OccyVRS

Yes - I worked out shortly afterwards that while the parts are the same fit and same part numbers, the PFL versions don't have the LED strips. Skoda will sell me one, for the tune of £709 plus VAT. I'll keep looking - none I could find were from a FL car. I might just get it repaired and done in alcantara at this point.

I have some damage to my door card - 2020 vRS 245. The only FL card I've found on eBay is over £100, whereas two PFL (2016 and 2013) are £50. They look the exact same - any ideas if they'll fit? Thanks

Fluid was done too, yes. So, my Indie (and the dealer) are both saying the DSG is fine until 80k miles. Almost everywhere else Indie wise says to do it around 40k… I do trust this place - their bread and butter is tuned RS6’s - but I am a bit surprised they said 80k too. Any thoughts?

So, my vRS 245 is just about to cross 40,000 miles. I’m going to get it serviced, and have a few extra bits done too, as the car is used quite hard. Is there anything I’ve missed out? DSG - fluid AND filter (DQ381, interval is 80k somehow but I’m doing it at 40k) VAQ - fluid and filter clean (I believe it was done before sale, but honestly I think I’ll get it done again) Engine - oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs (I do a charcoal cabin filter I get through TPS) Is it worth getting the coolant flushed? Otherwise I think that’s everything - discs and pads were done (OE) last year, along with four fresh PS5s, an alignment and a battery. Everything is fine platform/GPF/etc wise. Price wise I’m thinking <£280 for the DSG, £130 for the diff, £120ish for plugs and about £150 for the other bits. Does this sound about right? I plan to go to my usual Indie, but I’m a bit torn about the gearbox. I’d quite like Skoda to do that so I have the warranty (still have two years left), however as VW say 80k interval, does that really matter? I know my Indie will do the DSG filter and blow out the diff filter properly - read on here/VW Vortex the main dealer might not. Thanks guys!

General consensus from the FB forums is that I haven’t killed it! Turns out the LC will work with both TC off and ESC on, and TC/ESC off. The mistake I made was putting the power in slowly, causing the gearbox to engage, rather than stamping on the power. Stupid system really - I’m hard on the brake, at a stop and with everything set up - why would I not want to launch it? VW.

Tried to launch the car tonight on a clear, safe stretch of road, but managed to fumble the buttons. Rather than turning TC off and putting ESC into sport, I just turned TC off, meaning that when I gave it some gas, the launch programme didn’t engage. I think this is brake boosting - just how bad is it? I only got to 2k rpm or so, and obviously stopped straight away. This is the third time I’ve launched the car in about a year, so it’s not a regular thing. TLDR - I know brake boosting isn’t great for the drivetrain, but will I have done any damage doing it this once?

I know a lot about some things, but a lot less about other stuff. Horns are one of those things! What do we think could be going on here? It’s the first time it’s done it, but seems okay since. The car is a 2020 vRS with 37k on it, so seems unlikely the horn would be going already… Any ideas? IMG_2008.mov

I'm going to a dealer on Monday to get an issue with mine looked at - only because it could become an issue for warranty/Skoda UK. I don't think it's an issue, but if it is then I'll be suing. All being well, I won't be visiting another dealer with this car. They're all useless. I've had a 'master tech' at SEAT tell me in the car that a knocking noise is just due to the age of the car (2018) only to find out a week later there was a fist sized rock lodged in the subframe. I've had a Skoda service manager tell me the work was done, but when I checked the part (don't ask) I found the same piece of tape I'd left on it before (bearing in mind this was airbag related stuff...). Oh, and the courtesy car was wedged into a space (parallel parked), and once I'd driven the M25 and parked it at home, I noticed there were no plates on it (they were in the boot). Audi were also quite fun, with a sales manager assuring me that a particular S3 was available for a test drive, before making the 100 miles trip. Once I got there, the car had been sold, and they instead tried to show me an A1 35. Not to mention of course, that one (SEAT/Skoda/CUPRA dealer) sold me a crash damaged car. The same car that was put to auction and sold for £11,000 at some dealer, with the damage not repaired. Useless.

