[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Lots of things have turned up. I am waiting for a few consignments to arrive. Shall share everything here (as always) when I receive them. Stay tuned!

Hey Gannu, your updates with changes/mods on your GT are seldom small or unnoticeable. But as always, you are just too modest about them !!

Now that the word is out from the horse's mouth (Lots of things have turned up), I am only hoping that you have not converted your GT into a Scirrocco !!

I am glued to this thread now.

[Gannu_1]

Lots of things happened over the last 2 months. Posting some updates:

1. OEM anti-theft wheel bolts:

I have no immediate plans to change the stock alloys so decided to buy a set of anti-theft bolts:



The bolts were shipped inside a nice plastic box along with the key and the plastic bolt-head caps:



The bolt head has a random pattern and a matching one on the key:



The key also has a unique security code associated with it printed on a sticker. If I lose this key, I’ll have to get another one from these guys by producing this code. The OEM is Farad World, Italy as indicated in the sticker. Check out their website which explains the production process and heat treatment applied.

Part number: ZGB 5J0 071 591

Source: www.skodaparts.com, UK

2. Glovebox cold air supply valve:

Added this one since it was cheap and doesn’t involve much efforts:





To be brutally honest, this is going to be just another novelty feature. The valve was cheap at 2 GBP (approx. 200 Rs) so ordered it. Drilled a hole on the co-driver side vent duct, cut a hole on the glovebox and connected a plastic hose after sealing the mating edges. Pretty sure, I am never storing a water bottle or Coke can inside the glovebox - not with those car’s documents inside! Shall add this DIY on the existing glovebox light DIY thread later.

Part number: 1Z0 816 355 9B9

Source: www.skodaparts.com, UK

Price: For parts 1 & 2 combined, 31.13 GBP.

3. OEM boot light:





It was shipped with an Osram C10W 41 mm festoon bulb; replaced it with an equivalent festoon LED light. Used the Dremel to make a cutout on the lower C-pillar trim, tapped the harness off dome light as this is the norm on the stock Polo (sold overseas) as per the wiring diagram except that the switch on the rear lid lock unit is what triggers the light. The cable was routed from the cabin light hole to the left C-pillar through the gap between the headliner and the ceiling. I had to remove the rear trim for this and the door beading for the driver side and the rear passenger side.

Connection - one end of the light is connected to GND (98) and the other to a pin on the BCM (A23, T73a/65). Here’s the combined current flow diagram (clubbed 3 separate diagrams into one) that explains it:



Part number: 1KD 947 101A

Source: Aliexpress, China (shipped via HK Post)

Price: 9 USD (shipped via HK Post)

4. Auto-dimming interior mirror:





Knocked the stock mirror off the slot using a mallet:



FOV (field of view) has improved. A comparison pic (not the same location):



Works beautifully in the night by dimming the mirror when the sensor senses the high beam from the trailing vehicles. There is a sensor at the rear of the mirror as well. I had plans to install the VW OEM auto-dimming mirror with the rain and light sensor (installed in the Jetta and Passat; the Polo that retails overseas has this mirror as an optional upgrade) but every time the windshield has to be replaced, this sensor should be replaced as it is stuck to the windshield using an epoxy glue and the sensor costs quite a bit! Dropped the plan when I had to change the windshield when it cracked 2 months back. The seller also shipped a plastic cover for hiding the cable (shown in the foreground of the first image) but I didn’t use it since the cable was neatly routed to the ceiling headliner.

Price: 70 USD

Source: Aliexpress, China (shipped via HK Post)

5. OEM anti-glare ORVMs:



During the night:



Came in the OEM packaging:



Looks like these are being offered in the Chinese markets as a standard accessory for VW and Skoda:



Just for the record, these are not aspherical and offer the same field of vision as that of the stock mirrors. Swapping the mirrors made a remarkable difference during night drives. The irritating glare from the high beams of the trailing vehicles have reduced. Did a night drive recently on the 6-laned NH8 and had a very pleasant experience.

