Euro 03 to 06 conversion!

[yfin]

Well ordinarily ebay item discussion is something for the lounge but this answers and also raises lots of technical questions as to how it was achieved.

Take a look at this link

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Honda-Accord-Euro_W0QQitemZ4650660566QQcategoryZ72450QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

It looks like an 06 Euro including front and rear body changes, steering wheel, interior including silver trim, sat nav.

Nothing unusual I thought. But this seller is advertising the car as a 2003 model. I thought it was a mistake. I messaged them and to my surprise they confirmed it is a 2003 model "with 2006 features". What the?

Well ladies and gentleman a conversion can (and has) been done. I have messaged them asking for more info on the conversion but I doubt I will get more info. I couldn't give a hoot about the exterior - but would really like the fuel consumption display and would like to know what was involved in that conversion (ECU?, steering wheel, dash, misc wiring). Does anyone know - I really want this!

So much work to achieve this! Makes me wonder whether the car was damaged and then replaced with 06 panels, etc (but that is an issue for the ultimate buyer). But exterior updates is one thing - but the interior too?!

If anyone knows this mystery person please let us know more as it opens up some great possibilities for 03-05 owners especially when 06 write offs start becomming more common.

[Omotesando]

This sounds so dodgy!

The 17" RIMS are the post-2003 model luxury ones. From 2005 onwards?

The interior seems to be 2006 no doubt.

The rear end doesn't look like it has been changed.


Looks like a hybrid monster with diff front and rear ends sticked together. Especially with those rims not belonging to either 2003 or 2006 model.

[yfin]

Nah the rims don't necessarily mean it is dodgy - lots of people want those rims second hand.

And the rear end does look 06! The 06 has a slightly more pronounced "line" towards the bottom of the bumper. Know what I mean?

But I am pretty sure those headlights are 03-05 as the indicator is clearly orange.

[jamchen]

there's a lot of things involved in this conversion... as for the fuel comsumption estimator, u have to put an measure into the fuel tank and a cable to the display, average speed is another cable to the wheels...
and the SatNav panel, also u have to to get some sensors to ur steering and wheels...
parts along will cost at least $15,000 (inside and outside)., and labour?? $$$$$$$
why whould they bother to do the conversion anyway.. these money are enought to trade-in their 03 and get a factory 06..
its a lot of work involved...
i thought it was a 06 model but involved in an accident and there was no 06 headlight unit available so they put pre-06 headlights on...
but until i saw the wipers... this euro is deifinitely not 06...

[ngupil]

yfin .. i've asked honda australia for the conversion
they said it can be done .. but at a price
they said, the estimated cost of conversion is roughly starts from $5000 - $15000
with that price the seller has offered, i think its a dodgy sale
unless his dash was stolen and his exterior is smashed up and replaced by MY06 parts thats possible. but if that really happen, most likely insurance will write off the car.

[jamchen]

or will it be,,, just a guess... an european private import? the 06 euro dash was on european spec euro since 04 or 05? will it be the case? or i've been dreaming too much?

[destrukshn]

i had a call from a custerom i think it was yesterday, asking if a 06 bumper would fit on a 03 euro.
and i said i wouldn't know, might, might not.
guess it does? lol.
who knows.
anyone from here call up yesterday about this?
lol.

[jamchen]

alright... when to compare the sat nav unit with our euro...
the centre joy sitck is gone!!!! lol...

[coladuna]

Probably a very costly exercise. I'd rather sell and buy a real 06 model rather than messing up a perfectly fine car by doing dodgy upgrades, which will only reduce its resale value. The stupid things some people are willing to do....

[corn_flakes]

that car has DODGEY written all over it

[albii]

i smell bad accident.........

[ngupil]

i had a call from a custerom i think it was yesterday, asking if a 06 bumper would fit on a 03 euro.
and i said i wouldn't know, might, might not.
guess it does? lol.
who knows.
anyone from here call up yesterday about this?
lol.

Honda Australia said that it will fit, but you have to change the whole bumper, bonet, side panels, etc etc etc ...
more $$$$ than selling ur euro and get a new 06 model

[TwEigh]

What the fish..

how much front, rear bumper and front grille cost from honda?
I thought only those 3 things that need to be change for 2006 conversion.

[matt]

could it have been stolen and rebirthed but with an 03 cars plates?

[aDe]

The guy sell many cars. i wonder why

[yfin]

could it have been stolen and rebirthed but with an 03 cars plates?

The headlights are 03 model and someone can notice the older 03-05 wipers (but i can't see that from the photos). So it has bits and pieces from diff models.

what about a repairable 2003 writeoff? Fowles auction has Euros in their catalogue from time to time. If someone is in the business (eg panel shop) it would be worth doing i guess as labour would be nothing. But what everyone has said is correct - lots of parts were changed here includng bonnet!

