Best Sound

Initially a tie between Peter Rheingans and Edwin de Vaan
(18 votes each), the prize finally went to Peter Rheingans after a tie breaker.

Best Professional Install

Winner: Erlend van Kelf 42 votes
Runner-up: Melkon Torosyan 20 votes


Best Amateur Install

Winner: Michael Tempsch 26 votes
Runner-up: Edwin de Vaan 20 votes


Worst Install

Winner: Rolf Winterscheidt 21 votes (apparently due to creative use of Sellotape in the install!!)


Distance Award

Winner: Tony "FAQMaster" Fabris 3298 miles (corrected)


Empeg Quiz

Winner: Mark Lord


Feely Bag Game

Winner: Svem Mueller with 41 points out of a possible 53

can we get some pics of the best and worst installs?

I'm sure someone will come up with pics - I need to take some new pics now everything is completed; what I currently have on my web page shows it with wires in disarray.
I've also added a bunch of LEDs since then... Blue ones at the door handles, door pockets and interior light; red ones at the door woofers, pocket under the empeg and in the rear speakers.

Blue LEDs and Tux + "empeg inside" stickers seems to have been crowd pleasers...

/Michael

Blue LEDs are always crowd pleasers

Mo and I will be working on the meet website sometime soon, and I hope to be able to put up connecting detail when we do the site.

awesome. i eagerly await. Man 'o man. i wish the West Coast meet had such fine organization.

I plan on uploading some pictures of my car too now that I finally got myself a digital camera. (I won best professional install). No promises on when exactly though, but I hope I can do it in the forthcoming week.

Nice 'Dub...

For reference, modern VW dimmer wires are pulse width modulated 12V, not analog. According to my yummy new oscilloscope, the frequency is 83Hz, and the positive pulse varies between 15% (min brightness) and 95% (max brightness). The frequency doesn't seem that stable though - I saw values +/- 1Hz. I guess it's not crystal generated.

On a side note, RadioShack over here now sell 5mm LEDs that match VW blue perfectly. The wavelength is 430nm. Shame they don't sell any 3mm version.

very nice... I'm jelous of the polo.. we only get golfs here in the US... I was thinking about how much it would cost to import a polo.. that'd be neat..

I might have to do that when my '00 jetta is ready for retirement.

Yeah, the Polo is pretty nice - pity they destroyed the look in the later ones (02/03- IIRC) with the round tilted headlights instead of the rectangular clear glass...
I'm sort of looking at the Peugot 206 GTI at the moment, about the same size (ie parkeable in any medium US SUV ) and a fair bit more power than my Polo.

/Michael

modern VW dimmer wires are pulse width modulated 12V, not analog. According to my yummy new oscilloscope, the frequency is 83Hz, and the positive pulse varies between 15% (min brightness) and 95% (max brightness)

Yeah, had figured about that, considering the way the dimmer on the empeg was behaving (rather erratically)... Still have to get around to get a proper signal (if possible, considering the DRLs) from the light switch assembly to use as the dimmer signal instead of the interior light one.


RadioShack over here now sell 5mm LEDs that match VW blue perfectly. The wavelength is 430nm

These?
430nm sounds about right, the ones I have currently are 470nm, and they're clearer blue than "VW blue", so a bit more violet seems correct... Pity they're only 300mCd - the ones I use now are about 3500mCd (5mm). Hmmm, looks like a local company, ELFA, has both 3 and 5 mm versions - 3 mm is 350mCd at 10° angle and the 5 mm is 1000 mCd at 20°. Looks like I've got no excuse to not take a look, they're even somewhat cheaper than RS... Thanks for the tip!

/Michael
PS Let me know if you're interested in some 3mm ones.

These?

Yep, those.

I thought that the PWM issue was fixed a LOOOONNG time ago? How come it's playing up, then?

I thought that the PWM issue was fixed a LOOOONNG time ago?

Frankly, it might well work fine now - problem is that the wire in the harness is connected to the dash lighting - and I rarely adjust the dash lighting just because I flip on the "real" lights compared to the (reduced power) DRLs. I'd rather have a signal that goes 0/12V when I flip the switch to the "on" position (switch has "off" which actually means automatic on/off DRLs and high beam "honk" on the high/low beam switch, "park" which gives parking lights only, and "on" which gives full intensity headlights and on/off for the high beams on the high/low beam switch)

/Michael

more power than the polo?

get a G40!!!

more power than the polo?

