PaddyVRS

I was trying to get hold of some too for refitting standard bulbs. Aside from getting them from a scrapyard the easiest is skoda dealer although they are EXPENSIVE! Something like €15 euros each :no: No thanks. I still use the cut ones and they work fine once clipped back onto the wiring plug. I don't have the link anymore but if you can get the part number from your skoda dealer there was a place in Germany selling them for around €6-7 each plus postage. Google is your friend but they are hard to find

Thanks Lee, I have the full PDF file already. I hadn't noticed that the clutch seems to be completely integral with the water pump so I am getting a new SC clutch too.

Thanks for the replies. I doubt I will get any support from the dealer so will go through Skoda Ireland directly if I can.

Hi all, Just had my car serviced about 3 weeks ago. Got it back and only a week later it started making a mechanical noise at idle and low revs. It got progressively worse so dropped it in to be checked. Water pump has gone apparently. The car is a 2011 CAVE model (new engine in 2013 but i presume water pump is original) with approx 59k Miles on the clock. Do you think I have a case for claiming premature parts failure through Skoda? I would have thought a water pump should last longer than 5 years. The real kicker is that because it is integral with the Supercharger pulley clutch mechanism its pricey to replace. I was quoted 700 Euros but they would give me a 10% discount (thanks a mil...) Any thoughts?

To add to your experiences, I have a 2011 VRS with second CAVE engine. Apart from minor things (and the engine being replaced) its been pretty good. Had the DSG service campaign carried out last year at its annual service. Part of this was to do a gearbox reset procedure. I noticed that the way it shifted had changed slightly as obviously the clutch engagement tolerances had shifted slightly. Nothing bad, just different. I have always had occasions where I can get minor judder in 2nd gear as you have. Mainly this happens if you start to accelerate harder, say into a roundabout, as it changes into 2nd. In D mode it seems to slip the clutches a lot more in the initial 2 gears to achieve a smooth pull away. If I have just had a few hard blasts, the clutches are obviously hot so it is a bit more noticeable bu still only a minor judder. It isn't violent or harsh by any means. When cold it never does it. If I use M mode from stationary I don't get the judder, the gear shifts aren't smoothed out or prolonged to be smoother. I did notice however after the gearbox service campaign that sometimes it doesnt engage immediately under high torque load on even gears. I presume this is just due to the slightly different clutch programming. It never slips, so I am not worried about clutch failure.

Possibly a sticky caliper which is dragging a pad lightly on the disc. Over long drives could it overheat the disc and cause it to warp over a period of time?

Can anyone tell me what the gap between wheel arches and tyres are on a Standard VRS? I can't figure out if mine has been lowered or not before I bought it. Might have the Skoda approved lower springs on it already, or it could just be my eyes.

Hopefully this link will work, file was too big to upload here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3rsCZW4C8NoTTZCRDd6eUFnQWs/view?usp=sharing

I have had similar problems before on various occasions at differing states of engine temp and driving conditions. I don't have any exact measurements of boost unfortunately but on one occasion the car would not pull past 4000RPM in 4th gear, just got stuck. Touch wood I haven't had any issues like this in ages, nothing was found during service checks. I still have no idea what caused it, on one occasion I had no boost at all. Not even from the supercharger! All other instances were supercharger fine and once it reached turbo only it just died. No lights, no faults and no solution was ever found. If it happens to me again I will have to investigate further but for now I am just leaving it be. There are so many sensors and valves that can possibly cause issues with the boost range it could be a long winded process, especially if it is not happening consistently. I will try upload an extract from a VW pdf on the TSI engines which gives good descriptions of all valves, solenoids etc which could be causing problems

Yes! This is exactly what I was trying to point out when I posted a link in here earlier on

Might be worth a read of this, I have seen it before somewhere but couldn't find the page I saw with pictures. You should get the idea after reading from the third paragraph onwards. Might not be of much use on part worn tyres, but possibly swapping left to right if they are Asymmetric (not directional) http://www.iam-bristol.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334&Itemid=1

Perhaps Skoda green?

I got the 6k ones off ebay, apart from a bit of a fiddle to get the bulb holders seated back in the headlights everything has been spot on with them. They are a bit more blue than I had imagined but not too much. The only thing is now the DRL's look much more white than the headlights. 5k would probably match the DRL's better

I always try and use the plug socket on an extension just turning it with my fingers to make sure the plug is in straight. Although with a decent plug socket with the rubber grip inside its such a narrow tube that unless the plug is hanging out loose it will be hard to cross thread it! Oh and it is possible to use coat hanger wire to make a tool although it does involve a lot of cursing and sore fingers!

