OccyVRS

You should really replace all four, but Haldex can cope with differences across the axles IIRC. That being said, it has to be within reasonable tolerance. I don't think it matters about the same axle, as the power is only split between the front and rear. E.G. my vRS needs to have the same on the front axle with the LSD, but the back is irrelevant.

I just wanted to come on here and offer some praise to the Scala! As you can probably guess by my username, I drive a lightly modified vRS 245. If I’m honest, the Scala isn’t really my sort of car. However, when my Octavia was in for a service last week, I was interested to find the courtesy car was a 2026 Skoda Scala! It was a 6-speed car, with what I think was a 1.0 (although it felt like a 1.5!). I admit, I thought it was a Fabia at first, and didn’t find out it was a Scala until I opened the boot. I really, really liked it. Okay, sure, the clutch pedal felt like it wasn’t attached to the car, I couldn’t get the driving position right, I didn’t like how the steering wheel looked and I couldn’t stand the key fob with a physical key I kept flipping open to insert into a KESSY button. Aside from that though, I loved it! The steering wheel, while visually gawping, was very nice to use. I particularly like the one in my vRS, and found that the button placement in the Scala was even better. The digi dash offered plenty of options (far greater than the significantly more expensive 2024 M Sport 1 Series we have at home). The gearbox felt really tight, solid and engaging - pairing really well with what I thought was a 1.5 until I checked the build sheet in the glove box. I didn’t like how the clutch had no feedback, but that might have been a combination of the car having 1900 miles on it, and me not having driven a manual in a few months. That particular car was an absolute bog standard base model with one button for disabling stop-start. It did have a rear camera (which my vRS doesn’t), and I found everything inside a little bit nicer than the similarly priced Ibiza FR I normally drive. It sounded better, and I appreciated small features such as the adjustable seatbelt height, armrest and physical light switch. I’ve driven a lot of newer VAG cars (Mk4 Octavia, Mk8 Golf, Mk8.5 Golf, 2024 Polo, 2024 Leon FR, 2024 SEAT Arona, 2025 A3, among others) and almost all of them have been terrible. I thought they were overpriced and awful to drive (as both a keen driver and just a random person) with scarily light steering, no control feedback and dismal performance. I was really pleased to see that the Scala seems to have broken that trend.

Modern DCTs and torque converters are a far cry from the original auto boxes some on here remember. I think my DQ381 is pretty perfect, and even the DQ200 in the Ibiza is pretty damn good (same complaints as @mac11irl though). You wouldn’t catch me dead in a CVT. I also think many manual cars are now the below base models only - really cheap, nasty 5 speed boxes designed for the base Polo and more. That being said, I recently had a 2026 Skoda Scala as a courtesy car. It was a 1.0 manual 6-speed and you know what? First new VAG car I’ve driven (out of many) that I actually liked. The steering wasn’t scarily light, the infotainment was useable and the gearbox was solid. Yes, the clutch felt like it wasn’t attached to the car, but overall - really really good! Thoroughly recommend to any on here.

I agree with this 100%. The Octavia suits a DSG. A 3 Series suits a DSG. An MX5 suits a manual. An M2 suits a manual. The only thing I would ask is, what does a 911 suit? Any variant or generation. Many people are prepared to die on the manual 911 SC-era hill, but tbh I personally can’t imagine spending a £180,000 GT3 and not ticking the PDK box. A GT3 RS is speed only, a Turbo S is speed only (neither of which available as a manual), so maybe what we’re saying is a manual box is only for those cars that are about driving, not pure outright speed?

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but different height springs also have different compression rates. Lowering springs tend to have a higher spring/compression rate (stiffer), while longer travelling springs tend to be... longer travelling... and thus are much softer. This may be desired if you are off-roading the car, but I'm not sure it will be the effect you want on the road. Yes, you can of course stick on higher springs that are thicker, or a narrower coil, but this will defeat the object. Similarly, as you can maybe imagine, lowering springs (being stiffer) often shorten the life of stock dampers, as said shocks are not designed to work with higher compression springs. I would take an educated guess that if this occurs with the lesser work required by lowering springs, then the increased workload demanded by higher travel, softer springs, will kill the shocks even faster. It might be worth first looking at a larger sidewall. I doubt you'll get much change out of £1600 for an aftermarket spring/shock setup, unless you do it yourself).

