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Wiring harness is being swapped over with one I have remade deleting all the surplus waffle. Brake pipes are all still there, bagged the ABS unit for protection although I need to swap it over for the later type which I have upstairs. Mounting brackets to be refurbished of course.

After my recent contemplation about whether I should stick with the car beyond the upcoming 2yr mark and continue bringing it more to my like, or sell up and try something different, the conclusion was to go with the former option at least till it's 3-4 years old before reconsidering again. One area I always felt it's hard to make a real difference is the inherent behaviour/dynamics of the car during cornering. Which is why when I heard about Haldex controllers being used from some MQB owners (mostly Audi TT-RS) with promising results I decided I had to find out for myself, also as I haven't heard of anyone having explored the impact of such a solution on a Superb yet. After some search I decided to go with DSA mostly due to the background of the developer (previously related with a certain AWD technology of a certain very relevant German manufacturer...), the controller development and tuning done in collaboration with a known German rally racer and the experiences of owners using it that I could read about. Installation: The controller itself is like a small external 2.5" HD, roughly around 15mm x 100mm x 70mm. It connects to the Haldex below the rear left seat and on it is connected a touch screen from which the parameters and different modes are accessed. Installation is very simple as soon as you can figure out how to take off the rear seat bench. After you've unclipped it from the two main clips (they didn't need replacing afterwards as suggested in the service manual) are off there's two brackets (one at each side) that keep the bench down which need a particular way of pushing to go out. Push towards the back of the car and downwards, that way they'll be able to release and the bench can come off. There is the option to fix the controller on the carpet via 3M tape (supplied) that bites into the carpet (kind of opposite to Velcro), but as it is so small I figured I could queeze it in below the seat foam for a cleaner installation. It seems like there's enough compliance in there to leave it in even if a passenger sits above. Regarding the control screen, it is not needed to be always connected after you've set it up to your like but untill setting up or for permanent use you can route it somewhere close to the driver's seat. In the photo below I lift the seat slightly to show the controller below it (not really visible), and the cable going out to the left side of the car, tucked away in that plastic panel which has just enough play to host it nicely until the front dash It then goes up and via the small cubby, over the steering column and in the little centre bottom cubby: Not invisible for sure but I can live with it being something temporary as I said, once I have experimented with all options I guess I will settle with a setup and probably just disconnect the screen all-together, or I can try to leave permanenently inside the left cubby which does not allow the cable to be visible at all, just that for now I needed it to be somewhere within direct reach. Settings: The controller comes with preset values which you can modify to your preference. For starters, the controller is only activated when switching to ESP SPORT or ESP OFF. I have coded my ESP to immediately switch to ESP Sport with one push of the button, and full ESP OFF when holding the button pressed for 2-3 seconds. Regardless of coding, you don't have to worry about forgetting in an aggressive setup during daily driving as the ESP defaults to ON (and thus the controller being OFF) every time the car starts up. The main parameters are the Minimum and Maximum locking values of the clutch (set between 0-100%) that override the stock values. The minimum locking value set is disregarded (locking is reduced 0-10%) when coming to a stop and when creeping forward. Another feature is the steering angle reduce factor (menus are all in German for now). By activating this, instead of having a fixed minimum locking of say 60% at all times, the locking percentage is allowed to drop below the minimum locking value as soon as the steering wheel stops being straight, and the ratio at which this happens can be set from 1 (very slow and little reduction) to 20 (immediate reduction of a larger extent). There's also an option to run the car in FWD mode. I tried that just to remind myself of the misery of my 370bhp GTI in the wet or in general on any road/condition below 60km/h, foot down and... yes, wheelspin bonanza... I also remembered why I had said I won't ever own another FWD car above 250bhp, let alone closer to 400... You can also choose to keep the rear axle engaged during braking (as stock, Haldex disengages the rear axle when brakes are applied), this would work well on track I imagine. Finally there's real-time monitoring of the percentage of locking, to understand exactly what's going on and how the parameters affect operation, as well as of engine rpm, torque, oil and coolant temps. *** A note about locking values: The min/max locking values can be set up to 100%. Setting both at 100% means obviously the clutch is fully engaged at all times. This should NOT be confused with the actual torque split taking place though. Due to the design of the Haldex, there is no way to ever have more than 50% torque at the rear axle because if rear is fully engaged (100%), then both axles share torque equally (50-50). I am thus concluding that any locking value seen at any point, should translate, at best, to half of it in terms of Torque % arriving to the rear axle (minus drivetrain losses where they occur). Still, a greater rear drive bias than the stock management for sure than only momentarily increases clutch locking to anything over 20-30% as I could see from my testing with the controller in stock mode. Driving: As expected, there is no difference under normal driving. This is not a suspension modification that you'll feel as soon as you drove a few meters. However, start using the throttle around a corner and you realize immediately there is unusual agility and willingness from the car to rotate, much more than you ever thought the car had to offer. Before, using more throttle than seemed appropriate for sticking to your track, resulted in fighting with the steering wheel to turn the front end of the car towards the inside of the corner. This is now gone. Up to a point it almost feels as if you've activated some "turning assist" that rotates the rear and keeps you on track but allowing you to accelerate even more at the same time. You simply corner faster. Over-do it, and the tail now easily steps out. Very manageable with a bit of opposite lock and throttle modulation but it will shock you the first few times simply because the car could never do something like that before. It put some big smiles up on my face for sure. I also believe a thicker rear arb as the one I run accentuates the effect, so be prepared, especially when you've set up a large minimum locking value and no/very little steering angle reduction... Impressions: This is an improvement making itself noticeable and appreciated during fast driving (and I don't mean in a straight line). A track is where it would really shine or the right type of b-roads. Used wisely it makes the car faster and more involving, more playful. Used not so wisely it makes it just fun or silly, or potentially dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. So far for me, the Haldex cars I'd driven (all 5th gen) were great point to point cars. Traction under all conditions but not able to carry much speed around the corner neither being particularly involving. The approach to drive them fast was moderate corner entry, steady throttle till the apex or even till a little after it, and then flooring it just as you touch the corner exit. Very one-dimensional and "automated" so to speak. With the controller, they are still no RWD beasts but they can become something better, more satisfying. The way the car responds now you can start applying throttle much earlier without the car washing wide but actually rotating where you're pointing and going even faster without scrubbing speed off. Or you can over-do it ever so slightly (when conditions allow) in order to have some fun around corners. It allows you to take an approach that was previously not accesible with any other modification and even if can only get use of it rarely, it feels very good to have it at my disposal. PS. I do need to do a proactive Haldex oil change now just to be on the safe side. PS.2 My rear tires are not going to be very happy with this mod...

