[nordsee]

Hello hello,

I just bought a 2004 CRV as a backup car, and a car to put my dog in. I really love it. Got a bargain I reckon. And she's cleaning up nice.

WHAT IS MY CAR EXACTLY?

There was no manual with it so I'm not exactly sure what model it is. This is what I know so far:

• Honda CRV iVTEC petrol, manual, 2004 (this much is obvious)
• 4WD (I'm pretty sure but haven't had much experience)
• Leather seats and steering wheel, so presume this is a EXL rather than an EX or LX? Though I suppose the seats could have been replaced with leather ones.
• Parkers thinks it's an SE Sport (As opposed to just as SE?). But then what of the leather seats?
• Tires are for 16" rims, though I suppose the rims could be 15". Will have to measure.
• I has cupholders, spare tire, camping table, little cool box on the dash. Old satnav but with no DVD so useless.
• It has the electric sunroof ("moonroof") also
• Not sure if it's a timing belt or chain. Thought what I saw was a belt but that doesn't make sense with the year... though I know very little about engines so may be wrong.
• No steering wheel controllers
• Bumpers match body colour

Is there a way of finding out exactly which model it is? Maybe with the VIN number? What is iVTEC about, the engine?


PLANS

Are these plans excessive or lacking, what would you do?

Need/want to fix the following:

• General interior grime (have removed 4 garden trowels worth of sand and dirt from under the camping table already, the car was a right mess, might hire a valet to do the carpets. I removed the rear seats to get at the carpets myself, one of the bolts required an impact driver and an extra heavy duty ratchet)
• Fix dashboard light (some of the instruments seem to be lacking light, and I heard the infamous 3 beep noises today, guessing that's why)
• Fix the steering wheel housing, the panels are a little loose, and the ignition seems a little exposed like it's missing a piece.
• Fix seat belts retractors (seem old and a little sluggish)
• Fix the driver door card, it's secure, but i can see the bottom right corner is loose. Think the pin is broken or something like that.
• Keys... have a fob which works but with the key part broken off. To start the car I have a separate key, which only starts the car, doesn't open the door lock, I'm guessing doors have been replaced. Need to somehow consolidate door locking and ignition key with fob.
• Fix central locking (locking the car takes a 2 or 3 goes with the fob. Locks appear to go down but door can be opened.
• Install Android unit (this guy recommends Teyes who do a reasonable price, but is it Russian? Might be dodge) along with rear view camera (need rear view cam, bluetooth for handsfree, gps satnav app, and my music, that's it really)
• Custom spare wheel cover (soft cover with custom design, the hard case is meh)
• Cool decals / stickers
• New floor matts
• New boot door card

If I really want to go to town I may see about adding some offroady type stuff. I'm not looking to go greenlaning or Mudding and such, but might go to the beech, the forest... along tracks, across fields... mild stuff.

• AT tires
• Side steps
• Roof rack
• Roof lights
• Front bull bars
• OEM (or immitation) spoiler
• Toying with the idea of vertical spacers for an extra inch or 2, but maybe cool tires are enough
• Also thinking about a snorkel, I get a few floods round here and the exhaust on the CRV is only an inch higher than the one on my normal car.

Any other cool ideas?

RANDOM

Does the fob usually have a button to open the boot window at the back? Or is the only way to open it with the switch in the drivers door?


General ideas and advice much welcomed!

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Is there a way of finding out exactly which model it is?

Logbook?

Gov.uk?

Or send me a PM with your reg.

EX-L never existed in the UK, so you can rule that out.

 

[nordsee]

Thanks @TheDarkKnight, have PMd you.

Thinking if/when I get the Android head unit, I should also get a steering wheel control panel. Can buy them on Amazon and places, supposedly clip onto the steering wheel and you can program them to connect with the Android...

Today I was using a toothbrush and warm soapy water to remove a ton of grime from the steering wheel. Looked just like worn down leather but was actually grime. Gross. Asking myself at what point do I stop cleaning the door cards and just find some unscratched ones at a scrap yard.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

What spec is listed on your logbook please?