It should fit, however be aware that the Octavia has a plastic lip around the front of the engine bay that the A3/Golf/Leon/Superb/etc does not have. I have an R600 in mine, and it meant that the very frontmost screw is not able to be installed. I might drill a hole to fix this, I might not. Whether it is an IS20, IS36 or Continental turbo (EA888.4 Evo) the elbow is the same. It may also be worth looking at the Forge equivalent - I think it may be a bit cheaper than the R600. Swapping to a ducted design will also mean you slash the risk of water/crap ingress that an open cone intake creates - one of the reasons I went for the R600. Why not reach out to Direnza?

An upgraded filter will do absolutely nothing. No performance gains. No extra power, no throttle response, nothing. Barely any audible difference (a clean OE Mann/Bosch/etc filter will probably do more). Absolute waste of money - it will simply make no difference on a stock car, or even a car at stage 1, 2 or 3. An upgraded intake will also do nothing for performance (unless you're tuned enough to need it - my guess is less than five cars on this entire forum fit this category). That being said, a cold air intake will sound much better - although you want something that is a duct design (like the Racingline R600 or Forge example) rather than an open cone design. The latter severely increases the risk of water and/or crap ingress into the turbo. The only restrictive part in the stock system is the elbow. If you're going above stage 2 equivalent, you'll want to change this out. I know someone with north of 500bhp in a vRS230 that is running the stock air box and intake pipe, with an upgraded elbow. Likewise for the turbo muffler delete - absolutely pointless in irrelevant, unless you're running a built hybrid turbo G82 with 1000bhp (which would probably benefit from an upgraded air filter, to go with it's monsterous open cone intakes). Sorry to say, but all this talk of increased air and fuel flow is rubbish. The EA888 isn't really a performance engine. Even in an RS6, changing the air intake has no bearing on air flow. There are so many additional factors at play. If you were to hybrid turbo the car, after doing a downpipe, catback and the rest of the mods, I still doubt you'd need to do anything to the fuel system beside putting in a Golf R fuel pump. Similarly, you do not need to be thinking about which petrol to put in your car. An Octavia vRS is't a performance car. If it is, then it is at the absolute rock bottom (for the record, a performance car is something that begins with M or RS, or has AMG, Ferrari or McLaren in the name). The difference between '95' and '99' fuels (and others) are a few things. Firstly, the more premium fuels have a higher octane. This makes no difference unless you are driving a 488 Pista, or a heavily tuned car. It is true that your car may run a little better (higher mpg, etc), but this is only true because a given amount of fuel has more 'go' in it - it's a moot point, as the more effective fuel, is more expensive. This difference is also quoted to be around 2%. Not worth it. The second difference is the (bio)ethanol content - E5 vs E10. E10 is the cheaper stuff, and contains, you guessed it, 10% of bioethanol. This stuff isn't the kindest to seals, hoses, etc, but unless you're driving a Mk1 GTI, you should be absolutely fine. The nicer fuels tend to have up to 5% of bioethanol in them (sometimes none), which makes them older car friendly. Finally, the premium fuels also contain additives and cleaning agents that help keep things running smoothly. This is the only real advantage of using premium fuels and, even then, can likely be achieved by using a bit of 99 once every few fill-ups. Stick an OE air filter in the car and spend the difference on half a tank of 99. Job done. P.S. @JohnMack an Octavia vRS Challenge is a standard Octavia with lots of options stock. IIRC, for the 2019MY, this included stuff like front sensors, ACC, electrically adjustable memory seats, folding mirrors, Canton Sound (?) and some alcantara seats, among other bits. Weirdly, it didn't include the digi dash. There is no mechanical difference from a vRS 245 which is, of course, a GTI PP underneath.

I wouldn't go back to a manual for my daily. For a fun, weekend car, then yes - there is no option other than manaul. However, stick a really good DCT in car and it's effortless. My vRS does, of course, have a manual mode. Do I use it? Aside from when pushing on no, not really.

