The 280PS Thread

[Paulinkeighley]

Not posted for ages but thought you might be interested to know that I've agreed today to part ex my ĺ&k 280 hatchback. Coming up to 3 years old but less than 13k on clock. Velvet red with cream leather, clean both inside and out. Dealers adamant there are no new l&k's out there but I'm chuffed cos I snagged literally the only brand new sportline 280 in the UK. Comes with loads of expensive options and I got a great deal. Black interior so will be a real change from the old l&k, so excited!

[MikeHig]

I'm looking at buying a Sportline with the 280 engine. In normal times (remember them?) I drive out to the Alps a couple of times over winter. When conditions are bad the gendarmerie often restrict access to cars fitted with full winter tyres or chains to avoid carnage. They can get sniffy about Crossclimates and the like, despite the "snowflake" marking.

Looking at the online manual - if I am reading it correctly - Skoda only "allow" the use of chains on 17" wheels with 215/55 tyres. Presumably there is a clearance issue with anything bigger.

Is this correct? Has anyone tried using chains on 18" or 19"?

 

If it is correct I will have to factor a set of full winters into my budget rather than running Crossclimates or similar and carrying a set of chains.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[KeteCantek]

If it has the snowflake marking, can they differentiate between a good all season vs a full fat winter tyre with the same mark? 

 

Clearance issue probably is the reason but for width rather than diameter. 

[MikeHig]

That's been my argument a couple of times.

The gendarmes just looked at the tread pattern which is very different to classic snow tyres - on Crossclimates, at least.

The first time (in a previous car) they baulked and I had to put chains on which turned out to be a good call further up the road!

The second time one of the cops had been briefed about these tyres and let me through. That was a relief because fitting chains on the Superb is a real faff - it's was a struggle doing a test-fit on a clean garage floor! You are right - clearances are very tight.

[Ivan8192]

I got these for just that reason, such a faff getting normal snow chains on. Maybe people who live in the Alps do it so often that it is easy for them, but I’ve never found it a great experience putting normal chains on (and getting filthy arms from reaching round the back of the wheel). They’re a bit pricey but dead easy to fit:

 

K34	235/45-18 Thule/Konig K-Summit

[SkudMissile21]

Are something like autosocks not suitable for that? I have two pairs for my car (unused so far and hoping to stay that way!) but pretty sure they’re supposed to be certified for use instead of chains etc. Still tricky to fit but probably easier than snow chains given the low ground clearance we have.

They we’re a life saver on my last mk2 and octy mk1 prior to that when I needed them!

Edited 15 May, 2021 by SkudMissile21

[MikeHig]

Ivan8192:  Thanks for that. I'd heard about those chains and seen a few around but never bothered to find out the make. They do seem to be the best effort so far to make chains that are easy to fit. I read the reviews on Amazon: mostly very favourable. Some folk had troubles fitting them, finding the process fiddly but I think that's a matter of a bit of practice first.

The only adverse comment I heard while out in the Alps is that they are not as robust as conventional chains. One guy ran a wheel against a curb that was covered in snow and crunched one of the "arms". As you say, they are very pricey!

I lean towards a full set of good quality winters on steelies. They may not give quite the traction in really deep stuff but should give better allround grip and no messing about in the snow! Also, by going to the small wheels and narrow tyres mandated by Skoda, I would be able to fit chains if absolutely necessary - such as a "Day after Tomorrow" scenario!!

 

SkudMissile21:  I've not tried snowsocks but I've talked to several folk who have and read a few reviews. They are easier to fit but they don't give as much grip as chains. They are also vulnerable to running on dry roads, in tunnels for example. They are a good option for occasional use for short distances such as getting out of snow-bound parking.

[Paulinkeighley]

On 08/05/2021 at 22:15, Paulinkeighley said:

Not posted for ages but thought you might be interested to know that I've agreed today to part ex my ĺ&k 280 hatchback. Coming up to 3 years old but less than 13k on clock. Velvet red with cream leather, clean both inside and out. Dealers adamant there are no new l&k's out there but I'm chuffed cos I snagged literally the only brand new sportline 280 in the UK. Comes with loads of expensive options and I got a great deal. Black interior so will be a real change from the old l&k, so excited!

