damianscott71

Fingers crossed for you Shane! I just tend to think that "it'll be here, when it's here". But having handed the Yeti back a few weeks ago, I'm starting to miss having my own car. Luckily, I work from home and have use of SWMBO's new Fiat 500 Twinair, which is no real hardship, apart from last weekend when I bought a new 50" telly and Annabel thought that the box might just fit in the 500 "with the seats down". Suffice to say, we didn't even try!

I placed my order for a Candy White vRS Estate (2.0 CR TDI, Amundsen, Black design pack, Bluetooth+, Sunset Glass, Winter Pack, Canton Sound System) on 27th July and build is due week 37, that's next week, some 4 weeks earlier than I was expecting! On that basis, I'm expecting delivery to be early to mid October..... WOOP!

I had the dealer fitted, optional lowering kit on a MK2 vRS Estate, combined with 18" alloys a few years ago. It looked great but felt really harsh on our poor quality UK roads. Moving from that to an FL vRS with standard springs and 18" alloys was a revelation!

Sorry OP, I was a bit quick to jump to AE's defense back then, you didn't say that AE slated the vRS, just the DSG configuration.... Apologies!

Looking back through the article (again, although I've read it to death), the main criticism is with the DSG gear box which in the diesel differs from that in the petrol version. They say "Because of the engine's 380Nm of torque, the car has to use the heaviest beefed-up twin-clutch gearbox available, which harms economy and gives jerkier shifts. The slick manual is better." I've ordered the manual, better drive, lower emmissions, better economy & £30 a year road tax.

Auto Express hardly slated the Octavia vRS TDI, they gave it a 4 star review and closed by saying "as a true all-rounder, the vRS is had to beat"! There has been an across the board acknowledgement from all of the media that the new MQB platform makes for a very refined drive, but could be a little more involving. I read Auto Express and AutoCar all the time (have done for over 15 years) and I find their reviews to be pretty good. They're interesting and well written, and are generally the opinion of an experienced motor journalist. They're certainly a good starting point for me, when it comes to thinking about buying a new car. My 2013 vRS TDI estate is on order, looking forward to delivery some time Oct/Nov.

As Magic62 said, tuning boxes would appear to be the only way to go for new cars, although they've traditionally played 2nd fiddle to remaps. I can't comment as to why, I've never had a car with a tuning box fitted. It sounds like you've had a good experience though and will consider this as an option (maybe the only option for those seeking more power & mpg!)

As Timoclav mentions, cars are generally mapped to balance economy & emissions, but also varying qualities of fuel around the world & inconsistent servicing by customers. Most cars actually have a number of maps sitting in the ECU, to take into account different environmental conditions such as low air density whilst driving at altitude, etc. SWMBO's new DS3 1.6 e-hdi (now replaced by a Fiat 500 twinair) had a noticable flat spot whilst driving and was purely a characteristic of the map, most probably to keep emissions low at that point in the rev range, for the sake of tax banding & Euro compliance.

Hang on, the original post was "Any Remaps Available for the Octavia MK3 VRS 2.0 TDI...?" Did anyone get around to actually answering the question? So far, I'm pretty sure that there are no remaps available for the Octavia vRS. There seem to be no remaps available for the Golf MKVII, which has been out for a touch longer than the vRS. This is due to the fact that the encryption on the newer ECU's (as used in the Octavia III) has yet to be cracked and the methodology released to the mapping community. Certainly the previous generation of Bosch ECU's as used in Yeti's and Octavia II's have to be removed from the car, opened up and unlocked via software on a rig before a remap can be applied. This process takes about an hour and a half to do and it's a bit of a fiddly job. I've got a new vRS on order and my guess is that it will be a while before any remaps become available. A quick comment on the reliability of a vehicle once remapped, I've had 7 vehicles remapped over the years with mixed results. Issues include cracked manifold & clutch slip (Honda Civic 2.2 diesel, remapped to 220bhp by Celtic Tuning), blocked DPF, faulty exhaust pressure sensor & mega fuel efficiency loss (Pre-FL vRS 2.0 PD TDI, remapped by Celtic Tuning), split turbo boost hose (Golf MK5 2.0 GT TDI, remapped by Superchips). In each of these cases, I would say that remap played a part in the problem and in most cases, the dealer was able to spot that the car was remapped. On one occasion, a warranty claim was refused on the grounds of the remap, and only was resolved by having the map taken off the car & me pleading ignorance! The best maps that I've had on any of my vehicles have been done by Motech Performance in Northamptonshire (you're looking around £350 for an ECU out remap) and have offered the smoothest response, crafted to my driving style without compromising fuel economy or stressing the car's components. They can build a map to suit whatever you want, but there's a genuine appreciation from them that if you push things too far, then things can & do go tits up!

