I'm 21, running all the cars at the bottom (near my sig) and i want more affordable power. Been seeing more and more of these Octavia VRS's and i'm falling for them in a big, big way due to the 180 lump, how much they go for and the thought of actually owning new car (will be new compared to what i've ever owned!)

The next car will be a daily driver and will replace my mint GTi. The Beetle will be for sale soon so it will hopefully just be the Driver as a back up and the VRS (hopefully) as the "daily hack".

The reason for why i'm posting this, was to basically find out from the people that have used / been in one, what they think of it, would they recommend it, are there any real problems with it? etc

Also the other issue is the colour.. They do Red, Black, Silver and the odd one in Yellow

Red - I love but i hear they fade?

Black - Look sharp and classy but get dirty fast

Silver - too common??

Yellow - dont want to look like a complete knob?

Thanks for reading, looking forward to the guidence and reviews

Marc

I'm 21, running all the cars at the bottom (near my sig) and i want more affordable power. Been seeing more and more of these Octavia VRS's and i'm falling for them in a big, big way due to the 180 lump, how much they go for and the thought of actually owning new car (will be new compared to what i've ever owned!)

The next car will be a daily driver and will replace my mint GTi. The Beetle will be for sale soon so it will hopefully just be the Driver as a back up and the VRS (hopefully) as the "daily hack".

The reason for why i'm posting this, was to basically find out from the people that have used / been in one, what they think of it, would they recommend it, are there any real problems with it? etc

Also the other issue is the colour.. They do Red, Black, Silver and the odd one in Yellow

Red - I love but i hear they fade?

Black - Look sharp and classy but get dirty fast

Silver - too common??

Yellow - dont want to look like a complete knob?

Thanks for reading, looking forward to the guidence and reviews

Marc

Should be easy to get Yellow owners onside now.

Try reading the Buyers Guide Thread plenty of info there.

Don't forget White be either ex plod or WRC Edition.

Should be easy to get Yellow owners onside now.

Try reading the Buyers Guide Thread plenty of info there.

Don't forget White be either ex plod or WRC Edition.

Lol, i'm sorry i didn't mean it like that, i wouldn't mind personally but i know alot of people who HATE yellow cars.

I kind of discounted the WRC as they are like hens teeth, just after the bogo RS.

BTW, did the rs come with an optional 6 speed at some point as i hear some people have them but its not in the brochure? Also did they come with optional XENON headlamps?

Click on the link in my sig to see that red does not always fade if you look after the paintwork with a decent polish.

Edited 7 September, 201015 yr by TheMethodFeeder

6 speed box = no

Xenons. = yes optional £600 notes iirc

You say silver is common but tbh its prob the best/easiest colour to have and makes the car look even more understated.

Black is way too much work really and every little mark shows.

Yellow when looked after actually looks nice. At first I didn't like it. Banana car lol

Billy

I would've liked black but then all the owners of black ones I've known have moaned about how often they have to clean them.

Red is fine, the colour doesn't fade much on these and at most of them aren't old enough for the colour to start fading anyway.

I wouldn't mind a yellow one only problem is if you then tart it up a bit it draws loads of attention (not always of the good kind)

White is actually more common than you think, I've seen a couple of white ones over in Essex, there are a lot of white ex police ones, not just WRC ones with the stickers taken off.

They can be a very good choice for a daily driver as can return well over 30mpg and still give a bit of performance.

Thankyou for the replys, very helpful!

Looks like i'm getting one then, either in Red or Silver, depends on the nick of the car at the time

Lol, i'm sorry i didn't mean it like that, i wouldn't mind personally but i know alot of people who HATE yellow cars.

I kind of discounted the WRC as they are like hens teeth, just after the bogo RS.

BTW, did the rs come with an optional 6 speed at some point as i hear some people have them but its not in the brochure? Also did they come with optional XENON headlamps?

No offence taken Yellow or Black for me both a git to keep clean. Great all rounders buy one and enjoy

I have a red 53 plate vRS, the paintwork hasn't been looked after and only the spoiler is obviously faded.

Would I recommend a vRS? Personally I wouldn't, but others may have a higher tolerance for the niggles I've suffered and I may just have been unlucky with the high maintenance costs this year. Overall, allowing for the fact that I've had the car three and half years and 40,000 miles, the costs haven't been outrageous, but all the big costs have been very concentrated in the first 6 months of this year. If the next year or two doesn't bring any more nasty surprises, then I'll be happy to keep it, but if there are any more big bills I will trade it in for something else.

Initially I had a number of niggly problems, which were sorted under warranty. These included a battery failure, a failure of the indicator relay, which is a common fault, the interior light not working and the glove box light staying on when closed. I also had the notorious hesitation problem, which eventually went away of it's own accord. Once the initial niggles were sorted, it was OK until I'd had it nearly 2 years, when the replacement battery died.

This year, it cost me around a grand when I took it in for it's MOT and another grand when it was serviced. The MOT needed a replacement brake caliper (seized), front disks a replacement for the high level brake light and the secondary air flow pump, which was remarkably expensive. At the service it needed the rear brake disks replacing and a replacement front anti-roll bar.

