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I came to the 280 from a MKII Superb CR170. Whilst it appeared to’ve had more torque than the 280, it did not, with both delivering 258lbft. However the diesel peaks between 1750-2500 rpm and that short peak is what gives you that “kick in the back” feeling. However, the petrol engine delivers it in a more linear way between 1700-5600 rpm so it’s less of a kick and more of a longer push. And of course, the 0-60 times are 8.4s vs 5.5s.

Sideskirts fitted over the weekend, took it out to some sunlight

I have a Racechip,XLR Throttle Controller too and it’s amazing. I also have a Racechip GTS Black. Love that too. However, the XLR made the biggest immediate change. When I first got the 280, it did get bogged-down on many occasions. Now it doesn’t.. ever.

Had to borrow the Roomy to nip up to the Post Office earlier, and I refuelled it while I was out and about. It took 43 litres; 430 miles on the trip meter. Definitely better mpg (that is ~45mpg) following the cam angle correction. No idea what a 1.2TSI Roomster is supposed to do? Previously, it wasn't going much further than that on 50 litres.

Following up on the above, needed a small amount of coolant top up after the wor, but othewise has been holding steady! Great shout @3rdoctavia !

Thanks both. Re. the longer run, it came on when the wife was driving to Carlisle. She re-set it when she was there, and then it did NOT come back on on her trip home. Re. getting it scanned, I have OBDeleven, so I'll try that at the weekend and see what it says.

I suspect that the short drives and cold starts don't create the conditions where the solenoid is actuated so the ECU clears the fault after three cycles without the fault being detected. You said that the replacing the solenoid did not resolve the fault. This suggests that there was never a fault with the solenoid so the technician moved on to check the wiring, found a fault and bypassed it which initially solved the problem. Next step is definitely to check the wiring again as this was found to be faulty before.

Cheers evolution and gav for the replies I’ll just stick with the 5w 30 for mine It was I’ve just changed both cars oils and it got me wondering Cheers again

I had a CR170 DSG for 3 years before I got my 280 and towed the same caravan with both. The 280 definitely has more get up and go 😃 In day to day driving I think part of the perception is down to the dumbass decision to make the accelerator pedal non-linear and for the DSG to change up too early (all for 'eco' reasons I presume) so it can feel like you're in granny mode as it's never quite in the sweet spot for power. Sport mode sorts that out but then it's a bit too vicious for day to day driving.

Switching off the lane assist has become automatic for me every time I get in the car. Two button presses and it’s off, then one button press to turn off start-stop and I’m away.

Hi Evolution13, thanks for assisting. My car has done just over 45K miles; I think that it had run about 6K when I bought it, if memory serves. Yes, the spark plugs did occur to me; the car hasn't been serviced for a couple of years, since the last service cost me about £700, including a change of rear brake pads and shoes. This huge fuel usage seemed to happen suddenly after I put in the fuel from the independent garage, where I had never been (the Asda fuel replaced that, and I have never had a problem with their fuel, which I have used often; apologies for me confusing folks !). It got better, but now it is using a lot of fuel again. However, today I purchased some copper grease and I'll have a go at freeing up the rear nearside brake to stop the occasional squeaking (and hopefully, the scoring of the brake disk). I have axle stands, so I'll check both back brakes at the same time - if I could just be sure where to position the axle stands without wrecking my car ! Any recommendations of any good videos which might help me with this, please ? Much appreciated !

Thanks for your feedback, Warrior193. Yes, it does seem like the brake pads are sticky or similar. I jacked up the wheel which has the severely scored brake disks, released the habdndbrake and tried to spin the wheel; it's a bit gringy, to say the least ! No sign of any warning lights at all.

So, Our Octavia 3 will be getting a Virtual Cockpit. I'd like to document this process a bit here. What's needed: Virtual Cockpit ---> Part number 5E0920790A Bezel ---> Part number 5E0919287 (subject to change) Additionally, if you want navigation in the VC and other features, you'll need to run a MOST cable from the VC to the 5F module. I bought a used one myself. But be aware, the process for adapting the instrument cluster has been made stricter for used units. You have to submit an application with the data from both the original and the new instrument cluster. The factory checks if it's stolen, etc. After hopefully receiving approval, the dealer can program it. Important: Always take all keys with you. For this conversion, I want to do the instrument cluster myself using an EEPROM dump. I can also do the mileage reading myself. This isn't possible with ODIS on used units. My only remaining issue is adjusting the CP. I'll have to wait and see if I can find the information in the dump. I'll let you know as soon as there's any news.

I could probably just hold the damper shafts (maybe with an assistant on the molegrips) cos the original dampers sre definitely not being re-used; but I quite like 'neat' workarounds rather than brutal ones.

Tool combination is for release of OE front struts. 21mm nut, 7mm hex orifice in the shaft of the damper, so hex key counterholds while spanner on the flats of the spark plug socket loosen the nut. The 'water box' metalwork overhangs the strut tops, so there's limited space above the nuts. More photos over the weekend, if plans work out...

