Hi all

This is my first post on here, but been browsing this great site for quite a long time. My question is quite a complicated one I have the opportunity to acquire a complete 2009 ffrr interior in my favorite colour - ivory/jet which i want to fit into my 2003 ffrr - the reasons for the upgrade are quite simple i much prefer the later 07+ interior vs the 02-05 interior and the entertainment system is enhanced over the MK3/MK4 system in the 02-04 models.

My question is does anyone know if this is possible, my plan is to purchased the complete interior, front & rear seat, complete dash and centre console, door cards, A-D post trims, headlining, complete entertainment system - speakers, amps, front screen etc.. My plan was to also purchase all the wiring looms and ECU's from the 2009 vehicle and 'transplant' them into my car along side the current wiring looms for my current systems. Im hoping that this should not be too difficult as the majority of the items i want to upgrade/add are 'cosmetic additions' and after studding the electronics in the 2009 vehicle I know the majority of the cars configuration is held in the instrument cluster, and using my MSV-2 Extreme my plan is to do all the ECU programming myself.

With all this my only real concerns are with the actual instrument cluster because as far as i am aware the newer 2009 cluster cannot be used with the earlier BMW 4.4 engine management system, so my plan for this was to use the gateway ECU (to hold the CCF) that was in the 2005 (touch screen model) to act as the 'gateway' between the older BMW electrics and the current CAN bus network that the newer systems operate over. If anybody knows any reason why this would not work could you please let me know. My only other real concern is the safety restraint systems e.g. airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners as in the 07+ interior the front passenger airbag moved to be built into the actual dash rather than in the fascia of the dash, does anyone know if it is possible to connect a newer shape airbag to the 2003 airbag system. Same with the seat belt pre-tensioners, these are located on the seat belt receiver (what you plug the seat belt into) and this is then connected to the vehicles wiring loom. I know that the 2009 seats still run on the older ibus system so i am hoping that the seats will just plug straight into the 2003 wiring connectors that my current seats connect to. The entertainment system is a relatively closed system running on its own MOST fibre optic network and also BBS is currently working on the same project (trying to integrate the touch screen system into the 03 model) so if anyone can get it to work correctly it is Colin! so this does not concern me too much.

I know doing this upgrade is a massive challenge but i have no intension in the next few years to change my car as mechanically it is in tip top condition (has only done 60k miles) and has been well serviced and is pampered by me. I am also aware that i will need to do some modification to the dash and centre console as the 2009 model has the electronic hand brake and mine doesn't and the terrain response system wont function (this is assumed as it is a different engine/transmission)

I apologise for such a long first post but after reading most of the posts on this forum there are some real experts on here that know these vehicles electrics inside out and if anyone has any ideas about this project i would love to here them!

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Matt

I am not technical so excuse the lack of input but I rather hoped you could send me some of what you are smoking?


Seriously, the cost of your time, the cost of parts, the mashed up result, the value of what you are left with don't make any sense. When you look at what owners are bid for mint 2007 s/c cars, a private purchase has to be the way to go. Also your car will be off the road for weeks.

I would lay dollars to doughnuts that the price to move from your car and buy a mint 07 for less money than you'll be able to assemble the pieces (unless you have a mate who is a car theif).

Wow, that certainly is ambitious. I can se where you're coming from, there are a lot of nice interior touches in the newer models.

Personally though I would be worried about the stack of things that will be left over that just wont work. The terrain response dial being one, the off road display on the screen being another. I also thought the seats were different? They adjust differently, so I doubt they will be plug and play as I imagine they will need a different ecu to plug into (although you will have this).
I think the light control module will be different, and will require a new combined rain & light sensor as a minimum, the 2009 will have adaptive lights, this will not function.

You would also have to look at the resale value, this certainly isn't going to increase the value - although I appreciate you may be intending on keeping the car for a long time so this is less important.

There are many things you could look at as an alternative - but in reality I think the tech in the dash is going to be the hardest thing to change.

