OccyVRS

if you're comparing a 1.5 to a 2.0 then performance isn't on the top of your list (I assume). All this 'power gets out of trouble' is rubbish - it gets you out of trouble until 245ps pulls you into a tree! The real reason for having a bit more power is that overtaking/pulling out becomes a little easier and, crucially, when the car is loaded, you're still able to move along happily. My 1.4 Leon FR was brilliant when empty, but put a passenger and fill the back up and she struggled a bit!

They should - same setup as the vRS, GTI, Cupra and, until the latest models, the S3 and R. They all have 17s as the minimum size. Bear in mind in the EU, cars must have winter tyres and these tyres must be marked accordingly. If you're only interested in ticking the box, a set of 17" steelies might be what you're after - they're dirt cheap and won't suffer from corrosion.

After spending a year with my 2020 Octavia, I've decided it's time to ditch the annoying CarPlay cable. I can't route it properly and it seems unhappy with working all the time anyway. I am looking at this - Quad Lock® UKCar - Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto AdaptorConnect to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto cord-free with the Quad Lock® Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adaptor. EASY TO SET UP Simply plug the Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adaptor into your car’s US... It's made by a decently-known company called Ottocast and then rebranded by QuadLock (info found on compliance document), with UK certification, etc. I'd like something small so I don't need to run a cable to an adapter, and the only similar item was from Carista on Amazon (Ultra Mini here) but it apparently has overheating issues - not something I'm really keen on. Take away the cable and box adapters, and you're left with quite a small amount of products. I know this is paying for the brand, but Ottocast seems decent, and if it's certified by QuadLcok (whoI can shout at over email) then that has to be a good thing? I've had a bad experience in the past, so am very cautious! Any other suggestions or experiences? I know this has been posted many times, but in such a fast moving market, it seemed a good idea to start another topic.

Yes - if you're piggybacking off of an existing fuse then 100% this matters. If it's 10A or over it's unlikely to make much difference, but you are indeed running the accessory (camera) and original component through the original fuse. In my case, as I said, it doesn't really matter, as I used a blank slot. Anywhere there is an airbag, I put wiring along an existing loom. For the dash cam, I used cloth tape to affix the camera cable, firmly, to the existing loom.

Ah, mine goes up - I’ll double check tomorrow. It’s been over a year and it won’t actually go the other way. That said, as it’s an empty slot, it doesn’t make any difference. Glove box is fiddly but it’s not difficult - removing the pillar trim, on the other hand, is one of the worst things I’ve ever done! That said - do be careful it’s properly done. I would personally take the trim off, use cloth tape and secure it properly to the existing loom. It’s not a real issue for the airbag - it goes straight through the pillar trim so a USB cable isn’t going to stop it. The issue (IMO) is more that it’s not the thinnest cable in the world, and you don’t want the frayed end being whipped at you when the airbag deploys. Similar principle to the muppets that put phone mounts/hard stuff on the dash/steering wheel. There’s a reason all that stuff is thin or soft plastic!

Oh, no, I completely agree. If it were me I’d maybe look at new wheels, but that’s a completely different thing to a 13 year old diesel estate. A simple, cheap refurb is likely all that’s needed - I meant it as in, no need to go crazy with powder coating, diamond cutting or whatever else places offer.

Depends what OP is wanting. If it's a quick fix then that'll be fine, however if there's corrosion on all four wheels, it might be smart to do a proper job with it. I'd probably just get them cheaply refurbed and move on.

I somehow managed to reply to the linked topic - whoops. In my Occy, I've used F48 - the lane change assist. It's just one to the right of the rear wiper. I don't have lane change in my car, so I simply put another 2A fuse in the piggyback slot, and then put it in. It's engine operated. I like it as if it blows, I won't mess with anything pre existing in the car. It's also nice as the direction of the tap then doesn't matter (useful when there's a big relay connector right below it, so the tap only fits in one way anyway). Here's a thread with a photo of my mirror housing, after 20 minutes with the Dremel - I'm a bit OCD and like everything being perfect https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/532849-2019-mk-3-octavia-glove-box/#comment-5951130 Happy to send you over a photo of how I did things nice and neatly in the fuse box - I need to open it up to change the cabin filter and check the fuse tap anyway. I also covered the entire dash cam cable in cloth tape - I didn't do it in my last car, and with the airbag in the a-pillar, I figured it might be nice to avoid any vibration/friction.

Reminds me to check mine. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow when I change the cabin filter. My fuse tap will only fit the one way anyway, due to a larger fuse below. I'm only really checking for curiosity - it's been working fine for over a year in all conditions and loads.

I had to have my Occy with the digi dash as I really hated how the gauges looked. Everything 2020 onwards (mine is a very late previous gen Octavia) doesn't have dials anyway. I personally just leave it as speedo and tacho, with oil temp/ACC in the middle, but RS mode is fun and the maps are cool to play with too. Absolutely zero issues in my ownership - can't really see any disadvantages over traditional gauges, and there's nothing mechanical to go wrong. The fuel gauge is crap, but that's the same in every car I've been in past 2015.

I’ve found the DCC in our Ibiza FR to do literally nothing! At least, I can’t tell a difference - both in terms of comfort and handling. You have to give and get with used cars. This one has everything you want plus more, even if you get manual seats, etc. My vRS sourced by the dealer was the 245 I wanted (DQ381, LSD and bigger brakes) and had the digi dash and ACC (two things I really wanted), but I had to make my peace with 18s, no folding mirrors, etc. You can’t have everything, unfortunately, and the cream seats are like the digi dash on my car - quite a nice and rare option.

