Posts in Projects
Jack Pads
- 27 October 2022
This modification makes it easier to put my car on jack stands in my garage. It adds a second set of jacking points to the car so I don’t have to jack up the car from the opposite side when rotating my tires. It was really easy to install too. In fact I installed this kit without needing to jack up the car at all and removing the old trim pieces was really effortless.
MIB2 Composition Media Hacking
- 04 January 2022
My US 2019 Golf Alltrack SE came with the MIB2 Composition Media infotainment system made by Delphi running QNX 6.5.0 (with firmware MST2_US_VW_P0890D release 0890). This unit has CarPlay/Android Auto but lacks navigation or maps of its own (though it has GPS). Lucky for me, it’s possible to gain root access to the unit.
MIB2 Developer Mode
- 02 January 2022
My Alltrack came with an MIB2 Composition Media infotainment system. These are the steps I took to enable development mode and get some information about it. Enabling development mode also lets me take screenshots by holding down the Media button for 3 seconds and have them saved to the SD card. You’ll need an OBD11/OBDeleven or VCDS.
Euro Tail Lights
- 23 December 2021
I’ve always preferred amber turn signals over flashing brake lights in my vehicles. My 2010 JSW had them but my 2019 Alltrack lacked the amber turn signals.
T-Mobile Franklin T9 Hacking
- 11 November 2021
My goal for this project is to have an LTE hotspot in my car that shuts off automatically when I get home to avoid wasting data. I’m using it with Google Fi.
EcoHitch Install
- 25 October 2021
I decided to go with the EcoHitch x7315. Installing was straight forward, but it ended up taking my entire Sunday to complete. Overall I’m very happy with how it turned out.
Monoprice Maker Select v2
- 21 October 2021
I bought my first 3D printer from Amazon in 2018 for $300. It’s on the cheaper end but there’s a large community behind it.
Rear Dashcam Pair
- 08 September 2021
Installed a second pair of cameras to get a better view out of the rear of my car for read-end crashes as well as another IR camera pointed towards the front of the car. This way I have a sort of 360 view from both inside-pointing cameras. Like the front camera I also bought a tamper-proof case for the rear one. Similarly I also use BlackVue batteries to keep the camera powered overnight.
P3 Vent Gauge
- 22 August 2021
Installed this to have a boost gauge in my air vent: P3 V3 OBD2 - VW Mk7 / Mk7.5 Gauge (2014-2020)
Fire Extinguisher
- 20 June 2021
Bought a rechargeable 2.5 lb fire extinguisher from Amazon: Amerex Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher B417T
Front Dashcam Pair
- 21 February 2020
I installed a BlackVue dashcam along with multiple batteries to get about 2 days of recording time while my vehicle is parked. I live in San Francisco and while my car is parked overnight in a garage, I occasionally park my car in the street and after a year nobody has broken in to steal the camera.
Under-Seat Drawer
- 09 February 2020
Just like my old TDI I wanted the OEM drawer under the driver seat to store things. Unlike my old TDI there is no passenger seat drawer available for the Alltrack. While installing, I also lined the drawer and the dash cubby that came with the car with felt so things wouldn’t rattle. I’m using foil to eventually trace out the curve
Trashcan
- 27 January 2020
Bought this from Amazon: display4top Auto Car Trash Can Bin Waste Container
Wireless Charging Car Dock
- 16 November 2013
So I was tired of having to hold my phone while plugging in a microusb cable after I’ve docked it in my car. I couldn’t find very many car docks out there with wireless charging, and I read that Nokia’s wireless charging car dock didn’t work very well on the Nexus 5.
Atrix Lapdock Other Uses
- 30 June 2012
I bought the Atrix Lapdock since I couldn’t find any sub $100 portable HDMI displays. The only affordable displays I could find were USB only. With the Atrix Lapdock and some adapters, I was able to use it as a portable display for several devices, which is great for traveling.
Jetta SportWagen TDI
- 03 July 2010
Sometime in September 2009, I set my eyes on a Jetta SportWagen TDI as my next car (I was then driving a 2000 F-150). On April 30th 2010 I finally committed to the vehicle and put down a deposit. On June 30th, I received my new car, special ordered the way I wanted it.