Dooge

No, existing springs work absolutely fine but I didn't like so much arch gap. I picked up these springs second hand but barely used. Plus, almost 100k on existing springs and rust makes me believe they have more chance of snapping. It's not common on these though.

They are lowered over stock but they are still high. I've added Racingline springs and it's subtle but a very slight drop. Just enough IMO and doesn't scrape. Comfort is better because of the newer shocks, maybe 10% stiffer but barely noticeable. Before After What they look like on

I went to Bilstein B4's as the general consensus is they are a good OE equivalent and I have had them on previous cars with success, though Carlston's update was duly noted. I havent had them fitted long, I fitted them Sunday. More controlled than what came off, less crashy. I'm happy with them. Probably the same shocks as I went for, 22-230539. I got mine from an eBay seller called TDC- automotive. I had a good at Euros but I couldn't find where they stated that number above to ensure I got 55mm instead of a 50mm shock. if tackling yourself, consider budgeting for things like new track rod ends, new lower ball joints and I would routinely change the droplink and topmount as well. Mines a 2015 with 88k and everything looked original along with being incredibly rusty and difficult to remove/work with.

Interesting thread. I didn't think there would be much in it between the lumps except for turbo/fueling. For the MPG my stock 220 DSG gets 33-35 commuting over a 5 mile drive in the summer. I can quite easily knock 10mpg off that in the winter, but alot of that is short journeys. Summer motorway journeys, best I had was 39 which was to Goodwood from Plymouth and back with some foot down fun and 3 people in total in the car. Winter I'd see 35ish. Lots of variables with people's own individual driving styles, journeys, weather conditions, tyre pressures, etc. I've learnt not to get too caught up with what others are getting and focus on if the car feels right. Generally if you know your car, you'll know if it feels like it's working properly. If MPG is drastically out then you can judge it's probably got something wrong.

Ive not actually fitted new shocks to the rear yet, shocks are next month with other ancillary bits. But, whilst it's all off I figured it's the perfect time. Granted some of the wallowy-ness may go when new shocks are fitted but I don't think there would be any real downsides to a thicker ARB other maybe upsetting the balance the wrong way which would be a concern. But, as White line, Neuspeed, H&R and other companies offer 24, 25 and 27mm rear ARBs 22mm isn't an extreme upgrade. It would be good to get opinions if anyone has done so and the positive and negative aspects. I suspect that the mk7 Golf GTi probably handles a bit sharper than the VRS partly down to this and partly down to weight over the rear axle/weight in general. Also, VAG cant upset the Golf crowd by having a Skoda handle the same as one of their flagship cars.

Hi all, I am thinking about upgrading my rear Anti-roll bar on my 15 plate VRS estate. I have read a few threads and have tried briefly searching but none have really answered the question. 1) What size is the current rear ARB (I suspect 18mm for VRS) 2) Has anyone fitted a mk7 GTi rear ARB (22mm) to their Octy? Having worked on the suspension yesterday, the rear now feels very wallowy and the tighter front end has emphasised it even further. I can pick up a second hand mk7 GTi one for £40 posted which seems to make financial sense over a White line or similar at £250. I don't want the steering snappy, but wanting better body control and less wallowy turn in. I will also be fitting new shocks and droplinks at the same time and new rear springs have already been fitted. Thanks in advance! Doug

Thanks @williams86, I don't think I will have a problem with either but I have some slightly weird occasional DSG behaviour which I wanted checked before mapping. I checked this with the dealer before I had the last service but they didn't say there was any fault and wanted a diagnostic charge before they would check any further. The reason I mention this is because I came across a post by R-Tech who dealt with the fault before mapping and managed to sort it by replacing a sensor in the gearbox. My concern with going for Racingline (and any remote mapper) is that if an error arises which effectively bricks the car (my concern is P0868 fault code, stops car going into gear at all, etc) I'll be left with whatever garage I have attended for the map to get the problem sorted or pay to have the car recovered. I haven't got specialist enough software to check error codes to see what might be stored prior to mapping, but R-Tech is a good 4 hours from me and requires a non refundable deposit prior to any work.

Before After Difference is subtle, unfortunately I haven't been able to get any great photos before and after. I'm happy with the ride comfort and it was definitely worth the effort however. Would I get the garage to do it if I had to do it again? Yes, but budget a good £500-600 for parts that would need replacing and labour needed.

