OccyVRS

Very interesting - my indie can easily get TRW but I assumed there would be a 0.001% difference in the shade of red. My carriers are fine - it’s just the rear caliper that have gone.

@Warrior193 no Mit Silikat for this guy! That said, as the car is parked on a downward slope I might top the coolant up. Touch concerned as I put a tiny bit in a month or so ago and it was at max, although hoping that’s just it self levelling…

I'm looking to pick up a new caliper. All of the UK main dealers are after £380, whereas my usual Skoda Parts (Cz) are wanting £280. Skoda Parts Direct (UK) also want £280. Does anyone have any experience with the latter? I usually order everything from Skoda Parts in Cz, but as this is quite an important item I'm apparently a bit hesitant to FedEx away to Europe for it. I know the parts they supply are genuine (the last six boxes have been anyway) but I would prefer to get my hands on it first at a Skoda counter... That being said, I'm not sure how the Fish Brothers place is offering European pricing when the part is in the UK! Their reponse was they want to be competitive, which is fair enough, but still. I'm considering biting the bullet and just ordering through my local dealer. It's an extra £100 but it might make me (and my OCD) feel happier. Any thoughts?

I'm normally quite on it with tyre posts - must have missed this. Looking at this section of UHP summer tyre, you're looking at Conti SC/PC7, Asy 6 or PS4/5. I prefer the Michelin brand, so have used Pilot Sport 4, 4S and now 5. PS4S and PSS5 are totally overkill for anything made by VW group, let alone Skoda (aside from maybe an RS6 or R8). PS4 and PS5 are the same tyre, except that PS5s are a firmer compound that performs marginally better in the dry, and lasts longer. I've currently got about 8,000 miles on my PS5s and I'm not looking to replace them anytime soon. This has been a mixture of sedate driving, motorway miles, as well as plenty of A and B roads in a 350bhp vRS. They are still a UHP tyre, so they will not last as long as more balanced tyres. That said, they are the best wearing performance tyre I've used (with reference to cost, performance and wear).

I've got a vRS, with the red calipers. The front calipers look fine. When I bought the car, the rear right looked awful and had flaked entirely. Skoda made such a mess of repainting it, they ended up replacing the whole thing. Now, a year later, the rear left is following suit. I'm not interested in doing it myself as I want it done properly. My first thought was to just replace it and call it a day - saves messing around with matching colours, etc. Having looked up some prices, even Skoda Parts are after £280 for the caliper (which is fine) but then a further £160 for the carrier, which I didn't factor in. As they're the rear, the carrier is half of the brake, visually, and I think just replacing the caliper might look a bit silly. That said, £435 (or £640 from Skoda UK) is daft for a bit of flakey paint. So, next option is getting it touched up, but I have two issues. Firstly, most places don't remove the calipers to paint them - what are peoples thoughs on this? I'm not that keen on masking tape, but most people seem to have no issue. I could remove the caliper and drain it, but I don't really want to do this myself and my VAG indie is a fair bit away from the painting place. The other problem is that they will only be able to match the paint the best they can. This means that it might look a bit off, and then I'll be looking at doing the front to match (which is factory finish and I don't really want to do). Keen for inputs. Replacing the brake seems stupidly expensive, but repainting just that caliper opens up issues with matching it - not to mention the potential painting on car issue.

I wouldn't have thought so, but I'd be inclined to look into a caliper issue than an issue with brand new discs from a decent supplier - especially if you've had sticking issues. Sure others will have more of an idea - just my 2c. One caliper was silver when I bought the car, however the other side only started flaking in autumn. Having seen what a mess Skoda made of repainting the caliper, I think I'll just get a new one when the time comes. By the time I've got the caliper removed, stripped, prepped, got the exact paint (which, I should add, Skoda failed to do), painted it properly, rebuilt it and reinstalled it, I think it'll be as much of a pain as just sticking a new one on. I hate doing things half-arsed, so a job with masking tape won't do and I'm keen to prep the caliper properly so the paint sticks this time. Again though, I wonder why it's just the rear...

Look at the price and you'll see why I'm holding off - https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5f0615423-brake-caliper-rear-left-skoda-39953.html If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them - I loathe to see calipers painted with some masking tape over the disc.