Yes there were Mk3 Octavia vRS TSI 4x4,s. Not in big numbers.

Nope but the superb is.

Well I got some spare time this afternoon that I didn’t expect so tackled some of the easier of the dechrome tasks. Now need to take front bumper off to fit the grill surround and lower grill strip, fit roof bars and wrap window chrome.

People can actually do or say what they want as far as posting factual or fiction & opinions. Also still buy or lease what they want and run them and as far as The Mandates on ICE vehicles and quotas of First Registrations we will find out come time if these end up being relaxed in the UK which is what will matter to some drivers in the UK.

What, you mean to tell me that there are EV owners with home charging who don't take advantage of cheap rate electricity? Are they off their heads, it should be a no brainier to buy it then.

Absolutely. Biggest one for me is me and other EV owners buying the super cheap electricity to charge our cars ie Night time when electricity is so cheap as because others don't or can't buy it at this time. Phrased by some that we are doing something underhand. It is simply buying whrn it is commercially cheap and using it when we need it ie that next day time or in the following days. This is fired back at us as if we are have a whole bunch of silver spoons ! The one distinguishing factor i find with EV owners is that gave thought through the matter of transportation choices !

The statistics in the Re-registrations are not false. Bargain prices for Demonstrators, manufacturers registered to meet First registration numbers, nearly new, leased, fleet, Ex Mobility available at Much Cheapness or at least high depreciation & bargain buys. People are buying with their cash money or loans / finance or even PCP on used EV,s and PHEV,s. When at chargers in car parks or just parked some place at least in Scotland people do want to ask about EV,s if you are in or with one. The Facebook posts from people on the cost of new batteries or EV,s using up crucial electricity are quite funny.

It is actually difficult to go back to 2WD after you got "pampered" but the more controllable - but certainly also tracherous - all-wheel-drive.... I have noticed the 280 does it best in the mid-upper range of the rev counter. And I now drive it in "manual" like ... all the time 🤨

Sadly, my new Superb didn't even make it from dealer PDI to collection because of an ADAS software fault and delays in the dealer being able to take the update for a software flash. However, I have a suspicion this was more to do with that specific unit rather than a universal problem - at least that is my hope because I have another on order for September. FWIW, the dealer sold our unregistered, rejected car within a couple of weeks for more than the deal we have agreed - something I need to bear in mind when the next one arrives! Having said all this, it seems like our friends from Romania have trouble free cars, which is encouraging 🏆. Here's hoping!

@Evolution13 it has reset to 9400/365days. No choice other than reset.

Thats a big bill. The chain and kit is around £250 so I don't see how they want £2000 labour? Unless there are skoda only tools involved I would be going elsewhere. Alasdair

Is that Hybrids as just PHEV,s since there were be questions on while charging or is it Electrified vehicles like Mild Hybrids, known as 'Hybrids'. I wonder 'The Mail on Sunday journalist or editor knows what is what, maybe their ar53 from elbow. PS, Re deaths in hybrids vs ICE vehicles was not death by fire was it? How many car crashes involved the vehicle going on fire and killing occupants?

Great, sorted it now. I wasn't releasing the button so was it timing out before the menu appeared. Many thanks @QuinFin .

Scoring is just from Salted / Gritted roads in winter or chuckies stuck at some point. Has the car got a manual hand brake rather than an e-brake? Get up some hill and a bit of light application of the hand brake. Or you just drive a bit applying the hand brake lightly.

To check if the brakes are binding, try gently placing your hand on each of the wheel hubs after a reasonable run - any significant difference in temperature in a hub would indicate that brake may not be releasing fully.

Me also. My old CR170 diesel estate (FWD) was quick but had almost uncontrollable front wheel scrabble in damp / wet conditions, in the dry also if the front wheels were angled for a left / right turn at a junction. This was especially noticeable at roundabouts when you wanted to get into a gap quickly but were left stationary with the font tyres spinning in the wet! It also meant the front tyres took a bit of a beating with replacements fairly frequently at circa 20k intervals. So after 150k miles in my CR170, & with retirement looming, I wanted a smoother petrol 4 x 4 estate. Enter the 280! The 280 has no wet weather tyre scrabble or traction issues whatsoever. Believe me I have tried!! There is / was a bit of DSG hesitation when setting off from a standing start but that can be mitigated a bit by using Sport mode. I had a Revo Stage 1 remap (360bhp) done a few years ago & I have fitted a RaceChip Throttle / pedal box which eliminates any DSG hesitation altogether. The RaceChip box was swapped from my wife's Karoq 1.5 DSG 4 x 4 when we sold it which suffered from terrible DSG take off hesitation. Now the take off & acceleration of the 280 in sport mode is somewhat "savage" which makes it a bit of a hooligan as it hangs on the the gears much higher up the rev band. As you said, in normal Drive mode the torque comes in as a smooth linear progression for more relaxed but equally fast progression which negates the need to use Sport mode in all but exceptional circumstances. By contrast, my wife has a FWD Kona EV which has 201bhp & 291 lbft (395Nm) of torque. It's quick but even in Normal drive mode in the dry in a straight line the front tyres struggle for grip. In Sport mode it's almost undrivable in the wet. My wife went through the front tyres in 13k miles! It's now set in Eco mode which eliminates the tyre scabble & it's still plenty quick enough. The current model 64kWh Kona EV's have the same 201bhp power but a reduced amount of torque (188 lbft / 255Nm)! I wonder why? Not sure I could go back to a higher power 2WD car now?

