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on to another mod, but this one is nice and easy. now that the puddle lights are all working how they should, i thought it would be best to match the rear number plate lights with the same 6000k LEDs.
in the box you get a set of LED number plate lights and a pair of resisters.

i first started by connecting up the resisters and LEDs, these just have two different connectors that clip together.

then i pulled out the original number plate light from the bumper, they usually have a clip on the side which should release it from the bumper. the good thing about these are that they look so close to the original and fit perfectly.

then connected the new one.

you can see that even in the day time the LEDs are so much more visible.

heres the lights all done, really happy with them, gives you great light and matches the puddle lights perfectly.

ive got another small mod to help compliment the new folding mirrors but i will show that in my next post, and then i will be showing you guys what i got for xmas .

 

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a quick little hack this time round, as i would have to change my switch once getting the power folding mirrors to the nicer polished edged switch, i thought why not do the same with the window switches too and have the whole lot matching.

here's a shot of how the switches use to look.

so once removing the control panels from the door cards it was just a case of popping them out of there clips and clipping in the new one.

now heres the hack instead of buying replacement components for the window switches on both sides, i had a 5 seater switch. i simply popped off the covers and switched them over and because it was a 4 button piece i even had one spare.

heres it all in place and working great.

 

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new on the modding list was the install on my high-line 3D fully coloured display. the new cluster gives me so many new features and allows me the keep eyes on things that i wouldn't usually be able to. it also allows me to turn on and off certain features, not to mention the coolest bit of seeing the needle sweep on start up.

here's some quick vids of the features.

http://imgur.com/vp5Vgxn

http://imgur.com/AKg4zEj

and while i was at it, i also got the mirrors coded in to work on the fob. Heres a quick vid of that.

http://imgur.com/aGeubGV

 

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on to more car bits however this time its nothing new just a part that needed replacing. i noticed that my handbrake wasn't holding as well and that the position of it was a lot higher then it use to be. didn't think much of it till i came back to my car that was meant to be parked out side my house yet found it had moved to the front of next doors house by it's self. scary to watch on the camera but so lucky not to had curb any of the wheels of even continued to the lamppost that wasn't far off. long story short i needed to replace one of the handbrake calipers that wasn't retaining back to its position.
ordered a new part and got to work painting them, i did my duel brake upgrade some time ago so wont go into too much detail with how i painted them.

cant say i was too impressed with the finish of the caliper, i know that calipers are usually refurbished then resold but the pitting on this one was a bit much which effects the final finish of the paint job. anyway after many coats this is how it was looking.

then came the install. this was meant to be a quick on and off job but nothing ever goes easy on my car and we quickly found a new problem.

it turns out i ordered the wrong caliper! i did this mod years ago so didn't remember that i have r32 calipers instead of the gti ones i ordered. although the calipers look the same the r32 ones have a modified inside to allow a wider brake disks. so no matter what we tried the caliper was not going to fit and measuring this just confirmed it.

reordered the correct caliper and when it turned up i was sure it was the right one this time, the calipers has a different number on them and you can see the inner side has the machined section.

the bonus to this was that this caliper really was a new one so that when it came to spraying it the finish was so much better. did waste a bit of money on the first spray job but you live and learn and i now know that just because something might look the same doesn't mean it is, but at least the job is done the hand brake instantly felt better.

 

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been detailing most of this week but thought i would share this great way of cleaning them shiny/greasy steering wheels.
came across this product from flash which is actually meant for kitchens but works great on leather steering wheels. its call a magic eraser.

so here you can see my steering wheel as it stands, many people think that the wheel is actually clean when its shiny but this isn't the case when it comes to steering wheels as they should be matte.

the product basically works a bit like a sponge. you dip it into warm water so its just damp, then with no pressure or force you simply rub it against the leather.

i worked sections of the steering wheel at a time, wiping it down with a micro fiber as i went. was surprising to see how much dirt really gets trapped on there.

here's the results.

i found it to work really well. came out with that clean looking matte wheel. again just remember not to push on the wheel to hard and always test it on a small section of the steering wheel before starting on the whole thing as some leathers may react differently.