My car and I have officially been together for six years this month.

And I still love the car!

I bought the car new from DM Keith in Leeds in June 2004 and brought it with me to New Zealand in January 2006.

Hardly anything has gone wrong with the car in this time, and most of the things that have have been because of my mods, not tightening stuff up properly etc

We've negotiated freezing mornings and snow (Leeds), 40 degree summers (Le Mans, France), driven up the side of a Volcano (Mt Ruapehu, NZ), been through a foot deep flood (Leeds), shattered a lump of sandstone on the front subframe (Edinburgh), spend many hours in the garage with cursing aplenty (Wellington, NZ), toured both islands of NZ more than once with four people plus luggage.

95,000km on the clock and many more to go!

Plans for this year include:

Finish the FMIC install.

Phenolic intake manifold gasket

Fix that damn rattle in the rear drivers side door

Dynamat doors and spare wheel well, maybe rest of boot

Try to fit the speakers in the doors a bit more neatly

10" sub and amp in custom enclosure in left-hand side of boot

Fit baby seat in back before September

If money was no object:

WestallC's intake manifold, hybrid K03S and exhaust manifold + new custom map

Koni FSDs

Blueflame exhaust

limited slip diff

ECS clutch kit with lightened flywheel

full leather re-trim

Private plate

Forgot to say - if it wasn't for this forum and the interest, ideas, support, community etc I wouldn't have got half as much from the car as I have.

Cheers all

Interesting read Glad you have had a good time with yours. I am still in the early stages of enjoying mine I like the vRS stickers you have on the door. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get them from and how much?

Interesting read Glad you have had a good time with yours. I am still in the early stages of enjoying mine I like the vRS stickers you have on the door. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get them from and how much?

They came from Ebay - only a couple of quid but I can't see the exact ones now.

A quick serach brings up these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-SKODA-VRS-3D-GEL-DOMED-BOOT-DOOR-BADGE-/260613440306?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3cadc58332

Couple of engine pics:

Looking good Rob,

Very romantic Rob, I'm sure the car will treasure this public display of affection!

I think your car must win the award for "most well travelled Octy VRS"

Still looks so clean and new after 6 years (not something that can be said about a lot of red cars)

It's been almost 2 and a half years since I got mine and we've been through a lot, 42,000 miles including a couple of trips to Germany, Snowdonia, plus having a brick dropped off a bridge on it

Never really been a fan of red cars but seen a few red MK1 estates, suits them well. had mine for 4 years now, was an impulse buy but no regrets, been reliable with sensible running cost just wish i had the spare cash for some extra ooomph

aint too far behind u rob ... had my silver estate for 5 years and the love is still there

nice wheels too rob

Just realised I have had the mongrel now for 6 years 5 months. Boy how time flies.

Without Briskoda I would be a lot wealthier!

had my black beauty 4 years now and only a breather pipe split ,gone through every mot without fail , cheap and fun motoring if you ask me

we've been together nearly 3 yrs now and heres hoping for a few more

they have been trouble free unless its me thats broke something and its never broke of its own accord or let me down (touch wood).

only money ever spent has been wear n tear, service, or me tarting it up

Edited 10 June, 201016 yr by sivrs

long time in car ownership!! nice one.. had mines over 2 months still not had time to tanker with it.. but i am sure i will enjoy it for many years to come also!

i have mine a few months then crach them or break them lol

Congrats Rob. The octy (Michelle) turned 6 on tuesday. She's run quite well or would be running quite well if the people at the dealership actually knew how to maintain her. But that aside, she'll be here for many more years. I think i may create a post like this sometime in the future. Also, those are some nice pics u took, keep it

Regards, Peter

Sorry to say, I have had mine for just short of 8 years now (8 in October), but will not see her 8th birthday with me, as she will be going to a new home in september

On the bright side though, my shiny new Race Blue 2.0 Petrol Octy vRS will be here to make me feel better

Fair do's, its been pretty much 8 years and 91'000 miles of trouble free motoring, and other than normal wear and tear, hasnt cost us a bean in repairs

Missie Octavia, I salute you..........

Steve

Great pic's of your car and NZ Roy.

I think your car looks best of all in the pic at the camp site with the chrome front grill and the front bumper painted red either side of the number plate

How do you like living in NZ ????? the reason I ask is a lad I used to work with at Cummins Engines emmigrated to NZ with his wife, she was a school teacher and he transfered from Cummins UK to Cummins NZ as service engineer.

But for some reason it did'nt work out for them and they were back in the UK trying to get there old jobs back after 12 months !!

Bill.

Great pic's of your car and NZ Roy.

I think your car looks best of all in the pic at the camp site with the chrome front grill and the front bumper painted red either side of the number plate

How do you like living in NZ ????? the reason I ask is a lad I used to work with at Cummins Engines emmigrated to NZ with his wife, she was a school teacher and he transfered from Cummins UK to Cummins NZ as service engineer.

But for some reason it did'nt work out for them and they were back in the UK trying to get there old jobs back after 12 months !!

Bill.

Do you still work for Cummins Bill? I also work for Cummins!

Daventry or Darlington?

