Farsider

I just called Hortons - they confirmed the same. Skoda do no offer the spare wheel kit as an aftermarket accessory for the VRS. Its Build to Order or nothing. Bugger - don't really know what to do next. I know diddly squat about sourcing my own. I can't believe I can't buy a spare wheel for my new car!

Hi chaps, In about a month I'm off for a road trip holiday to sue la france and as I neglected to spec a spare wheel when I ordered my VRS estate, I called my dealer today to order one. Much to my surprise they say there isn't one for the MK3 Octavia VRS estate and they even called Skoda who confirmed the same. This doesn't sound right. I pointed out that others on this forum have ordered them and was met with a 'get us a the part number and we can order if for you'. Has anyone purchased one after market as a dealer accessory? If so, do you have the Skoda part number? Many thanks.

The VRS is already a firm ride so if yours is a lot stiffer, it must be hard. I had coilovers on my old MK4 V6 Golf and that was bone shatteringly hard and thumped loudly everytime over a pot hole. It felt like I was breaking the car. Do you find the car rattles with your new suspension?

Yep - I ordered when Adaptive Cruise was available.

Thanks matey. I'm quite surprised they expect customers to know this. I just did it up as tight as I could by hand and tugged on the bar to check its secured.

So I've just fitted these roof bars no problem. I notice in the instructions it says in the tighten the clamp to the car section - "tighten to a torque of 8mn". Pardon my ignorance but how does one measure that?

I went for the 1 year extension (4 years total). I negotiated it in as part of the purchase. I would have paid regardless - no brainer.

So we're down to positive feedback on the expensive SonniBoy or X-Shades. I looks like only the SonniBoy offers the all round protection. Any other solutions out there or is the SonniBoy the best of the bunch?

OK - so I've just seen this thread http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/280336-sun-shades/page-4?hl=%20uvcarshades. I will avoid and close this thread down

I'm looking at getting some UV shares for the rear of my VRS to protect my baby daughter. I've tried the cheapy generic ones that stick onto the glass but they look a bit sheet so I'm after a better solution. A friend recommended these - http://www.uvcarshades.co.uk/privacy-shades-skoda-octavia-estate-p-5162.html. They are tailored to fit. Anyone had any experience with them?

I had 'kick ass' Genesis audio in my V6 motion Golf with a 12" B&W sub - thundering bass. The Sound Gallery in High Wycombe hooked me up with it and did a custom install for £2200. Yes, I was a bit of chav when it came to ICE back then. So the Canton isn't anywhere near as good as that but with the exception of the thundering bass, I'd say its 75% as good. Much better than the stock audio I listen to on my test drive. I think the Canton is well worth the upgrade. The Canton sub isn't anywhere near a powerful as I was hoping but I've quite pleased the 'downgrade' from my Golf.

Ditto. Only seen 1 in the past 12 months. Junction 17 M25 area.

So for the peeps that have these Lidl bars, now that you've had them a while, what do you think? I'm trying to decide whether I trust them enough to do a round trip to Sud de France in August.

If one was to use aftermarket Thule and they 'damaged' the car, would it void the warranty for the parts affected?

I love mine

Now we're finally starting to get something that looks like summer, what's everyone's thoughts around the durability of the cockpit when left in direct sunlight? It's the touch screens I'm most concerned about. I mean everything you buy for the home has 'Keep out of direct sunlight' written all over it's manual. I guess the touch screens must be designed to tolerate summer temperatures but I'm off to sud de France soon where I imagine it'll be hot hot hot inside when the VRS is parked up. Any tips for lowering the cockpit temp?

Yep - mine does this too. Just noticed this after driving tonight on bumpy roads. It's definitely the bumps. The question is, is this a fault?

Pipsyp brings up an interesting point. Skoda have upped their game with the MK3 Octavia. I needed to replace my V6 Golf with a family wagon for my young family. I needed wanted a performance estate that lasted 10 years. The choice boiled down to a fully loaded VRS estate VS bare(ish) Passat estate or really bare bones A4 Avant for the same money. I chose the VRS. Why? For me its better to have a fully loaded great car than a bare bones premium car due to my long term ownership. IMO, the MK3 Octavia VRS is 90% as good as an A4 Avant and 95% as good as a Passat Estate. The MK3 Octy is a much better car than its predecessors. Am I the new target demographic for Skoda? Probably not but this is the first time I've ever considered Skoda let alone purchase one. Skoda are not a budget brand any more. They are just the more value brand of the VAG Group now. Cheap, they are not. I'll admit that I still feel a little open to ridicule when I tell people what car I drive....but when I show it to them they are blown away. An A4 owning friend of mine is shocked how good it is. His S-line was 20K more than my VRS and he feels its not £20,000 better. Bottom line, Skoda is changing (for the better IMO) and I think the Korean brands are taking its place in the budget end of the market.

Do the Amundsen / Columbus have static speed camera POIs in them? I didn't think they do.

Why would roof bars discussed in this thread not work as advertised?

This is a great read but as a newbie in the world of roof boxes, I'm quite paranoid now about what to do. If the 10 year old roof box I've inherited comes with U bolts to fit to these Lidl bars, is there any cause for concern?

I have a roof box to go with these bars but haven't tried it yet. The roof box has U bolts to attach to the bars - any considerations I need to bear in mind here or do I need to connect to the T track?

...or these are good roof bars at a bargain price.

Yeah I have the one in the link for the estate. Its basically a bit of sticky back plastic cut to fit. Installed using the soapy water method - does the trick. Can't for wrong for £6.

I second this - I have this clear film protector on my VRS estate - works a treat. Photos here - https://flic.kr/s/aHsjNPfd7S