OccyVRS

I wasn't talking about the Moray Firth area - the weather there is lovely and, if it isn't, it'll change in ten minutes. We're talking about the NC500 route. Having spent many winters hunting up in in the North of Sutherland, the weather changes very quickly and, if you're going off the beaten path as I said, it can be quite interesting. Certainly, I don't think there's anywhere in the UK more remote than Sutherland - and I'm not talking about Helmsdale. That particular road I was on about has snow gates (unofficial ones?), mainly due to the fact the road is impassible by anything other than a 4x4 for many months. Going over the Dava in winter is a bit different to being up near Allnabad during a storm! More to the point - you've summed up what I'm saying completely. You are from there, you are used to it. The tourists and NC500-ers are not. I've seen their antics during the summer months - I can only imagine how they'll fare over winter. My post was aimed at those that are used to Milton Keynes and not used to those conditions. You likely saw the carnage that ensued on the M25 a few years ago when it snowed about a foot - that's the market I was addressing! As with anything else, YMMV, but my family are all current/ex-military and I grew up in the hills. As I said, it's not Drake's Passage, but if you're unprepared it can come back to bite you (a quick search of hillwalker deaths will offer as much). Oh, and Findhorn is an exception to the weather rule - a lot of hot air there from the Foundation 🤣

The only issue with that part of the world, as beautiful as it is, is that it's only beautiful for 3 months in the year. The rest of the time, it's miserable. I grew up in Moray - I'd move there tomorrow if I could. It's just, people only ever show the sunny, warm days, and don't really acknowledge that a lot of the time it is bitterly cold and wet. One of my favourite roads in the entire is an old military road that cuts about 20 miles through the Highlands. It has stunning views, some stunning road and is the epitome of what everything I love about the world. My current phone lock screen is a photo of my car, taken on that road. Anyway, it's absolutely lovely in the summer but, due to the weather, largely impassible for the other three seasons. Indeed, the snow gates are shut for winter. It's great fun up there, but it's not a private race track. Even though things are a bit different now, the conditions can be dangerous and plenty have been caught out over the years. Nobody is saying you'll starve to death, but go 45 minutes off the A roads, get a flat and you can look forward to several hours walking in the cold until someone coming home from work in their 4x4 sees you.

It is possible that it's not the fault of the tyre place - it is recommended to check the torque of all bolts/nuts 100 miles or so after a change. That said, I've never had one loosen off, although my place does use a torque wrench and not an ugga dugga. The Haldex system can be quite sensitive - it's recommended to use four tyres of the same tyre with the same wear, as anything else can cause it to turn into a Torsen system.

Yeah, at that point you're relying on the carcass of the tyre to give much of the rigidity - alright if you've got PS4S on there, but even then, it's still not going to be the best handling setup. If I was looking to run a 245, I'd probably be looking at a 9" wheel - nice and fat with plenty of support from the rim.

You can do a 235 on a 7.5J but I'm not sure I'd do it - ideal is 215 or 225.

Newer engines (VAG in particular) have lots of parts made of plastic. These don't tend to do so well over the test of time.

There is - we just don't get it in the UK. Kind of how the options lists for UK cars is generally hilarious compared to LHD (in terms of customisation, rather than packs). Type approval costs money, an the RHD market is very small.

I hated Box Hill - it used to be part of my interval training ride. Ugh. Much prefer Toys Hill, quieter and a nice pub in Sundridge to head to after.

If you're EU it will probably be even more restrictive. Just a shame they don't limit the output of LED headlights like they do in the US! Are you after something like this?

Of course, although in this case that's not relevant. Performance pads can make noise either due to the compound, or simply because they don't have any shims or other NVH-reducing bits on them. I've found DS2500 to be quite good all rounders, but I had terrible noise from previous Yellowstuff pads in traffic. Yes, although this would cause them to rub all the time (in theory), if it was a stuck piston or something. I agree with @Ootohere - there's a reason garages use those hub cleaner wire brushes. OP, if you're sure that the discs aren't warped (they are new IIRC) then it might be worth investing in a hub cleaner bit for your power drill. Rather than taking the disc off, you could try (if you have one to hand) getting a laser level and trying it that way. I use one on mtb rotors.