Do you still work for Cummins Bill? I also work for Cummins!

Daventry or Darlington?

Hi Bodge

I worked at CDS&S Eaglescliffe as a service engineer for a couple of years.....and sort of enjoyed it.

I went to Cummins from a Seddon Atkinson and Iveco dealership were I used to do almost all the engine rebuilds that came into the workshop and thought I'd seen and done it all.

But on the first day at CDS&S I got the shock of my life when they sent me over to Cumbria to pull the heads off a V12 Cummins in a massive Faun dump truck, working out in the open at an open cast coal site.... I'm 6' 2" tall and I could walk under the Faun dump truck without have to duck down.

Been to Daventry loads of times on different engine courses and spent a bit of time doing some development work at Cummins Darlington using there truck RR.

What do you do at Cummins ????

Bill

Great pic's of your car and NZ Roy.

I think your car looks best of all in the pic at the camp site with the chrome front grill and the front bumper painted red either side of the number plate

How do you like living in NZ ????? the reason I ask is a lad I used to work with at Cummins Engines emmigrated to NZ with his wife, she was a school teacher and he transfered from Cummins UK to Cummins NZ as service engineer.

But for some reason it did'nt work out for them and they were back in the UK trying to get there old jobs back after 12 months !!

Bill.

Thanks

We're loving it in NZ. Into our fifth year now and starting to think about applying for citizenship to get that black passport.

I work in IT and SWMBO trained over here to be a teacher and now teaches primary school. Though she's about to have a year off as we have a little Yorkshire Kiwi on the way.

Some immigrants are happy here, some hate it. We came for a bit of an adventure and have no regrets!

Thanks

We're loving it in NZ. Into our fifth year now and starting to think about applying for citizenship to get that black passport.

I work in IT and SWMBO trained over here to be a teacher and now teaches primary school. Though she's about to have a year off as we have a little Yorkshire Kiwi on the way.

Some immigrants are happy here, some hate it. We came for a bit of an adventure and have no regrets!

Congratulations Rob......NZ looks like a fantastic place to live and bring up a child.

Me and the missus sometimes wish we had been a bit braver when we were younger and maybe done what you have, but we can never agree wether it would have been Austrailia, NZ or Canada.

Bill.

Thanks

We're loving it in NZ. Into our fifth year now and starting to think about applying for citizenship to get that black passport.

I work in IT and SWMBO trained over here to be a teacher and now teaches primary school. Though she's about to have a year off as we have a little Yorkshire Kiwi on the way.

Some immigrants are happy here, some hate it. We came for a bit of an adventure and have no regrets!

Congratulations Rob......NZ looks like a fantastic place to live and bring up a child.

Me and the missus sometimes wish we had been a bit braver when we were younger and maybe done what you have, but we can never agree wether it would have been Austrailia, NZ or Canada.

OOOPS double post......wonder if I could get a job in IT

Bill.

Edited 12 June, 201016 yr by vrs180

Thanks

We're loving it in NZ. Into our fifth year now and starting to think about applying for citizenship to get that black passport.

I work in IT and SWMBO trained over here to be a teacher and now teaches primary school. Though she's about to have a year off as we have a little Yorkshire Kiwi on the way.

Some immigrants are happy here, some hate it. We came for a bit of an adventure and have no regrets!

Sounds like we have quite a bit in common Rob. I'm also a POM, who emigrated out here to live in Christchurch with my Kiwi-born wife back in 1996 (I was an officer in the RAF for 14 years before moving out here). I'm an IT professional working for a company called Trimble Navigation(a large multinational GPS technology developer). My better half also had a career change when we moved out here and she's been a primary school teacher for aobut 10 years. We're just a bit ahead of you on the children stakes, with our 2 girls both away at University in Dunedin. I've just ordered an Octavia Scout, so we'll have that in common as well in a couple of months when mine is delivered. Small world...

Hi Bodge

I worked at CDS&S Eaglescliffe as a service engineer for a couple of years.....and sort of enjoyed it.

I went to Cummins from a Seddon Atkinson and Iveco dealership were I used to do almost all the engine rebuilds that came into the workshop and thought I'd seen and done it all.

But on the first day at CDS&S I got the shock of my life when they sent me over to Cumbria to pull the heads off a V12 Cummins in a massive Faun dump truck, working out in the open at an open cast coal site.... I'm 6' 2" tall and I could walk under the Faun dump truck without have to duck down.

Been to Daventry loads of times on different engine courses and spent a bit of time doing some development work at Cummins Darlington using there truck RR.

What do you do at Cummins ????

Bill

Haha yeah the engines from Daventry are mental! That 72 litre quarry truck engine is totally insane. I've seen a smaller (as if any of them are small!) quarry truck up at the test facility at Darlington too. That's a real man's RR! Crazy stuff. I go up to Darlington now and then to use their test facilities.

I'll PM you buddy. Working for a massive American company that monitors everything you do makes you a bit paranoid. Any excuse to sue/sack you!

Back to what you and Rob are chatting about, I quite fancy getting relocated to the US. If I go I'd do what Rob did, and take the Skoda with me. Just to be the only Skoda in the US, and because I could never replace this car.