 

[nordsee]

What spec is listed on your logbook please?

Ah sorry forgot to address that. Currently I'm waiting for a new one. So no owner's manual, no V5.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

No worries, let us know when you get it

 

[nordsee]

Minor update for the day... cleaned the car with Maguires. Sparkling. But also gave me time to identify how many scratches, dings, and small rust spots there are. Would be a fair bit of work to sort them all out but I'm actually optimistic it's doable. Which would be great.

And that ties in with what I think my plan actually is... to get this car into good all-round shape.

• Body work (dings, scratches, rust spots)
• Mechanics (ignition is about 1 second too slow for my liking, though she seems to start every time alright, i'd like to improve the breaks so they are less sudden, and the clutch pedal squeaks a bit when launching in first gear)
• Interior work (door cards, dash parts, carpet cleansing)
• Wheels (AT tires... possibly lift with spacers a bit)
• Comforts (Android head unit, find a decent steering wheel bluetooth controller or some such, new light bulbs for instrument cluster)
• And sort out the keys so the ignition key also works for locking the car

Driver's seatbelt seems a bit sluggish in retracting so might see to that too.

Driver's door card is loose on the bottom right corner. I've seen pins on eBay so might be cheap as to fix. Will maybe try removing the door card tomorrow. Front passenger door reverberates when slammed closed a bit... want to investigate that too.

Cleaning the door card plastic and steering will with a toothbrush and soapy water made a massive difference.

Looking forward to checking out some breaker yards asap. Work is in the way a bit though.

 

[nordsee]

Daily update number... 3!

Noticed the driver's door card was loose on the bottom right so wanted to get in there and see if I could swap a pin over or something. No dice. 3 pins in the area I wanted to tighten. 2 missing because the holders on the card are broke, even with new pins not sure they would stay fixed in the holders. The 3rd pin was there but doesn't seem to quite reach the door, so doesn't snap in.

Annoying because it's looking like the card should be replaced to properly fix the issue, but then you have to find one with the right colour trim etc... Was thinking about gluing it on or something... have to mull it over a bit what would be best. Glue would suck.

However! Inadvertently, I seem to have fixed the dodgy door locking. Previously would have to use the fob to lock, unlock, lock again, maybe 2 or 3 times before the car actually locked. Now it seems to lock first time! Small win but a nice one.

Checked the VIN on a number of sites today. Most don't recognise it but I did find one (maybe 2, can't remember), that identified the vehicle as SE-S (Special Edition - Sport?), so does that mean it's not an EX or LX?

Also identified the engine AWD... what!? I thought this was a 4WD. I suppose it could be mistaken but I don't really mind an AWD.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Checked the VIN on a number of sites today.

Waste of time - many non-Gov sites arent updated. Wait for your logbook.

Also, no such trim as LX ever in the UK.

 

[Splop10]

Considering the chrome handles and the Satnav, I'd say that was an Executive, but the missing steering wheel controls suggests to me a replacement wheel.

Also AWD and 4WD are pretty much the same thing. However the CR-V will only engage it's 4WD system if the front wheels lose grip.

 

[nordsee]

Considering the chrome handles and the Satnav, I'd say that was an Executive, but the missing steering wheel controls suggests to me a replacement wheel.

Also AWD and 4WD are pretty much the same thing. However the CR-V will only engage it's 4WD system if the front wheels lose grip.

Nice! Thanks for this... mainly because you mention missing steering wheel controls. This means I'm going to have to find a steering wheel WITH controls... as I believe these can work with the Teyes head unit I plan on purchasing. Was looking at after market steering wheel remote controls but none of them really looked that great.

Things are moving fast so I'll post an update now.

I went to a couple of scrap yards yesterday looking for parts. There was one CRV but it was already marked for stripping by another customer. It had 90% of the bits and parts I wanted, shame. Will be visiting 2 more yards tomorrow, big ones. Here's hoping.

LEDs

Just bought and received some Gil T5 LEDs, pack of 10, to replace the old bulbs in my instrument cluster, most of which are dead.
And... I've just installed them... very easy, and while it's really bright outside today, I could tell the instruments really pop now. Can't wait to check them out tonight.

