OccyVRS

I debated the Mk4 versus Mk3.5 when I was buying my car. I couldn’t justify the extra money at the time (especially when I preferred the Mk3.5) but the cabin was the biggest draw of the Mk4. As an aside, what G20 are you looking at? The Octavia vRS is quite weird - it’s not a small car, but it still handles like a large hatchback. The G20, on the other hand, feels like a boat. I’ve only driven a 330i, but I would compare it to a slower S4 - faster than the vRS, but with subjectively worse handling. It’s a bigger car, in all dimensions, and the extra weight makes a difference. I wouldn’t describe it as a boat, but don’t be buying a 330i M-Sport expecting the throw-ability of the vRS. Despite having the same stock power, it is an entirely different feel. I was very disappointed, compared to my vRS. An M340i is far more comparable, but like the S4, is a much faster and heavier car. That’s the appeal of the vRS/Golf R estate/Cupra ST.

OBD11 is the only decent one. Carista is alright, but it lacks a lot of features. Just beware of the one click apps. They’re absolutely fine for simple stuff (acoustic locking, etc) but I’d be wary of using them for important things, unless you know exactly what’s being adapted.

Sound deadening, sound deadening, sound deadening. One area that SEAT/Skoda cut costs over VW and Audi.

If you’re not sure what was done, give the garage a visit and they will reset the light. It’s straightforward to do yourself, but if you don’t know what’s been done, as above, it’s best to return to the garage.

The only correct answer, if you’re concerned about handling and performance, is the Michelin Pilot Sport 5. Pilot Sport 4 don’t wear very well, and Pilot Sport 4S/S5 are totally overkill. Conti Premium Contact/Sport Contact are very good too - on par with the Pilot Sport series. I haven’t had good experiences with Pirelli - rather poor IMO. Bridgestone have been equally poor. Goodyear Eagle F1/Asy 6 have had good reviews, along with the budget Uniroyal Rainsport 5. They aren’t the cheapest in 225/35R19. Maybe consider going up to 235/35R19 - they’re more common, so are cheaper. Similarly, there is only one correct answer for where to fit new tyres. Regardless of the drive type, new tyres should always go on the rear. Why? Understeer is correctable - oversteer, often, is not.

It is hugely important. As an example, my father had an incorrectly coded the battery on his 2011 A3. For the next year, we had random issues - intermittent no horn, wipers, central locking or cruise control. After taking everything apart, we finally figured out it was because the battery had been coded in wrong. First and last time we went to Halfords. The car is smart. Very smart. It needs to know what is happening with the battery!

Up until 2019/2020, you can use VCDS/OBD11 to code a new battery in. After this period, the car has a locked gateway and needs something like ODIS. At least, my 2020 Octavia did.

That is correct, however there is a bit more to it than that. The profile of a tyre is in relation to the width - so a 225/35 will be much lower profile than a 285/35. It’s a percentage of the width. This is important as most people are tempted to make more than one change when swapping wheels. For example, they’ll go from a 7.5J wheel paired with a 225/40R18 to an 8.5J with a 245/35R19. This would result in a 2.8% increase in diameter, compared with the 0.3% increase of going to a 225/35R19 on the same wheel. This is why it’s important to stick to the recommended setups above. If running a setup such as the 245 profile above, you’d find that the speedo would read 70mph at 71mph, rather than 68mph at 70mph. This isn’t a huge deal, but you don’t want to stray too far from “default” setups - it’ll upset the ABS system (TPMS, TC, ESP, etc).

Just an update on this - Had the car up on the lift, but couldn’t see anything. Nothing on the undertray, sump, pump housing or anything. I’m going to keep an eye on it. There is a chance it could be the union by the hot turbo, leaving no evidence, but we shall see - think I’ll replace it at the next service anyway.

I meant in terms of paint, etc - I know it’s not corrosive for the cooling system components (otherwise, as you say, there would be a problem)

Does anyone know where the coolant overflow pipe comes out? I know it’s meant to drop it on the ground, but not sure if that means chucking it somewhere in the engine bay. I’d assume not as coolant is meant to be fairly corrosive? I’ve filled it to the max so would like to check the overflow pipe to see if anything has come out during the drive. Might be an indication of air in the system, etc, rather than a knackered water pump/therm. Thank you!

