leolito

Thanks once again Carlston! I feel a bit behind with other things but I will get moving with this as winter season nears and can do together with the wheel swap. I see also H&R are an option for spacers but no bolts, rather get everything together. Will update!

Interesting .... when Martini was talking about this mod did not mention this. Do you think is because of the combination of your type of coilover WITH the Arteon mount?

Yeah got it ... same thing we are doing for months. Someday someone will do it at a reasonable distance from me ... I hope

I am curious about the 'DCC module tweak' ... what did it involve?

Well, one time it was easy ... either it turns one way, or the other, depending on polarity. Nowadays it got tricky ...

Standard response, and understandable. Not easy to deal with the accountability if a wrongly ordered part is shipped - and fitted! You seem to be a reasonable person, but the next guy might be unreasonably "complicated" .... Good luck to get this towbar business done!

That number is not matching the accessories' number listed above, so probably is for a "factory" genuine ... so there you go, see if this helps: https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/SUP/851/8/804/804000

On other VAG - albeir older - cars I've worked on, ground is always brown. Seeing the size of the other cables, I'd say red/yellow is 12V+.

I would not say is under-engineered, I think just like most things nowadays is designed by a fresh mind who plays mostly on simulations on a PC, or even worse, gives generic statements to some "AI CAD" and then passes on whatever designs comes out, and obviously on a budget controlled by someone that does not have an idea with side turns a left-hand screwdriver .... 🙄 Result is as expected. It simply needs a cover for the darn hole in the bumper where the hitch resides. Curiously, neighbour's Tiguan has a similar retractable mechanism and after many years his is flawless, which means probably in Wolfsburg they had more budget ... or better "AI CAD" 😁

I would def go with the OE one if you can deal with the price, a more complex install, and the relevant coding needed. It is however a hoot to use, provided you keep your fingers away when the spring retracts (ask me how I know) and make sure you extract it from time to time to clean and grease not only the ball, but also the folding mechanism. I have added a "chopped" rubber ball protector, just the fact that is tucked in does not exclude it is subject to a lot of dirt, mine even shows a spot of rust forming up and this is on a 5yo car, I have been using towards extensevely for over 20 years on several vehicles and this is first time to me ... I am planning before winter to make a detachble "hatch cover" to keep grime and filth out of the way. Sorry for the longish preamble, back at you, my two Accessories' catalogue for the Superb (which I will be happy to email or share) do show different codes for hatch and combi. While the metal in itself I am sure is the same, I believe the cabling and wiring loom connections are in different positions, and thus different lengths, so no strange to have a different code. See attached photos for reference. For an aftermarket towbar that "piggybacks" to the rear lights, or similar, it would make sense to list it as same product. For the car prep, there appears to be a "tow car preparation" which from older posts appears to be with an uprated radiator and fan, and something else now I cannot remember (age, mostly). See also it is shown in the attached. Finally, I have seen and heard of cars WITHOUT any information for towing capacities in the VIN plate fitted in the door pillar. Check first that your has it, otherwise you would have legal problems in case you tow. I believe you can get away with it in case is only a bike rack or similar, but .... The fact that they make this distiction at factory production level is an inenarrable shame, it is like when Fiat sells the Panda with "4 seats" but if you want the 5th with papework and belts, you gotta pay extra ... c'mon ☠️

Well, as it was correctly advised by @Carlston the 18" rims from the Kodiak, while a delight to the sight, are a bit further inside that the original sizes, and after a while I get this "Lidl cart" feeling. So I was thinking for starters to get some spacers, but I am torn on the size .... As seen in the one of these online calculators, the difference between the OE size for rim and tire and mine is 11.7mm. However, the difference for the 'winter tires' is 8.7mm As I would like to avoid faffing around with the spacers, which happens I dislike as well, I was thinking of a "one size fits all" approach, but I am torn between 8mm or 10mm, or larger if I am to accommodate only the 'summer' size. Also, I do not understand if I should also get longer bolts, I have seen and played around only with larger spacers, 15mm and above, but this was aeons ago .... After comes the rest, for now this is my priority if I can sort out before winter swap .... Thanks for any opinions 🙂

I see. Well, it might start with something simpler then 🙂

Well, true that it has always been recommended to replace the fluid at intervals (say four years) which generally most people neglect, but three or even two sounds very little time ... I do not think DOT4s manufactured today have become more hygroscopic than older ones, or have they? 🙃 Every day is a new discovery in the world of modern car making 😁

I am reading their website and I am terrified .... looks like very high-end products! 🙃

Thanks to both @travs and @LeGrumpy I will not observe the very rich site with a more ... dedicated eye. I am freeing up some resources and Superb deserves a bit of pampering ... 🥰

Darn this was informative! I was planning to do this on the Stratoses before winter time, they are factory finished not resprayed, and to the Trinitys before I put them away for winter, but these have a "diamond cut" shiny finish and this is the one I would like to preserve as much as possible. If there is some other equivalent product tried & tested, I am also okay with it, I have no particular preference ... this was just something that came out talking wheels somewhere else ...