The build quality has been good with all of them. They really are hidden gems. In early models there was a problem with water retention in the doors which was " cured" by butchering the door seals and later the fitted seals were modified. If you can get hold of a Toledo rather than a Rapid you will get more goodies for your money by the way.

Soooo here we go, it’s on. that’s Day 1 done. More fun tomorrow.

Some people want exactly the same tyres that the car came with / exactly the same tyres all round. In certain cases having the correct size but not the correct manufacture marking can do damage to the car. We had one car where we advised them NOT to fit the tyres they had ordered. This caused a £5000.00 repair to be needed on the car. This is not the case with your car. Thanks, AG Falco

No. They would/could have come with 225 40 18 Continental tyres. But I doubt the car came with MO marked tyres from new. ( MO means they are Mercedes Original approved tyres ) I have never seen this. More likely the MO tyres were fitted at a later time/date. Thanks, AG Falco

Yeap that's the VdV controller. Similar in principle but there's a few differences, to my understanding, in the way the system enforces the locking values and how much deviation it allows from them. Regarding reliability, I spoke with a couple of owners that have really been beating their cars on track and running close to 700Nm (modded TT-RS) with the DSA controller, which is nowhere near the occasional usage I will be asking from mine, and they have had no issues yet. Another thing which I found out during monitoring the behaviour of the stock system, and surprised me, is that contrary to what people (myself included) believe, there is quite some locking of the rear axle taking place even in stock form when you use the throttle around a corner. In some cases even, the locking requested from the stock management was surpassing my minimum locking value (60%) momentarily. Surely, with the controller you are requesting more locking more often (depending on your settings also) but my point is it's not as if the stock system leaves the rear axle alone around corners, far from it.

OK, so the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for the two say that both are principally still ethylene glycol (ethane-1,2-diol in modern chemical parlance), but G13 does have a proportion (10-30%) of glycerin too. G13: G12++: Interesting that the exact proportions of ingredients can be kept vague.

This is a common issue. Most men believe that if 1 bulb failed that they could tell from the driver's seat, however this ISN'T the case. Just look at the number of people driving around with only one headlight working, Are they all too mean or too lazy to change the bulb? One bulb fails and eventually the other goes and people often believe that both bulbs failed together. After 50 odd years as a mechanic/MOT tester I've encountered this many times. If I explain this to a woman she will accept it, a man will argue vehemently that he could tell if he only had one headlight working and the I don't know what I'm talking about even though he's just brought the car to me because he can't work out why his headlights won't come on and thinks he needs a new switch/fuse/wiring etc.