You can use Individual mode IIRC, but the only way to disable it is to use OBD11, VCDS, etc

I don’t think you missed out. The fact you’re posting on here about your hesitation says it all! As above, that car has covered around 4,000 miles a year. That’s not great, as it points to frequent short trips - all of which put strain on mechanical components. If you get the feeling the car hasn’t had DSG or Haldex work done recently, it’s only another reason to avoid. Plenty more fish in the sea!

What he’s saying is that while some 73 plate Superb models may actually be a 2024 model year, there is no 2023 Superb Mk4. In other words, you’re posting about the Mk4 Superb, seeking information specifically on 2023 models, which don’t exist. It’s kind of the same as my Octavia. The Mk3.5 ended in 2019 and the Mk4 started in 2020, but my Mk3.5 was built in Jan 2020.

The Superb is an MQB car. Does the MQB Evo still have the boot vents that leak?

I assume it's this one here? Those wheels are a mess and the car hasn't even been cleaned - I can see marks on the rear head restraints. The condition of the front plate also screams a lack of care - both from the owner and the seller. MOT history is interesting too - I wonder who does 20k a year with a 1.2 Yeti! I'd rather have this.

They need more kerb rash to suit that car ;) They look very tidy!

It’s not Skoda - it’s the outsourced customer service centre VW have chosen to use. The DQ250 wants servicing every 40,000 miles or 4 years. This is, to be fair, about 60k kilometres. The VAQ diff (that you don’t have) is 30k/3 years on the Mk3 and then 20k/2 years on the Mk4. They are correct in what they’re saying - it’s just that it’s not the correct answer for the question you were asking! They tell me my gearbox has an 80,000 mile interval, and that the Ibiza box is sealed for life. Yeah, right.

I suggest you speak to a decent independent VAG garage. If you have a FL vRS with the lower power 230ps engine and solid rear discs, your car does not have the VAQ differential (which is what the 30,000/3 year interval is for). Of course you do have a differential, but it is part of the transaxle/gearbox - it quite literally cannot be serviced separately!

Makes sense - thank you! I agree with regard to the 'off' settings - I know there's always a bit of TC/ESP in the mix. It's not really an issue for me, but I can imagine it's a bit annoying for those that track their cars properly. I really don't suffer from understeer that much - I find the sudden oversteer to be rather more of a problem! I've been considering a stiffer RARB, mainly because the rear of the car is a) rather soggy and b) rather unpredictable. The oversteer isn't so much the issue as the speed at which the rear goes is!

+1 on the DPF. Many places will fiddle with the subframe or suspension components to get it out more easily - and that's a big job for a driveway.

Has anyone done this? I’m keen to look at an RPM Performance or Zaustworx anti-drone res delete - however virtually all of the info is on non-GPF/OPF cars. I’d like a little bit of sound - at the moment it’s painfully silent.

Ah, well, with respect to OP’s topic I was close enough! That being said - any ideas what sort of interaction XDS/XDS+ has with an LSD? I would assume having the VAQ fitted almost negates the need for any sort of XDS operation once the diff is loaded? I’m keen to know as I’m yet to really figure out what effect “ESP off” has in my car, versus TC off. Mainly, if I’m honest, because I haven’t pushed hard enough yet. I disengage TC fairly frequently, but the only time I’ve disengaged ESP is to mess around with the launch control.

Yes, if you’ve got a Mk3.5 vRS 230, you do not have the VAQ differential. In answer to your other question - no, not really. In most FWD vehicles, the “open differential” is part of the transmission. This is generally considered a “transaxle” - where the transmission, differential and axle are combined. This, of course, means that they all share the same fluid - so when your DQ250 has an oil change (and the filter is changed too!), this covers your “differential” service. There are exceptions, but generally most modern Euro/Japanese FWD vehicles use this style of setup. There is one fun thing though - XDS. It stands for Cross Differential System and is part of the ESP. Basically, when it detects a wheel spinning, it will apply the brake to that wheel, sort of emulating an LSD. In my experience it’s not a great system, but it’s definitely better than nothing - it does a reasonably good job of maintaining traction in under steering scenarios, too. My advice would be to find a reputable VAG Indie near you, and stick with them. You couldn’t pay me to take my car to a main dealer service centre, or take anything a main dealer service advisor says as gospel. I’m sure there are exceptions, but as on other posts, I have been stung too many times - by Škoda, SEAT, Ford and BMW. I’ve no idea why your dealer is telling you there is a differential service to be done. Your car does not have one, and even then, it is all part of the same gearbox service. The DQ250 wants doing every 40,000 miles, and needs the fluid changed as well as the filter replaced. This is not an official VW service item, so many dealers don’t bother with it.

