[ajaypjayaraj]

Hey guys


I have been following Team BHP forums since 2006. I got myself registered as a member of the team recently and this is my first post.


As the title suggests it's about the mods and upgrades on my Skoda Yeti 2010 2.0 TDI Elegance 4x4. I have been customizing my Yeti since the time I bought it. Certain parts like the alloy wheels and audio/multimedia head units have been upgraded multiple times. Listing out the various upgrades and mods below.


- Bi-xenon head lamps with autolevel AFS kit (OEM)
- Cruise control (OEM)
- Auto parking version 2.0 (OEM)
- Fatigue recognition (OEM)
- Boot release button with Reverse cam (OEM replica)
- Auto headlight switch (OEM)
- Skoda Yeti wheel arch kit (OEM)
- Shark fin antenna for Radio and GPS reception (OEM)
- Pete's custom code Remap
- H&R trak+ spacers for wider track and better stance
- Muth Signal mirrors
- Thule roof box kit with customized paint job and smart waxed
- Thule roof bike rack
- 17" Y spoke alloys with broader tyres
- Customized paint job and smart waxed
- Customized aggressor front grill
- Customized Milotec/Hella DRL for Skoda Yeti
- Head unit with CAN compatibility, steering wheel control, multimedia, OPS with reverse cam display overlap and active guide lines, Navigation, built in bluetooth, 8" HD touch screen, etc.
- Customized Headlamp eyebrows from Superskoda
- JL audio micro sub-woofers with custom moulded enclosure to minimise boot space wastage
- Class D mono amp for subs


A few upgrades done in the past but already removed/replaced are listed below
- Aftermarket alloy wheels 17" and later changed to 17" Skoda Octavia II Vrs alloy wheels (OEM) with customized paint job
- Bluetooth Highline kit for RCD 510 (OEM)
- Navigation, multimedia & Reverse cam integration box for OE head unit RCD 510
- Light force Striker 170 HID xenon lamps
- Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835 head unit



Bilstein sport shocks are already on order with Pete's Automotive and expected to be fitted soon. Some more retrofits are planned. Will post them when it's done. The above list does not include minor tweaks and add ons like cluster needle staging activation, Pete's air checkers, OEM tail pipe fitting, LED position lights, etc. The list goes on! But all major upgrades are mentioned above.


I started DIYs on my previous car Skoda Octavia with the mesh work on front grille and the front RS bumper slots. That was a relatively easy DIY and a good one for starter. The next DIY upgrade was integrating Skoda Laura OEM xenon projectors in the Octavia headlamp housing. Back then I had fancied the Laura headlamps for its particular colourful sparkle as compared to other HID lamps. So I sourced a pair of original Laura xenon projectors, removed the Octavia's fog lamp from the headlamp housing, modified the housing to accommodate the Laura's xenon projectors perfectly using my dremel tools and got it working. That was not an easy task. But end result was that it looked like an OE headlamp. Because I did not just fix the projector in the main headlamp reflector as you see in other mods which by design is not of my taste. The H4 bulb reflectors were intact and functional. I just had additional HID xenon lamps properly focused and levelled in the fog lamp area of the headlamp assembly. This is how I started my DIYs and then on its been my hobby and my favourite time pass. It's not just the upgrades that interest me. It's the upgrading and customizing task itself that makes it more interesting. I had a detailed report of the above DIY and wanted to share it on the team BHP forum but my membership request was denied then and hence could not share it with you guys. Now after years I have changed my mobile and laptop a few times and I really don't have those details anymore. I don't even have that car with me anymore. Will post pic of the headlamp if I manage to find it anywhere.


OEM retrofits - auto parking, AFS auto levelling bi-xenons, fatigue recognition and cruise control were carried out by Mr.Sugesh, Vagtune Kochi. He has the experience and knowledge when it comes to VAG cars. He has access to the parts and spares at competitive prices too. I got the OEM bluetooth kit for RCD 510 from him in 2010 and that's when I met him first. He had just started with the VAG car OE upgrades with a few retrofits done already then. Now he has set up Vagtune and has quite some experience with retrofits. The above mentioned upgrades on my Yeti was done in just a day which is impressive and a challenging task. The only part I got myself and not from Vagtune was the Xenon head lamps itself which was sourced from UK, thanks to my cousin who helped me procure it. It is available in Vagtune also. Rest all parts were sourced thru Vagtune. I recommend him for VAG retrofits. He does retrofits which are so advanced also which even authorized service centres would not dare to do. How many of them have the in depth technical knowledge to do it in the first place even if they dare, is a big question! Guys who have approached them for such work would know what I am talking about.


