OccyVRS

@Gammyleg exactly, it's not possible. FWIW, I like to think that anyone TVS Engineering is worth mentioning the word DSG to. Given that it is a dry clutch gearbox, I would think changing the oil around 80k-100k miles would seem sensible, depending on use. That's a minimum of twice a wet clutch box interval, which seems reasonable. I'm just a bit confused at why OP is taking offence at someone asking for the source of their information, whilst also thinking you can check the oil level on a DSG gearbox. There's absolutely nothing wrong with posting stuff like this @super717, however I think it's important to make sure the information is correct/reputable. These forums are a wealth of information, but I remember a time when I would have taken a post like this as gospel - so it's important things are correct, or at least checked. I don't think @Ootohere was asking anything aside from where you got the 20k service information, which BTW, you still haven't given?

I understand exactly why you were using M to hold it in gear - as I said, I'm not too sure what the issue with doing this is. TVS is a good benchmark for DSG stuff. YMMV (your mileage may vary), but anywhere that's a TVS dealer is usually worth a punt.

That's fine, however all @Ootohere was asking was who gave you the advice on the 20k inspection/40k change? Audi, Skoda, SEAT, Cupra and VW all tend to give slightly different service advice. FWIW, you can't check the DSG oil level with draining and refilling it, at temperature. I appreciate DSG boxes might seem very finicky, but I would advise you to just leave it be if it isn't causing any issues. They are very clever gearboxes and you'll know if something is wrong. They also aren't a traditional auto box (they have clutches, rather than a torque converter/CVT/etc setup). DSG/DCT/PDK boxes are very common and there are lots of them around. Unless it gives you any problems, get in it and go.

Sounds like the clutch packs might want looking at, or there could be another issue that's causing the box to hold back clamping pressure. Less likely, but it's possible. I'd get it looked at somewhere proper - even the DQ200 is still a pretty finicky box, and you want someone that knows what they're doing. Looking on the TVS Engineering website, there are places in Athens, Heraklion and Thessaloniki. I drive a DQ381 and DQ200 in manual mode fairly often. There isn't really an issue with this, I don't think? I haven't found the DQ200 to be particularly juddery - it's in a 2021 Ibiza FR. I can provoke my DQ381 to be a bit dodgy, but that's often in traffic if I squeeze the throttle and then suddenly lift off in 2nd or so.

It's not so much the message you're giving, but more where that message is from. The DQ200 is sealed for life, but it isn't. As @Ootohere has said, both the box and MCU are serviceable. Without wishing to make one of the sweeping statements I advocate against, I would agree that inspecting the oil on a DQ200 every 20,000 miles is absolute rubbish. The reason these boxes don't 'need' a fluid change is because, unlike the wet clutch boxes, these have a dry clutch pack. They aren't submerged in the oil, so there isn't anything getting in the oil, so there's nothing really to inspect. The recommendation for all wet clutch DSG boxes is a fluid (and filter, cough) change every 40k miles, with the DQ381 being at 80k (although most, including myself, choose to do it at 40k). I find it hard to believe that anyone would suggest checking a DQ200 at half the interval for a DQ500! As above, the interval for Haldex systems (be it AWD, LSD, etc) is 20-30k depending on the application, and they're a totally different ball game. There is no recommended interval for DQ200 boxes. If you have an issue with it, do the service. If it's working and below 100k ish, leave it alone - there's nothing to be gained.

Other issues aside, having the ECU that hot might cause some bigger issues. A wet vac would work wonders on the seats, assuming you haven't done that already. You mentioned the entire braking system was from a submarine - is that all the rust on the car? By the sounds of it, it's more a question of how long it's sat for!

Ahh…. I thought you were on about a few blokes in the corner of a car park, armed with a pressure washer and some opaque bottles of secret sauce. We don’t really have your jet wash sort of thing here, from what I’ve seen - closest thing are the automated car washes that have the jets, but then they have the big brush things and all sorts after. That said, they do have blowers at the end, so silver lining and all that. If I can’t be arsed I’ll just citrus pre wash and snow foam the car, before pressure washing it off. Same principle I suppose, and I’m guessing it’s a bit less muddy where you are too. In London the showers and taps are double filtered and softened and then the drinking water is double filtered, softened and then filtered again. It’s a bit of a joke really. Like I said, after seeing what it does to my car after I wash it, I won’t be drinking it anytime soon.

