Shebs mk1 VRS

[sheb]

Not so much a project thread as a "bits I've replaced out of necessity" thread. 

I'll mostly be using this as a record of what's been done and when. 

Some of the parts are uprated from oem but for the most part my modifiying cars for fun are on hold as I'm a stay at home dad to two boys under five so I don't have 5 minutes for a dump in private never mind playing at cars!

 I'm actually writing this while actually playing cars, lego cars. 

 

Right , little one napping , big one playing..

 

My car so far....

 

pre my ownership

 

Delivered on the 8th October 2003 from somewhere near Portsmouth as a fleet car.

 

nothing much done apart from servicing

 

now in Nottingham

 

4/4/2008. (41045 miles) - cambelt and water pump

 

16/12/08 (47772 miles) - service

 

22/12/2008 - coolant temp sensor

 

6/1/2009. (48194 miles) - new drop links and wishbone bushes

 

18/3/2009 (49569 miles) drop links again! Dealer modified part

 

10/6/2010 - weld centre exhaust bracket

 

9/9/2010 (61470 miles) - service and new top breather hose

 

7/12/2010 (63475 miles) new anti roll bar and bushes again!

He must have been getting pretty ****ed off by now. 

 

12/12/2010 (56685 miles) starter motor

 

23/3/2011 (65318 miles) new drop link again!! Wtf!! 

 

2/9/2011 (68435 miles) full service

 

3/1/2012 (70438 miles) 2nd cambelt and water pump

 

6/7/2012 (72545 miles) sump and pick up pipe cleaned

 

25/2/2013 (76449 miles) coolant temp sensor

 

3/8/13 (78770 miles) service and track rod end

 

10/8/2013 ( 79057 miles ) new battery

 

4/2/2014 (81123 miles) intercooler and pipes cleaned out

 

6/3/2014 (81835 miles) clutch and single mass flywheel conversion

 

It's mine!

 

30/6/2014 (82013 miles) air mass sensor

 

5/7/2014 (82445 miles) coil packs on recall

 

10/7/2014 - silicone breather hoses + associated valves 

 

15/7/2014 - dipstick guide

 

29/1/2015 (85701 miles) service and thermostat

 

22/5/2015 ( 87968 miles) front discs and pads

 

30/11/2015 (92601 miles) service and 3rd cambelt kit

 

16/5/2016 - driver side window regulator and rear discs and pads

 

At some point I changed both rear door mechanisms and the rear wiper motor but they were Amazon parts so no paperwork

 

28/12/2017 (106000ish miles) full service and 4 Avon zv7 225/45/17 tyres. 

 

Phew....

 

There are other scheduled services that are in the book that aren't listed here but it's ****ing it down and I'm not going out to get it. 

 

Next up up is a full suspension refresh.

I'm currently getting parts together for that.

No big mods happening apart from -20mm H&R springs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 4 January, 2018 by sheb

[sheb]

Went to the local(ish) Skoda dealership and picked up a full set of genuine oem struts this morning. 

Having trawled the forum and made it back out of the rabbit hole that is sourcing the correct front items ( c'mon ecp and gsf, Monroe, sachs....sort it out!) here are the correct part numbers ( I hope ) 

 

Fronts  JZW413031N

Rears.  JZW513025

 

just awaiting top mounts, drop links, dust covers,bump stops and track rod ends then I can see how much various places want to charge me for my laziness.

Part of me misses the fitting stuff  myself but I really can't be bothered and have better things to do with my time now, like change nappies and deal with constant bickering. 

[sheb]

The car is booked in for next Tuesday. 

I plan on measuring the ride height before and after. 

The h&r springs are only -20mm and with the current  suspension being 14 years and 106000 miles old I'm not expecting a big change in ride height. 

 

What at I am expecting is a big difference in ride quality and handling. Less crashing and banging would be nice. 

 

Also, after replacing my old worn ditch finders with 4 new Avons the difference in the car is already huge. 

I didn't realise how nervous it was when pushed even a bit before.

The grip levels are amazing now compared to before. 

[sheb]

Dropped the car off earlier.

In my excitement I forgot to take a before picture so here's one from a few months ago. 

I did measure the ride height tho' and to my surprise it was what I believe is standard - 660mm rear and 650mm front. 

I thought it'd have settled a bit over the years. 

[sheb]

Wow! , It's like a new car!

I've not  had much opportunity to push the handling as I've just driven back in quite busy traffic, although it did seem flatter on the couple of big roundabouts I went round but the ride is massively improved.

Potholes that used to be jarring are just soaked up with a lovely soft thud and it all feels so much more planted and settles down quicker over uneven surfaces and crests.

Apparently all 4 original shocks were well past best and the springs a bit corroded. 

I have to say at the moment, it doesn't look any lower to my eye so I'll give it a few weeks before I get the tape back out. 

Well pleased. 

 

[octyal]

You may find that the -20mm drop refers to a standard Octavia, and with the vRS being 15mm (I think) lower than the standard car, it may end up as only 5mm difference. I went with the standard front shocks from TPS, miles cheaper than the aftermarket ones, none of which had the correct anti roll bar mount. Rear end is next on mine, new springs, shocks and top mounts required. How much were the H&R springs BTW? Need to weigh up if it's better value to go that route, or to just get OE springs.

