Vtecmec's 4th Gen

[Wayne2014]

Fantastic investigative work (dongle) and wow bargain gadgets too

I think we should all follow your lead and save money by money gadgets we can try to fix!

[Wayne2014]

So the Kenwood has no touch screen satnav then?

[Vtecmec]

So the Kenwood has no touch screen satnav then?

It does now an iPhone is plugged into it.

Just fitted the second amp under the passenger seat and a second oil catch can (now in and out both covered on the rocker) in the engine bay.

[Wayne2014]

So the Kenwood has no touch screen satnav then?

It does now an iPhone is plugged into it.

Just fitted the second amp under the passenger seat and a second oil catch can (now in and out both covered on the rocker) in the engine bay.

Cool !

[Vtecmec]

So, to finish off the audio installation, and to combat the rattles that were now apparent due to a beefier system, I’ve done some work to the doors and rear shelf, namely sound deadening and sound absorption.

Here is the door, looking decidedly sorry for itself.



So in the bin with the crappy plastic sheet, and on with some dynamat.



And then a covering of some closed cell foam to reduce road noise and prevent sounds echoing within the doors.



And a similar approach with the rear shelf





It’s made a massive improvement to what it was before, the system is loud, tight and clear.

So with that I fitted this hidden aerial into the roof space.



Now with all that done, my new springs had arrived, I wanted something a little softer, and I have read nothing but good reviews about these springs (and rumors that they supply Koni). So what are they, errm, Vogtland, German made, you can’t go wrong really.



Here they are next to the ones I removed.



They do seem to be a little more compliant than what was there previously, and I am now quite pleased with the ride quality. It’s a good balance between performance and comfort. I have also swapped one of the front knuckles for a de-rusted and painted one, so that only leaves one left, but I don’t seem to have any pics of the finished article, I’ll have to take some another time.

So I ordered a new front windscreen trim, meant for a 5th gen, but appearing to be a much better and neater design to the original, and mine was screwed anyway.

This is the profile.



I ripped off the existing trim, then tried for hours to remove enough sealant to get the trim to sit properly, this proved impossible so I decided to take a different approach.

An hour after that decision, armed with a stanley knife and a foot of welding wire, I was here......







So then just a matter of cleaning things up and re-bonding the screen back into place with the trim. Lots of tape to make sure it was spot on.



As for how it fits........









One final thing was some nice new mats, I went for the thickest and most durable looking ones I could at 2000g/m, meant for a 5th gen really, but they fit pretty perfectly.

[wurlycorner]

Sooo unlucky mec... You missed out by literally just a few hours of being the first person to do the 5th gen windscreen surround onto a 4g - someone posted it up earlier today!!!
Can't believe it

[prahunt]

That's a big job to do yourself. I am very impressed. How did you lift the glass out? Suction cups?
Or did someone push and you pull?

[Vtecmec]

No, did it all by myself (like everything else ) and just used my hands.

[Merlin]

Nice job on the windscreen. I need to do something with my one, it leaks

[Vtecmec]

It went suprisingly well, 3 hours start to finish. Though I have watched at least 50 being removed in the past so that probably helped. Just make sure you have a really sharp knife, slice the sealant all around from the inside, then run a wire all around to catch any of the little bits you might have missed with the knife.