So, a friend (Jedd) and I tackled the suspension! Bloody hell, it turned into a mission... Started on front nearside. Instantly, he said the best procedure will be to pop the caliper off, tie rod end and the 3 bolts for the lower ball joint at the end of the wishbone. Then pop the driveshaft out of the hub. Everything looked original and untouched, probably for the life of the vehicle which is 88k. Everything was rusty! We couldn't get the wiper arms off either therefore decision was made to lift the cowling gently which didn't make easy access to the 3 topmount bolts on the offside front. The problems started with the nearside ball joint which would undo to a degree but then just spin. So, decision made to try the offside. Exactly the same. 2 TRW track rod ends were reserved and off we went to the local Euro Car Parts who had some in stock. The old ones were ground off carefully and new ones wound on. The locking nut was not moved from the track rod so tracking isnt awfully out. Hub and shock were taken out complete and shock removed from hub. Shock was built with existing bottom spring locator, dust guard and bottom out bumper and topmount attached and torqued up. Then we realised that we couldn't get the shock all the way into the hub. Topmount and everything else removed and the spring seat used with a bit of wood to hit it downward which worked! Built shock for second time, put onto car and torqued up. All bolts and mounting points were cleaned up and copper greased. Offside was tougher, one of the bolts for the ball joint was knackered and just span. It was ground off and the thread on the bolt was quite clearly knackered 😪 This part doesn't seem to be available easily, despite being a ball joint. So, washers were added with a new bolt and all cleaned up, copper slipped and torqued up. When we put the topmount bolts in, the hardest to get to was just starting to be screwed in when the shock and hub assembly moved and pulled on the bolt pulling the initial threads on the bolt 🙄 This bolt was knackered and luckily we had a non OEM replacement. I'll try and get this replaced though. Next up was the rear, thinking it was going to be easier than the fronts. How wrong we were... Both ARB droplink bolts snapped. The droplinks have seen better days so I'll replace these when I come to tackle more of the back. Due to not having any 8mm bolts long enough, decision made to drill through lower arm and droplink to accommodate a 10mm nut and bolt on both sides. These are a little too long so need to get something shorter, potentially stainless steel l for longevity. Overall, basically all bolts were seized and rusty. Nothing was easy and everything fought us, but we got it done! To do list still: Replace Topmount bolt Replace ball joint on offside Shorter bolts for rear ARB droplinks Replacement rear ARB droplinks Replacement B4 rear shocks A thicker ARB might make the list. I am hoping these bits will be easier, especially with most of it being off already. The car definitely drives better, the shocks were knackered and there is alot more control now. The springs are a tiny bit stiffer but body control is much better with new shocks, springs, topmounts and front droplinks. Rear feels a little wallowy in comparison.

There always seems to be MK2 estates coming up on Facebook, whether prices and conditions are good enough is a different story though. Does the MK2 have independent suspension or is it torsion beam like the base models? I'm just about to go to these, my experience of B4s is they are basically OE equivalent. Not sure on the springs, but my general experience is the bigger the drop the less comfort there is. I can't deal with rigid lowered cars anymore either. I went in a mates 500 Abarth which is lowered and I couldn't believe how hard it was. I don't live in a particularly bad area for potholes but occasionally have to use country roads so want something practical too. Changing tyre profile can help massively, same with arch gap I find and going from 225 to 235 width made a difference to how the wheel looked in the arch.

Thank you very much, alot of it is fairly run of the mill and changes are slow but if I chucked a credit card at all the mods where's the fun in that! I looked at MK2's but budget allowed a MK3. I had the same engine as the MK2 in my GTi and had spent £1300 on getting the timing chain sorted which put me off a MK2. I like the look of the MK2 as well, it's an attractive car but the interior in the MK3 is a good step up. Any plans to change anytime soon?

It's been an amazing and stressful experience. It's a dramatic change to life and I love it. My wife and I are lucky we earn a reasonable wage each that we can afford what's needed and more, I don't know how families on basic incomes manage it. In comparison, the car is a small hobby but also a welcome distraction at times. Spending a few hours cleaning or tinkering here and there is a break. Interesting about the TVS map, I need to do a bit more digging into it. I am definitely sold on getting a gearbox map with an engine map. I wanted to buy something a bit nice but as long as the B4s last the same as the OEM shocks I can't complain. I've only heard good things about Koni's though. I think I remember reading the stock ARB is 16 or 18mm and the Golf R ones are 22mm. I seem to remember someone saying don't bother with a Golf GTi one, not sure why. I do find mine very wallowy at the rear so it will be welcome improvement. I don't mind if the suspension becomes stiffer as long as there's a bit more control, reduced bodyroll and not so crashy. I suspect the crashiness is due to knackered 8 year shocks that have done almost 90k though. Another upgrade that I've seen a few complete is alloy subframes to replace the steel ones. Apparently certain Audi ones are a replacement and have the benefit of dropping weight and not rusting. On top of that subframe alignment kits is another cheap option which some say is worth it.