Hello people, Just a quick note to say that the module has now sold (in fact it sold a few days after the original post). Apologies for not posting sooner. Damian

Have you checked for leaves or anyother blockage on the scuttle board? Once you've checked the obvious, like is the carpet damp (Indicative of a heater matrix leak), etc, get it into your local dealer and have it checked, if there's a fault it should show on diags, and how you choose to progress is entirely up to you! I'd say, if it's not an easy, straightforward diagnostic, then it's probably not a DIY job. You'd be best going to your local main dealer. Good luck, I hope you find the cause of your problem soon.

One simple question from Matted and not a single useful, factual response! So let me speak from experience, I test drove a petrol vRS demonstrator a few weeks ago at Progress Skoda in Bedford (I was the first person to drive it, straight after it had been PDI'd, before even the sales staff or the techs) and the sound generator is definitely there to be heard, it becomes much more apparent in sport mode. I also test drove the diesel vRS before I placed my order last week. On this occasion, the sound wasn't as apparent to me, although I didn't drive the diesel quite as hard as I had SWMBO on board. Instead, the main sound I could hear was "Slow down, you're driving too fast" and "concentrate on the road, stop fiddling with those buttons!" The sound generator does sound artificial and will divide opinion, however as a point of fact the sound depends on the driving mode, the speed of the car, the level of acceleration and I believe the trajectory of the car. In the petrol car it sounded like a close match to the engine note, on the diesel car, less so. IMHO, I found it quite hard to discern during my test drive of the diesel. I think that harder driving would produce a more pronounced response from the sound generator. That is all, carry on!

I've purchased 3 cars from Progress Skoda now (all from the Letchworth branch) and have found them to be mostly very good. My initial purchase of a 2008 Octavia vRS was made whilst living in Bedford, and after a failed attempt to buy a car from a sales person in Bedford (wanting to shake hands on a deal before I'd even test driven the car), I happily purchased a car from the Letchworth branch some months later. However I used the Bedford branch to service the car and was always very happy with the level of service and feedback that I received there. My second car was a 2010 Octavia vRS, again purchased from Letchworth (but bizarrely was the demonstrator of the Bedford salesman that I'd failed to gel with on the previous occasion), again a very pleasant transaction and exclusively serviced by the Northampton branch. Sam & David on the service reception were always very personable and chatty, keeping me up to date with any information that I required. Also Gavin in the workshop was always happy to help out. I also found them to be very competitively priced on consumables like tyres, so I chose to have these fitted by the workshop whenever new rubber was needed. Then just over a week ago, I bought my third vehicle from Progress, again in Letchworth. I'd accrued a bit of equity in my Octavia vRS and so p/x'd it for another demonstrator vehicle, this time a Yeti 2.0 CR TFI 170 4x4 in Elegance trim. The business manager Vikki did all the maths for me and worked out the best deal in advance, so when I arrived I just literally had a 20 minutes test drive with SWMBO, then sat in the office with Vik & Wayne and agreed the deal. All in, the whole buying process was quick and pleasant. The car was prepped and ready to collect in less than a week, and although I'm waiting for the 2nd key to materialise and my personal number plate to be transferred, I'm in no doubt that these will be sorted quickly. I'll have the new car serviced in Northampton and although there have been a few changes there recently, I'm confident that an excellent level of service will prevail. I think that in the past 4 years that I've been dealing with Progress that I've got to know the guys pretty well. My experience of Progress Skoda and the vehicles they supplied me has been overwhelmingly positive (not withstanding a shakey start with a salesman in Bedford, but you could put that down to a clash of personalities). Skoda cars have demonstrated peerless performance, as have the Progress dealerships and it's their good work that has helped to make me a long-term brand convert.