 

Blimey, what a roller coaster ride I've been on since making my last post! After signing up to swap  my  L&K for a new Sportline I sat and waited for the dealer to come back to me to complete formalities. After a few days I'd heard nowt so contacted them by phone, left message for salesperson. Got an email back saying good news and bad news. Bad news is we can't get the car we'd sold you, good news is we've found another very similar spec but it'll cost you £50 per month more. You can imagine my reaction. Expressions of anger etc to dealer and complaint to Skoda UK got me nowhere so took my business elsewhere.

 

Every dealer I rang said same thing, no new 280 sportlines to be had. However, the dealer nearest to me found one somewhere down south and thought they'd be able to do a swap, After biting my nails  for the past 10 days I've today got confirmation its on its way and I will get the keys on Thursday! Its in Race Blue which wiill be a lovely change from the L&K. Keep watching the youtube video of the guy taking a a near identical one down the autobahn at night! It's been a tortuous couple of weeks and has stressed me out something rotten but thankfully it's come good at the end!

[DBT85]

On 14/05/2021 at 00:31, MikeHig said:

I'm looking at buying a Sportline with the 280 engine. In normal times (remember them?) I drive out to the Alps a couple of times over winter. When conditions are bad the gendarmerie often restrict access to cars fitted with full winter tyres or chains to avoid carnage. They can get sniffy about Crossclimates and the like, despite the "snowflake" marking.

Looking at the online manual - if I am reading it correctly - Skoda only "allow" the use of chains on 17" wheels with 215/55 tyres. Presumably there is a clearance issue with anything bigger.

Is this correct? Has anyone tried using chains on 18" or 19"?

 

If it is correct I will have to factor a set of full winters into my budget rather than running Crossclimates or similar and carrying a set of chains.

 

Thanks for any advice.

Honestly I've had Continental TS 860s on mine for what feels like 2 years now and never bothered taking them off. One tyre review test at some magic place that can heat the road up and add ice etc showed the crossover on performance not being down at 7c but actually nearer 15c, so I just rolled with it and have been very happy.

[ND1]

Does anybody know the model of MY2021 280 hp. 400nm engine? Gen3 or Gen4 ?

[mills787]

Hello!

 

I've posted a few times throughout the site, but thought I'd introduce myself and my 17 sportline on the 280 thread! 

 

I've had the car for a couple of months now and love it. 

 

It's got a great spec with almost every option ticked as far as I can tell! Only down side is some poor refurbishment of the wheels by the dealerership prior to me buying it.... Trying to get a resolution to this at present! 

 

 

[Just]

Looks really nice - I’ve been lurking around here with my 2017 280 Sportline. Not posting much but gathering a wealth of info from the forum-  thanks everyone. Had mine for just over a year now and still loving it. 

 

On the wheels front I managed to damage one of my tyres on the original 19” on a drain grate very soon after getting the car, ended up swapping out to 18” all round and have felt a lot less nervous given the state of our potholed roads ever since. 

[numskull]

Blimey - no posts on here for more than 6 months?!? Well, our lovely 280 is having a nice long rest in the garden, after I had a syncope incident on my first day back at work September; I then lost my licence for 6 months. They initially thought I might have had a stroke, so I was rushed by ambulance to the Stroke Unit at St George’s Hospital to but thank Gawd it wasn’t. I’ve had many, many tests, heart CT’s, MRI’s, a tilt-table test and finally, I’ve had a permanent heart monitor embedded in my chest in December. It automatically notifies the cardio team at the hospital if I have a cardiac problem. The good news it that I haven’t had a further episode so fingers crossed, I hope to have the licence back early March. Unless you’ve been here, you have no idea what an impact not being able to drive has on one personally, the family and, in my case, on not being able to undertake my part-time job too. But it’s the pleasure of driving the car I really miss, so make the most of your 280/272 every single time you get into it. Happy New Year everyone..👍🏻

Edited 31 December, 2021 by numskull

[RCW89]

Can anyone confirm that Skoda have stopped making the 280ps Superb in l&k trim as I just spoke to my local Skoda dealer and they said they have stopped making them. Even though it's clearly on the Skoda website and I have already configured one.

