New Sagaris - All help Appreciated......
Discussion
Hi,
Ordered a new Sagaris on 21 February 2006. Traded in the existing Tuscan S bought new in April 2003. Was a fantastic car and gave me very little to moan about in respect of problems, above and beyound the normal electrical/build issues. Really looking forward to the new one. I'm no car expert and therefore hoping that if I detailed my spec and other upgrades, I could be pointed in the right direction with any mistakes or ideas I've missed, before the car is built. I have studied previous posts and some of my spec has come from these posts.
Ordered: -
Sagaris (Lotus Phantom black).
Silver alloys.
Air conditioning.
Full hide trim (black and red).
Alloy stalk covers.
Did not want the gas discharge headlights and advised against the close ratio gearbox.
Other upgrades already ordered: -
Armourfend.
Colour code rear brake calipers same as the front (black).
Personal registration plate.
Alloys (the ones on a recent post from Hexham Horseless Carriages).
Other upgrades I could do with some help with: -
I had CCC cans on the Tuscan which sounded great. I've queried a set for a Sagaris, but do not seem to be able to get a direct answer from CCC as to whether or not they are going to build any for the Sagaris? Anyone has any success with CCC?
The Stereo system. I would like to upgade to a unit that has the ipod connection. Also looking to upgade the speakers and fit an amp somewhere. So many on the internet I don't know where to start. Anyone had a new unit, speakers and amp fitted? Any companies that have done this job on a Sagaris near the East London area? If bought beforehand, would the factory fit instead of the standard system?
All help appreciated.
Many thanks.
Ordered a new Sagaris on 21 February 2006. Traded in the existing Tuscan S bought new in April 2003. Was a fantastic car and gave me very little to moan about in respect of problems, above and beyound the normal electrical/build issues. Really looking forward to the new one. I'm no car expert and therefore hoping that if I detailed my spec and other upgrades, I could be pointed in the right direction with any mistakes or ideas I've missed, before the car is built. I have studied previous posts and some of my spec has come from these posts.
Ordered: -
Sagaris (Lotus Phantom black).
Silver alloys.
Air conditioning.
Full hide trim (black and red).
Alloy stalk covers.
Did not want the gas discharge headlights and advised against the close ratio gearbox.
Other upgrades already ordered: -
Armourfend.
Colour code rear brake calipers same as the front (black).
Personal registration plate.
Alloys (the ones on a recent post from Hexham Horseless Carriages).
Other upgrades I could do with some help with: -
I had CCC cans on the Tuscan which sounded great. I've queried a set for a Sagaris, but do not seem to be able to get a direct answer from CCC as to whether or not they are going to build any for the Sagaris? Anyone has any success with CCC?
The Stereo system. I would like to upgade to a unit that has the ipod connection. Also looking to upgade the speakers and fit an amp somewhere. So many on the internet I don't know where to start. Anyone had a new unit, speakers and amp fitted? Any companies that have done this job on a Sagaris near the East London area? If bought beforehand, would the factory fit instead of the standard system?
All help appreciated.
Many thanks.
Del Boy,
I can recommend a guy for fitting the kit if you buy something, he's based in Waltham Abbey but does travel (not to far).
He is top notch and installed my alarm in the Ultima and plan to use him for a stero upgrade in the sagaris (well amp and bass).
PM me if you want his details.
Michael
I can recommend a guy for fitting the kit if you buy something, he's based in Waltham Abbey but does travel (not to far).
He is top notch and installed my alarm in the Ultima and plan to use him for a stero upgrade in the sagaris (well amp and bass).
PM me if you want his details.
Michael
I was advised against armourfend on the grounds that it doesn't really prevent chips in the long run (they still show as chips in the armourfend) and that it takes the paint off if you want to remove them. Instead I went for the TVR paint protection and I have to say it's performed beyond my admittedly low expectation of it thus far. A front end respray every 5 years or so is a better option for me.
I can strongly recommend the Pioneer Avic X-1 sat nav with 'james bond' retractable touch screen. Provided you get the dealer to check the reversing light glitch (many Saggies, mine included, light up the reversing light when in 4th, as it's near reverse gear, the switch gets confused along with the sat nav) it will work very well and you'll wonder how you lived without it. I have heard the Alpine version of the same thing has a much better ipod interface.
