Swirly182

Looks good! What do you mean by cigarette socket?

My 2018 245 manual is dependant on the season! Over autumn/winter it averages 36mpg, spring/summer 40mpg. All indicated and taking it easy. Not full eco mode.

Thanks all for the input. Rear springs were uprated for towing last year. Definitely not sagging - normal people lower their cars, I raised mine! @J.R. You went to great lengths to advise me on this. @EnterName Never looked into the undersealing, any links?

@varaderoguy Thanks for the suggestions and Arteon info. Might add OBD 11 to the list actually. @ChoonDoode I was thinking the same, also drop link replacement maybe. I guess the place that would check / do the alignment would advise if there are worn components... I'm painting the calipers because the rears are flaking somewhat and I've never been a huge fan of the red. I did like the green on my original Fabia vRS though!

I'm going to spend some £££ on my 2018 vRS to stop me from swapping it (plus a lot more £££) for an Arteon R Shooting Brake / Passat R Line Edition (unicorn) / E Class All Terrain / A6 Allroad. Admittedly an automatic would be nice again and so would increased weight capacity whilst towing the caravan. However, now at 6 years old and nearly 60k miles, I've had the Octy from new and it's been 100% reliable apart from a driver's door speaker. It gets all the right maintenance. It's still on its original brake discs / pads and wipers. Why would I get rid of it? My to do list: - Wheel refurb. Silver or gloss black. - New front and rear brake discs and pads - Paint the calipers, matt black - Wheel spacers maybe, maybe not - Hunter wheel alignment - Air con service - Full detail - New mats - New number plates - New rear tyres (Goodyear Assy 6) - Open to other suggestions! Would be good to get opinions or experience on the Hunter wheel alignment. Is it worth doing? Here it is on holiday duties last summer.

Went out this morning intending to film the cold start and I'm pleased to say it's nice and quiet now. I can only put it down to using the recommended 0W20 508 spec oil - I changed the oil myself around a month ago. I'm assuming the garages I used previously may not have used this. I believe the cam chain tensioner uses engine oil pressure to operate, like a hydraulic ram. Could using the incorrect viscosity oil cause it to not extend fully against the chain, hence a slightly under tensioned and noisy chain?

There's no probably about it as far as I'm concerned. It will be a genuinely sad day when I see mine go, which isn't anytime soon.

It was to the OP - I'll take your advice on suspension mods but possibly not on max towing weights 😉

I think it's the gross train weight that must not be exceeded - see your weight sticker to confirm. So you can load the trailer up to 2T but make sure you keep the car weight to (GTW - 2T). For info I took my vRS estate to a weighbridge and it's kerb weight is 1460kg, so you may struggle at 2T actually!

Glad you got it sorted!

My previous BMW did this when the battery was slightly discharged during the winter months. Might be worth a check...

For future reference, here's my shopping list for a basic oil change for a 2018 vRS 245. 6x 1x 1x

Mine went earlier this year, also a 2018. Replaced like for like with a new unit from the dealer.

Thanks for the replies. So 508 equivalent is 0W-20? VAQ diff was serviced last year, (yep one year late) but cheers for the heads up. Whilst we're on a similar subject, do we know the service interval for the manual gearbox? The car (infrequently) tows a reasonably heavy caravan, so I'm thinking the gearbox will be deserving of some maintenance sooner rather than later... Cars just gone past 55k miles.

Hi all, I have attempted a search but didn't get anywhere. What's the oil type for a 2018 vRS 245? The handbook doesn't tell me and online retailers are contradicting eachother.

The Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 5 offers decent rim protection, shown here on 19" rim.

Mine doesn't have this! Owned it from new.

I have a Westfalia detachable on my 2018 vRS estate with the electrics that beep with the indicator - yes shock horror! But it'all been fine for well over 3 years. I always remove the tow ball after a caravan trip and clean / lubricate as necessary maybe twice a year.

Being an Octavia estate, I assumed all at the same time 💪

My discs and pads are original from Feb 2018 and have lasted over 52000 miles. New set in the garage ready to replace once we're back from Cornwall! Thanks for sharing the tool needed 👍

Like these types of modifications, nice one 👍

I called the supplier of MAD and they didn't offer any helper springs compatible with the vRS. The only option was the 'red' air bag insert system.

As per the linked thread - basically after some education from forum members, I bought some slightly longer and stiffer (I think) Eibach springs which went someway to levelling out the car when loaded up. Also some rubber assistors to fit only when towing the caravan. To be honest, if I wasn't towing anything I would have left it. I quite liked the lowered look!

Just to close this thread off, changing the standard 'Q' springs to the 'S' springs (see details earlier in the thread) plus rubber spring assisters, I think has improved the towing experience. I should really have done this sooner with the previous caravan and even when loaded up to go on holiday solo, pre-caravan purchase. The recent tow this weekend with the bigger and heavier caravan was completely stable. It seems the early 245 edition from 2017 to 2018 (and possibly the pre-facelift 230) has these slightly shorter rear springs. My dad's later 245 looks a similar height to what mine is now. This is all anecdotal. So this cost me less than £100. Other option would have cost ££££s. Thank you again to everyone that contributed.

Do you fit and remove as needed or did you leave them in all the time?