New to Mondeo

[Fair302]

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick message, My Dad recently purchased an Modeo Zetec 06/08 2.3 auto That would be an MA?

Just some questions: What is possible with upgrading the lights? Are there any cheapish performance mods to be done? ie CAI We were thinking of putting some 6x9"s in the parcel shelf and connecting them instead of the back door speakers, or can we connect a amp to the factory (Sony) head unit, does it have RCA outs?

Cheers

[Smoke Pursuit]

That would be an MA.

You can upgrade the lights by putting Bluevision bulbs in.

[AlanD]

Originally Posted by Fair302

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick message, My Dad recently purchased an Modeo Zetec 06/08 2.3 auto That would be an MA?

Just some questions: What is possible with upgrading the lights? Are there any cheapish performance mods to be done? ie CAI We were thinking of putting some 6x9"s in the parcel shelf and connecting them instead of the back door speakers, or can we connect a amp to the factory (Sony) head unit, does it have RCA outs?

Cheers

Hi,

If the 06/08 is the build date then I'd check the date of first registration because it could be that it might be a few months later, and if so then there is close to 12 months warranty duration left (unless it has gone past 100,000 km, which would make it a well used car - pushing 50,000 km per year?). If you start on engine and/or drivetrain mods you will give Ford an excuse if anything goes wrong with those components. Think I might wait until the warranty expires on that one. When it has you can get the ECU remapped for more output if you wish. I've seen costs of the order of $1,000 for that - seems to depend on where you go for the work. And Ford can tell if the ECU has been flashed I believe - even if it has been returned to normal tune.

Be careful with lighting upgrades - you might inadvertently make the car unroadworthy - stick with the same power of globes that were specified as OE.

Parcel shelf? So it is a sedan? I do not believe there are speaker cutouts available so you would need to make them - more holes = less strength and the speaker magnets will hang very low without spacers. If it is a hatch then the "parcel shelf" is not rigid enough to carry loudspeakers without unacceptable levels of vibration IMO. Can't comment about RCA out terminals but the standard head unit has more than enough volume for our needs.

Question - are you confusing volume with fidelity? They ain't the same thing and in the cabin of a car searching for better fidelity is a quest without end.

Is "Dad" keen on these potential modifications?

Cheers

[Fair302]

Cheers for you comments. Sorry about calling it a parcel shelf. It is a Hatch, and I will be re-enforcing the shelf and stealth mounting the 6x9's. Also, no I know the difference between volume and fidelity. These are just some speakers that we have lying around. We have allready worked out that we are just going to use a 4 channel, which will power the fronts and we are going to splice into the rears and power the 6x9's from the amp and run the once in the rear door of the HU. We are not out to set any records, just something fun for me and Dad to do.

I am also aware that there are legal issues to consider regarding the lights, hence I thought to ask here.

The car is still under new car warranty, first reg Nov 2008. Not looking to make it into a track weapon, just thought I'd ask if anyone knew about some easy, low cost/risk improvements ie CAI from Turbo etc. If we wanted to mod it to a large degree we wouldn't have started with an auto 2.3 four banger would we?????

Anyhow thanks for you input.

[NZ XR6]

I thought of upgrading the sounds when I bought mine, but it looked like a long, slippery slope and the factory system isn't too bad even when turned up. For example, the standard front speakers are 2 way. Sorry, I didn't even pull the HU out of the dash but it's easy to do - you carefully remove the silver trim panels either side of the HU which exposes the mounting bolts.

The 2.5 turbo is a completely different engine, so fitting the CAI to the 2.3 could be a mission. The 2.3 is a Mazda engine made by Ford so there's likely to be some stuff available for it. I'd suggest checking US Ford and Mazda forums as Ford use the same engine in a lot of their US models. And let us know how you get on!

[Fair302]

Thanks for your help, mate

[mondo_broady]

Originally Posted by AlanD

And Ford can tell if the ECU has been flashed I believe - even if it has been returned to normal tune.

not at a dealership level. only the ford boffins with their equipment can do that and it would have to be a fairly major problem for them to be involved...

[XtRmn8]

I find the audio in the Mondeo better then BA/BF Falcon premium sound. They run splits in both front and rear doors. I would not go hacking up the rear shelf and putting 6x9's as this will not achieve much.

Also not much point trying to improve performance as these things were never make to be performance orientated. Its a great A to B car, as long as you are not in a great hurry with great economy too :-)