Though I did notice one the bulb holders was missing. As you're looking at the back of the cluster, it's the one on the far left towards the top. Is this normal, do I need/want it? (EDIT: just seen a photo on this post suggesting it's for cruise control... which I sadly don't have so not needed. If I install cruise control i'll sort it then.)

Have also ordered LEDs for the cabin dome lights (front, centre and rear). Will get them in when they arrive.

Finally, while I've got the driver's lower dash off, I'm going to investigate to see if I can add bulbs to the heated seat button, the sunroof buttons, and the headlight height dial.

Body parts

Well I went ahead and ordered a spoiler off of eBay, and it's a colour match too. That will be a later project as I want to make sure I have the right drill bits and some idea of what I'm going to do to make it water tight and rustproof where I make holes. But at least I have the part.

Also... same vendor had a pair of side steps, so got them too

Ok so more on LEDs...

Firstly here's my instrument cluster, very clear. I would say the green lights are even too bright (indicators, and some other thing on the right I forget). The bulbs used are GLL brand, white T5s. I bought the bulbs only as they could slot into the twist caps once I'd removed the old bulbs. They were advertised as "74 70 37 17 2721 3528 5mm LED Bulbs 1-3030-SMD"... whatever the heck all that means.

Took apart the lower dash to have a look at what bulbs were used for the heated seat buttons, the headlight height adjuster, and the sunroof switches. All using T3 twist cones. The heated seats also have 2 green gel T3 twist cones (I think they're called twist cones anyway). None of them work.

Also had a look at the heater / AC / climate control unit, took it apart and discovered it uses 3 x 1cm twist cones, and 3 x T3 twist cones (the middle one, AC, showing up green when switched on, though I didn't notice a gel. Worth noting, all of these bulbs were at the end of a long pole coming out from the twist cap. At least 10mm I'd say, so they're slightly different to the ones in the lower dash controls I showed previously.

I want to buy all of these, also realised I hadn't actually ordered the LEDs I thought I had for the interior dome / map lights. So I'll need to buy them too. I'm trying to buy decent ones, with what looks like the best heat dissipation design, and I want to buy spares too. Trying to avoid Amazon as delivery costs seem to be as high as the product in these cases. But even avoiding the delivery charges, this still adds up. Especially as I'm planning on getting spares as well. Not quite the "only $5 on ebay" you hear in the youtube videos. Will be nearer £50 by the time I'm done I reckon. Nevertheless I'm committed now.

Final note on this, noticed the driver electric window controls had a light for the "Auto" lettering on the switch, guess I'll need to take that apart and figure out what bulb that wants too for consistency.

 

[nordsee]

Things keep moving!

On Monday called up a scrap yard and they happened to have an old CRV... it was at the back of the yard underneath some other car so not sure how long it had been there.

Anyway I got:

• Drivers door card in reasonable condition... crucially with all the clip holders intact, and otherwise identical to the one I have. Spent a while cleaning it up and it was in better condition than the one the car came with. Have put it on now and it's great. Door closes much more satisfactorily now. (the upholstery is fabric, same as the one I had, but all the other doors have some kind of perforated leather. I've ordered a sample bit of similar perforated leather off eBay. If it matches the other doors great, if not I might reupholster all the doors so they match)
• Boot door card. Yay! The one I had appeared to be melted near the pocket, with loads of what I though were dog biscuits in the melted plastic. So I've replaced it with the one from the scrap yard, which has a few scratches but not as bad as the old one, and kind of to be expected in the back of such a vehicle. It's much better now. Pleased.
• A missing clip on the roof brackets. Nice.
• New clips and covers for the boot ceiling seatbelt apertures. Ones I had were broken and one was missing a cover
• Cigarette lighter! Mine didn't have one, and not that I'd use it but it looked baron without one. Thought about getting a USB thing instead but will have that with the Android head unit when I get it.
• The ignition surround. Now this is very interesting as mine appears to be missing a bit. So I should at least be able to make it look good. But I'm curious if someone has been messing around with it and broken the safety transponder thingamyjig that pairs with your key when you start the car. A deeper investigation will follow involving locksmiths.

