E320 Estate in Burgundy.

[alex.stevenson]

Hi guys,

Picked up this thing a couple of weeks ago as a gap-filling car but honestly can't see me getting rid of it now. I find it hilarious that a car with such a decent amount of torque still manages 40+mpg on the motorways. A friend of mine does remapping so i'm toying with the idea of chucking a map on it to see what more I can get out of it. I'm not a massive fan of the cornering ability (or lack thereof) of it, so have ordered some 40mm H&R springs. I would ideally like to find some 18" Alphards to throw on it too.

On top of that the audio system, although very good for a standard setup, isn't quite up to scratch, and I most certainly don't want to ruin the car with a garish halfords-esque head unit, so i thought the best bet was to order a Audison Bit10 and a pair it with a couple of amps and speakers I had laying about the place.


Anyway, here's a pic of how it stands now.

 

[renault12ts]

An Avantgarde grille will finish it off nicely.

Welcome.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Hello and welcome......
And get those headlight lenses de-fogged. Plenty of threads on here and on YouTube, using various products.

 

[Bakili]

Welcome to forum

Nice looking motor.

Is it 320 CDI?

If planning to add extras use only OEM parts

Edit: Get headlight restored to crystal look again, will cost you under £20

 

[alex.stevenson]

Thanks for the welcomes guys. I think I've got some rubbing compound somewhere, i'll give the headlights a going over in a bit, see how they come out. As for the Avantgarde grill, I do have one kicking about - I picked up an Avantgarde job-lot, including a grill and leather interior when I was days away from buying another E320 that had a cloth interior, unfortunately the thing was full of rust so when i found this with a leather interior in it already I got left with a couple Avantgarde bits kicking about. Never a bad thing I guess, i'm sure i'll be able to sell some of it on.

Welcome to forum

Nice looking motor.

Is it 320 CDI?

If planning to add extras use only OEM parts

Edit: Get headlight restored to crystal look again, will cost you under £20

Thanks very much, and yeah it is a 320 CDI.
OEM parts are a must, the tints on it are optional extras, I'm keeping the Audio10 cd player but as I say, completely undetectably installing an audiophile sound system into it, all running through an Audison Bit10. The only part I'm not going OEM with are the lowering springs. The Alphards are from a SL I believe, so OEM+ at most.

Anyway, springs and alphards:

 

[alex.stevenson]

So I got cracking last weekend on the install, here's some pics:

Springs on....

Not entirely sure its low enough for my liking, but I'm gunna wait till I have the proper wheels on it before I go doing anything rash.

Onto the next bit, took a trip to Hayes in London to visit the lads at CarAudioSecurity. More pics.....

Didn't get a photo of the JBL speakers, but they were in the bag too. . . MS-65C's. Heard great things about them so I thought I'd give them a try. However, realised my current sub, although fantastic for a single 12" sub, wasn't going to give me the range that I wanted, so dug these out of a shed looking very very sorry for themselves. A quick dust off and some carpet ordering later......

Definitely paid off though . . . And before its mentioned, yes I know i need to clean the hell outta the carpet in my boot!

Fabricated up some baffles and got the fronts in....

After this I realised I had to do something about amplifiers, I've come this far and it'd be a shame to spoil it? First thoughts went to an elaborate boot build, showing off the Bit10 and amps - Thankfully right at that moment common sense kicked in and I decided to go with a very understated amp rack hidden away in the beautifully well located under floor storage with the bit10 under the rear seats.

Finished product. . . .

At this stage I realised I enjoyed the idea of having a fantastically showable audio system, with the only hint of it even being there being two subs in the boot. So I ditched the after-market head unit straight out of the dash, plugged the factory audio10 CD back in and popped the Bit10 DRC in the cubby hole directly underneath.

And no-one will everrrr know.

Next up, a really proper clean both inside and out, and some wheels... Hopefully.

 

[moonloops]

Not that it bothers me, but what's your thinking on buying an estate and compromising the carrying space with the two subs ? Honest question...

 

[alex.stevenson]

Completely fair question at that! I much prefer the way the estates look to the saloons, plus its very useful on the odd trips when I do need the space. Doesn't happen often that I need the whole of the boot, but when I do i've got the subs on XLR's so they can be popped out in seconds with no hassle in the slightest.

 

[brucemillar]

Alex


I want you to be honest with us and true to yourself. I have a question that I need you to answer.
















Is that a cardigan you are wearing in your first pic? A proper wooly cardigan? One with buttons and maybe some elbow patches?

 

[alex.stevenson]

Hahahahahaha, thats a mate of mine not me. I've never had the urge to wear a cardigan in my life...... It most certainly does have elbow patches and we don't let him forget it. . . This having been said, give me a proper wooly cable-knit jumper and I'll wear it gladly . . . in the winter, of course.

 

[sophietang]

nice , a cute car