Custom code remap and wheel arch kit installation were done by Pete's Automotive Kochi. Obviously who else would you go to for a remap! Its world class upgrades and service for your car. Milotec/Hella DRLs and Muth turn signal mirrors for the Yeti were sourced from Pete's and DIY installed after doing some customizing. Bilstein sport shocks are on its way and I am waiting eagerly for their call to hear that those bad boys have arrived. I love the way they work on cars at Pete's. The same passion and love you have for your car can be seen in the work they do. It's more like a hobby than work. Even many of the so called premium car authorised service centres fail to give you the satisfaction when it comes to quality of service. I am thinking of doing my car services from Pete's in future because I need genuine work and good care for my car when I give it for service and not just the "authorized service centre" tag.


It's a blessing that Pete's automotive, Vagtune etc. are there for us VAG car owners especially from the south or from whole of India itself for that matter.
Smart wax detailing is carried out by Express Garage in Kozhikode. They have Pete's franchisee.
Amp. and micro subs were installed by Teny (not sure if I spelled it right), New Metal Effect, Chennai. They are masters in ICE installations. Instead of 1 big sub, I bought 2 JL audio micro subs from US, thanks to my brother who got it for me. They don't eat up the space in the boot like other subs because of their size. But same time deliver good sound too. Anyways im not a fan of just bass ignoring everything else in music so these subs serve my purpose and better.


Head unit is latest edition DNS 810 from audio sources. I had used RCD 510 with OE premium bluetooth kit earlier. To get navigation, back up cam and multimedia I added the multimedia box (which is integrated into the RCD 510 using the same touch screen) but was not really satisfied with the outcome. Later I installed the Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835. Till I used that head unit I had a good impression about blaupunkt. May be because its windows based or may be due to the processor quality, I'm not sure, but I was disappointed with the head unit for a few reasons like hang up issues, audio settings like EQ and sub woofer levels respond poorly, even though box says it can read so many video formats it's hard to find a video file that the system would read, etc. I felt like fitting back the OE bolero radio for its sound quality n performance is beyond compare to this head unit. But since I wanted navigation and multimedia I had to look for other models. And finally decided to try out Audiosources head unit DNS 810 which is their flagship model for VAG cars. Presently using in my car n I would not say the sound quality is very good (not happy with the sound quality, its just okay). In the beginning it pretty much sucked. But recently I got a firmware update from them and now it's better than before and could sound better if you really sit n tweak its parametric EQ and audio settings. Still this stereo is not recommended for audiophile listeners. I used to be very particular about audio quality. I remember the head unit, I mean just the pioneer head unit (amp., speakers, wiring and subwoofers all excluded) purchased for my Skoda Octavia costed me 2000USD. And it did sound apart from the other head units. It was totally worth the price. Back then my priority was pure discrete sound quality and sheer listening pleasure. But now I need navigation, multimedia for my wife and daughter for watching their movies and cartoons, etc. on long trips. Priorities have changed and I din't mind sacrificing a bit on the audiophile in me for the enjoyment of my family. DNS 810 does have some hang up issues but its better after the firmware upgrade. The good part is the UI which is replica of the OE system and not the usual funny looking Chinese made head units UI. It has good CAN compatibility which shows reverse cam picture overlapped with OPS display, supports MFSW, cluster display to some extent, can play any common video or audio format, supports common maps like mapmyindia, iGo maps etc. If maps were available for the Skoda Columbus (VW RNS 510) head unit, I would have definitely installed
Rest are mostly DIYs with help from my friends when it comes to fibre glass work, final painting and finishing work, decal and vinyl work, etc. with parts sourced from various online shops around the globe. Fitting Muth mirror, shark fin antenna, back up camera, installing various head units, etc. were DIYs. Some fine touches done by 0-100 Autoworx, Kochi. Manoj at Autoworx is really helpful if you need any custom mods done to your car. His work is impressive.


Enough typing and now lets see some pics!