Source: Aliexpress, China (shipped via HK Post)

Price: 40 USD

6. Inverted L-type head restraints:



The head rests do not jut out of the seat-back anymore and the rearward visibility from the IRVM greatly improved. Have a look:



Been wanting this for ages link, tried getting the stock head restraints modified from a couple of local upholstery guys but they denied. Finally, the local VW dealership helped me. Shall get them reupholstered later.

Part number: 6RG 885 901C 83V

Source: Navjivan VW, Navsari

Price: Rs. 2200 per pair

7. Auto-headlight sensor module and the Golf Mk7’s headlight switch:



The build quality of the switch is good - no part feels flimsy or built loose. The sensor (an LDR - light dependent resistor, basically) is located above the dashboard at the bottom of the driver side A-pillar.

Coming home lights - with the switch set to Auto, remove the key from the slot and the headlights, tail lights and number plate lights are turned on for a preset time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeqN3-m_cb4

Leaving home lights - unlock the car and if the surroundings are dark as sensed by the light sensor, the lights turn on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXSP9jZyzQo

Gotta love this tiny little module that converts a regular switch to the Auto module along with the coming-home and leaving-home options. The more expensive way to do this is to upgrade the BCM. This has nothing to do with VCDS and the sensitivity can be adjusted using the switch itself. This system is independent of the BCM and no setting can be changed using VCDS.

Part number: 5ND 941 431 E XSH (for the headlight switch)

Source: Aliexpress, China

Price: 70 USD (shipped via HK Post)

8. Replacement mirror adjustment knob:

An el-cheapo mod. Changed the stock mirror adjustment knob from this:



to this:



Just like how you would change the knob of the ceiling fan speed regulator, simply pry it off (the stock one refused to come off with bare hands; I used the plastic trim removing tool):



And insert the new one. It isn’t chrome but has a brushed aluminium finish.

Source: Aliexpress, China

Price: 8 USD

9. OEM trim clips:

Got these trim clips for the lower A-pillar trim as I ended up damaging one on the co-driver side trim, due to frequent removing and replacing.



Damaged clip on the A-pillar:



Part number: 3C0 867 333

Source: Aliexpress, China

Price: 12 USD (shipped via HK Post)

10. RCD 510 HU:

The last update would be this. No pics as I am yet to receive the consignment. Might get it on Monday hopefully. I intend to swap the Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835 HU to the Delphi RCD 510 unit for the following reasons:

- The shoddy user interface. Completely unjustified for a HU worth 40k+. I thought of living with it but I couldn’t stand the UI! I had even mailed Blaupunkt’s customer support at Germany to change this UI through a future firmware upgrade but they denied saying this is what it is and what it will be.

- Haven’t used the MMI navigation feature for a while now. I must however add, when I had used it, it worked well. Thank you MapmyIndia!

- Tracks were getting repeated after the car was restarted from a stop.

- Phone book sync is buggy. When I press the Phone button on the unit, it begins syncing the call list. Takes a while and the list appears. When I exit out and press it again, it takes the same time! This used to happen randomly.

- The DIY bug! Honestly, I wish I could rewind time back to December 2013 when we bought the Blaupunkt unit. At that time, we were noobs in this department and didn’t know much about the car. As we got to know more by fiddling during the weekends, this seems like a walk in the park! I am not kidding - it really is since the newer Polo (2013 and later) now come with the CANbus cables in the ISO connectors so there’s no need to remove the connector from the BCM to insert these cables. Shall share the whole thing on the RCD 510 DIY thread.

I did a lot of research before deciding to swap the unit and went with the Delphi make. Will order the 9W7 Bluetooth module, harness and mic once I setup the HU.

Other observations/comments:

- Real world fuel efficiency figure hovers around the 22 kmpl mark since the last 3 tankfuls. This is purely because of the sedate driving style I have adopted since the last 2 months - speeds averaging 80-85 kmph + minimal gear changes + . Since I am driving solo to work, I am trying to extract as much as I can.

- Monthly running has gone up due to the office commutes = approx. 2800 km per month.

