Sasha’s Octavia vRS

[SashaGrace]

Cracking, thanks  I found it about 10 seconds before you posted that, sorry! Good to have it linked here though.

[dhvrs]

I’ve just fitted the Skoda led number plate lights and used obdeleven to correct the error. I used the apps feature, 10 credits and it worked perfectly. 

Edited 28 January, 2018 by dhvrs

[SashaGrace]

Have you used the genuine Skoda LED’s? If so, I couldn’t be cheeky and trouble you for a part number and cost please? Thanks in advance

[Petunet]

I bought these: 3AF943021A

They seem to fit ok.

Edited 28 January, 2018 by Petunet

[dhvrs]

1 hour ago, SashaGrace said:

Have you used the genuine Skoda LED’s? If so, I couldn’t be cheeky and trouble you for a part number and cost please? Thanks in advance

Sure thing Sasha. I got them from Skodadop for £19.51 for the pair. They fit straight in and no modification is needed. Black strip towards the number plate. 

https://skodadop.com/en/yeti-/eksterer-yeti/svetodiodnyj-led-fonar-osvetsheniya-nomernogo-znaka-.html

 

for fitting I ref this video. 

 

 

Edited 28 January, 2018 by dhvrs

[SashaGrace]

Thanks both, they are on my list and that saves me a phonecall to TPS tomorrow

[Madmax889]

13 hours ago, Ozzy25 said:

Yes you can change the sound with the OBDeleven. Think it was 10 credits if you want to do it the easy way. Or just press your vRS Mode button. Select individual then at the top of the screen press change. Set everything to sport if you want but choose ECO for your sound option. 

Thanks for that. I had actually forgot about it to be honest. To be fair i really want the sound actuator to be active more than in normal mode just not as loud as it is at the moment. Lol 

[SashaGrace]

My vRS has gone in for the 80k service today, a few hundred miles short of the 80k marker. That makes just under 5k miles added in 7 and a half weeks! I was expecting the white Rapid they gave me when I had the Citigo in for its first service a few weeks back but instead I got the service managers own Octy which makes for a nice comparison with my car. Here it is outside my in laws place (only a mile or so away from the dealer and my little one was there today so I had to go back there to get him).

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

My little eyes lit up when I saw it was a decent spec, but soon rolled when I clocked the 5 speed gear-lever which signifies it as a 1.6 diesel. Nevertheless, it gives an interesting comparison between the pre facelift O3 and the facelift O3. I am due to go back to Wrexham tomorrow so that'll add to the 130 miles I've put on the car already! In case, anyone asks, I am special school teacher by trade, but I only work 3 days a week on site; I'm studying a Masters in Education & Disability and my research topic is taking me to schools all over the North West at the moment which is why I do so many miles.

 

Positives

Compared to my MIB1 Bolero, the MIB3 8 inch Amundsen is like night and day. The Apple CarPlay is an amazing tool that I regret using as I want it on my car now, so an audio upgrade to the Alpine system is looking likely one day.

 

I personally really like the new front end and it makes the non vRS cars really stand out from the crowd.

 

The new touches in the MFD, added calendar, journey data, driver programming etc are really nice convenience features that just add that extra something to the user experience.

 

The new white lights on the steering wheel are stereo are very classy.

 

The LED lights are every bit as good as the xenons on my car and nice to see them as standard on the SE-L, though I don't find the AFS corning function as fluid as my xenons and the light assist is a bit dim witted compared to my car which uses the higher spec camera, but still nice to have.

 

The alcantara seats are lovely. Such a shame they never offered a similar combo in the pre fl vRS.

 

Negatives

That engine and box combo!!! I don't want to offend any 1.6 TDi owners here, but I am hearing impaired and have a 50db deficit in my hearing and I wear hearing aids and I found the din from the smaller diesel annoying under acceleration and the drone on the motorway unacceptable where it sits at 2100 rpm in 5th gear to the point I actually took one of my hearing aids out. It's crying out for a 6th!! Especially considering the DSG has 7 ratios on the 1.6 it is poor to find a 5 speeder in the car, although it is at least a pleasant box to stir around, though I am always engaging a gear lower than the one I would expect to. I want the Rapid back with the awesome 1.0 TSi!

 

It's a shame the SE Tech comes with radar cruise as standard but the SE-L doesn't as I found the front assist a little pointless without it.

 

That's all. The list is small, and with one of the excellent TSi engines under the bonnet I'd happily trade my pre fl O3 for one of these if I could (well, I could have had one, but only a 1.0 or 1.4 and I really wanted certain options such as heated seats, DSG, more power etc and not a PCP as the milage charges sting with my usage, so went HP on an older car). I am going to miss the CarPlay, but I'll either get over it or start saving! MPG is sitting at an indicated 51.2 on the MFD which is poor IMO, considering my vRS sits on either the same or higher on the same commute and it is much nicer to drive thanks to the extra power. The vRS is averaging measured consumption of 49.5 MPG since I bought it and it's improving all the time. Then again, this is a new car with 790 miles on the clock now, so there's plenty of time for it to loosen up and get better. I'll add anything else that comes up tomorrow, but after today's use, I am happy and I must say, I do like the colour   

[MorrisOx]

What did you think of the ride, Sasha? That’s a torture beam job.