An earlier pic with my bike on top


Auto headlight switch


Cruise control


Back up Cam


JL Audio Micro sub woofers


Shark fin antenna for GPS and Radio


Muth turn signal mirrors


Audiosources DNS 810 headunit




Autoparking display in instrument cluster







Managed to find a pic of the Octavia head lamp retrofitted with Laura OE projectors



More pics and videos coming up soon with auto parking, AFS bi-xenon head lamps, etc. in action.

Update: Link to Park Assist video on Pg 8

[Akshay1234]

Hey that's a great car you have got there, and some very very interesting mods done on it.

Wanted to ask you a couple of things on it.

-What lights are being used in the fogs?
-I don't seem to see the extra sensors required for the auto park. Are they not needed?
-How is the ride with the 17s? What tyres are you running? Have you managed to do any amount of offroading with this setup?
-How it is after the remap? Are you using the stock air filter?

Do also keep us updated on how it is with the Bilstein shocks. I am seriously considering them for my Yeti once the stock shocks are due for replacement.

Also sorry for so many questions

[Steeroid]

Nice work and a neat looking Yeti. Really nice grille - where did you pick it up from?

[ajaypjayaraj]

Thank you Akshay1234!

- I am just trying Osram hyper white H7 in fogs. Changed it very recently to see if it goes with the hella xenons, i mean the color temp. But once the xenons warm up, now the fog looks whiter than both headlamps and DRLs so I might change to a better suiting color temp for fogs soon.
- If you see very closely, you could see the extra sensors for front in pic 2 and for the rear in pic 4. For version 2 you need 2 additional sensors front and 2 additional rear too. It doesn't work without these.
- If you compare with the 16's, I would say you could feel the surface a little more with the 17s . But not so bad that you would need to stick on to the 16s for that matter. Since Yeti has a bigger tyre dia. it uses the same tyre size as that of E class, new 3 series etc. when you change to 17. I would recommend 17 for yeti without doubt. Euro spec models come with 17" wheels on higher trim Yetis. Earlier I was running on 225/50/17s which is the exact same size of my 3 series (F30) tyres but presently I am running on broader 245/45/17s. I feel Yeti has a better stance with broader tyres.
I had done a couple of jungle trips within estates and plantations with the Yeti but dint feel like pushing it through rocky terrain again. It does the job well as long as the clearance isn't an issue but I decided to stick to beaches and muddy terrain when it comes to off roading.
- Remap makes yeti go like my F30! Initial pick up has improved slightly but once it gains a bit of speed, that's when yeti unleashes itself. Its more for highways than the city. Yeti already is a pleasure to drive with the high torque at low rpms but with the remap it gets better. Yea I havent changed the filters from stock as phase 1 remap doesn't require mechanical changes.

Will put up my review of Bilstein once I get them installed. Hoping it within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks Steeroid!

Grille is a complete DIY. Ordered a new grille from Skoda service centre in Kozhikode so that I have the original one in case I mess up the grille mod. Modified the new grille and its a complete DIY. Its got expanded steel mesh too behind the vertical slats. Inspired by the Milotec Skoda Yeti grille but done with own hands. And thankfully its turned out to well and many have told me it doesn't look like a mod and looks perfectly OE like, I mean the finishing and the fitting.

NOTE FROM T-BHP SUPPORT: Merging consecutive posts. Please avoid posting consecutively. Use the MULTI QUOTE (QUOTE+) functions instead. You are requested to read the Announcements section before proceeding. Thanks.

[ajmat]

Respect - nicely done!

Look forward to hearing more about those Bilsteins

[arjab]

Great job!
One small suggestion: why don't you blacken out the "B"-pillars? I recently got it done on a friend's Yeti. Gives a lovely "floating roof" effect. You can get the blackout tapes from any 3M franchise.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Thanks and do appreciate the suggestion arjab. I had the B pillars of my octvia blacked out. Any car with conventional vertial B pillars, I would love to blacken out the B pillars. But I feel the swooping B pillar of the Yeti gives it that special appearance. Couple of my friends had suggested to try blackening out the B pillar as done on other cars when I bought the Yeti. If those B pillars were vertical I would definitely get it blacked out. Have seen pics on the net of Yetis with blacked out pillars, but felt it was best left as it is. I love the way the B pillar of Yeti looks and wouldn't wanna mask it. Since every other pillar of Yeti is blacked out, this one with the aeroplane tail effect stands out nicely. I'm a fan of this particular design.

[sreejith.j]

WOW That's an amazing list of mods

have you done any changes to your brakes after the remap ?

