TRIPLE S

Bosch every time - BUT beware where you buy from as many branded spares including brake pads, wipers, bulbs etc sold over the internet or at markets are not the genuine part but cheap rip off copies...........

Mine was a PD so no problems. Don't think you can Bluefin or chip a CR apart from Shark. I went to the 'dark side' - a Schnitzer BMW 125D which with 258bhp is quite a lot of fun!

My 07 PD170 was brilliant with Bluefin, far better than standard. When I sold my car the new owner didn't want it as he suspected he would have insurance issues. Mine is still in its box with all original paperwork and disc as no one seems interested in it as I believe Superchips make a charge to transfer it to a another VAG vehicle/owner.

I thought that VAG didn't do 'new' exchange engines only rebuilds. I suffered a mishap trying to escape the flooding in Boscastle in 2004 in a year old VW Bora TDI 150 and sucked water into air intake! I was lucky and got pulled/pushed out with no other damage. I claimed on my insurance and my insurer insisted on the original engine being rebuilt when VAG were only able to supply a rebuilt engine without a documented rebuild history. The engine when rebuilt seemed to be actually even better than before, smoother, more power and flexibility. My son-in-law had it after me and sold it last year with over 200K on the clock with engine still as good as 'new'. The rebuilding however took over 2 weeks not the typical 2 days for a straight engine swop.

My son had very similar problems with his A4 and used this : http://www.dieselturbocleaner.co.uk/ A totally different car now.

When it snows and sticks its out with the MK1 feet shod with Dunlop Utilities. The VRS was not too good in snow with the original fit Continental tyres but a change to Uniroyal Rainsports improved this no end. Time will tell with the BMW as it runs Pirelli P Zero's 245/45 18's on the rear running at 40psi!?! I still have a Skoda link as my son still has my first Octavia - a 1998 1.9 TDi SLX.

Well its now a few days since I said goodbye to my VRS, It was sad to see it go but after nearly six years and 57K it was time for a new car. I have looked at many cars and even considered the Rapid but I eventually bought a fully loaded BMW 125D M Sport. Its very, very different in lots of ways - rear wheel drive, 8 speed sport auto, i-drive etc. I really liked owning a VRS despite various niggles during its time with me but with the help and guidance from this forum in sorting these out it does show that Briskoda is by far the best car forum on the web. Many thanks to all of you for a great daily read, far better than any car mag. Keep up the good work and you never know I may return from the dark side one day!

My son still has my old 1998 Octavia 1.9 TDI and it is still going strong at nearly 189,000 miles. Only replacements, apart from normal service items, have been new discs all round, a new battery, hand brake cable assembly, clutch pedal linkage and new electric window mechanisms all round. It has been serviced annually, still returns over 55 mpg and has yet to fail an MOT! I wonder if the newer Octavia models will last as well......

My previous Octavia SLX TDI reg new in Sept 1998 now owned by my son is still going strong at almost 211,000 miles. It has had a service every 10,000 miles and still manages over 60mpg and he uses the cheapest fuel plus Millers [it was Superchipped back in 1999]. The only bits to be replaced apart from tyres, wipers, service items etc have been all 4 electric window systems [drivers door twice], disc brakes and pads at 140,000 miles and a new battery in December 2010. Everything else is as it left the factory!

Update on post #628 Another 485 miles have passed without any problems. Most of this mileage has been shorter journeys or city driving with the longest being three 36 mile round trips mostly 'B' roads and country lanes. No issues seen with DPF light or regens just very smooth power delivery and excellent fuel consumption. The last 2 mornings cold starts have seen no issues in fact this morning drove away at -5deg after clearing the windows and 36 miles later arrived back home after an interesting journey on some icy country roads with an indicated 64mpg on readout - I could not ask for better! I think this shows that if the injector change etc. is done well [many thanks Ross] it can give fantastic results.

