OccyVRS

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.

You've got the same car as me. Mine puts out just shy of 350bhp, and sounds quieter than my girlfriend's Fiat. I quite like it that way (unusual for a 21yo, I know), but that's also because there isn't anything I can reasonably do to it. You can fiddle around with the Soundaktor, but that's a bit plastic. You can do a full cold air intake (I have an R600), but I haven't found I've gained anything that significant from it, especially given the price. If you are doing it for performance then it's definitely the option to go for, however. You can do one with an exposed air filter/cone for a fair bit less, but depends if you want to keep it OEM-ish like I did. Exhaust wise, you're a bit stuck if you're like me. These cars are post-GPF era, so you can't do much to the system (res delete, decat) without completely messing up the exhaust. The only real solution is to do a full exhaust, from the likes of Milltek/Remus/Scorpion, however IMO these are all way too lairy for a Skoda - even with valves. If I wanted DSG farts and to sound like a chainsaw, I'd have bought a Golf R! By all means, if you have an M5 with a 4.4 V8 then shout about it, but IMO not with a 2.0, and definitely not an Octavia. It just doesn't suit the car. It is, as mentioned above, a real shame they don't have the same exhaust note as similar cars. Whilst it is different to the S3/Cupra/R, it's the exact same as the GTI and they produce a far nicer (relatively) sound. I did look into getting a GTI GPF system modified and fitted, but the cost was a bit silly for one not rusted through. Another avenue you could look at might be to take a trip down to the lads at Powerflex. You'd be surprised what some stiffer engine mounts will do regarding sound/vibration.

£15, yes. £50, they're having a laugh. I got something very similar for my old Leon for £7.99 (OE branded SEAT bag). I only really use it for storing coolant/oil/stuff on long road trips. You can get far nicer stuff for £50 online.

Bilstein shocks are pretty good, certainly more than good enough for a rigid axle Octavia. It's worth getting a proper alignment done. Even though you can only really align the front wheels, you'll be able to see if anything if off on the back.

Just to add to this - whilst I haven't experienced this with my car, there is a bit of a weird thing with my mum's 2022 1.0 Ibiza FR (same box). It'll claim it's in Eco on the infotainment, but it will be in normal/D on the dash. When you put it into Eco 'again', it'll stay in Eco for a bit (with the coasting feature), before swapping back to D. Not sure why it does this, she doesn't really care.

I have to be quite tough on my 2020 vRS hatch - most people fail to close it when they first try (it has had new struts, etc). I'm quite careful with the doors/boot/bonnet and frequently fail to close it fully. It's just one of those things, although it is a pretty large panel. Regarding the spare wheel well filling with water - the MQB platform has two vents on the inside of the bumper, designed to reduce pressure in the car. I had them replaced on my Leon, before discovering a badly repaired smash was causing the ingress. The photo below is a Golf, but it's the same thing. My guess would be these vents have gone (or, more likely, the seal around them) and the stiff boot is a coincidence. My Indie got some 'modded' vents, and whacked them in with some sealant from inside the boot, without taking the bumper off. It's a very common issue on 2012ish-2020ish A3/Golf/Leon/Octavia.

Just my two cents. I would suggest that the radar issues are a job for the dealer. However, I would definitely suggest finding a good Indie that can look at the shifter. Only once I'd figured out what the issue is, would I go to the dealer for any radar work. It might just be a coincidence - as far as I know, there is absolutely zero connection between the brake assist system and the shifter knob (besides the obvious). I would get down to an Indie (or up, as you're the wrong way up anyway) and get the gearbox/shifter issue sorted first. Just my thoughts having read what you've said too - might it not be impossible that something is seriously f***** up with the gearbox, causing the braking effect? I.E. if the assist braking system definitely isn't kicking in, are you 100% certain that it's the brakes and ABS system doing the stopping, rather than something else? Phantom braking is quite rare, and only down to a fault with the brake booster (as it is the only part that can brake by itself). Definitely get yourself to an Indie ASAP, and get the brake booster checked out. If it's fine, and you don't get any assist warnings (unlikely, but it could still be kicking in, just not giving you the warning) then that's a bit of a problem.

