MarkyG82

That doesn't make sense and makes me think there is something not quite right. If both wheels are removed and shocks, drop links and level sensor all disconnected on both sides there should not be anything preventing the lower are to drop enough to release the spring. You definitely releases the shock on both sides?

Don't forget fitting costs are the same (unless fitting yourself).

Definitely not wallowing. Also not rock hard. Controlled and supportive is the best way to describe it. Add in aftermarket lowering springs and it becomes quite hard but I never had complaints from MrsG or the kids with the old car. New one has the same springs but on koni shocks and I'm not a fan. Will swap to B6 when appropriate.

As @Carlston says. The B6/8 is a monotube design. This design allows for the valves to be bigger diameter which offers greater performance. The oil volume is also greater which offers a larger potential heat capacity. The way Bilstein design them is with high pressure gas above the sealed oil volume. It help prevent cavitation in the oil. This is partly what people describe when talking about them being harder. It's a combination of high pressure and slower damping. I can reccomend them as a straight swap with stock height or with lowering springs. They are a great improvement over the standard suspension.

A 2013 car on only 60k is probably in need of at least removal and deep clean of the dpf. Maybe even a new one. I would suggest that it's not the right car for you unless you've only recently taken it on. Is it safe to say you only do short runs?

That makes sense. You are aware of the risks so it up to you if you wish to try it out. The mobile flasher is probably only going to use the same map and equipment anyway. Your way you get the knowledge and experience. Make sure you look into the ECU types as some require removal and modding. It may be preferable to do it your way too as you have some sort of idea what is happening to your car. Please share your experience. I'd like to know how you get on. Doesn't sound like many on here have much knowledge on DIY hence our recommendations to get it done at a known good tuner.

As a general rule, if the car is not lowered beyond factory spec then the B6 is preferable. The B8 is the same shock but with a shorter shaft that is designed for aftermarket lowering springs. The B6 can also take a lowering spring but will droop more as the shaft is longer (read: standard height).

The more expensive maps will be specific to your car. It may be a generic base map but will likely be tweaked to match the condition of your engine and will also be a better product. You may well get a boost from an off the shelf DIY map but there is no way to know it is safe and working correctly.

@numskullwhere do you get the 3 year thing? Only ever known it to be 40k.

Here's some pics. Please ignore the state of the car. Its' in desperate need of attention with a mitt. The rear is more flush than it looks in the photo. Maybe is a little protruding. Front is probably in as far as the rear is out but its looks even in real life unless you get to the camera angle here. Still need to double check the offset. The slight rear protrusion is compensated for by the movements of the suspension as the wheel comes in as it compresses.

I'd be going for a refurbished unit from a gearbox shop. There's no reason that they should fail like this other than lack of maintenance or major impact from outside. I think we got lost with the term "sealed". It is most definitely sealed to stop oil escaping and dirt etc entering as many mechanisms are. It is not open to the elements that it may allow grit in and jam it up. Sealed as a term is usually reserved for units that don't have a service schedule and are expected to be left for the life of the car.

I heard of people saying if you twitch the wheel it does something. Pretty sure mine does nothing.

This. Many service desk staff assume that all 7sp boxes are the same old dry clutch units that don't have any service regime.

Sounds very much like a regen not completing. @boardtc What sort of journeys do you do and can you confirm if its diesel or petrol? To elaborate: If it doesn't complete a regeneration cycle (regen) it will clog up the DPF and cause issues. You need to be getting the DPF (diesel particulate filter) in the exhaust hot enough for long enough to clear it. A 30 min blast on the motorway a couple of times a month should be enough to maintain it. If it's already in a bad way then you'll need to really go nuts and get the exhaust nice and hot for a good while. Maybe drive it hard for a couple of hours with good fuel in it to see what it does.

That's frustrating. Maybe worth having a word with the garage your father used? As a bare minimum it may bring them to the conclusion that these boxes need servicing. There's been many discussions on here about what the term "full dealer service history" means. Many believe it to have covered everything that a car requires. Unfortunately you have discovered this not to be the case. Even more frustrating is independents (sounds like your father used one?) are usually more clued up about this sort of thing.

I'll see what I can do. Don't have any pics of the beck side so will have to either reach round ( 🙂 ) or remove a wheel. If you can wait a few weeks I'll be swapping out for my winter wheels and can look then.

The default to e mode is standard. Unfortunately the rest isn't. Good luck getting it sorted. How did you buy it? Rights are on your side at this early stage but you have to give the dealer a change to rectify before throwing the book at them.

My mistake. They are 8.5. Can only suggest they are higher offset. Got them on eibach pro springs so roughly 25mm drop. Just looked for a photo that I was sure I had but don't. I'll try get one today. It's definitely snug. Tyres are 235/40/19 Goodyear eagle 6.

This is great and makes me regret my choice of shocks. Slightly different car but I have 20mm spacers on the rear with 9 wide rims and they fit just right. 12mm on the front for rubbing prevention.

Is it petrol or diesel? The petrol 150 is probably the 1.5 engine which is mated to the dq200 dry clutch dsg. The diesel 150 is 2.0 and mated to one of the wet clutch dsg boxes. The dry clutches are a lot better than they used to be but they don't have an official service schedule (but can be serviced, @toot will likely weigh in on that). The wet boxes are very robust and reliable with either 40k or 80k service schedule. The wet clutch should last the life of the car unless you go tuning it and driving like a d1ck. Easy solution is to down shift when wanting more power as they do tend to hunt for the highest gear. Don't be put off by the dry clutch. It's a very good gearbox and should last well if looked after.

Coding it longer would be awesome.

I'm not convinced. Both 17s and the Octavia being 5mm further in but a wider tyre should make the rubber sit in the same spot. If you feel that way inclined then some spacers will fix it.

The smaller tyres will rotate 1.7% faster. This will result in a greater offset between GPS and Speedo and also the same offset in odometer (car will think it's travelled 1.7% further than actual). In terms of how it will function. 11.5mm diameter difference is the equivalent of swapping out a single worn tyre when all others are brand new (assuming 8mm tread depth on new). Should be fine for emergency use or swapping all 4. Once worn I would change to a more specified size. The last issue may be insurance and whether they will cover the slight change.

Throttle bit is correct. Not moving off is nearly correct. Mine will move off if the car in front moves soon enough after mine stops. Not sure on how long but it's definitely not longer than a few seconds. Maybe 3.

I didn't have it in my Octavia but it works exceptionally well on my GTE. It does apply the brakes if needed but mostly uses the regen. I understand this is limited to the hybrid variants but the usage is so smooth. I used it in a work hire car (corolla estate) which was also a hybrid and it again worked quite well. Didn't have it long enough to work out if it used the brakes. Can only assume it would given the opportunity.