- There’s a long trip coming up this August which spans over 5000 km over 2 weeks. Planning to do a remap after we are done with this trip. Every time I think of a remap, I postpone it to the next 15k km!

- The stock Acelere tires have been holding up good so far except for the odd punctures and the tire noise which has worsened over time. Will be changing them before we undertake the ^trip. Michelin P3ST 195/60R15 is what I am currently looking at.

- Talking of tires, the other day while inflating the tires I realized that the driver side tire was filled for 60 psi! *hides to avoid brickbats* Call it sheer negligence from my side but this happened when we were heading to Lonavla during May and my colleagues suspected a puncture on the driver side tire (when there was none). We stopped by a puncture repair shop at Vasai which deals mostly with truck tires, the guy checked for punctures, found none and he inflated the tire for 60 psi! I was relying on my colleagues but I guess they did not pay attention. Thank goodness, nothing happened all this while. Drove for almost 40 days this way!

- The brake pads haven’t worn out and the braking performance hasn’t reduced. There were a couple of occasions when sudden brakes were applied and the car came to a standstill immediately without any drama.

- Oil levels haven’t changed from the change done during the 30k service.

- The Hella Dynaedge frameless wipers seem to have a mind of their own. When they are turned on, at the start, they judder and make that irritating grrr grrr noise while wiping (any speed and at any intensity of rain) but after a while, the noise goes off and its completely silent. Will stick with these for the monsoons this year and replace them next year. I would really like to get hold of the OEM VW frameless wiper arms.

- The car has clocked 36K so far. In a nutshell, she has been doing well without any issues to report (other than the cracked windshield which had to be replaced). There has not been a single rattle anywhere in the car. I hope it remains that way! *touchwood*

That would be all.

PS: Thanks to moderator moralfibre, a good friend Prithviraj, BHPian The Saint, colleagues and good friends - Moorthy, Amit and my service advisor from the VW dealership - Umesh for all the help.

[poloman]

gannu, what is the motivation behind the anti theft wheel bolts when wheel thefts are extremely rare in India? Don't you think this can be extremely risky if you misplace or forget to carry along the key on some long road trip? A puncture can be disastrous with none able to help you remove the tyres with out the key.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by poloman

gannu, what is the motivation behind the anti theft wheel bolts. Wheel thefts are extremely rare in India. Don't you think this can be extremely risky if you misplace or forget to carry along the key on some long road trip? A puncture can be disastrous with none able to help you remove the tyres.

We are embarking on a long trip towards north India in a couple of months. Some friends had alerted me of the wheels (including steel rims!) being stolen when the car is parked on the streets. Best to have them secure - you never know! The adapter is stored in the styrofoam module of the spare wheel. Ordered a second spare key from the store couple of weeks back.

I don't want this to happen to my car when I wake up the next day:

[ventoman]

Very nice mods Gannu. Hats off to you!
Could you please post the link or part number for OEM anti-glare ORVMs, as I'm planning to get them for my Vento as well.

Are these the anti-fog/heated ones or just anti glare?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by ventoman

Very nice mods Gannu. Hats off to you!
Could you please post the link or part number for OEM anti-glare ORVMs, as I'm planning to get them for my Vento as well.

Are these the anti-fog/heated ones or just anti glare?

Yep, these are heated mirrors but we don't have the wiring for connections so left it there.

Here's the link - http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Vw-ne...08.4.89.txKcDO

This is the seller from whom I bought it (he hasn't listed it but is a very co-operative guy) - Landsounds Technology Co., Ltd--Car Accessories

[paragsachania]

Brilliant as usual Gannu!

So many DIYs which actually needed almost equal number of threads but you briefed it up immaculately well in one single post with all the details. Just loved it.

The antiglare and auto dimming mirrors are going to be of immense help. After all, you know what NH8 is when it comes to driving at night with all GJ05 cars and Private buses tailing you with 6 lights!!

