skinnyman

The car is currently on a different plate. The chap who has it posts a lot on Instagram and although I'm not on there, my sister is. She sends me photos now and then to keep me in the loop. Elliott's been in touch a few times since I sold the car and it's being looked after. It's currently on the Octavia vRS MK1 Owners Club (#ovrsmk1oc) page on Facebook and is the car you first see. https://www.facebook.com/groups/mk1octaviavrsowners I'm still hoping to buy it back one day but that's probably a while off yet as I think Elliott isn't going to move it on anytime soon.

Yep. I've used Motorway twice. The first time was really positive. They set a price, a chap turned up, gave the car a once over and they put the money in my account there and then. He drove away and that was the end of it. The second time, a price was agreed and a chap turned up. He then spent an hour going over the car and found lots of little things that he drew around with a pink pen. By the time he'd finished the car had little circles all over it and he spent ten minutes pointing them all out. He then called the dealer to tell them everything and sent photos to back up his findings. They then called me back and ended up taking £800 off the agreed price. I wanted rid of the car at that point so agreed but it was quite annoying compared to the first time. Based on what they said the car should have been in the body shop for a week or two but it was on their website within 48 hours looking suspiciously unchanged. Either they had a 24hr bodyshop or they'd just given it a very good clean and slapped it on the website. In the end though, the car was gone and I had some money but from what I can gather from others it's a regular occurrence. The dealers are now bidding to be first to view by offering a higher price and then they chip away at it when they get there.

Amazing work & true dedication to the project.👍

I had a 2018 Mk3.5 2.0 diesel 4x4 vRS for about seven months. I loved the car in many ways as it fitted five of us plus dog and all our stuff without the need for a roof box. The Canton stereo was great and the pan roof was also a nice touch (although it did creak a lot). The fuel consumption wasn't as good as I expected and it averaged 43mpg over about 4500 miles. Like you our mileage is around 10k per year and I thought I'd found the perfect car as we do a mix of driving and it seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Turns out it was a complete nightmare. I bought it from a main dealer with a year's manufacure warranty for peace of mind. In the time I had the car it needed a new dmf, a head gasket, five coolant flushes, multiple trips to the dealership and even after all that the coolant was never pink. It always turned brown after a few miles. There were a few other niggles too which I won't bore you with. I eventually sold it to Motorway and took a massive financial hit just to get rid as I couldn't trust the car. I now have a 20 year old petrol Legacy estate as I think the Octavia has put me off diesel VAG cars for life. I would consider a petrol Mk3 vRS estate though as I've had three other petrol Octavias in the past and they have been great. Perhaps a diesel might not be right if you don't do mega miles as the petrol Octavias are pretty good on fuel in my experience. On another note, if anyone knows where WX18 OPS is now I'd be interested to hear how it's getting on.

If I had the funds & time I'd be tempted. Having said that, I'm running a 20 year old Subaru so need every penny for the next bill which inevitably will come at some point.😁

It's a cracking car but I still think the MK1 Octavia has it beaten on looks. I reckon I'll be back in another one day & seeing what you have done to yours is great to see.

As much as I like the five spoke wheels, I prefer the the multispokes. The Neuspeed remind me of the OZ Ultraleggera I had on my red Mk1 so that's probably why I think they suit it more. Having said that, the others are still a great choice and give it a different look. I also think I'm leaning towards the Neuspeeds as they look similar to the STI wheels on my Subaru, although they're 12 spokes so are a bit more fussy.

SOLD! I'm selling a set of 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 in 5x100 fitment with 225 45 17" Uniroyal Rainsport 3 tyres. I no longer have the MK1 vRS so I guess I don't need the wheels. I kept them for a while in case I bought another car that they would fit but ended up with a Mk3 vRS. They don't need spigot rings as they are 57.1mm centre bore but I had to run them with 10mm spacers all round to get them to fit properly. I'm looking for £580 but am open to offers as I really could do with the space in the spare room. Delivery is an option but having had wheels damaged in the past, I'd be happier if they were collected. I'm up in Scarborough so if you fancy a new set of wheels and a day at the seaside, let me know. Thanks, Andrew.

I love the way this car looks & it sits just right.

Hello to you all. I noticed the other day that the rubber on the tailgate release has been damaged. No idea how but I'd like to replace it if possible. Would anyone on here know what the part number is and how easy it is to replace? Any advice is welcome as I'm new to the MK3 & am keen to learn how to work on them. If it's any help, it's a 2018 estate. Thanks in advance.

