OccyVRS

2020 vRS 245. Ignoring the VW specs and brands (I've heard good things about Millers Nano), what are we thinking? I'm due a change in a week. 0W-20 is quite thin and from what I've seen, it was chosen mainly for emissions/efficiency. A lot of people run 5W-30 or even 40. I run the car fairly hard sometimes and would rather have protection than efficiency. I live on the South Coast and let the car warm up properly when freezing, so I'm not too fussed about cold weather performance. Thoughts?

I know SEAT used Bridgestone for the development of the various Leon models. Depending on the mood of the factory, MQB models seem to come with Bridgestone or Hankook. I'm not a fan of Bridgestone. The only tyre I'd choose them over is Pirelli. I'm a big fan of Continental and Michelin - I've run Pilot Sport 5/4 on my recent cars. I've currently got about 5/6mm left on the fronts of my vRS after 8,000 miles of very mixed driving. That's pretty damn good for a UPH summer tyre. FWIW, PS5 offers the same grip as PS4, but being a firmer compound wears far better. PS4S/PSS5 are totally overkill for anything VAG that isn't a tuned RS6. So many people put PS4S on their Cupra or whatever - the tyre comes stock on a 296 GTB!

I'm looking into some lowering springs - both to stiffen the car up and sort the fitment a little. That might look a little silly fitment wise, but as I'm not keen on spacers, I might look at lower offset wheels. Lowering spring wise, what are we all running? I've been looking at Eibach, etc, however am more keen on the adjustable version from KW or the Bilstein kit. Something like a 30/40mm drop is too much for me, as the car is used in some questionable car parks. I'm keen to do more 10/20mm. Any experiences appreciated!

@netman82 Unless I'm being a fool, the box part (further back) is the back box and the cylinder shape is the resonator. @leolito Haha - I was meaning more a V8 in terms of say an AMG GT or the like! At that point though, it'll be a custom system anyway. I personally wouldn't do a backbox delete on any car. It'll sound horrendous on anything below 3.0, and will be deafening above that, as you say.

AFAIK on cars with ADAS, you really want to be using genuine glass. Mine is scratched to hell - not quite sure how, but there we go. The replacement cost is eye watering, so I may just wait until that stone gets kicked up from my mates car...

Well, that's being scrapped it seems! The Octavia seems to be the first car that fits me well. I am 6 1", but my height comes from my torso. In other words, to have the seat set at the right distance from the steering wheel, my feet are usually stretched to reach the pedals. The Octavia seems a perfect fit. I had a courtesy Golf with the dead pedal on the right side too. I liked it, but none of my cars have ever had it. I usually just plonk both feet on the floor, perhaps slightly under my seat. It's not ideal, but it's better than putting them underneath the pedals like I did in my Leon. My previous car to the Leon (A3) had the accelerator hinged on the base, so while it was much better for heel toeing, it made shoving my size 12s underneath it a bit tricky!

Generally speaking (trench blocks come to mind), you'll bust the suspension or structure (boot/cabin floor) before having any issues with tyres. it's actually quite difficult to go over the max load for a passenger car, unless you are transporting lead or bags of cement. The extra weight is definitely noticeable, no matter the car. I notice the difference with just a full tank of fuel. That's not to mention if I put a suitcase or two in the boot, the front of the car becomes a monster truck. Stiffer springs are definitely needed.

It turns out my MacBook didn't like the word backbox. I would, of course, discourage a backbone delete - it would be uncomfortable. A backbox delete is maybe a consideration if you have a 4.4L V8. In this instance though, as said, it'll just create a racket. I was always told to never consider one below a 3.0 V6 and even then, it is a mixed bag. You can get anti-drone sections for a res delete.

Apologies - by VAG CB I was meaning VW Audi Group centre bore. In other words, the exact hub spacing of 57.1mm. By using hub centric spacers you're absolutely fine, however I just wanted to mention it, as a surprising number of people don't use them. I would personally avoid a backbone delete. It will increase the noise significantly, but in much more of an ASBO way than an enjoyable way.