Performance upgrade, cold air intake. I would personally take the photos (after having a look online yourself) to a dealer parts department. They might charge you a few bob more than skodaparts.com, but at least then you'll have the right parts. You're missing the pipe in-between the duct and the air box.

AFAIK OE VW bolts are made by Febi B. It doesn't really matter if you get OE or OEM (there IS a difference), but I'd personally spend an extra few quid and get ones that the dealer parts department hands to me. They are, after all, probably one of the most important parts on your car. As above, I wouldn't touch second hand bolts - especially not for something safety critical. If they've been over-torqued in the past (£20 says an old man has put his full weight on the tyre iron) then they could be weakened. It might not seem like a big deal when you have five of them, but they do fail. If one has a hairline crack and fails, the one next to it will have increased strain. If that one then fails, you've only got three holding the wheel on. If you're travelling in a heavy car on the motorway, then the unequal force can quickly mess those three remaining up, until you only have three wheels on your wagon. I've done a trip to the shop in a car with four bolts on one wheel as one stripped in the hub, and even though it was absolutely 100% fine, it still made me nervous! It is unlikely, but for the sake of £15 vs £50, why risk it?

I ran four black Bimecc bolts and one McGard black edition locker per wheel, but that was only because they were expensive OZ's. If it was a slightly tired OEM wheel, I'd just get twenty bolts from Skoda for about £1.50 each and call it a day. When was the last time you saw a car on bricks, outside of Birmingham in the 90s?

Either the picture angle, or you don't have lockers! The cap heads all look similar, but the actual body that goes over the bolt is hexagonal on the normal ones and circular on the locker.

I've found that locking wheel bolts generally only stop the owner from taking the wheels off. I had a socket/key round out on me a few years ago, and found it took about 30 seconds to hammer a blank socket on, and loosen it. If you run aftermarket wheels with a different seat type to OEM, then you might have to run different wheel bolts. I've run Bimecc in the past, and wouldn't touch any others. If running OEM wheels, then run OEM fasteners. Frankly, I'm shocked anyone would consider anything else - sitting at 70mph the only thing keeping those wheels on are five little bolts. One of the reasons to look at Revo or Racingline when getting new wheels - you don't have to run spigot rings or aftermarket bolts.

To be honest, it's either the gauge (one way or another), the weather, or you've somehow overfilled the coolant in the last few days. If the car was losing coolant, the temperature of the coolant you have got would rise more quickly. Does the alleged temperature fluctuate at all? When the engine oil temp went on my 1.0 Ibiza, it climbed to over 100° very quickly, and fluctuated between 100° and 120° constantly. If yours isn't fluctuating, I'd suggest it seems unlikely to be the sensor. If you're convinced there's an issue, then I'd look at the heater matrix. It's a common issue, and if it's blocked then it could cause issues with coolant flow and thus temperature.

"More accurate" - aka less shi* I agree though - watching the oil temp go from cold to over 110° sometimes, the coolant never changes from 90°... yeah right.

Just been doing some tidying up around the car, and thought I'd ask the question - Who has used fuse 47 (rear wiper) for their dash cam, and who has used fuse 48 (blind spot)? I've used fuse 48 - its engine switched, rather than ignition. I can't remember why I used it over 47 - maybe I didn't want to mess with the rear wiper, the fuse tap wouldn't fit nicely in 47, or maybe I checked it with a multimeter and couldn't see a reason not to use the unused slot. Either way, it's been nearly a year now with no problems - just curious.

You are correct that it is switched in reverse, sort of. With the front wipers on, in reverse, the rear wiper will operate - however, this operation in the circuit takes place after the fuse, so as far as the fuse box concerned, it is an ignition switched live. If tapping down the circuit, then AFAIK you'll need to check out whether it still operates, in reverse, with the wipers off.