The 335d is only available as an auto. 330d can be both, and they have meatier boxes than the 320d, etc. This isn't the best place to look for tuning advice, however from what I know the only things preventing those engines from making silly torque figures are the turbo and fuelling. Certainly, 335d gearboxes (GA8HP70Z) come with over 700nm stock (X5M50d). The AWD vRS is an interesting one. On one hand, it is heavier, more expensive to buy and more expensive to maintain than the FWD variant. If we're talking in terms of acceleration traction, then the AWD vRS is definitely the better shout than the FWD version. If we're talking handling wise, then I wouldn't bother - the car isn't powerful enough or "good handling" enough to warrant it. Certainly, I've tracked mine and booted it on the exit of many corners, and never found I really wanted AWD. The only factor is in the cold and wet, where they can get a bit understeerey. If it's a question of vRS vs 3 series, I'd personally have the Skoda as I think it's more engaging. BUT, that is me talking about a vRS 245 with a diff, versus say a 330i. If we're talking specifically about a vRS TDI over a 320d then I think the Skoda engine is just that little bit more appealing, and the package is a bit sportier. However, if it was a 330d vs the vRS then I think I'd say the BMW. It's not really a fair comparison - FWD 2.0 vs a RWD 3.0 is a no brainer, and a 2.0 TDI just can't compete with an N57, no matter what you've done to it.

They're very different cars. We've had a 330i, and about 25 years ago, a 325i. Power wise, they're very similar, but that isn't the whole story. The vRS is designed to be a bit hot, with handling to suit. The 320/330 series are powerful(ish) motorway cars. It all depends what you want. The 330d is meaty - very meaty. If you're interested in tuning options, then one of those might be worth a look, as those N57s can put out some stupid torque numbers. Stage 1 only, a 330d will put out about 120nm more than a stage 2 Octavia. Personally, you're comparing the wrong cars. 320d = vRS TDI 330d/335d = A4/A6 3.0 biturbo

Any questions, walk away. There are enough cars out there, and if I had question a slight discrepancy on the former keepers on my first car, I'd have saved myself £3,500. Low mileage is good, but it isn't always good. If you have a look on the MOT history, it can tell you if it's just barely been driven, if it's sat for a few years or what. if you know how a DSG feels then it sounds like a possible DMF/clutch pack issue. As above, not the cheapest fix.

Hi All, I've been running a Nextbase dashcam in the front for some years now, and am keen to look at a rear. I've just upgraded to a nicer model, and have the option of getting an add-on rear one that plugs into the front. My issue is, I loathe to run a cable from the front dashcam to the rear. I can't be bothered messing around with headliners and such at the moment, and the install on the front is so clean (there's about 1cm of cable showing from the modified mirror surround) that I don't want to touch it. I can't use the telephoto lens attachment bit, as mine is hidden behind the mirror. It occured to me that I could stick the old one in the rear window (it's not old, really, just 1080p instead of 4k) and power it via the 12V boot socket. Of course, remembering to unplug it is going to be a pain, but it seems that (maybe with an auto off) is the best bet. Any other ideas?

Wherever I'm told to go! Currently I'm on the South Coast (of England, obviously) but I've spent some considerable time in Moray.

As someone that is from that neck of the woods - The weather begins to turn late September time. My advice (remembering Scottish schools are ahead of England's) would be to head up late August or early September. You could also shoot for before summer - anything mid-April time onwards is doable. Off to the east is a bit meh... some spots are quite nice but a lot of it is fields, and it's hardly the 'highlands' as you've said. The west (I.E. Fort William, etc) is pretty packed now, and late September is pushing it with the weather over there IMO. The typical NC500 is a bit of a car crash now (pun not intended). Somewhere like Skye has been absolutely devastated by the building of that stupid bridge - what used to be a reasonably quiet and stunning place is now a tourist trap, full of coaches and those fu***** motorhomes. My suggestion, if you wanted to enjoy as much of the 'highlands' as possible, would be to aim for mid-September time, splitting your trip between somewhere in the Cairngorms, and somewhere like Ullapool. Around Ullapool is still doable (think Lochinver or Gairloch), and you should miss most of the tourists by then. There are some very nice roads too. If you drop a few things you might like doing (local history, fishing, whisky, sheepskin rugs, fighter jets, mountain biking, shooting, walking, photography, foods, dolphin spotting, looking at the views, etc) I'm sure I might be able to suggest a few more bits to do/places to swing past. Have your wits about you on the roads though. The A9 is not a safe road to drive (it looks fine until someone in a rented motorhome pulls out of a T-junction in front of a someone) and people are absolutely clueless on how to drive the roads in the north. I had a lovely exchange with a Swiss bloke in the summer who thought it was appropriate to stop on very fast road (locals do 70+), on a blind bend, in the middle of the carriageway, to take a picture of a cow. The other thing to note is that, rather amusingly, the NC500 route really isn't that nice. Yes, the views are stunning. However the roads themselves, whilst nice on google maps, are a very rough, hardy tarmac that isn't the best to drive your 992.1 GT3 on. They are full of tourists, logging lorries and the like. The first time I drove up there was in a hire car, and I'd cracked the windscreen about 5 miles outside Ullapool. Certainly, if you're after views and whisky, then that's the place. If you're after driving roads, I would be inclined to look elsewhere.

