Gairo's Red Astra 1.9CDTi SRiXP Estate Progress Thread

[Gairo]

Right then, this is my pride and joy 2008 (08) Astra 1.9 SRi XP+ estate in power red, spotted at 10am on an ebay advert on 25th June 2011 at Pentagon Vauxhall in Burton Upon Trent, by 3pm I'd travelled up there, test drove and bought the car !

This is how she looked on the day that I bought her...







As she stood :

52,000 Miles
One owner from new
Full Vauxhall Service History
12 Months Tax
Full Year MOT
12 Month Network Q Warranty
Factory fitted XP body kit
18" Penta alloys
Front electric windows
Electric mirrors
Remote central locking
Air conditioning
CD30MP3 & BID
Sport button
Cloth Interior
Aftermarket towbar (minus detachable swan neck)

She's still the only SRi XP estate i've ever seen in red and i fell in love with it instantly !

The bonnet and wings were stone chipped so I got the dealership to agree to a front end respray prior to me picking her up, other than that i was happy with everything, so I waited the obligatory week that they take to process everything (PDI, MOT, Tax, Paperwork & V5 etc) and went off to pick her up on Friday 1st July 2011, finished work early to get over to Burton by 5.00pm but disaster struck I had a phone call on my way there to tell me that they had just serviced and MOT'd the car and on the test drive to bed the brakes in the technician had noticed a whining noise in 5th and 6th gear, she was gonna need a new gearbox, clutch and dual mass flywheel
:thud:
I was gutted but they said they'd spotted it in time to order the replacement parts direct from Vauxhall on that afternoon which meant the parts would be in on either the Saturday morning or the Monday morning, I turned around and went home feeling a bit gutted but at least she'd start life with me sporting a brand new gearbox, clutch and DMF
Got a phone call on the Wednesday to let me know she was good to go and that they were sorry for the inconvenience, they filled the tank up for me by way of an apology
So I hot footed it to the train station in Wolverhampton, took a train to Birmingham to wait for the cross country line to Burton which would put me within walking distance of the dealership, Unfortunately, the numpty at the train station put me on the wrong train and I ended up in Lichfield :'(
I then had to get the 22 miles from Lichfield to Burton with no direct links between the two and I had to be there by 6.00pm, that left me 35 minutes !!!
Managed to get a taxi outside the station and god bless the guy, he drove like a madman posessed to get me there in time

So on Wednesday the 6th July 2011, I took delivery of my new pride and joy, I drove out of the dealers at 6.25pm with a large grin on my face and that was the real start of my love affair with this car

My original 'to do' list of mods was as follows:

Hella Dynabeams & 4300K HID kit
LED sidelights
New OPC indicator surrounds
New OPC door badges
Remap (150 Std & 200 Sport Mode)
Drilled/Grooved discs & new pads
K&N Panel Filter
Tinted side repeaters
Lowering springs
CD70 & CID
Piano black dashboard with blue/red/white conversion
Full heated leather interior
Rear electric windows
18" BK999's (Possible)
Vibe Black Air 6 front component speakers
LED interior lighting and footwell lighting
Ambient door handle lighting
Auto dimming rear view mirror
Cruise Control
Auto Lights
Auto Wipers
Parking sensors (Possible)
VXR steering wheel
Bluetooth module
LED running lights
LED mirror mounted side repeaters
LED puddle lighting
Black roof, mirrors and rear chrome strip (Possible)
Whiteline RARB
VXR 6 speed shifter
Decat
Custom painted engine cover and other under bonnet covers

Some of the above items were already fitted to my old 55 plate 1.9 Design estate so it was only a case of using the old car as a donor car which i hadn't bothered to part ex so it was there for as long as I needed it to be

So I got her home and took a couple of 'new meets old' pics and then 10 minutes later the modding started





Interior as it stood when I got home...



First mod was my Cannon profile mats which I've had in virtually every car I've ever owned...



5 minutes later the seats came out and in went my full leather SRi seats



Thursday 7th July 2011 (day 2 of ownership)

Took my VXR steering wheel out of the the other car...



And fitted it into the new car...



I swapped the courtesy light and map reading lights for LED versions



Boomerang arm rest fitted...



Cruise Control stalk fitted...



Engine cover, K&N panel filter & DTUK Green Box fitted...



Friday 8th July 2011 (day 3 of ownership)

Changed the glovebox light for an led equivalent...



Hella Dynabeams & 4300K HID kit fitted...