Yes, although mine blocks up even though I stick the same stuff in! I can sometimes improve it by clearing it with a pin, but not always. The worst part of getting a new one is having to set it up to stop spraying the road!

@roadarman sorry for the delayed response. I meant to reply last night but having spent all day paint correcting a GLC63S, I was shattered. Firstly, don’t bother with the abbreviation LSD - main dealer service advisors think that’s something you take. You won’t find any reference to a differential or VAQ in any service or build items. Under the gearbox info it should say “front axle lock”, but any service stuff will reference “final drive oil”. As above, I wouldn’t trust Škoda completely. My build sheet says analog gauge cluster and body coloured spoiler, yet I have a digi dash and black spoiler. As above (and QST are rather reputable) the Mk3/3.5 VAQ interval is 30k/3 years, and the Mk4 being 20k/2 years. I get mine done every year, but that’s just me. As above, again, the 230 was the top PFL model as the 245 didn’t exist. I almost want to say the 230 came with one and the 220 didn’t? I can’t remember. All of that being said, I’ve just re-read the chain and realised that you haven’t actually said whether your car is PFL or FL - being eight years old, that’s a 2018, which is a facelift! I think the confusion came from the fact you were on about a vRS230 - the PFL 230 and FL 245 are “models” like this, whereas the PFL 220 and FL 230 are just the standard variants. They did a PFL 220 and “230”, and then an FL 230, “245”, special “245” 245 launch edition and then the 245 challenge. It can be a bit confusing. If it is an FL Octavia vRS 230 (with split headlights) then you do not have any sort of limited slip differential. You’ll have XDS, which is sometimes erroneously described as an eLSD, but it’s not (literally every VW car has it). The VAQ diff is an electronically controlled Haldex-derived mechanical limited slip differential (it uses a clutch pack). The standard 230ps FL vRS did not get the VAQ, the DQ381 box (only the DQ250) and also has solid rear brakes rather than the vented 310mm. It’s also got white stitching on the interior and a couple of other things IIRC. The 230 vs 245 comparison is easier understood on a Google search if you peel off the Škoda badges and see the VW badges underneath - GTI (230) vs GTI PP (245). It gets a bit more interesting when you see how the vRS never came in a Clubsport variant like the Golf, while the Cupra never came in a lower power variant, and the more expensive Golf never had the Cupra’s ABT treatment. The vRS did become a TCR with the ABT package, but this wasn’t from the factory. Anyway - hope that helps!

Sorry - I was exhausted when I posted that. I meant factors like geometry are unlikely to be the cause, since the car is so new. Similarly, I also meant that in the particular car, accelerating like OP did, it wasn’t torque steer. To be honest, I think torque steer is far more of a factor in 150-200bhp FWD cars, as these are all open diff platforms - most stuff above 230bhp has an LSD of some sort. It’s not anything with the braking system, is it? Maybe something with XDS? It’s a bit weird the demo car did it too, though.

Uhmmm... I can't remember how it goes. The PFL vRS didn't come with an LSD but you could get it, and the FL vRS 245 came with it, while the FL 230 did not. @Evolution13 I think that's correct. The only differential your car will have is the VAQ LSD. Unless it is an AWD model (it isn't), that's it. The only other similar thing is the XDS system, but that's irrelevant. If you have a differential of any sort, you have a Haldex-derived VAQ. It's the exact same as the AWD system, but splits the power left and right rather than front and rear. It is a seperate oil to the DSG and needs doing every 30k (Mk4 ono is 20k - I do mine every year, anyway). There is a pump gauze/screen that needs cleaning.