VXOC Astra-J/GTC

Looking good. I have a feeling the android head unit will be waiting till after the magic day for us, so might install & wire up the camera to a simple suction mount cheap screen right now.

Let's wait and see what the work expenses, shares in success and the scrapping if the old car brings.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

Cheers mate, only had the car since September, never spent so much in a short time!! Think joining this forum was a bad idea


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I have had the tourer for 12 days, spent a small fortune already as well

Simple things that I would never have bothered with I a second hand car, I now suddenly feel car proud.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

(22:nd-Oct-2017, 22:08:12)umognog Wrote: [ -> ]I have had the tourer for 12 days, spent a small fortune already as well

Simple things that I would never have bothered with I a second hand car, I now suddenly feel car proud.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

The Android units are well worth the money, they seemed to have improved a lot especially from my old unit in my Astra H!!
I've made sure I keep this one in prestige condition, It's been washed and vacuumed every week (so far!!!)

Yeah the old resistive screen units were a bit of a mash of technology in a single box but since decidated OEM boards started getting made, they have improved massively.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

My next little job I want to do is to install a front dvr camera. I had a look around the shroud behind the mirror and discovered there was a good gap behind it that I thought would be a good place to install it and be pretty hidden so I took a photo from the outside and saw it has a sensor there.
Does anyone know what this sensor is for as I thought the light sensor was the little cutout to the left of the picture???


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That is the HBA (high beam assist) mirror.

Ok Rusty cheers, I’ll have to find somewhere else for the dvr cam to go

Mines underneath the mirror casing.

Final wrap came today so half an hour later they were done!! Only problem now is they blend in with the car too much so I’m ordering brushed aluminium instead
Only £4.99 so not a major loss


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(26:th-Oct-2017, 12:03:08)sparkyscfc74 Wrote: [ -> ]Final wrap came today so half an hour later they were done!! Only problem now is they blend in with the car too much so I’m ordering brushed aluminium instead
Only £4.99 so not a major loss


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Should have been vinyl not final.... damm predictive texting


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just noticed the first part of my thread has disappeared with all of my pictures, any ideas??

That wrap looks very clean. Well done.

Yeah, It's pretty good quality for the price it just doesn't stand out much so brushed aluminium is the way to go I think

So the beginning of my thread has disappeared, Rusty is going to look into it but if it can’t be retrieved I will re post my pictures meanwhile, my DVR cam arrived yesterday so I set about installing it. I removed my head unit first to try it before stripping down to hide the cables and for a £20 camera I was really impressed with the image!!
I’ll try to upload some more pictures when it is less sunny
Usage wise I haven’t given it a proper test yet but when you start recording, you can only select a 5, 10, or 15 minute recording. I don’t know what happens after this period whether it just stops or records another period. I might give Rob at icebox a mail to see if he knows.
I’ll keep you posted


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These should be the intervals between files. Select 5 & then when it deletes the oldest to make more room, it means it's is in smaller chunks you lose data.

That said, please get confirmation this is how it actually works.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

(29:th-Oct-2017, 16:15:43)umognog Wrote: [ -> ]These should be the intervals between files. Select 5 & then when it deletes the oldest to make more room, it means it's is in smaller chunks you lose data.

That said, please get confirmation this is how it actually works.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

Yeah, I've sent a message to the supplier to ask this plus to ask how you get it to record automatically as this is what it says it can do in the description on Icebox.
Going to pick the wife up from work in a bit so I'll see what happens

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This is what comes up in the options


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Cleaning day today


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Quick update on the DVR, it does continually record in 5, 10 or 15minute files so umognog you’re absolutely spot on. With that said it doesn’t start recording automatically like stated so I’ll have to wait for a reply from Icebox


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One thing to watch out for is time delay between files. Saving & starting a new file has latency impact and often a blank spot in recordings with cheaper systems, often lasting 15 or even 30 seconds depending on the cards/memory RW speeds.

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I’ll have a check tomorrow I’m using a sandisk 8gb usb stick at the moment but I’m going to get a 32gb sd card soon


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With the SD card, go class u1 45Mbps or better write & read minimum. The unit probably won't support that speed, but it eliminates the card being a bottleneck.

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Wanted to put some of my pictures back on that disappeared Heko wind deflectors (noisier with than without!!!)

Led number plate lights


Led interior lights


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Android head unit

With reverse camera


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Rear twin USB port


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Removed badges from tailgate and wings


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Led DRL bulbs and ice white fogs and main beam


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Brushed metal vinyl wrap for my mirrors should be here today along with the led’s for the sun visor lights ? busy afternoon for me then ?

Sounds like a good afternoon though!

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Hope so if I get the wrap on as good as the first time


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Typical!!! Bulbs haven’t turned up and the vinyl wrap is too dark


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Nooo! The downside to internet shopping! Even worse when you are waiting weeks from China etc.

How dark is dark? I'm wondering about something for the silver lake colour of mines and the brush Alu sounded good at first. Even considering wrapping the window switch panels etc. in a more offset complimenting colour.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

Looked a lot lighter on eBay even though it stated grey as the colour so now ordered the same in silver.