As well as the expensive work I had the engine die five times in a month for no apparent reason and restart just fine. I took it to the dealer who "ran full diagnostics" and could find nothing wrong. It hasn't happened again. I also have the notorious "rusty tailgate" issue.

I can't blame the car for the pigeon that took out the headlight on the French autoroute, the chipped windscreen or the nail in the tyre.

I'm sure my experience isn't entirely typical, but if you search the Octavia 1 forum for hesitation, indicator relay or rusty tailgate, you'll see that they are not that unusual. The other common fault that springs to mind is water leaking into the boot, but I haven't had that. It may be more common on the hatchback?

Given all the electrical niggles, hesitations and the run of unexplained engine cutting, I don't have as much confidence in it as I would like, but it has only really let me down twice.

On the plus side, it's a powerful, well equipped car with a spacious boot for reasonable money.

I have a red 53 plate vRS, the paintwork hasn't been looked after and only the spoiler is obviously faded.

Would I recommend a vRS? Personally I wouldn't, but others may have a higher tolerance for the niggles I've suffered and I may just have been unlucky with the high maintenance costs this year. Overall, allowing for the fact that I've had the car three and half years and 40,000 miles, the costs haven't been outrageous, but all the big costs have been very concentrated in the first 6 months of this year. If the next year or two doesn't bring any more nasty surprises, then I'll be happy to keep it, but if there are any more big bills I will trade it in for something else.

Initially I had a number of niggly problems, which were sorted under warranty. These included a battery failure, a failure of the indicator relay, which is a common fault, the interior light not working and the glove box light staying on when closed. I also had the notorious hesitation problem, which eventually went away of it's own accord. Once the initial niggles were sorted, it was OK until I'd had it nearly 2 years, when the replacement battery died.

This year, it cost me around a grand when I took it in for it's MOT and another grand when it was serviced. The MOT needed a replacement brake caliper (seized), front disks a replacement for the high level brake light and the secondary air flow pump, which was remarkably expensive. At the service it needed the rear brake disks replacing and a replacement front anti-roll bar.

As well as the expensive work I had the engine die five times in a month for no apparent reason and restart just fine. I took it to the dealer who "ran full diagnostics" and could find nothing wrong. It hasn't happened again. I also have the notorious "rusty tailgate" issue.

I can't blame the car for the pigeon that took out the headlight on the French autoroute, the chipped windscreen or the nail in the tyre.

I'm sure my experience isn't entirely typical, but if you search the Octavia 1 forum for hesitation, indicator relay or rusty tailgate, you'll see that they are not that unusual. The other common fault that springs to mind is water leaking into the boot, but I haven't had that. It may be more common on the hatchback?

Given all the electrical niggles, hesitations and the run of unexplained engine cutting, I don't have as much confidence in it as I would like, but it has only really let me down twice.

On the plus side, it's a powerful, well equipped car with a spacious boot for reasonable money.

Besides the air pump and caliper i'd say most of those parts were 'wear and tear' items over 40,000 miles. although all the other niggles are a fair reason to put some people off. i had an MGZS 120 1.8. now that was a car with niggles!

Don't forget White be either ex plod or WRC Edition.

Plod in Cambs and at least two other forces used and still do use Black VRS's as Armed Response or Traffic cars so look out for those too.

Yellow = knob? go to the doctors mate

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/172603-not-one-for-the-safety-crew/

nuff said!

i like them in red when looked after their good..every colour vrs looks great i am more partial to yellow

I can only say from my experience so I'm gonna tell it how I see it. Basically you get what you pay for, they're not Audis or VW's in terms of reliability or quality. But for the price you can get a powerful car, looks nice, big boot and all the usual mod cons.

I bought mine FSH, 2 owners at 70k miles. Bought a mechanic with me to inspect it, and he gave it the usual good checking over and everything did seem fine and we even confirmed FSH with dealers. Got it home after 60 odd mile trip and the oil light came on, then a dreaded noise (like spanners in the engine).

Turned out the oil pump was clogged up and as a result no oil reached the top of the engine (apparently common on VW cars 'oil sludge' ..) so new oil pump, reconditioned turbo and all that was fixed. After this oil started leaking from gaskets near the turbo, only a couple of quid for the gaskets but a difficult job due to location of gaskets.

Two months after this the clutch died. Got away with just a new clutch, no need for new DMF. A month ago the starter motor died. And the rear brake caliper was siezed (common apparently), also had new top mounts done. Car has also been serviced in this time (new plugs, air filter ,oil n filter twice in 6 months-10k miles, MAF, brake pads, TB clean, new wipers, indicator relay). So I have been looking after it quite a bit.

On top of this ive had a grinding noise when the car turns left, that needs to be fixed. So still not working properly.

All this within 6 months of owning it.

The two things I need to fix now, is this grinding noise and the ABS (****ing mechanics fault for damaging my hub), the car also steers to the left so im suspecting that has something to do with the grinding noise...

After this I intend to tint it and get it mopped/polished. I aint gonna get rid of it now after all this cost...