The Polo GTI is IIRC 1.6 litre 125 bhp (and mine isn't a GTI, merely the 75 bhp 1.4 litre)
I think the 206 GTI is 137 bhp and 2.0 litre.
I do believe someone has managed to stuff a Golf 2.0 litre engine in a Polo...

Another couple of fun little cars are the VW Lupo GTI (same 125bhp engine, but even smaller and lighter car) and the Cooper S...

/Michael

I was in holiday just after the Amersfoort event. Give me a free minute and I will show you how to get the worst install :-) on my website...

Rolf

*** Proud owner of the European Worst Install Trophy 2003 ! ***

No, no, Rolf! 2002, don't forget!

For those of you puzzled about what I mean - when Rob V was getting the trophy made, he had real trouble getting them to do it properly. They screwed up a few times, and eventually he decided that the final attempt would just have to be good enough: the trophy is dated 2002, not 2003

Truly an appropriate reward.

Yes, it couldn't be made better. Even the year is incorrect. What a price :-). But I would like to know more about this MK1 I got. What happened with this, is there a good story? Don't mind, I won't ask if the story is true ;-).

Rolf

That Mk.1 player has quite an interesting history. It was originally purchased by a gentleman as a gift for his charming french wife, however upon discovering that she was engaged in an affair with another empeg fan he took back the player and sold it.

The new owner was an American fellow who picked up the player in Italy for an extended road trip with his young lady friend. I'm not sure if the Mk.1 has aphrodisiac properties however it is said that the young lady decided to share an intimate empeg experience with a local photographer and once again the player was put on the market by its cheated owner.

Subsequently the player, already not in the best condition, was purchased by a couragous American woman who took it into a Balkan combat zone. It's contribution to humanitarian action was substantial, but the episode was pretty much fatal to the player, hence the condition in which you see it today.

Rob

Rob, you didn't need to tell us all those embarassing details about your relationships.

It's contribution to humanitarian action was substantial

Don't tell me it was used to play "Enter Sandman", or "Tiny Little Bubbles" on repeat play...

Oh my god!

I want to marry at July 29th. What shall I do now with this empeg? I love this woman and now I can assure you that she will never touch this MK1. Pooh, hard news here...

:-)

Rolf

Wow, what a story!

...charming french wife...

Would asking whether this was Aouali, a most charming French lady who suddenly disappeared from the board two years ago be too inquisitive?

...a couragous American woman who took it into a Balkan combat zone

Ah, after a Canadian soldier another brave Empegger in my restless neighborhood! Pray tell more (if you are at liberty to do so)!

Cheers!

Errr.... Bonzi, either you are about the most perceptive bloke I've ever met (or not actually met), or you have *far too much bloody time on your hands*.

OK so that was totally lost on everyone. Maybe I've seen more dodgy old Ingrid Bergman films than you guys.

Rob

Hope this thread will last forever. In-te-resting!!

8-)

Rolf

Obviously, I missed that one....

Congrats to all winners!

mtempsch: The Lupo GTI is indeed a beast compared to the Polo GTI, but it costs way too much more, at least in luxembourg. My dealer has a demonstrator, has 1 year and 7000kms, but still it costs 16000€... not serious in my opinion.

Sigh, it's not the case of too much time. Actually, I alow myself a quick browse through the board only when I am realy fed up with day's work.

I somehow remembered Auoali as 'cute French gal with girlish web site and unpronouncable name consisting of vowels and starting with A', so it wasn't hard to find her in user list.

However, I still don't know what's the Ingrid Bergman reference Rob hinted at...

Cheers!

Ok, ok, congratulations to all the winners, we all know it was fun... But where are the tons of pictures we all expect! Come on, put them all on riocar.org, hurry up!

I'm still whittling away at my 1200 remaining EuroTour-2003 photos.. once I get it down to 800 or less, I may post a link..

But..... I wanna have your original Aare waterside ladies pics , without compression....

However, I still don't know what's the Ingrid Bergman reference Rob hinted at...

The Yellow Rolls Royce. Never mind.