Personally I think the CR gearbox is great, I note that very few Saggies have it as it seems like a lot of money for nothing much but all the test figures were done with this box as it hits 100mph in second! It does take some getting used to and the taller first is noticeable in town but it's a proper driving gear out of town, ie you actually use it for more than parking and dawdling in traffic.
I can strongly recommend the Pioneer Avic X-1 sat nav with 'james bond' retractable touch screen. Provided you get the dealer to check the reversing light glitch (many Saggies, mine included, light up the reversing light when in 4th, as it's near reverse gear, the switch gets confused along with the sat nav) it will work very well and you'll wonder how you lived without it. I have heard the Alpine version of the same thing has a much better ipod interface.
Personally I think the CR gearbox is great, I note that very few Saggies have it as it seems like a lot of money for nothing much but all the test figures were done with this box as it hits 100mph in second! It does take some getting used to and the taller first is noticeable in town but it's a proper driving gear out of town, ie you actually use it for more than parking and dawdling in traffic.
FWIW my new T350 came as standard with an Alpine headset to which I fitted the bespoke Alpine iPod connector. It works very well. Also came with Alpine speakers front and rear which are plenty loud enough.
My one complaint is the radio reception, which is very poor. DAB units (I would think) perform better.
I had Armourfend fitted and am not convinced - there are two sizeable stone chips just above it, and the edging has already discoloured after a couple of months. It does certainly protect against the small abrasive impacts which will end up making the front end look all mottled, but no good against the larger stones.
My one complaint is the radio reception, which is very poor. DAB units (I would think) perform better.
I had Armourfend fitted and am not convinced - there are two sizeable stone chips just above it, and the edging has already discoloured after a couple of months. It does certainly protect against the small abrasive impacts which will end up making the front end look all mottled, but no good against the larger stones.
The iPOD interface, code CDA-9847R, for the standard Alpine head unit costs about £90 inc VAT is available from a proper motor factors like Parr's in Northampton. The head unit can be removed with a couple of long electrical screwdrivers poked half way down the sides - having very carefully first prised off the plastic surround. Remember to bend the tags of the mounting bracket back otherwise the head unit will fall out under the fearsome accelleration
Took me about 1 hour to fit - the interface black box can be Velcro-ed behind the passenger footwell thingy where there is plenty of room.
Your iPOD fits nicely next to the ashtray and the wires can be neatly hidden with a bit of pushing & shoving.
Chris
Y1 CDW
Took me about 1 hour to fit - the interface black box can be Velcro-ed behind the passenger footwell thingy where there is plenty of room.
Your iPOD fits nicely next to the ashtray and the wires can be neatly hidden with a bit of pushing & shoving.
Chris
Y1 CDW
My Sag is 3 months and 4K miles old and has no stone chips thanks to its 3M Paint Shield, not Armorfend, which to be fair I have no experience of.
My ex-Tuscan was not "filmed" and looked tatty 1000 miles after resprays
If you don't protect those Sag front wheel arches especially, they are going to get shot-blasted, so you can expect an £800+ respray every couple of years to keep it looking pristine.
Chris
Y1 CDW
My ex-Tuscan was not "filmed" and looked tatty 1000 miles after resprays
If you don't protect those Sag front wheel arches especially, they are going to get shot-blasted, so you can expect an £800+ respray every couple of years to keep it looking pristine.
Chris
Y1 CDW
Del Boy,
I currently drive a Z4 just about to buy a T350, I had my car stero kit fitted by a company called AI Audio in slough 01753 575220. they done a fantastic job on my car didn't even looked like it had been touched (as in pannels removed) used them before on serval occasions and will be going to them to get some sounds put in my TVR when I get it. you will be impressed with their work, there isn't anything they can not do.
I currently drive a Z4 just about to buy a T350, I had my car stero kit fitted by a company called AI Audio in slough 01753 575220. they done a fantastic job on my car didn't even looked like it had been touched (as in pannels removed) used them before on serval occasions and will be going to them to get some sounds put in my TVR when I get it. you will be impressed with their work, there isn't anything they can not do.
cdmpw said:
My Sag is 3 months and 4K miles old and has no stone chips thanks to its 3M Paint Shield, not Armorfend, which to be fair I have no experience of.