And... get this.. the whole dashboard cover/surround. Mine is a bit scuffed on the passenger side and the one I saw in the scrap yard was decent. Will be picking that up soon as I left them messing around trying to get the whole thing out. That'll be a job and a half reinstalling into my CRV I reckon. No rush on that yet. Just good to have.

OK so that's the scrap yard. Got the whole lot for £130.

Today I got a replacement driver door mirror card in the post (the clip on mine had snapped). That's in and snug it is.

Also finally got round to ordering all the rest of the LEDs for the interior. Looking forward to them arriving. Indeed I have spent close to £50 on LEDs at this stage. But should be done now.

Expecting my spoiler and side steps tomorrow. Will get the side steps on pronto, spoiler will have to wait until I've figured out how I'm drilling the holes for it. I did see a youtube video for it so I'm optimistic I can do it.

Tried the heated seats out last night, they both work! I wonder if that's another clue as to my model 🤔

Ah... another thing about the driver door... I plugged in the wires for the window controls, mirror controls, the strange white box thing (some kind of speaker maybe?) and the boot window button... and there was still a spare cable... with no where to plug it into... what could it be for?

Now.. the black death... my air con is definitely not working. That sucks. I mean I still don't think I can complain considering the price I got the car... but in this heat.... wow. I need it. Is it the black death... no idea. I will investigate and see what the damage is. would be amazing if I could get it fixed.

OK that's where I'm at. Expect more to follow. Will try and get some photos together as well.

Right so got the side steps and spoiler!

Spoiler is in very reasonable nick. But will see to that once I've figured out what I'm doing with drill bits and rubber / cork / rust protection.

Side steps are also in reasonable nick, the they were pretty dirty, and a fair bit of tar on the underside. Don't care as no one sees that anyway.

My concern is undoing the bolts and putting them on again. See photos below. The brackets have some rust I think but hard to tell for the mud that's caked on them. Those bolts don't look like they've moved for a decade. Similar business under the car where I'd bolt them in. There are 6 brackets, 3 for either side of the car. Of the 6 sets of outer factory holes under the car, 4 are taken up already by some small plate with a couple of bolts in them. These also look pretty caked in and might take some doing to remove them. I have WD40 but I most likely need a more powerful ratchet than the one I have. If not an impact driver!

So I'm blocked on both jobs largely due to tools. No particular rush as have tons of other things to be getting on with. Mainly LEDs arriving gradually over the coming days.

Want to book a valet in to properly clean the interior upholstery also.

Wheels are in my sites next. Now here is another conundrum. Front wheels and tires are different to the rear ones... is that normal??? Front tires read 205/70/r16, rear ones read 205/70/r15. I know little about all this but the rear wheels are smaller in diameter to the front ones. And clearly they are different wheels as they have a different design. Maybe lifted off a civic or something. And clearly the car sits an inch higher at the front compared to the back.

Should I have the same size wheels all round?

Once this is clear, I'll get 2 new wheels if needed (and a spare, current spare is tiny I think), and a full set of AT tires.

Front wheels and tires are different to the rear ones... is that normal??? Front tires read 205/70/r16, rear ones read 205/70/r15.

I doubt it very much. I have 215/65/16 on mine. (All corners + the spare)

Just double checked, got my numbers wrong.

Front: 205/70/15
Rear: 205/60/16

 

[Splop10]

That's an MOT failure right there.

 

[nordsee]

That's an MOT failure right there.

Really? Am aware different sized tires on the same axel would be. But here they are on separate axels. Front are the same as each other, and rear are the same as each other. Though I imagine this isn't great for 4WD. Want to get this sorted pronto regardless.Replace 2 of the wheels so they all match, and replace all tires with 215/75/15s (maybe 225).

 

[Splop10]

Really? Am aware different sized tires on the same axel would be. But here they are on separate axels. Front are the same as each other, and rear are the same as each other. Though I imagine this isn't great for 4WD. Want to get this sorted pronto regardless.Replace 2 of the wheels so they all match, and replace all tires with 215/75/15s (maybe 225).