The standard 18/19" wheels are only 7.5J aren't they? Almost ET50 or something too IIRC. You could likely stick on some 8.5J 19s, with a 245/35, go ET40 or something and be no nearer to the strut than you are now. You could even do 9J with 255 and drop down to ET35.

On a 2024 car it will tell you if you've over or under filled the oil!

No, you're right - I didn't think of that. Perhaps even more reason that OP should be looking toward an independent - I think they're far less likely to take the p*** out of anyone that needs some guidance/honest advice/assistance.

I almost ran out of breath reading that! As @Ootohere says, checking/maintaining oil level is one of the basic things that you need to be able to do, along with checking/maintaining tyre pressure, changing a wheel, etc. It's easier to be able to sort those small issues yourself - not to mention you should a) be checking them fairly regularly and b) if you go for a road trip, it may come in handy! Regarding your issue, I would personally take the car to an Independent and see what they think. Volks Work LTD and VASS Autotech are both near you and have a good reputation. This does run the risk of the dealer saying that someone else has touched it, etc, but as you have already had the car in with them and don't believe they did a proper job, I wouldn't think this is a major issue. If you can let us know about the servicing/mileage/purchase stuff that Ootohere asked for, I'm sure we'll be able to help further. Perhaps, if you're that unsure about oil levels, you could also ask the indie/dealer to show you what to do? My local dealer is very friendly and would help without hesitation (although they are the only reasonable main dealer I've ever come across).

Just an aside - in the UK, you cannot convert your existing headlights to Xenon or LED. You have to replace the entire headlight unit. Similarly, you must also have an automatic self-levelling system, by law. This is because they can be blinding to other drivers if you have, say, a large corpse in the boot. Frankly, if you're doing all that I would look at LED's anyway. Xenon's are quite expensive, and not quite as blinding as the LEDs on 99% of cars on the road.

There's speed bumps, barriers and cameras everywhere now. Frankly, I think the days of non-static car meets, outside of a track, are over. Too many people make too many dumb decisions, and ruin it for the rest of us. The only good moving meet I've been to is the London-Brighton Mini Run! Okay, we did break down three times (I'm not counting the two on the way home), but it was brilliant fun.

300bhp the stock brakes are fine. 550bhp I would be looking at wider tyres, bigger brakes and some beefing up of the platform. Heck, if you're doing an AWD conversion, I'd even look at a bolt in half cage. It'll look cool and, on the rare occasion you do put your foot down, will give you some extra chassis stiffness and safety. I know someone that has done an AWD conversion in his Mk2. If you PM some contact info, I can see if he'll give you some pointers - he's dead friendly and has done more than one conversion.

There's quite a good debate on the uses of helmets vs harnesses vs HANS. I wear a helmet on track days as I figure it can't hurt, however I'm in a fully road going vehicle with factory airbags and not chasing lap times. Were I to be doing anything more serious, I'd want a proper seat and harness. IMO something like HANS isn't needed, as long as you have airbags. If you're in something that doesn't (such as an Atom), you should have a helmet, harness and HANS. I'd always wear something and not need it, rather than not wear it and need it. Whenever I go out on my mountain bike, even if I'm having a relatively relaxed day at the bike park or local trails, I will always wear a full face helmet, spine protector and pads. Anything more, and you'll find me wearing Moto body armour. You only get one life! I would also suggest that this also raises the question of road surface. I've driven a car on semi slicks (not slicks, though) and I can imagine that on the majority of UK roads, the surface condition would make it terrifying. This is also true of normal road tyres - if you're going over a rubbish surface (approx 99.9% of the UK road network) then having higher blocks will surely give you better traction when the tyre is upset by such bumps, etc.

I know a keen rider that lost the rear during a summer shower. Mind you, it was a Triumph Rocket, so that may have had something to do with it. 9 times out of 10, more tread is better.

