Over many years of working with cars, I have noticed a trend. No matter what configuration the car initially had - basic or complete stuffing, in 90% of cases the owner will want to change something in it, modify it, or simply customize it to suit himself. Ultimately we always want something more or some individuality. And I'm the same.
Today I will be reviewing the Lada Vesta sedan in luxury trim. Despite this, I found something to add and change to it, which I wanted to share with you.
This will be the TOP 15 improvements to the Lada Vesta.
Door stops
My car is a 2022 model, and the doors swing from side to side like a gate. All this is due to the fact that old-style limiters are installed here.
They perform their functions poorly. New types of limiters have been on sale for a long time. The price for one is about 1,450 rubles. Today we will install them to replace the old ones.
To do this you will need to remove the door trim. Having safely removed the upholstery, we move on to replacing the limiters themselves.
The restrictions have been removed. You see old and new.
The old one is mounted on studs, and to attach the new one you will need additional bolts. Installed new door stops. Now there are 3 clearly fixed positions.
The door is clearly fixed, does not slip, does not dangle like a gate. The thing is really useful. If you have old-style limiters, I strongly recommend that you replace them with new ones.
Lamps for headlights
Good quality car light is the key to safety when driving on the road at night. These are simple truths that no one argues with. To be honest, Vesta’s low beam is a C grade. In order to somehow change this situation for the better, I replaced the factory lamps with others.
Over the 20 years of my driving experience, I have used lamps from all well-known manufacturers: from the cheapest to the most expensive. For the last few years I have been choosing Japanese lamps from the Koito Whitebeam series. The lamps are not cheap, but those who have used them will agree that they are worth the money.
The lamps are very bright and give a great sense of space in front of the car.
They shine with a pleasant white light, and not yellow, like factory lamps. In addition to the headlights, I purchased LED fog lights.
They are dual-mode with a power of 30 watts, 3 diodes in each headlight. They are installed in standard places without any modifications; the bumper does not need to be removed.
A significant advantage of these fog lights is that they have a very clear cut-off line.
That is, they are easy to adjust, and when adjusted correctly, they do not blind oncoming traffic, which is very important.
Reviews
| Positive | Negative |
| I live in a small village. The roads are far from ideal, and in winter snow removal is also difficult. Vesta Cross has never let me down in three years. | I wanted an inexpensive SUV, so I fell for the domestic manufacturer and its Cross SV. It turned out I just wasted my money - higher taxes, more expensive consumables. And for the city, as for me, it’s not the best option - fuel consumption is higher. It seems to me better to take a sedan or just an SV. |
| In the summer we often go to the dacha, first on asphalt, and then on a dirt road with large puddles. The ground clearance is very pleasing - the car copes with large irregularities quite easily. Good weight distribution made the car stable on the track. | I thought it was a real SUV, but it turned out to be an ordinary city SUV. |
Read also: Safety requirements when driving a car
All year round I go hunting, fishing, and pick mushrooms in the forest. In general, even Cross is powerless for our taiga.
Fan inlet mesh
Many “vestavods” have encountered the following situation. You turn on the heater fan, and vibration begins to be felt throughout the entire instrument panel. In some cases, it even goes to the steering wheel. The reason for this is that leaves and other foreign objects get into the cavity of the heater fan.
At first, many were perplexed where it came from. This is due to the design features of the Lada Vesta heater. For example, Grants, Priora, Kalina have a cabin filter under the frill trim. After it comes the stove fan. Vesta did exactly the opposite: first they installed a fan, and then a filter in the cabin.
The central opening of the air intake is essentially not covered by anything. All leaves and foreign objects freely enter the cavity of the fan, leading to its imbalance, and vibration appears.
To avoid this unpleasant situation, I bought this air intake mesh, which is placed under the frill at the inlet.
It is attached to the panel with two magnets, costs 380 rubles and really protects the fan from foreign objects getting into it. I recommend it for use.
Hood seal
Next on the list is a powerful three-meter hood seal, which is easily installed with double-sided tape.
It costs about 800 rubles. To seal the engine compartment, one seal is installed from the factory in the front of the hood.
But it is not enough to ensure cleanliness. This seal is mounted around the entire perimeter of the hood. It really effectively prevents dirt from entering the car's engine compartment.
I have always been scrupulous about the cleanliness of the car, not only outside and inside, but also in the engine compartment.
If you are from the same category, then a seal will obviously not be superfluous for you.
Modification 2 – Adjustment of the clutch sensor.
Many have heard about the clutch sensor cap - this is another idea created for “hype”
.
Yes, I tried it, there are
no changes.
If you have nothing to do “Whatever the child enjoys, as long as he doesn’t cry.”