Hello people, I've just changed vehicles and prior to me p/x'ing my Octavia vRS, I removed the Bluetooth Module that I'd fitted about 9 months earlier. It's part number 7P6 035 730 F and is compatible with newer Bolero stereos and Columbus, both with Maxidot. I say newer, because my 60 reg vRS had a few compatibility issues regarding the phone book. However it still worked great for making and receiving calls. I left the wiring loom in the car, so you'll need to source a loom & microphone yourself if you're interested. Fitting was quite straight forward, however you'll need to code the module to the car using VCDS. Therefore, please only buy this if you're able to do this. The module is 100% working, and is supplied with it's protective polystyrene cage which sticks to the carpet under the drivers seat. Price is just £70, plus a few quid shipping. Suffice to say, it cost me substantially more than that a few months ago! Please let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Damian

I had a real bad bout of loss of power yesterday on a country road, crested a hill and went to put my foot down, it felt like I'd put my foot on the bloody brake (it was THAT pronounced)....... It was really distracting and would have been quite dangerous had I been attempting an overtake. I might get in touch with one of the car mags and have them chase VAG for a qualified response.

My car has a manual gearbox, so DSG certainly isn't the issue, so I'll ask the question "If it's a feature, surely it would be mentioned in the manual?" It didn't happen in my PD vRS, and does in the CR vRS, it did it pre-map and does it post map. It happens with stability control on, and it happens when it's off. Does it happen when coasting downhill, rather than applying pressure to the accelerator? I'm not sure, but I'll try.

My car has a manual gearbox, so I'll join the gang giving Reverse a kicking (just kidding!) and also add the question "If it's a feature, surely it would be mentioned in the manual." It didn't happen in my PD vRS, and does in the CR vRS, it did it pre-map and does it post map. It happens with stability control on, and it happens when it's off. Does it happen when coasting downhill? I'm not sure, but I'll try.

Thanks for everybody's feedback on this, It's good to know that other VAG cars are doing the same thing. It does get on my nerves a bit as it feels like it's interfering with the drive and overall control of the car. It doesn't happen when I'm touching the brake, and turning TCS off doesn't cure it either. As for cutting fueling down an incline, it feels stronger & more immediate than that, if feels more like a very light dab on the brakes or engine braking, but in 6th gear at 2k rpm, there's no engine braking to be had. It's perhaps just one of those things, but if I find out anything different, or get a definitive answer as to what's happening, I'll let you all know. Thanks again, Damian

Hello people, I wondered if anybody else has experienced a sensation of braking whilst travelling downhill or on an undulating road. It feels kind of like the car is automatically dabbing the brakes, or a touch of engine braking. However when you're doing 60mph on an A road in 6th gear, engine braking isn't a likely cause. My car is a 2010 vRS 2.0 cr TDI. It's been into the dealer who referred it to Skoda. Skoda came back with the answer that it's a "feature" of the car, in order to keep the car from accelerating unexpectedly downhill, however I'm not too inclined to believe this and it feels quite intrusive. Does the Scout have some sort of hill descent setting that may have been accidentally activated on my car? I'd be grateful if anyone has an idea, or solution. Thanks, Damian