My ex-Tuscan was not "filmed" and looked tatty 1000 miles after resprays
If you don't protect those Sag front wheel arches especially, they are going to get shot-blasted, so you can expect an £800+ respray every couple of years to keep it looking pristine.
Chris
Y1 CDW
Hmmm.
Now the best advice Ive received off several folk over the yrs, both inside and ouside the selling sports cars business, is never trust a resprayed vehicle. The mantra has been stone chips are good, it shows the use, a respray shows nothing. Ive found it a very good ROM estimate and useful advice when looking over motors myself.
Says the man with some sort of protection on the front of his car!
Thanks for the comments and advice, much appreciated. The car turned up at Castles last Thursday. Looks great!
I've opted for an Alpine 9857 unit (ipod) and Diamond amp and speakers.
I'm struggling who to use for the paint protection. I hear differing stories with both Armourfend and Paint Shield. I think I'll go with Armourfend as closer and Castles use them regular, so if there are any problems, I should be OK. What frustrates me with this protection is that the shielding seems to stop a fair distance from the edges of the car and if you have a dark coloured car, the small unprotected areas around the shielded area becomes peppered with chips after a while. This happened on my Tuscan which was black. Has anyone managed to have this type of protection streched right to the edges? Or cut slightly larger? Advice here would be greatly appreciated.
Regards to the exhaust cans, after some research on here, my understanding now is that putting the Carbon Can Company cans on makes little difference in regards to 'volume'. The standard cans sound quite tame. Has anyone on here had the alteration to the rear box by TVR power? Michael (MCLARK), have you had this done as yet? If so, are you happy with the result? In this circumstance, can you then keep the original cans (which I like the style of) or do you still need to buy a set of CCC cans to get the increased volume?
If anybody is interested in a set of CCCs for their Sagaris, I've been speaking to Simon on a regular basis and he now has the sizing for the 'original' cans and is simply waiting on a spinning company to make the ends to enable CCC to make the can. Simon says because he has only ordered a hundered odd, the supplier will not put the order to the front of the queue, hence the delay. Once received, he will have them made quite quickly. I'm due a call when they are in and I'll post a note. They should be the same size as the cans seen on the original Sagaris, i.e. larger (of fatter) than the Tuscan version.
Del Boy
>> Edited by Del Boy on Sunday 16th April 17:32
I've opted for an Alpine 9857 unit (ipod) and Diamond amp and speakers.
I'm struggling who to use for the paint protection. I hear differing stories with both Armourfend and Paint Shield. I think I'll go with Armourfend as closer and Castles use them regular, so if there are any problems, I should be OK. What frustrates me with this protection is that the shielding seems to stop a fair distance from the edges of the car and if you have a dark coloured car, the small unprotected areas around the shielded area becomes peppered with chips after a while. This happened on my Tuscan which was black. Has anyone managed to have this type of protection streched right to the edges? Or cut slightly larger? Advice here would be greatly appreciated.
Regards to the exhaust cans, after some research on here, my understanding now is that putting the Carbon Can Company cans on makes little difference in regards to 'volume'. The standard cans sound quite tame. Has anyone on here had the alteration to the rear box by TVR power? Michael (MCLARK), have you had this done as yet? If so, are you happy with the result? In this circumstance, can you then keep the original cans (which I like the style of) or do you still need to buy a set of CCC cans to get the increased volume?
If anybody is interested in a set of CCCs for their Sagaris, I've been speaking to Simon on a regular basis and he now has the sizing for the 'original' cans and is simply waiting on a spinning company to make the ends to enable CCC to make the can. Simon says because he has only ordered a hundered odd, the supplier will not put the order to the front of the queue, hence the delay. Once received, he will have them made quite quickly. I'm due a call when they are in and I'll post a note. They should be the same size as the cans seen on the original Sagaris, i.e. larger (of fatter) than the Tuscan version.
Del Boy
>> Edited by Del Boy on Sunday 16th April 17:32
Congratulations Del Boy...
Our Sagaris is in for a service at Castles Thursday 12,000 miles in just under a year!