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Now ordered this
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-quality-Br...5561715015


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That picture looks lighter than it actually is so here it is in the box


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That is quite dark, probably too dark for the silver lake. Sorry, dragons den style, let me tell you where I am at: I'm out

Let me know how the silver turns out though

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Should be here by Friday ??


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Just ordered these too for my foot wells then that will have to be it until after Santa has been
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Waterproof-C...1036939041


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Turns out the company on eBay have sent me the wrong colour vinyl!!! So they're sending a replacement sheet

Excellent!

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

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I bought a pair of these cobs in white to test for the puddle lights! Not bad for a few pounds.

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So the bulb came today for the vanity mirrors in the sun visors
Another job ticked off the list


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Also the silver vinyl wrap came too guy off eBay put them on a 24 hour delivery so I was well impressed!!! Just wished I’d have waited for the wife to get in to hold the heat gun for me and I wouldn’t have ended up with a burnt arm!!!! Right on my tattoo!!!
Like it better than the carbon fibre


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Having problems with the DVR cam at the moment, it won’t start recording automatically when you turn the ignition on like it should. Mailed Icebox and they said it should be set at default for automatic record so they’re contacting there tech team
I’ll update when I know something


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May have fixed the DVR, I transferred my music from my 8gb micro sd card to the flash memory, then chose the card as the save file then started the car and it started recording automatically


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Decided to use the spare vinyl wrap I’d got. I wasn’t much for the black inserts in the interior door handles, so popped them off and wrapped them. Because the wrap was slightly darker it’s give a bit of a two tone look which I quite like
I’d like to do the black on the dash facia but it’s not separate and I don’t think I’m good enough to cut it straight


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Took a night time picture of my interior lights


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DVR cam definitely sorted, done 3 trips and it’s started recording automatically every time


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It was bugging me that I’d covered the black door handle inserts but not the black on the dash facia so I gave it a go with the grey vinyl I got sent by mistake, so here it is




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I’d forgot that I’d ordered a few chrome surrounds for dash speakers light switch and mirror control from AliExpress because it was about 3 weeks ago!!! Anyway the outer dash speaker trim came and for £3.82 including delivery I think they were, they aren’t too bad at all. Used a heat gun to really warm the adhesive up though as the reviews said they didn’t stick to well.



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So while wiring up my footwell led’s I accidentally touched the two wires together and all of my interior lights stopped working!! After speaking to umognog and checking fuse 19 which hadn’t blown I thought it may have just tripped out and may have come back on after a certain amount of time.....but it didn’t!!!! When I drove the car to pick the wife up, my n/s rear indicator wasn’t working so when I got home I checked the other fuses and number 2 had blown so I swapped it with the 10amp a/c fuse to try and everything came back on.
Here is a picture
They’re nice and bright and I’ve got to give a big thank you all the guys on here that do the “how to’s” because it really helps when doing jobs like this especially for a novice


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Good call - it's funny another reference I found was to fuse 2 & 10, but that doesn't match the fuse diagram I checked out.

I did NOT get my foot wells done: aiming to hit in a single streak the wiring for foot well front & rear, puddle lights for & rear, rear ambient & update front ambient.

As a result, jealous of your result, looking good.

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Cheers mate, I’m a bit pants on electrical stuff, but I was quite proud of myself because I soldered the wires and put heat shrink on them and routed them all properly ?? also for the money paid for them they’re really good. I’d love to have the skills and confidence to change the colours of the switches and dials and maybe go blue and red, maybe I should give it a go in the new year as that will have to be it before crimbo because I’ve spent far to much!!!

I've been doing electronics soldering for a while, working with SMD components is difficult but not impossible, at least it's not dropping to 0603 or smaller.

Most important is having tools that will help. You don't need to go nuts on an SMD soldering station and so on but simple things will make it much easier.

I have been thinking on writing a how-to How-to for the LED conversion covering some of the things you will want to have to make your life easier doing them.

||Sent based on the twin scientific principles of star maths and wishy thinking.||

I’m a welder so I suppose it’s like being a heavy handed solderer


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Not at all, a decent weld takes skill, solder kinda goes where it's meant to if you do it right.

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Because I can’t afford to spend any more money on my car before Christmas, the wife is buying me a dab unit as part of my prezzies as I’m sick of the non local radio stations dropping out!
Gone for this one
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAB-Digital-Rad...2916825010


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Still not happy with the colour of the mirrors, so I’m having one last try with this
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/MATT-CAR-WRAP-V...4825274004



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Finally after 3 attempts I have got the finish on the mirrors I wanted
It went dark before I finished so the picture doesn’t look great but I’ll take another in the light tomorrow


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Must be an expert at wrapping wing mirrors now?

Looking good though

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Yeah but I wish I could do them without burning myself ?


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The chrome speaker surrounds I bought from AliExpress have started to lift presumably because of the cold, so don’t know whether to ditch them all together order get some decent 3M tape and re-do them


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I found that even without the cold I just got some 3M and also warmed up both surfaces with hair dryer not had a problem since.

Yeah cheers for that, I know it sounds like I’m being a bit anal but you can also see the reflection of the chrome in the windscreen!!!


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Lol I don't really notice it anymore, it's enough to distract you from the road.