But if it was a repairable writeoff why change the interior(even if all airbags went off)?!:confused: This has got me seriously confused.

[EuroDude]

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3772/image16vv.jpg

[yfin]

Honda Australia said that it will fit, but you have to change the whole bumper, bonet, side panels, etc etc etc ...
more $$$$ than selling ur euro and get a new 06 model

change side panels too?

[aaronng]

Dodgy...... But if it clears with REVS and RTA, then that's a car at a cheap price.

[ngupil]

yfin, not sure if the side panels are different pre 06 and post 06
but thats what they were telling me
dont know if the guy that i spoke to as noob as i am or even noober :)
i wouldnt risk my money for this car
i'll be more willing to sell my euro and buy a new one or buy second hand with more credibility than this one

[aaronng]

True. This car has nothing special except price. I think it is an 06 rebirthed.

[fraqqie]

could it just be the pictures of a different car?

considerings its a lady who's been driving the car, you wouldnt necessarily expect ppl of her age to do conversions of that sort rite?

did a revs check and it looks clean but who knows

its possible, or maybe they dont really know what they're talking about when it comes to describing the features and stuff

*shrugs*

[yfin]

could it just be the pictures of a different car?


nope - that is why I emailed them. The reply was "2003 model with 2006 features". Headlights are def 2003.

Can anyone tell the age by the number plates of the car? In Vic you can oten get a rough idea if it is original plates - not sure if the same in NSW.

If you called up a honda dealership and told them the VIN i reckon they would say the manufacturered year (but wouldnt disclose customer info).

[EuroDude]

I sent the seller a message in eBay and awaiting a response.

[edit] Doh didnt realise yfin asked as well :D

[jamchen]

The headlights are 03 model and someone can notice the older 03-05 wipers (but i can't see that from the photos). So it has bits and pieces from diff models.

what about a repairable 2003 writeoff? Fowles auction has Euros in their catalogue from time to time. If someone is in the business (eg panel shop) it would be worth doing i guess as labour would be nothing. But what everyone has said is correct - lots of parts were changed here includng bonnet!

But if it was a repairable writeoff why change the interior(even if all airbags went off)?!:confused: This has got me seriously confused.

the wiper bit is quite easy.... the 06 models started to use these one-pieced soft wipers that are used commonly on european cars... instead of these wipers with metal holders ( if u get what i mean)... and its clear from the third pic from the ebay site to see top bit of the wiper...:D
maybe its a good idea to get someone to see the car in person!!? maybe some members from NSW?
Oh forgot to add... the joystick (to move the GPS screen) is gone...:o

[yfin]

maybe its a good idea to get someone to see the car in person!!? maybe some members from NSW?

Yeah if we want to be stalkers.. :D

[ngupil]

its not stalking
its what i call seeing is believing :D lol

btw, yfin .. are you interested in buying it or just asking out of curiousity (am i spelling right?)??

[Peekay34]

Why would you bother...amazing. I have sent a message asking where they sourced SatNav from....

[EuroDude]

hmm I have a feeling this guy works for a dealer or wrecker and can get cheap parts.

I cant see how someone without connections can get all those 06 parts without spending alot of money. Unless he bought a half-cut or write-off euro from an auction or something...

[aaronng]

nope - that is why I emailed them. The reply was "2003 model with 2006 features". Headlights are def 2003.

Can anyone tell the age by the number plates of the car? In Vic you can oten get a rough idea if it is original plates - not sure if the same in NSW.

If you called up a honda dealership and told them the VIN i reckon they would say the manufacturered year (but wouldnt disclose customer info).
The VIN shows that it is a 2003 model.
How to read a VIN (http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24728)

[yfin]

btw, yfin .. are you interested in buying it or just asking out of curiousity (am i spelling right?)??

I have zero interest in buying the car. I am more interested in technically how some of this was achieved (eg 06 fuel consumption readout) and for how much! Peekay is keen on sat nav conversion!

[yfin]

The guy, sell many cars. i wonder why

I didn't understand your post the first time I read it - now it makes sense after seeing this persons other items for sale. 6 vehicles for sale.

[TwEigh]

"Lady Owner"
Yeah right, more like A girl with Probation
anyone notice the P plate?

[Omotesando]

I'm not saying the rims only means it is dodgy, but since it wasn't pointed out at all YFIN..... think about the overall picture, I'm talking about the dodginess of the whole car in general.

