ExSEAT

With bikes and cars I've always been of the opinion that if it's gone, it's gone. That's what the insurance is for. No use preventing a theft if they trash the car or pull it apart trying anyway. Ive never liked the idea of trackers, they increase the chance of you getting a ruined car back in bits and once it's been stolen it's too late. Having a hidden device is pointless, big stickers that say 'tracker fitted' or whatever that crazy system that means you have to press 10 buttons in a specific order is fitted might be enough to make them think another is easier.

Nice bit of info, I thought that it was only the pre face lift model. My 2018 was a 68 plate 245, with the special one being from earlier that year. I had to wait 6 months before the order books opened again so I just assumed they were all 245s that year!

Maybe slightly different but in October I sold my 2018 245 (the normal VRS one, not the 245 edition) that was pretty well specced up (virtual cockpit, DCC, heated seats, reverse camera and a few others) for £23.3k to arnold clark, it went back up for sale at £26.5k and its gone. I didnt realise 230 extended into 2018 but all you can do is look at what an equivalent would cost you and see how it works out. Factoring in that if it went tomorrow you'd be waiting best part of a year for another new car aswell. I'd be interested how competitive the 20k offer is.

Ah so you want to use parking mode? In which case you want a permanent live like the actual 12v socket and a 'magic box' to monitor the voltage so it doesn't eat your battery and leave you stranded. Parking mode was never really for me!

On both of my VRS (pre and post FL) I uses the rear wiper fuse, never had any issues at all. Instead of wiring straight to the camera though, I wired a 12v socket and put it in the glove box. I then plugged the camera into that, giving me the option to just remove the camera whenever and an extra socket should I ever need it

I sold mine to arnold clark for £23,279 at the end of October. Last thing on my mind was another VRS though! That was a 2018 DSG TSI with 13k miles on it.

Always hated it, lifting off the accelerator to ease up if traffic speed was changing and not showing down at all 🤣 would never use it on the motorway!

I couldn't comment on the fuel, but I'd expect to see a raft of these issues if it was the root cause. All I can tell you is that mine would make the noise after around 20 minutes of running, it was most noticeable when stationary and even more when the start stop kicked in, it would continue indefinitely as if it was struggling to maintain pressure, you could feel it if you placed a hand on the back seat or the surrounding carpeting, if you put your ear to the seat its very clear that's where the noise is. Best of luck!

Hi, in my case it was the fuel pump under the back seat. Took a long time to convince them there was a fault. All sorted noise wise. The cars gone now.

Did you have any issues locking the car the night before, for example did you have to press the button twice? The fore runner of the relay attack (simulating the keyless element using a repeater at the car and an amplification at the key end) was the replay. I cant remember the specifics but it works by intercepting the first button push and recording it, then when the button is pressed again it intercepts it and stores the new signal, using the old stored signal to lock the car means that button press 2 is the next unlock code. The above is fairly unsophisticated in that it can be bought online. There may be other ways but this one was common.

My friend has a 290 cupra DSG on lease (2 years) and the valuation on that is over 30k. Don't know who's paying but someone must be!

My ex 2018 mk3 VRS has finally come up for sale at the arnold clark dealer that I sold it to in October. Its 2.0 tsi 245 DSG, plenty of extras etc and 13.5k miles. Showroom price (normally forecourt but they have no new cars to put in the showroom!) Is £25,600. I think it's brand new price 3 years ago was around £800 more after discount. If anyone's looking for one it was absolutely mint when I left it, reg is PY68BXK and it's at workington. It's got virtual cockpit from the factory, DCC, reverse camera, folding mirrors heated seats and more, plus some OBD11 tweeks like HBA. It's a meteor grey. Defo a sellers market it seems!!

I've used it on my last 2 VRS, the later one being a 2018. I changed some aspects of the virtual cockpit display, added cornering fogs, activated high beam assist, activated the chirp on unlock and turned off the sound aktor thing. There's lots you can do, much better learning how to do it on the face-lift properly rather than using the apps as some aren't properly compatible and you can't track the changes they are making to each module. If you do it yourself you know what's getting changed. Oh another thing was using it to switch between warm climate AC and normal climate AC in summer!

@KenONeill @AnnoyingPentium I live on the borders, in Cumbria. I used to take my octavia to border motors in Dumfries. They were much better than the idiots in Carlisle and helped me out with a long standing issue but they were still a dealer at the end of the day. My local dealer went pop 3 months after I bought my brand new car, which was helpful!