[SashaGrace]

Honestly, 17 inch wheels are ok, the 18 inchers on the last torsion beam Octy I drove was terribly jiggly and boomy from the rear but being an estate and wearing mismatched tyres didn’t help it there. I haven’t noticed anything yet whilst driving this car that I have thought ‘No, my vRS is better.’ Seems the smaller wheels really do make a lot of difference, which I suspected all along but it so happened that both the Elegance’s on my viewing list had the Golus alloys which once I’d tried, I wanted to avoid. Had I driven a 150 TDi or TSi with 17’s I may not be a vRS owner!

[wg100]

Did you really notice the AFS in action? I’ve not on my FL O3 and am wondering whether it’s actually working as it should!

[SashaGrace]

Ever so slightly with the lights set in Sport mode. I have my lights in Sport and the cornering function is much more pronounced and fluid as the projector swivels. The guy who uses this car is going to hate me; I think I've changed every setting haha. I'll put them all back before I leave it with them

Edited 31 January, 2018 by SashaGrace

[logiclee]

The 5 speed gearbox on the manual 1.6tdi is a real puzzler. Who decided that especially when even the Mk2 1.2 TSi got the 6 speed box?

I've driven the 1.6tdi manual and dsg back to back and they just feel different cars altogether. The manuals ratio's are too widely spaced but even so 5th is'nt tall enough.

[SashaGrace]

My sentiments exactly! Rest of the car is great though

[Gerrycan]

Really interesting observations on the 1.6tdi especially with your varied and current driving experience and ownership.

I think I'm yet to read a professional review of any range that lauds the ride of more expensive models in a range equipped with larger wheel/tyre combinations (all other factors being equal).

I accidently upgraded my wheels from standard 16" to 17" when I ticked an option pack and was (thankfully) needlessly worried about the possible consequences as they worked out fine in most circumstances for me, even with the torsion bar rear. I would not be too keen on going larger though.

 

The 5 speed box worked really well in my old 1.9pd with its similar power stats to the current 1.6tdi even the rpm at 70mph was similar. 

I've not driven the VW 1.6tdi but I'm led to believe it lacks the tractability of the 1.9pd which would make it more sensitive to appropriate gearing.

For some reason it is customary to put longer gearing on most automatics than manuals. The 1.4tsi DSG runs about 300 rpm lower in top gear at 70mph than the manual. The most extreme example I know is the petrol Honda Jazz where the manual revs out to about 4k rpm at 70mph and the CVT auto is only about 2k rpm.

 

[coll83]

Alacantara in my 245 looks loads better than in the standard Octavia. Thanks for uploading... 

[logiclee]

14 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

Really interesting observations on the 1.6tdi especially with your varied and current driving experience and ownership.

I think I'm yet to read a professional review of any range that lauds the ride of more expensive models in a range equipped with larger wheel/tyre combinations (all other factors being equal).

I accidently upgraded my wheels from standard 16" to 17" when I ticked an option pack and was (thankfully) needlessly worried about the possible consequences as they worked out fine in most circumstances for me, even with the torsion bar rear. I would not be too keen on going larger though.

 

The 5 speed box worked really well in my old 1.9pd with its similar power stats to the current 1.6tdi even the rpm at 70mph was similar. 

I've not driven the VW 1.6tdi but I'm led to believe it lacks the tractability of the 1.9pd which would make it more sensitive to appropriate gearing.

For some reason it is customary to put longer gearing on most automatics than manuals. The 1.4tsi DSG runs about 300 rpm lower in top gear at 70mph than the manual. The most extreme example I know is the petrol Honda Jazz where the manual revs out to about 4k rpm at 70mph and the CVT auto is only about 2k rpm.

 

 On older conventional automatics taller gearing was required because of the torque converter slip and limited number of gears but as technology progressed engineers were able to use more gears and torque converter lockup. The torque converter still allowed wider spaced ratios so a taller top gear was still possible. 

Forward to today and conventional auto's typically have 8, 9 or even 10 gears so of course they have a taller top gear than a 6 speed manual.

DSG's are pretty model dependant the 7 speed boxes do allow a wider spread of ratios than a 6 speed manual and typically have a shorter 1st and a taller 7th (Compared to 6th manual). But many 6 speed DSG's have shorter gearing than the manual as the DQ250 is quite restricted in it's ratio spread. At 2000rpm there was a 10mph difference between our old 2.0tdi Passat's, one manual and one DSG.

CVT's are able to give a massively wide spread but I've never driven one I liked.