Especially the 06 interior - I mean who in their rightful mind would spend all that much money to convert the interior to 06? DOWN TO THE NEW 2006 SPEC AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER.... :(

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleID=10313

The stolen car in this article has plates NXD 26H.
The eBay auction car has NXL 48H.
The plates seem so similar what a coincidence :eek:
Lady owner? Hmmm... that's what they all claim when selling the car anyway..

I also can't see whether the headlights indicators are that orange from the eBay photo... :( I can't tell whether its the pre-06 or post-06.

Considering the 06 just came out half a year ago, I just don't understand why anyone would upgrade everything and the interior only to sell it off now.

Also:
Date of 1st Registration: 10 Nov 2003
Registration Information: Feb 2007
Shouldn't these be in exact yearly intervals? (actually I'm not entirely sure).

And selling it off for starting bid $25000 (does it have reserve price?)
Anyway, its easy to prove if its a genuine deal or not - just ask for the upgrade invoices I guess... and the Log Book seems to be there but that could have be stolen with the car lol.

[TwEigh]

well the registration is either in exact yearly interval or in half yealy..
35k n 31 months is kinda normal.
mine is 24k in 27 Months.

just call the police and ask for verification to answer ur doubts lol :)

[PNR888]

I thought Euro Lux only have 6 airbags. In the Ebay car description, it says 8 airbags. It is a bit misleading, unless she counts two air-curtains as 4 airbags.

[EuroDude]

I got a response from the seller, he said he 'bought it like that'.

nup I smell a dodgy ... I wouldnt be suprised if some/all of the 06 parts had Data Dots on it, identifiable from a stripped/stolen 06' car.

[ngupil]

should report it to the police
there is nothing right about the car
after this thread, more likely we will not get conned, but it is better to prevent someone of being conned

[coladuna]

I thought Euro Lux only have 6 airbags. In the Ebay car description, it says 8 airbags. It is a bit misleading, unless she counts two air-curtains as 4 airbags.

No, the Euro Luxury has 8 airbags.

One in the steering wheel.
One for the passenger.
Two side curtain airbag at the front.
Two side curtain airbag at the rear.
Two side airbag in the front seats.

[jamchen]

I got a response from the seller, he said he 'bought it like that'.

nup I smell a dodgy ... I wouldnt be suprised if some/all of the 06 parts had Data Dots on it, identifiable from a stripped/stolen 06' car.

point No. 1: The Satnav's joy stick where is meant to located right beneath the screen is gone...

[yfin]

nup I smell a dodgy ... I wouldnt be suprised if some/all of the 06 parts had Data Dots on it, identifiable from a stripped/stolen 06' car.

The 06 has data dots?

[EuroDude]

erm mine does, although I'm not sure if its a standard Honda thing they do now, or if my dealer installs them on all their new cars.
I certainly didnt ask for them, but i'm not complaining :p

[stephen8512]

wat are these "data dots"?
never heard ot this?

[aaronng]

micro dots that have an identification on it. Sprayed onto the underside for easy identification of a stolen car. So if your car is rebirthed, the identity is still there. It's been standard for all WRX since 2000 I think.

[Butso]

i never realised 06 models had a rear end lift?

they all look the same from the back . and that upgrade is some serious Sh!t with the satnav and all . maybe she spilt like car perfume and claimed insurance and added $$$ on top to get the satnav stuff ?

[EuroDude]

micro dots that have an identification on it. Sprayed onto the underside for easy identification of a stolen car. So if your car is rebirthed, the identity is still there. It's been standard for all WRX since 2000 I think.

Actually they spray/apply it all over the car. They gave me a list of the sprayed parts and there were like 30 different locations :)

[Tobster]

No, the Euro Luxury has 8 airbags.

One in the steering wheel.
One for the passenger.
Two side curtain airbag at the front.
Two side curtain airbag at the rear.
Two side airbag in the front seats.
No -- there are only six. The curtain airbag runs the entire side length -- one bag covers the whole length of the car (believe me, mine went off).
It's possible the seller has misunderstood this too.

Data dots aren't standard on the 06.

The whole thing looks dodgy to me.

[coyote]

I noticed this on eBay last week and called the guy on his mobile (listed in the auction details). He said that he knows it sounds dodgy, but that it's a legit sale and all they've done is do an 06 upgrade with an 03 model Euro. He said I'm more than welcome to come and have a look at the car, which I would have done if I lived in Sydney! Anyone in Syd wanna actually check it out? I'm really intrigued about this one...

[REV888]

If I had the time I would really like to have a look at it ! But I dont :(

[yfin]

He said that he knows it sounds dodgy, but that it's a legit sale and all they've done is do an 06 upgrade with an 03 model Euro..

So they told you they organised the conversion? Because I got the same email reply as another on this forum "I bought the car that way".

