Rainbird's LCR
- Thread starter rainbird
- Start date
Couple of weeks being busy with work = minimal time to post up any progress, but a few chances to do little bits to the car.
The mirrors on the car when I got it were the older mk4 Golf style and although they were electric/heated, one was intermittent at best whilst the other didn’t really give a damn about doing it’s only job. I picked up a set of teardrops via eBay which I’ve had stashed away for a month or so now but haven’t had much of a chance to sort out until now. Unfortunately they were Platinum Grey rather than the black I needed, so out came the sprays to rectify the situation.
Being as the mirrors are electrically adjusted and need to be set to the folded in position in order to remove the plastic caps, I had to get them mounted to the car before I could actually remove the caps to match the colour. Not a major issue really, though I was entirely making this up as I went as I was too lazy to read up on the process first. Fortunately I got the whole job done in around an hour, and knowing how to do it all I reckon it’d be a 40 minute job tops if I had to do it again.
Interior handles off, door cards removed and you can get to the Torx bolt holding the mirrors to the door. There are 2 small pins holding the mirrors straight but otherwise it’s just the single bolt attaching them, simple. Obviously need to be a tad careful with the electrical connections in the door as you go.
Whilst I was in the passenger side door (which I did first) I found some evidently non-standard wiring thrown into the mix (badly, as with everything else the previous owner seems to have done!) Couldn’t find too much out from inside the one door, but it all became a little more obvious once I was in the driver’s panel…
Seems the extra wiring was the same as the cause of randomly dropping windows on remote unlock – an incredibly badly installed AutoWindow setup. I’ve snipped the wires in a few places to disconnect this from the system and this has totally cured the issue I was having, though if anybody wants the unit let me know and I’ll pull the lot out for you.
Anyway, load of random wiring crap removed and the new mirrors were on the car. Wrong colour, but it was getting dark so that wasn’t an issue for a night or so… Next morning I was woken up by this little b*****d jumping into bed:
Up nice and early, whipped the mirror caps off and got to work. Sanded them down to give the new paint something to adhere to. Got them sprayed up and kept the nice and warm to help things cure before they went back outside to be remounted. I’ll give them a few days for the paint to harden up a bit before wet sanding them back a little to remove some mild orange peel.
With the mirrors done for a while, I decided to get rid of the Nomad pillar and gauge. I’m not a fan of these, even though they’re relatively well done so will rethink gauge setups at a later date. Trim off, vac hose removed and wiring all out too. 10 minute job.
Gave the engine bay a 2 minute clean – will give it a proper going over some point this week if I get the chance.
Few other little bits going on too, but they’ll wait for another update for now. Car feels much smoother since the minor service and with a freshly polybushed dogbone mount ready to go on it should tighten things up a little further. Fresh mats that I’ve ordered will help bring the car back to a reasonable level again too. Need to throw it through an MOT in a couple of weeks before I play with too much more though.
The mirrors on the car when I got it were the older mk4 Golf style and although they were electric/heated, one was intermittent at best whilst the other didn’t really give a damn about doing it’s only job. I picked up a set of teardrops via eBay which I’ve had stashed away for a month or so now but haven’t had much of a chance to sort out until now. Unfortunately they were Platinum Grey rather than the black I needed, so out came the sprays to rectify the situation.
Being as the mirrors are electrically adjusted and need to be set to the folded in position in order to remove the plastic caps, I had to get them mounted to the car before I could actually remove the caps to match the colour. Not a major issue really, though I was entirely making this up as I went as I was too lazy to read up on the process first. Fortunately I got the whole job done in around an hour, and knowing how to do it all I reckon it’d be a 40 minute job tops if I had to do it again.
Interior handles off, door cards removed and you can get to the Torx bolt holding the mirrors to the door. There are 2 small pins holding the mirrors straight but otherwise it’s just the single bolt attaching them, simple. Obviously need to be a tad careful with the electrical connections in the door as you go.