Yeh, that's more than enough power. I think I'll be happy when I eventually get mine mapped. Just comes down to outright cost at the moment! My son has started nursery and our mortgage goes up in September so alot less disposable income. Also still not sure on which company to go with for mapping. I was fairly set on Racingline but have been following R-Tech for awhile on Facebook and they map ALOT of cars, including alot of Golf GTi's and R's. The only thing I am unsure of is what their 'DSG calibrations' are, this clearly isn't the same as a 'map' so. Not sure what would I be missing out on. I've just bought Bilstein B4s for front, Bilstein topmounts, Meyle HD droplinks along with previously bought Racingline springs, hopefully fitting on Sunday. I'll sort the rear and maybe look at a thicker rear ARB to upgrade it although I need to do some research. I think a Golf R ARB is generally the recognised way to go short of aftermarket. I've also been thinking about and looking at dogbone inserts, probably an aluminium/steel insert instead of a replacement bush to minimise vibrations. This is on top of new centre caps for the wheels, some Kufatec LED boot and glovebox lights and replacement rear light clusters as mine are both sun damaged. Plenty on the list! Beauty of a project is small and subtle changes.

Hey all, Possibly a simple question to answer... Are VRS front anti roll bar links the same as non VRS vehicles? I don't trust eBay/GSF to guarantee getting the correct part if there is a difference and the part number on mine is long gone! Thanks in advance, Doug

Hey all, I have been debating getting a stage 1 ECU and TCU map for my MK3 TSI. I've followed Rodders UK thread below and he's happy with his Racingline map and that's who I was thinking of using. I'm still on the fence but have followed R-Tech in Nuneaton for awhile on Facebook. They map ALOT of cars but are especially big on the TFSI lumps. They do a fair bit of TSI in multiple cars, has anyone had a map from them? They are a bit cheaper than an equivalent Revo or Racingline map (not necessarily a motivation) but offer DSG 'calibrations' rather than a specific map. I assume some stuff offered in a TCU map is not compulsory and changes the way the box behaves in certain modes whereas calibrations means ensuring the box remains safe (clamping forces, heat protection, etc) What I like is they seem to be able to fix any issues that pop up, whereas some places putting on a map may not and will have to refer back to the mapper. Any opinions? Thanks in advance, Doug

Sounds like a sensible solution. I suspected all of them would be similar size wise so Speedo readings and vehicle heights arnt modified too much. I was hoping to pick up a second hand 17" or 18" space saver as a spare but may price up a cheap steel replacement. As the wife uses the car I don't want to get a 16" if it only goes on the back, I don't trust the scissor jack to try swapping 2 wheels if the front blows.

Interesting, I always thought that 18's were needed for VRS' but happy to learn otherwise. Any idea what size the 17" and 18" space saver tyres are? I'm trying to work out diameters they are in comparison to current 19"s, ideally to find similar if possible.

Alot seem to run 235 on 19s though, and they don't look overly bulbous or suffer any issues. I suspect the previous owner had 235 all round and maybe the fronts needed replacing but put OEM sizes back on.

I'd imagine an 18" would be minimum. The MK3 Octavia VRS' won't accept a 17" due to the size of the brake caliper.

Following with interest. What did the mapper say regarding high torque figure other than 'its normal' @RoddersUK?

That's an in-depth and useful answer, thanks very much. I did see the DAS 6 mentioned on another thread a few pages back I think and general recommendations were good. That kit seems like a good beginner kit. One maybe stupid question however, what to use to remove existing waxes/coating? I plan to go over with a tar remover and then clay bar prior to any mechanical work, is this enough to effectively take the paint back to a bare finish with no protection?

Where are you finding in the rev range it's running out? Although I haven't looked, I am guessing they offer a low torque version for manuals to save clutches?

Alot of things like window switches, headlight switches and interior lights are fitted to a multitude of VAG cars. For example, VW Golf window switches and headlight switch will have chrome add ons to make it look nicer. Likewise, the Golf interior light will have red submarine lights instead of white. It's minor, but helps.

To add my tuppence, Alcohol wipes with a high concentration of alcohol (70%), similar to what EnterName said. Whilst it's then still damp I wipe over with a few bits of kitchen roll.

Hey all, I have been contemplating buying an orbital/dual action polisher for awhile. I've done a little research through Google and liked the look of the VonHaus 600 kit which seems to get reasonably good reviews for it's price. I have never machine polished a car. I've used low level (fine?) Polish to a reasonable degree but wanting to increase shine and get rid of low level swirl marks from my car. I'm already quite careful about washing it too often (once a month) washing it when hot/in heat and having a sensible routine. I know there's no point using a polisher if the routine to clean beforehand is poor. Currently: Autoglym 3 stage polar series, wash mitt run under running water between panels (one door, boot, etc) to wash away dirt and grit to a degree, washed in straight lines rather than circles, plenty of foam, never left to dry out. Dried with XL drying towel which is also washed every other wash. It wasnt the best before (8 year old car with almost 90k on the clock) Ironically, I think the drying towel has increased swirl marks so I'm potentially looking at another option - recommendations welcome. I have a claybar and some spray lubricant to assist but have never used it so that's on the to do list. Every 6 months I'll use something like Autobrite tar remover to decontaminate and use a reasonable wax like Collinite 476 for protection. Budget is under £100 ideally. I also have no experience of good entry polishes but have seen a few threads from looking with recommendations. Does anyone own the VonHaus 600 kit? Any other recommendations? Any good websites or how to's? Thanks in advance, Doug