chrisgreen

Yes, the RNS-315 nav unit is a drop-in replacement for the Swing radio. Just a case of pulling off the facia, undo the bolts holding the Swing in, pull it out, unplug the wiring harness and the aerial, and then resemble everything with the 315 instead of the Swing. You will need to add a GPS antenna. These are usually supplied with the 315 and are a magnetic rectangle receiver. There is a piece of metal frame that sits just below the dashboard that you can stick the GPS antenna on and it works perfectly. Search for my 315 fitting thread for details. The 315 also produces far better quality audio output and enables more Bluetooth features.

Its a very interesting radio option. I've been toying with upgrading from y Amundsen to a Columbus, but TBH this is much more aligned with what someone wants in a car today (namely, smartphone integration). Shame it has integrated bluetooth as that would likely cause issues with the bluetooth module already on my car. But either way, I think you have made a very smart decision replacing your Swing with that.

Watched the video, could not hear anything out of the ordinary.

BTW @CS45 Would be interested to see more of that stereo you fitted. I'm intrigued as to how it stacks up against the RNS315+

Nice job. I keep meaning to put some soundproofing in the boot, but never get round to it. Very interested in the TPMS you've added. This really is something I should retrofit to mine.

“It’s quite normal for the boot to explode at motorway speeds sir, it’s just the car settling as you run it in”.

Jesus, that really is a Friday car. Sorry to hear that. Nobody needs grief like that. As the owner of one of the first Spacebacks in the UK, I’ve experienced a couple of issues with mine: Doors filling up with water - I had this and eventually had it fixed under warranty, but only after taking initial legal action against Skoda UK which tried to get out of covering it. The terrible seats - a part of the car (and addressed in the facelift). I also had to have the seat covering on the lower drivers seat replaced after the retaining metal failed and it came loose. The car does have a lot of natural rattles and clunks, especially from the front axle. There is nothing mechanically wrong, just a quirk of the car. I had to spend over £500 last year having the wiring to the boot replaced after it snapped in half, rendering the boot lock inoperable. My extended warranty would not cover it because it was a wiring fault. I’ve not had any of the other issues you report. I really hope you can get them sorted. Personally, even if they do get fixed I would flip that car as soon as possible, it sounds like a lemon.

Unlikely to be a dash cam. That would just be a USB cable. If it’s a 2-pin automotive/electrical connector, it’s almost certainly wiring in place for a feature you don’t have. The location would suggest auto-dipping rear view mirror, or it could just be a cable that fell out of the roof light cluster. Is everything switching on OK up there?

Hard to say without a picture. Do you have an automatic light sensing rear view mirror? If not, it could be wiring in place for that (and could mean you can add it with a simple part swap).

Sadly, due to doing 70 down the M40 when It ticked over I couldn’t get the photo bang on, but last night the Rapid passed the 50,000 mile mark. For context, this is a January 2014 (63 plate) Rapid Spaceback, one of the very first off the line and one of the first in the UK. I bought it in September 2014 as an ex-demonstrator with 6,500 on the clock. It’s had a gradually decreasing annul mileage, with me doing a 70 mile a day round trip from North West London to near Basingstoke every day for work, to being mostly used just at weekends and evenings for short trips, to not being used much at all during lockdown. Pre-lockdown my annual mileage had dropped to less than 5,000, so there should be many years left in the car.

Suggest you try a few indie parts suppliers like GSF etc. Reckon you can get it for less than that. IMHO it’s not worth getting a second hand motor as you have no idea how much use it has had (the same motor is used on a wide range of VAG cars, not just the Rapid).

Those conductive paint and pens for fixing rear window elements are pretty terrible. If you can clearly see where the breaks are in the element, it would not hurt to try. But TBH, you are better off having the rear window replaced or simply making do and living with the broken element lines (assuming it’s not so many that are broken that it renders it useless). However, if it’s the whole rear window element that is not functioning, it may not be the element at all, but rather one of the two (or both) of the metal spade connectors that come off the left and right hand sides of the rear window making a bad connection with the sockets they plug into in the window frame. They can shake loose over time.

If that doesn’t fix it, then you probably need a new motor. But given you said there’s plenty of force coming from the wiper motor, and assuming the wiper arm joint is properly lubricated, I would still rule out the wiper blade first.