Whilst I was in the passenger side door (which I did first) I found some evidently non-standard wiring thrown into the mix (badly, as with everything else the previous owner seems to have done!) Couldn’t find too much out from inside the one door, but it all became a little more obvious once I was in the driver’s panel…
Seems the extra wiring was the same as the cause of randomly dropping windows on remote unlock – an incredibly badly installed AutoWindow setup. I’ve snipped the wires in a few places to disconnect this from the system and this has totally cured the issue I was having, though if anybody wants the unit let me know and I’ll pull the lot out for you.
Anyway, load of random wiring crap removed and the new mirrors were on the car. Wrong colour, but it was getting dark so that wasn’t an issue for a night or so… Next morning I was woken up by this little b*****d jumping into bed:
Up nice and early, whipped the mirror caps off and got to work. Sanded them down to give the new paint something to adhere to. Got them sprayed up and kept the nice and warm to help things cure before they went back outside to be remounted. I’ll give them a few days for the paint to harden up a bit before wet sanding them back a little to remove some mild orange peel.
With the mirrors done for a while, I decided to get rid of the Nomad pillar and gauge. I’m not a fan of these, even though they’re relatively well done so will rethink gauge setups at a later date. Trim off, vac hose removed and wiring all out too. 10 minute job.
Gave the engine bay a 2 minute clean – will give it a proper going over some point this week if I get the chance.
Few other little bits going on too, but they’ll wait for another update for now. Car feels much smoother since the minor service and with a freshly polybushed dogbone mount ready to go on it should tighten things up a little further. Fresh mats that I’ve ordered will help bring the car back to a reasonable level again too. Need to throw it through an MOT in a couple of weeks before I play with too much more though.
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whereabouts did you get the splitter from, Seat themselves? Mines overdue a replacement by the looks of it :-(
Very minor update:
Mats that I got with the car were well and truly worn out - why these were still in use is beyond me!
Bought a new set online, much better.
New bushes in dogbone mount. Powerflex both ends - yellow main, black small (latter not fitted in picture, obviously).
Quick clean:
MOT due in a fortnight so need to give the car a good going over at some point and get it booked in. Hoping it shouldn't need much doing but given the incompetence of Mr Previous anything is possible. Fingers crossed...
Mats that I got with the car were well and truly worn out - why these were still in use is beyond me!
Bought a new set online, much better.
New bushes in dogbone mount. Powerflex both ends - yellow main, black small (latter not fitted in picture, obviously).
Quick clean:
MOT due in a fortnight so need to give the car a good going over at some point and get it booked in. Hoping it shouldn't need much doing but given the incompetence of Mr Previous anything is possible. Fingers crossed...
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New VCDS cable through today. Haven't had a chance to plug the car in this evening to have a nice thorough scan but should be able to tomorrow with any joy. Hopefully not too much pops up!
Edit: No joy - cable doesn't work at all. Scan with Torque Pro brings nothing up so happy enough with that until I can get it plugged in properly.
Edit: No joy - cable doesn't work at all. Scan with Torque Pro brings nothing up so happy enough with that until I can get it plugged in properly.
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So the plan was to spend today giving the car a good going over with VCDS and doing some logging. Unfortunately the cable I received didn't work so no such luck there.
Instead, the car got another wash as it's been horrendously muddy recently with the wet weather. 20 miles of lanes a day to and from work certainly doesn't help matters!
Wet:
Foam:
Washed then rinsed:
http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w633/lukerainbird/20150206_142431_zps2285886c.jpg
Started to clay but picked up a load of tar/similar on the driver's wing so need to go over that properly. I stopped at this point for obvious reasons!
Decided to try and sort out the horrendous swirls left in the paintwork through years of neglect. Wasn't looking too sharp to start with:
Picked up a bottle of G3 Paint Restorer as it seems to get decent reviews (and more importantly was on offer!)
