Sasha’s Octavia vRS

[SashaGrace]

Seeing as the Citigo has its own thread, seems rude not to give the Octavia one too. The reasons for buying this came about because of a new job, the need for more space inside and with the job, a longer commute. While I love the little Citigo, and am genuinely glad I still get to keep it (kind of), I am very happy to be in a ‘grown up’ car again. Also, my 2 year old is loving all the space in the back that he doesn’t have in either the Citigo nor the Mercedes. The Citigo thread started with pics of the car in the showroom but as this one is used, may as well start with how it looks today!!

 

Octavia vRS by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia vRS by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia vRS by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia vRS by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia vRS by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Was freshly cleaned when I collected it, that's not even 200 miles worth haha! The spec, so far as I can tell is pretty decent, I think it’s Quartz Grey with winter pack, full leather, black pack (this really completes the car IMO and I love it on my Citigo MC so it was one of the stand out reasons I wanted this car), and is a 2.0 184 TDi partnered with the DSG box. 

 

Observations after 300 miles; it’s quick! Thinking back to my Mercedes which is a 400bhp AMG V8 missile it doesn’t disgrace itself in daily driving, even in eco mode (shamefully, that the mode the car will probably live in) the car is plenty quick enough for me. It’s also huge inside, I see now why people rave about the cabin because it is so spacious and the boot is palatial. The Sport mode I’m not sure about; the sound symposer isn’t as naff as I thought it’d be but it seems to hold onto gears a lot longer than I’d like and doesn’t get the message when to change up, though thankfully the paddle shifters can deal with that.

 

The headlights are amazing, I though the Merc bi-xenons were good, the aren’t as good as these! Also worthy of note is the driving position and my worries of interior quality are gone, simply gone, as the car has done 75k and it simply doesn’t show inside, it even smells as good as new.

 

Already I have sourced some chrome key ends, silicone key covers and a whole host of other stuff from eBay and I’ve ordered in some new rubber mats from the dealers, though I’m on the hunt for a drivers carpet mat with the silver piping, just in case one appears to give me a set of each. Also needed was a radio antenna. This follows my tradition of buying used cars and them breaking instantly! The radio was working fine yesterday on DAB, FM & AM but today wouldn’t find a single station. As work shut early I went to the local dealer and hooked the car on the scanner where the antenna was deemed the culprit! Never mind, what’s a £40 part in terms of an £11k car? Just hope that’s the only thing that goes wrong lol.

 

On the mod list so far:-

VCDS adaptations, it has lane assist so I believe that auto high beam and traffic sign recognition are features I can install so I’d like to do that, along with some other tweaks, though the car already has the needle sweep, auto rain close windows and some other stuff working. 

 

LED lighting, rear plate and interior upgrade and rear footwell light install.

 

That’s about it really, just run it and see from there really. Gotta get it all cleaned up before I get too excited though haha! It’s a busy beaver this week though, off to Wrexham tomorrow and Liverpool Wednesday, then my regular 40 mile round commute Thursday and I’ll be off work Friday (hopefully fitting that antenna!).

 

If there are any good mods I’ve missed, do let me know!!

[Gerrycan]

I've no idea how you stuffed the aerial as it is integrated into the rear quarter light windows.

Equally surprised it is only 40 pounds to replace. 

[SashaGrace]

I thought that’d be the case too and the antenna is in the rear window but according to the master technician, the part I need is £45. Let’s see what arrives as I am worried a shark fin antenna will turn up which won’t be any good to me I don’t think. The radio has no fault codes stored in the module, and has no connection between the HU and the antenna so it must either be the antenna or the wiring loom I suppose. Let’s see how it pans out, the auxiliary sources all work a treat, just the actual radio that’s given up! Typical really haha

[Gerrycan]

When I first got my Octavia I was confused why the rear quarter lights needed de-misting elements.

Took a while to realise that one side is the radio and the other for the mobile phone.

Some people have had problems with aerial performance especially on DAB but my simple Swing FM is as good on my mk3 as the external fitment on my previous mk2. On long journeys the dropouts occurred at exactly the same place. Can't remember any reports of one failing though.

As you have worked out for yourself  the shark-fin is for the GPS, so yes I guess we wait and see what arrives.

