fiestaturbo.com

[RickDawson]

Hi all.
I've just recently passed my driving test (22nd July 2008)
I've bought a 51plate 1.3 Fiesta Flight, dark blue.
It's only done ~39,500 miles when I got it.
I will get some photos up on my site once I get somewhere to take them (where I live it's too narrow a road, and cars are always parked close together for taking photos.)

It is still original stock ford everything.

I'd like to get some color in the interior (blue, as it is my fave color and, well the car is blue anyway)
I'm thinking of replacing the carpet, as the boot carpet could very easily be picked up in one hand and just walked away with. it would still keep flat, as it is old and stiff.

My initial idea is to get some seat covers, steering wheel cover, carpet, mats, tax disc holders. etc. to add some color and brighten the drab stock/standard interior.

What would be good products to go for and what do you suggest I change to get some color in?

I'd like to do the things that don't require any permanent changes to start off with.
I may progress onto other things that require permanent changes once the basics are done.

I also want to add some extra lights to the interior, as the existing interior light is quite poor.
I'm thinking possibly using some cathodes I have from my computer modding days.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/55351
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/51686

Where would be the best place(s) to put some cathodes? and where to get the power from.

[fezanw]

Hummm interior, something im slowly working on... anyway. Replacing carpets boot carpet is simple enough but where all your seats are..harder.. since all the seats will have to be out. Look for other models and find out what colour carpets the did for them and try and find one at a scrappy, or ask about on here or ebay etc..

Can get coloured tax disc holders from richbrook, but they are a touch on the expensive side, so just look about for them, gear stick gators and knobs, handbrake gators, dont bother with a stearing wheel cover.... just replace the whole wheel. mats...plenty to choose from, somenice tailored ones look good, or what ever takes your fancy. Seat covers are alright, but replacement front seats and getting the rear bench retrimmed to match is the way forward. Also simple subtle things make an interior. like i have some stainless steel mirror adjuster knobs, small but they look nice. Have a look at other peoples cars to get ideas really.

Interior lighting.... well I remember my mate had them under car 'neons' on his clio, 2 large ones and two smaller ones... had a control box so they would flash and what not... anyway after he had enough of them on the outside he put them inside... and it was like some sort of disco in there. From a distance it must of looked like a space ship, all this bright blue light coming out of a sodding clio.

There is/was a guide on here about doing footwell 'neons' using the cold cathode tubes from ebuyer.

I think with interior lighting the old mantra of less is more, applies. Dont want to look like the UFO clio, or well.... very chive, like a mate of mine did, he just stuck cathode tubes anywhere..

Ive got the cold cathodes from the second link 12" ones in my boot, (mark 4) looks sick at night and is much brighter anyway. I put them just under the lip where the boot lid closes, its kinda recessed. There is a guide for this on here somewhere too.

also what might be of interest is another guide about changing the clock and dash lighting colours, subtle and simple.

Need to have a look at your motor to see what would be a good idea to do, but any opinions or what not will obviously be subjective.

sorry couldnt of been any more help..

Byrnes

[fezanw]

oh and sorry welcome to the forum!

[DK]

noooo rick, don't do it. The style police will come kick your ass. I don't get why people want to ever spray the interior. When its a sunny day the insides are gona reflect all the light and give you a headache. and putting all those lights in would make you look like a xmas tree at night from miles off. Driving at night, all you need is your headlights, dashlights, and your eyes.

[RickDawson]

I am not wanting to paint the interior (Whatever gave you that idea?)
With the lighting, I just want to add to the measly interior light that is standard, as it is not enough to read anything properly in the dark.
nothing too garish.
I have some blue lighting color plastic sheet that I can put over the cathodes to stop them being so bright.

This is the only pic I have of my car at the moment (The one off the site for the place I bought it from)

oh and sorry welcome to the forum!

Thanks

[DK]

what kind of interior light do you have? sorry, i dont have a mk5 so i wudn't know. You can't have the boring ones like whats in my mk3. I want to swap mine for a mk4/5/puma interior light. Check my topic below yours.

[RickDawson]

I've been on holiday for the past week, so I parked my car on a relatives drive.
got back yesterday, and I am going to get my car later today.

I will then get some decent shots of it either tonight or tomorrow.
Well that's if I can on the narrow road I live on. lots of cars parked on it and all close together.
I will take the photos tomorrow if the weather is better.
Typical British summer.

[Tweek]

[RickDawson]

I finally got some photos taken, once I got a gap between it raining.

