VW Audio Groupie Returns to the Fold

[jronnquist]

Following a brief (and tragic) dalliance with Volvo, I have returned as the proud owner of a 2012 Alhambra 2.0 TDI CR 140 DSG. Picked up the car in Wembley for 6K with 95,000 miles on the clock, no service book or history, and several error codes in the ECU. Normally this would be a very bad idea, but the private seller was one of the nicest and most genuine people I have met and he posted the ad with all the information and a screenshot of the error code reader. I talked him down from the 7K asking price after a test drive that set my mind at ease about the condition of the engine. Turns out the code suggesting the EGR was dead was the result of both coolant thermostats being shot. With these replaced and the engine finally reaching temperature, the issue is sorted. The second code was for a faulty glow plug and all four have been replaced. The final issue is the dreaded Adblue tank heater element, but this is a £350 part and a relatively easy DIY job, so well within my budget and level of competence. I've had the cam belt and water pump done and am having 4 new Continental tires fitted next week.

Plans for the car include:

1. 20mm lowering with a set of H&K springs to stiffen up the ride.
2. Full internal and external LED bulb replacement.
3. Cruise control upgrade (the new stalk is on, so just need to activate in VCDS).
4. Audio system upgrade. I have installed the VW-specific Kenwood DNX525DAB already. 5-channel amp, door speaker upgrade and sub install to follow. I have posted a separate question about this for anyone who is familiar with the Alhambra's peculiar rear-door speaker setup.

Look forward to helping out where I can.

 

[H4mm13.]

Hey dude....
im after a set of springs for our Alhambra also.... and have been thinking about changing to LED lights inside and out, as honestly compared to my work van (Transit Custom) the lights are sugar honey ice tea........
Was thinking of putting a small sub in the boot, now that i dont use it for buggies and the likes any more! Want something that i can lie the back seats down with tho! so might have to do a bit of measuring to make sure nothing fouls and probably make a custom box with a small driver......

dont talk to me about stupid adblue issues!!!!! between that and DPF issues at the moment the car has my heart broken!
I should hopefully get the DPF sorted this weekend, its just getting the time and space to do it!!!!
not so sure about the adblue issue tho!!! have to investigate that a bit further to see what the code is tho

best of luck with the upgrades!

 

[jronnquist]

Hey dude....
im after a set of springs for our Alhambra also.... and have been thinking about changing to LED lights inside and out, as honestly compared to my work van (Transit Custom) the lights are sugar honey ice tea........
Was thinking of putting a small sub in the boot, now that i dont use it for buggies and the likes any more! Want something that i can lie the back seats down with tho! so might have to do a bit of measuring to make sure nothing fouls and probably make a custom box with a small driver......

dont talk to me about stupid adblue issues!!!!! between that and DPF issues at the moment the car has my heart broken!
I should hopefully get the DPF sorted this weekend, its just getting the time and space to do it!!!!
not so sure about the adblue issue tho!!! have to investigate that a bit further to see what the code is tho

best of luck with the upgrades!

The LED conversion (at least on a car this age) is a royal pain. Neither Philips nor Osram make bulbs that get around the CANBUS problem without a separate transistor, so it's a case of scouring eBay and the car bulb websites for Chinese generics with the best reviews. Although it appears Hella might have come up with a line that does the trick. I'll post my results once they're in.

I've been unable to find a set of H&K springs that do a 20mm drop on the Alhambra, so it may have to be Eibach. My last two cars (XC60 and an Octavia estate) both had Haldex. I'm finding it quite a challenge going back to front-wheel-drive, but sadly the 4WD Alhambra never made it to the UK. So the next best thing is to stiffen up the suspension and get some decent tires. A LSD would help too, but I don't think I'll be going that far.

Adblue is certainly a pain in the backside. VW appear obsessed with it. My Volvo was doing just fine on the emissions front with just the DPF, so not sure why it's even a thing. If the fix gets too costly, you can always just have the system programmed out of the ECU. Not sure what the law has to say about that, but you'll still get through your MOT under the limit if your DPF is working.

There's not a great deal of space in the boot, that's for sure. I made a great custom sub for the XC60 that's about a centimeter too wide. You can check out the thread of the guy who designed it here. I'm going to sell it and use the proceeds to build something a little more modest (and cheaper) for the Alhambra. There's definitely enough room to get something with a decent single driver crammed in there.

 

[H4mm13.]

I dont think theres any "easy" alterations to these cars to be fair!
But they are a good car, reasonably reliable (forget the silly DPF and ADBLUE crud).
Easy to put the roof box on and disappear accross europe in comfort if you want to!
Everything seems to be made awkward for anyone wanting to lower, stiffen, or otherwise improve the looks.