I'm not sure about the brake lines, but I can confirm that both rear calipers on my 2020 vRS 245 were/are exactly the same. One was replaced by Skoda (well, I made them) as it looked horrendous and the other is pending replacement when I can be bothered. Annoyingly it started flaking a few months after I bought the car, and I don't have the energy to go back to them. Both front calipers are absolutely fine, and seeing as they do 70% of the work and generate 70% of the heat, I'm not too sure how this is possible. The flaking looks pretty naff and it's not fixable by clear coating as it's large chunks that are lifting - it'll need to be repainted (or replaced). It's held up okay for the last 6 months, but I suspect come the first track day this year, it'll give up. If you google GTI/vRS caliper colour, you'll see it's a very common issue. Interesting you mention about the car only covering 20k - mine is pristine and quite low mileage for its age, and it's just about to cross 40k! Having done 20k means it's only done about 4k per year - that's quite a lot of time with the handbrake (rear calipers) engaged.

The warping of a 340x30mm disc brake takes some serious braking. Seeing as they're new, the warping in this instance is likely the uneven build up of material, that occurred during the bedding in process. I highly doubt the metal is actually warped - VBT are normally rather good. Both the mountain surface and piston questions are fair, but I still think they would be rubbing as the entire circumference of the disc passed through the caliper.

Haha @Warrior193 the photo is from Google! I did say that at the bottom, but it was maybe cut off, apologies. If mine was that bad I think the silica bag would be the least of my worries. I was just curious as the car is going for some work soon, and getting it changed then (if needed) would kill two birds with one stone. That could never be my engine bay! Whenever I wash the car, I always get a damp cloth and just go over the whole bay. I don't give a damn what it looks like, but having a clean engine helps me see if there are ever any leaks/split hoses/issues.

Now that I take my attention away from some other forums and think about it, I'm not sure. The change of coolant colour is usually due to either gunky old coolant, or some form of corrosion inside the system. That said, every 'coolant bag burst' post I've seen has the coolant being a bit of a dodgy colour. Someone else will come along and offer further.

You might need to deploy some detective skills - Kopacek (formerly SuperSkoda) don't seem to have any RS red paint anymore, and wouldn't ship aerosol anyway.

For your uses, I think OBD11 will be perfect. VCDS is a more capable tool, but it's far more expensive and geared more towards professionals. OBD11 is cheaper, more straightforward and I suspect more than enough for your needs. You'll need the Pro version to be able to do adaptations IIRC, although you can upgrade from Basic to Pro (@varaderoguy). https://forum.obdeleven.com/thread/4252/coding-new-battery

Thank you. I'll start with a cloth and maybe a soft scrubbing pad thing and see what happens.

I've been reminded about this. I'm looking for a bottom line answer - is the only 'Mit Silikat' marking on coolant reservoirs like this photo? I.E. this is the only location of the marking, and it's not different on some cars. It's is double walled so I can't really see inside properly (photo from google) and I don't trust it! Mine is a 2020 vRS 245 - I thought that the later G12 EVO cars had done away with the silica bag, but apparently not.

Ah, you've just posted one. I was thinking more like this here. That colour looks like the bag might have burst - it's a bit too orange and I'd hope on a 2020 car you don't have any rust yet. If you shine a light into the tank, is it still the same colour? Any visible bits inside?

AFAIK when the silicone bag goes, the coolant will turn a rusty brown colour (quick google shows the colour of the bag). You should be able to see the silica bag if the reservoir is marked 'Mit Silikat', unless it is a double walled tank. Have you got a photo of the this gundge? Can you check the oil cap for anything similar? White gunk sounds like something is allowing something to mix with the coolant... I'd be tempted to deal with the bag, flush the coolant and see how it goes.

My exhaust tips aren't awful, but they've seen better days. I want to polish them up, before deciding whether to stick with the chrome or get some black tips (am thinking about either OE black versions, or get them Cerakoted in a dark gunmetal colour). I've polished a fair few tips with 00/0000 steel wool and Autosol, however these were all 'real' exhaust tips, with a bit of chrome on them. The tips on my vRS are purely cosmetic tips (although they are chromed metal rather than plastic or anything), however do we know if this polishing method still works? I don't see why it wouldn't, but the tips aren't cheap and I don't want to take the chroming off.