I thought it would be best to put them in a slideshow:

[mada01]

hello there

welcome

nice to see another mk5 here

i would say for the interior, try and change the bulbs to blue instead of green and a blue theme inside will look good as the outside is also blue. you could invest in a cd player to spice the interior a little bit and also lets you listen to cds. you can pick one up from ebay for around £20 - £30 and then youll need to buy adaptors for around £7 - 10.

are there any plans for the exterior? as they are mods you can do that either wont cost you a penny, for example de-badgeing or taking the plastic strips of the side. they give your car a totaly new look. somether stuff is de tango headlights and get clear or smoked side reaptors.

[RickDawson]

I have a bunch of 5mm clear blue LEDs I can use for lighting, just need resistors for the 12v supply (should have some around)
I also have some ebuyer cathodes (as stated in my first post)

I was thinking of changing all bulbs to be LEDs
Are there LED bulbs that can just simply replace the headlight/indicator bulbs etc with?

I will be changing the stereo, so I can play my ipod, and hopefully have my mobile(had gps chip with tomtom loaded on it) do the tomtom instructions through the car audio system having the music from my iPod (2nd generation black 8Gb Nano) lower in volume for each instruction.
There's a local car audio specialist that a work mate has recommended I go and have a chat with them.

What's the right symbol of a car outline on the dash supposed to do/show?
I've never seen it do anything yet.

Any suggestions as to what some of the panels can be say re-covered in another more colorful fabric?

how do I access behind the dash and other areas?
Are there any guides?

I'm basically just getting my ideas together from the start.
I know that it will be a blue theme that I will have. (car is blue, and blue is my fave color)

[mada01]

Are there LED bulbs that can just simply replace the headlight/indicator bulbs etc with

yes there are led bulbs that you can replace, just make sure its the right fitting before you buy

Any suggestions as to what some of the panels can be say re-covered in another more colorful fabric

the fabrice parts on the door cards, you could replace that with blue fabric? or something. and you could find a female friend who is good at sewing and make your own seat covers?

how do I access behind the dash and other areas?
Are there any guides?

haynes manual around £20 will tell you how to change everything in your car and how to survice it

[RickDawson]

i'm not sure which one of these the correct Haynes manual. Are any the right one? My car's year is December 2001

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesw ... ku=3480233
http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/2817 ... oduct.html
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ford-Fiesta-Ser ... 416&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiesta-Service- ... 416&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haynes-Workshop ... 16&sr=8-15

[mada01]

if im correct they are all the same, as the mk4 and mk5 are the same near enough, only difference is the bumpers and headlights. but both are covered in the manual. im not 100% sure but i think they are

[RickDawson]

I've had a look at the interior light...

I reckon I could get a few (2 to 3) of the 5mm round clear blue LEDs that I've got, and solder some resistors to them (so they work on the 12v supply) and connect them in instead of the bulb.

That would be a start to doing some mods.

[dontpannic]

Interior light to read stuff easier: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Fiesta-Ghia- ... 286.c0.m14
They do a massively better job of lighting up the cabin than the standard light.

I wrote the guide about the footwell neons, its in the guides forum on here. Really easy - haven't done it to my MK5 as I found it horribly distracting at night (in blue, anyway - reflections on the windscreen).

You don't always need colour in the interior - it starts to look pretty tacky after a while (think of the girls with the pink stuff - makes me sick).

Steering wheels from the Zetec S came with coloured inserts:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Blue-mk4-mk5-Zete ... 286.c0.m14

My plans for the interior in my MK5 involve the mondeo/focus gear knob, too.

All these things enhance the look and feel without going tacky.

[RickDawson]

I've changed the interior light to use 3 crystal clear blue 5mm LEDS (with resistor for 12v)

I will get a photo once I get time.

I will add the ebuyer cathodes... first in the boot, then possibly in the footwells (footwells may be too much though)

[RickDawson]

I've found a local company that can do me some proper covers for my seats.
http://www.sbseatcovers.co.uk/

The thing is, I have a problem of what fabric to choose.

I'd ideally like it to be a leather or vinyl effect.
He does it in cream, grey, black and a dark blue.

He's suggested some bright blue neoprene to do them. (same material as cheap fabric mousepads are made from)
he has black neoprene too.

What do you think I should do?

I've found out what he's got, and now need to decide what to do.

[RickDawson]

So any ideas?

Any supplier of material that I could get saome better material from, then ask him if he would use that material.

[mada01]

try a local fabric shop?

should be able to pic up cheap fabric from there maybe?>

[RickDawson]

There's not many fabric shops around my local area that I know of.

There's a "Terry's Fabric Warehouse", but that's only home material. I didn't find anything suitable for my car.

There's a cheap £1 a metre place (if it's still going...?) but I don't think at that price they'll have what I'm after.