This is all from the category of simple
self-suggestion.
Hood gas struts
Without the following accessory, it would be wrong to talk about any modifications to the Lada Vesta. And you probably guessed what it is. These are those wonderful gas hood struts. They allow you to open the hood easily and simply, with one hand.
The thing is really useful, when they are not there, you think: “A standard poker is enough.” But when you install them, you realize that using them is much easier and more convenient. The hood stops are installed easily and without problems. One bracket is placed on the front panel, the other on the hood. The entire installation process takes no more than 20 minutes.
Modification 1 – adaptation of the throttle valve.
It's simple
- this is only necessary in one case, when you
removed the damper
, washed it, and moved the partition itself.
Yes, in this case, turn on the ignition and wait until it adjusts. In other cases, this in ANY WAY
and has absolutely no effect on anything.
Door seals
The next modification on the list is door seals called RKI-19, which are attached to the front end of the rear doors.
This is what the gap between the doors looks like without a seal.
And here it is with the seal installed.
It doesn’t stick out, it doesn’t puff up, it’s completely in order here. What is the use of this accessory? Thanks to it, the body sills and the central pillar become much less dirty in bad weather.
Door openings remain clean. It even seemed to me that with him in the cabin it became a little quieter.
Conclusion
Vesta - since its appearance, it has become the object of desire of many Russian drivers. But everything turned out to be not as smooth as the manufacturer promised. Many problems have been fixed, but some will have to be dealt with on their own. Thanks to tuning, you can “tailor” the car to suit you. Yes, it takes time and money. In addition, some modifications may lead to loss of warranty and reliability of the machine. But on the other hand, you will get a more comfortable Vesta with greater capabilities. Therefore, whether to do tuning or not is your purely personal decision. Although sometimes this is more a necessity than a desire to show off.
Door sills
Next on the list are elegant door sills with laser engraving.
They are made of polished stainless steel. The price for the set is 2000 rubles. Double-sided tape is applied to the back of the pads.
They are securely fixed on the thresholds. Before installation, do not forget to clean and degrease the surface of the thresholds. The overlays serve to protect the paintwork of the thresholds from mechanical damage. But they also add an aesthetic component.
You can buy overlays with different engravings.
Lock dampers
Next, a few words about an inconspicuous but useful improvement. These are door lock dampers.
They serve for a softer, quieter closing of doors, tightly fixing the locks in the closed position. This in turn reduces the load on the hinges and extends their service life. In addition, when driving on uneven roads, extraneous sounds from the locks disappear.
Discs
In the factory equipment of the Lada Vesta, only the Luxury version includes 16-inch wheels; the other versions are equipped with 15-inch tires. For this sedan, even 16-inch wheel sizes create the impression of a slight discrepancy between the wheels and the dimensions of the body, and 15-inch tires even more so. The engine power allows you to install more impressive 17- and even 18-inch alloy wheels on the car, choosing a design to your taste, but you should take into account the inevitability of increased fuel consumption.
Sources used:
- https://vestaxray.ru/tyuning/lada-vesta.html
Tank neck protection
To protect the paintwork in the fuel filler area, I installed a rubber ring.
But here I would like to talk about another important improvement. Many Vesta owners have encountered the following situation. You press the gas pedal, but the car does not accelerate and moves jerkily. The “check” on the instrument cluster does not light up. That is, there seems to be no pronounced problem.
The reason for this is a clogged fuel pump grid. The point here is not even the use of low-quality gasoline. In my opinion, dirt gets into the tank in another way. This path is a hole for a check valve, which serves to connect the tank with the atmosphere.
Dirt from under the wing gets into this cavity. To remedy the situation, I installed an additional hose in the hole.
This is a hose from the pneumatic system of the intake module 129 of the engine. It fits the hole perfectly. After this modification, neither I nor any of my friends ever encountered a clogged fuel pump strainer. I recommend doing this before you encounter this.
I installed cool speakers with good sound in the Lada Vesta. I show in detail all the installation work
Lada Vesta body tuning
The exterior can also always be modified beyond recognition - there are plenty of plastic parts for this in any car shop. The most common modifications to the Lada Vesta body are the following tuning options:
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- Tuning the radiator grille of Lada Vesta. The updated radiator grille gives a unique look to the front of the car. But it is important to be careful - manufacturers of such parts do not always take into account the throughput of the gratings.
- Body kits around the perimeter of the body. Do-it-yourself improvements to Lada Vesta body kits are a great way to give your car individuality, but it is important to understand that dirt and moisture often accumulate under the plastic, which can cause corrosion. Therefore, before installing body kits, be sure to do high-quality anti-corrosion treatment.