Perhaps a silly question, but why not just do the work yourself? You seem to know enough/be able to find the answers or, at the very least, more able than your local mechanics. I'm not sure where you are, but I can see one or two VW places in Santa Domingo. +1 on what Alasdair said - one notch or two you'll likely get away with it, but any more and you can have some serious problems. On a side note, the 1.9 SDI differs from the 1.9 TDI in that it has no turbo. From my understanding, while they are painfully slow, they are generally absolutely bomb proof and very good on fuel. Buena suerte. ¡Valdrá la pena!

It's a small engine working hard. I've seen them get well past 150,000 miles without issue. That said, aside from a beefy diesel, I personally wouldn't want to own any newer car past 120,000 miles. Too much is plastic, which is affected by heat cycles.

One touch window needs resetting - have you had the battery changed? IIRC you need to start with it up, put it down and hold it for ten seconds, then release and put it up, holding at the top for ten seconds. Something like that anyway.

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They might suspect it is the clutch pack, which is not covered by the warranty as it is a consumable item. I personally think this isn't fair on DSG boxes, but there we go. Here is the booklet. At this point, I've just deleted the rest of the post I'd written. I was going on about how it was completely the fault of the dealer, etc. However, when I went to check the age of your car (I was advising to visit an Indie VAG place for service records) I noticed that it was a 1.5. This car is fitted with a DQ200 gearbox, which has no service interval. Regardless of the nuances of this (my gearbox is set at 80k miles, however I'm having it done now at 35k), the dealer had no obligation, responsibility or need to service the gearbox. It's good practice to replace the fluid at some point, however as it is a dry clutch box, it is a sealed for life unit. Certainly, at 40k, a service isn't really needed (age aside). TLDR - if the gearbox in general is at fault, then you are covered. If the issue relates to the clutch pack, you might have an issue. May I ask, is the issue prevalent when changing gear, or when actually pulling away? The two major issues (not DMF as they would have said) are the clutches, or MCU (mechatronics). By the sounds of it, I would be more inclined to suggest it is unfortunately the former. However, with only 40k on the clock, I'd be surprised if the clutch packs had an issue with wear. It's a bit of a cop out on VW's part, but the warranty isn't really there to help you is it?

It doesn't work like that - a new battery needs to be coded in, regardless of whether it is the exact same make, model and batch as the old one. If your car is a late Mk3.5 you'll enter the world of ODIS as it's a locked gateway. If it's earlier than that then you can use any decent system (VCDS, OBD11, etc). OBD11 can be had for around £70 (last time I checked) and will allow you to make the required 'adaptation'.

OE would be my choice, as OEM can sometimes be a bit iffy if you get the cheaper under licence ones. Ferodo are very good, as are Pagid. Brembo are crap unless they are proper ones. EBC are nice, but I'd choose OE over all of them for normal use with a stock vRS. I ran full OE on my 350bhp vRS before swapping to DS2500 on the front. The car is back to 250bhp and the pads haven't got ages left, so I'll be putting some OE ones back on. BTW - OEM are TRW/ATE pads. OE are the same TRW/ATE pads, with the VWAG stamp on the back, in a VW box.

Ah it's always backed up there now. It ends up blocking Thomas Lewis Way, which is busier than ever thanks to the 20mph.

Re the res delete - £50 may have been on the low end, however I still stand by it. If you're wanting an anti-drone section then it'll be more, however ultimately a simple res delete is a bit of straight pipe and two welds! If you're able to change a wheel and get some 57.1mm (VAG CB) spacers, I don't see why you'd have an issue - it's virtually the same process as refitting a wheel normally. Issues only arise when you're messing around attempting to centre spacers and the wheel. You can change the waste gate actuator clip which does help, however the linkage naturally has a bit of slop in it. I honestly can't remember how easy it was to access, however I think nothing had to be removed. https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-fix-the-turbo-wastegate-rattle-on-the-mk7-golf-1-4lt-tsi-140-150ps.340805/

All @travs was on about (I think) the risk of spacers being installed improperly, or causing premature wear on bearings, hubs, etc. In theory there’s no difference between a super high offset wheel and a 30mm spacer, so as long as they’re installed properly, centred, etc, you should be absolutely fine. I would hope any decent performance/tuning/exhaust place can help you. I wouldn’t expect you to be paying more than around £50. P.S. you might also want to look into sorting the turbo wastegate rattle. It’s a common issue on all these cars - when in 2cyl mode, the sound is annoying. I remember my Leon was particularly horrendous!

