OccyVRS

@Tilt If it were my money, I'd spend it on a Hisense Mini-LED. I have a 65" LED Hisense my housemates and I bought from Costco in my second year of uni - £300 and it's still going strong five years, ten moves, seventeen parties, three vans, four cars and one stairwell accident later. I'm honestly amazed. I spent a while at uni working for Currys - as long as you get a decent one, you're laughing.

288mm are a bit weak when it comes to heart resistance. I remember I used to regularly cook the brakes on my Leon FR - so I would imagine a heavier Octavia would be worse. That being said, I was driving in a manner I wouldn't do before 11pm or after 5am! Larger brakes are more heat resistant than smaller setups. That being said, with the same caliper, I'm not sure 24mm is going to make a huge difference. It's also worth noting re the vRS brakes that the 340/312mm setup is very heavy - a lot of unsprung weight.

You'll get used to it. I regularly drive two different VW DSG's, a DCT, CVT and a manual. You will want to change the MCU and box oils at some point, but I would wait until you cross 100k, at least.

@jays you didn't buy the car from a Skoda/SEAT/Cupra dealership in Kent, by any chance? My previous car was a Leon FR that turned out to be crash damaged... it's only because of this that I'm in my vRS!

Just to be clear, there is a difference between OE and OEM. TRW should be a safe bet - I'd avoid Brembo as they will likely be the Chinese license-made versions, which suck. Anything OE/OEM/Pagid/Ferodo/EBC is worth a look.

@nta16

Ditto with our DQ200 1.0 Ibiza FR. Sport mode doesn't increase the idle like it does in the performance-ish cars. AFAIK it increases the throttle input (I.E. 10% throttle becomes 20%) and it holds onto gears for longer. I can't say I've noticed it change any faster like it does in my DQ381.

Don’t forget the EA888 warranty fix in 2020/21 ish, where they just removed the engine covers entirely! My vRS has no sound deadening underneath the bonnet - it’s the same with all TSI engine vRS models. VW sort of claimed that it was for enhanced sound, etc, but last time I checked an M3 had stuff on the underside of the bonnet… VAG.

As above. It is made of Haldex bits, so needs the oil replaced and the pump gauze/screen cleaned out. Where are you based @MrRee? The Phirm in Camberley are excellent, and used by several members on here.

Is it the same part number? I would always do like for like.

You're better off getting the Mk3 versions retrimmed in Alcantara, and adding some sound proofing on the door skin while you're at it. I would imagine the door cards are completely different. Mk3 cards fit on a Mk3.5, but don't have the ambient lighting strip. It might be worth getting some Mk3.5 cards for your car (and let me know where you get them from!)

There are two ways to make a road car faster - add power, or add lightness. There is only one way to make a race car faster. That being said, there are exceptions - https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/05/21/bmw-m5-g90-nurburgring-lap-time-vs-m5-cs/ Tyres now need to be wider because cars are almost twice as heavy as they were 40 years ago - just look at the average EV SUV with 285 section tyres or something silly. More weight means more wear on brakes, suspension, tyres and drivetrain components, meaning they need to be beefed up, which adds more weight. This weight means more wear on brakes, suspension, tyres and drivetrain components, meaning they need to be beefed up, which.......................... you get the idea. It's a vicious cycle that ultimately costs more money, as to get the equivalent performance, you need parts that are wider/bigger/stronger that cost more and wear faster. One trend I really hate are the new SUV/crossover models having such low profile tyres - what is the point in buying a 'comfortable' SUV, only to fit it with 21" wheels wrapped in 35 profile tyres? I'm not saying they need 15" steelies, but there must be a point where practicality trumps aesthetics? I do agree though - anything more than 300bhp and AWD isn't useable on UK roads. For something like a little Fabia, I would spend some time playing around with weight savings, sound proofing and put on the best tyres available in that size. My assumption is that you're young (well, wanting to make a 1.0 fast) so I think, as others have said, that time would be best spent modifying yourself and learning to drive quickly. I love my vRS and all the insanely fast cars I've driven, but the most fun has always been my first car - a rusty, leaky, 2007 60bhp VW Fox.

What I meant was the words 'performance' and 'N/A 1.0 hatchback' generally don't sit together. If you want a low powered, fun car, go and buy an '09 Clio with the 1.2, take the interior out and put some sticky tyres on it - sorted. Lower powered cars are only 'fun' when they're small, light, and have an aftermarket Pioneer radio in them. Anything new with an N/A 1.0 is just too heavy and driving dynamics were not considered during construction. Mind you, I had great fun in my 2007 Fox - even if it was a bit ropey. My mum has a 2022 Ibiza FR with the 1.0 3cyl EA211 in it - 110ps and it shifts! Not quite as much as my vRS, but for 1/3 of the power it does really well.

