leolito

This is a typical case of things you either get (order) or come factory, or you better find secondhand from a breaker ... reminds me of the classic statement "now you look for a second car for spares", so often mentioned in classic circles ... urgh Time to keep an eye out for some suitable donor! 😉

May be silly but ... tag in the engine bay indicates VW 504 00 and 507 00, SAW 0W-30. I find info that refers to 504 being gasoline spec, and 507 TDI spec, does this makes sense to other 280 users as well? Anyone using other than 0W-30 for any reason (just asking, I am used to very old fashioned engines and oils so just gathering info).

Personally I don't see the point of paying extra to get a smaller boot & a flat floor. I guess it depends on the level of practicality you want to assign to the thing. I like the flexibility it offers. In my latest long trip for example, family bought many small items (will not indulge further 😬) that amounted overall to small suitcase/trolley (no the Ryanair allowed ones 😜). With some careful Tetris playing, I managed to "fill" the false floor space with all of them, saving myself the hassle to find a container where to put them, which to fit "above" would have required me to travel with the open roller curtain, which I always try to avoid. Without the vario floor, I would have had to use a few shopping bags here and there, another thing which I dislike when traveling 🤭 Now this is a almost unique case, but the practicality offered by the car again saved the day ....

I already priced this up with new parts around £1000 so hoping to find a car being broken for parts to take them all off! the new price is just a bit too much for me! That is a clever course of action. I seem to recall the sides are also needed, is not just the movable flap part. With more cars "aging", it should not be an impossible thing. More complicated I imagine is to find a car for breaking that has not been "broken" yet, if you see what I mean, to have all the parts in the more pristine condition. Many times I have seen lots of engine or suspension parts thrown in the interior without regard for upholstery, trim, etc. ... what's the point to break a car for parts then, if you don't care for the parts themselves? Often I question the breaker and they look at me like I am a Martian ... 🙄

Welcome and great choice ... I've followed a similar path to get to my 280 as well! I do not own a W124 CE but I've worked on them (various repairs and a full restoration, which literally killed me🤪 luckily the customer was a friend so we manage not to lose the friendship over it 😄) Wonderful car, from a bygone era. Nothing came close to it afterwards in the shiny star world. And you got a cool power plant! If pristine keep it, it needs little (but precise) to get going ...

Hola y bienvenido!

Sorry for your loss ... we not always part with our cars the way we want. I have a friend with a Citigo, I could mediate here, we can arrange something 😜 Write me in pvt message when is comfortable.

🤪😝 Well, having space is always better than not to have it! Mine game of tetris is always made even more challenging by the fact the usual "bigger size" suitcase is the last my beloved wife has ready, which means I am circling around the house and car with a half-organized luggage space, as I want to start the load by the larger issue. Thus the added factor 'time' versus the already known 'space', as by the time the (last) suitcase is ready, the family women are ready in like milliseconds and then waiting for me to load up quickly .... 😬 Luckily, we got better with the years so we do not press each other and it works much more smoothly .... My full loaded holiday came one day the car arrived - and it was superb, as expected. If you have it, the vario floor is very useful. Enjoy the trip!!

Uh, sorry if I sounded condescending, was certainly not my intention. Allow me to expand ... I have no doubt that the smaller TSI does its job moving the car along. I've done myself around 200k km when I was consultant/representative and the company supplied Pug HDi cars only, first a 306 90hp then a 307 1.6 110hp and then finally a 308 136hp. All three more than adequate to keep up with traffic and provide reasonable progress. SWMBO jap hybrid is also okay for tagging along. And I am also okay with smaller/less performing vehicles (the abovementioned Micra runabout must be among the slowest vehicles on the road!). And I am lusting a 2cv so imagine ... 🤭 But If you are looking for make fast progress - and this does not mean drive like an a.. - there are some basics of power/weight ratio which make some vehicle configurations more adequate than others. It's all down to a (complicated) mix of wants, needs, and obviously haves. Like for like - at least for me, as I bought secondhand - the outlay for the more powerful TSI was not much more than a similar equipped AWD TDI, with a performance plus. I would have loved the Skoda PHEV offering to be with a different powerplant and full AWD, but it was not the case. And as you buy only once ... I also see a (dark) electric future in motoring, might as well try to enjoy it while it still lasts!