I have now fiddled with the adjuster screws on the headlights to level them with each other (left was significantly lower then the right) and then raise them a touch more. I will see how I go in the dark hours as I've only driven it in foggy daytime so far. If I get a few flashes I will lower back slightly but I think my they should be bang on now

Hi Nath, I had the same issue for ages until I discovered what it was. On inspection it appeared like all my lights were working perfectly but I eventually found that one of the rear sidelight bulbs had a poor connection. As there are 2 bulbs per rear cluster it can be hard to spot, try giving the rear units a good smack with your hand to see if a bulb comes back on. Once you know where it is its pretty easy to spot.

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I would like some advice if possible. Having recently fitted an HID kit to my Fabia (which has vastly improved the projector headlight performance) I would like to adjust the beams as the LH headlight is lower than it should be. As far as I know the standard Projectors can be adjusted with the screws on the headlamp units to raise/lower the beam. However I am not sure if this is ok to do on the cornering/curve projector headlights as I am not sure if they have level adjustment too. The owners manual says stuff about changing to European mode electronically (not using the metal tab as on other models) and also if there is a fault with the cornering units they automatically "lowered to the emergency position, which prevents a possible dazzling of oncoming traffic." Does this mean that any level adjustments have to be done through VCDS as I think some VAG models can only be done this way without messing up the headlight units. Thanks

Yes mine does that too, I think it only does the side to side check after starting the engine.

Still driving mine, 2011 CAVE on its 2nd engine. Will be keeping it for foreseeable future or till it breaks!

I have the cornering headlights fitted in my Fabia VRS and for a long time I thought they were the standard headlight fitting and it was just disabled. I eventually worked out the movements are very smooth when you are driving and you don't really notice it that much. Also, a big reason why I presumed they WEREN'T cornering lights is they don't move when you are stationary. And while driving slowly you would have to turn the wheel a lot to see the movement. I find it is most noticeable when driving in an underground car park so sharp 90 degree bends at slow speed and you can see the beam following the direction of the car. Another way to see if they are working is do a sharp turn towards a wall or something where you can see the light beams tracking along the wall. With the steering still applied as you are turning towards the wall stop the car but do not neutralize the steering wheel. If the function is working the lights will be facing around the corner until the car stops and then they snap back to centre position. Hope this helps!

Well I have mine fitted now after around 2 hours of work. Initial work on modding light bulb holders was simple, and mounting the ballasts in the engine bay was pretty straight forward too although I had to re-do one of them as I wouldnt hvae been able to plug in the HID lamp wire where I had it first. Ended up using double sided tape for both which work well. LH is vertically mounted between battery and front wing just behind headlight unit and the RH is stuck under the slam panel just above the inboard edge of RH light unit. The hardest part was getting the damn bulbs in and getting the holders to lock into place. I just couldn't get them to rotate enough and locate the "ears" under the locking tabs. It seemed like the bulb was too long and was touching on something although I doubt this. eventually managed to get both in after much cursing and scratching of head. Lights were pretty dull initially but seemed significantly brighter after about 10 minutes. Time will tell how much difference they make but I think they need to be adjusted to project a little further down the road as the beam is still pretty close to the car. On that note, anybody know if its a simple job to raise the beam on the Cornering headlights or if it has to be done another more complex way? On my brother's Passat (has auto levelling) it has to be done through VCDS otherwise just turning the screws messes with the whole system.

Just ordered a set of the 6k ones from eBay, should be with me next week. Dark nights setting in has forced my hand!

I had a similar experience with my front left after potholing it. Had it fixed at a reputable Alloy specialist in Dublin, car was so smooth afterwards I couldn't believe the difference. He also said the place that balanced them originally was rubbish, he put about 10g of weight total on after repair work

Good luck with the Kumho's! I had them all round for a while and didn't enjoy how they made the car feel. Mainly when I changed from Conti SC2 on the rear to the kumho's. They just felt squidgey for want of a better word. Front axle not connected to the rear into corners. Maybe the 215 will have a better sidewall lateral strength. I have since changed to Michelin PS3 on the front and although they feel softer on the road, the sidewall doesnt give as much so they actually corner better while being quieter on rough surfaces and more comfortable. Go figure!

I've been using the spray bottle of Rainex cleaner so I clean and treat all at once. Found that just doing small areas at a time helps, seems OK to me!