But no one had a Rolls Royce at the meet yellow or otherwise, I really confused now

From the IMDB

Plot Summary for The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)

Three stories about the lives and loves of those who own a certain yellow Rolls-Royce:

First purchased by the Marquess of Frinton for his wife as a belated anniversary present, the Marchiness finds her own use for the vehicle - one which prompts her husband to sell the car in disgust.

Gangster Paolo Maltese's moll, Mae, thinks the Rolls is a "classy" car in which to tour Paolo's home town in Italy. When Paolo is called away to the States to finish some "business", a bored Mae takes the Rolls on a spin through the country, enjoying both the sights and the handsome Italian photographer who crosses her path.

By the outbreak of World War II, the car has come into the possession of socialite Gerda Millet. While on her way to visit Yugoslavian royalty, Gerda and the Rolls become (at first) unwitting and then (eventually) most willing participants in the Yugoslavian fight.

So Rob, ever watched Dennis Miller? If so, how many of the obscure allusions do you understand?

So Rob, ever watched Dennis Miller?

No, we don't get that many M&M's commercials here.

Rob

Life Lesson #29: Do not talk to the bus driver while he's driving.

I recently traded my Polo (1.4 75bhp, same model shape as yours) in for a Seat Ibiza Cupra.

Same size as the Polo, with sportier styling, VAG build quality, and a 1.8T engine giving out 156bhp (chippable to ~210bhp easily)!

Would beat the socks of a puny 206, and bits wouldn't keep falling off either!

Seat Ibiza Cupra

Sounds fun! Unfortunately it appears that model is not available in Sweden - only Cupra model available here is the Leon...

/Michael

That's a shame - it's a great car.

Just been looking at your website - your Polo (and install) is very nice indeed! Especially like the wheels.

Odd how the spec varies in strange ways - my UK Polo (3 door) had proper 165mm speaker mounting points in the rear (either side of the seats) for speakers, complete with stock grilles. Made putting decent rear speakers in very easy, and also kept the stealth look.

my UK Polo (3 door) had proper 165mm speaker mounting points in the rear

What year model is your Polo (possibly even month)? Mine was made right after the factory changed the tooling from '00 to '01 models (clear glass headlights, 3rd brakelight in the trunk lid frame etc)

Might be that there are suitable holes under the rear side panel - haven't looked... How high are they placed? And how far back from the edge of the door opening?

/Michael

I noticed you picked yours up on June 22nd, 2000. I'm pretty sure I picked mine up on June 27th!

It is the Mk5 (Mk4 facelift, 6N2000, whatever you want to call it), and was one of the first in the UK. The speakers (and visible grilles in mine) are at the front edge of the rear seat bottom, with the bottom of the speaker about level with the top of the seat cushion. I'd estimate they were around 8 inches back from the door opening.

It's not ideal placing, as a rear passenger blocks the speaker with their leg, but it gives good rear fill when I was on my own, or with a single passenger.

Ooh, you have groovy little pop-up light washers - those weren't an option on any model apart from the GTI over here

groovy little pop-up light washers

Any headlight cleaning at all on the UK models? Here, with the salt slush and spray during the winter, real wipers+washers on the headlights are prefered over just high pressure washers...

/Michael

I noticed you picked yours up on June 22nd, 2000. I'm pretty sure I picked mine up on June 27th!

Hmmm, gotta be different trim for different markets then - not that it makes much sense on a thing like this...

I'll see if I bother to take a look; maybe if/when I get around to adding some neon rope around the arm rest indention...

Also got to investigate if the A-pillar door connectors have any free terminals (or space to drill). If that's the case I might add rope to the front doors also. %/!#¤$ plugs, makes wiring such a pain...

/Michael

Winner: Svem Mueller with 41 points out of a possible 53

Hey! You got me mispeled ;-) there.

Hmm, I still wonder what my prize would have been, had I taken part in the treasure hunt. Well, I suppose this can wait until the next meet :-)))

CU,
Sven

should you get the prize after the treasure hunt?
I think, it's an "empeg-mug, don't put it in the dishwasher!!! (TM)"

I should have got one, too, as my treasure hunt team decided to let it go to me... (the others already had won prizes)

Somehow Rob forgot about it, which doesn't matter, 'cause Mark left me his one when he had a hard fight with his luggage packing things for the trip to Paris... He also left me a "second-meet shirt", thanks again, Mark.

cheers, Thomas