance to them. Similar to the Audi Allroad (squarer/bigger mirrors to accomadate for the ride height). I could just be seeing things though, which is a big possibility at the moment!

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:50 pm
by Nelson_Wilbury
I think the term is 'relevant discussion' mole
No luck with the K&N group buy, NO ONE was going to give discounts

I will offer this advice though...
I called four different people and the prices varied from £41 to £52. Therefore I'd seriously advise people who are getting one to shop around
Cruise control mod ain't happening till i'm 100% sure it can be done, only 99% so far... (Sparkstack?

)
@ DXG: You looking at £800 for the Polo fun kit + fitting and painting. Would look different but i'd rather spend an extra £400 on a caracture kit

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:12 am
by bertJ
How about this mod?
Alter the panel lights so that they come on with the ignition. Very useful because on a dull day the speedo etc. can be quite difficult to see. I know that the answer is to turn the parking lights on but this mod brightens the whole fascia up.
It's dead easy to do - if anyone is interested I'll post the details.
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 2:51 pm
by memm
bertJ wrote:How about this mod?
Alter the panel lights so that they come on with the ignition. Very useful because on a dull day the speedo etc. can be quite difficult to see. I know that the answer is to turn the parking lights on but this mod brightens the whole fascia up.
It's dead easy to do - if anyone is interested I'll post the details.
I would like that! Does it involve removing the light switch and connecting some of the cables different ? (similar to the W8 courtesy light mod)
BTW Driving around with parking lights is not allowed in some countries (e.g. Germany) I can't see the sense in that, but that's how it is...
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:22 pm
by bertJ
Yes, you have to get to the back of the panel light dimmer switch. There are several torx screws at the bottom of the panel. Just remove these and the panel drops down. Also, pull off the fuse panel cover.
You should see two wires only, going to the dimmer switch. Using a test lamp or multimeter find out the wire (can't remember the colour I'm afraid) which feeds the power INTO the switch when the parking lights are on. Cut that wire about 5 cms away from the switch (you may have to peel back the insulation). Make sure you've got the correct wire before cutting it - the voltage from the output wire will vary depending on the position of the rotary switch - DON'T cut that one!
Using your test lamp or multimeter find a wire (there are lots) that is only live when the ignition is on and the engine running. Check that it isn't live with the ignition and/or engine off. I found such a wire at the back of the main light switch but there's plenty coming from behind the fuse box.
Skotchlock into that wire and run a length of wire to the cut wire where it comes out of the panel light switch; you can use another scotchlock or any connector to attach to this wire. Don't forget to insulate any bare connector and the spare bit of wire that now has nothing attached to it.
If you do it this way then the panel lights can still be dimmed at night.
I'm sorry this is a bit vague but I didn't want to go back into the fascia to check wire colours etc. The whole operation is very easy though.
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:26 pm
by bertJ
PS memm
If you do the panel light mod perhaps you could post the wire colours for other members' benefit?
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:51 pm
by memm
Hi, thanks for this tip.
I don't have a dimmer for the lights.... I guess I will take a very careful look, not that the cables are different because I don't have the dimmer and I mess up things... I won't have time during the week and this weekend, but hopefully next weekend...