Gave the bonnet a really quick going over - we're talking less than 10 minutes start to finish and all by hand. Pretty pleased with the results given this was just a quick test really. When I can get the rotary on it I'll have a proper go at sorting things out I think.
50:50 since that's what detailing people seem to do:
Game of "guess where the Leon was"...
Instead, the car got another wash as it's been horrendously muddy recently with the wet weather. 20 miles of lanes a day to and from work certainly doesn't help matters!
Wet:
Foam:
Washed then rinsed:
http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w633/lukerainbird/20150206_142431_zps2285886c.jpg
Started to clay but picked up a load of tar/similar on the driver's wing so need to go over that properly. I stopped at this point for obvious reasons!
Decided to try and sort out the horrendous swirls left in the paintwork through years of neglect. Wasn't looking too sharp to start with:
Picked up a bottle of G3 Paint Restorer as it seems to get decent reviews (and more importantly was on offer!)
Gave the bonnet a really quick going over - we're talking less than 10 minutes start to finish and all by hand. Pretty pleased with the results given this was just a quick test really. When I can get the rotary on it I'll have a proper go at sorting things out I think.
50:50 since that's what detailing people seem to do:
Game of "guess where the Leon was"...
its surprising what different chemicals can do! you always hear detaillers saying that the pricey stuff is quality, I would never argue with them but a ten pound bottle of G3 certainly has made a difference!
Also, I noticed a Halfords pressure washer there, have you got a snowfoam lance for it? I'm not sure whether I can get one for mine or if I should just look at a new pressure washer altogether.
Also, I noticed a Halfords pressure washer there, have you got a snowfoam lance for it? I'm not sure whether I can get one for mine or if I should just look at a new pressure washer altogether.
It's actually dad's pressure washer but he's got all sorts for it (lance included). That said I've got a load of cheap Demon Shine stuff that is effectively a snow foam fitting straight from the hose which is ideal for a quick regular wash. If your washer itself is in reasonable shape and works as it should I'd pick up a lance and be done with it rather than replacing it for sure.
ahhhh, the washer is pretty much new just unfortunately it never came with the extras! Should you get your VCDS cable working one day, fancy plugging me in for some beer tokens and cuddles? 
Time for another pointless Rainbird update.
Take one dogbone mount (poly bushed the main section when it was on my old Leon) and one rock hard “race spec” bush for the small end:
Realise you don’t have a functional drill, resort to caveman tactics:
New bush in (thanks to a somewhat bodged together bearing press at my grandad’s) and new bolts to attach the thing with. The original bolts don’t seem to have stretched by any amount visible to the naked eye, but not knowing how long they’ve been on there or what state they’d be in I wanted to play it safe – for under a tenner it’d be foolish not to really.
Old mount out, new mount in:
Undertray refitted to keep things tidy. Gave it a quick clean as it was absolutely caked in crud.
With that all sorted, it was time to play. Swapped out the occasionally-fluttery Bailey DV30 for an OEM DV which has been a massive improvement. Holding boost much better throughout the rev range and far snappier than the Bailey.
Stripped down and serviced the Bailey, but I think the main piston O-ring is worn and in need of replacement. Also need to replace the top fitting as that was cracked so have got a brass one en route which should avoid any future breakages.
Fitted the TT jacking points. These give a slightly rubberised and far more convenient point to jack from without causing any damage to the sills/subframe etc.
Cleaned out some gunk from the washer bottle while I was checking levels.
Reattached the number plate where it was beginning to peel on one side. 99p for 16 pads on eBay, nice and easy!
With the MOT the following day, I wanted the car to be nice and clean and not a completely horrible place for the tester to be. Every little helps, right?! It’s always more pleasant working on cars/bikes when you’re not having to fight your way through layers of gunk from years of neglect so although I don’t think the car will have any major snags I’d rather not put the tester in a bad mood!
Having washed the car less than a week earlier there wasn’t too much on the bodywork. Gave it a quick squirt down with some cheap “snow foam” type stuff but it’s not really in the same league as the proper fluid. Good enough to get a few days’ worth of muck anyway. Not convinced by their “20 washes” claim though; this is after 2!