It was 2013 it came in according to here: Wolflubes - The Vital Lubricant - Blog - What you need to know about G13 antifreeze and coolant Seems ambiguous to me whether it ends up as 'glycerin based' or just starts out that way. Title fixed thanks to @DeanVRS20VT

The English term is coolant. Refrigerant is what goes in the air conditioning system. Interesting topic though, thanks for posting.

Ooohhh....thats the Selkirk to Moffet road by the SB boundary with Dumfries and Galloway near St Marys Loch. Lovely.

As said all the winter tyres setting does is allow you to set a speed warning as winter tyres normally have a much lower max speed than the original summer tyres. It certainly doesn’t change any braking profiles or anything else.

For goodness sake! It's as if Skoda decided to care less and less about the RHD conversions of each generation - they went from a near perfect conversion on the MKII to leaving the handbrake and the bonnet release on the wrong side on the MKIII and then only go halfway with moving the parking brake to the correct side on the MKIV while then opting to leave the USB C on the wrong side of the mirror. I'm sure people would have paid the extra €10 per car it would have cost to have had the MKIV properly converted to RHD and have everything on the correct side. The power connection not being switched over is poor and shows how the RHD market really isn't given the same consideration as the home market. It's the little things that can bug me about a car - and this would be one of them. Does the issue about not being able to open the passenger door to access the bonnet release when the battery is dead still exist on the IV as it does on the III?

The bulb seems to be part number N 90314502 Seen some on ebay. Example... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Bulb-x1-supplied-N90314502-90314502-Genuine-New-VW-Part/174461531840?hash=item289eb7b6c0:g:aAMAAOSwRxBfd1tS

Oh right yeah, it DID need to turn into this because Andrew is being his usual **** self and has a stiffy for Darkside.

http://thehairpincompany.co.uk

1,700 mile update Overall things are going very well and I’ve not experienced many of the issues that others on here appear to have... I really like the smooth ride on the 17” wheels, NVH is very low, I have no rattles or squeaks and the whole thing just feels well built. The paint finish is easily as good as my old Audi RS4, and with a layer of polish and sealant on it all it takes is a wipe over with detailing spray after a wash and it comes up really well and very shiny. The 1.5 engine is more than adequate in terms of power and is quite lively over 4K rpm. Once warm it’s very smooth and quiet. The switch to 2 cylinders is imperceptible with no vibration and the additional sealing around the doors is obvious in keeping engine and road noise out. I never had a Mark 3, so don’t know how bad the kangarooing was from cold. It’s not completely gone - I would describe it as being a bit lumpy for the first 100 yards if you pull away straight after a cold start. After that it’s fine. Alternatively idle for 30 seconds or so after starting and it’s virtually gone straight away. Ultimately I don’t find it a problem, and certainly not worth me talking to a dealer about. Gearbox is very light and smooth between all gears and braking is progressive and well judged i.e. not over-servoed. Steering is so-so and as expected somewhat lifeless for a fully electric system. I have the steering set to ‘sport’ on the individual mode which helps a bit. Standard LED headlights are very good, but it’s a shame about the unused strip at the rear on the boot lid! I generally quite like the touch screen and the mod-cons (my most modern car prior to this was from 2009). The sat-nav was set to miles from day one (most seem to be KM?) and on the very rare occasion that I get a failure warning for one of the safety systems it’s only for a few seconds before coming back on line. I’ve not had to switch off/on to sort this like others seem to. I would like to scroll through my ‘favourites’ on the radio using the arrow wheel buttons but it always scrolls through the DAB list instead. To be fair I haven’t consulted the manual on this yet! The touchscreen has never failed or frozen and I’ve had no issues with Skoda Connect. I don’t change the heating/ventilation much so all of that being on the screen isn’t a problem. I like the warm my hands/feet shortcut and use it quite often. When i do use the screen on the move I find the ‘shelf’ to rest your palm or a couple of fingers on really handy to keep steady. I tend to switch lane keeping control straight off as I drive away, but this only takes a second so no hardship there. The collision warning appears a bit paranoid at times when coming up behind someone turning left. It’s only braked for me once, which came as a bit of a surprise! Interior wise I’ve got the full ‘leather’ (not sure it’s been anywhere near a cow), which is fine, and good with the seat heating at the moment. However, specifying that means you don’t get the alcantara dash for some reason and instead it’s a grey, almost denim like material. No real drama, but it was a surprise when I picked the car up and it’s not mentioned in any of the literature. I quite like it now. Otherwise I think the interior is pretty good, well made, and at least what you would expect for a car of this price. I’m still impressed by the fuel economy. 90% of my journeys are a 13 mile each way commute to work, which is a mixture of town outskirts and dual carriageway. I usually average around 52 mpg in one direction and 46mpg on the way home (it’s predominantly slightly down hill on the way there!). Long term average is 46.5 mpg as any other journeys tend to be quite short. Coming from a 2002 n/a 3.0 litre 6 cylinder that averaged low 20’s at best I’m pretty happy with that I’ve had 3 vRS Octavias in the past (two Mark 1 hatchbacks and a 2.5 estate) and this was my first Skoda for a few years, with a couple of BMW’s and an Audi in between them. I’ve also got my old M5 in the garage which is a keeper! I am quite happy with my choice to go back to a Skoda, and will certainly be considering a new vRS for September 2022 before we have to go electric...

