Boatman1

I have had my car remapped as readers on here will know and thanks to the advice I have received on this site am going with B12 matched springs and shocks £555.00. I picked up second hand Audi TT Mk1 calipers which I cleaned up and repainted plus pads which have plenty wear left in them plus 312mm front discs for £90. Bought replacement pistons and seals online £20. Have also bought new rear standard calipers for £100 online. Will recondition those coming off the car, its always the rears that seize probably through lack of use. I still have to add in the cost of new mounts all round. Have been quoted £600 plus VAT for fitting which seems expensive so looking for an alternative. Also fitting rear anti roll bar £146.00. Some might think this is a lot to spend on a 12 year old car with 104,000 on it, my thoughts are that I know the car has never been thrashed, its been regularly serviced is cheap to insure and tax, has been very reliable and has a terrific engine, I could sell it for next to nothing and buy a dog which could cost a fortune to fix. My only regret is that I didn't remap the vehicle earlier, it's a joy to drive, though the fuel consumption has declined probably due to the fact that I try to keep the revs above 2000 when using the accelerator aggressively.

Its the B 12 setup which I think comes with Eibach springs (the suppliers advise it lowers the car by 25mm). Seems to be a recommended combination for everyday use.

Have been quoted £600 plus VAT (labour only) by a good quality independent to replace shocks top mounts, discs and calipers and realign tracking on my 12 year old vrs, the new shocks drop the car by 25mm so maybe headlights need realignment also. The hourly rate is £50. Does this seem reasonable in today's inflated prices.?

Damien, I'm not in your area.

Gt4 had this conversation on another thread, the consensus seems to be that an anti roll bar reduces grip and independence in the rear wheels albeit when the car is being driven hard into corners am going for the B12 setup without the RARB. I did get the carriers but thanks for the advice.

In the UK they recommend 4 yrs or 60,000 miles but on the continent they seem to recommend 5 years, perhaps to do with salt in the UK air I don't know I've had 3 changes in 12 years, given the cars age and the fact it's only done 3,000 miles in the last two years I think I will be using the five year interval in future provided there is no wear visible.

Thanks for all the advice very helpful.

Sepulchrave you've just raised another question in my mind do I need to order new bump stops when purchasing the B12 package? I agree the top mounts and bearings makes sense, my droplinks were done not that long ago. The cars done 102,000.

Bought Audi TT MK1 calipers and 312mm discs this morning for £83

I am told that having cold air blown on your face can cause a condition called trigeminal neuralgia basically it affects the three nerves in your face and can manifest itself as toothache, earache and painful eyes. I can vouch for the fact that the condition can be extremely painful and is often misdiagnosed. Be careful.

My thanks to sepulchrave, Yaris and Ken O'neil for your advice I am going to install the B12 suspension as you suggest. Given the cost involved are there any other parts that you would recommend replacing as a must do before installing this kit. I managed to pick up Audi TT calipers and 312mm front discs for £83.

That seems to be the consensus Yaris am having trouble sourcing second hand Octavia Mk1 calipers and carriers for the front. The remap was carried out by Quantum in Glasgow.

Ken, if that's the case why would anyone fit them? From what I can gather they prevent excessive body roll though I do understand they could cause the whole rear end to slide if you were driving stupidly in corners.

Sepulchrerave RARB? not clear what that is.

Which coilovers would members recommend as a balance between performance and price also, what spring rating would you recommend. Should they be installed all round or could you leave the existing struts in the rear? If anyone has installed a strut bar, did it make a difference to handling if so, what recs on type sizes, also, do you need different mounts to take a strut bar. Again, is a single bar in the front sufficient to make a difference. Would appreciate hearing your advices/experiences, thanks.

Very, massively improved the cars performance but the front brakes need upgraded and I feel the front suspension also.

Sounds like you've spent a small fortune on your car Steavo, I may come back to you on the discs and pads, which caliper do the pads fit, Retro is recommending the Octy 1 caliper with 312mm disc.

My thanks to all those who responded to my posts on transmission oil and mapping, very helpful and insightful. Here is my feedback, the change in the transmission oil has made gear changes very smooth, a great improvement. The remap to 165bhp has made the car a joy to drive simply wonderful. I agree with those who recommended upgrading the brakes, I do believe this is something I should do given the improved performance and I also think up-rated suspension would not go amiss even though I only use the extra power in short bursts. What has been a wonderful car for the past 11 years has just got better and I have no intention of getting rid of it because I do not believe a better engine exists without paying out oodles of money on repairs, insurance, road tax, fuel etc Thank you all for your input.

I'm a bit confused. Did you change all the discs and pads or just the front? I'm assuming from the price just the front. Did you have your original calipers reconditioned the resprayed/baked? Have you also changed the struts? Sorry if I appear a bit dense.

Retro, may I ask how much these discs and calipers cost?, thanks.

Recently remapped the Mk1 to 165bhp what a difference. I feel the brakes and suspension should also be upgraded to match the added power, what would those knowledgeable in this area recommend, thanks.

Recently remapped the Mk1 to 165bhp what a difference. I feel however that the current suspension and brakes should be upgraded to match. For those knowledgeable in such matters what would you recommend.

Take it to a valet company, the Vrs seats are made of good quality material and will clean up well had mine done front only for £25 and they were filthy.

They are being inspected before the remap by the same garage.

I don't want to go on a rant re garages but I have had poor experiences from many, a respected BMW dealership told me I had to replace an entire set of pistons because one was damaged (2002 Tourer), luckily I knew a guy in the industry who ordered me one from Germany for £70. I've had garages lose wheel dust covers, failed to properly close the oil filler cap so that I ended up with oil all over the engine on the Fabia, another failed to properly replace the undertray on a peugot which fell off on the A80 and a Peugot dealer told me the braking system had failed after I had driven the vehicle to their dealership with brakes working perfectly cost me £1800 (in retrospect I should have arranged for a pick up to transfer the vehicle to another garage but couldn't in the circumstances). I have a very low opinion of the motor industry generally which is probably wrong because I am sure their are good, honest and competent tecks out there. My last purchase was an interesting one, I spotted a good car at what seemed a very low price (Octavia Estate), spoke to the dealer and got a further £500 off the price. Normally I would carry out a check on the vehicle but this dealer advertised it as having had an all clear after an Experian check. When I got home from Newbury to Glasgow I had a bad feeling about the whole process and the dealer's premises, this was the best car in their lot and it turned out to be a very run down premises. Did my own check on the car and found there was outstanding finance on it, my heart sank. Thankfully it was owed by a reputable national lease hire company who cleared the outstanding finance, the result was I got the car for £2,500 less than bottom book value. I later found out the dealer bought the car at auction in Leeds probably did his own check, realised their was finance outstanding and panicked, hence the low price, anyhow, he did himself by his dishonest dealings, there is justice after all. Moral of the story ALWAYS pay for a check on your prospective purchase.