[amateurdad]

Booked the 280 into my local VAG independent garage (a minute from my house!) for the following:

 

Fitting the Koni Special Actives

Wheel alignment

Haldex service

Refit my front bumper undertrays after I ripped them off on a high kerb 

Possibly remove silicate bag in coolant expansion tank, TBC! 

[UndertheRadar]

5 minutes ago, amateurdad said:

Booked the 280 into my local VAG independent garage (a minute from my house!) for the following:

 

Fitting the Koni Special Actives

Wheel alignment

Haldex service

Refit my front bumper undertrays after I ripped them off on a high kerb 

Possibly remove silicate bag in coolant expansion tank, TBC! 

Some of the silica bags can’t be reached. I replaced mine with a new genuine expansion bottle without the bag fitted. Think it was about £30. 

[amateurdad]

53 minutes ago, UndertheRadar said:

Some of the silica bags can’t be reached. I replaced mine with a new genuine expansion bottle without the bag fitted. Think it was about £30. 

 

That's actually what the garage recommended on the phone so they're going to give me a price when I drop it in. 

[numskull]

On 23/01/2022 at 10:22, RCW89 said:

Can anyone confirm that Skoda have stopped making the 280ps Superb in l&k trim as I just spoke to my local Skoda dealer and they said they have stopped making them. Even though it's clearly on the Skoda website and I have already configured one.

I’m guessing if you can configure an L&K you can order one. In my experience, most of the kids who work in dealers these days don’t even know left from right, let alone anything to do with accuracy of information. 

[numskull]

21 hours ago, amateurdad said:

Booked the 280 into my local VAG independent garage (a minute from my house!) for the following:

 

Fitting the Koni Special Actives

Wheel alignment

Haldex service

Refit my front bumper undertrays after I ripped them off on a high kerb 

Possibly remove silicate bag in coolant expansion tank, TBC! 

Just interested. Why are you replacing the OE Monroes with Koni dampers; are they more effective/give more adaptations? 

What’s the issue with the silicate bag in the tank - braking-down and leaking/ blocking the galleries etc.?
 

[RCW89]

9 hours ago, numskull said:

I’m guessing if you can configure an L&K you can order one. In my experience, most of the kids who work in dealers these days don’t even know left from right, let alone anything to do with accuracy of information. 

Found out that it is not true anyway. However there is a wait for week 46 earliest week 44 which means the car will have the new EU speed limiter on it. So I said no thanks, I'll try to find a good used one on the market though so far that has proven very difficult. If not reluctantly I may have to look elsewhere like at the VW arteon which isn't as well equipped as a l&k superb not even full R models which I have been looking at recently.

As standard this is what the l&k superb has over even the Arteon R.

 

* No passenger side auto dimming side mirror

* No heated windscreen (optional)

* Smaller nav screen 8 inch Vs 9.2inch (larger screen optional)

* No upgraded stereo (optional)

* No memory settings on passenger seat

* No heated rear seats (optional)

*No umbrellas in the front doors

* No parking ticket holder

*2 shopping bag hooks Vs 8 in the superb

 

What the Arteon R has as standard over a l&k superb

* Nicer leather seats (napper) with massage function and the seat actually moves forwards and backwards when you get in and out the car

* More settings on the adaptive dampers

* more advanced - predictive adaptive Cruise control

* Panoramic roof

* Frameless windows

* 30 colour ambient lighting Vs 10

 

So you lose alot more on the arteon than the superb.

 

[numskull]

Yep, an L&K 280 is a rare car. GLWTS. You could ask the dealer to check and see if there are any order cancellations in the pipe? 