Cannot compare prices as we are far far away but I am a longtime happy supporter of LPG, it is a valid alternative fuel, cheaper, cleaner, and otherwise wasted during the oil extraction/processing. Pity it is not so supported as it could be. I have been running various cars on LPG for more than 20 years now, a few installed by yours truly as well when I was in the trade. Yeah, there are a number of drawbacks: cost of installation but especially QUALITY of the installation (I cannot stress this enough), fact that you have a second complete fuel system which requires proper calibration (another no no with most installers), a minimal loss of luggage space/spare tire (which can be a problem in the Micra, but not really on a large car like a Superb), range and refuelling is not a drama if you can plan it accordingly, and you have to schedule a couple extra tasks in the servicing (e.g. LPG filter replacement, and so on). But the pluses are absolutely worth ... at the local prices, running the 280 on "live" petrol costs me more or less the same than my venerable P38 4.6HSE with its horrible gas guzzling RV8 per km. In other words, the ~12km/lt I make on the Superb (long haul) is compatible with the 5-6km/lt of the RR with a fuel around 60% cheaper than petrol - in my case. I had before an A6 Avant with the 2.8 193cv and was averaging 8-10km/lt which was in cost terms what an A4 1.9TDI would cost, but with a different level of performance and sophistication. Anyway, each makes its choice. The Superb offers a nice hole for a tank, I recon a 60lt fits easily if not 64/66 (got to measure how deep it is), which allows for a good capacity and range. My LPG colleague/installer mentioned for my engine type (DNF) only Prins is available as an option, and a system would set me back around 1500 eur. Must consider this runs at a 5-15% proportion to petrol, unlike indirect injection engines which can be fully switched. The double injector engines cannot be converted to run on LPG, at least this I was told. Even with this consideration, for a long run the advantage is considerable. I do not see as a drawback the "losing" of a spare tire, I use the Micra for a runabout in town since 3yrs/36k km and the spare sleeps in the garage since then. Same for the RR and my previous Audi, except when I make a long trip and then in that case I load it up, yes it bothers and takes some space, but you tend to forget when the wallet thanks you .... I still got warranty left on mine so for now I just go along, but will see in the future. PS: to the OP, I think for the driving you need to do you will hate the iV with a passion. That small capacity engine on such a large body and FWD is not for that use. Today I made 420km in exactly the type of roads you describe, and the capability to 'point and shoot' given by a more than decent powerplant is simply almost exhilarating. I hope I can remove the "almost" once I deal with the laggy pedal 🤪😝

Mine also does the same, RPM changes if load/no load of the transmission. My other auto vehicles also do that ("conventional" auto with torque converter) ... it is normal, or am I missing the question? Sorry in that case ... 😊

Today I had a quick trip in which ~200km were with a bothersome drizzle and I really can say the mudflaps were a worthy addition, even actually I was having the rear wiper which goes once every tot seconds to kind 'scrape' so dry it was the rear window. A difference with my earlier trip without them ... good, one more thing done! 😊

Great! Will see in action!

Hey M, wanna have a laugh? The other day I went to a dealer to see a car and he noticed the Superb and wondered why it has no vacuum on the doors. So he proceeds to show me a Taycan he has for sale and says this is the only Porsche that comes without them, but he retrofitted and indeed he did. He offered me such service for ... I convert to euros ... 767 euros 🤪 😆

Indeed ... I spent months pondering on the issue and there are really few variants that tick all the boxes the way a Superb does. And in all of them there is at least one drawback very difficult to compromise with! I am waiting the "new" VCDS from Gendan (mine is obsolete for this car), and will try the 'audi' mod first, and then will take it from there. Re-map is a no-no at the time, I got still warranty left and I also prefer not to have the car touched (got a history of ...problems). Will see. Noticed a distinctive difference in price between DTE products and the Racechip ones, surprising for what I would think - ignorantly, for sure - are very similar products ....

Approaching 4k km, I must say I am very happy, car is brilliant and a very relaxing place to be, when you can relax ... 🙂 Is also economical when light on the throttle, but it comes difficult as going fast(er) seems natural to do ... oh well, those are problems! 🤭 Still getting the hang of it, for sure couple things I am having trouble adapting to, one is the logic of the DSG, in all modes is slow and goes as soon as possible to the high gears, in sport keeps them hanging which also makes it bothersome. It certainly encourages to drive sedately ... which when you do is great and all sleeps! Same applies - and more - to the skinny pedal, the feedback/control is horrible. Not only laggy, but also like ... dumb. Now I understand the posts talking about a pedal box, which I think will come soon as I really prefer a more responsive throttle, here it passes from "let's all sleep" to "wild ride" in no time ... and obviously the engine roars and roars, DSG drops couple gears, car lurches forward unsettling all the body, and so on ... I wonder how Skoda tested this and determined it was reasonable and satisfying ... Will look into the available options, which I guess is Germans DTE or Racechip. Considering the future has a Stage I engine tune, maybe is preferable a bundle, or they are totally independent systems?

Good tutorial, I used it as a reference today to fit both front and rears on mine. I had to help myself with the jack to gain space, just sufficient to lift the body, without removing the wheels. Right-angle for drilling was necessary. I also used a 6mm bit instead of the 7mm in the instructions, to have the plastic "plug" fit tighter. I recommend to press well the flap to the body to make it as flush as possible. And by seeing all the crud that came out while wrestling with the wheel arch liner, I suggest taking them out and give a good clean behind them ...