You can probably take it up to 75bhp with a map. The best bang for buck will be a remap and some nice tyres. Otherwise, not much - get a car with a turbo above 1.0! Do bear in mind too, that it's only a little town car - it's not designed, or suitable, for fast driving. It's a great little car, but go easy!

Preventative mainteinance is a good idea, however I would probably give it a little bit longer. If you want to do it earlier, maybe do it at 90k. Everything VW says should be taken with a pinch of salt - 80,000 miles for an oil change on a DQ381 is madness. Generally, given my car gets driven quite hard, I try to do stuff at around half the reccommended interval. There's no way of really checking the condition of anything, without changing the oils. so you sort of have to just eyeball it. Only you can judge if it's had a hard life, isn't as quick as it used to be, etc.

Hill Hold is different to Auto Hold. My 2020 vRS is a Mk3.5 with a digi dash - it teases me with the Auto Hold symbol in neutral, even though I don't have it!

It's a 2015, so it is possible - if a bit unusual.

@AlexHugh I know, I know! Bit suprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but stuff gets missed. In MQB cars (at least this generation) there are vents that cause exactly this problem - the spare wheel well filling with cleanish rainwater. You can replace them, seal them up, and the problem should be solved. It is probably a bumper off job, but it can be done from inside the boot if you know what you're doing. https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/leon-st-pond-in-boot.472518/

It's sealed for life - but it isn't. As above, you can change the oil in the box itself, as well as the Mechatronic Unit (MCU). I'd probably take a look around 100k. The reccommended interval for the other DSG boxes (250, 500, etc) is 40k, aside from the 381 which is 80k. I still had mine done at 40k though. By all means get it done sooner, but as the clutches are dry (as in, not submersed in oil like on a 'wet' box), the only stuff in the oil is going to be material from the gears themselves (and other bits) rather than friction material. This will take a lot longer to accumulate. You should be fine until 100k, unless it's had a hard life around London, etc.

It's all one bit. At least, it is on every other VW I've seen. I took a chunk out of my vRS door card putting some trim back in. I've never managed to sort it, as the one card that came up on eBay was in worse condition than mine. A breakers yard would be a good option but, like me, you might find that they're all knackered.

Either way, it's now a secondary issue. I've been underneath the car, and seen that the passenger side CV boot is absolutely knackered - grease slung over everything. I'm hoping the joint is fine - don't see why not, but I'm also not sure how long it's been oozing lifeblood out.

I'm fully aware that the pad doesn't cover the entire braking surface of the disc. The reason I'm interested in it is that I see no reason why it would suddenly start showing up now. @Exkiwi you love brandishing your sweeping statements. Logically - 1) The pad doesn't cover the entire braking surface of the disc 2) The pad has never covered the entire braking surface of the disc 3) The front brakes are fine, and the O/S rear is largely fine, so why is it only the N/S rear? I'm completely aware that there is nothing wrong with the brakes - I'm just curious. Why, up until this point has the entire disc been cleared of rust after braking, yet suddenly it's not? Maybe I should cure the problem by springing for carbon ceramics... @BlueWagon by worn, I meant pads with uneven wear, down to the backing, with contamination, etc.

So, an update a week later - There's been no change. Okay, the car hasn't been driven much, but it's still a bit weird. I guess I'll just keep an eye on it. It stops fine with no noise, and the handbrake operation is perfectly fine too - who knows. I've only ever seen this on cars with worn out brakes, hence why I'm still questioning it!

If OP is upgrading the 288mm fronts, then no. I've never seen any vehicle with larger rear brakes than the front (aside from those with rear brakes only - such as tractors or drag cars). I'm not clued up on the Superb, but generally, if the fronts are 288mm then the rears will be something like 253mm. If the fronts are 310mm, then the rears could be 272mm, or similar. These will all be solid. It is only on the more powerful cars that you go up to 310mm vented, which will be paired with 340mm at the front. The largest disc size in the MQB platform is 340mm, aside from the Mk8 R (and similar) with 357mm fronts.

OP hasn't been on in a while. Perhaps @travs can explain? @MCMikeyJ FWIW, you should really be looking at upgrading the rear brakes too, unless they are the 272mm version.