Thanks for the suggestion. I've subsequently found (by accident!), that when you turn the ignition off I can access all the normal menus, but as soon as the ignition is turned on, it's back to the 'loading setting' screen. I did some more digging on the internet and it does seem to be a common issue to do with the head unit not communicating with the SOS module and I'm guessing therefore the internet/Skoda servers. Many find that removing the fuse No.19 for a bit does a proper hard boot and often resorted the connection. Others do as you've suggested and disconnect the battery to achieve the same thing. I'll give it a go later tomorrow and report back!

Skoda UK have the Air filter schedule for replacement @ 6 years / 60,000 miles. Total tosh, An airfilter should get checked at every service. Not all airboxes are simple to open, but then the person Servicing is supposed to be a Tech / Fitter.

Well thankfully you can switch it off, even in my wife's 2026 car bought in March.

It shouldn't cause any harm, but if it's about to be serviced next month, don't bother yourself - ask them to do it while servicing.

That fitment!!!

I’ve always sworn by Thule. Paint matched roof boxes >>>>

You think all drove the same? If so, then it sounds like yours is the same. Although as long as you drove all facelifts then you should have the same experience but if the test drives were pre-facelift then the previous generation engine had a different turbo with different flow-dynamics which may have made it seem like the turbo kicked in more sudden. If you have a facelift then it’s a DNFE engine which is an excellent base for tuning…but good to let the warranty expire first for sure.

Shocking, but not surprising. When I was buying my L&K estate it had towbar preparation fitted and as skoda could not initially supply a skoda towbar, my skoda dealer was actively recommending a nearby independent towbar fitting service. I hung out for the genuine skoda towbar to be released (9 months i waited) but it wasn't forthcoming and in the end I was forced to have an independent, fit a quality detachable towbar. Perhaps it's time skoda took responsibility for this fiasco before someone's vehicle comes to a dead stop on a live carriageway for no reason. Not impressed with skoda right now.

Its a kickdown function, used for speed limiter function. Once the car reaches your pre-set speed from the cruise stalk, pressing the accelerator pedal past the click will allow the car to speed up past the set speed for instances where you need to accelerate for things like overtaking without having to disable the speed limiter on the stalk. Once your car drops back below the pre-set speed, the limiter re-enables. My Passat B8 does the same

Found it. Follow this and you won’t go wrong!

On a PD assuming your Fab is a vRS you need to watch for cam wear. Unless you have anything to gain maybe stick with 5w40 Quantum IMO LL3 the absolute best oil for Superb even at low miles.

Do not change your 2013 TDI with DPF to 5w 40 FS VW502 00. But if you can find VW 504 00 / 507 00, 5w 40 FS III long life then on you go.

Mr Blackbird was busy.........

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Took it back the garage that serviced it a week ago and they found that, where they'd put the air filter housing back on they'd taken the connecting pipe off as well and refitted it without the required o ring (lost somewhere on the workshop floor). Profuse apologies and corrected with no fuss. All good now and driving like a dream again 😃

Engine cover from the ea888.4 is what would be in the facelift....but without trying to be a pedant, the crossover date is probably not exact for all parts. lllparts has bodyparts "to 7/7/2019" and "8/7/2019 onwards" so I think that's where the physical changes occurred on things like the front end, rear roundel to SKODA etc but not everything; there's probably a few early facelift cars that still have the DNUA (ea888.3b) engine. I was told by a tuner that there are some early S3 8Y which should have the ea888.4 still with the ea888.3b which caused some upset when they had work to do planned on the model rather than VIN which would have told them. Anyway! Looks great - another tidy little addition!

Found this post in the photo thread of a problem @MartiniB had with chrome trim coming off. Shows how it is pushfit/glued on around the front windows. Not sure on the bottom of the front windows. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/367311-the-superb-iii-picture-thread/page/148/#findComment-5681074 I also found it in the repair manual for exerior trim. I can send you a link if you are interested.

Can attest to the rear quarter. Had that window smashed by a flying stone and it’s about 400+change from main dealer only to get the glass and it comes with trim that goes above and below the main window…but I can’t remember whether the autoglass bloke reused the existing chrome strips…I don’t think they used new ones But either way just wrap ‘em

I think door ones are pressed in to the rubber and possibly with some sealant. Rear quarter one is integral to the window bead and is a window out job. Mine are a bit tarnished but going for sportline look so planning on wrapping them

I have a stock rs230 from 2015 and it does the DSG "fart" on upshifts. That's normal.