ok i have read a few posts on here saying about higher mileage VRS's and needing replacement turbo's and other stuff, mine is 120K on a 52 plate so should i look to budget for a turbo soon?

we dont get many of these thru work mainly TDI oct which go for ever :p

personally i would expect it to last forever if looked after and allowed time to cool as after all its not working as hard as the TDI turbo is (mine has been making 23psi for the last 35K of its 180K and still good)

what else goes wrong with them with higher miles, its having the belt done before i tax it but thats all apart from a decent service..

ta

It all depends on how it's looked after in it's life I think.

Regular servicing and how it has been driven will be a big factor.

My brother is running a mk4 gti on 140k+ and his made 157bhp as standard (it is a 150) and the last time I took it out it felt like a really good engine.

This is a good subject, as my Octavia has done 98k I and I wonder when....if, etc - I guess that something is in the back of my mind because I have always driven older cars that don't seem to last this long without a rebuild!

This is a good subject, as my Octavia has done 98k I and I wonder when....if, etc - I guess that something is in the back of my mind because I have always driven older cars that don't seem to last this long without a rebuild!

Likewise, the first owner of my VRS clocked up 90k in 3 years before I got it, it was a company car and regularly serviced. I've took it up to 110k and so far so good, I think the throttle bodies might need a blow-thru at some point as it has the odd jerk now and again. My other car is 44 years old so I'm ever the optimist!

My other car is 44 years old so I'm ever the optimist!

What's the other car?

When I was looking for one there was a car for sale in Swindon that had 177k on the clock, really wished I'd gone and taken a look at it to see what it was like. I think these cars go on for a long time as long as they are properly maintained.

If the engine is warmed up and cooled down properly, and the correct oil is used at sensible intervals, and a good quality air filter is used, it should last forever.

It's all about maintenance. Look after the car, and it looks after you.

The only thing that kills off cars is seriously rusty bodywork, the rest is just nuts and bolts. Have you ever seen a rusty Octavia? I know I haven't.

Mines just over 139k on a '52 reg. Full Skoda service history and due its 140k service iminently. Everybody that hears the car can't believe how sweet it sounds for that mileage - they expect it to be rattling like a good 'un...

Having said this it'll probably repay me by breaking down now....

I plan on keeping mine till it dies so might have it a while as its only done 88k.

Mines on 107000 and is knackered :'( Just had the head rebuilt, new piston rings, new turbo and it still smokes like a ******.

Mine is on just over 140k and running sweet

What's the other car?

this monstrosity:

As an owner of a VRS with 81K on the clock ( with FSH and running fine) I'd like to know whether tuning the engine will make it less reliable

It runs fine now and I do about 80 miles commute a day on the Mway. I'd like to get a bit more go out of it with say exhaust/filter and a remap but is this going to bring about the end of it's life quicker?

I know this is probably a "how long's a piece of string question" but does anyone have any experience they can share?

this monstrosity:

Blimey! That's a bit different to the vRS isn't it? The rear wheels look like they're on a mad angle. How often does this see the light of day?

As an owner of a VRS with 81K on the clock ( with FSH and running fine) I'd like to know whether tuning the engine will make it less reliable

It runs fine now and I do about 80 miles commute a day on the Mway. I'd like to get a bit more go out of it with say exhaust/filter and a remap but is this going to bring about the end of it's life quicker?

I know this is probably a "how long's a piece of string question" but does anyone have any experience they can share?

I had the same worries and took the plunge anyway. Having owned the car from new, knowing all it's history, I thought the chances of something major going wrong were minimal. One new turbo later and I have learned a valuable lesson, pay extra for a custom map and not a generic one.

The map itself might be okay, but how it interacts with your car might cause issues. I know there are people on here with generic maps who have had no issues at all - lucky barstewards - but I was that one person in a hundred who killed their car with a one size fits all map.

I picked up an ex-fleet car with 136k so all it has ever done is motorway miles. At the end of the day you are not going to get those miles on normal roads and being on the motorway is hardly straining any lower gears or the turbo.

mines on 119k and gets driven "briskly" everytime i drive it and it loves it, especially now it has the sharkperformance map . its never missed a beat never let me down and runs sweet as a nut, uses no oil or water and doesnt smoke

P.S lovin the chopped beetle cab

Edited 17 June, 201016 yr by sivrs

That Cabrio is epic. Stance is perfect! Air-cooled love ftw

My vRS is '52 and has done 143k. I bought at 115ish 2yrs ago. Don't anticipate any problems. I make sure she's regularly serviced and I keep her clean. She takes care of me

As mentioned, maintenance and care are the keys. I'm keeping her till she dies. I don't want for anything really, does everything I need and puts a smile on my face. Win.

