OccyVRS

Agreed. OP was asking about a general Skoda question, and then someone mentions a wheel alignment tool for a car OP doesn’t even have.

Yes, however four would require a set of axle stands and a good quality jack. Most normal people get in the car and go. If they get a puncture, they take it to Kwik Fit and let them deal with it - not to mention that of the last three cars I've had, not one of them came with a spare. You do then get the other camp (such as myself) who rotate wheels, regularly change tyres, brakes etc. To us, tools like this are very useful. By the sounds of the OP however, I would suggest he's in the former camp. My father has run a mixture of VW's, BMW's, Audi's and Porsche's over the last thirty years and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know or care what a wheel bolt is, yet he's got on just fine! FYI - wheel studs/nuts may be an easier-to-fit arrangement, however wheel bolts are easier from a mechanics point of view. No taking the hub off to replace a stud, and I would wager a bit safer too, as people are more likely to replace wheel bolts when the old ones become stretched/damaged, than they are studs.

It took me a few weeks to learn to trust it, but I pretty much completely trust it now in stop start traffic. I still cover the brake at very slow speeds, but it hasn't let me down yet! Maybe it's my age (I'm 21) - my 58 year old dad had a freak when he tried it. The only issue I can see with it is when the road in front is directly clear, and a car pulls out in the distance. My car will keep accelerating, then see the car, and brake harder than it needed to if it hadn't accelerated. Then again, I suppose it's not a Tesla! Brilliant system for long journeys.

Yes, XDS is (depending on the car) supposed to help. That said, on my Leon, I couldn't feel anything 😂

Jumping onto this a little late, but as someone living in interesting student areas - Tapo. I've got several of them now, and they've all been working flawlessly for over a year. https://www.amazon.co.uk/tapo-camera/s?k=tapo+camera

It's all relative. My parents have been using water, screen wash, fairy liquid and whatever else in one of their cars (A3) for the last 14 years and the washer system still works fine, somehow.

Wouldn't touch a main dealer with a barge pole. From selling me a crash damaged car, to claiming airbag work was done when I could literally see that the original part was still installed. Find yourself a good Indie and never look back - https://www.google.com/maps/search/Buckinghamshire+vag+specalist/@51.8379049,-1.4722038,132661m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

All that being said, I would personally buy a VAG car first! Wheel fitting tools are useful, but I don't think you really need it... certainly, stuff like a tyre pressure gauge and a spare wheel might help. I use one stud tool, but that's only because I frequently swap tyres and can't always be bothered to take Occy (my girlfriends Fiat is a much better transporter)

I trust the car enough that unless it's bonging at me, everything is okay! I make sure the oil has been at 90° for at least a few minutes before shifting the car on a bit. I've seen as high as 130°, however that was on a track day with a stripped 718.

I activated mine using a friends VCDS, as I imagined having the duo of TSR and ACC would be life changing! If it saw the signs correctly then it would be brilliant - however, it saw the 20mph limit at Cobham services, whilst I was in the middle lane doing 70. Not good.

The ACC in my 2020 Octavia is brilliant. The only complaint I have is that, if following a car that is turning (off), my car still 'sees' it for another few seconds. I've had no issues with it kicking it by itself in the nine months I've had the car. On journeys up North, I'll hit the slip road down here and not touch the pedals for a few hundred miles. I keep mine in 'comfort' ACC mode and it's not jerky at all. It can be a bit eager in any other mode though. Don't bother with TSR - it's useless and, when paired with ACC, dangerous.

/how old is it?

I can't comment on everything, however those long trips are something to consider. I have a 2.0 vRS now, but previously have had a 1.4 Leon and an 1.5 A3. They were absolutely brilliant engines (and I mean that, the Leon's 1.4 ACT in particular) around town and when empty, but once loaded up and with two or three people, they were a bit gutless - especially on the motorway. Then again, your expectations are probably very different to mine. I wouldn't bother with the 105ps option - the 140ps 1.4 EA211 is a fantastic little engine and will return similar enough economy. Also worth looking at a 1.4 SEAT Leon ST. It's the same as the Octavia underneath, but might take your fancy a bit more. I would avoid anything Ford from ten years ago - the maintenance isn't worth it. All other options are nice, however you won't really find any Japanese/Korean/etc, estates. The only thing to remember maintenance wise is that VW group cars aren't the cheapest to maintain. They are by no means expensive, but I think a Toyota or Honda will run for longer, for cheaper. Something with smaller wheels would be nice too - perhaps 17s or even 16s. The larger wheel sizes on some of the cars you look at might be more appealing, but you'll sacrifice ride quality.

Your coolant should be hovering around 90 degrees, ideally. It will boil around 130, depending on the pressure of your system, so anything above 110 is an issue. You'll start to have issues around 120, however all of those expensive VW plastics won't like being that hot. Engine oil should be above 90 and, ideally, below 110. There's more load on a long motorway journey, but then again, there's more airflow. I find my vRS sits in the mid 90s on a fast moving road, but can get up to 105 or so in traffic. I wouldn't pay too much attention to the coolant or oil temp displays - they're well known (like the fuel gauges) to be a bit rubbish. I only really ever look at the engine oil temp - as long as there's enough coolant in the tank (I must check that soon!) then I trust it to do it's own thing. If you see it jumping or giving unrealistic numbers, it may be worth looking at the thermostat.

