MarkyG82

Already have the konis fitted so not going to get the bilsteins now. Part of me thinks I should have fitted the B6 instead (had them on my Octavia). You live and learn. What makes you think they won't match well with stiffer springs? They have higher damping rates than stock and higher damping goes with higher spring rates. Physics innit.

@stever750experience matches mine. I'm trying to work out if a stiffer spring will aid the higher damping rates on these shocks.

If you had the right design of compressors then you may get away with this method. I undid the lower shock mount on both sides to drop the rear enough to get the spring out. It's the most common way on the majority of cars. Rear drive or 4wd will probably be harder whichever way you do it. Just be sure to have both sides in the air.

You have a sel so probably torsion beam rear axle. With the 2.0 you may have 55mm front shocks instead of 50mm like on the less powerful models. Plenty options for upgrade. If you have torsion beam you won't have a rear roll bar. Upgraded shocks and springs will do 90% of the work a roll bar would do anyway.

As above. All mib2 (and up) units are capable. MY16 (so late 2015) models is when mib2 was started. Would have been a year or two with needing to pay extra for it. Then they bundled it. Basically if a car is 16+ and has a touch screen it should be able to do it. You may have to pay for it to be unlocked though.

@Esseesse200 do you know the tech specs of the springs? I'm looking at alternatives to eibach prokit just to see what there is. Don't want too much drop as I want to make sure the shocks are still in their sweet spot.

If they are say at least one of the rear shocks are genuinely gone you will be able to tell by the old bounce method. Open the boot and push do e as hard as you can in either side of the car and you'll see how it returns. If there is any damping at all then it's safe to drive home/somewhere else.

On the MOT fail front, I think if you have a fail then the old one is void. Maybe just safety fail actually. Depending on how a shock fails it could be seen as a safety issue. In the price, yes sounds steep. If you can somehow get it home or to another garage you should be able to save some money. Not sure what the rules are with getting somewhere else to test it after a fail. Edit: need to type faster!

My GTE pulls on the handbrake if the engine is running. That is rare due to the hybrid nature of the car so not really a problem. On occasion I have put it into N which takes the pressure off. Just remember to re-engage drive before pulling away.

You talking about the whistle? Sounds aero related to me. Rubber windscreen trim or something.

How long ago did you buy it? If it's within 6 months I believe the dealer has a duty to attempt repair. I'd expect the "contribution" to be the full amount of fitting a new battery. Stop start batteries don't last as long as old school ones. I never used to change a battery but these modern ones seem to last only 4-5 years.

Good to know. I've heard others complaining about the lurch and after a chat with a trusted mechanic (I'm also an engineer so we get carried away) we came to the conclusion that it's the electric motor clutch disengaging and the car transferring to the mechanical brakes. I get it now and then under light braking.

Sounds like a duff battery to me. Either take back to dealer/seller or replace yourself. Don't forget it needs coding so the car knows it has a new one.

@Patenthow do you find b mode in the iV compared to the GTE?

Passat GTE doesn't stop in b mode. Gets to walking pace and keeps going. Interesting that the superb stops. I wonder if there is some coding that can be done to make the Passat do the same.

Doesn't work like that. Yes wireless android auto connects via WiFi, but it's a backend WiFi that is triggered by the Bluetooth connection. Wireless carplay is all Bluetooth as far as I know. Only way to get wireless smarts working on a car like that is with a dongle. As the two systems (android or applel work differently they require different dongles.

An Octavia I had (can't remember mk2 or mk3) had a winter tyres speed warning. Maybe with that turned on it activates some sort of winter mode that makes it use higher gearing?

People have suggested for years that they learn. They do adapt to conditions but they don't learn your driving style. The more recent boxes will probably have more data to draw on to make changes so appears more than ever to learn. Still just adapting though. A tune will change the shift points to higher revs along with faster shifting. Might also increase the clamping pressure of the clutches to handle more power. All adds up to a more engaging experience at the expense of economy and wear. Stick to suggested services and don't drive like a dikc and you'll likely not see any detrimental effects.

Dsg does not learn driving style. It will change its response depending on conditions like required load and clutch wear. Sometimes a reset can make it more sprightly but it will likely only last a few hundred or thousand miles. Got this info from a vag tuning garage and it reflects my own experience. A pedal box and engine tune will help. Not had the pleasure of a dsg tune but most of the reports are positive.

Will be selling a set of 18s with efficient grips soon. Tyres have done less than 1k miles if interested.

Works fine on my Passat GTE which is the same platform bar the infotainment on yours being mib3 over mib2. I'm not don't anything other than sorting any codes that have popped up and changing a few parameters. When I get more time I'll dig into some more stuff on the lights etc. Not seen anything so far that would suggest it didn't work.

If you don't have a laptop then I'd go for OBDeleven.

If you are talking about a straight swap for the whole system (head unit in the glovebox and the central screen) it's not a cheap endeavour. Parts alone for the new mib3 system could easily be £k's. Then you will need to sort the component protection and get it coded for your car. The coding may not have been cracked yet due to how new the system is. I would budget £2500 minimum if willing to source the parts and have someone able to do the coding. If the screen swap works (e.g. many mib2 screens are compatible across the systems within mib2 range) then you may find a screen for £500 or more with no coding required. Coding is only needed for head unit bit screen. At least that's what it was with mib1 and 2.

Thinking from a mechanical point of view: You would need a new gearbox with the matching drive shafts and rear diff. Plus all the wiring for the modules. The rear suspension may work but I imagine some modification or different parts would needed there too. The whole hub, carrier, brake assembly would probably need changing too to allow for the drive shafts. Unless you can find a written off scout I'd say it not worth the effort. Better off modding a scout to make it faster and handle better or swapping for a golf R/superb 4x4.

Assuming it works as per my comment above. You shouldn't lose any functions by fitting a very slightly smaller screen. If you were willing to fork out for the purchase then fitting the different screens is trivial should you wish to return to stock when selling. Or leave both screens with the car as an added extra.