I feel the stock brakes are inadequate. Unfortunately due to that I even had a small accident day before and had a fender dented.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

Inspired by the Milotec Skoda Yeti grille but done with own hands. And thankfully its turned out to well and many have told me it doesn't look like a mod and looks perfectly OE like, I mean the finishing and the fitting.

Well done - it does look like OE. If you would ever consider doing another grille, let me know

[Vid6639]

Best looking Yeti ever!

You have added a ton of stuff to the car but every mod is so tastefully done. Nothing is over the top. Really good choice of mods.

I loved the idea of the grill. To chop of alternate slats. Brilliant.

I see you have a F10 3 series also. Nice garage.

[Sunsh!nes]

Very nicely modded but the car still retains the OEM looks.

I would like to know more about the Micro Subs in your car. Would like to Consider it for my cars. Are they equal to the Standard 12" subs in intensity, effect etc., ?

With 17" - does it hamper the ride quality - to what extent does Bilstein compensate for ride quality ? what tyres are running on the car ?

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by sreejith.j

WOW That's an amazing list of mods
have you done any changes to your brakes after the remap ?

Thanks sreejith. I never felt Yeti's brakes inadequate. Towards the time the brake pads need replacement, it might feel a bit weaker. But otherwise it has performed well. Even with the remap, its doing a good job. Few days back due to a crazy guy I had to apply brakes in emergency and with the monsoon on, yeti still stopped without any hassle.

Originally Posted by ajmat

Respect - nicely done!
Look forward to hearing more about those Bilsteins

Thanks ajmat! Me too, cant wait to get the bilsteins on. Will put up my review soon after the install.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Well done - it does look like OE. If you would ever consider doing another grille, let me know

Dear Steeroid, I wouldn't mind doing another grille when I have the free time. I do these DIYs out of passion and its a hobby

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Best looking Yeti ever!
You have added a ton of stuff to the car but every mod is so tastefully done. Nothing is over the top. Really good choice of mods.
I loved the idea of the grill. To chop of alternate slats. Brilliant.
I see you have a F10 3 series also. Nice garage.

Thank you vid! Just like you noticed, my idea of mods is to give the car an upgraded look without losing its character. Its actually very easy to ruin the car with very little mods and a tough task to do a lot of mods n maintain its design integrity the way its designer originally intended it to be. Its the F30 in the garage.

Originally Posted by Sunsh!nes

Very nicely modded but the car still retains the OEM looks.
I would like to know more about the Micro Subs in your car. Would like to Consider it for my cars. Are they equal to the Standard 12" subs in intensity, effect etc., ?
With 17" - does it hamper the ride quality - to what extent does Bilstein compensate for ride quality ? what tyres are running on the car ?

Exactly Sunsh!nes, to retain the OEM looks and character of the car was carefully taken care of when thought of each mod.
Micro subs do their job well. You can get details of the same in JL audio website. I have two 6" subs which is not technically equal to one 12". But though small, these subs can handle powerful bass and never goes out of breathe.
17ers are OEM size for high spec Yetis sold abroad. It doesn't hamper too much with the ride quality. Its still comfortable.
As far as I've heard from people who ride on bilsteins, due to the gas and oil technology the ride actually marginally improves than OEM ride quality but same time providing much better handling. Its the technology that helps it give improved ride quality along with better handling. Will share my experience once i get them installed.
Presently I'm riding on Michelin rubber which is good performance wise and comfort wise but cost wise I still cant justify michelins. Even Contis and Pirellis sell cheaper!

[Doc_nikhil]

I used to search online for good mods for the abominable snowman but never found anything worthwhile. Until now. Beautiful car made more striking and handsome with those thoughtful mods. Gonna try out the alloys swap and remap atleast on my FIL's yeti.
Any hope of getting an approx price quote for them? Ours is the same color so hopes it turns out as good looking as yours.. And on an another note, auto park? Really? Does it work well in our crowded-mall-railway-station-market-road situations?

[IshaanIan]

WOW. Wouldn't want to see a Yeti done up in any other way really tastefully done up.

Congratulations on the membership and here's to looking forward to more posts from you!

[97_Octane]

Frankly, I never viewed the Yeti to be a mod-friendly car. but after seeing yours, well well

Really like the way you've done it up. Very subtle yet striking mods. Tastefully done. BTW, which alloys are those?

Enjoy your ride