Shiny windows is something I envy - mine always end up with slight marks on them, even if I dry them properly. The water here is so, so, so hard! I'm aware there are good car washes out there - as I said, maybe stuff is different for you guys, as over here they're called scratch and shines for a reason. If you mean an automated car wash (it's late, I'm tired) then that's a different story. Using those every now and again will be absolutely fine, as long as matey is careful with that brush/pressure washer thingy! I was speaking to someone the other day about what is worse for a car - automated car washes, or a hosepipe with fairy liquid (Dawn for you guys?) and a shaggy old sponge. I know which one I'd rather...

I was commenting as 'stupidity personified' appeared to be levelled at me. You quoted what I said, followed by the words stupid and then personified... I appreciate that I may have misinterpreted what you meant regarding revolutions of the wheel, rather than revolutions of the engine, however when it's written as 'more revs faster speed reading', can you really blame me? Besides, I knew exactly what you meant - I was making a point. Regarded your last bit, I agree. The item here, for example, would be much better suited. OE wheels are pretty expensive here too - an 18" spare wheel for a vRS is £300 from Skoda, which is $620 AUD. If it were me in this position, I'd either borrow a set of VAG wheels from a friend, or pick up some 16" steelies. I'm a bit dubious of cheap(er) second hand wheels, but that's just me! That said, maybe OP is limited in where they can travel due to disability, commitment or other factors. Regardless, it's not our position to call someone stupid or appear disparaging and condescending because they ask about doing something. Maybe you didn't mean to come across the way that you did, however that is the way that I read it. BTW - remember it's 2am here, so OP is probably fast asleep dreaming of his newly refurbed wheels 😆

As per my comment elsewhere, different strokes for different folks. Most towels tend to be soft - that's sort of the point of them. Drying towels are designed specifically to dry something - having used normal towels for a reason I forget, their effect is not the same. They have a tendency to push water around, and can also leave stuff on the paint. A microfibre drying towel will not. I should also say - a car wash, brushless or not, isn't the best thing for your car. They use strong chemicals to get the job done quickly, and are often far too exuberant with the pressure washer in close proximity to paintwork. The wheels in particular, at least here in the UK, are often attacked with all sorts of strong acids. It's fine every now and again, but it's not great long term.

Right. Nice to meet you too, I think? I personally don't go around on the internet calling people I don't know 'stupid', but different strokes for different folks and all that. I'm not sure how things work in Australia, but here in the UK we generally don't let random people drive our vehicles, especially when they're on temporary wheels for a refurb job. I'm reasonably sure most commercial tyres have a speed rating of above 70mph, so insurance would need to take into account the fact OPs car was speeding too. OP also mentioned they were looking for a setup 'at a price I can afford' - god forbid somebody can't afford to get a temporary setup with forged 21" HRE's dressed in 315 section Pilot Sport Cup 2s. Of course fitting commercial tyres and wheels to a car perhaps isn't ideal, but for the use that OP has (spare for a refurb) I suspect it will be absolutely fine. You should never fit passenger wheels and tyres to a commercial vehicle that require load rated items, but as long as the speed rating is taken into consideration, there is no reason why commercial items on a passenger car will cause any significant issues, as long as caution is exercised with the speed rating. Thanks for your sweeping statement. I'm sure OP was looking for exactly what you said - 'it's not as if the correct ones are hard to get'. Clearly, for his budget, they are. That is also not to mention he quite literally said he was just after wheels and that useable tyres were 'a bonus'. Thank you for explaining how a speedometer functions. I should however point out that 'more revs faster speeding', despite being grammatically incorrect, is also factually inaccurate, as I would suspect being at 2,000rpm in 6th is going to result in a larger inaccuracy than being at 6000rpm in 1st. It could also be an older car, with a mechanical or VSS speedo. It's not, but it could be. I think, speaking for myself, the other commenters and OP, we are all aware of this. I think that's everything. I wish I were intelligent enough to call someone stupid when my syntax, grammar and punctuation render my comments virtually unintelligible.

Some people care about their cars.

I can't see anything wrong with using commercial rated tyres on a car, with the caveat being you'd want to be under their (presumably low) speed rating. FWIW, if you have 312mm brakes, then commercial 16" wheels might cause some issues with clearances if they are a weird shape/offset.

I had my vRS up to almost 350bhp and 500nm, and didn't have any issues with the driveshafts. Several blokes in my vRS group have cars near 400bhp, with Wavetrac/Quaife diffs. Hell, I've seen a 500bhp TSI Occy with 670nm on standard driveshafts. I note OP has a 2017 TDI - I presume it's a FWD model rather than AWD. Given that it's tuned to 300bhp (somehow) I would assume the torque to be up near 650nm, if Darkside is anything to go by. If it's AWD then yeah, you might be breaking driveshafts. If it's FWD then there's no way you're getting enough traction, so I'm not sure how you're breaking them! Frankly, I'd expect you to break the gearbox before a driveshaft.

