dieselV6

This is exactly what I am trying to say, the "accumulated ash mass" is just VW's / ECU's theory. In practice, actual DPF condition is OK until clogged enough to cause backpressure and related loss of performance and problems with completing regen or frequent regens. Can be well before 80g, can also be way after 80g. I stress that this is certainly the case for EU5 engines, perhaps EU6 ones have better pressure monitoring, but I doubt it. The only way to be sure would be to swap the DPF without resetting ECU, drive for a while and look at the accumulated ash mass reading sometime afterwards. On EU5 TDI, for sure the ECU would not notice new DPF and just keep increasing accumulated ash value in line with mileage / number of regens. I suspect it is the same for EU6 TDIs, but not 100% sure.

Again, you might be chasing ghosts, at least on CAYC one will for sure end up with ash mass measurement exceeding limit after enough mileage and regens even if the DPF is empty of ash altogether, it is just a calculation in the ECU that does not take into account DPF pressure measurements at all. Or in other words, if you make a 300 regens and drive 100k km, the calc could be e.g. num regens x 0.1g + num kkm * 0.3g (I pulled numbers out of thin air, just like the calc in your car's ECU) resulting in 60g ash mass "measurement" even if in reality there would be only 15g-20g ash in the DPF at that point. Conversely, if you use poor quality, ash generating oil or if the engine burns a lot of oil, you may find clogged DPF while the ECU's "ash mass measurement" shows 20g or less, as in fact quite a few people have experienced. May I ask why you are chasing after this number? Are there any other issues with the engine to even be looking at ash mass?

Not sure what the exact calc for ash loading is, but it involves both number of regens and mileage. What's the mileage on each car/engine? In any case, if there are no signs of restriction in the exhaust (power loss, increased fuel consumption, regen completion issues etc.), the large amount of "accumulated ash mass" is just imaginary, there is far less ash in the DPF in reality. It is just a number / counter in the ECU which by the way can be adapted to a smaller value with VCDS, at least on earlier engines like CAYC. I honestly think that ash number was just put there to cover backside in case of clogged DPFs over the car's life, and also to force replacing DPFs latest at a certain mileage / after certain number of regens or both. The correct way to evaluate amount of ash would be to measure and average pressure loss after completion of each regen and indicate that DPF pressure loss post regen is getting on the high side, but my guess is that given varying temperatures and gas flow, the exhaust sensors used for it are either not accurate or not reliable enough, especially after many years of use / high mileage.

DPF ash load primarily depends on mileage and the number of regens. While it is possible that on EU6 engines it is measured / derived from DPF pressure loss after regen (doubt it), at least on our 2012 Roomster's EU5 1.6TDI CAYC 105bhp engine the ash load is simply calculated and increased based on mileage and number of regens, no measurements involved. If you experience frequent regens, you will find ash load going up quickly even though there is no change in pressure readings around DPF, i.e. no actual ash.

As long as the engine / mechanicals last or are replaceable / repairable, hard to predict, so I would just protect against corrosion, do all services and replace all fluids including PS, brake and gearbox oil change (plus Haldex oil on 4WD) and afterwards enjoy driving the car, replacing worn out parts on occasion. Once corrossion is taken care of / prevented, there's still mechanical wear and tear including interior, but you can replace worn bushes, fans etc. Bear in mind your satnav will run out of updates at some point, if it has not already. My Mk1 Superb has had a visible drop in parts availability about 10 years from end of manufacturing, but I guess Octavia was made in so high numbers that there will be spare parts made for a long time. Mk1 and Mk2 Skodas in general were of better quality than later ones, including better noise reduction and better interior durability. I can certainly see it comparing the wear of our 14 year old "cheap car" Roomster to a 10 year old "family car" Mk3 Octavia vRS. In a way, it is also a curse, as due to crazy Skoda model line-up policies (no manual diesels except in basic Octavia, no varioflex seats anymore in Karoq) now would be a time to replace the Roomster or even both cars with a 3-5 year old Karoq, but I just cannot bring myself to replace a car with superior quality interior, versatility, space and range with something that admittedly looks marginally better on the outside and is a little bit faster on autobahn, but otherwise nowhere near as good value for money nor as reliable / durable / maintainable. Not to mention Mk1/Mk2 headlamps, at least projector ones, being vastly better for travel abroad at night (true flat beam, not dipped z-beam).