A lot of stuff is touch sensitive, but this isn't one of them. I didn't get on very well with a Mk8 Golf courtesy car I had for a while, so when buying my vRS I made sure to get the newest, lowest mile MK3.5 I could.

I think the first thing to say (without preaching to the choir) is that you can stick on some RS6 carbon ceramics, and your 60-0 distance will be the exact same. In fact, with the extra unsprung/rotating mass, it would probably be worse. The only point of larger discs and calipers are for better thermal resistance - in other words, larger discs take longer to heat up. If you're not on track through, then you won't be benefitting from this. While I'm not sure what setup you have at the moment, I will say that the standard 340mm discs and caliper setup on my vRS 245 really isn't the lightest. For comparison sake, the Racingline EVO 4-pot BBK comes in at 4.4kg per side (caliper, pads, carrier), compared to the hefty 8.6kg of the stock single piston setup. That's a huge difference. Frankly, even their 6-pot monoblock is a good 3kg lighter than the standard caliper. Unless you're going to carbon ceramics, you'll find that bigger discs are heavier. For some idea, an average 310mm disc comes in at about 8.4kg, compared to the 10.8 of a 340mm. Those Akebono callipers call for 374x36mm discs - that's big. Ultimately, it's about deciding what is more important to you. If it were me and I was going up to a larger engine, I would first consider doing some changes to the suspension and putting some 245, 255 or even 265 section tyres on there. Are your wheels definitely 9J? (The minimum tyre size for 9" is largely recommended at 235) From there, I'd do some braided lines, and look at a 345/355mm BBK - such as from Racingline, EBC, with some nice pads and uprated master cylinder/servo. This setup would give you - Bigger, lighter and better looking calipers Bigger, better looking discs (that are probably only marginally heavier than OE) Better pedal feel with the lines, pads and rest of the system Better handling and braking (that can get the most out of the fancy new brakes) I'd also look at some ducts to keep the system cool (more fun than anything else, really) - either the clip on RS3 style wishbone ones, or proper bumper vent ducts. The only other thing to add, is it's not all fun with larger brakes/BBKs. Larger dual-piece discs are more prone to warping, larger calipers are more prone to damage on the UK roads (salt, etc) and usually worsen the NVH (pads don't have shims and the like, no dust boots, etc). Personally I'd just stick some 340mm R brakes on it and spend the saved money on a bigger turbo!

I was going to say - Cupra Formentor/GTI CS/Mk8 R brakes might be worth a look. Only issue is, they aren't that cheap, and by the time you've done all that, you may as well get a fancy BBK. Can I ask - are you tracking the car? If it's just standard road use, then the 340/310mm setup from vRS 245/GTI PP/R/S3/etc works really well up to about 400/450bhp with some nice pads. What wheel/tyre size are you currently running? Certainly, if you're looking at anything larger brake wise, I'd be looking at some chunkier tyres. BBK on a 225 section tyre is a bit overkill IMO, even on heavy track use - you just can't get the grip to really need and justify all those pistons.

Calipers and discs from a Macan/TT (VBT) are a popular upgrade. If you want to go BBK, then Racingline, AP, Alcon/Revo, Tarox and YSR are all worth a look. Mind you, unless you're pushing silly power, you might want to think twice - especially with those wheels! BBK calipers are heavy and will make the ride pretty... less good.

If you swipe your finger from right to left, you get a physical reminder that you couldn't afford a Sportline, L&K vRS or Monte Carlo 😆 In case you are being serious though - it's a bit of plastic piano black trim! On models such as above, it will say L&K there, or whatever trim your car has.

@powr8 I would also ask, have you considered a diesel vRS estate? Can get a fairly tidy one for that money, and while not quite as big as the Superb, it's still a good 610 litres of boot space. Same/similar engine, gearbox and AWD system, the only real difference is you're sacrificing a bit of interior quality, although that said the Mk3.5 isn't exactly medieval.