Yes size is right size but MO marked tyres are not OE for a Skoda. If the MO tyres are good enough for a MB then they are good enough for a Skoda. Thanks, AG Falco

Gorgeous! @Boycey17

No. Thanks, AG Falco

Hi everyone, just back on the forum.....about to purchase my next Superb but this time an Estate - 2017 2L Tdi SEl Exec model. Have previosuly had Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3, but all saloons! Picking up on Saturday 21/11/2020 Im looking forward to sharing articles again with you all

I was trying to correct the above quote . My bad. 49 profile? Thanks, AG Falco

Yeah it is when she is running well

Surely the advantage of the varioflex seats is that they are also removable. I have had Yetis for 10 years and have frequently had the seats out to give a van back effect. I have moved my daughter to and from uni and now to her house 170 miles away. With one rear seat left in I surrounded her with stuff. I do agree though and we have never used the central seat as an armrest or taken it out and slid the side seats in for more space, or altered the back angle or slid them forward. I also regularly took the seats out to get my bike in the back. My car came from stock with the goo and pump but it was easy to retrofit a spare wheel. The supports for the raised floor does have to be modified slightly though if you have the varioflex seats so you can reach the catches. Easily done with a blade. This way you also get the pump and the goo if by mischance you suffer two punctures in one go. The pump is also very useful anyway.

This is nonsense by the way, the stronger the front brakes, the greater the weight shift and the less work the back brakes can do before locking, bigger back brakes are only needed when breaking from very high speeds or if the vehicle is particularly heavy like big fat German supersaloons with big engines or track cars. A Skoda Fabia is neither of these things.

N91201001

Here you go

On my 2016 EA888 2.0 petrol engine, the sump was plastic. I actually got this replaced with a steel one due to anxieties about splitting one open on the massive speed humps round where I live. Would be interesting to investigate the MOT observations more closely / get a photo for clarity of what they're on about.

Flashing brakelights / hazards are as of 7m/s^2 deceleration if I remember correctly. You might not be able to achieve this with winter tyres. Dry, cold road? maybe. Damp, cold? I doubt it very much. To be honest, I'd take an inflatable something-or-other out and try to brake from 30mph to stop as close to the object as possible. It's good practice and harder than it seems. Teddy might also work. That would give you a good feel for just how hard you need to / can push the brake pedal to get ABS to kick in. Remember the rubber is a lot softer on the winters and so it may well squidge more before triggering ABS. - Bret

Turn it over and tell us what the part number is...

@J.R.you've acknowledged a new set of tyre pressures - but are they the correct ones?

@gadgetman Maybe mention of a Hybrid in the title or the OP would have been clearer on what was being asked about rather than ACC in general.

Dont use wd40 on rubber bushings get a silicone spray ,wd40 destroys rubber

You need to helicoil the threads to repair them, they're M9 x 1.25 which is an unusual size so you need to buy a complete kit. Understand that that you lack mechanical sympathy and follow the instructions carefully, don't rush and don't bodge! You're not an idiot but you clearly lack experience.

All new cars came with two keys. A Comfort spec car came with one remote key (non flip, two buttons) and one of these.

The importance of greasing the pins is wildly exaggerated, they're chrome plated and protected by rubber bellows to prevent them sticking and they're not even a tight fit because they don't really carry any load, they're purely to keep the floating caliper aligned. The pads and the carrier take all the strain of braking.