Zinc primer is of dark grey colour (at least high purity zinc one), zinc-aluminium primer is light grey to silver. So choice of colours is rather limited unles you coat the zinc layer with paint. Personally, I'm happy with the underside of the car being 50 shades of grey ;)

Most recent one I have used is SIMONIZ Zinc Primer Spray Paint, Weld-Through Metal Primer, but I got it at <£8 per 500ml can, not £11-£13 it seems to be sold for. Having said that, if you wait long enough, you can get several cans of zinc-alu spray from Lidl when they run it as weekly special. By far lowest cost option and good enough for everything except exhaust. For the exhaust, I have one from Wurth that is rated to 400deg C, but you need trade account with Wurth to buy it. Any pure zinc primer that explicitly says it withstands 400degC is good for exhaust, there are some on ebay, there used to be excellent Normfest Galva 97 at ECP, but nowadays stupidly expensive, so best do a search on Internet, just make sure it is rated to 400degC. You could coat cold parts with cellulose lacquer after zincing them up, that extends longevity of zinc coating quite a bit. I have a towbar box mounting plate protected in this manner. However, when the coating is damaged, you would need to sand it down and reaplly zinc / lacquer. For me, it is far simpler to just keep the bare zinc and reapply where needed every couple years. For longest lasting protection, you can put 1 layer of pure zinc and then zinc-alu on top. Zinc-alu is more resistant to wear but does not stop salt spray corrossion anywhere near as well as pure zinc.

On an old car that has not been garaged, you will find that the original coating falls off from most suspension parts without much brushing, you just lift it and it falls off, at least here in Herts that's the case. Winter salt plus constant humidity strip away coatings. On exhaust, I usually use a tough cloth (a cut off leg of old jeans trousers) to take off rust growths, then zinc the whole thing up. If more rust grows in some places, it'l get taken off and recoated next time. It is also a driveway job for me. Does not look as pretty as uniform paint, but does the job. My Roomster still has original exhaust after 14 years outside...

I use zinc spray lavishly on anything underside and around engine bay, including exhaust (note pure, high temp 400deg C resistant zinc for exhaust, cheaper zinc-alu will do for other parts). Easy to apply and easy to top up in places every couple years or so (cars not garaged). Zinc is better than other coatings in that it offers galvanic protection also of nearby exposed areas. Pinch welds / jacking points are definitely worth zincing up then painting over as visible, but for lifting using garage lift it is best to put in lift pads IMHO, I have had them on all cars. Not expensive, easy to install, double the amount of support points and save wear on pinch welds. I usually lift using a trolley jack with a wide rubber pad on a lifting point/ pinch weld, then put a jack stand under the lift pad. Of course, much easier with a garage lift. HTH.

Exactly this

Premium Ridex parts (as opposed to base range) are certainly good in so far as I have used them. I have 2 steel brake discs (zinc coated) and an airco condenser/dryer on my Mk3 Octavia vRS for some years now. Have not used any parts in their base range, so cannot comment on those. On the particular topic of zinc coated brake discs, Ridex ones were 40% price of the ECP ones at the time ....

I've bought 3 new and 1 used Skoda over the past 24 years, and have similar thoughts. Already when buying latest (used) manual diesel vRS back in 2019, I was thinking that this might be my last Skoda purchase, makes me sad because previous 3 new Skoda purchases were fantastic in almost every aspect. The Karoq used to be my go to choice for the next car right until they stopped equipping it with manual gearbox diesels and the Varioflex seating. I guess the ownership of Roomster and Mk1 Superb has built up my idea of what a good car should be, and the current Skoda offerings fly far below my level of expectations. Cutting fuel tanks and range while simultaneously making the (larger fuel tank) higher end models too wide and too long for UK daily life also did not help, all parking spots in my area are still the same size as 25 years ago and for long distance travel to Europe, the only manual diesel left in the new car range is the Octavia, with a pathetic 45l fuel tank (Mk1 Octavia vented diesel fuel tank was 64l !). I am increasingly looking towards Mazda, especially that you can get 3.3l V6 diesels in their SUVs (though automatic only) as well as a large-ish 2.5l non-turbo petrol engine mated to a manual gearbox in a much smaller car that I can still actually fit in (Mazda 3).