Glad that you will have a real use case to most of these DIYs,specially the lug nuts and Mirrors for your upcoming drive. The lug nuts are almost a must these days.

Again, kudos to these awesome DIYs.

[murajith]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Lots of things happened over the last 2 months. Posting some updates:

Reading your updates the first reaction from me (like a kindergarten boy) was "I want it too" ☺.

Superb stuff and motivation to folks like me.

Amongst all, couple DIY that I definitely want to do are auto head light and auto dimming IRVM.

For the benefit of noobs like me, can you detail the DIY part of auto headlights and sourcing details for the sensor?

[V.Narayan]

Gannu_1, Your love for your car and your eye for detail stand out clearly. This thread is a model example of how owners reviews should be written. Good thinking on your security wheels for North India. - Narayan

[arunkumarsarat]

So many thoughtful modifications, Gannu, all wonderfully useful! Shows how much you care and love your car. I now look at my car, which is stock, with a pang of guilt.


Changing the stock mirror adjustment knob and the head light switch were a nice touch. Your car now looks more upmarket and handsome.

[shetty_rohan]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Here's the link - http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Vw-ne...08.4.89.txKcDO

This is the seller from whom I bought it (he hasn't listed it but is a very co-operative guy) - Landsounds Technology Co., Ltd--Car Accessories

Thanks Gannu.
I guess, they have relisted the same item(http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6...67928067740119) for $45. I have just placed an order for the same.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The antiglare and auto dimming mirrors are going to be of immense help. After all, you know what NH8 is when it comes to driving at night with all GJ05 cars and Private buses tailing you with 6 lights!

Paragbhai, I suggest you get the auto-dimming interior mirror for your Ertiga. Will help you immensely during the night drives you've been doing off-lately. Remove the stock mirror, check the mount glued to the windshield (better still, click a clear snap and send it to the Ali dealer) and order one. They will send you one based on this mount.

Originally Posted by murajith

For the benefit of noobs like me, can you detail the DIY part of auto headlights and sourcing details for the sensor?

It's a very straightforward modification and pretty much plug-n-play.

Remove the stock headlight switch from the slot, remove the stock female connector (which is a broad one), connect it to the module's male slot, connect the smaller connector from the module to the Auto headlight switch, route the sensor to the bottom of the A-pillar and use zip-ties to secure the module to the frame. That's all.

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

I have just placed an order for the same.

Nice!

To take apart the stock mirrors, use the adjustment knob to rotate the mirrors inward as much as possible so there's a gap on the outside. Insert the fingers through this gap and simply pry them apart - the mirrors are held in place using the latch locks. They come off these latches. Insert the new mirror and lock them in place. That's all.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Paragbhai, I suggest you get the auto-dimming interior mirror for your Ertiga. Will help you immensely during the night drives you've been doing off-lately. Remove the stock mirror, check the mount glued to the windshield (better still, click a clear snap and send it to the Ali dealer) and order one. They will send you one based on this mount.

The Ertiga's IRVM doesn't get glued to the windscreen. Instead, its a clamp with 2 screws that gets mounted on the roof.

So wondering how easy/difficult this modification be.

Looking at the coverage of your newly installed mirror, it will also immensely aid in changing lanes on the dreaded NH8 with 6 lanes which otherwise requires a lot of assessment through the ORVMs most of the times.

[rakesh_r]

Gannu- I have no words to say for the ideas and efforts you have put on the car.Every modification you have done is of a purpose,nothing fancy.
Kudos to you

[a4anurag]

Hats off to your perseverance towards the small things that do increase and stuff in drive ability plus add that attention to detail. Hooked to your thread.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Paragbhai, I suggest you get the auto-dimming interior mirror for your Ertiga. Will help you immensely during the night drives you've been doing off-lately.

This is what I am also thinking to since i do lot of night driving. I'll be sending the supplier @ Aliexpress today evening so that i can get the right mirror.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The Ertiga's IRVM doesn't get glued to the windscreen. Instead, its a clamp with 2 screws that gets mounted on the roof.

So wondering how easy/difficult this modification be.