Thats where I am at the moment. I sold my 2018 VRS a few months ago as I wasn't using it, the dealer wanted to do a air con service, brake fluid change and front diff service at the next interval. To think they would so the belt potentially a couple of years later on a car with less than (projected) 20k miles on it is shocking. But that's cars I guess. The mk3 fab owes me very little, I'd not want to jeopardise future value but we don't have a specialist nearby and the dealer is 50 miles away. I dont trust this particular dealer, I used to drive another 70 miles past them to the next one because I hated them! I wouldnt trust them to inspect it and not come back with 'definitely needs changed' regardless of the condition. I have such a low opinion of the dealership network as a whole.

Thanks Matt, once the shock subsided I managed to get some stuff done done search. I think its a bit of a joke really, seems the rest of the world disagree with skoda uk. Another reason we won't be having another VW car 🤣

Hi all! Our mk3 1.2tsi monte carlo is 5 years old and Skoda have just sent out an email asking for it to be booked in for a new cambelt. It's covered 35k miles and is a 2016 plate. Now is this normal or are they just fishing??

You've just reminded me. 2 window quirks that annoyed me: 1. Closing the door with the window half open made it sound like the glass was going to fall out, like it wasn't secure 2. Both my VRS developed this thing were the drivers window would creep down a tiny bit over time until it made a noise and I would put it back up with the switch

One of my biggest gripes with my VRS was the road noise (didn't stop me buying two though!!). My mate had a 1.5 golf something or other that was probably a bit cheaper than my octavia but even though it was fairly base model it was quieter and better finished. Im not an owner any more but other than the noise and waiting for something to go wrong I didnt have a lot of complaints. Biggest overall was the rising cost of the cars, the feeling you were always compromising and the issues with the mk4. The last of those made me jump off the roundabout of PCP and go to older cars instead while the going was good 👍

Its got a full dealer service history and 91k miles on it. Will be the highest mileage car I've ever had but Im not too concerned by it. Its clearly been looked after and life's a lottery anyway. Checked it out through car vertical and looked at all the MOT history too. Its only 170bhp and its manual but I much better suited to the local roads and my work parking situation (long story but work is 12m away on a secure site they won't let us drive onto anymore and instead I need to park on a bit of industrial waste ground and get the bus!). I had an older T30 model a few years ago and probably should have kept it!

@Michaeldavis39Put a deposit down on a 2010 Xtrail on Friday, picking it up this week. Carefree trips to the tip incoming!! Trouble is I've managed to find a relatively immaculate example and I will have to try not to think about it 🤣

Well that's it, its over. Octavia went to Arnold Clark on Wednesday, its yet to come on the website but looking at the prices of the VRS models on there it will be going up for an eye watering price. New car is reserved and due for pickup. Overall its cost me around £100ish a month for 3 years, I'd take that offer on a lease any day. Great car but totally wasted and I can relax about it now!

Interesting stuff! We have a 2016 monte carlo and it's honestly been a great little car. We got it at cost price when a friend worked for skoda, its been no bother but its warped its rear tyres over the last 30k miles and the dogs been in it a few times but I look at it as not owing me anything really. When I look at my mk3.5 vs my mk3 its built better, just not better enough to make me think the mk4 will be a good choice. I'd rather then spent 500 quid on some materials for sound deadening than adding some extra stitching here and there.

@Michaeldavis39 I'd be interested to see what happens in a few years when no new petrol or diesels are being made, your 6 year old car will have quite a comeback I'd imagine. I hear you on the road noise and suspension. Can't hear the radio sometimes. Everytime I've mentioned this to anyone I get the same line about it will cost just as much to get something else. There are other options out there, I'm not selling my VRS to go buy another VRS 🤣. I was going to sell it last year when they were offering just shy of £16k, so at £23k it's a no brained and my new old car will be much more useful for me. We also have a little fabia outside that I own, we were offered 5.3k on trade in a couple of years ago and the offers are over 9k now. That's going later on to be replaced by a lease for the mrs. We live where public transport is awful too. Trouble for me was that any sign of ice, frost or snow and I didn't want to take the VRS out, especially with DSG. Next car won't be the same.

Not true in all circumstances. By the time I get paid out tomorrow my car will have cost me around £110 a month for 3 years. I will have £10k cash back, which I will then reinvest into a car that has gone up by around 600-1000 based on my observations. Add that to my reasons for changing - ongoing PCP, low mileage, damage by other idiots etc and the fact I can take it anywhere and carry anything without worry then I'd say yes I'm going to be better off than paying the monthly premium and then swapping it for another in 6 months.