Would I buy another one? No, maybe brand new if it was a real good bargain or a couple of years old one with a good warranty. Second hand? Not a chance.

Edited 8 September, 201015 yr by sc0rpius

£100-pump

£250-turbo £60 labour

£5- gaskets £40 labour

£140-clutch £40 labour

£20- starter motor

£80- caliper

Theyre's other parts yet such as the servicing bits but ill also include top mounts with this and MAF altogether around £200.

So excluding the servicing ive spent £735 fixing major problems in the first 6 months.

I bought it for £2160,at the moment £735 on problems makes it £2900.

Luckily I've got away with most of the costs as my dad owns a garage, but he hasn't forgot lol and so the two things that need to be fixed now I'll have to do it at another garage. Tried getting one garage to fix my wheel bearing, they ****ed up my ABS in the process.

Gave em £65, but I'll be getting most of that back when I get this new hub put in.

Edited 8 September, 201015 yr by sc0rpius

I've had mine nearly a year and bar usual wear and tear items (brakes, wishbones, clutch M/C) its been awesome and has never let me down. I've had some other issues but these were caused by tuning (MAF, N75). I think most cars cost a few quid each year keeping them 100%. If she goes through the next MOT and service and requires no major expense then I may look to modding a bit more, but for an 8 year old car with 90k on the clock it still goes like stink

£100-pump

£250-turbo £60 labour

£5- gaskets £40 labour

£140-clutch £40 labour

£20- starter motor

£80- caliper

Theyre's other parts yet such as the servicing bits but ill also include top mounts with this and MAF altogether around £200.

So excluding the servicing ive spent £735 fixing major problems in the first 6 months.

I bought it for £2160,at the moment £735 on problems makes it £2900.

Luckily I've got away with most of the costs as my dad owns a garage, but he hasn't forgot lol and so the two things that need to be fixed now I'll have to do it at another garage. Tried getting one garage to fix my wheel bearing, they ****ed up my ABS in the process.

Gave em £65, but I'll be getting most of that back when I get this new hub put in.

I think £2160 is cheap for a 2002 VRS, maybe it was cheap for a reason?

Lucky you have managed to get it fixed on the cheap, but I think in general you have been very unlucky :S

Edited 8 September, 201015 yr by madmike01uk

Yeah, which was why I bought a mechanic with me who checked it all and took it for a drive and confirmed FSH with the dealers. But yeah looking back I guess he knew the main problem with it and put it on for a low price. Son of a Bitch tbh, hope any cars he buys in future **** up the same way mine did.

Money-wise i've always been lucky, got away with quite a few things too which I should have lost my license for but I guess this and other stuff in my life balance it all out.

Mine is costing me a fortune at the moment with wear and tear stuff but to be honest its the sort of stuff that goes on all cars that have done 130k miles or more.

I'm considering using public transport for work and just using the car at the weekends as the miles I've racked up on it since I've had it have been ridiculous, I should've bought a diesel really.

I damaged someone's car once on my road about 18 months ago when I had a ****ty suzuki swift, I never got back to owning up or paying for it and the damage is still there.

Ever since that I've had alot of bad luck with cars. Two accidents (two dead suzukis lol), bought an A3 which was very reliable and took me everywhere holds a special place in my heart. But that ended up being carjacked at gunpoint (I got it back though with not too much damage and will flog it soon). Even after that I hit some bumps and the airbags went off. 7 points for speeding and a bad tyre (****ing police points for tyres..). And theres the stuff which I wont mention. :p

I've been planning on giving that person his money back for ages as I think the SOB has put a gypsy curse or something on me. I will do it when my wages come through this month, £100 should be orite.

These large bills seem like poor maintenance has contributed to a lot of them.

One chap needed a seized caliper replaced for an MOT - how can you not know you have a seized caliper? Blimey!

My mate had a seized guide pin on one of his rear calipers, the only thing that hinted at this was the bleed nipple was practically welded to the caliper (due to the heat buildup) and it was only because we took the caliper off to remove and replace the bleed nipple we found the guide pin was siezed too. It hadn't noticably affected the braking at all (being rear brakes they only do something like 20% of the braking). The handbrake mechanism in the rear caliper also has a habit of seizing up on these, IIRC Bodge had this happen on his.

Oh looks like my fellow newbie annoyed a few YELLOWISTS , good way to introduce yourself! and the mods on club gti by posting this in multiple sections/double posts whoops

Oh looks like my fellow newbie annoyed a few YELLOWISTS , good way to introduce yourself! and the mods on club gti by posting this in multiple sections/double posts whoops

Lol, leave me alone! It was the fairyes!! The intenion was good i promise!

All the posts on the VRS's . . and i still want one!!

Think these are all just woes of owning a car, but the water in the boot? Knackered seals?

By the way, i keep hearing coil packs go all the time. Anybody know of anything?

Marc

Edited 8 September, 201015 yr by yamz89

I've not lost a coil pack (touches wood)

Me neither and the cars 8 years old.

I think most of them that had the old style coil packs have now had them break and had them replaced although you do see the odd post on here every other month with someone (usually just bought the car) and one of thems broken.

They are about £35 each I think