Thanks. Do you know which Contis and which Yokohamas they were? Tyre manufactures often make several ranges. Conti make Eco, Premium and Sport and versions 5 and 6 for summer tyres in that size. Yokohama make BlueEarth and W.Drive winter tyres in your size.

Must sympathise with the OP's situation. Those of us that want to look after our 'pride & joys' seem to be a minority - we are surrounded by masses that just don't give a monkeys about other peoples property and I personally feel that PCP's, Leasing and similar car 'rental' finance packages contribute to the attitude ''its only rented, so what will a few dings in the door and / or chips on the door edges matter when it goes back in 2 or 3 years and I'll get a new one to start it all over again with''. At least we are fortunate enough to also have a 13 year old car that we can take to the shops/supermarket instead of the new one.

You'll find a part number somewhere on the damaged connector body if you look closely. Might need a magnifying glass or take a good photo and put it on a big screen.

Still had some vibrations with braking, despite the fact I had no collision or damage to the wheels or drivetrain. I took my 2 pieces 350x34mm discs to workshop http://www.ttm-strojna-obrada.hr/ and checked both. We removed 0,12mm from the right side, the one I suffered accident 6 years ago, and I thought left one must be perfect, but have removed 0,5mm on the left one which was curvy on naked eye even. Now there is absolutely no vibrations felt and still left to repeat braking on procedure according to Pagid racing. VID_20201121_103613.mp4 VID_20201121_104636.mp4

And can anyone tell me, why, when we park our pride and joy in an empty area of the supermarket carpark, 100 yards from the door to said shop, no other cars for 50 yards, when we return the car is surrounded by old bangers parked so close to pride and joy you have to keep hold of the door to prevent hitting said bangers while squeezing in to the drivers seat? Mind boggling. No doubt a psychologist amongst us can explain?????

Evening! I've had both the 034 Motorsport billet alu and APR stainless steel fitted to mine for the past 2.5 years; the 034 first, and the APR one earlier this year due to 034's admittance that additional strengthening was needed to avoid warping - which, once removed, had not occurred on mine. In terms of noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) there is a noticeable difference in all those areas, but personally it's not that much. It's obviously difficult to describe on here, but I feel it mainly in vibrations through the floor. Everyone has their own tolerances around NVH and is totally subjective. For me, it meets my tolerance level but then again I have stiffer springs and an aftermarket exhaust - so it only adds minor NVH to what was already a noiser (AKA "more purposeful...") car. I fitted it because I wanted reduced (if not eliminated!) wheel-hop, better manual gear changes, and peace-of-mind knowing I had some better components fitted to make the car 'feel' sportier, since it's Stage '1.5' remapped (additional components on Stage 1 map). Gears are easier to select and the manual throw is much less vague - not that it's a bad 'box to begin with, but you definitely get a lot more consistency with the 'felt' changes. It really optimises the car for me, and makes it even more enjoyable, so for that reason I can stand the NVH. Based on your initial post, if you want a 'smooth drive', it's perhaps not the best choice for you as it never really 'beds in' - you just get more used to it. In real terms: Noise - it took about 1 week for me to get used to it on daily drives, but doesn't add a great deal (especially not to mine). It's just more noticeable at lower revs. Vibration - You'll feel it in low rev maneuvers a lot more; reversing particularly. This does add to the 'harshness' factor, but the fix is to rev more OR just get on with it... It feels a bit like a 90s diesel Volvo occasionally, especially on cold start up. So if you do a lot of stop-start / commuting, it's probably not a great idea if you want a quiet, comfy drive. Harshness - The only thing I can add here is when you release the clutch without accelerator for a slow take-off / maneuvers, you'll feel more vibration. But it doesn't affect the drive much IMHO. If anything, the 'pros' that I added above re: accuracy of gear changes and the 'tightening' up of the whole car under revs is hugely addictive. I personally love it, but I am aware that I've optimised mine for performance where it counts, rather than make it the comfiest it can be. Swings and roundabouts 😃 My recommendation would be to really consider what you want to achieve by adding it, and whether it'll bug you having the vibrations. Good thing is it's not an expensive part to buy or fit, and - so long as you replace the bolt each time - its's easy to refit the old one if you test the APR one for a few weeks / months. EDIT: If you do go for it, be sure to identify the right part as there are 2 different shapes available depending on your individual car.

on Flickr malta 2017.. things not looking good

Here are all the details, enjoy!

If it's a bearing it shouldn't cause any damage but obviously needs replacing asap.

I would be surprised if it shows BTG time below 9 minutes. Just to stay in the topic, here goes another angle.