SkodaNewb

So I brought a used car which had Skoda services from New (3 services) . It then went to a private individual who serviced it once a year (completely understand the dangers of this and how it isnt advised and also the reasons why, but that's another story!) Anyway it was serviced (by the selling garage) at 60k. Just an oil and filter. 6k later the "oil change service 20 days " sign has come up. Guessing all out of sync and message not updated / cleared. From what I see (and ideally want) is it was on yearly servicing. I'll probably do around 15k a year and would like to service once a year, traditionally I'm used to a big service little service rotation but aware it's all a bit different to that. My question, will an independent garage be able to reset so my warning comes on once a year? Or is this really not advised and should I follow the Skoda schedule, if so how do I find that out?! Also what's inspection service and oil change, is it as obvious as it sounds!?! Thanks

Evening all, The seals around each of my windows is going spotty and grey! Can it be cleaned or is something happening to the rubber? I was looking to try and restore all the trim / plastics back to black but wondering if it's too late?

Sorry to ask another question, Looking to replace my chrome grill surround with black. Noticed ebay do aftermarket half the price but offer Glossy or Satin finish. What's the genuine black pack on the Skoda mk3 please, always thought it was glossy? Thanks!

Thanks. Grille has actually come away at the top all the way along that side, can just see it. But it only flexes if you push! I might try it and hope I don't damage grill any more!

So in further developments, it seems someone before me tried and failed... Or I've had a bird strike! The front grille itself is cracked. I know the surround is a job doable without removing bumper but I believe the complete grill is a big job bumper off etc? The grille is together and sound but if you put force on it it flexes in around d the crack! Would I now be silly to try and replace the surround alone? As I'd probably not change the complete grille otherwise, unless there's a reason? You can't tell it has a crack!

Thanks for that. Just found a ceramic coating wipe, they seem to last year's. Might give em a go. 15 min job? It'd take me that to undo the first bolts 😂. I'm not overly confident that's all, fear I'll crack the bumper. Don't care about snapping the old grille! Just like to watch a good vid, maybe I'll brave up!

I have a 2014 VRS Estate, no black pack. I want to make it black again, everything's faded! I have rails (estate) and they're grey as are the seals all around the windows. I've seen some gtech back to black style stuff but know it won't last forever. Anyone successfully made everything black again? Also going to replace my chrome grill surround for the black one, I've read it's possible but wondered if anyone did a video? There's one on YouTube but it's already done, my DIY skills aren't great so step by step is good for me! Thanks all

Thanks toot. Very informative. I check when warm usually. As I did today when I saw it was empty. Ah that's fine then I'll stick to Mobil if I can, there is no mention of what oil was used last time (can I mix brands?) is the Mobil a long life oil? I'll stick with it if so for top ups. Today I put in 500ml it's now half way up the cross hatched area. Another reason I assume it's a litre top to bottom. I'm leaving it to cool now and will check again the Level and top up if necessary. Does that seem excessive use? 1l in 5k miles?

Hi all, Have a 2014 vrs tdi. I do check the oil (but probably not as frequent as I should!) however after a couple hundred mile trip yesterday I'm told this morning "car said something about oil"!! I checked the dipstick and it was showing basically nothing! First confison... Does this mean the car has used 1l of oil? I read top to bottom of dipstick is around 1l? After checking it the warning vanished (I assume the bonnet opening did this? Would it come back on out of interest?) Next up I added some Mobil 1 5w30 ESP. I wanted Castrol but didn't have, I now see when trying to buy Castrol they do a LL version? How do I know what I need? Car was serviced yearly and I'll keep that way. To confirm the dipstick read full when I got the car, having done 5k miles is when the light came on yesterday, but worryingly I never really noticed it dropping! Thanks

So I've asked similar before, but I still just don't quite understand. My VRS Diesel this week did 4 short trips (10/15 min) , when home and parked up the fans stayed on after. Presumably trying to regen. I then started a 45 min drive and the regen started 5 mins into the trip (I have vag dpf) finished in 15. Perfect. All nice and clean I thought! Sat /sun I then did 3 more trips about and hour each, quite fast drives covered about 120-150 miles. Today wife did a 10min trip and it's trying to regen on the drive when she's pulled up, is that just really unfortunate timing? I'm showing 38% oil ash residue at around 70k, so about half the life of the dpf I'd guess? I just assumed doing 3 pretty good runs would keep it happy for a bit! I've had the car 3/4 months and some times I don't notice regens for weeks, sometimes it happens like this, it's not really causing a problem but 150 miles seems quick to be regen after a good few runs. This is a typical weeks drive few short runs and then long runs Fri-Mon. Should I just stop worrying and let it do it's thing!?!