In line with what has been said, the most power you want to be putting through these engines is about 180bhp. Anything north of 190bhp you start to risk breaking things. Even if the engine internals can cope (debatable), the cooling system, gearbox, etc, isn't. Best case scenario, as a lot of 150ps Leon FR owners found, you'll knacker the clutch. I'm not too sure about Hankook, but something from Michelin or Continental could be worth a look, depending on your tyre size. Pads and discs depends on what you're after. Something from EBC or Pagid could be worth a look. If you're going to be doing spacers, some lowering springs might be nice too. You don't want to run huge spacers IMO - if you're after anything more than 15mm or so, I'd get some different offset wheels. A res delete is literally cutting the/a resonator out and putting in a put of straight pipe - it's generally a quick 'custom' job. FYI @netman82 this isn't true at all. Even if you run an open cone filter, nothing is getting through any filter.

Hopefully it wasn't on the Avenue by Boldrewood!

It's worth saying that a few mm make no difference (as long as it goes the enture way through the thread) but you don't want them to be silly long - that can cause issues too. Anything bolt wise, you want to get from Bimecc. McGard Black Edition are the lockers to go for. That said, I only used the lockers as I got them in a deal from wheelbase alloys. Were I paying full price, I'd just run five normal hex bolts. I've had a lock key round out on me. It was a nightmare, until I had/found the idea to whack on a blank socket. It took me literally ten seconds to remove the locking nut/bolt. This was a Focus with the scrappy Ford two-piece design, but you get me drift. I wouldn't remove the lockers from my car, but were I buying again, I wouldn't personally bother IMO.

Yep - it's just a cost saving method really, although in my Leon I used to like clicking into full power mode! Dogbone mounts will have an effect - they're used to reduce transmission movement during acceleration/deceleration. They have more of an impact on DSG cars, but small things add up. Speaking of small things, the diverter valve they're on about is here. Truthfully, I think it is a total waste of time on your engine. A diverter valve works by diverting built up boost pressure when you lift off the throttle (similar to a BOV - blow off valve). An upgraded DV is useful for reducing spool time, thus increasing throttle response, and a BOV is useful for quickly dumping the insane amounts of boost your 110mm Garrett turbo is (not) making. For example, the GFB version opens 10% faster and shuts 50% faster than the factory bit, which helps you build up boost a tiny bit faster. It'll help with throttle response, but it's not really important on a Stage 2 RS3, let alone a remapped 1.4! If you're after throttle response, a pedal box will do far more. It's the same story with fuelling, plugs and whatever else you can throw at it. These are all supporting mods to the elephant in the room - the turbo upgrade. You could very easily drop £7,000 by squeezing on some Racingline carbon ceramic discs and six piston monoblock calipers. Will they make any difference? No. What tyres do you have? Did you just do the K&N box, or is it the cone style cold air intake? Putting some PS5s on, nicer pads, spacers and maybe a resonator delete will do far more for your driving experience than pointless unsupported engine parts!

That's £456 a year. Take away £45 for the MOT and £25 for breakdown, £386 is quite an expensive service (especially for an electric vehicle). The warranty is quite nice, but after you've paid the mandatory investigation fee, you may as well just pay for the extended warranty out of pocket. There's a reason they're called stealers - they are there to sell you a car and take your money. This is personal experience - from being sold a crash damaged car to being assured by a master tech the rock lodged in my subframe was just old age sounds of a 2018 car. Useless.

I suspect it's a sensor issue. My DS2500s are due to be replace soon, but they aren't OE pads and have seen some very heavy use over the last 10,000 miles.