It's because you have the heating on/on max. I often freeze for the first 15 minutes of a journey, leaving the heating off, so that the car warms up faster. You'll also find that the hot air at startup isn't as hot as it is once the engine is at temp. The heater core absorbs heat from the engine via the coolant system - I've had it one or two times where the oil temperature has gone live before the coolant temp does. That's why, when a car overheats, a common trick is to run the heater on full blast! If the car is absolutely frozen, I also try and give the engine a chance to warm up/battery recover a little before piling on the load - heated windows, blower, a/c, infotainment, etc. Re the oil temp - in colder weather and higher speeds, the engine will run a bit colder as it is naturally being air cooled by very cold air. Same principle as the highest temps you will see (in normal driving) will be in standing traffic, in the summer. For some cold countries, you can actually buy covers/blocks for the grilles, to allow the engine to warm up fully, if the air is -10° or whatever.

Same shoes all round, equally worn PS5s - all at the same pressure. It's booked in with Skoda in a few weeks, so will see what they think. I reckon it's whacked a kerb and something is a bit bent.

I suspect door number one.

Should start a treat. Just keep an eye on it over the new few days/weeks depending on how often you’ll drive it, but there’s a decent chance the battery will be fine. Happy Christmas!

^

I’m working on the basis that if the alignment is true and correct, but there is still a potential discrepancy in the spacing between tyre and arch (the photo was to show the distance I mean, rather than show it’s off), then the only other explanation can be the wing. HPI is clear, everything comes back clean. After the last car, the dealer manager and I both did several separate checks on this, and the car was inspected very very thoroughly. I even went to my local VAG indie to get it checked over after I bought it. Certainly, the bodywork is pristine, and everything around the area is correctly coloured, installed, aged, etc, etc. Certainly if there was an incident that required wing work in that area, then I doubt the sill and door would be fine. The sill is pristine and has the correct blue colour under coating all over it, and the door is definitely the correct door. Basically, everything looks correct in terms of light corrosion, colouring, etc etc. If there was any alignment-affecting damage done as the result of a crash, I highly doubt the car would look like it does. I’ve had the arch liner off and everything looks perfect. The alignments and inspection were done outside of Škoda - however I am now considering booking it in and getting them to look at it, if the measurement between the centre of each sides wheels is off at all. Someone on an FB group mentioned they have a jig to check everything is true. @Warrior193 the alignment (caster) is still straight and true, so it can’t be out of place. The guy that did it (alignment specialist, it’s all he does) reckoned it had been ugga dugga’d back on by someone without being done carefully. Not too sure why the subframe would be removed (car has had a DSG service, VAQ service, but AFAIK that doesn’t require the subframe to be dropped?) but everything checked out underneath. All in all it is a very clean car, and without my last car I wouldn’t even be bothering with this issue - it’s just that I drove that Leon around for two years with damage that I really want to make sure this one is 100%.

Alignment sheet from the S9 below -

Just to bump/update this - Everything is within factory spec (both on Hunter and S9 Aligner) - nothing seems to be bent that we can see. Certainly, if something was bent, then it wouldn’t all line up, would it? Which brings me on to the only real explanation - the wing being out. My last car turned out to be crash damaged, and this car was found by the main dealer to make amends. It was sold to me on 28k miles, and is pretty much immaculate. I’d be surprised if it’s damaged as a) they checked it over thoroughly after the last one and b) the paintwork, etc, is all far too good to be a respray. It’s been suggested to me that the wing might just be a bit out - do we think this is possible? I would estimate the difference between the tyre and arch liner (see photo) on either side is about 5-10mm out. I.E. the brush squeezes into the right side but fits loosely in the left. I know nothing is perfect, but surely the car wouldn’t leave Škoda with the bodywork out by this much? I can’t really see any other explanation… I’m a bit worried I’m having a repeat of my last car!

Space saver for the vRS 245 is 18" to clear the calipers. Not sure about the "lesser" models with smaller brakes (TDI) but would imagine they're the same.