Mikey_au

Hey @Vivalazuzu Having had mine for 5 years now, never get an alignment outside the dealer. They don’t know to do it. I’ve replaced a few tyres after pot holes. I’ve had to go dealer for alignment after tyre change. I’ve come to accept the MQB platform doesn’t like low profile tyres and come with tyre roar. I think if have to jump to the MLB platform to fix it. We have 7.5 GTI which has the problem too but not as bad. I find engine noise is well isolated and wind noise is decent. I bought deadening but decided against installing it. It’s a pain the bum to do I don’t think it will fix the issue and just add weight to the car… I’ll just have to live with it and be more aware next purchase. In terms of mods, if I can call it that, I added illuminated OEM door scuff plates and felt lining for the door pockets. The other thing I’ve learned for next purchase is the floor pan and pedals are too close and not enough thigh support under legs. For the price though I can’t really complain much, it’s been mostly reliable and refined for the money…. Although I bought line just before the mental car inflation.

It sounds like 200hz and possible from tyres. Have you change them recently? Is your alignment correct? Are they evenly worn? Are shocks worn. Also consider engine mounts. Does the noise frequency change?

I have the Scala Lauch (Australia) which has the Adaptive Dampers / DCC. Yes it is 1.5cm lower than standard. This is fixed. Despite some comments it definitely does not lower or heighten based on selection. It does stiffens the suspension. It reduces the rate which shock absorber fluid is allowed to transfer. Meaning it will stiffen and reduce the time to body roll but does not change how much it will roll. If you continue lateral forces it will body roll the same as in normal mode. It just takes longer. I use it sometimes. When on country roads with undulations or sine waves it makes the car much more stable and safe. It’s also good if you want to have fun around a twisty road but comfort suffers. But let’s be real it’s so sports car but has excellent grip. It only offers two modes. Normal and sport.

Hi everyone, This morning I noticed front cracked panoramic roof on Scala Launch (Australia). Here we get 7 year warranty. It’s booked in for next Wednesday for assessment then repair if they approve. No external damage so I expect warranty is honoured. There’s something inherent. Wondering if anyone else has had this issue with Scala. Some pictures attached but they don’t come out so well. Also not sure why pics upload upside down.

@Gerrycan The thought of Tesla crossed my mind but they have the feel of an appliance and interiors like IKEA. Not sure I can get passed their egonimics… the Octavia drove like a big car. Quite different to the 7.5 gti we have. It’s quite good. The DCC is very good. The fake engine sound is embarrassing and a huge turn off. Interior was surprisingly the winner. I didn’t even drive the mk 8 gti today. I couldn’t get passed the low grade interior. What a step back from the 7.5. How does that even happen? It was quite poor and I had low expectations. The Cupra not my cup of tea in the end. Skoda dealer was pushing Škoda finance for 2k discount and $14k trade in. So $52k change over… that’s a bit rude so I’ll wait for something that feels more next gen before spending that kind of money and use a less scrupulous dealer. Scala is fine if not lacking a bit of engagement.

Hi everyone. I suspect I might not get the most unbiased view from a Škoda forum but would appreciate people’s view I’m in Aus and have a Scala Launch. It’s basically every possible option except the premium audio, nice and refined enough but it can’t escape its AO platform origins. I feel it’s time to upgrade to something more substantial with better dynamics and performance. My partner has a 7.5 GTI and with the multilink rear, mechanical diff, progressive steering, wet clutch and the EA888 it’s truly in the next league. I’ve narrowed my choice to the titled VAG products. The Civic Type R looks ridiculous and Hyundai N lacks refinement. That’s about it for Aus unless I step into BMW, Audi or Mercedes territory and as a true Škoda owner, keen on maximum value equation and those brands are really for higher net worth people. I’m doing test drives this weekend on all three. Recommended pricing for each, fully spec’d are roughly RS $68k, GTI $61k (since when is it cheaper?) Formetor VZx $70k and Leon VZ $56k. Does anyone with the vRS have buyers regret? Does anyone have experience with the other mentioned models? I’m also thinking of waiting 9 months for Mk 8.5 or RS facelift unless I get an attractive offer on what’s currently really a run out model. More power, better infotainment and better matrix lights Also, is anyone seeing good discount by dealers? I read the market is slowing and supply is returning but I get the impression inflated prices are subsidising the electrification strategies so not sure what’s a realistic haggle these days. Appreciate anyone’s insights

I thought about selling them but I’d might get $50 each and just didn’t want the hassle of lugging them around. I’m out of town till next week. I’m intrigued by your wasteful spending?

