AlistairCookie

Your point? I'm fully aware there's a difference in construction, I have worked with both sets. Those differences would be absolutely in line with "improved", that being what Bilstein themselves state in their literature. It still follows the basic specification of the original - no height or damping adjustment, same working range.

No, generally. Both B4 and B6 are declared as OEM replacement models, with the B6 being "improved"

Bilstein also classify B6 as OEM replacements.

In my experience, the technician won't bat an eyelid. I put B6's on mine with a month of buying it, and had 2 or 3 rounds of warranty work over the next 12 months with not a word said. If it's specifically suspension related then they might kick up a fuss, but realistically they'd be loudly proclaiming wear and tear anyway.

Vagueness is far more likely to be bush and joint wear than anything electrical. I had both lower arms replaced a few months ago for exactly the sort of feelings you describe at more or less the same mileage. Nothing clonked or wobbled, it just felt...not as sharp as it had been. The Superb is very much towards the heavy end of the MQB range, so the parts between it and the road will take more of a battering.

I believe there's a small suction jet pump in the left hand side tank that transfers the fuel across the saddle. If that fails then you'll lose whatever's in that side of the tank.

I suspect the update portal (and presumably OTA server as it's likely they're one and the same) offers regional files based on the VIN. CZ will be linked to ECE files, while Israel probably needs ROW. If that's correct it'll need someone to change the region in the car's build sheet, if that is even possible.

Where on earth are you driving that you can use the main beams long enough to forget you switched them on? 😆

As an approved used car, the answer is "Not a lot" - this is true for pretty much all manufacturers now. The reputation has been built that AUCs are somehow better quality, and the dealer network is trading on that. The reality is there's no incentive for them to do anything over the bare minimum; if the buyer spots it then they'll take care of it but everything the buyer misses is money back in their pocket. One upside is that the warranty does tend to be slightly better to deal with - less faffing around and "you pay us up front for the repair and we'll reimburse you".

I don't think it's that straightforward - I've seen Monroe-branded shocks on a brand new Mk7 Golf, for example. VAG have a number of OE suspension suppliers and use them interchangeably to meet production requirements.

Skoda will naturally say that - in reality the onus is on them to prove the shocks were the cause of the fault. The question is whether you want to set yourself up for that potential argument. FWIW, I went into the purchase of my Sportline in full knowledge that the stock dynamics were a steaming pile of ****, and that I'd be ripping the shocks out the moment I got it home. Within the first year I had 2 warranty claims approved (driveshaft guibo and Haldex), nobody batted an eyelid at the B6s.

That might have something to do with it - if the pump hasn't been pulled and had the gauze cleaned it's almost certainly covered in rubbish by now. It's not part of the normal Skoda service routine but it's a necessary job that most specialists would do as a matter of course.

When did you last service the Haldex? If it's working hard it can make a bit of a racket through the floor.

Barring an issue that's stopping the downward motion of the base, the seat electrics are always going to be the stumbling block here as to go any lower requires the space they occupy. That said, I don't recall the manual seats being significantly lower, if at all.

On their own the increase in width or offset would be fine but together it's just too much. The spacers I'm using to clear the Brembos result in an effective ET29, you could probably just squeeze an 8.5J in there as well but it would be tight. Yes, you could probably get them to tuck with surgery and some serious camber, but that's a long way down the "form over function" road.