Saturday 9th July 2011 (day 4 of ownership)

I was planning on fitting the BK999's today but i found out that the Locking wheel nuts had all been done up 'Kwik Fit' tight and the locking wheel nut adaptor gave up the ghost on the last wheel so I only managed to get three out of the four removed :@

Phone call to Pentagon and they said they'd have to order a new adaptor in for me and it would take 2-3 days so the penta's would have to stay put for a few days more, thought I'd also try T.Wall Vauxhall (my local VX garage) and they said we can get the locking wheel nuts off for you... at a cost of £90 I nearly died
Needless to say I declined their tempting offer :shifty: so they they offered me a new replacement locking wheel nut set for £38 plus VAT but I told them I didn't want a full set and I only needed a replacement key, the reply came back as 'Yes sir, we can do that for you as an adaptor only.... £57 plus vat' !!!!!!!!!!!!! I nearly died for a second time in quick sucession that afternoon
Again, I declined their equally tempting offer and high tailed it out of there instead opting to wait the three days for Pentagon to get me a new key free of charge under warranty !!!

So wheel change plans abandoned, I turned my attention to the interior again and ripped the clocks apart to make a start on my LED conversion...



Clocks done & much better



Swapped the Opel centre caps from the BK999's to the Penta's...



Swapped my sidelights for LED's and got a couple of pictures to show the HID's and LED sidelights in action...



Sunday 10th July 2011 (day 5 of ownership)

CD70NAVI, CID screen and piano black dashboard parts from the other car fitted today...



Continued in next post...

[Gairo]

Tuesday 12th July 2011 (day 7 of ownership)

Gave the car a wash and polish today and took it on its first photoshoot with Smiffy to a local multi storey car park...

This is just a few of the pictures I took and the rest can be found here







Thursday 14th July 2011 (day 9 of ownership)

Got the front door cards swapped over so that the leather inserts are present with the interior, started on the rear manual to electric window conversion so hopefully that'll be done by the weekend. Also done the insignia washer jets today, I'm still awaiting a new locking wheel nut so that i can get the Penta's off and get the BK999's on along with some springs and shocks plus my drilled and grooved discs and then paint the calipers.

Monday 18th July 2011 (day 13 of ownership)

Managed to get my locking wheel nut off today and get my VXR shocks and springs fitted along with the BK999's finaly ...

Standard SRi shock and spring vs. VXR shock and spring...



VXR Shocks & Springs on with BK999's on It does still leave it sitting a little bit high but overall its dropped about 20mm over standard so definitely an improvement and feels better to drive too





Aso got my VXR gear lever through the post today so go that fitted too...



Tuesday 19th July 2011 (day 14 of ownership)

Fancied a 'slightly' brighter courtesy light so ordered this and got it fitted after a slight alteration to the size of it...





Also did the rear number plate lights while i was in an led fitting mood...



Thursday 21st July 2011 (day 16 of ownership)

Debadged the boot today to clean the back end up a bit...



Also finished the wiring loom for the rear electric windows today and hey presto... (click the picture to see the video)



Saturday 23rd July 2011 (day 18 of ownership)

Today saw the car on its 18th day of my ownership and I'm ready to bolt in its third interior in nearly as many weeks...

Here she is sporting a rather sexy new half leather VXR interior







Did a quick photoshoot after fitting my seats as I hadn't taken any pictures since she'd been lowered and had a chance to settle onto her new springs and shocks...









Sunday 24th July (day 19 of ownership)

Fitted my M-Tec drilled and grooved discs today...



Wednesday 27th July (day 22 of ownership)

Fitted my new Heko wind deflectors today...

[Gairo]

Sunday 31st July 2011 (day 26 of ownership)

Added another little touch to the car today

Take a normal UEC cover...


Give it a little filler primer...


Add a little Flame Red ...


And fit to car...


Then stand back and admire


Tuesday 16th August (day 42 of ownership)

Sight and light pack now fitted and working...



Sight and light was a bit of a pig to do as I had to mask off the entire interior and spray paint my windscreen...

Before you say it, Yes I did set about the interior of my car with a rattle can







A little bit of colour coding done...



Saturday 20th August 2011 (day 46 of ownership)

Well after seeing Carl's car nice and low after fitting coilovers to it this moring, I decided it was my turn as it'd be rude not too, y'know

So off went Carl and I got cracking on my own car...









My car was previously on VXR shocks and springs before and now it's on Eibach Sportlines and I had a mini man crisis once it came off the jack

I have since driven it a few miles and it's settled a bit more now so i'm a happy chappy

Monday 5th September 2011 (day 62 of ownership)

Well I've had the same colours on my dash for a good while in both cars now so i thought i'd have a quick change, tonight I've ripped the clocks out and changed the needles to clear and swapped the red led's out for blue ones, also changed the traction control icon from orange to green and the sidelights icon from green to blue

Before: (taken with my Galaxy Tab)



After: (taken with my Nikon D5000)



Monday 19th September 2011 (day 76 of ownership)

Got another job out of the way and onto the long (and growing) list of mods tonight, fitted the Whiteline rear anti roll bar.

A few pictures...