Anyway, I’m not sure if any of the L&K MY have memory passenger seats, ours certainly doesn’t. 
You can add “easy entry/exit” to the seats with an adaptation with VCDS. 
Ventilated seats were an option which ours has… and it has a TV, was was standard but only on 4Q15/1Q16 cars. 🙄

Once you’ve played around with the dampers, you’ll probably end up leaving it on the one you like!

Never liked sunroofs; it’s just another thing to go wrong and leak. 

Early cars only had 3 colour ambient lighting. No idea if that can be changed to offer more or change the three one has. 

And NOT having the parking ticket holder is a deal breaker on the Arteon for me!

 

Edited 1 February, 2022 by numskull

[kriva]

I could be wrong, but I think Predictive ACC is now available on the Superb as well.

30 colour mood lighting can be coded in with VCDS/VCP. (I've done so myself on my MY2018 280)

[numskull]

2 hours ago, kriva said:

30 colour mood lighting can be coded in with VCDS/VCP. (I've done so myself on my MY2018 280)

Really? Be nice to have a play if it can be done on a March 16 model. I have VCDS, so do you know the codings (straightforwardly please as I’m a bit of a twit!) Thanks in advance! 😂

[Ivan8192]

31 minutes ago, numskull said:

Really? Be nice to have a play if it can be done on a March 16 model. I have VCDS, so do you know the codings (straightforwardly please as I’m a bit of a twit!) Thanks in advance! 😂

I think you can only go to 30 if you’ve already got 10. If you’ve only got 3, you’re stuck with them.

[RCW89]

3 hours ago, numskull said:

Yep, an L&K 280 is a rare car. GLWTS. You could ask the dealer to check and see if there are any order cancellations in the pipe? 

Anyway, I’m not sure if any of the L&K MY have memory passenger seats, ours certainly doesn’t. 
You can add “easy entry/exit” to the seats with an adaptation with VCDS. 
Ventilated seats were an option which ours has… and it has a TV, was was standard but only on 4Q15/1Q16 cars. 🙄

Once you’ve played around with the dampers, you’ll probably end up leaving it on the one you like!

Never liked sunroofs; it’s just another thing to go wrong and leak. 

Early cars only had 3 colour ambient lighting. No idea if that can be changed to offer more or change the three one has. 

And NOT having the parking ticket holder is a deal breaker on the Arteon for me!

 

I have seen a few l&k 280s however most are 18reg or older and with lots of miles, or don't have the rear wiper or have beige interior.

 

My current car is a late mk3 non facelift with the optional virtual cockpit, rear wiper & spare wheel

The passenger seat has 3 person memory and regards to the comfort entry/exit thanks for that. I wish they still did the TV option.

 

I love a panoramic roof.

roof. The main reason for wanting a change is 

 

My daily commute is 18-20 miles to and from work and it's 20 miles if I use the motorway which I only spend a collective 14 minutes per day and my annual mileage is actually under 10k. So I have been told no point having a diesel anyway but I got this car as I wanted a l&k in silver with the above mentioned features and my wife and I did actually intend to do alot of travels across Europe with the car and then COVID happend.

 

Last year there was a black 21reg l&k with the new 280 engine with pan roof, spare wheel & rear wiper but at that time we had other expenses we had to sort out and the car was gone within 3 days of the ad being up anyway. 

 

Now I am in a position to get one there is nothing so I was just going to order a new one with these options

 

Travel assist - traffic sign recognition, adaptive lane assist, predictive adaptive cruise control, traffic jam and emergency assist £200

 

18" Antares alloy wheels with anti theft wheel bolts and super ROWI tyres £0

Rear windscreen wiper £0

Heated windscreen washer nozzles £60

Area view £455

Temporary spare wheel £200

Sunroof £960

 

 

Was opting for the 18inch wheels as this superb and our previous SEL 220ps had/have the 19inch trinity alloys and I find they are not very comfortable and the previous had pirelli p7s and the new one Bridgestone potenza s001s.

 

However its not meant to be I guess, I am so gutted as the superb l&k for me is the best all round car for the money.

 

Edited 1 February, 2022 by RCW89