I can't say for certain, but I certainly wouldn't risk it. Be careful with 225's as well, My CRV had 225/55/18 when I first bought it, and they rubbed bad. Currently on 215/65/16 right now with no issues.

 

[nordsee]

Ignition surround

So I attached the ignition surround I got from the breaker's yard today. Much to my surprise it went smoothly. As I understand it there is a transponder in my key, and this transponder is paired with a receiver somewhere around the ignition. So... if the bit that I replaced just now isn't paired with my key, the car should be immobilised. It wasn't. So I guess the bit I replaced isn't where the receiver is.

Having removed the steering wheel surround, here is what my ignition looked like. There was a surround but it was missing a lot of the casing. You see it around the ignition here:

(I'm assuming the part that's dangling below is where the receiver is that pairs with the key)

And here it is removed:

Anyone know what all those electronics on it are supposed to do? Anyway, I simply plugged in the spare. And it fitted snugly. Bonus, when I clipped the steering wheel covers back on they clipped in properly. Previously there was a horrid gap.

Anyway, quite pleased.

 

[nordsee]

More on interior LEDs

So I've just spent far too much time trying to get the LED inside the emergency lights button to work. No joy. I tested the emergency light button connectors for the light with a multimeter, couldn't get a reading. So I'm thinking either a fuse (where is it?), or the surface area the LED spokes are supposed to touch are worn out or something. Could it be a fuse somewhere? If so where? Help.


Replacing other LEDs has gone relatively well up until today. Today I wanted to address the LEDs in the driver's door card. There are several:

• Heated mirror button (active state)
• Mirror direction pad backlight
• Driver's electric window "auto" backlight

Mostly a bad idea.

Now the "auto" backlight went fine... I say fine... ideally I would have unsoldered the old bulb from the circuit board and soldered in my new LED. I took a shortcut, cut off the old bulb and wrapped the spokes of the new LED around the old spokes that were still soldered to the board. Not ideal, but it works fine. And if they're not going to make it easy to replace this bulb, I'm not going to mess around with a soldering iron (I did actually try a bit, but unsoldering the existing bulb was not working out).

But oh boy the mirror lights. Getting inside the casing was not easy, and there's a reason why. They do not want you replacing these. I tried as gently as possibly to pry open the casing, but something broke, it was to do with the heated mirror button. Which now will no longer catch (stay fixed in the active state). Everything inside the case is extremely fragile. And changing the bulbs even when you get inside, was not even worth trying. Mission aborted.

So a crap day with LEDs.

Yesterday I had more luck. I replaced the lights on the heated seats buttons (just the backlight, didn't bother with the green active state diodes as they worked fine), the headlight height adjustment control, and the moonroof controls. These all worked out, not as well as I'd like but OK. The headlight control backlight is a little dim. The moonroof light is dim on the left half, but light enough on the right half. This I think has to do with the type of LED I used. A single light on top of 2 spokes. It probably protrudes too deeply into the control lighting up the far end (on the right), but the near end is obscured by the thickness of the material the LED sits on. There may be different LEDs you can buy which do a better job.

(That last picture makes them look lots brighter than actually are)

Another massive annoyance was the fact that I'd bought T3 twist cap LEDs... having measured the OEM twist caps at 8mm (IIRC) this made sense... but oh no, even though the caps measure the same diameter (within a fraction of a millimeter... nope, they are too small. They fall out easily. Not just because the diameter is a fraction too small, but the bit that catches when you twist them isn't deep enough, so you can't twist them.

This lead me to removing the LEDs from the caps they came with, and using the old caps the old bulbs used. FIDDLY!

Finally, the dome lights. These were very easy to fit both in the passenger area and in the boot. Just I was again a little let down by the luminosity. Was expecting more. They also don't light up the dome uniformly, though I've heard sanding the inside of the dome can help, or having a sanded cover over the LED bulb itself can achieve this better.

(Again, this photo makes it look far brighter than it is)

So yeah frankly nota straight forward job on the whole, with mixed results, and taking far longer than it should. However, I have lots lit up in the cabin that I didn't before and I'm still pleased on the whole.