 

Lee

[fergiet]

On 1/28/2018 at 19:57, dhvrs said:

Sure thing Sasha. I got them from Skodadop for £19.51 for the pair. They fit straight in and no modification is needed. Black strip towards the number plate. 

https://skodadop.com/en/yeti-/eksterer-yeti/svetodiodnyj-led-fonar-osvetsheniya-nomernogo-znaka-.html

 

for fitting I ref this video. 

 

 

 

I take it the Yeti one fits Octavia ?

[SoupDragon]

Mind your manners, he's not that ugly.

[SashaGrace]

The car has gone back today, and I have a few more things on my lists

 

More Positives

The extra gloss trim around the car adds to the premium feeling

The cupholder now has little notches to grip a bottle which will help it stay upright

The stop/start is very unobtrusive in action and cuts out below a few mph unlike the system on my car which regularly conspires with the DSG gearbox to send the vRS to sleep at busy junctions and roundabouts

 

More Negatives

The back doors on the hatch are a funny shape with a very pointy bit on the end. I am not a fan of this design; my estate rear doors are easier to open in tight spaces and I'm less likely to hurt myself on them

The engine is still noisier than my 2.0 at 60 mph as well as 70 mph

 

The MPG improved a bit today and on my way back to the dealers I was running early so dropped the speed to 60 mph and it did bring the economy up.

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

And overall, since putting diesel in it this morning, I got this on the MFD which is 2-3 mpg better than what my vRS shows. Honestly, for the performance deficit, manual gearbox and extra noise I don't feel that's enough of an improvement on my car, but it now has just under 1000 miles on the clock, so has time to loosen up. If you were buying new, I would really question choosing the 1.6 TDi. I feel one of the TSi petrols would be a better choice for most and those who prefer diesel or do a high mileage there's always the 2.0. This car didn't have AdBlue though, so that's one benefit as far as I'm concerned.

 

Octavia SE-L by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

My vRS is back at home now and I'm happy the box has been done if nothing else, though I have had to plug in the OBDEleven to set the oil quality to Good Quality for variable interval as they had set it to 9400 mile fixed interval, which would mean going back again in a few months time! I also coveted the keyring supplied with the SE-L and as I was spending nearly £300 on the service, seemed rude not to ask for it and it is now pride of place on my main key

 

Octavia keyrings by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Octavia keyrings by SashaGrace, on Flickr

 

Lovely  

[KevC_Derby]

We’ve had a Hertz Hire car this week in that spec but my trip was cancelled so didn’t get chance to drive it. Sounds like a typical Hire Car specification to be honest.

[SashaGrace]

It was just a standard SE-L, no options apart from the colour. I would happily go for one with a different engine and a few choice options in the Estate body. The media system is a particular highlight, will have to try and haul my car into the up to the minute modern world

[dunc69]

42 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

It was just a standard SE-L, no options apart from the colour. I would happily go for one with a different engine and a few choice options in the Estate body. The media system is a particular highlight, will have to try and haul my car into the up to the minute modern world

Infotainment is where a car ages most quickly these days. 

 

Going from my ‘10 Mk2 FL vRS to my new (to me) ‘14 Mk3 vRS last May, that was one of the biggest improvements I noticed. 

 

Columbus 2010 to Columbus 2014 is a huuuuuge leap in terms of overall quality, speed of operation and screen definition. 

[SashaGrace]

Tell me about it! Jump from the 14 plate into a 2018 car like this one and the difference is the same again. Going back to my car today was no chore though. I liked the touch buttons but there is something reassuring about a proper button and other than screen size (which a Columbus already has) and the CarPlay function (also on MY16 and beyond pre fl) there is nothing missing that I would want. In reality though, my set up in the vRS works pretty well with my hard music collection on the SD card in the same format as the CarPlay selected it from the phone and BT Music for Amazon Music which is where I’ll miss the CarPlay as it fully integrated that. The standard Bluetooth for the phone is more than adequate and being able to navigate the call menu through the steering wheel and MFD rather than the radio screen is a safety boon and I so rarely need a sat nav and I wouldn’t use the text functionality in the car. Sometimes less information is more. The benefit of the system in my car is no cables. I hate that the cable would be on show permanently, but I do often have my phone on charge in mine so I’m used to it now, though it fits better in the Phonebox than the centre cubby and I do at least have a CD Player, though I cannot recall the last time I used a CD. The DAB Radio function is as present on my car as it is on the 2018 model so really the only thing that CarPlay gives me that I want is increased music streaming functionality. I would like to improve that, but for now I am happy with what I have

[logiclee]

Also don't underestimate the DSG effect.

As well as the 1.6 tdi I find the1.4TSi, 1.2TSi and 1.0TSi a bit of a chore as a manual but with 7 speed DSG they are fine. The 2.0 litre petrol or diesel I could take as manual or DSG though but would always prefer DSG.

 

Lee