Fuzzarr

Are you based in Brid? Nice to see someone doing things vaguely near me (Howden).

No half measures! That's going to be a weapon

Hey, just wondering if you've got the remap or exhaust done yet, I have a pre-FL 230 manual and I'm curious about what impact it has on the standard clutch

Here we go, shadow chrome done today. Well chuffed! https://photos.app.goo.gl/pwtXf5GtAGQ4akGe6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/KQpNZJhSQmxWupBu7

Thanks for this photo, I've been wondering what gunmetal looks like on a lighter coloured car. I was torn between gunmetal and shadow chrome, have opted for the latter - it's in for powder coating tomorrow

I'm getting mine done in shadow chrome next week, will share some photos if you're interested.

That looks really nice. Well done cracking on with it. I nearly bought a green one but couldn't quite find one in a spec I was happy with.

I bought a 2016 230 manual a couple of years ago. Managed to get the service history after a call with a Skoda dealer, which did not indicate any servicing on the diff, so got it done by a VAG specialist for 90 quid (as part of a wider service). They changed the oil and gave everything a good clean, but said there wasn't much in the way of dirt in there. It was 5 years old/~35k miles at the time. I wouldn't worry too much about it not being done, if the car's not way over schedule, just get it sorted when it's yours. Same goes for plugs, they last ages these days. I'd be more concerned about a DSG 'box not being looked after properly, given the potential bills it could give you.

Oh I forgot you can also get the Octavia with the 1.8 in L&K trim, quite rare though!

2016 vRS 230 owner here, pre-facelift. The TSI engine fitted to 220/230 vRS models doesn't seem to suffer the same oil consumption and other issues of previous iterations in the mk2. Water pumps and wheel bearings seem to be the main areas to watch, so not too devastating on the wallet if they go. I looked at loads of Octavias pre- and post-facelift, even the 1.4 TSI goes well so worth considering if you want to save a few quid and get an older car. You might also want to consider the Leon FR, which can be had with the 1.8 TSI in 180bhp tune.

Hi there, good luck with your search. As others have said, prices are relatively firm at the moment. Not quite as bad as earlier in the year, but still pretty swollen compared to 2019/2020. I was after a manual TSI in either hatch or estate towards the end of 2020. Finally got a car Feb 2021. I found mine on the approved used Skoda website, checked stock daily, it was listed without an image and not much info at all really but turned out to be the best one I could possibly have bought for my 13k budget. Not sure what's going to happen with prices as the year goes on, I imagine they'll start coming down as people become more cost conscious. I wasn't too fussed about spec, heated seats were desirable as were all round parking sensors, there weren't many cars with the front sensors on. The pre-facelift 230 has them included along with some other goodies, but these cost a bit more than a similar age 220, unless the seller doesn't know what it is.

Question for those who switched to 235s - did you use the same tyre pressures as on the 225s, or more/less? Cheers

Well I'm over six months into ownership now and have grown very fond of this car. It's still not doing many miles thanks to my mostly home-working setup, but I have at least got a few longer trips in. Last week it became clear the traction/stability control intervene far too early for the diff to do its job, so I'm quite regularly holding down the button to free things up a bit. I have a question though. My 230 is set to variable servicing, and I understand it was last serviced in November 2020. Given the low mileage I'm doing, I'm thinking annual servicing might make more sense. What do you reckon? I want to keep the car in the best condition possible, especially when it comes to looking after the turbo. Any thoughts much appreciated. Any other thoughts after six months? Well, it feels like it has a very healthy 230 horses. I am aware 220 vRSs and other TSI-engined motors generally put out more power than claimed, but it feels like it could easily be putting out 250ish. I quite fancy putting the car on a dyno to find out. My brother, who drives a mk2 Swift Sport, had a go in it a few weeks back and was quite astounded by the grunt available. I had a go in the Swift and its close-ratio 'box was brilliant. It's been a fantastic all-round car so far and every drive is a delight. I'm really glad I got the 230 over a 220, too. Nothing against the 220, but the extra bits on the 230 are all stuff I appreciate, especially the diff and exhaust. Cheers

I was all set to fill up with BP Ultimate today, but both of the BPs I used to use are now Shells. So I'm starting off with V Power after all. Still loving the 230.