Jump to content

Dave's Black VRS


Guest tokyodrifte

Recommended Posts

Guest tokyodrifte

Hello All,

Last friday I went and picked up my new car - Skoda Fabia VRS from RevItUpUK.

1003420_10152937617065257_1344055325_n.jpg

Just thought I would say hello and start one of these project journals, I will be keeping it mostly standard however I have changed out the symphony headunit for my aftermarket alpine unit, simply for the bluetooth features, seems a shame to let the CD changer go to waste.

Any subtle mod suggestions would be appreciated, especially any that improve performance/mpg

Many Thanks

Dave

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Dave,

Nice clean looking car! :)

Subtle mods would be things like the elephant mod or fitting springs to rear calipers to stop them seizing. Have a search around the forum :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest tokyodrifte

Thank you guys, I have been looking at these TDI tuning boxes, I have had a look at the reviews and even though most people say to steer away from chip boxes, people who have actually bought them seem to enjoy them, I have also seen an advertisement banner at the top of this site show them a few times. So I think I might take the plunge.

 

I was also looking at the elephant mod - this seems worthwhile, just did a search on the rear calliper springs and for a 10 minute job its worth doing even though I have not noticed any problems.

 

I do need some new brake disc/pads for the front, I noticed they didn't give me great stopping power so I took them to halfords for a free brake check, turns out the pads were changed but not the discs, and for some reason the pads now only grip half the discs. Any recommendations on discs/pads?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Please do not get a tdi tuning box. I had one and it made my car run terrible, lumpy on idle and hunted badly. Also didnt make the car any faster

Honestly save for a remap ive had mine done by r tech in leicester and its a million times better

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
Guest tokyodrifte

Just a slight update, had the car for a while now and I love it - great daily driver returning good MPG.

 

Its not without its problems though, 2 mechanics have told me [one when getting a service and one when replacing front and rear brakes] that my rear passenger brake caliper is seized. The mechanic that replaced my brakes managed to unseize the caliper which was great for about a week, 2-3 clicks on the handbrake and it was tight. 

 

Now its gone back to 7-8 clicks up before it feels like the handbrake is on, and even then it will start to slowly roll back at times!

 

Bought some caliper springs to see if they help - will fit at the weekend.

 

Also, got a leaky rear drivers side door - will have to fix this at the weekend too!

 

aaannndd its getting a full valet too! I will try and post some pictures when finished  :happy:

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tokyodrifte

I have also been looking at getting my worn bushes replaced, but id like them to be fitted with poly bushes of some kind.

 

Problem is, every garage I ask always says the same thing "You might as well buy the whole arm as it will cost the same when you add the labor charges"

 

If I want some poly bushes will I have to try it myself?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have also been looking at getting my worn bushes replaced, but id like them to be fitted with poly bushes of some kind.

Problem is, every garage I ask always says the same thing "You might as well buy the whole arm as it will cost the same when you add the labor charges"

If I want some poly bushes will I have to try it myself?

No point in changing the whole arm, because you will end up needing to change the bushes again. Poly bushes come with a lifetime warranty j believe, so should in an ideal world, not need changing again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest tokyodrifte

I got the car all shiny this bank holiday friday...

 

10294431_10154052902265257_7472467040878

 

Bought a few things for the skoda:

 

New rear caliper on order... £93 in the OEM green colour

 

LED side lights, license plate lights and interior lights.

 

Polo rear wiper arm + Aero blade

 

New badge style wheel caps for £25 off ebay - local dealer wanted £9 per badge!

 

Looking at buying these as long as my local mechanic will fit them [says he needs to find a puller for the bushes?]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150821607021?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

aaand some new rubber! Uniroyal Rainsport 3 at £60 a corner from Camskill.

 

Thats the updates so far... should be a lot more updates as soon as all the parts come in

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tokyodrifte

for stuff like that mate you can just use a threaded bar with a big washer on one end and a nut other to pull them through

Thanks mate,

 

Got a mechanic to fit my new rear caliper and 2 wishbones with powerflex bushes for £70  :rofl: booked in for Friday!

 

Having a bit of trouble fitting the polo wiper arm, I think some WD40 is needed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks mate,

 

Got a mechanic to fit my new rear caliper and 2 wishbones with powerflex bushes for £70  :rofl: booked in for Friday!

 

Having a bit of trouble fitting the polo wiper arm, I think some WD40 is needed!

 

With the wiper arm I had to pry it off, it was properly siezed on! I found that with a screwdriver under the arm you can get it off, make sure you have something else to lever against than the rear window! ( I used a lump of plastic I had laying about.)