Took the car up to the MOT station this afternoon. Sat around for a while as they did their thing, some interesting reading material with fantastic products on offer.
Only issue was the rear centre seatbelt being intermittently awkward. Home, sorted the issue and back to the MOT station for a clean ticket within the hour. Job done.
Celebratory pancakes.
Take one dogbone mount (poly bushed the main section when it was on my old Leon) and one rock hard “race spec” bush for the small end:
Realise you don’t have a functional drill, resort to caveman tactics:
New bush in (thanks to a somewhat bodged together bearing press at my grandad’s) and new bolts to attach the thing with. The original bolts don’t seem to have stretched by any amount visible to the naked eye, but not knowing how long they’ve been on there or what state they’d be in I wanted to play it safe – for under a tenner it’d be foolish not to really.
Old mount out, new mount in:
Undertray refitted to keep things tidy. Gave it a quick clean as it was absolutely caked in crud.
With that all sorted, it was time to play. Swapped out the occasionally-fluttery Bailey DV30 for an OEM DV which has been a massive improvement. Holding boost much better throughout the rev range and far snappier than the Bailey.
Stripped down and serviced the Bailey, but I think the main piston O-ring is worn and in need of replacement. Also need to replace the top fitting as that was cracked so have got a brass one en route which should avoid any future breakages.
Fitted the TT jacking points. These give a slightly rubberised and far more convenient point to jack from without causing any damage to the sills/subframe etc.
Cleaned out some gunk from the washer bottle while I was checking levels.
Reattached the number plate where it was beginning to peel on one side. 99p for 16 pads on eBay, nice and easy!
With the MOT the following day, I wanted the car to be nice and clean and not a completely horrible place for the tester to be. Every little helps, right?! It’s always more pleasant working on cars/bikes when you’re not having to fight your way through layers of gunk from years of neglect so although I don’t think the car will have any major snags I’d rather not put the tester in a bad mood!
Having washed the car less than a week earlier there wasn’t too much on the bodywork. Gave it a quick squirt down with some cheap “snow foam” type stuff but it’s not really in the same league as the proper fluid. Good enough to get a few days’ worth of muck anyway. Not convinced by their “20 washes” claim though; this is after 2!
Took the car up to the MOT station this afternoon. Sat around for a while as they did their thing, some interesting reading material with fantastic products on offer.
Only issue was the rear centre seatbelt being intermittently awkward. Home, sorted the issue and back to the MOT station for a clean ticket within the hour. Job done.
Celebratory pancakes.
Cheers Rob! Mostly pretty minor stuff unlike all the mental build threads about, but still just making sure the car is in good shape before I start to move on to bigger parts of a longer-term project I suppose. Once I've made sure the base is there I can start to have a little more fun and start hunting for horses. OEM+ will be the aim of the game for now at least though, so we'll see!
We'll have to get a little local mini-meet sorted at some point, have a little nose at each others' wagons. Oh, and you need to stick a few photos of yours here on SCN too!
We'll have to get a little local mini-meet sorted at some point, have a little nose at each others' wagons. Oh, and you need to stick a few photos of yours here on SCN too!
Rob: I'll show you but you have to throw up a proper thread...
irf; Cheers. I got the jack pads from AwesomeGTI here: http://www.awesomegti.com/genuine-tt-jacking-points-golf-mk4-leon1-oct1. Ordered and were with me i under 48 hours
irf; Cheers. I got the jack pads from AwesomeGTI here: http://www.awesomegti.com/genuine-tt-jacking-points-golf-mk4-leon1-oct1. Ordered and were with me i under 48 hours
Cheers, just reading about these jacking points, seems as though these are only designed to be used on a four point ramp. Something about the floorpan getting distorted with just a trolley jack.
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=265546
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=239885
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=265546
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=239885
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