Time flies when you're having fun!!
So I might get to see yours....when do you pick her up?
After you have, would be delighted to see you and Sag at a Mid Essex Meet.
www.midessextvr.co.uk is the website with some cool new bits added recently.
YP
Our Sagaris is in for a service at Castles Thursday 12,000 miles in just under a year!
Time flies when you're having fun!!
So I might get to see yours....when do you pick her up?
After you have, would be delighted to see you and Sag at a Mid Essex Meet.
www.midessextvr.co.uk is the website with some cool new bits added recently.
YP
Hi YP.
It should be there on Thursday. I doubt I'll be able to collect it until sometime week commencing 24th April. Ian has a few jobs to do on it first! Ian, if you're reading this, feel free to throw something in for free!
I'm really happy with the result. See what you think!
Del Boy
It should be there on Thursday. I doubt I'll be able to collect it until sometime week commencing 24th April. Ian has a few jobs to do on it first! Ian, if you're reading this, feel free to throw something in for free!
I'm really happy with the result. See what you think!
Del Boy
[quote=Del Boy]Michael (MCLARK), have you had this done as yet? If so, are you happy with the result? In this circumstance, can you then keep the original cans (which I like the style of) or do you still need to buy a set of CCC cans to get the increased volume?
If anybody is interested in a set of CCCs for their Sagaris, I've been speaking to Simon on a regular basis and he now has the sizing for the 'original' cans and is simply waiting on a spinning company to make the ends to enable CCC to make the can. Simon says because he has only ordered a hundered odd, the supplier will not put the order to the front of the queue, hence the delay. Once received, he will have them made quite quickly. I'm due a call when they are in and I'll post a note. They should be the same size as the cans seen on the original Sagaris, i.e. larger (of fatter) than the Tuscan version.
Del Boy
quote]
Hi Del Boy,
I haven't as yet managed to get to TVR Power due to work commiments! I plan to do this over the next 3-4 weeks though. I'll keep you posted. AFAIK you can keep the original cans and still achieve a rise in noise levels.
I'd be interested in a set of the larger cans, especially if they are carbon with black end caps
Michael
If anybody is interested in a set of CCCs for their Sagaris, I've been speaking to Simon on a regular basis and he now has the sizing for the 'original' cans and is simply waiting on a spinning company to make the ends to enable CCC to make the can. Simon says because he has only ordered a hundered odd, the supplier will not put the order to the front of the queue, hence the delay. Once received, he will have them made quite quickly. I'm due a call when they are in and I'll post a note. They should be the same size as the cans seen on the original Sagaris, i.e. larger (of fatter) than the Tuscan version.
Del Boy
quote]
Hi Del Boy,
I haven't as yet managed to get to TVR Power due to work commiments! I plan to do this over the next 3-4 weeks though. I'll keep you posted. AFAIK you can keep the original cans and still achieve a rise in noise levels.
I'd be interested in a set of the larger cans, especially if they are carbon with black end caps
Michael
Hi Del Boy,
Check that Armourfend won't invalidate your paint warranty. I had a Paintshield kit fitted to my T350 a couple of weeks ago, noticed a paint defect whilst i was there and had to ring the factory ref geting it fixed. Spoke to their paint man and he wasn't very compelementary about any paint protection, but did state that the only one he had tested on their paints was the Paintshield product.
J
Check that Armourfend won't invalidate your paint warranty. I had a Paintshield kit fitted to my T350 a couple of weeks ago, noticed a paint defect whilst i was there and had to ring the factory ref geting it fixed. Spoke to their paint man and he wasn't very compelementary about any paint protection, but did state that the only one he had tested on their paints was the Paintshield product.
J
Del Boy, was at castles dropping off the Sagaris for a service and asked if you car was there. Had a quick peek and it's a cracker..
Must confess I usually go for the bright "in yer face" colours, but have to say that yours looks a complete monster and the interior is excellent.
Congratulations...you must be on the edge of your seat waiting to pick her up.
YP
Must confess I usually go for the bright "in yer face" colours, but have to say that yours looks a complete monster and the interior is excellent.
Congratulations...you must be on the edge of your seat waiting to pick her up.
YP
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