Dooge

Any photos Mark? I'm thinking 15mm is too much on front but I think the back needs 5mm bigger spacers than the front. If you can't fit anything lower than 12mm hubcentric up front then 18mm-20mm on back should suit. I've seen a few cars with 15mm/20mm front and rear combos and sometimes the front looks overbearing.

Having recently bought my mk3 VRS wagon, I was picky on spec to a degree but finding a mechanically sound and decent mileage one was hard. As family cars they have been used more than similar cars like S3's and mk7 Golf GTi's. I started with a budget of £12k, after a few months of searching I didn't really find anything within budget. I stretched to £14k and travelled 6 hours from Plymouth to Norwich to pick it up. 15 plate VRS DSG wagon in Race Blue, black pack, bigger infotainment screen, DAB, cruise control (surprised how many did not have this specced), heated seats, leather, front and rear parking sensors and 19" Xtreme alloys. I wouldn't be worried about the alloys or leather, heated seats is ace and cruise control is a must although both can be retrofitted with enough persuasion. Black pack is also nice aesthetically and doesn't age the car as much as silver does IMO. As for what to look for, regular servicing and if you go DSG having that serviced every 3 years/40k. Inlet manifolds can still go (just the linkage) which can bring up an engine warning light, waterpump leaking/weaping is common too. Interiors wear well. As for external alot of estates I looked at had damaged rear bumpers due to be so prominent. I did look at a 14 plate with just over 100k on the clock and it was rusty as! As alot of cars in the VAG MQB platform go, poor alignment can cause weird tyre wear issues, especially on the rear. Ex police cars are popping up and can be a bargain if you know what you are looking at but you have to remember how often they are thrashed, left idling and potentially been bumped. Most of these will be diesel though. As others have said, keep looking and they will start to pop up!

I wouldn't be too put off, but if I'd put springs on I'd keep some receipt for at least fitting in the service history. I've seen it after someone (possibly you) put it up on a Facebook group to ask about previous owners. Very tidy looking car though and could retrofit Eibach Pro Springs which would drop it only a small bit over standard.

Love it! Very clean. I love black cars but I couldn't keep up with the maintenance to keep them looking right. The mods list is good though, I looked at the Reiger gloss black rear diffuser but I couldn't justify the cost. I also went to Goodyears recently. Had them on previous cars and suitably impressed considering the price differences to Michelins.

Looks great! How do you find the Racingline map and DSG map compared to the Revo S3 map? I appreciate they are different cars. I'm looking at the same Racingline map and DSG map, I think any of the big brands are a solid choice for maps really. Liking the debadged rear too! Seen a few and it cleans up the rear end nicely.

Loving it to be honest, the blue is a great colour but the grey would have been my second choice. I would want to fit new dampers, it's a 7 year old car and on 83k now so I suspect the dampers are past their best. But springs are on the list! After spending out on Carista I've realised it's very limited so ODB11 or VCDS are on the cards. I need to replace the rear light clusters as they have very weirdly crazed so looking at later LED units which would need coding. Any settings for LED bulbs too. And the Audi throttle adaptation (if it works)

Epic thread and very tidy car, giving me ideas for my relatively new Race Blue wagon. I've got some basic things to do (like new tyres and DSG service) but hadn't even thought of some of the stuff you have done. Definitely added de-rusting and painting discs and rear end cleanup to the list. I think you've also persuaded me into Eibach springs. I've had them before on other cars and loved them, was just reluctant as this is a 'family wagon' and liked the comfort. But much prefer the 'balanced' look they seem to provide over the slightly front end high look of standard. Have you tinkered much with VCDS and coding options? I bought Carista to do some basic things (like turn LED sidelight warning light off) but it's so basic really and getting the itch to try some more things.