As per the title, what figures are good / average for an estate vrs TDI 14 plate? Completely understand there's a million variables here and no one's going to be the same, driving style, gradient, speeds etc etc! I just did a 3hr 30 drive, mainly clear dual carriageway and motorway for 90 %, driving very sensibly with my right foot (ok maybe a little heavy once or twice very briefly!) and got 49 MPG. I was kind of thinking / hoping at least 55mpg? My more usual (4 days of 4/5 short trips and 2 or 3 days of longer trips ) is about 35/37mpg (kind of expected that due to short trips)

I'm assuming you do much longer journeys than me, or is it possible engines are set to different regen limits? I've read a fair few posts saying its normal at around 100 miles to regen. I also now can't find soot mass measured, the box on vag dpf has disappeared and I don't understand where its gone! You have some healthy sounding figures, I'm on 29g oil ash but have only 65k miles. You're right, need to stop worrying but it's typical the regens happen on my short journeys and I don't have time (and don't really think I should have too ha) to sit in a car for 15 minutes waiting! That's the bit that worries me, as it keeps trying every trip and I interupt each time which I know isn't ideal. Just hope it times itself and happens on my long jour eys like today!

Interesting! Luckily I haven't had the fix, my engine wasn't affected! I did 30 min this morning, the regen started the minute I got in, 3 minutes in I was doing a steady 60 and at 600 degree by 5 minutes. The regen took 16 minutes according to my app, went from 24g down to about 5. Strangely vag dpf wasn't showing soot mass measured, now it is just appeared? Is that because I've done 1 regen with the app I wonder? Anyway I can compare that to the calculated now. Be interesting!

My longer trips are at least 45 minutes usually. But I agree it does seem hard to get to temps required. I also agree that I could clearly see the longer trip was accumulating much less soot and so just extending the time between active regen. We'll I'm at 90 per cent soot now and about to make a 40 min drive, so it'll be the first time I see a regen while driving I assuming! (only just got the app!) I do think I worry about these things too much but at the same time I find it interesting Learning about it! Does anyone know what a good number is for the MG per mile of soot? I assume the faster constant speeds get low levels? Sat in traffic yesterday and I saw 300mg per mile, then steady speeds I saw avg 60mg I think

Hi all, I've got the vag dpf app and trying to figure out the optimum driving style to achieve passive regen? I've driven for a while and only once did the symbol turn red and show at over 380 degree, soot level is 75 % full. Should this mean the MG per mile go negative and start burning soot? It was showing around 50mg per mile still? To get that I drove from 0 to 70 off a roundabout to dual carriageway very hard! It shot up, but when I stayed at 70 temp immediately dropped. Currently doind an active regen every 100 miles which seems very frequent? I do short trips 4 days and long trips 1 or 2 days a week?! Thanks for any advice

Hi all. When I got car 14plate Octavia estate, tyre pressure were set at about 24psi! I changed to the recommended light load (I usually have 2 adults, 2 kids) 2.4 bar all round (18" tdi). I noticed less crashing but feel a bit less "grip" more bounce! When going away I'd load the car with suitcases prob adding 60kg... I assume I wouldnt class that at fully loaded, 3.2 bar on the rear seems extreme?! So really my question, how much more should I increase for my "full load" and will reducing every day pressure by a couple psi give me a more stable feel? Or not to go below the diagram?

As an update. I scanned my car earlier, one fault code showed an EPC error/oil pressure? interestingly just reading how this may cover traction control?! Yet I'm pretty sure it worked for me! Off to the garage for a proper check I think!

I know. Look at this, to me the top right knobly bit has oil over it... So it's overfilled? Or does it have oil on it? Maybe not to look at but to touch it's oily, or is that where it hits the tube on the way down and up? Haha

That's the bit that worried me. OK if I was going 60 and it happened, I'd kinda expect it. Hell maybe the speedos out too. 😂. I do actually have 3 fault codes I need to read, need to get on that pretty quick!

I wonder the same! I assume it's getting g the regen done when I do my long trips, but short of stopping and checking the revs like you say, it's impossible to know! That also reminds me to check the oil, I find it the hardest dipstick to read though lol!

Just bringing this back, I've noticed last week regens didnt happen, this week today I've done 4 trips ten minutes long and each time it's tried an active regen on shut down. Last time I had time so waited it out, 15 minutes later the revs dropped so I assumed finished and a minute or so later turned off, however the fans came on, so I'm hoping the regen was done and just cooking after. I've got an odb reader coming soon, I may check with that on the regens but ultimately if this is common behavior I'm not sure the cars suited and I'll be kn the hunt for a petrol! Mpg is only about 40mpg at the minute so nothing amazing anyway! Shame as I do love the car really!

It's always a possibility I guess! I drive the road daily and never had issues, I'm also usually travelling it faster than today! I recon I just wasn't paying enough attention and then got unlucky going to close to the edge when I did a sharp turn to avoid plowing into the bank!!

Being a new car I looked down to turn the temperature down, I don't normally do that but that split Second made all the difference! As you say though. The car did it's thing I was going a reasonable speed and all is OK, just be more mindful in future of looking away on bendy roads!!

Im thinking, we'll hoping, the issue was that as I turned hard, I was on some mud/bark/whatever there was at the side of the road below the trees! The right hand side wheels have dirt / mud between the rim and the tyre. I've been able to corner quite hard normally and never felt any problem. As it all happened very quick, maybe it wasn't the rear coming out but the front sliding? It basically felt like the front of the car turned hard right but slid like on ice, and the rear was going left (if that makes sense)

TDI VRS, Front wheel drive. Boot couple small bits in and car seats in rear. Tyres Goodyear 225 40 18, new tyres within couple months so good tread!