superb TLV's 2011 Superb Mk II Greenline Estate

[TLV]

This is where my Superb story will be nesting. It is my first Škoda, first Estate and first diesel car. Previous job title was engineer in translation, but make no mistake, I'm a fool with a box of spanners. Had to drive MK III Octavia Estate's a lot then and I was thoroughly impressed. All of them were 1.6 TDI's with manual gearboxes. When I had to lease a car for my new job, I took Škoda into consideration. Most of my previous experience was with Japanese cars and they've all lasted very well with simple maintenance and have been easy to work on. I wanted something bigger than my other cars. Really wanted a fourth generation Honda CR-V. Rented one for a month and it was easily the best car I have tried for my needs. The only ones for sale were very new and I couldn't justify paying for their depreciation, so I had to look elsewhere. Some of the cars I looked at included Audi A4, A6, BMW 3 and 5 series. Same year cars, strangely priced about the same as the Superb. But the Superb offered more space and I really liked the look, especially of the Estate. The last nail in the coffin was that BMW's are only driven by cocks around here and we've had two Audi 80's in the family and they both fell apart quicker than we could fix them.

Chose three potential future cars and took off for a road trip. They were all in the same city and over a hundred miles away from where I lived. Started from the cheapest one, so when taking a look at the cars they'd keep on getting better. The two cheaper ones were at the same dealer, so went there first. They had a choice of black or silver. The black one was a fifth more expensive. Teeny bit less mileage, 2012, but had less extras. No parking sensors, no rails in the boot (or rather included a second boot cover) and no covers for the storage cubbies on the sides of the boot. It was also more expensive because the silver one had something dropped on it. The roof and side of the roof had a nick and window a long scratch from whatever happened to the car. Will find pictures of it below. Didn't expect the car to be very nice because it was the cheapest MK II Estate listed, but besides the previously mentioned damage it looked like it had been used fairly well for a car with such mileage. I've seen dozens of cars with mileage varying between 30-80k in way worse condition. Having had looked through a fair bit of used cars in the past, we tried to find a fault but couldn't find any. Even the chips in paint had been fixed quite nicely. Asked if the dealer was willing to bargain and said they're willing to drop a couple hundred euros off the price but not a cent more. The salesman didn't try to push the car on us because he doubted anyone would come to buy a car on Saturday and we tried to not look very interested. They were very forthcoming. Settled on a deal and by the time I had driven home, they had registered the car to my name, so I bought insurance online and took a bus back. Picked me up, took me to the car and exchanged cash for keys. The price was really good, the car seemed great and I've never seen met car dealers that willing to deal.

 

Edited 22 March, 2017 by TLV

[TLV]

Most likely why this car was significantly cheaper than others on the market:

 

At least I hope so. It hasn't exploded yet.

 

 

Some more pictures. Resized them this time, so I can add more to one post.

 

 

 

Edited 22 March, 2017 by TLV

[TLV]

I'm very pleased with the way the car works. Ideally it would be higher off the ground. The way the Greenline handles is great, but I drive a lot and half the time I have people on the car. The lower and stiffer suspension is not as good for comfort. It's also very low and has bottomed out a couple of times maneuvering around at parking lot speeds. Makes a horrible noise.

 

Things I plan to do in the future:

 

A re-map. The 1.6 could use some help. Not in a rush with it, though.

Chrome Škoda exhaust tip. I wonder if I can grab one from the scrap yard.

Swap badges and wheel center caps for the newer style ones. Bought cheap badges from Aliexpress, one's fine, the other isn't perfect. Will likely buy sets from Superskoda.

Swap current Banner lead acid battery for an AGM one. I'd kind of like Start-Stop to work during the summer time, but no rush to replace a working battery.

Find a spare wheel kit from a scrap yard. Currently got the compressor and recently expired kit of tire foam.

Try the MANN-FILTERS FP 2939 FreciousPlus Biofunctional cabin filter, because why not. Supposedly better than the activated charcoal filters. FP 2939/1 for RHD cars.

 

Fixes for the future:

 

Find the correct Torx screw for a bracket above the oil filter cap. It's Phillips head instead of a Torx.

Find an undertray with the correct fittings. Hopefully a scrapyard has this and the previous bit.

Top off coolant reservoir. It's on the minimum line, I'd rather have it between min-max or at max.

There's a lick of very bright green paint on the back side of the ski hatch. Didn't come off with some rougher scrubbing, will try again in the future.

Same goes for a lick of blue paint on one of the rear doors. So unnoticeable I've forgotten about it a couple of times, but it's still something I'd like to do.

 

 

Maintenance and other bits:

 

Got the car in early September 2016.

 

11/09/16:

Passenger (right front) window cable snaps. Window mechanism was replaced 13/09/16.

 

10/10/16:

Rubber floor mats with the rear tunnel mat arrived from Superskoda

 

14/10/16:

Front brake pads very worn. New discs and pads:

Brembo 09.9772.11

Brembo P 85 075

 

17/11/16:

Driver (left front) window cable snaps. Window mechanism was replaced 18/11/16.

Screw removed from left rear tire and replaced with tire string.

 

19/12/16:

New windshield wipers, front and back:

Bosch Aerotwin AP 24 U 24"

Bosch Aerotwin AP 18 U 18"

Bosch Rear A 403 H 16"

 

21/02/17:

Left side parking light sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Changed both sides:

Osram W5W bulb twin pack.

Unsure if regretted cheaping out and buying yellow bulbs for a fourth of the price of the blue tinted ones (Xenon look).