Wager is good stuff - glad the guys at The Phirm looked after you. Looking forward to seeing the 2-piece/floating discs! Sounds like it’s time for some suspension stuff now, and maybe some special wheels 😉

Sorry, I was focusing on the 641bhp… Not bad for £65,000. Not sure about it “not having a soul” and all that stuff (I don’t disagree) but it should be quite quick. I’ve just seen a CarWow video of a Kia EV6 (same thing really) smacking a 6.5 V12 Ferrari Purosangue off the line.

One of the issues with manufacturers now only offering features as part of packs. It makes life easier for them and also brings in more money. For example, say you’re looking at a 1 Series and really want a reverse camera. You can’t option that, so you have to get a car with the Technology Plus Pack (not the regular Technology Pack), which is only compatible with M Sport cars. Of course, if you don’t spec it yourself, you’ll find most Technology Plus Pack cars also have other options selected, that increase the cost. All you wanted was a rear camera! That’s BMW (recently just went through it) but Skoda have been doing it for a while - IIRC you could only get DCC with KESSY and Canton, or something along those lines. It makes things cheaper for the manufacturer, while making things more expensive and annoying for the consumer. The combination of this, along with the never ending cycle of shortage of cars with a “decent” spec means you end up with weird cars like mine - vRS 245 with ACC, black pack, digi dash, etc, but no power fold mirrors, front sensors or heated seats. Don’t even get me started on how new cars can have a “high spec” with no adjustable lumbar… Sorry, bit off topic, but I hate how manufacturers supply/force you to spec a bunch of stuff you don’t want (like 7 seats) just to get something you do want (like heated seats).

ATS are pretty well respected. Revo, Racingline, TeamDynamics and others do direct fit CB wheels, so no spigot rings are needed. OZ, Rotiform, etc are also worth a look. Insurance will need to know, but it shouldn’t be more than an admin fee. You should be able to get a nice fitment with regard to width and offset. That said, if you don’t care how they look, go for OE. They are the best quality for the best price. Sure, OZ are nicer, but you pay way more. No reason why you can’t get SEAT/Cupra/VW/Audi/Skoda wheels too.

Well, I obviously exaggerate, but it took me longer than I’d like to admit. I just couldn’t work out how to clip two pieces together - quite simple once I realised. Superglue will work a treat, but I wouldn’t risk it either. If it comes off with the housing, maybe a dab of hot glue? Should hold it in place and be removable.

Different dealers do different things, to different standards. Some dealers are horrific, while others are actually alright. I swore I'd never go to a main dealer again, but found myself at Skoda in the New Forest earlier in the year (it was warranty stuff, sort of). I went with someone else to do my DSG/VAQ service (The Phirm in Camberley), howeve Brockenhurst Skoda were on it with regards to the DSG filter and cleaning the Haldex pump gauze when I asked them for a quote. They're part of Meadens Group (Bournemouth, etc) but are very small. As above I wouldn't bother with a main dealer, but I have had to spend a good few hours finding a good Indie. If you want to start somewhere, https://dsg-doctor.bg/ is a good place to start.

It's not illegal, but it's not possible. You can't do a sequence light with only one halogen bulb! Oh, and it looks daft too.

It's part of the service schedule - Skoda/VW does tell people the intervals for engine stuff, DSG, VAQ and AWD systems. IIRC it's now down to 20,000 miles, along with the Halex-derived VAQ diff. £140 is about right - do you know if they cleaned the pump gauze? It's like the oil filter on an engine, except it can't be changed - it has to be cleaned.

Yeah, this doesn't always work with platform cars like this. I had a fun time finding the size on my Leon, as really anything from 256mm, 276mm, 288mm or 312mm is possible, depending on the site. Yes, we know that a 1.4 150ps model will have 288mm. but these sites don't seem that clever. Even on a new car, BMW were insisting the brakes were 340mm. I measured them yesterday, and they're 350mm.

Every VAG item that is a 5x112 CB will fit. If your car has 17" wheels, you could put on some 17s from a 2025 Scala or whatever. You'll need to know what offset your current wheels are, in order to be able to match them - @Carlston should be able to help. I would personally get them refurbed. You know the history and there's no point messing around with second hand wheels.

Be interested to know if it's the DQ250 or DQ381.

You can take the mirror housing off without too much difficulty, but you're best watching some videos first. It took me ten seconds to get my 3.5 housing off and about ten hours to figure out how it went back on! FYI dealers here normally charge a flat inspection fee - something like £100-120gpb. £170 is quite expensive - I would be inclined to agree that they're taking liberties somewhat.

Only potential issue I could think of was frequent short journeys/strain on battery and frequent washing. To be fair this car was kept inside for most of its time with BMW. That said, none of these are really issues on a car with 60k miles. Shame it got snapped up, but we've all been there.

Just to add to this - nothing wrong with ex-demo cars. My car isn't, but one of my parents cars is an ex-demo and the other is ex-courtesy. Both very tidy, bought on a few thousand miles. Ex-press is a bit different. If it's a 'normal' car then it's fine, but if it's anything performance based, I'd avoid. The only real thing to look for is the DSG and Haldex service if applicable. You shouldn't be at belt/chain time yet, although 60k is nearing the therm/pump danger zone for some engines.