While I am no fan of Autodoc, if you know exactly what you want (as opposed to asking Autodoc staff), parts are cheap and of good quality and I have used them several times in the past. The trouble being that "knowing exactly what you want" means down to an exact original manufacturer's part number, not just a Skoda part number. It costs quite a bit more research on internet. Autodoc do have an add on where you pay a bit more and can return unused parts within 6 months with them paying the return shipping, so if you have doubts best to use this service. For Skoda parts when I want to get exactly what is needed, I have been using a Czech shop skoda-parts.com for many years now. Consistently very good service and parts advice providing both original Skoda parts and good quality alternatives, and when they mess up even a tiny bit, they ship replacements without fuss. I steer clear of most UK parts shops nowadays, as sadly, the prices seem to be marked up 50%+. For example, a few months ago I have actually bought 2 Lesjofors suspension springs with delivery to the UK at skoda-parts.com for the price of an identical single Lesjofors spring at e.g. GSF and Eurocarparts. HTH

All season tyres by any chance? Thread pattern does make for occasional resonance, depending on surface.

In Mk1 Octavia's fuel tank there was an NRV on the outgoing line of fuel sender, at least in a 1.9TDI110 that I used to own, so Mk2 Fabia could have one too.

Defective / cracked cables in the door hinge grommet or at the door lock plug end? Common problem after some years. I'd start with checking ECU error codes, if there is anything to do with the door latch in the logs, check the cables in the hinge and around the plug to actuator. Failing that, the fault is likely to be with the actual lock, I'd replace the lot. HTH.

I have a similar thing around 2500rpm in my vRS, but only under load (uphill or accelerating to enter motorway), and only very occasionally, i.e. not easy to reproduce at will. I suspect something is loose around the engine, several possibilities, including but not limited to a cracked piston ring, a cracked piston skirt around its wrist pin, or some balancer shaft issue. If it is any consolation, I have done 60k+ miles since I noticed the issue, though for me, it happens quite rarely. The engine drinks about a 250ml glass of oil per 1k miles, in line with my previous 1.9TDI Octavia which did have a cracked piston ring but otherwise engine was bulletproof. Fuel consumption and performance are both very good, and I intend to keep my vRS until the engine dies or until it meets some other end of life event, as any manual gearbox diesel car replacement will have 35% less power.

You can use inline oil/dye injector can, basically an openable metal can plumbed inline or via a tee with gas. you fill the can with oil and then pump gas through it making sure oil goes with the gas. The nice thing about using this way is that you can also vacuum impurities from the new oil, just make sure the new oil stays in the can while you pump the system out. There exist also standalone oil injection kits (think high pressure syringe), but I'd steer clear of these as it is too easy to reintroduce air/moisture. As I had said earlier, another oil/dye injector can filled with filtering paper in it can be used for opposite purpose, i.e. extracting oil from the gas. One other thing I remembered about the job is that to get really good vacuum from the budget vacuum pump, you need fresh oil in the vacuum pump, in my case I emptied the system, closed off the pump, changed the vacuum pump oil again then ran it and then reopened the valve to the pump. I was able to get a lot better vacuum in that way, I think some of the remnant gases / vapours dissolve in vacuum pump oil and make for poor vacuum. Vacuum oil is not expensive, just mentioning it because it's worth getting a 1l bottle before the job.

The oil in "airco topup" kits is of unknown quality (unlikely to be synthetic/durable), usually contains dye and sealant. In large quantities, it clogs the system, expansion valve in particular, which really is a dog to clean. There is also way more oil in these kits than is needed for a full refill. Much better/easier to measure the correct amount of synthetic airco oil, it will last a lifetime if no further leaks and protect the system from wear. I used Denso DND12250 or ND-oil 12. Expensive at over £20 per small can, but considering I also installed a brand new Denso compressor at the time, worth the extra peace of mind. As an aside, for compressor replacement jobs (not this one), I think Denso ones are worth it despite much higher price , better compressing and much better overpressure valves than cheap Chinese substitutes. If there is even momentary overpressure or blockage, the valve on compressor will dump excess oil / gas but otherwise no damage / nothing to write home about. Compare this to once-only, cracking overpressure valves of lesser alternatives that basically require you to get a new valve (or a new compressor!) every time the pressure spikes. In DIY scenario, paying more for a decent compressor makes for lower long term expense. Condenser / dryer is less critical, Denso ones are again good, but a tad pricey. I have used a Ridex condenser/ dryer from Autodoc at half the price of Denso, works same as OEM, though I had to file slightly one of its aluminium mounts to get it to fit properly. HTH.