Not that I've noticed. Yours is a very similar colour though. I'm assuming yours does smoke a bit? I'd have hoped a main dealer wouldn't have mixed two different types of coolant. Having said that, I'm not ruling anything out at the moment. This is what I'm thinking. The supplying dealer seems to have a different approach to my local dealer. The local dealership has sorted a few things out already and I can't fault them at all. The car is booked in later this month for them to have a look so hopefully I'll get an honest opinion & they'll sort it out for me. I usually take my cars to a trusted independent who would sort this out quite easily but seeing as the car is under a year's warranty, I have to use the main dealer network for now.

Good advice thank you. We're off out tomorrow so I'll be sure to check everything you've mentioned. Wish me luck!

I've spoken to the dealer I bought it from and they said it was done correctly. I have to take their word for it but I would have thought the coolant should look more pink than it does. I'm hoping that my local dealer in Scarborough can sort it out as they seem to be a decent bunch of people. If I lived nearer to the dealer I purchased the car from I'd be camping out on their doorstep. Unfortunately it's a three hour drive away so any warranty work will be done by my local dealer. They've already sorted me out in terms of warranty work over the last couple of weeks and I can't fault them at all. The car is booked in next month for them to have a look at things so I'll update the thread when it's been in. I went for a longer drive yesterday and the car seemed to heat up correctly but I need to use it for a few more extended drives and then I'll be able to tell.

We'll have to see on this one. 🤞

Bit of an update. I've been going through the paperwork for the car & found this. The dealer said they'd done a fair bit of work before I picked it up and it would seem that they have already changed the matrix & flushed the system out. I called them up & they reckoned the car wasn't heating up the passenger side correctly so did all the work listed below. I Googled the last part number & it seems that it's the stuff they use when the silicone bag has split and contaminated the system. So, the coolant is less than four weeks old and has done less than 350 miles. I'm wondering if it's just a case of needing another coolant change or if there's something else going on?

After seeing yours and looking at a few pictures online I am wondering if mine's been changed at some point. Having said that, it's not been out of the Skoda network since new so I'll have to look into it a bit further. I've also worried myself after looking online as it could be anything from a simple coolant change to total engine failure. Why did I have to Google it? 🤦‍♂️

In theory it's a full Skoda service history. Whether that's a good thing or not I'm yet to be convinced. I guess I can ask my local dealership if it's on the system & if it needs doing.

Having had the car a week or so now, I'm starting to see bits that need sorting. I've been reading up on the silica bag issue and wondered what you thought about the coolant in my car. It's not pink which worries me a bit. Is mine one that has the bag in the expansion bottle? It doesn't say anything on there but I'd hoped someone on here might be able to help. As you can see in the photos, the coolant in the bottle looks a bit iffy and when I dipped some kitchen roll in to soak a bit up, it doesn't look right to me.🫤

Hello Folks. I've recently bought this. It's a 2018 4x4 version with a few factory options including the pan roof, keyless entry and obviously the 19" wheels. I wasn't sure if anyone on here had owned it before I bought it from Wings in Peterborough but would be interested to know if a previous owner was on Briskoda.

Me too. The kids called it Big Red & it was part of the family. The Mrs cried when the car burbled away & I needed a few pints to recover when the realisation that I'd sold it sunk in. Having said that, I've been on here since 2006, will continue to drive a Skoda & post on the forums. I'm not ruling out another MK1 at some point but for now I'll have to watch from the sidelines & chip in when relevant. 👍

Well, the car has gone to a nice chap called Elliott. He's already got plans for the car & has promised me he'll look after it. Hopefully it'll still be on here in some way & maybe this thread will live on for a while yet. I'll still be around, probably in the Mk3 section if things go according to plan. 👍

The lad who bought it said he might keep the project thread going so hopefully. As for your other thread, I'll have a read of that later. 👍

SOLD. 😔

All cleaned, given a coat of Gyeon Wet Coat, detailing spray, some Meguiars Tyre Gel & a bit of Squid Ink on a couple of black plastic bits. It's now raining. 🙄

As some of you will be aware, I have decide to sell my car. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/522636-mk1-vrs-octavia-stage-2-tuned/ It's not without reservations and I know I'll regret it if the car sells. I gave it a clean this morning and looking at it in the sun did make me think twice.... I don't think I'll find one quite the same again and when I add up everything that's gone into the car, it's definitely an eye opener. Having said that, it's worth every penny and I know whoever takes the car on will be able to improve it further. There's always something to do and that's why I enjoy having a Mk1, as it's a chance to tinker & improve on what's already there. It's not perfect and I doubt it ever will be but I do hope that it'll continue to pound the roads of the UK, surprising people who assume it's just an old Skoda.