- Tuning optics for Lada Vesta. Read about this modernization option below.
Trunk mat
For the luggage compartment I bought a rubber carpet with high sides.
There are also cheap plastic carpets, but I advise you to take rubber ones, as they are more elastic. The mat is primarily necessary to protect and preserve the factory carpet. If you often carry luggage, then this accessory will really be useful for you.
The shape of the rubber carpet perfectly follows the geometry of the luggage compartment and is perfectly fixed in place. And most importantly, it is easy to clean.
Trunk lid trims
For the aesthetic component of the luggage compartment, I also purchased two plastic trims.
One of them is placed in the opening on the body reinforcement, the second - on the trunk lid. I can’t say that this metal body reinforcement irritated me very much, but personally it seems to me that it clearly stands out from the general concept of the trunk.
This neat overlay, in my opinion, is an excellent solution to the situation. Quite a different look, isn't it?
Another point relates to the trunk lid. I understand that there was most likely a question of saving money and materials. But the fact that one part of the lid is covered with upholstery and the other is not has always been a very controversial decision for me.
It looks somehow unfinished. Therefore, I think this trim is very useful for creating a visually completed image of the trunk lid.
It looks neat and covers everything unnecessary.
Tuning modification Lada Vesta Cross SW
Vesta Cross is the most interesting option from the entire line. Tuning will improve ride quality, comfort, appearance and generally remake the car to suit you, making it truly unique. But it is important to remember that during modifications the machine may suffer a little, the warranty will be voided and reliability will be lost. For example, when chipping an engine, up to 10% of its service life can be lost. And the work itself can cost up to 150 thousand rubles.
In the “cross” version it is possible to increase the ground clearance. If 203 mm of ground clearance is not enough for you, then you need to make some minor modifications. You can install special spacers – metal plates – under the racks. This will give you a few extra centimeters. It should be noted that different spacers are used for the front and rear struts. You can also reduce the ground clearance using a shortened suspension, in which shock absorbers and springs have been developed. But you won’t be able to cut the springs yourself, since a different suspension design is used.
One of the most popular types of tuning is the development of the “brains” and the engine. Often, reflashing is resorted to due to many shortcomings in the program, however, in more recent models, many of them have been eliminated by the manufacturer. But even after reprogramming such cars, they drive completely differently. Replacing the manifold also helps improve performance. Instead of the standard one, a “spider” is installed, but the Euro compliance indicators drop from the fifth level to the second. In addition, ringing often occurs due to the thin metal of the part, so it is wrapped with thermal tape, but this does not completely solve the problem. As a result, the car starts easier, performs better and becomes more dynamic.
Floor mats
In my cars I have used carpets from different materials from different manufacturers, expensive and cheap.
I currently have shag carpets, which are the ones on the right in the picture. They fit perfectly in their places, they have high sides, they are easy to clean and match perfectly with the factory carpet.
In addition, in my opinion, carpets of this type are better than others at transforming the interior of a car, adding coziness and comfort to it. Standard rubber carpets do not have such an aesthetic effect.
Lattice
Manufacturers offer another functional tuning element - a chrome grille with small cells, installed on top of the standard one on the front bumper, which will protect the radiator from stones and debris flying towards it - the honeycombs of the standard grille are larger.
The material used to make the protection – chrome-plated stainless steel – is strong, durable and harmonizes well with the X-design elements of the sedan. Unfortunately, the cost of the product is not amazing in terms of availability - from 4900 to 5200 rubles.
Adapter ELM 327
The last accessory on my list, which is more of a useful gadget, is the ELM-327 diagnostic adapter version 1.5. The thing is really very useful, it allows you to monitor engine operating parameters in real time, check error codes, delete them, and monitor trip statistics.
It can be used to activate hidden functions of your car. I have a popular article on this topic that has proven to be very popular.
In the comments, I will ask you to write about which of the presented accessories you think are useful or useless. Which of the following is installed on your Lada Vesta, what have you already used, and what could be added to this car in the future. Write comments and share your experience.
FakeHeader
Comments 709
Please don't be offended by me, but what I see in this photo is terrible shit. Even Vesta did not deserve such a collective farm. Especially the clamps for cutting into wiring - they damage the wires and the vibration causes the wire to break. Grounding wires, holy crap, is that a mass on the body or something?
Don't look at me either, these are intermediate photos, everything has been working great, for two years now, without any comments. The clamps, in your understanding, must be installed correctly without damaging the main core of the wire, to do this, carefully remove the insulation. These clamps were used by the Germans on the Audi 100_78 that he owned.
It’s normal, I was too lazy to bother with the relay and bought a matching unit for 1700
And why don’t they install all this at the factory?