[SashaGrace]

What gets me is the symptom, it doesn’t pick up a single radio station on DAB, FM & AM, but every other aspect of the stereo works. Surely in that case, it’s not just limited to the DAB antenna? I’ll have to look at the wiring connectors tomorrow. First silly question, are the antenna connections for the stereo connected to the CD player in the glovebox or do they connect behind the touchscreen? I rarely listen to the radio but the fact the thing doesn’t work properly is really frying me at the moment, so annoying it was working perfectly on the test drive!!

[Gerrycan]

As far as I'm aware DAB/AM/FM all share the same rear quarter light antennae, I just cannot remember which side of car though.

Since there is nothing on any radio mode I'm inclined to think it is not the antennae that is at fault, unless it has become disconnected somehow.

There are others on this forum who have vastly more experience than I have with Columbus and will be able to advise you better,

Really nice car, pity such an annoying gremlin has cropped up so early.

[SashaGrace]

I dunno, it’s an oddity! The car has a Bolero stereo, whatever that is. I’m pretty used to this sort of thing, usually the cars that don’t develop a fault on the first day end up breaking down regularly and the ones that break early are usually reliable thereafter.

[Gerrycan]

Bolero is supposedly the bottom of the radio food chain options in UK (except my older and base Australian model's Swing radio).

Surprised Bolero even came on a vRS with GPS, not that I'm an expert on the topic, The higher spec radios were Amundsen and Columbus.

[pist0nbr0ke]

@SashaGrace - contact the original supplying dealer and quote the reg, ask them if the radio was disconnected when new. I have a hunch... 

 

For the Amundsen HU, the connector is behind the unit in the glove box, where the SD card slots are. Not sure re Bolero, but a bit surprised if yours is a Bolero?

[JohnnyType2]

you got a bargain for £11K, i paid alot more for a manual MY14 with none of the extras. im jealous 

 

welcome to the vRS club

Edited 12 December, 2017 by JohnnyType2

[Tim1631]

I’m glad I didn’t go for the leather seats!

[JohnnyType2]

7 hours ago, Tim1631 said:

I’m glad I didn’t go for the leather seats!

 

the material seats like i have feel cheap and get dirty quickly but they dont go baggy like leather, dont you think? id still have full leather (as long as they were heated) given the choice as they are easier to clean. 

 

i'd love Alacantra but its an expensive option for man made material. 

[JohnnyType2]

On the stereo, i was able to get hold of a 200GB sd and copy everything from my iTunes collection directly onto it and the bolero read it no problem. 180GB of tunes and it relatively easy to navigate.

[SashaGrace]

9 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

Bolero is supposedly the bottom of the radio food chain options in UK (except my older and base Australian model's Swing radio).

Surprised Bolero even came on a vRS with GPS, not that I'm an expert on the topic, The higher spec radios were Amundsen and Columbus.

 

8 hours ago, pist0nbr0ke said:

@SashaGrace - contact the original supplying dealer and quote the reg, ask them if the radio was disconnected when new. I have a hunch... 

 

For the Amundsen HU, the connector is behind the unit in the glove box, where the SD card slots are. Not sure re Bolero, but a bit surprised if yours is a Bolero?

 

I am too, was hoping for an Amundsen HU at least, but never mind. The book that came with the car says Bolero, there’s no sat nav that I can access and it only has 1 SD slot so I guess it definitely is a Bolero. I’ll get onto them later on when they open. What’s your hunch?

 

8 hours ago, JohnnyType2 said:

you got a bargain for £11K, i paid alot more for a manual MY14 with none of the extras. im jealous 

 

welcome to the vRS club

 

Thanks, yes £10,995 was the sale price which I am very pleased with for a sub 100k mile car.

 

47 minutes ago, JohnnyType2 said:

 

the material seats like i have feel cheap and get dirty quickly but they dont go baggy like leather, dont you think? id still have full leather (as long as they were heated) given the choice as they are easier to clean. 

 

i'd love Alacantra but its an expensive option for man made material. 

 

I’d only consider the full leather, the cloth on my Citigo is such poor quality. Quick blast over with my hairdryer and the leather will be like new again, so don’t worry about the baggy seat, it’s not as bad as it looks in the pic, and it’s an easy fix  SD card for music is my next job but I like streaming music from my phone via Amazon music so I’ll probably use the BT music quite a bit.