SWMBO had her Fiesta MOT'd yesterday so I had a long chat with tester [ been using the garage for over 20 years so know them well ] and he is not too happy with new test. A lot of the visuals seem to be open to interpretation e.g. changes to makers original build specification etc. CAT and DPF removal will obviously be easily seen plus the poor emmission check results so will these fail the vehicle? Modified exhaust systems, suspension and non OEM wheels, spacers and tyre size - are they likely to see a MOT fail as are changes to lighting such as non OEM LED bulbs or after market Xenon conversions? The 'New' MOT cert is also poor quality, just a landscape format A4 sized white sheet printed by the test station, it even says on it to check validity on www.direct.govuk/yourmotcheck. I personally would not trust it if buying a car as it appears to be so easy to forge or reprint with the recorded advisories removed as all the advisories are now printed on the MOT cert so if selling a car the new buyer can see all the 'non-fail' faults recorded by tester! Are there any MOT testers on the Forums who can give us all a more detailed and constructive overview?

Reading back through this subject it appears that we vRS owners are either happy with our cars or wish we had bought something else typically those with cars that run well and those that don't. I did have lots problems from new - see below quote which was originally posted in 'Injectors and the DPF' [.......When I took delivery of my car back in early 2007 I had 3 months of hell. It was rare to drive more than 75 miles without either the DPF or glow plug lights coming on even during motorway driving. No faults were recorded and dealer was as frustrated as me. Eventually the ECU was changed on the advice of SUK - I then had a different car and have only had the DPF light come on once since then and I suspect that was due to being stuck in a major slow moving Motorway snarl up for 3 hours! Two other things - my dealer is also a Superchips agent and suggested driving quality and fuel consumption was likely to show an improvement in a modified car. I went the Bluefin route and to say I am impressed is an understatement. Performance, flexibility and fuel consumption is fantastic - ignoring the first 1000 crap miles my car has now averaged just on 49MPG for the last 47,000 miles. The other thing I was 'unofficially' recommended was Millers diesel additive, this however was not a surprise to me as I have used it since 1993 in all my previous diesel cars.......] Thinking a bit more about this is there something more than just a problem with injectors, the DPF and its various sensors? As I said above I only had the DPF light come on once in nearly 47,000 miles following the ECU change. The question is was I just lucky when my ECU was changed and why is my car now running so well since the injector change. Since the the injector change I now have a greatly improved car, the performance and fuel consumption is better than I could ever have hoped for. I have now just done over 700 miles since the change and the average fuel consumption is just over 56MPG with one 320 mile round trip returning better than 60MPG. I have done this particular journey more than 20 times in the past 4 years and never had better than 52MPG. All my MPG figures are based on brimming the fuel tank not the on board computer so I am suprised but very pleased with improvement. The big question is why?

Promised update on my experiences since the injector change last Wednesday [14/12]. I ran with the standard ECU mapping for 3 days / 150 miles of very mixed driving and car remained smooth and very responsive. No starting issues and fuel consumption was only marginally different, a little higher in traffic, slightly better in the 40 – 60 mph band and no noticeable change at typical motorway speeds. Bluefin now re-installed and engine is still running like a sewing machine, flexibility seems even better. I need a few more miles to see what the fuel consumption figures show but initial indications are a slight improvement all round with Bluefin. For me the injector change has made a good car even better – long may it last!

My vRS is now back from dealer fitted with shiny new injectors and harness! It definitely feels different - much smoother and far better pickup. Luckily before taking it to have work done I reloaded standard mapping from my Bluefin just in case...... Worksheet shows recoding so waiting for SC to confirm if a Bluefin upgrade is needed before reloading my Bluefin remap.

My vRS is now back from dealer fitted with shiny new injectors and harness! It definitely feels different - much smoother and far better pickup. Luckily before taking it to have work done I reloaded standard mapping from my Bluefin just in case...... Worksheet shows recoding so waiting for SC to confirm if a Bluefin upgrade is needed before reloading my Bluefin remap.