[Repsol]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Decided to ditch the idea of the getting thre CASKA. Didnt want to lose my animated parktronic and clima display. Will probably upgrade to a bolero (which comes in the L&k) if i find a good deal somewhere.

After unlocking pretty much everythin possible using vcds im thinking about retrofitting the multifunction vrs steering with paddles! I know it sounds crazy, risky, dumb, and far too overambitious but apparently its quite a straighforward procedure and can be done in 20mins.

Imagine a laura with paddles!!!

Downside is that ill surely lose my warranty! The 4 yr skoda sheild all gone!! So thats the confusing part. Whether to go all out with retrofitting cruise control & the mfs with paddles and enjoy these amazing additions for a few yrs (usually like changing cars every 4-5yrs). Or whether to play it safe and be satisfied with everythin else that the car offers??

Here's where i need you opinions and advice guys/mods.

Nice that you have some good mods in mind, but I would suggest you to stick with what the car is offering you by default. Going for these mods takes away your warranty which is VERY VERY important in case of a Skoda (Notorious A.S.S)

[mdsaab]

As the others have mentioned i too would watch out doing too many Mods, especially with a Skoda. You never know, all they need is a very small excuse to void your warranty.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

As the others have mentioned i too would watch out doing too many Mods, especially with a Skoda. You never know, all they need is a very small excuse to void your warranty.

I completely understand but for someone like me who likes changing cars every 4-5yrs shouldnt i just go ahead and enjoy these 4-5 yrs with these exciting mods?? I mean the car is great but i really do miss the steering controls and the thought of having paddles just makes me want to take that leap of faith and go for it!! Just thinking aloud over here..
A few others here in chennai say there are quite a few guys with private worskhops who have a fairly good knowledge of skoda & vw cars (So worst case scenario even if i do end up with some problems down the line, with the right kinda help, things might not be that gloomy)..Right??

Originally Posted by luky_13

Nah, I would choose the columbus or bolero over any other aftermarket HU, the Caska thingy doesn't gel. Looks completely alien. Be completely sure before you take the plunge, there is a lot more than just plug-n-play to these RNS units.

You haven't yet unlocked the FE to display in km/l. Change Bit 4-7, under 17-Instruments to Great Britain. And yes a Laura with flappy paddles is fun to drive (), again be sure what you are dealing with. Also it's going to take you much more than the anticipated 20 mins and a few hidden surprises!!

This ain't for the faint hearted, remember you are dealing with a SKODA.

Yes im looking for a bolero. A bolero from an octavia II fl (laura) or a yeti should be a straightforward swap with the unlock code (those taken from a superb are of a diff size). The columbus needs a new fascia kit, gps wire etc etc. The columbus works out to be far too expensive though..

You are right, retrofitting the mfs with paddles isnt a straightforward job as it also requires replacing the steering control module to a highline one and also changing the airbag wiring harness. For those lucky ones with the laura l&K it literally is a straightforward swap (as it already has a highline module). Once i find some expert to do this manual work for me the rest of it (getting the paddles and the button to work) is just coding and for that i have a lot of help here and that shouldnt be a problem. Infact a few people who have done this mod will be mailing me all the steps and codes reqd to get the steering controls and paddles to works.

I've sorted of decided to go ahead to get the mfs with paddles and all the other reqd parts..I just have to decide whether to go ahead and do it right away or wait for a couple of years. But im gettin help from a good bunch of guys who have either done this or know how to, so that's sort of giving me the confidence to go ahead.. I dont want to be hasty though, so i will be talking to a few more more people and maybe befriend some skoda guy who can help me keep my warranty intact

Thanks for km/l change instructions!!

[mdsaab]

Vinj14 now that you put it this way. I think yeah go ahead and have fun, you are going to replace the car in about 4 years anyway. If you do not enjoy your mods now then when will you?
Just make sure to befriend a Skoda chap so you can get help if ever the need be with warranty issues.
I certainly hope all your mods go smoothly, and wishing you the best of luck for the same.
Drive Safe!

[vinj14]

So my laura looks just like it did when i bought it 3 months back, but only from the outside! What am i talking about? ..You'll see!!

Here are a couple of teasers to get you guessing !





Okay, that hardly required any guessing! Now for the details..