Ah! I was going to refer to the 'mudflaps guide' topic, not to cross-thread (still tiptoeing my way around here), but since you asked here, here it goes ... rears: my socket wrench would be 'tight' against the 19s, so I lifted the car lightly to gain space. No need to remove the wheels. No surprises here, except a lot of dirt ... I suspect removal of the wheel arch liner will be in the list of things before next winter .... front: here it was a bit more tricky, the space was really limited but I was determined NOT to remove the wheels (I was also tight on time), so again combination of lifting and full lock on one side and another, plus the use of a right-angle (which took me like 20min to find I had not used it in ages) for the cordless was sufficient, especially using some acrobatics over the wheel 🤪 note: press well the flap against the bodywork to make it flush as much as it can, is not really really a perfect precise fit. note2: I decided against a 7mm as indicated in the instructions, used a 6mm instead and 'played' a bit on the edges. This made the plastic stud harder to enter, but less prone to eventually fall loose. They are one-time use in any case. All in all, I am pretty satisfied, it was a fairly simple job and hope they do their work 🙂

Finally I've fitted the mud flaps! No pics yet, will do.

You shoulda asked them, I never heard of it - might have happened, but no record seems to exist 😜

I also have wondered about that, as it seems in different places the "chrome" is actually a different coating, if not a different material altogether. I am part of a project with a MB W126 being restored, and I've noticed the 'chrome' trim on the bumpers and roof contour is actually metal which has been nickel plated, and tremendously resistant to atmospheric and corrosive agents - but if scratched sometimes polish might not save it, and it needs to be re-plated which is, at best, "difficult". The window trims on the doors instead, I've found out are actually anodized and polished aluminum, which became a popular (and cheaper) alternative since the 80's and 90s, but more prone to pitting and fading of the color (it gets "milky", don't know ho to explain it better). Regular cleaning and polishing keeps it at bay, but with time, the sun and so on it degrades irremediably. Now looking at most cars in the market, this seems to be a common application, with the inevitable results. When I was more fully engaged with car (vintage and old audis mostly), I've noticed every subsequent generation will have less robust treatment of the brightwork, B3/C3 models and also C4 to an extent were very good (that's be 80 and 100 for the uninitiated 😜), B5/C5 (say A4 and A6 since the late 90s) suffer more, and if you look at A4s from 2001 onwards the aspect of the trim can be horrible. I have not found yet a way to reliably restore the trim, polishing does not restore it fully and have not seen any other option except replacement. Perhaps on a BRAND NEW piece of trim, coating with a proper lacquer could make the trick, but I have never seen a brand new piece of trim to sacrifice for the cause ... 🤭

Bap, do you know the part numbers for that kit? Approaching 40k km on an unknown car I will put it in the shortlist. This is a job I'd rather do myself, I know how to turn a spanner (I guess is no harder than change an auto box ATF and filter ...). Plus I can count on the marvelous support in here 🥰

I had a few hundred km on the road today and I used the time to play with the ventilated seats ... you really have to be paying lots of attention to hear them ... in any case a great addition. I remember as a teenager toying with the idea using a PC fan installed somewhere and put it in my dad's 405 🤪 Then I read in a magazine Saab put them in the 9000 (I think it was) and I thought they stole my idea 😝

...the dealer branch manager mentioned that if I used the snow foam stuff to clean the car, it would tarnish the chrome strips as it is very caustic. Because this would be due to use of aggressive cleaning chemicals... He was fairly honest in his description of the problem, aggressive/cheap chemicals (typical in the coin-operated self-car wash) do ruin the coating, if you look around at most 'modern' cars around, you might notice the same, regardless of the brand. Also, I think this is not "chrome" at all, but some sort of polished alu and then coated somehow. Old "chrome" can get pitted, but not this way (remember the bumpers of an age ago?). Also convinced salt o whatever it is that they spray in the winter months has the same effect on the shiny bodywork. The same pitting you can spot it in the rims. I suspect a way to avoid this problem for manufacturers is the late proliferation of "matt black" "sport black" "night mode" et similia ...

Finally I found some time to go through this ... you've done amazing stuff on your car, compliments! I took also some notes on things to do sometime on mine as well, when time and commitments will allow. I've done a few full-interior noise treatment/insulation stuff in the past, and it makes a difference, in various degrees. I was curious as to why only the 'bitumen' parts for done without the soft closed cell part, but is interesting to see there is allowance to do that. My last project of that (my P38 RR), once I added, the carpet was a terrible fit, very precise fit from factory with no room to add material. Anyway, for now I will not be disassembling the car ... SWMBO would kill me, after all I promised this was would not be a "project" car 🤪 So things will have to be very much under the radar, a first for me. Thanks for sharing and don't stop tinkering 😝 Question about the vacuum, do the kits adapt to the existing motors or do have to be replaced? I had no time yet to go through the ru links, was thinking to do this when I feel ready to go for it ... maybe sometime in the summer.