Rear view mirror, with the rain sensor. My guess is the whole unit, with trim, which won't be cheap wherever you get it from (unless a breaker?)

You will be able to find everything here, depending on if you need one with a rain/light sensor, camera unit, etc - https://www.skoda-parts.com/online-store.html The dealer should give you the part number - at least, every dealer I've ever phoned up has happily provided a list of part numbers, whether they're supplying them or not. Give Caffyns Skoda in Tunbridge Wells a ring - don't trust them to sharpen your pencil, but the parts manager Darren is brilliant.

The good Highlands and Islands postage… I get faster internet in Lossiemouth than I do in London… utter scam!

Out of interest, does anyone know if the ACC also changes? I'm due to head over to France soon, and wondered if the car would swap for me (I.E. in RHD it won't let you undertake, which won't be brilliant in France as you pass everyone on the right).

Here we go again... When buying a used car I change the tyres immediately, however this is generally due to them being main dealer cars with very new but rubbish/unmatched tyres on them. If they were good condition, high quality tyres I'd probably run them for a bit, but if there was anything suspect with them I'd change them. I also check the alloys for any obvious repairs, etc, however as @chills says, if the car is in good condition then it is unlikely to have any real issues as far as the wheels are concerned. That said, I haven't bought a car with more than 20k on it, so maybe if it's a bit older I would consider getting them checked. The issue with secondhand wheels is that someone is selling them for a reason. Maybe they're just surplus to requirements, maybe they upgraded or maybe there are other reasons - the point is, you don't know. As has been discussed on another post, second hand tyres aren't worth it. It takes a lot to buckle an OE wheel - it doesn't take a lot to mess with a tyre. That's not to mention that wheels are (generally) good for immense numbers of miles, heat cycles, etc. Tyres are not. I'm in the position that I can afford to buy quality brand new tyres for my car. If I wasn't able to afford them, as has been said on other posts, I would reconsider my ownership of the car. My road tax is very nearly the price of two decent tyres - how could I possibly justify the potential compromise on safety, for such a small price. TLDR - used wheels, within reason, are generally safe bets. OP will be getting them stripped/inspected which is even better. I personally wouldn't use second-hand wheels that I don't know the history of, but that's just me. There are so many people on this forum that rant on about used tyres. If they want to do that then that's fine - but why don't they also use part-worn windscreen wipers, part-knackered batteries and part-used engine oil. It is exactly the same principle. Sure, people have used part-worn tyres for years! People have also ridden mountain bikes for years without proper equipment - until one day you go into a tree and end up in a wheelchair. When I'm in the outside lane, doing exactly the speed limit, with the car full, my girlfriend next to me, in heavy rain at night, I take comfort knowing that my brand new Michelin PS5s will offer me the very best chance in stopping and resisting aquaplaning. If you want to mess around with part-worn tyres, then that's up to you. I'm the sort of person that puts a new purchase up on the ramp and spends several hours checks over the condition of everything, just to be sure. Every few weeks, I'll go around the car quickly and check that everything is as it should be, just to be sure. I carry a first aid kid, LED road flare and other safety items too in the boot, just to be sure. Driving is dangerous enough without having my car trying to kill me too.

You'll get to a solution, believe me. I remember my parents had endless issues with their A3 for several years (the horn, wipers, locking would randomly stop working) and the issue was eventually traced to an incorrectly coded in battery. I wouldn't go to anywhere other than a VAG specialist, whether it's for a new turbo or an oil change. Just because they know how to sort cars doesn't mean they care about sorting them. Do others a favour and please update this thread with an update or solution once you've been to see them! It's always nice to have a complete issue, for when people find this thread in fifteen years time.

Yes - a company like that is a good port of call. I think we/I thought you were on about a breaker up north with a few blurry photos on eBay. They're good for some things, but not wheels. Something like this is very smart - https://premiumwheels.de/en/17-Zoll-Felgen-original-VW-Tiguan-II-2-Galway-5NA601025AL-Al/171738500 I did also see 16 inch wheels for something Skoda SUV-y. It might just be something you have to wait a little bit for (drop them a line).