Having recently bought Carista (1 month) to do 2 minor changes (LED sidelights and turn off beep on unlock/lock) I have been pretty underwhelmed at the rest. I wasn't expecting miracles but I figured LED sidelights would definitely be on there... it wasn't, unless I'm being a biff. Anyone have any experience to guide me? In terms of other things I changed: - Secondary foglight (so have twin foglights) - Turn off beep to unlock/lock - Turn on indicators flash when unlock/lock - Developer menu screen - Auto unlock doors in park - Interior lights gradually fade out. I *May* end up using the LED option for some other bulbs but there's little on there. In summary, just go and buy OBDeleven or VCDS. Now to look up OBDeleven and see what I can long code. Anyone know if I can use the same dongle as the Carista one?

Thanks buddy, Ill have a look at a few Youtube vids. Did you figure out what you are going to use fuse wise?

Mines a 2015 and I have this. I have been debating getting a spare wheel, I currently have the foam divider/kit above. You could trim it, the back two 'trays' may work but I suspect you'll have to use the tyre as one wall of each tray as I think you'll have to cut them back further due to the shape of the wheel if that makes sense?

Following for this, I have a Garmin dashcam which on my previous car was just wired into a USB adaptor in the cigarette lighter. I have a hardwire kit however and planned to use a piggyback system as above. The car gets used daily so not so worried about draining the battery overly but want to make sure it's done the best way I can and being reversible if I need to. From what the OP is saying I am guessing the fuse box is behind the glove box? I was also thinking 12v boot socket fuse for ACC connection?

These light units have had issues for years burning out the boards, my last car was a 2009 Golf GTi and it was EXACTLY the same. Would work in every scenario except when opening the door. If you held the switch in the right position with the door open the light would come on but that wasn't practical. Either fix as above (which would be intermittent depending upon how bad it was) of buy new. From what I heard it was because of how much current was going through the system, LED bulbs draw alot less.

Not so local to you but I've always used Abbey Garage in Tavistock. A friend uses German Auto Services in Paignton but again a bit far for you.

Hey LithiumX, I am new to Skoda's and this website too. Lots of good info found already! How do you find Carista? I was all ready to buy it but notice OBDeleven has long coding options. I far prefer simple changes rather than multi stage so Carista appeals but I don't know how limiting it is? Currently want to change sidelights/numberplate lights/interior lights to LED functionality, passenger mirror drop in reverse, turn off audio blip when locking/unlocking and probably more. Is the range extensive or limited?

That's fair enough. Almost 250 bhp is enough. My MK6 was supposedly 270 and felt more than enough at full tilt. Almost felt too much but I bet with a differential yours feels more planted. The VRS has different characteristics and its more about travelling speed rather than outright acceleration. I'm no boy racer but my parents live in the country so a B road blast is always on the cards and it's definitely a heavier machine than the Golf.

Thanks Gaz, I did consider the MK7 Golf GTi but with my wife expecting in October and a dog on top I thought the space would be useful! This one was a little more than I wanted to spend initially but it's really been looked after. Have you had your Golf mapped yet?

Hello all, I'm a recent new owner to a 2015 Octavia VRS petrol DSG. Bought it at 82k with a full Skoda dealer service history. Its my first auto and I'm impressed at the flexibility of the DSG box. I wanted a car with a decent level of extras, this has the black pack, Xtreme alloys, cruise control, leather, heated seats and Columbus satnav with smartlink. My last car was a MK6 Golf GTi manual so I have experience of the earlier version of the EA888. After a stage 1 map it was transformed but ate the original clutch and then a replacement quickly stopped accepting full power in 4th. The plan is a few aesthetic mods such as LED bulbs, new xenon bulbs, new plates and refresh the badges. Wheels are needing a refurb and the rear lights have weirdly crazed so need replacing. It's due a DSG and engine service so that's priority. Also contemplating either an APR map and DSG map or Revo, I know R-tech are well recommended but it's the distance to get there! So far I've given it a really good clean, de-tar, polish and seal. I've also replaced the coolant tank with a non silicone bag version and cut open the intake AKA the Pikey intake mod. My only slight gripe is road noise! Tempted to try some acoustic foam panels in the boot, anyone tried similar? Has anyone refurbed the Xtreme's in anthracite grey and got rid of the diamond cut edge?