Hi there, I have a CR vRS. It was mapped my Motech in Northamptonshire and has been very good. Haven't done a rolling road test, but I'm betting on 200+ bhp, plus it's nice and smooth to drive and has good (perhaps better than standard) economy. Are you sure it's a Common Rail engine? My previous car was a 2008 model and that was a PD (it felt horrible tuned, so I went back to standard). Forget induction kits or panel filters, from experience (have had tuned and modified diesels for 10 years+) they make no difference and IMHO, I think tuning boxes are not a very refined solution. An individual map, bespoke for your car is the way to go. FYI, the ECU is likely to have to come out of your vehicle, and although a little time consuming, is a pretty straightforward job. Here's a link to Mike's site http://homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.hodder1/index.html (don't know where his usual page has gone!) Give him a call if you're interested, say that Damian Scott passed you his details and I'm sure he'll do you a great deal on a brilliantly crafted map.

Sorry to reopen an old(ish) thread! What are people's experiences of the way that the Bolero unit handles phonebook information with bluetooth. My phone connects fine, but whilst the phone book is fine whilst viewed and used via Maxidot, the Bolero's version of the phone book is very messed up. If it helps, I'll post pics. Ta in advance, Damian

Hi guys, Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm just about to buy a bluetooth module for my Octavia vRS and have made arrangements for a professional fitter to install the unit (don't want to bugger up any plastics). The only thing that I'll need to do is have the unit coded to the car with vag-com. Is there anybody in Northamptonshire or Bedfordshire with vag-com who has done this already that might be able to help me out, once I have the unit installed? Thanks in advance, Damian

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Hi everybody & thanks for the welcomes... Well, the Skoda has got better interior fit & finish, I think in the long run, the Skoda will be more "hard wearing" on the inside. Also, the panels & paint on the Honda are really thin. The bonnet of the Civic has needed a respray for the past 30k miles, but what's the point? It would only end up peppered with stone chips as soon as I took it back out on the road. There's less road noise whilst travelling in the Skoda, and it absorbs potholes much better. The suspension on the Honda is rock solid, and you know about it when you drive over a cat's eye or a patch or rough ground. In it's favour though, the Honda's engine is much more refined, it's much quieter and has more torque through the rev range. It doesn't "run out of puff" in the same way that the Skoda does. It's been widely acknowledged that Honda failed to get it right with the quality of the new Civic. Dealers will admit that they're getting more warranty claims than is acceptable for every Civic (I think the average is 12 claims per car). I'm hoping, nay EXPECTING that the Skoda experience will be different!

Good evening everybody, I've just paid the deposit on an year old Octavia 2.0 TDI PD vRS 5 door estate, the deal should be complete within the next week or so. In the meantime, I thought I'd introduce myself and let you know a little about my car history. Currently, I'm driving a Honda Civic 2.2 ictdi sport that was until recently remapped to 200bhp (it's now back to standard). It's got 18" alloys and an eibach lowering kit. To be honest, I'll be glad to see the back of it, the paintwork is thin, thin, thin, the panels are made from tissue paper, and I'm having my 3rd set of replacement alloys fitted next week under warranty before I P/X the car. I've had the car 3 years from new, and it's had more warranty work than any car should ever have! Prior to that I had a new Golf Mk5 2.0 GT TDI, again remapped to 180BHP (it started as a 140).... I kept it for 18 months, again too many trips back to the dealer. Before that I had a Passat 1.9 TDI that started life as a 110 bhp, and ended up around the 180 mark. It was built like a tank, and whilst it was a labour of love, I'm hoping for the same sort of bullet broof build quality with the Skoda. Before that a Volvo S70, a Peugeot 406, a Brabus Smart, a Corrado, a Laguna, an Audi A4, a Toyota Carina E (not my choice!), a couple of Peugeot 405's, Vauxhall Astra, and my first car was a J Reg Polo GT. I think that I've gotten wiser as I've gotten older. I can't wait for the vRS to arrive. Let battle commence! Damian