Edited 17 June, 201016 yr by okenobi

I had the same worries and took the plunge anyway. Having owned the car from new, knowing all it's history, I thought the chances of something major going wrong were minimal. One new turbo later and I have learned a valuable lesson, pay extra for a custom map and not a generic one.

The map itself might be okay, but how it interacts with your car might cause issues. I know there are people on here with generic maps who have had no issues at all - lucky barstewards - but I was that one person in a hundred who killed their car with a one size fits all map.

I thought your turbo failed due to FOD? What was the first map you had then? What was wrong with it?

I wouldn't obsess too much over "generic" and "custom" maps on a standard engine. All maps start out being generic, the first map on the car from Skoda was generic and your custom map from RS Tuning started out as a generic map. As soon as any map goes onto the car, it becomes a custom map, as the ECU is self learning. But there are still good and bad maps, and I think that's more important. A tuners ability to tweak the map to suit any specific issues is also very important I feel. The RS Tuning map is known to be a great one, and having the RR there helps the tuner to pick up any issues and modify accordingly. But the same goes for a so called "generic" Shark Performance map. I think our test drive was like an hour long! After the test drive, some adjustments were made, then I was good to go.

Good base map, good tuner and good customer care are the things to look for.

Get a photo of your bust turbo up!

I've been running a "generic" remap for the best part of 16 months with absolutely no problems, though I do drive sensibly and try not to put any strain on the car :p

One of the other guys on here has just bought an ex Kent police VRS estate with 135k on the clock and it ran 180bhp on the dot on the rolling road the other day

Mine has now done 129,000 and there have been a few things go wrong with it since I got it at 85,000 which I suppose are time/mileage related

The ARB bushes went (ARB corroded underneath)

Bowden cable (drivers door handle cable) snapped, probably through overuse

Front seatbelts don't retract properly anymore

I also now seem to have a knocking CV joint

There are tiny specks of rust where it's been stone chipped but it will be a good few years before the rust gets to Ford/Fiat levels

Other things I would watch for on high milers are clutch wearing out, suspension springs snapping, oil starvation to top end (if the oil pickup gets blocked) and obviously cambelt / water pump issues, they need to be changed at the correct intervals and if the plastic impellor blades on the pump snap they'll be blocking up your cooling system.

My mate up the road bought a VRS last year with 138k on the clock and has fitted coilies, remap etc. in the past year. Apart from just bypassing the N249 valve we've not had to do anything major to it yet,

bought mine 2 months before it's 3rd birthday on 106k ex fleet car, now on 145k on original turbo / clutch etc...

was chipped from brand new, and touch wood has many more miles in her.

A work mate has a 1.8T estate on a V plate with over 140000 on the clock which sounds very smooth and regularly upsets the resident Impreza owner. Has to be down to service and abuse as my 4x4 had its turbo changed at 57k.

Mind you all I can still open all my doors and don't have to climb in through the boot!

Blimey! That's a bit different to the vRS isn't it? The rear wheels look like they're on a mad angle. How often does this see the light of day?

Comes out when the suns out!

Have always had a 'custom' in the garage ranging from slammed old bugs to beach buggies to old Yank muscle cars to an old mercedes bouncing on hydraulic suspension...the VRS is the sensible family car, and a very good one at that. For my sins I'm a copper and used to be part of a response/pursuit unit...that's where I discovered what VRS' were capable of.

Comes out when the suns out!

Have always had a 'custom' in the garage ranging from slammed old bugs to beach buggies to old Yank muscle cars to an old mercedes bouncing on hydraulic suspension...the VRS is the sensible family car, and a very good one at that. For my sins I'm a copper and used to be part of a response/pursuit unit...that's where I discovered what VRS' were capable of.

I'm sorry to be massively prejudicial, but your bug makes you way too cool for your job! You might be the only decent cop I've ever "met". Thanks for restoring my faith