 

20/03/17:

Filter and oil change at 209430KM

Oil - CASTROL EDGE 5W-30 LL 5 L

Oil Filter - WIX Filters WL7476

Air Filter - WIX Filters WA6781 (forgot to ask for a WA6787, the one with the foam strip for dust/snow.)

Fuel Filter - WIX Filters - WF8379

Cabin Filter - WIX Filters WP9147

 

 

By the time I took the picture the line of oil had crawled down over the edge of the crisscross pattern of the dipstick.

 

Hopefully this will help ensure regular maintenance, being absent minded and all.

 

Sorry for several posts. If an admin happens to be around, feel free to merge them.

 

[TLV]

The resistance in turning the key got annoying. Put lots of chain lubricant on the key, wiped off the excess and played with the key in the cylinder. The key came out with a lot of blank gunk. The previous users must've kept the key in dirty pockets. Cleaned the gunk off the key and repeated the process until it came out with no gunk on it. Chain lube is sticky and with it only on the key, it should fish the lock cylinder quite clean.

 

Got another package from superskoda. It spent 6 days at the post office before I received a letter notification about it. Oddly enough, superskoda didn't provide a tracking number, though they asked extra for processing the package. At least they put my number on the package, which the post office should've messaged. The local postal service is widely known as a joke.

 

04/05/17:

2X Superb II 09-13 - genuine Skoda Auto,a.s. emblem with new GLOSSY BLACK center from Superb III model

Center wheel caps with new 2012 logo - original Skoda Auto,a.s.

 

 

The badge on the left is from superskoda. The sticker where I presume the OEM part number should be has been cut off from both of the boxes. Must be some Czech trickery to avoid you from getting the part number to pick up some cheaper from a local dealer. I've heard they're sold at the dealer way cheaper (almost half the price) from the local Skoda club forum, but it would be a bother to go just to ask if they sell badges cheaper. Or it's just my wild imagination and they have a perfectly good reason for carefully cutting labels off boxes. Food for thought, I suppose.

 

The badge on the right is from AliExpress. They were about fifth the price superskoda is asking, so I ordered two, hoping they'll do the trick. Unlike the superskoda ones, they aren't flat (which I presume is what the Pre-FL S2 Superb needs), the black bit is matte and the chrome bit is nowhere as shiny as on the superskoda ones. What put me off from even trying them on the car was that the chrome bits weren't machined very well, at least on one of the badges. The other one was okay. Not good enough to go on my car. They look pretty much the same from distance, so alright if your badges get nicked I suppose.

 

Got the center wheel caps from a local Skoda club member for €15. Unused, still have blue tape on them. Shame I couldn't find the OEM badges locally for a decent price.

 

Not in a rush to put the new badges on, because the car is really meant to have the old style badges. Suppose I could switch back if I wanted to, though the old badges have corroded a bit. Not very badly, but still. Also, the front badge adhesive pad is a bit loose. That's why I started thinking about new badges in the first place. After pressure washing I make sure to press on the badge and it seems to stick, but it flaps a bit every wash.

[TLV]

Besides the slightly corroded badges, the only thing bothering me about the looks of the car has been condensation in the foglights. Took them off the car, sprayed windshield washer fluid in the lights, a drop of dishwashing liquid for good measure and gave them a good shake after filling with warm water. Rinsed the bubbly stuff out and tested if they held water. Neither did. The breather tubes were both clear. One of the lights had its seal installed incorrectly. That's one of the places the light leaked. Didn't really bother checking the other light for the precise leaking points.

 

Rinsing and drying got the lenses quite clear, but the reflectors had a little burnt crud (grayish dust cooked by bulbs) on the bottom. Not very inclined to pour stronger cleaning agents into the lights to try to get that off. Getting some sort of a brush in there is difficult because of the shape of the lights. Suppose the proper way to clean the lights would be to take the lenses off, but I didn't have fitting sealant at hand, so that's not an option. Same with sealing the leaks. Gave the lights a good blowdrying in a cardboard box and put them back on the car. Some droplets appeared on the inside of one of the lenses. Turned the foglights on, hoping it would dry and vent the water out. The lens just got foggy again. Took both lights off, gave them both a second blowdrying and put them back on the car.

 

Would be nice if they won't turn foggy again at the first sight of rain, but I'm not really keeping my hopes up. They do have quite a bit of rockchips on them, so either it's a restoration in the future (lenses off, wash reflectors, sand, clearcoat and reseal the lenses) or just replace them with new lights.

 

 

The difference is quite noticeable.

[TLV]

When the first hot days hit, I noticed the AC fizzling through the dashboard and not blowing much cold air. Figured most of the gas had decided to take a vacation. The weather got cold right after that, so I didn't bother with the AC since it was too cold to test it anyway.

 

The car sat for two weeks in the yard since I was away. Spring finally came during that time, so I changed the wheels when I got back. Figured while I was at it, I should swap the badges.

 

 

I had doubts about whether I was going to like the new badges, but after I got them on, I'm really pleased with the result. Prefer the look of my winter wheel set, though. At first I wasn't very happy with the badges costing as much as they did, but now I'm thinking they're definitely worth it.

 

After reading about rear inner tire wear in the Superb 2 section, I checked my winter tires after taking them off and what do you know, they're wearing unevenly. Not anywhere as badly as on other peoples pictures, but still noticeably. I'd rather spend on an alignment than a new set of tires sooner than necessary. Looked up a shop with a Hunter Alignment machine and here's the result. Got the AC regassed at the same place, added the readout from the machine to the scan.

 

 

Quite happy with how the car is right now. Next things I'll likely do are resealing the foglights and cleaning rust off the towbar.