Ok so I’ve now swapped in the 215/40 18 Goodyear eagle F1 sport so all tyres match size again. Body control has returned. No rebound. I even put the dampers in sport mode and chucked it quickly around some tight B roads. Full confidence at limits again. While it’s no sports car it grips and holds a corner better than an economy compact car really should… and not as far off my partner’s Mk7.5 GTI as you might think. lesson to self and anyone reading this… never have different diameter tyres, even if slightly so and even if the axles match. I just dusted $800 replacing the 215/45 front set which had been on for less than two weeks. A pricey lesson. happy driving!

My definition of budget is a tyre which compromises performance new or quickly after purchase because of the compound. I do a fair amount of highway driving so if a kangaroo hops in front of me (which is not rare) I want the car to reliably stop as quickly as possible and allow me to manoeuvre if safe to do, so I don’t kill it. If it’s raining and I’m doing 80+kph on crappy B road and I see a new giant pot hole I want confidence I can swerve it instead of forced to drive it in with my teeth clenched and eyes squinted. If an idiot distracted driver cuts me off at 110+kph I want to know the car will hold of I turn out of lane quickly in any condition and not loose control.

@Ootohere oh 1.3 ton is pretty good. I think Chinese manufactured and Chinese brand are two different things. I doubt there’s a Chinese brand that outperforms established brands. Giti is the Chinese brand OEM tyre for Chinese brand cars sold in Aus and they have poor reviews (the tyre not the car). My choice in Australia for the 205/45 18 is “LingLong” which doesn’t inspire any confidence. Terrible VAG sell the car in a market that doesn’t support its tyre. I wish the Scala came with good looking 16… something like the Golf Mk 7. I thought BMW own and engineer the mini not GWM?

@Ootohere 205 seems quite narrow for a 1.8 ton car. That should have a 245, especially since it’s aiming for performance but perhaps they went for claimed range. Maybe the supersport are different compound because the sport I have are excellent in the wet. The car is not fussed by slippery terrain.

@nta16 the Scala is definitely no sports car but can hold a corner. This week, I went to overtake a car on a v rough road. I’ve done that patch before. The rear tailed since the new front 215/45 tyres. It’s not as planted and rebounds on undulations. This never occurred before. The Scala is numb to drive by design but it does have excellent body control. No rebounding no matter the terrain until now. I can only place it to the new tyres. The Launch version I have is 15mm lower and has a pointless adaptive damper. My experience says the new tyres have upset the dynamics. Perhaps I’m more sensitive to it than most. I’m no fan of the low profile tyre trend, especially for Australian conditions and especially on non-performance cars like the Scala but I don’t work in VAG product team and there is no choice here. It’s 18” on every variant. Tyres are one of the most important safety items so to me, it’s crucial the setup is as optimised as it can be. It can make the difference between a very bad day or worse and I hope never to find out. Chinese tyres aren’t too bad at first but the rubber compounds degrade quickly, resulting in poor performance, especially wet. Yes it’s the Eagle F1 Sport. Only available in Australasia. Wasn't aware the Eagle heritage dates back to 80s. My Scala doesn’t have a tyre placard. And yes I’ve checked the car. They missed applying it in production. Yes a compliance breach. I got the run around from Skoda and I gave up when the 5th person to email me asked if I was in Russia? I still don’t know the pressure. I keep at 36psi. The tyre shop put them to 40psi. It seems high for such a light car.

Thank you everyone. Appreciate your insights. I’m having 215/40 F1 (89w) F1 sports replace the two-week old 215/45s tomorrow. Seems wasteful but I v much dislike the car dynamics and I don’t trust it at limits anymore, it’s awful feeling. I’m amazed how sensitive the suspension is to slight changes. I’ll ask the shop to weigh them i’m curious. It has to be centrifugal forces. What’s very annoying is VAG sold the car with 205/45 18 which are not a size sold in Australia expect for budget Chinese brands. So my only choice for a high quality is 215/40 or 225/45. The 225 is an almost perfect match for diameter but appears a bit too wide for car weighing in at only 1200kg (and incredible feat when you think of it). Skoda also don’t sell 16 rims in Aus and mine came with the Vega Aero which is actually a lovely rim and it seems a silly expenses to downgrade. There’s a general perception that slightly overinflated tyres handle poor roads better. Australia can dish up some really bad roads once you get out of the cities. I imagine that’s why most ppl do it. Thanks again folks

Check the manual. I think it’s an H8. I think it’s hard to access to replace, but if you do, please go in front and check the light doesn’t dazzle other road users. Here in Australia you find lots of uneducated idiots who put LED lights in refractive casings designed to house halogen bulbs and the result is to dazzle other road users. It’s incredibly obnoxious, annoying and just makes your car look cheap. I don’t think you can just swap them but if you have the right success pls share, I’d consider doing it too.