 

Unfortunately you can't even use a small puller as you'd damage the washer jet on the end of the bolt...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
Guest tokyodrifte

Bit of an update on my Black Fabia VRS after 1.5 years of ownership.

 

Interior:

- White seats need a clean... will be searching the forum for a good solution on cleaning these up [might just rent a rug doctor]

- Overall apart from the seats needing a clean the interior is in top working order! 

 

Exterior:

- Passenger front wheel is in need of refurbishment [£35 from Executive alloys]

- Overall bodywork is great...Might experiment in 2015 with painting the grill, LCR Splitter and maybe some headlight upgrades.

 

Engine:

- 75,320 miles in and it has not missed a beat! Hidden-Power was going to remap but after logging a few runs it appears the turbo may be overboosting [Plan to take this into Awesome GTI in the future to hopefully resolve/remap]

 

Changes made to the car since ownership:

 

- New rear brake calliper as old one was seized

- Polybushes fitted

- New CV boot

- Brake discs and pads all round

- A little clip purchased to stop exhaust heat shield rattling 

 

At the moment I am very pleased with the car... Only slight annoyance is I still cannot get that rear wiper to come free! Will just keep trying WD40 and prying at it over time...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest tokyodrifte

Might try a bit of DIY on the overboosting issue.

 

Below was the last email from John at hidden power, he has been the most helpful person by far in this whole process. I spoke to another mapper who claimed my car had been mapped already which was the cause of the overboost. I didnt beleive him and did some of my own checks, luckily Hidden power had original ECU files on the site which I looked at the checksums for against the one pulled off my ECU and they were the same - In the world of IT this would mean the 2 files are identical bit for bit. John also backed this up:

 

Hi David,
 
Just checked and your file is 100% stock.
 
Looking at your boost log again and the duty cycle is high. 84% at 4000rpm. Stock should be around 67-70%. Maybe its worth lengthening the actuator arm 1.5 turns? Have a read through this. http://uk-mkivs.net/topic/34834-vnt-tdi-turbo-how-to-adjust-actuator-cure-boost-problems/

880265_unnamed.png

 

So I think I might man up and try adjusting the actuator arm! Any tips? Is it a hard job? Better to go at it from underneath or over the top?

 

Posting this before doing any deep internet searches so apologies if it has been covered before!

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...
Guest tokyodrifte

Small update:

 

Milage 82k - Remapped by ##!!##h in Manchester around 75k with no issues so far other than 2 occasions of the car going into limp mode.

 

- MOT due in November & will need 2 new front tyres to pass.

 

- January will be Full Service + Cambelt & Waterpump

 

- I think a may have AC issues and/or belt tensioner issues:

 

When I turn the AC on I can hear hissing from behind the vents? Still seems to work but doesnt get as cold as it used to. Also when AC is on I can hear squeaking when setting off in first gear and sometimes under breaking. Squeal goes when AC is turned off.

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
Guest tokyodrifte

- 2 new front tyres fitted this weekend [Nankang NS2] can't fault them so far for the price, seems a bit quieter when driving too. [Tyres £37 each - £15 fitting at local ATS]

 

- Seats have been cleaned up with my vax 3 in 1 machine, interior is 100% now!

 

- Used some Turtle Wax Headlight Restorer on the passenger headlight as it had a yellow tint and some oxidation showing - has worked but can still see some remains of the oxidation.

 

- Tracking done at ATS in Warrington however no report was provided to show how far out it was and the adjustments made - £42.

 

- ATS also did a free brake check and suspension check - says it is all spot on apart from slight pitting on the rear discs.

 

- Chrome Indicator bulbs have been fitted, gives a nice clean look.

 

That is all for now! MOT in November hopefully passes without any issues but will post updates then. Saving up for January's Full Service + Cambelt & Waterpump + Brake Fluid Change = £490!

 

Thanks Guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
Guest tokyodrifte

MOT + full service + brake fluid change done in November, car on about 86k.

 

Failed due to offside rear brake being seized but they managed to free it up and it has been fine since (fingers crossed)

 

Advisory was given for "front brake fluctuating, but not excessively" told that was done to front pads and discs - not sure about this as they were replaced last year.

 

Also nearside front CV gaiter needs replacing will need doing in the future.

 

All in will be costing me... £430 in Jan with my cambelt + waterpump change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to BRISKODA. Please note the following important links Terms of Use. We have a comprehensive Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.