Have you put a new wiper blade on it? Could literally be that the old one is knackered and is creating too much friction against the glass.

It’s a good question, but not an easy one to answer. Here are some things to consider (entirely subjective whether most points are a positive of negative): Pre-facelift Rapids (including most 1.2 TSI models) Limited standard equipment The seats are not great No valance trim in front seats Engine used a timing chain Many reports of trim creaking and rattles, clanking front suspension. Post-facelift Rapids (including most 1.0 TSI models) Improved equipment specs Front wing indicators moved to wing mirrors Nicer seats (not as hard and better cloth trims) Front seats now have a plastic valance to hide the runners Engine uses a timing belt This is not an exhaustive list. Other members will hopefully add to this list or dispute it Things like tinted Windows will have been an optional extra on pre and post-facelift models. The chain-driven 1.2 TSI has proved to be very reliable. Post facelift models are a bit better put together, simply because of normal refinements to panels and parts, and learning from the model’s initial mistakes (like the real door seals that blocked the water drains on early models). Performance wise there’s not much in it between them. The 1.0 is more reliant on its turbo to deliver the boost needed to match the 1.2, but it really is minor. Personally, if I were buying one now, I would go for a 1.0 post-facelift, no more than 3 years old and a full service history.

It’s underneath the car, drivers side, about a foot ahead of the rear wheel. Changed mine last month. Very easy to access and change once the car is jacked up or on a ramp.

I’m probably going to get an MG (unless VAG electric prices comes down a lot in the next few years). £25K for an estate with 220mile range and a 1,500 litre boot (and all the toys). Crazy not to.

I’m a big fan of the Heko wind deflectors. These are my second set, I managed to break one (entirely my own fault, not an issue with the product) from my first set while washing the car, hence the new set. But they are a must-have accessory for the Rapid in my opinion.

I completely agree - the mk1 seats are bloody awful and are the main thing I don’t like about the car (and the reason I nearly traded it in a month or so ago). But, as I don’t do that much driving, have decided to live with it a bit longer (have managed 6 years so far) and continue to save up a deposit for something fully electric.

Hello everyone Having neglected the Rapid a bit during lockdown (and almost traded it in for a Seat Leon estate a month ago), I’ve instead been showing the car a bit of love, including cleaning it for the first time in ages and investing in a few new bits: Up first is this handy boot divider. Now, this only works if you have the false boot floor. The item in question is actually a genuine VW part for a Golf Estate (with false boot floor), but also fits the Rapid (as long as you have the false boot floor). It will not clip on to the regular boot floor (the one directly above the spare wheel), it’s too thin. Next up, I replaced the silver trim piece I had on the boot lid. This is an aftermarket part that has been cut specifically for the Rapid Spaceback boot lid: My previous one, after five years, lost its adhesion and was starting to look dull, so time for a fresh one. Finally, I fitted a new set of Heko wind deflectors (again, replacing a set that had started to break after five+ years of use and abuse). Next job is to remove the number plates (which are stuck on with many sticky pads) and replace them with a set of pressed metal plates. Also looking at adding a rear-facing dash cam, but need to do more research to find a suitable power cable to tap into. If anyone has any advice on that, I would appreciate it. As always, happy to answer any questions. Thanks Chris

Not guaranteed your car has it. Certainly on the mk1, it was an optional extra across the board, even on the high end models. Skoda was very tight on the tech with most stuff an optional extra rather than spec, whereas the comparable Seat Toledo models were literally dripping in tech as standard, even on the low end models.

Highly recommend adding both the boot cubby parts and the hooks. Makes the boot area a lot more practical and also tidies the trim up. Also worth getting the fixed net assembly for the right hand side, if you can still source it. You can see all three parts fitted here in my boot:

It's a 62 plate/early 2013 model. Thanks Chris

Thanks for this info Guy - will be ordering in a moment. BTW - does the same fluid requirements apply for the power steering on the Mk2 Fabia 1.2HTP (just wondering if I can use the same fluid on that come its service time). Thanks Chris

Hi Does anyone know what power steering fluid is used in the Rapid? Servicing in a couple of weeks and figured it might be time for either a flush or a top-up. Thanks Chris