That doesn’t work so well for me, as it only encourages my foot! Mind you, since reversing the car back to stock (245bhp from 350bhp) I have noticed the MPG decrease slightly. I only check it once every six months as I’m not fussed, but it did surprise me.

I have a 622GW and have also used a 322GW in the past. I would say a 322GW is enough for most people - I upgraded to the 622 as I like pulling the footage quite frequently.

The application itself is simple - put on, let it flash, level it and leave it. In other words, whack it on, leave it a little and then buff it. Easy. The more difficult and important part is the prep. Even if the car is a year old, it still needs a thorough wash, decontamination and paint correction before applying the ceramic. GardX is nothing I’d use professionally (I think the dual stage is a gimmick), but from what I’ve heard it’s decent enough and does the job well, if the preparation is adequate.

Nextbase, Viofo or Garmin all come recommended.

That's why I said 'not that it really applies, BUT' - it's the same principle. I appreciate OP is unlikely to be trail braking and using the diff to load one corner of the car, but maybe he'll be suprised when the car upshifts by itself when next in snowy conditions. Having spent today driving around in the Ibiza (1.0 DQ200), I found it far more unpredictable than my car. The Octavia has the power to downshift one gear, or maybe two if I floor it - the Ibiza would happily go from 5th to 2nd when I applied the heavy foot and seemed far less certain of which gear it wanted going up steep hills. Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that no matter the gearbox, they can sometimes be too clever for their own good and do something that you don't want!

Not that it really applies in this instance, but just be aware of having fun near the limit in S mode, rather than M. I almost had an incident when I was new to vRS ownership - going around a bend, hard, the car decided to change up. I’m still not sure why as my throttle position hasn’t changed, but the front lost all grip mid corner which it was quite interesting. Aside from fun driving, I also use manual mode for going down steep hills (when I want to gain speed rather than be in second gear), as well as helping it upshift in cold weather. I find that my car wants to hold gears for longer on a cold start - probably to help warm things up - so I usually like to help it into third or fourth.

Decided to get it checked out - if it is the water pump housing, I’d rather know sooner than later. Fingers crossed for me.

Overthinking is something I do very well - especially with my car. I’ve only been driving for four years, and been stung badly with two cars - one from a main dealer. I think one of the better stories was with the second one - a SEAT “master tech” told me that a noise I was hearing over bumps was age related. It definitely wasn’t the fist-sized rock an Indie found lodged in the subframe. As a result, I’ve grown to check and double check something, twice over. For now, anyway.

That makes complete sense. Although as I was discussing with a mate earlier, I wish VWAG would release some accessible concrete information on stuff like this. Like with my engine oil, getting a definitive answer that isn’t from strangers on the internet or an extremely clued up (not) service advisor can feel impossible. I’m in no way discrediting the wealth of knowledge on here! However I’m sure others can agree with me that sometimes, for new owners especially, it does occasionally feel that the only source of information is “trust me bro”.

Thank you both - I did manage to find a comparability table in the end. That being said, do you know if there is any official (European) VW documentation on the change from G13 to G12evo? I’ve yet to check the workshop manual, but the only thing I found quickly was the US bulletin. It’s more curiosity at this point - I find it weird that VW would make the change, write in the manual that either can be used, but not give any other information. From that bulletin, it would seem that if your car came filled with G12evo and you filled it with G13 (as per the manual), you’d get “a reduction in corrosion protection”. Just seems a bit strange to me!

I’ll have a look tomorrow - might be the EA888 thermostat issue. I hope not. As an aside, can anyone confirm the coolant I want is G12evo? I believe it is as it’s what I bought last year, but I can’t seem to remember how I found out! The manual says G12evo or G13 (although I do know one supersedes the other).

Not sure on the weight figures for a 340mm disc, but I can tell you it feels like a lot!

I'm just wondering what sort of coolant consumption other EA888.3 owners on here experience? I've had answers ranging from every week to never! For comparison, my car was topped up to near the maximum fill mark in... May... and is just about to dip below the minimum now in January. That seems about right to me. I'm hoping it isn't the start of thermostat/water pump issues. Cheers!

Ferodo Eco Friction have good reviews. That being said, for an all-rounder, I don't think you can beat OE (note - OE, not OEM).