Chris_VRS

It developed an intermittent fault when motorway driving - fault code was torque converter related, Mercedes service bulletin stated that the gearbox should be replaced at the same time. If I knew for certain that replacing only the TC at £1500 would have solved it I would have done it as the car was brilliant and ticked all my boxes. However I didn't want to spend £1500 to find out it still needed a gearbox at £5k as both together totalled the value of the car. It was no more expensive to maintain that the same engine in a C or E class in terms of routine service items, other than the above fault and a wiper motor under warranty I didn't experience any other costs. Plugging in to a diagnostic machine was always a laugh as it took a good chunk of time, from memory over 68 modules to scan. This was a 2012 LWB car with 265k miles on it. 36mpg long term mpg, not 41 as per the OBC. £200 to tax as it was the later facelift car which had Adblue, as opposed to £570 for the earlier cars. Cheers, Chris

Obsidian Detailing, Cheers, Chris

Motoring related - Mr JWW Sarah n tuned Harry's garage Harry's farm TheCarGuys.tv Reg Local Carfection Smith & Sniff Non-motoring - Essential Tennis Barry Lewis Cruising the cut Mark Pitchers Korda TV cheers, Chris

Mercedes S-class😒 Will I notice a significant difference between 18" and 17"?

Thanks very much gents👍

As per title, I've just bought a Superb and want to improve the ride quality as it is a world away from the comfort offered by my previous car. Any reason why a 16" wheel with 205/55/16 tyre won't bolt straight on?...this is what the entry level cars came equipped with and I assume all Superb have the same size brakes etc. TIA Chris

Layering up the Chip-ex kit would work on that. Nice thing being that it is just one bottle as opposed to dealer kits where colour and clearcoat are separate. Cheers, Chris

Hello all, I've just collected a Superb Elegance estate with the standard 18" wheels that need a refurb. However I would like to improve the ride comfort and swap to Cross Climate's so considered dropping down to 16" 7J wheel and 205/55/16 tyre as fitted to the entry level cars. My question is what offset do I need? as I assume it would different to the standard 18" wheels & the alloy wheel websites are a little vague so exact spec would be helpful just to cross reference. Many Thanks Chris

I've put CrossClimate's on a previous car - brilliant! I've not experienced the others mentioned but will be ordering some more CrossClimate's for the Superb I'm collecting tomorrow. cheers, Chris

Thank you. The 5-series - hmm well it felt wide on the road, didn't shrink around you unlike other cars which are wide but don't feel it when driving. Decent build quality, I specifically went for SE spec as the seats are much more comfortable and ride comfort significantly better than m-sport. Mine was a 520d auto, big car for a 2.0 to haul around and felt strained on occasion, fuel economy wasn't great either because of this. ZF 8spd box excellent as it is in most cars its fitted too. Not much rear seat legroom, an Octavia has more room, let alone a Superb. I also held out for Xenon headlamps as standard lamps have woeful output and also the widescreen nav - not because I used the nav but because the dash looks cheap and horrible with the small screen. I never revisit cars I've had before but if I was to consider one I'd look for a 6cyl diesel. Anything else just shout. Cheers Chris

Hello one and all, I've just left a deposit on a 2011 Superb estate having been away from Skoda's for a few years - is it sad to be a little excited for collection on Monday?, not to mention a weight being lifted from my shoulders but that's a whole different story. I was last here a good few years ago, myself and Baker21 being regular contributors to the Car Care sub-forum. My last Skoda was a 2015 Octavia VRS wagon which didn't last long in my ownership. Having flirted with an F11 BMW 5-series and most recently a W221 S-class LWB I'm looking forward to being back behind a Czech wheel again - yes there are better looking cars, quicker cars, better riding cars etc but there is a lot to be said for being a competent all-rounder! Anyway, enough ramblings I'm now going to peruse eBay for rubber mats, boot liner and the like! See you around. Cheers, Chris

AG glass polish on a microfibre which has been spritzed wither water. Klin Korea yellow glass cloth to remove residue = crystal clear glass. cheers Chris

Chip-ex kits are excellent, the rubbing solution is an optional step from experience. cheers Chris

Dooka Washpad & Polished Bliss blue drying towels. cheers Chris

Zaino Z16 meets your criteria. cheers Chris

In a word, 95% of the time - NO. A decent pressure washer pre-rinse prior to 2 bucket method of washing does the job just fine. In winter you may want to add a pre-soak along the lines of Autosmart Hazsafe through a pressure sprayer. cheers Chris

Britemax Clay is my preferred choice, I've never got on with the Bilt Hamber clay. Having said that I wouldn't recommend claying a car if you aren't going to follow it up with an element of machine polishing. cheers Chris

Just order the Collinite online, order today, could be with you on Tuesday. This is super durable so you can just wash and dry, no need for any other steps for a good few months. I'd never recommend claying a car if you aren't going to machine polish it afterwards - almost guaranteed to leave clay marring behind so you'll be left with a finish inferior to before you started. I'd also recommend using a fallout remover before a dedicated tar remover. cheers Chris

I'd go with one of the most underrated products in Detailing - Autoglym Super Resin Polish, finish it off with a layer or two of a decent, durable wax (Collinite 476S, FinishKare 1000P) and job done. cheers Chris

The pads will 'bed in' and become softer over time and usage - providing the surface is still smooth then crack on. cheers Chris

The grille you refer to is I believe the dirt/leaf trap for the drainage holes on the scuttle panel - the snow foam will be long gone and perfectly fine to pressure wash this area in the future. cheers Chris

A microfibre and a tiny bottle of Gtechniq i2 tri-clean. cheers Chris

A steamer has worked well for me in the past. Or find someone with a proper extraction vac like a Karcher Puzzi locally that will clean the seats up for some beer tokens. cheers Chris

I had a black rear guard on my old silver VRS estate - looked very integrated & OE, I'm never keen on anything which is 'carbon look' - tacky and never actually looks like rear carbon. cheers Chris

I use a dog dryer on every Detail to blow water out of all the panel gaps, wheel barrels, wheel bolt holes, mirrors, scraper mouldings...you name it water will be there. A leaf blower isn't particularly accurate and your neighbours will think he is a grade A **** womble! cheers Chris