Hi everyone. i have the AU Scala Launch which came with 205/45 r18 Goodyear Asymmetric 3. Great performing but rubbish noise and they definitely don’t tolerate pot holes. I replaced two with 215/40 r18 (thanks La Niña) F1 sport. Same handling, slightly better noise. Can’t buy 205 down under… not sure why I just replaced the remaining A3s with 215/45 r18 F1 sport thinking ride might improve with the higher sidewall. They’re on front axle. It feels more compliant but my sensations tells me its lost its excellent body control, especially on highway. Just a bit bouncy now where before there was never any rebound. Trust the Germans/Czech I’m no engineer but I’m guessing it’s the increase tyre weight and higher centrifugal forces which the springs and dampers aren’t tuned for…I didn’t think of this before and I don’t like the sensation and slightly worried it’s less safe in emergency… ironically, it’s a 93 tyre and XL rated and is quite loud too. I suppose the question is, would the weight difference be the cause? im thinking of replacing them with 40s to have the excellent body control back and lower noise… unless anyone can suggest a better tyre than the Goodyear? I’m happy to spend on a quality tyre. Like shoes, somethings you just don’t skimp on Any insights appreciated

Stocker, my lesson for next time. I did test drive the Kamiq but I didn’t pay attention to road noise. The engine noise was well suppressed in both so I assumed it was superior overall to my last car (which turned out better at road noise suppression). Still, I don’t regret the Scala over the Ford Focus which felt 10 years old inside or Mazda 3 which was a bit EMO inside a unrefined drive train in comparison. But if I’d have my time again I’d take both Kamiq and Scala on coarse-chip at speed and go with results as you had. At the time the Kamiq only came in 3 cylinder unless you went Monte Carlo (which is test drove) and I the Monte Carlo isn’t to my taste… dressed up to be a sports car when it’s frankly not, just feels fake and pointless to me

Thanks Pete, I think the rear-end thump sound is common with torsion beam or live axle suspension. They loose dampening control when both wheels are subject are subject to absorbing-energy in suspension travel. They just fling back and over power the shock absorbers. It’s an awful sound isn’t it…

Just to confuse us even more… They’re basically the same car. I doubt they added extra deadening to Kamiq, they’re the same class really. You sure it was same conditions? The only relevant difference I can think of is the ride height allowing more energy to escape rather than absorbed under the car which might suggest the undercarriage and A pillar wheel arch /door join as the primary sources but I’m really clutching at theoretical straws… I’ll post when I do the doors. Wont be for a few months… do update if you have any success too

It’s 7 year warranty in Australia so it’s a long wait. I might do the door cards one day, it’s seems the easier, and will post back. No one will know if claimed warranty, and should improve audio quality as well. Under the seats there’s mm think sheet metal which I think is cause too but who knows. Next car I buy I’ll be driving on coarse chip road but at the price I think they’re all similar… good to know the tyre profile doesn’t make a meaningful difference

Hi Pete. I confident I’ve isolated the issue coming from poor sound deadening from the undercarriage and doors. It just reverberates like a tin speaker. There seems to be carpet underlay but nothing to absorb the vibrations, except for a few tiny strips in spare wheel housing. I bought some tools to take the door cards out and done some research on sound deadening materials but that’s where it’s stopped. I just don’t have the motivation or confidence yet to take the big job on and worried taking interior apart in case I can’t put it back together again without crying. It’s a good 8+ hour job for the novice but could stage it I suppose. I got a quote for $2k aud for an installer which I’m also considering. Happy to spend it if I know it offers the result but it’s a bit of a gamble because NVH is tricky I imagine

Carloston, thanks for the detailed reply. Unfortunately is Australia, Skoda doesn’t sell 16” rims, even as accessory which is mental because we have pretty awful roads not suited to low-profile tyres (I’ve had to replace two from pot holes in the last two years). Correction the tyres I have replaced are 215/40 not 45. The 205/45 I was told are “strange size” by the dealer themselves and you can only get them in Chinese brand where the rubber degrades quickly and becomes a safety issue for me not worth the risk. Non factory rims look like the 90s and even then they looked awful so I’m not inclined to take the option, particularly since it’s a significant expense without any demonstrable improvement, it’s a bit anecdotal what you’re suggesting although I do appreciate it. I guess my next car I’ll ensure it doesn’t have low profile but for some mad reason the trend in Australia is low profile on just about everything even though engineering wise they are not suited to our conditions. But alas style over substance is the theme of today and I digress…

I drive lots of highway miles and on newer, smooth road surfaces the Scala is whisper quiet. In fact very quiet. But on course chip and concrete it’s loud and becomes tiring and I wonder if anyone knows if adding any sound proofing will reduce noise, and if so exactly where and what kind of material to use. Tyres are 215/45 18” Good year F1 Sports. It’s clear it’s from the tyres so my first reaction is wheel arches but I’m no sound engineer. My last car was a Holden Calais. It was very quiet on course chip and I noticed it had a foam between the front door and wheel arch not sure if that was the answer. Any experience you can share would be greatly appreciated . Thank you