I also wondered if anyone has any input regarding fuse tap orientation? I know it does matter, but I can't find any concrete info on it. Thanks!

Will do - frankly if they're too expensive I'll take a look on Kopeck/SkodaParts. That said, for smaller stuff like this, the postage normally makes up the difference. I was dead excited to get a vRS boot mat for £30, only to find they wanted £90 for postage. Triple square bits are also known as XZN. I don't have any either - they're pretty much only used on (European) automotive applications, on high torque components (hence why you likely haven't seen one before now, as they're only really used on the underside/engine).

Fair enough. The tap fitted easily in both positions, but I couldn't see a reason to use 47 instead of 48. Now I'm wondering if I should swap it to 47 instead! As long as it works in 48 (it has, since June) then there isn't a reason to swap it out, right? I'm always nervous when it comes to the electrics on new(er) cars...

Same here, however in this instance I'm talking about the discrepancy being between Normal/Eco and D/E. Outside of the infotainment/entire car mode, you can only go between D and S/M. On the Ibiza, the mode button is illuminated (meaning eco, sport or individual), the infotainment says Eco, but the dash says D. That combination simply isn't possible, as you cannot be in Eco mode with the gearbox in Drive (only Eco or Sport).

You could also look at the factory reverse camera - fuse 18 in the box. Not sure how viable it will be but might be worth looking at if you wanted to run it completely separate from the fuse box. Otherwise yes, just splice into the reverse light cable.

Yes, however outside of individual mode - Eco mode (car) is paired to E mode (transmission) Normal mode (car) is paired to D mode (transmission) Sport mode (car) is paired to S mode (transmission) Individual you can do what you want - I personally have everything turned off/in comfort and the steering in sport, for 'motorway mode'. My point was that the infotainment (and the illuminated mode button) was claiming one thing, whereas the cluster and transmission were claiming another.

I wouldn't have thought a 1.4 Octavia would be particularly renowned for handling - but it should feel fine below 140kph/90mph. My vRS isn't exactly the ultimate track day car, and that's with an LSD and upgraded suspension bits. I've found the DQ200 to be a nice little gearbox - can't comment on your era, but I would have thought the non-DSG 09G would be significantly worse. Either way, as @Ootohere says, it depends what your issue with it is. It's not a DQ381 or ZF box, so I would be realistic.

They're a common problem, even on the newer 8Y/Mk8/Mk4 cars. Same as how our era of cars had awful pan roof drains, that always leaked. It seems the VW versions are inherently flawed, hence why people fit 'modified' versions. A quick google search will net you some links - doesn't matter what brand or model it is, they're all the same. If the boot is leaking, especially in this weather, I would suggest doing your best to dry out the spare wheel well. I remember using a combo of paper towels, cloths, a hairdryer and plenty silica bags (you can get them on Amazon for a few quid). The last thing you want is mould. I've been so scarred from my experience, I actually still keep silica bags/dehumidifier pouches all around the car.

I don't have a spare, so I've got more than enough space to keep everything under the boot floor (spare clothes, hi-viz, tyre pump, tyre gauge, buggies, wipes, bin bags, cleaning stuff, cloths, towels, sealant, first aid kit, tape, small tool kit, torch/lamp thing and some stuff for the mountain bikes). I don't actually use much of the storage inside the car, aside from the glove box and centre console. I keep meaning to replace the stupid hi-viz holder under the drivers seat with a storage cubby, but I probably won't use it either!

It is just the four bolts - you don't need to unplug the electronics, but most of the ones I've seen do it as a precaution. FYI it's actually a triple square fitting - I think M10. Am I right in thinking that to remove the hi-viz holder you don't need to touch the seat? I'll settle for removing it! @N-C I have enquired at the dealer for the correct part numbers, so will let you know.

Not possible AFAIK - I've wanted to ditch the stupid hi-vis holder for a storage bin since I bought the car, but I can't really be bothered to undo the seat. Not sure about an umbrella holder, but I haven't seen anyone do it without tilting the seat up.