[chunsa]

if ya view the seller's other items.. you would notice alot of cars that is being sold and one interesting thing i noticed that there was a impreza look a like :confused:

[yfin]

I also can't see whether the headlights indicators are that orange from the eBay photo... :( I can't tell whether its the pre-06 or post-06.
.
Well this certainly is intriguing that is for sure. I was hoping someone would know more about the conversion side of things - but sounds like even the owner doesn't know (or doesn't want to say).

Re the headlights - my tip is they look pre-06. The 06s indicators do look much clearer - but better photos would help.

06 wannabe

http://i21.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/66/6a/d3_1_b.JPG

06

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/8048/grill6kv.jpg

[EuroDude]

Yep the orange indicators are much more pronounced on the 03-05's. The 06's are virtually clear even when decent sunlight enters the orange bulb. Shame we cant see the parkign light plastic properly.


ps. that bottom pick of the silver 06 with the darkened grill looks sweet! That may be my next mod ;) Where is that pic from?

[yfin]

ps. that bottom pick of the silver 06 with the darkened grill looks sweet! That may be my next mod ;) Where is that pic from?

Yep, sorry - from here:

http://ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44836&highlight=2006+euro

[EuroDude]

Thanks for that. Time for a photochop ;)

[Omotesando]

Well this certainly is intriguing that is for sure. I was hoping someone would know more about the conversion side of things - but sounds like even the owner doesn't know (or doesn't want to say).

Re the headlights - my tip is they look pre-06. The 06s indicators do look much clearer - but better photos would help.



When put side by side the photos do show that its more like a Pre-06 model doesn't it? Here's the 06 one from Honda but its a bit to the side unfortunately:

[URL=http://imageshack.us]http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/6533/careurogalleryext024od.jpg

Wish we could get better photos of the whole car to analyse... :(


Anyway flogging off cars on eBay sounds like its going to get the maximum value for the car doesn't it? (hahaha) Why not sell on drive.com.au or carpoint or car trader, or did I miss its ad. in one of these publications!

[tanalasta]

Reasons not to purchase this vehicle:
1 03 model means the warranty is conveniently going to run out.
2 non-warranty mods/conversions not covered in any case
3 why would you purchase from ebay
4 azn
5 i'd rather buy from a dealer or a friend at that price

[baboo]

what's azn ?

[ABS121]

The start price has risen from $25k to $32K now......

[EuroDude]

$32 is alot for an 03 with that many km's. u can get a brand new 06 for that, albeit not lux.

[ABS121]

If its legit, is still a good deal.....just

[Omotesando]

may I should purchase that, steal all the 06 parts...

put my parts into it.

then sell the bloody thing again... no one will notice anyway - its just a stock 03 (with 05 parts) and 05 17" wheels :D

[yfin]

The start price has risen from $25k to $32K now......

haha probably because of all the messages he has been getting. The irony is he doesnt know we wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole.

[luzinit]

dodgy as, he has like 4 other cars for sale

[yfin]

Resurrection! You guys remember this thread right?

Well I was looking at my Ebay profile just now and noticed this item in my watch list. The car didnt sell but I noticed the seller is no longer a registered ebay user!

Without going into specifics about who said it - I noticed this in the sellers feedback:

SELLER IS A SHONK! SELLS WRITE OFFS! BEWARE DONT GET CAUGHT

I have no idea whether that is true - so perhaps I should :zip: Kudos to people who smelt something with this car...

Smart work on the conversion though. Now we will never find out more.

[EuroDude]

:eek: Yes well the seller was pretty secretive about providing detailed information, so I had a feeling something was sus.

I mean who in their right mind would spend thousands of dollars converting to an 06, when you could simply sell the 03 car and buy a proper 06 2nd hand at a cheaper overall cost.

[Omotesando]

I was wondering what had happened and whether anyone bought the car.

In hindsight it just seems like a rebirthed, stolen 2006.
As for the front indicators of the 2006 - I looked at other 2006s as reference, and find that if you look directly into them such as the way that eBay photo was taken, it is actually quite orangey just like pre-2006 models. However shift to any other angle other than 0 and it becomes whiter, so I now think this could have been a pre-2006 car but exchanged with proper stolen 2006 parts :( Or it is actually a fully stolen 2006 :(

Let's hope that after people read this they know what to look out for shopping for a 2nd hand Euro Accord ! :)

[wbg]

heh, this guy isn't a registered seller any more.... and this is from his feedback page:


SELLER IS A SHONK! SELLS WRITE OFFS! BEWARE DONT GET CAUGHT

dubious indeed

edit: er just noticed yfin posted this before :) d'oh