 

Thanks everyone  

[nidza]

8 hours ago, Tim1631 said:

I’m glad I didn’t go for the leather seats!

 

Leather seats are actually much better then basic ones on vRS. I did drive test vehicle with basic seats before ordering the-white-one, and my back was all wet. This synthetic is not really good on hot weather, but you might not have such a problem in the U.K.

Alcantara is on the other hand superior material by far.

 

@SashaGrace , you can massage the leather with your hands and straighten it up. Nothing to worry very much about, it is a very good and soft leather. Find instructions on youtube how to maintain some good expensive leather furniture like Natuzzi. It also needs some attention and straightening sometimes. 

[SashaGrace]

Thanks, I’ve only ever used the hairdryer method! 

 

Well there is some great news on the Radio front... IT WORKS!!! The connections had slipped out of the back! D’oh! Never mind, I’ve cancelled the part and I’m happy everything works. Though now I’ve had the screen out for a play (wanted to see what was going on behind there) I do wonder if the bigger screen is a straight swap as the big bezel seems a bit cheap to me??

[SWBoy]

5 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

I do wonder if the bigger screen is a straight swap as the big bezel seems a bit cheap to me??

Only with a MIB II unit, which your 14 plate won't have as IIRC they didn't get fitted until late 15 plate or early 65 plate.

[SashaGrace]

So I gather. It’s ok, just would prefer a bigger screen. Not paying for one though just for the sake of it. Would be nice to have a MIB2 but what I have will suffice for now

 

Sorted the radio stations and station logo’s.

[ahenners]

VRS looks good! And it looks like you have a few options there. Clocked the Colour Maxidot, which must be quite rare on a Bolero specced car! The Skoda leather isn't perfect but that doesn't look too bad for a 75k car -  the non-leather alternative (cloth) has its own issues with the stitching coming away anyway so it's swings and roundabouts! Guessing it was a business car for someone previously, given the higher than average mileage and the "Lex Autolease" plate.

[SashaGrace]

I don’t know about the maxidot and radio, I’m hearing a lot about it being unusual to have the ‘basic’ Bolero radio in a vRS but it doesn’t really bother me awfully. I’d like a bigger screen because the bezel just makes it look small but I’m not willing to pay the ££ yet, maybe down the line I’ll look at a MIB2 upgrade or something.

 

The owner on the V5 was VWFS and it does have a Lex autolease number plate so it is fair to say it’s been a company car, but the 25kpa mileage will be pretty well in line with what I’ll be doing in it.

 

That pic was taken after I got out the car, the leather is a lot less baggy than that in reality and it’s nothing I can’t fix; the seats are immaculate with no other visible wear. I refused to have one with cloth because of the stitching issues and the way the cloth on the Citigo stains so easily, just easier and nicer all round IMO to have leather.

 

Lookin forward to some of the stuff I’ve ordered arriving soon, make the car really feel like mine  

 

Oh yeah, and get it cleaned to my standards

[SWBoy]

13 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

maybe down the line I’ll look at a MIB2 upgrade or something.

Good luck getting a MIB2 upgrade to work - it will turn on Component Protection and almost certainly disable features (such as abut not only sat nav) which cannot be reenabled without a dodgy firmware hack.

 

I looked into a MIB1 to MIB2 swap when I got my Octavia last year and decided it wasn't work the pain, cost and risk of it never working properly.

[SashaGrace]

The cost is the issue IMO, I don’t mind a hacked unit, but I do mind paying for it! Alpine do an awesome looking replacement radio but it is also pretty pricey. I’m not really bothered about a new radio, just would be nice to get a bigger sceeen seeing as it has the space to spare.

[SWBoy]

17 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

I don’t mind a hacked unit

Even if a hacked unit never works properly?

 

I'd rather go non-OEM and get something that works properly.

[SashaGrace]

It’d have to work, I like the Alpine unit tbh but will probably keep the standard one, at least for the interim.

 

In other news, my chrome key ends have arrived

 

 

Now to find my tiny Torx set and get them fitted

[T00mm]

Love the colour,

This thread has reminded me that I need to have a play with a VCDS