General Panda 169 minor mods

[gas panda]

after a few months with my 3rd hand 2011 Panda i've been busy with the little things, maybe of interest to some?

Phone cradle. Having replaced the factory stereo with a no-cd double din unit (lost cd mount!) i was struggling to find a decent place to house a phone cradle. Solution was to buy a spare air vent which i sealed closed with gorilla glue before drilling a hole for the mpow cradle, packing the back with more glue to hold things in place. Packing and sanding the front gave a flat domed surface which was covered in rubberised paint as i couldn't be bothered looking for the exact matching grey with the other dash plastics. A little electrical tape wrapped around the inner plug stops it from spinning and gives a solid, stable platform away from the gearstick.

Boot Light. A simple 12v touch LED which i had to run a cable from the battery to power as the wires in the boot weren't active. A couple of threads describing how to get out of the engine bay were essential reading!

And I thought that was all until I locked my keys on the parcel shelf just a few days ago with my phone and wallet and anything useful in the car. After an hour i was able to borrow a phone from a good samaritan and call for the spares from 20 miles away. I'm now getting a second simple spare cut - which i'll be sticking inside the rear bumper with either gaffa tape or a velcro disc housing as i've no idea how often i'll be so dumb.

 

[fourbie]

i had to run a cable from the battery to power as the wires in the boot weren't active. A couple of threads describing how to get out of the engine bay were essential reading! I'm now getting a second simple spare cut - which i'll be sticking inside the rear bumper with either gaffa tape or a velcro disc housing as i've no idea how often i'll be so dumb.

Yes the lack of a power line to the rear is a pain but as you say fairly easily sorted.
I carry spare keys on a strap around my neck because I have done what you have lots of times and the same sort of thing with home keys. I have a safe in the car which I carry the key to as well. The list goes on. lol

That's nice phone clamp.

 

[jrkitching]

I'm now getting a second simple spare cut

Yes, just get a blank cut and don't have it coded. That way, it'll cost peanuts and if anyone does manage to find it, they won't be able to drive off with your car.