The water where I am is atrocious - I've actually stopped drinking it after seeing what it does to the car. I use drying towels, which work a treat. I've got a few over the years, but you can get two for no more than £15 each. If you want to be fancy, a spray sealant 'drying aid' works wonders too. As others have said, using a water softener/filter, or distilled water is an option, but unless you have a Bugatti, it's a waste of time, effort and money!

To be fair, aside from the welding and bodywork, if it has good bones then most of the parts can be had from a breakers yard. What is the interior like? I think the others are missing the point that it was bought specifically as a project car. Equally, I also think they're missing the point that, for a first car, it doesn't have to be perfect. I dare say he will spend the next few years containing the work and modifications - at least until he can get insured on something faster! I will say that I hope you didn't pay more than a few hundred quid for it - sounds like you did the previous owner a favour 😆

Headlight washers should be in the engine bay fuse box (under the cover, next to the battery).

I would look at a poly version - that is the same billet insert as mine, which wasn't great for NVH. If if was too much for my vRS, I can only image how it would be in a 1.4. You want something more like this, IMO.

I have a billet 034 one you can have for postage. Absolutely ruined my car! I’m looking at Powerflex now.

A generally surefire way to sort axle hop is to do the lower dogbone mount. That said, it does increase NVH.

Agreed. That being said, I wonder how far the average person really pushes things? I would assume XDS is far more utilised in situations with poor traction (wet, ice, etc) rather than 'handling'. Lot's of people throw shade on it, but as you say, it's not really designed to do anything except augment and improve the driving experience of the average person. A few years ago someone hit the back of my 2016 1.4 Leon FR. I was given a 2021 Golf 1.5 and was very excited to see how the new derivative of the engine performed, since the one in my Leon was so good! To say I was disappointed was an understatement. The whole car was void of any feeling, from the engine to the steering to the clutch. The engine felt rubbish - slow to get going, a lack of low down torque and yet breathless. I will say, I doubt it was any slower or quicker than the Leon, it's just the way it felt. Even the gearbox felt rubbish, despite being the same MQ200. I've never been a fan of these smaller EA211's in cars like the Superb. It moved my Leon along nicely, but when fully loaded things were a bit... sluggish. I'd hate to think how things are in a Superb on the motorway with four people and their bags. I'm pleased to report though, things might have changed. I had a 2023 Polo as a courtesy car last week, and was pleasantly surprise with just how good the 5 speed box felt. In fact, the whole car felt good - really good! The steering was nice, the engine felt really nippy and aside from a rough 3 pot idle, I couldn't really fault the car. This was a bog base spec, but still had ACC, a tidy digi dash, power fold mirrors (unlike my vRS) and a very pleasant, if plain, interior. We liked it so much, my girlfriend is looking at one. Mind you, we bough my mum a 2022 1.0 Ibiza FR DSG that I absolutely love, so I might be slightly biased!

Yes, this is also true. XDS isn't really an electronic differential at all - it just uses the ABS to emulate the effect of an LSD. VAQ is VW's electronically controlled limited slip diff. I always found it a particularly misleading term, as it comprises of Haldex parts and a clutch pack, controlled by electronics, rather than torque sensing mechanical resistance. Does XDS work? Depends on who you ask. I personally found it useless for acceleration, but it did make some difference in the handling department. Ultimately, it's a 1.5 Skoda Superb. It's not meant to do standing starts, even if it does only have 150bhp. I loved my Leon FR, and it drove very well for what it was, but it was ultimately a rigid rear beam 1.4 economy hatchback with some big wheels and a flat bottomed steering wheel. As an aside, I'm surprised you're finding issues with the DSG - I wonder what the manual is like?

I'm not sure I'd bother telling the insurance about that sort of thing. Changing wheels, yes, but a simple refurb, probably not - with Admiral anyway, there's only the option for non-standard wheels. I mean, would you tell them if you painted your calipers red?

If you're running decent tyres then I would probably say it's just one of those things. I remember my Leon struggled a bit below 30mph sometimes.

Yeah, generally the speed vans are jobsworths. On a motorway, the police likely wouldn't bother looking twice below 80mph. Speed vans however, will do you for 73mph because they have nothing better to do (10% + X guidance is not for them). Agreed - also depends if it's S1 or S2, in my experience.