I was in the other camp - unwilling to use fliers on what was undoubtedly soft crappy VWAG plastic. It came off quite nicely (the car isn't that old). My concern of taking it off was that I wasn't sure how to line it up once back on - of course, I realise now that there is a slot cut for it! Did you happen to test yours with the nozzle off @Baxlin? I'm still trying to confirm that the piping is all in good order, and I've no idea how strong the pressure should be normally. All I need to do once the new bit arrives is pop it on, and then get my girlfriend to operate the washer whilst I drink more fluid adjusting the jets. It is a particularly rubbish design. From what I've see, rear washer issues are a problem across the VAG group, from T6s to Fabias to A5s.

So, popped the nozzle off (no idea what that guy was on about it being difficult) and it’s completely clear. The ball joint jets themselves could be less rusty, but there’s no obstruction in either. I’ve attached a video of the washer without the nozzle on it - this looks like a normal pressure right? I.E. if there was a disconnect/split in the pipe, it wouldn’t shoot out this far? If so, then it seems it’s just one of those things. It seems weird to me that Skoda overengineer everything practicality/safety related, but leave this. According to the parts list, the mk4 and 4.5 uses the same bit! IMG_1596.mov

I only ever use screen wash, mainly because I find water never works the same. I’ve decided to order a replacement nozzle (I need to put an order on anyway). I’ll take it off, activate the washer and if it shoots out 6 feet then great it’s the nozzle, if it doesn’t then it’s another issue. The fact it shoots out of one hole fine makes me think it’s just the nozzle. If the pipe had split or popped off, where would the fluid come out of?

I would think so - what pads did you go for? I’m currently weighing up Yellowstuff vs DS2500 to pair with the ridiculously expensive OE discs! The brakes are a good size full stop - more than enough for the road (well, for under 400bhp with 225 tyres), with a pretty nice stock feel to boot. The only thing a BBK will do in these cars (without serious platform mods) is increase heat resistance and look good. Whilst a lovely Alcon 6 piston monoblock would sit behind the wheels a treat, you will then run into issues with unsprung weight. Not to mention 340mm discs aren’t the lightest to begin with either. Lots of people moan about the VAG sliding caliper on these cars. I for one quite like them - they’re nice and easy to sort when they go wrong, and they’re very light compared to similar offerings from BMW, etc. It does make me laugh when I see a 130bhp 118i with the full M135i bodykit and 4 piston front calipers…

I suppose in theory then, the weight distribution figures should be better, as there’s more weight over the rear axle. From what I can tell, all of the MQB performance cars (CS and TCR aside) benefit hugely from platform mods. On the road they’re quite good from factory, but take them to a track and they come undone a bit - those single piston calipers especially.

I was a bit concerned, as the only VAG 20.6 ARB was coming up for a Scirocco 53B😂 It is a pretty thin bar for such a large car (relatively speaking, compared to a TT, say), however I do wonder what the weight distribution is like on these cars. I know a GTI is 60/40, so it would make sense that S3/R/etc only have marginally larger diameter RARBs. They did indeed make changes as production went on - certain spec options became less available, such as having no rear wiper. I can live without heated seats, but for a 2020 car with adaptive cruise and a digi dash, folding mirrors would be nice…

Nope - it only does it on a cold start as I trundle down my road/out of a car park/etc. The other thing it will do is hold a gear after I've floored it and lifted off - unsure if this is because it thinks I want to go some more, or if its the overrun GPF regen kicking in. I will say though, that the DQ200 in my mum's 1.0 Ibiza FR rocks... meanwhile driving the 2024 DQ200-equipped courtesy cars (Leon, Arona, Karoq) I've had recently, I'd rather walk.

Either OE, or Bimecc.

Any corrosion on the ARB affecting the measurement? There's nothing for a 20.6mm RARB. That being said, 20.7mm comes up with lots of hits. Notably the A3, Mk7 GTD, Mk3 TT/TTS and the Mk3 Octavia! Part numbers lifted from Powerflex - https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5q0511305as-stabiliser-rear-axle-skoda-22118.html https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5q0511305bd-stabiliser-rear-axle-skoda-24261.html No idea about the stamped date - looks like your car got a nicely matured example from the shelf.

I've found new model (2024 Leon, Arona and... Karoq?) courtesy cars to be unbelievably slow and dim-witted, then suddenly drop three gears and take off after an extra mm of pedal press. That said, I previously had a 2016 1.4 Leon (manual) and never saw anything like this on the groups - the DQ200 box is normally very good. First port of call is a code reader - see what that workshop message is about.

I'm 21 and decided from the very start I had to have a DSG box, whether I went vRS, Cupra or GTI. Specifically the 7-speed DQ381. It's absolutely incredible, and is sharp and engaging when I want it to be, but yet smooth and effortless when I don't. A manual is more fun 1 out of 100 times - but the other 99 times I'm stuck in traffic looking at CarPlay and it's a no brainer. If I could get a second 'drivers' car it would be manual, of course, but for a daily in the real world, a DCT is brilliant. I'd never driven an auto full stop until I got in the Octavia, and it changed everything. I've got a few gripes with it (holding second at 3k rpm doing 18mph on a freezing cold start, being a bit jerky when trying to crawl in traffic, etc) but it's just fantastic. Shortly afterwards, my parents switched both their cars over to DSG models.