 

[nordsee]

OK I'm really getting addicted to new LEDs.

So... I got all the LEDs in the climate control unit done. Replaced them all with T4.2s and T3s... I discovered that with a little bit of elbow grease, the twist caps that came with my new LEDs actually would fit and turn into the slots! And despite faffing about for ages on the emergency light button... it does actually work and light up now. I noticed this when I finished with the LEDs on the climate control. So maybe the 2 units are connected some how.

Ah, I say I've replaced "all" the lights on the climate control. That's not exactly true. Despite there only being access to 6 bulbs on the back of the climate unit, there are in fact 3 others. But like the Mirror button backlights in the door card... these have been concealed and locked up inside the unit and I decided these were not worth the risk of breaking things. They work anyway. It's the little yellow or green lights in the centre of each dial when press the buttons in.

Map lights! So these are like dome lights but at the front of the car. They only come on if you switch them on, they don't react to opening or closing the door. Anyway I replaced these with new super bright T10s and wow do they pop!

But what this means is, I've done everything pragmatically possible in terms of replacing interior bulbs with new LEDs.

BUT I'M NOT DONE.

While doing all this I've been thinking about what triggers lights to come on and off on this car, and what could be improved. I don't mind the front dome/map lights being manually triggered. Though the car is really dark inside when you open the door at night. The centre dome light comes on, but it really doesn't illuminate the various nooks and crannies and things in the front. So...

• From the same fuse that controls the centre dome light, I'm going to extend a wire to all the footwells (front and rear) so these can be lit up when a door opens. I will also add to this circuit a light under the ashtray to illuminate the small tray underneath. This could be very useful as it's somewhere people would put things.
• I'd also like to light up the door pockets when the doors are open. Not sure how yet.
• To the same fuse that controls the driver's map light, I'm going to extend a wire to the small shelf on the right of the steering wheel. (though on reflexion, maybe this should also be wired to the same fuse that controls the centre dome light)
• On the same fuse that controls the front passenger map light, similarly, I'll extend a wire to the shelf above the glove box. (again on reflexion, maybe this should also be wired to the same fuse that controls the centre dome light)
• Inside the passenger glove box, and the driver mini glove box (to the right of the steering wheel), I'd like to have a light that comes on when these compartments are open.

Well... that's the rough idea in my mind atm anyway. Configuration may change.

Actually there's one last old light bulb i forgot to mention... it's in the ashtray. Seems ridiculous but it's always on if the fog lights or main beams are on. It's fiddly to reach so I may forget about it. Not sure yet. I may come up with another idea.

Wood paneling...

I really like the shade of wood veneer in the new Teslas. I was wondering how I could add this effect somewhere in the cabin. Videos on Youtube of wood panelling in my generation CRV are frankly awful. What I'm thinking I'd like to do is have a wood panel floor inside the 2 shelves on the dash. How I could get the shape right I have no idea. It would have to be perfect though. I could do the tray under the ashtray also. Not sure about the door cards but feel the effect should be present beyond the dashboard somehow.

Sound deadening

Have watched loads of videos on this and it's hard to say if it's worthwhile. But I'm committed to giving it a go. Door panels obviously. I'd like a more satisfying sound whenI shut the doors and sound deadening can help with that. As well as hopefully making for a quieter ride obviously. Will do the boot door also. And boot floor. I might leave the rest of the floor and the ceiling and see how it goes at that point.

Sound system

Saving this for later but, will be getting a nice new head unit as mentioned previously. Once I have it I'll play with the EQ and see how well the current speakers are on the road. It may be I want to add new speakers or a sub woofer or somehting.

Spoiler update...
So I've got the drill bits to attach the spoiler, I've ordered some isopropyl alcohol and some rust proof spray. Still working out the best way to seal the spoiler to the roof though. Foam tape seems like a viable solution, but not necessarily water proof enough. I've heard people use cork and cut it to the shape of the spoiler attachment area. And I can see residue on my spoiler from how it was previously attached with some kind of rubber seal. Need to figure that out still.