That looks fairly ok, very good for such mileage. Notice how it starts by the fixing elements, the zinc coating does not resist as the painted sections, and some of the bolts show signs of it. But overall, looks very good. About the rest, I can't comment as I am fairly new to this family, but I am sure others with more experience will chime in with their advice and horror tales - possibily not! 😁

Buying a car fom Germany is always a certainly for what regards diligence and maintenance. While there can be exceptions, generally cars are very well maintained. The downside is all the crap they throw on the roads in winter, which corrodes everything ... corrodable. So do not be afraid to lay down or ask to inspect the underside of the car - you might not find major rust perhaps, but it will give you a general idea of what you will expect for the future. Bolts and nuts, struts and arms, exhaust, brake and brake lines, fuel lines are all elements that suffer the most. Don't focus on the bodywork (galvanized) and shields/plating (plastic), the drama is in the metal underneath!

Finally, last week when I changed the oil and pads I remembered to look at the dogbone. I confirm I have the same "Batman" shaped rubber as travs. Soon will be shopping time ... should get the bolt as well, probably.

Know perhaps is not the most approriate section of the forum, but since I am looking only for '280' components, I might as well as here .... Any idea how are the products of akstuning.co.uk They have a few goodies in their website I might be interested in ... but looking for some feedback. Any other option is also okay.

Pity for the mishap, at least it was recovered!

Interesting topic ... I have noticed the "shortening" of the brake fluid interval and I wonder if it can be influenced by the more use of the brakes themselves by the ACC/PCC systems. My front wipers are starting to leave streaks, they are 2yrs Bosch ones, so each case is different ... woman Lexus, 2.5yrs/23-24k km Denso OEM. I am replacing the coolant for another vehicle, Dynamax and in the label it says "replace every three years" and I am wondering howe conflicting all these information are, imagine if you are uaware and rely like the OP in a less-than-stellar dealer ... mah

Don't despair! Provided that the leather is still in place, this means no visible "cracks" on it, or patched areas where it is gone, it is possible to coat it with specific paints for leather. I have done this multiple times on mine and customer's vehicles, and with good quality products you can recuperate the "new look" appearance, paints are available in both matt and shiny finish depending on the car spec. It requires professional application, with proper paint gun, hardener, etc. I use the services of a "leather clinic" that specializes only in this. Also seats and door panels can be brought back to new, much better solution especially when you want to preserve the original materials and patterns of the trim, not always available to people that make upholstery, and it will thus look "remade" .... Provided you take good care of it*, the results are years of operation no problem. I started dealing with these like 15yr ago and I am yet to see a bad result. You guys in UK got a tremendous tradition of restoration and bespoke works, I am sure there must be someone there that can do the job. To make life easier, I usually take out the wheel or seats/panels and take them to thw workshop, they always appreciate it so I get discounts and somewhat "prefential treatment" .... 😁 * keep it clean, but don't use the wet wipes you use for the hands! if you have sweaty hands (I do) consider mittens or keep a towel/rag handy and wipe them often; take jewellery out if you can. when I am doing "dirty work" i often remove watch and ring, and now most of the times I am without them (less things to worry about) use a leather cleaner/conditioner at least yearly if you use the car little, or 6 months if you daily have the same towel/rag to put on the wheel when you leave it parked in the sun Simple steps that take no effort and prolong life of your equipment, always a saving at the end of the day 🙂 Sorry for the long post

Mine is also well so far, on its 5yr and 55k km, but the OP is correct you can "sense" a certain lack of robustness in some materials. Is not just a "Skoda vs. Audi" thing, if you have the opporunity like I had to compare carefully the interiors of a 1991 W126 S-klasse with those of a 2021 W223 S-klasse, after the initial "wow" effect because of the cacophony of technological features it emerges the same impression of flimsiness and plasticky feeling that makes you say "this will not last 30 years of use and abuse". Sign of the times, we have to go along with it as well. I've had indiect experience with the dreadful "chrome peeling" on mates Superb 2, Octavia 3, etc.

I quote only part of the post, but very informative overall. I have finally taken the time to do these tasks - except the "coating", read further - when season comes, and swapping of summer/winter trains takes place. After the recent rear pad replacement in the 280, I am going to add also "remove caliper pins, check and grease them" at least every couple years ... However, I am lacking in the 'coating department'. While I have no issues with the car itself (I have this covered) I was wondering about adding more to the rims' aspect. Is not that I want "showroom" or "looking perfect", is that having wheels refurbished has become insanely expensive, and nevermind the deterioration of the quality of the work has followed suit. So is not just "to look good", but also to delay to the maximum extent the inevitable .... On another place I have been recommended this product, what you guys say? Carbon Collective | Ceramic Coat...Platinum Wheels Ceramic Coating - Carbon Collective | Cer...