MOD#1
4 spoke non multifunction steering to a 3 spoke vrs multifunction steering with paddle shifts and an active PTT (push to talk) button!
Parts required
a) 3 spoke multifunction steering with paddles
b) Steering wheel control module with slipring
c) Airbag wiring harness
Source
All the parts were bought from skodateile.cz ( Alez from skodateile helped me procure the right parts and modules)
Fitting
Done in the skoda workshop thanks to a very knowledgeable and helpful skoda service advisor! Overall time taken for the procedure was about 12-15mins.
Coding was done by me using vcds. Plenty of research and a lot of help from a friend in bombay gave me the confidence to go ahead with this. Coding ended up being the easiest thing to do as it only required ticking a few boxes in vcds!!

MOD#2
Skoda swing player to touch screen SKODA BOLERO SYSTEM with a 6 cd changer and sd card slot (comes in the L&K model)
Parts required
Skoda Bolero touch screen multimedia player with activation code
Source
I found it extremely difficult to obtain this player. Was very lucky to find someone in australia who was willing to ship this player as he upgraded to a columbus. The bolero was hardly a few months old and was in great condition.
There are quite a few skoda bolero systems on ebay.co.uk but most were unwilling to ship to india.
Fitting
Absolutely easy. Definitely a DIY job. I got it fitted in the skoda workshop in two mins. Skoda swing player was removed, Bolero was fitted, activation code was entered and waaalaahh, you've got the touch screen bolero system working beautifully. The climate control display and parktronic display is way better in the bolero when compared to the swing player. It makes a huge difference to the overall appeal of the car interiors (really takes it up a couple of notches!)

MOD#3
Original VW Skoda 9W7 bluetooth kit with voice control feature.
Parts required
a)9w7 bluetooth module
b)Plug and play wiring loom
c)VW microphone
d) foam box to place the bluetooth module
Source
All the parts are sold together as a kit and is easily available on ebay. A seller called 'carsystems' from poland (on ebay) is very knowledgeable and will help you with the coding and installation instructions if you purchase this from him.
Fitting
Not very straightforward. It look around one and a half hours. I got this done in the skoda workshop. The bluetooth module with the foam box is placed under the drivers seat. Routing the wire from under to drivers seat to the dash and installing the microphone involves removing the drivers side carpet, A-pillar, lower dash etc.. Another BHPian with a yeti has also installed the bluetooth kit and has decribed the procedure well in his thread. I had a few issues with this mod thought. Coding was done via vcds and was fairly simple.

The bluetooth kit is useless if you dont have either the bolero or maxidot. I dont have the maxidot but i can access most of the functions (dial pad, searching for contacts, scrollong through call history, phone book etc) with the bolero system. Voice control is also a great feature and can be used by a short press of the left side scroller which controls the volume. I also activated the PTT (push to talk) feature on the multifunction steering via vcds, so i can now accept or reject call using the telephone button on the steering.

Overall, 3 great mods! The steering especially is much more compact and so much better to grip than the previous one! They not only add to the luxury element but also are very practical and useful additions.

Will this void your warranty?
It most probably would. I was lucky to find someone in skoda who was satisfied with all the parts that i bought ( the fact that they were genuine skoda parts) and once i explained the actual simplicity of the procedure he was more than glad to help. After all the procedures he was happy with the overall outcome and assured me that i wouldnt face any warranty issues..No written guarantees though and i wasn't foolish enough to expect one. All i can say is there is an element of risk but if you do your research right , go about things systematically and find someone is skoda with ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE to execute the instructions, then you shouldnt have any issues. Warranty is very dealer specific and a lot depends on your rapport with the service advicers & managers.

I have to highlight here that for choosing the right parts, ordering & buying them and coding using vcds i had no help from the guys in skoda (they only helped with the manual fitting of all the parts). A good amount of research , a lot of help from the sellers who i bought from and some much needed guidance from a few friends in mumbai and chennai gave me the confidence to go ahead with these mods.

Finally..the pictures

[Akshay1234]

Kudos man, its great to have people like you here who actually go out and do whats on their mind. Most people are scared to even put tints thinking about warranty.

Awesome mods, the paddle shifts I'm sure make your car so much more fun to drive and the bluetooth and touchscreen are useful additions too.

I think you should retrofit the maxidot so that you can get full functionality. Its not a hard procedure from what I've read.

[aks_karthik]

Simply Great . No need for L&K trim.
I too have a plan to buy a Laura AT.
If i buy it, i straightly come to you to mod my car as yours with your help.
Tell me the amount involved in this modification.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Kudos man, its great to have people like you here who actually go out and do whats on their mind. Most people are scared to even put tints thinking about warranty.

Awesome mods, the paddle shifts I'm sure make your car so much more fun to drive and the bluetooth and touchscreen are useful additions too.

I think you should retrofit the maxidot so that you can get full functionality. Its not a hard procedure from what I've read.

