What did you do to your car today?

[Deeps]

Couldn't leave it dirty any longer .............

Thank goodness for that. 

[DC77]

Couldn't leave it dirty any longer so after a wash and coat of autoglym aqua wax it now has its shine back. 

Looking good......fat chance of that around here, been raining nearly all day so far!

[Anchorman]

I like the front and rear underun plate and will get them eventually but I'm thinking of getting a set of these CX-3 side stripes to just lift the side up too.

[Cornish CX-5]

They do look nice, go for it

[RichardCX5]

I'm back! It's been a busy few months but I finally had a quiet day today so I could take care of a few jobs I had lined up for my CX-5, so I'll get right into it.

First up were speakers - I was generally happy with the JBLs I installed in the dash but fancied a change, so had a look online and found that Kicker 41KSC354s are very highly regarded over in the states, so I found a UK retailer and fitted them today;





The Kickers are on the left and are around a centimetre taller than the JBLs (right) but fitted without a hitch, save for having to trim a couple of plastic 'pegs' on the dashboard.



Fitted! They sound very nice already despite not having been burned in yet, quieter than the JBLs which were occasionally too loud compared to the other speakers.

Whilst I had the speaker grill up I ran the cable permanently to use my latest gadget - a HUD (head-up display)!





£20 from that online retailer named after a rainforest and I'm properly chuffed with it! It's very hard to photograph in action due to the refresh rate of the LEDs but the image is very usable if a little blurry. It displays speed, RPMs, voltage/trip mileage/coolant temperature and fuel consumption (albeit only in L/100km or L/H)

Next up was cupholders - it's been one of my only gripes with this car that there's only one front cupholder for us Brits and I'd been using a vent-mount cupholder which had broken one of the vents, so I bought a screw-in folding one and fitted it on the centre console;




Not the most attractive thing in the world but should prove useful!

Finally, I didn't want to see those nice JBLs go to waste so I decided to fit them in the D-pillars in place of the crappy Bose speakers.



Tiny, tinny Bose on the left and JBL on the right. It was a very easy installation and just needed the boot trim panels loosening to allow the speaker trim to be removed. They sound much better than the Bose speakers but are very quiet, probably because of the Bose amp only supplying  a watt or two to the speaker! Better than before anyway.

And that's all!

[Deeps]

I'm back!

And been raiding the piggy-bank once again I see.  Great stuff.

[Southern Teuchter]

First up were speakers - I was generally happy with the JBLs I installed in the dash but fancied a change, so had a look online and found that Kicker 41KSC354s are very highly regarded over in the states, so I found a UK retailer and fitted them today;

Does the SportsNav model with the Bose speakers have a beefier amp than the standard (2016 Lux Nav) model?  I'm interested in improving my sound system but maybe not much point improving the speakers if there's not enough power behind them?

[RichardCX5]

First up were speakers - I was generally happy with the JBLs I installed in the dash but fancied a change, so had a look online and found that Kicker 41KSC354s are very highly regarded over in the states, so I found a UK retailer and fitted them today;

Does the SportsNav model with the Bose speakers have a beefier amp than the standard (2016 Lux Nav) model?  I'm interested in improving my sound system but maybe not much point improving the speakers if there's not enough power behind them?

Yes, the Sport models have a Bose amplifier mounted under the dashboard. I've found reference online to it being a 225 watt amp (shared across nine speakers so 25 watts each if shared equally). I think Bose systems have always used low-impedance speakers so they can be driven using a less-powerful amplifier.
I can't find anything regarding the wattage of non-Bose systems but it appears that standard head units generally output 5-15 watts per speaker.

My advice would be that if you want to upgrade your speakers then go for it as generally any decent speaker will be better than the factory ones; but find ones with high sensitivity (around 90dB and above) and 4 (or fewer) ohm impedance rather than 8. This will make the most of the factory head unit amplifier.

Hope that helps!

[RichardCX5]

This one is more of a preview than an actual 'thing I did to my car today' but I think it's pretty exciting!

I've missed the ambient overhead lighting that my old Audi had that gave a useful dim glow around the centre console at night for finding things whilst driving - plus it looked pretty cool. I've been considering how I would go about DIY'ing some LEDs into the overhead console to serve a similar purpose, so I was very excited to find that Japanese CX-5 owners have a far more comprehensive accessories catalogue, including an overhead console including an ambient LED!!
I ordered from Japan a couple of weeks ago and it arrived today;





Can't wait to get it fitted and I'll report back!

[rmvf]

Look forward to seeing what they are like, what Colour?  Red?

[Deeps]

Yes, hurry up and get on with the job, Richard. This might be something that also interests me. 

[RichardCX5]

The LED is white, which I was worried would light up the interior like a Christmas tree - but others that have fitted it already say it's a subtle glow over the cup holder area. I'll have a look at it this evening, the main hurdle is getting the trim pieces off but after that it's just basic wiring.

[rmvf]

I was worried that some of the glow would go onto the windscreen, I got a reflection off the HU display on the 3 but that sounds good as the cup area is the place that would need light, I'm really interested in the Japanese accessories  catalogue how do I get to have a look at it.

Rich, in your second picture with the lighting console I noticed at the top there is none of those vents like on ours it looks like blanking plates above the small white label. Wonder why/ what's the difference? Answer welcome from any forum members.

[RichardCX5]

Quick update - it doesn't fit! 

UK models have alarm sensors in the overhead console that US/Japan spec ones don't seem to have, which means the units are different shapes and have different cutouts. Not being one to be easily defeated, I'm having a go at removing just the LED fitting from the new unit and test-fitting it into my existing one to see what it will be like and whether it's worth pursuing something more permanent later.

I've run out of time and light for tonight so I'll have another look tomorrow - so close and yet so far!

[rmvf]

That's a shame Richard, I was worried when I noticed the difference in your pic, I was giving it some thought just a few hours ago, I was thinking of lighting actually being in the cup holders what do you think? Good luck