kirk

How old are the tyres? Check for the date of manufacture marking on the sidewall. Old rubber becomes harder, which makes for lousy wet grip.

Instead of using ramps or buying ultra-low lifts, why dont you just put two two-by-fours at suitable distance apart and drive onto that. If you want to make it extra smooth, saw a 45 degree angle onto the short edge. No need for hitech solutions to lotech problems.

There are several routes to go. The original vRS bar has plastic sleeves that have stoppers, stopping the bushes going to far out on the bar. When I changed the bushes on my car, the left plastic sleeve had a crack in it. Putting a new bush on top of an already cracked sleeve is not a good solution, imo. I decided to remove both sleeves and put original 19mm bushes on (since I didn't have smaller ones available then) (part no. 1J0 411 314 P). I have not had any problems with the bushes in the last 3 months I've had them fitted. I have since bought smaller 17mm bushes (part.no 1J0 411 314 S), if I do run into problem with the not-quite-so-tight 19mm bushes, but I haven't fitted them yet. I suspect that if you do not do too much inspired/track driving, the 19mm arb bushes will work fine even without the sleeves. If the sleeves are cracked, the official solution is to replace the entire bar with the new design, which has metal sleeves, and install new bushes. This will cost you, though, since it is a time consuming job. If the sleeves are intact, you can just install new 19mm bushes and be fine with it. When the sleeves crack later (which they will), you will have to re-evaluate your options. There is also the dilemma of original bushes vs. poly-urethane bushes. Personally, I would avoid the poly-urethane bushes, since many report that they wear out rather quickly and need regular lubing not to squeak. If you want to keep the service to the car to a minimum, go with original VAG parts.

No need to worry, in Finland, the official recomendation for a vRS cambelt change is 180k km, i.e. about 110k miles, although I will personally do mine at the 90k km (55k mile) service just to be safe.

Thanks a lot for a useful howto :thumbup: Where did you get the schematics diagrams from? If you have the instructions on howto remove the water splash guard in front of the windscreen for the Octavia I, I would be glad to have them

Step 13: Connect speaker components with crossover and install woofer (some cotton added, polyester filling would be better) Step 14: Remove original tweeter from tweeter mount Step 15: Install new tweeter to tweeter mount (mine needed to be tweaked with a Dremel to fit snug) Step 16: Fasten door card (reverse of removal) NOTE: If door handle doesn't work properly, make sure door handle wire plastic plug is in groove.

Step 6: Insulate speaker mount edge with thick two-sided tape Step 7: Install speaker mount Step 8: Make speaker wires to connect new tweeter with VAG speaker connector NOTE: You can buy adapters to connect to VAG speaker connectors from for example ebay. Google for 'PC2-805' Step 9: Connect speaker wires between woofer-crossover, tweeter-crossover and input-crossover Step 10: Modify crossover to fit door installation Step 11: (Re-)fasten styrofoam insulation piece to door with thick two-sided tape Step 12: Fasten crossover onto styrofoam insulation piece with thick two-sided tape

Speaker installation and tweaking Loosely based on Scodillac's instructions on how to tweak woofer mounting. Step 1: Remove original speaker Step 2: Remove speaker mount Step 3: Remove speaker sealing membrane Note: in the picture above, this metal edge will hit speakers that are too deep. It can easily be bent or cut away, if one wants to install deeper speakers. Step 4: Create waterproof seal which allows speaker to breathe into door (out of duct tape) NOTE: Eave goes into door, so that water should not poor into speaker bay, unless car is upside down. Step 5: Check speaker mount edge for air leaks

I treated my Octavia vRS '04 with some new component speakers for the front doors from Rainbow Audio. I decided to take some photographic evidence on the fitting process. I only depict installation on the passenger side front door. The driver's door is identical, except for the removal and installation of the door card, which is slightly different. Since pictures tell more than words, I will not describe the work in detail. Removing door card Based on Rob's excellent guide for uninstalling the rear door card. Step 1: Unscrew torx screws Step 2: Pop out electric window switch and unscrew screw Step 3: Remove trim from door handle Step 4: Remove two screws from door handle Step 5: Pop out tweeter casing perpendicular to door Step 6: Disconnect wire for door handle and door light Step 7: Lift door card straight up and revel

Sorry for lifting up this old thread, but I think it deserves it! Yesterday, I fitted jubilee clips on my centre mount. Everything went nice and smooth thanks to the tips here. I am now officially rattle free! I've been hunting high and low for the source of the noise ever since I got the car in May 2008. I've changed ARB bushes, front+rear wishbone bushes, droplinks, rear arm bushes and checked the radiator. I've spent almost

You wouldn't happen to know approx. which size jubilee clip is needed? Would make my life easier, so I don't have to climb under the car twice Thankyouverymuch! Edit: to answer my own question, I found the answer here: http://briskoda.net/octavia-i/rattle-under-car/44113/ Answer: two 75 mm jubilee clips.

Another possibility is to change to the reinforced Seat Ibiza Cupra/Leon Cupra bush (they are exactly the same). Fits perfectly in a Octavia vRS mk I. Part number: 6LL 501 541 (Ibiza Cupra), roughly £32. The exact same part for Leon Cupra is 1ML 501 541, roughly £52. I naturally went for the Ibiza Cupra part, which was a perfect compromise, since I didn't want to install polyurethane bushes due to them wearing out rather quickly.

Whatever it is, if you find out, please let us know. I have a very similar sounding problem. So far I've changed the arb bushes, wishbone bushes, arb drop links, rear frame bushes for well over £500 and it still makes the damn noise

I also changed my wishbone bushes just this week. Popped in a pair of Audi TT bushes. Should be stronger stuff than the original vRS ones, well see how they hold up. Also put some Leon Cupra bushes on the rear axle at the same time. Made the car feel a lot more refined and balanced. Mod well recommended. I contemplated polyurethane bushes for a while, but since they seem to have relatively short lifespan, I decided to try original VAG parts.

You will be putting more wear on the clutch, and depending on its current state, you might be looking at buying a new one at some point. All down to your driving style, of course If you're still running on stock turbo, the bearings and seals will not be in the best shape possible, and a remap will naturally reveal potential problems there. But even without a remap, you will be looking at replacing the turbo at some point, anyway I say go for it! You only live once (unless you're Hindu).