Took me about 1.5 hours to fit, that time includes taking all of the pictures too. Went out for a bit of 'sport mode' driving

Oh my god, you turn the wheel and the back just steps in

I thought the Astra H estate was a pretty good handling car anyway but this has totally transformed it

I'm fortunate enough to live out in greenbelt with lots of lovely B roads near by, ask anyone local about 'The rabbit run' which is the B4176 Bridgnorth Bypass, its about 5 miles of tight, twisting, undulating roads that reward pace with great pleasure Went down there tonight and whilst not trying to break any land speed records, I had a 'spirited' drive and pushed the car into a few tight corners and the grin was huge after each corner

I'm struggling to find the superlatives to portray how it now drives, It's very controllable and is easy to get the back end to step out if i want. I'm loving it now and i think i'll be ordering a front strut bar next

[Gairo]

Sunday 23rd October

Did another photoshoot in Conwy, North Wales with Smiffy today and these are a few of the pictures I took, the rest can be found here...











Friday 4th November 2011

Had my penta's refurbed and got them back today...

These are from when I picked them up today...



These pictures were taken after I'd gotten them home and cleaned them up...







Amazing what 20 quid a wheel buys you ain't it ???

And what they look like fitted...





Sunday 27th November 2011

Decided on a theme a few weeks ago and I'm now acting on it, first thing in the list of stuff to do was get my BK's refurbed...





Then I got them fitted...





Decided to keep a look out for an X-Tuners dial card and when the right one came up I snapped it up and took the opportunity to change the clocks to white backlighting with blue needles, also made a couple of subtle changes with the sidelight icon going from green to blue and the traction control icon going from orange to green...

Also had the VXR needle sweep conversion mod carried out by Pecky...



Fitted a scanguage via the OBD port too...



Got myself a new front bumper (thats yet to be fitted) to continue with my new theme...

[Gairo]

A few pictures of my most expensive mod so far, my full heated leather VXR Nurburgring Recaro interior









I fitted all the wiring and the switches etc to make the front seats heated...

Got the strut brace fitted now so the handling has improved quite nicely on the front end







Had a change to the winter wheels too, put my VXR 18's into storage and put the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2's on instead

[Gairo]

So my current spec list reads as follows:

Regal/EDS remap on sport button 160bhp standard and 200bhp sport mode
18" BK999 in gloss black (with a winter alternative Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 's in gloss black)
VXR shock absorbers fitted with Eibach Sportline springs
Whiteline adjustable rear anti roll bar
M-Tec 308mm drilled and grooved discs
Hella Dynabeam AFL headlights
4300K HID kit
LED sidelights
LED number plate lights
Full SMD conversion in red white and blue
K&N panel filter
VXR intake (not yet fitted)
Custom painted engine cover, fuse box covers and air intake box
Debadged boot lid
All interior lights changed for LED equivalents
Retrofitted CD70NAVI and CID colour screen with OPC splash screen logo
Retrofitted Factory UHP4 bluetooth kit
VXR steering wheel
VXR 6 speed gear stick
Piano black conversion
Silver door handle covers
Ambient door lighting
Retrofitted sight and light pack (auto lights & wipers, aouto dimming rear view mirror)
Retrofitted rear electric windows from Design model
Anti hijack locking enabled
Comfort close enabled
Check control enabled
Retrofitted cruise control
Scanguage fitted via OBD2 port
Astra VXR Nurburgring full heated leather interior
Retrofitted heated seat option
Retrofitted start button (to be connected up)
Leather door cards fitted from Design model
Ambient door lighting in blue
Astra VXR Nurburgring carbon fibre glovebox trim
Rear view mirror ambient lighting changed to blue
X-Tuners VXD dial card with white background lighting and blue needles
VXR needle sweep
Boomerang arm rest
Team Heko wind deflectors
MB Quart 6.5" 2 way components and custom mounted tweeters
Factory towbar with detachable swan neck
VXR Bumper & Grille

[Gairo]

Right then, it's about time I did a bit more updating I think

Since I fitted the TD's on top of freshly painted standard calipers (as seen in the above picture and below) and the old 308 drilled and grooved discs I decided that the brakes could do with upgrading so while I was looking for brakes I did this...









Then I found, bought and fitted these











Then I found out that the current set of M-Tecs were a BIT worn...



Gobsmacked to find that the outside faces were fine but because of the way a single pot standard caliper works, all the pressure was placed on the inside faces, causing them to absolutely disintegrate









I'd already got everything changed over when I discovered this so I bit the bullet and fitted the old half worn Wilwood pads that came with the calipers and ordered a new set of M-Tec Black Edition 308 drilled & grooved discs and a set of EBC green stuff pads...



Old Vs. new



Fitted up and ready to bleed





And worn in after test run

[Gairo]

Post 8 (reserved for future mods !!!)

[conrad222]

Great thread mate! was gonna upload mine the otherday, didnt know weather you wanted this sort of stuff up yet though!

BTW my favourite estate!

[Gairo]

Thanks matey, i need to update this soon with my latest additions etc