There is further info here which you may have already found:
http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic2737.html
http://rangerovers.net/forum/viewtopic.php...nt+upgrade

Either way if you do it, take photo's and notes! 

dan_uk_1984 wrote:

Wow, that certainly is ambitious. I can se where you're coming from, there are a lot of nice interior touches in the newer models.

Personally though I would be worried about the stack of things that will be left over that just wont work. The terrain response dial being one, the off road display on the screen being another. I also thought the seats were different? They adjust differently, so I doubt they will be plug and play as I imagine they will need a different ecu to plug into (although you will have this).
I think the light control module will be different, and will require a new combined rain & light sensor as a minimum, the 2009 will have adaptive lights, this will not function.

You would also have to look at the resale value, this certainly isn't going to increase the value - although I appreciate you may be intending on keeping the car for a long time so this is less important.

There are many things you could look at as an alternative - but in reality I think the tech in the dash is going to be the hardest thing to change.

There is further info here which you may have already found:
http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic2737.html
http://rangerovers.net/forum/viewtopic.php...nt+upgrade

Either way if you do it, take photo's and notes!

It's also worth noting that the LCM stores a copy of the Mileage data - so as long as you get the binnacle and the LCM from the same donor car you "should" be OK. However, I have heard than the ECM also stores mileage data, but this is un-verified so far.

Interesting about the seats, as I thought they were more jag based, especially when they introduced the cooled option. Who did you front end conversion, or did you do it yourself? Did you manage to keep the stock air filter or did you have to change it to a cone type?

Dan 

dan_uk_1984 wrote:

It's also worth noting that the LCM stores a copy of the Mileage data - so as long as you get the binnacle and the LCM from the same donor car you "should" be OK. However, I have heard than the ECM also stores mileage data, but this is un-verified so far.

Interesting about the seats, as I thought they were more jag based, especially when they introduced the cooled option. Who did you front end conversion, or did you do it yourself? Did you manage to keep the stock air filter or did you have to change it to a cone type?

Dan

mattstevenson2005 wrote:

The front end conversion was already done on the car when i purchased it and it dose have the cone type air filter. Another project on my list is to 'construct' as bulk head between the engine and the air filter to prevent the engine sucking in warm air, but this is for another time.

Matt

The reason I ask about whether you did the conversion or whether it was a rip off merchant... is because whoever did mine (before I bought it) and put the cheapest possible lights in. So are you 100% sure you have adaptive lights?

Mine should have bi-xenon, but they only fitted Xenon, then sold my Bi-Xenons... as well as a load of other bodges.

I'd be interested if the door cards are a strait swap - I prefer the newer door cards to mine... 

the gear shift on the 2003 is in the middle so the later console wont fit as the shift is more to the driver..

btw , are you the matt from rr.net.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

scarey wrote:

the gear shift on the 2003 is in the middle so the later console wont fit as the shift is more to the driver..

btw , are you the matt from rr.net..

thought is was you, welcome mate....
you've got a massive project there and i hope it goes well.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

cheers scarey!! thanks for the welcome!

if i do start this project i will post all about it on my site.

Matt

the door cards are different in the later model due to the airbag being in the seat and no longer in the door , but they will fit, you just have to figure out how to wire the seat airbags up and remove the unused ones out of the door 2002 td6 vogue, 06 supercharged facelift

darrenmax wrote:

the door cards are different in the later model due to the airbag being in the seat and no longer in the door , but they will fit, you just have to figure out how to wire the seat airbags up and remove the unused ones out of the door

Ah really? That's a pain. 

im going to purchase a subscription to Topix so i can take a look at all these little details and i can start to work out my game plan for the upgrade and i can compare the wiring diagrams from the 03 to 09 models

Matt

Not to chuck a damper in, but if you are going to start playing with airbags, construction and use will rear it's ugly head. You can't mess with the safety systems of a modern car and expect your insurance company to play ball....

Could be a very expensive experiment, especially as some insurers are hiking premiums just for front end light upgrades.... Land Rover Addict
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Previous
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
2006 4.2V8SC Autobiography
2004 4.4V8 Vogue