While the statement above is correct, I have DIYed it at home on the driveway, replacing condenser/dryer together with a failed AC compressor (in my Mk3 vRS, back in June 2023, no gas in the system). However, you do need a decent vacuum pump and twin gauges as the system first needs to be emptied of air and more importantly moisture, otherwise water may freeze and cause blockage. You also need specialist oil and gas, the generic "airco top up" kits won't do. The cost of refilling HVAC yourself at the time was under £150 including pump , pressure gauges and hoses/adapters (under £80 all in), synthetic oil useable with both R123a and R1234yf (either/or, not a mix) and the gas. At the time, half decent Chinese vacuum pumps and gauges kits were cheap, not sure now. 3 years on, vRS's AC works just fine with no topups since, so I must have done something right... Getting hold of gas without any oil mixed into it was an issue, though after that job, for a HVAC topup on the other car, I have figured a way to filter out oil, sealant and dye from Halfords supplied gas/oil topup mix by running it through an inline oil/dye injector filled with folded, good quality paper towel HTH

Are you UK based? How does your car pass the MOT? No way to pass diesel particulate test unless DPF is in place...

If you can live with your facelift car front end looks (I could not, which is why I bought late pre-FL 2016 ), then I'd keep what you already have for another 3+ years and just service it as and when needed. New one has smaller fuel tank, more software issues, drab interior, less powerful engine and worse suspension. It does look better than the Mk3 FL, just my opinion. What's the mileage on yours?

Already mentioned and perhaps you have tried this, but quite a few radios unlock if you turn ignition on, then turn the radio on afterwards. Some radios need a full restart by pressing on button for about 30s. The key is stored somewhere in the ECU. I know this was the case in our Mk1 Superb as well as Roomster, radio got accidentally locked out in both but recovered.

Al I can add is that when ordering several new cabin trim parts for my 2016 mk3 vRS, I had to go to my local Seat dealer because Skoda's ETKA showed these parts as no replacement, while Seat had them freely in stock. Perhaps for the Scout you may find correct parts with correct colour there, but no guarantees. HTH.

For maximum positive improvement in comfort at minimum complication, you could go down to 6J to 7J wide x 16in wheels and use 205/60/R16 profile tyres (Octavia Scout wheel/tyre size), they will fit without suspension changes and provide big improvement in comfort, speedo will be exact. Note you need narrower and smaller diameter rims as well as narrower tyres. If you want to do more changes, as an example below is a setup for a 2016 Mk3 vRS that I own: It rides on narrow 6J x 17" black "Crystal" winter alloys (that are actually approved even for 340mm petrol vRS brakes) with 205/55/R17 all weather tyres (Michelin CrossClimate 2). Rear springs have been uprated by 2 groups to 5Q0511115AF (currently Lesjofors 4285741), and the rear shocks to Bilstein Sport B6 B6 24-229890. Note by far the easiest way to install new springs and shocks on multilink is to take out (and replace) 3 outer bottom arm bolts each side rather than mess with spring compressors. Also note front assist radar needed to be adjusted upwards by 1/2 turn. The 205/55/R17 tyre size is a Mk3 Scout tyre size. The higher springs together with slightly higher profile tyres make for about 1in higher ride height at front, and about 2in higher ride height at rear compared to stock vRS, I guess it'd be 1/2in over stock front and 1in higher back at rear when compared to Elegance. After 70k+ miles, the setup offers comfort, durability and robustness, even on very poor quality roads, it also offers somewhat increased ground clearance. Behaviour on motorway is actually better than stock, both for stability and comfort. Cornering is still good, unless you want track driving . Additional bonus is that when the car is full of luggage, it still has a good stance on autobahn which helps with air drag and fuel consumption, as well as stability at 120mph+ speeds (autobahn). This is not the first time I made similar changes, on my previous Mk1 Superb TDI V6 I had B6s all round, sport front springs, and HD rear springs and the effect was similar, drove over 200k miles in that one, significant part of it on shockingly poor roads. HTH