The paddle shifts work great and makes driving on empty roads that much more fun. The touchscreen is my favourite mod though. Now to go to the 70th track on a folder all i need to do is scroll down and tap on the songs name (beats clicking the next button 69 times!!!).
Yeah the maxidot would be a lovely addition but all the coding can be done only using VAS and the skoda guys here aren't confident about doing it. But, definitely worth considering sometime in the future (when the novelty of the paddles start to wear off..)

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Simply Great . No need for L&K trim.
I too have a plan to buy a Laura AT.
If i buy it, i straightly come to you to mod my car as yours with your help.
Tell me the amount involved in this modification.

Great! The car is a beauty! I can help with the mods but i should let you know that the process is time consuming and sometimes no very straight forward. If you can push your budget just blindly go for Laura L&K. For the two lakhs more you do get a whole lot of really awesome features (memory seats, maxidot display, xenon lights, extra airbags, front parking sensors, the bolero system, some extra safety features, two more speakers, tyre pressure monitoring..etc etc), definitely worth the extra money if you ask me.

[aks_karthik]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Great! The car is a beauty! I can help with the mods but i should let you know that the process is time consuming and sometimes no very straight forward. If you can push your budget just blindly go for Laura L&K. For the two lakhs more you do get a whole lot of really awesome features (memory seats, maxidot display, xenon lights, extra airbags, front parking sensors, the bolero system, some extra safety features, two more speakers, tyre pressure monitoring..etc etc), definitely worth the extra money if you ask me.

actually I have booked and cancelled Laura L&K same color as your car around March 2008.
I am little bit confused on selecting the car now. If I plan a sedan (only AT), definitely Laura AT is the car for me.
Almost I have been visiting Service centre once in a month for my Fiat Linea and I love to spend time over there. So no issues on spending time to mod.
March 2012 is the time to finalize the car.

[ethanhunt123]

Hats off to you brother. You have not let the fear of Skoda Warranty deter you from putting in your car some excellent stuff ! If i do buy a Laura sometime next year, expect a PM on details to fit this stuff (especially Bolero/Columbus)

[.cArMaNiA]

congrats mate, with these mods your laura is the best looking, with best features on team-bhp as of now. For these mods i'll drive all the way to your place from delhi for sure once the budget permits. Can you give a brief break up of how much did u spent on these mods.

[n.devdath]

Vinj 14: Congrats on those lovely mods that you have done to your Laura. Your Skoda ASC too deserves special mention for being so co operative and technically sound.
What did they cost you in all and what was the time it took for the parts to arrive after you had purchased them online?

That apart, how is the general health and performance of the car? How much has it clocked till date?

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by .cArMaNiA

congrats mate, with these mods your laura is the best looking, with best features on team-bhp as of now. For these mods i'll drive all the way to your place from delhi for sure once the budget permits. Can you give a brief break up of how much did u spent on these mods.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Vinj 14: Congrats on those lovely mods that you have done to your Laura. Your Skoda ASC too deserves special mention for being so co operative and technically sound.
What did they cost you in all and what was the time it took for the parts to arrive after you had purchased them online?

That apart, how is the general health and performance of the car? How much has it clocked till date?

The multifunction steering wheel retrofit and the bolero costed around 25k each. The bluetooth addition costed around 15k. These are approximate figures inclusive of shipping and installation charges.

The general health and the performance of the car has been wonderful. I did have a few minor issues like some mild rattling noise , whistling noise at high speeds due to an air leak but they were promptly rectified by the skoda guys without any fuss.
Be it in the city or on the highways the car drives beautifully and almost reads your mind to give you the kind of performance you seek.

The few things that i haven't been impressed with are the noisy stock goodyear tyres and the fairly large gap between the wheel arches and the tyres. The car could also have been a little quieter (definitely not as bad the cruze though). But these are very minor irritants that in no way affect the overall appeal and performance of the car!

[suneet_ag]

Superb mods !! It is really a fantastic effort.

Would be great if you can share details around importing stuff, especially bulky items like the steering wheel. Details of courier that you used, whether you had to pay customs etc would help!!

You have set a standard for us mate. :-)

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by suneet_ag

Superb mods !! It is really a fantastic effort.

Would be great if you can share details around importing stuff, especially bulky items like the steering wheel. Details of courier that you used, whether you had to pay customs etc would help!!

You have set a standard for us mate. :-)

Thanks mate.
Yup importing stuff can at times be troublesome. Its always better to go for express shipping with tracking even if its a little more expensive (the option can be discussed with the sellers). And whether you are able to avoid customs is based purely on luck (although you can discuss ways to avoid paying high customs duty with the sellers you are buying from).