Exterior lights
Have received a drill attachment polish buffer to use with cutter on the headlights. Still need to get some flexible plastic-friendly clear coat spray to apply afterwards though. I don't think I'm going to do anything else to the main beams, though maybe it would be cool to update them. Low priority.
I am toying with adding LEDs under the sidesteps once I have them fitted though.

 

[Splop10]

Must admit I'm enjoying this write up - it's giving me ideas on what to do to my CR-V.

As for the wood effect - Have you considered hydro dipping? - How to Hydro Dip at Home: Hydro Dipping for Beginners | Liquid Concepts

 

[nordsee]

Have been advised that a solar panel on the roof would be good idea... need to Figure that one out. I've seen some cool roof racks but they sell for £100... reckon I should be able to do better.

I've ordered the Teyes head unit with CRV MK2 surround, rear view camera, and external mic!

Spent some time researching steering wheel controls. Mine has none, someone here suggested it might have had originally and that my steering wheel has since been replaced with one without the controls. Well, the controls, if they had them, would have been for basic radio controls, and possibly also cruise control. I doubt my vehicle has cruise control, but I need to check that under the hood. But the point is, no phone answer/hangup controls were ever an option. Well Ok, you can reprogram the factory steering wheel controls to whatever you want them to be for the Android head unit. So I could repurpose the cruise controls for that maybe. But meh... the second hand MK2 steering wheels with controls that I'm seeing on ebay all look tired. So I've been looking at aftermarket bluetooth attachments to the steering wheel. A lot are pretty naf to be fair but some might be ok. And really, it isn't out of this world to make your own. You could buy a naf one, and then buy some nice switches and a case (and LEDs ) and find an elegant way of attaching it to the steering wheel. I'm leaning that way at the moment, but it's no priority,will wait for the head unit first, get it installed, play around with it for a bit and think more about if I want steering wheel controls for it.

Today received some Isopropol alcohol and some rust proofing spray. These will be useful for when it comes to attaching the spoiler, though I still haven't found a satisfactory rubber seal yet.

Have also put some time into looking at the interior fuse box and have learned that there's a thing called fuse tapping. Fuse taps look like the correct way to add devices to the car's 12volts. There are some great videos on YouTube which explain all the precautions and how to do it properly...

Though I haven't found what fuses are used on the interior fuse box under the steering wheel. They could be any of 3 sizes. Standard, mini, or low profile. My money is on mini, but will need to get one out and measure it.

Selecting the right fuse is important, firstly to avoid critical fuses, secondly to get the right current constant (always available), or switched (only on when you turn the key)... there's another mode some cares off which is basically switched but it stays on for a few seconds after you turn the car off. You can be a bit smarter also I reckon by adding switches between the fuse tap and your device.

Anyway fuse taps are cheap. So going to get me a bunch of them, along with a bunch of spare fuses. Would be good to have them, and likelihood is some of mine are gone right now anyway. In fact one is definitely missing, number 3 i think, rear fog light? can't remember, will check later).

Will get a bunch of LED strips at the same time. And wires. So hopefully get all of that sorted tomorrow so I can get the footwell lights on.

Thought more about my strategy with all that... ideally I want the footwell lights to be triggered by opening the door... AND to stay on but less bright if the car's fog or headlights are on. Now that'll take some electronical concentration on the behalf of braincells. God hopefully I'm not getting into soldering resistors... might just buy separate LED strips with less luminosity for the purpose. And more wire.

Door pockets, door handle crevice, shelves, glove compartments... all going to get done eventually. Noticed a possible dead bulb in the glove compartment... so that one might be easy.

And I suppose I need to get on with the sound deadening. While I'm taking door cards off for the LEDs it would be good to get the sound deadening material in at the same time to save risking damaging clips with constnat door card removal and refixing.

Finally thought more about the wood panelling. Definitely the front shelves could be done and done well by hand. Can buy some white Ash wood strips, cut to fill the max width, and file them down to meet the rounded edges. Then coat with clear coat or varnish or something. Potentially make new electric window holders to get the effect on the doors as well... doable maybe.