[sheb]

The h&r ones are VRS specific as far as I'm aware. I got them off Amazon prime for £130 delivered, a bit of a bargain as they're usually about £160 I think. 

As mentioned before, the world of standard VRS front shocks is a mess! I spent about two days before I gave up and went oem. 

[octyal]

1 hour ago, sheb said:

The h&r ones are VRS specific as far as I'm aware. I got them off Amazon prime for £130 delivered, a bit of a bargain as they're usually about £160 I think. 

As mentioned before, the world of standard VRS front shocks is a mess! I spent about two days before I gave up and went oem. 

 

Try finding standard vRS springs in the aftermarket, they are even worse. I have managed to find that Kyaba make OE spec springs for the vRS from using several different catalogues...

[sheb]

Yep, part of the reason I went for the h&r ones.

I didn't have the energy.

[sharkrider]

lots of after market shocks available with the correct anti roll bar mounting points, you just have to source the correct part... I got this set up of springs and shocks (AP, made by KW in Germany) from DPM performance (site sponsors) they clearly list if the part is for the vRS or a standard octy... https://www.dpmperformance.co.uk/car-parts/skoda/octavia/ap-35mm-lowering-springs-shocks-suspension-kitoctavia-1u-14-16-vrs-18t-19sdi-20-fwd-0297  you will find it will improve massively more if you do the shocks too! I would also do front top mounts while you're at it  

[octyal]

2 hours ago, sharkrider said:

lots of after market shocks available with the correct anti roll bar mounting points, you just have to source the correct part... I got this set up of springs and shocks (AP, made by KW in Germany) from DPM performance (site sponsors) they clearly list if the part is for the vRS or a standard octy... https://www.dpmperformance.co.uk/car-parts/skoda/octavia/ap-35mm-lowering-springs-shocks-suspension-kitoctavia-1u-14-16-vrs-18t-19sdi-20-fwd-0297  you will find it will improve massively more if you do the shocks too! I would also do front top mounts while you're at it  

 

I looked at those initially, but then worked out the OE shocks with a set of KYB springs (ones that are vRS correct) are cheaper...

[sheb]

I remeasured the ride height today and it's about 15mm lower all round.

It looks about right to me as I'm not a big fan of impractically low cars.  

[sheb]

So , Since I've decided to keep this car for the foreseeable future I've decided to tidy up a few inexpensive bits and bobs that have annoyed me since day one.

 

1. The  Skoda badges front and rear were shocking. One was almost blank and the other one had gone turquoise - 

Ordered and due in the next few days. 

 

2. Wheel centre caps. Very badly corroded.  

These arrived this morning but it's been freezing and wet all day. 

 

The wheels could do with a refurb too but I can't see getting that one past the old bread winner!

 

3. Missing rear wiper cap - Ordered today. 

 

4. Gear knob. Mine is a right mess. The previous owner was clearly a fan of bling. 

 

5. Retro fit cruise control.

I have dodgy knees and after a couple of hours on the motorway it's pretty unmcomfortable.

I played the pain card and have been told I'm allowed to book this in at awesome. Not sure when but we have a 5 hour trip to South Wales coming up in June so hopefully before then. 

 

Thats a about it for now but I'm sure I'll think of something else. 

 

[skinnyman]

Sometimes it's the small jobs that make all the difference.  As for the cruise control, it was one of the first things I added to our car.  I have a dodgy back and on long journeys it's really good to be able to put the cruise control on and have a stretch.

The car sits well now and the ride height looks spot on.

 

Edited 31 January, 2018 by skinnyman

[sheb]

I'm kicking myself I didn't do it 3 years ago. 

I'm normally pretty on it with cars and niggly bits, I don't know why I've left them so long. I guess they seemed a bit petty after all the big jobs. 

 

It it does sit nice now. Not to obviously low, just right. 

[sheb]

Job done. 

 

The old centre caps were a real mess. 

 

To save taking the wheels off I just carefully drilled a small hole through each one and used an ikea Allen key as a pulling tool. 

 

Once off , I noticed the old caps have a metal retaining ring inside so this was swapped onto the new caps.

 

A simple click and 10 minutes later all 4 are done. 

 

I now need new wheel bolt covers! 

 

 

 

Edited 1 February, 2018 by sheb

[sheb]

New badges arrived and fitted today. 

There are no pics of the old ones as I took them off in mid December anticipating the arrival of the new ones I'd ordered off Amazon. 

When they'd not turned up by last week I got a refund and ordered some of eBay after the dealer quoted £18.67 each!

 

So , the eBay ones arrived yesterday and went on this morning. Perfect. 

 

1 hour later one of the Amazon ones has turned up and is garbage.

The green is very dark, the "chrome" is like brushed steel, it's all dented and bowed. 

If i'd not got a refund I'd be a bit annoyed to say the least. 

I'll give it to my oldest to stick on his wardrobe. 

 

You can't really see how bad the Chinese Amazon one is in the pic below but trust me , it's cack. 

 

[sheb]

Exciting update! 

 

Yesterday I washed my seatbelt.

 

It's  been really slow to recoil since I got the car and I assumed it was just whatever does the recoiling losing its tension through use.

After a bit of research , soaking  in normal clothing detergent for 15 minutes followed by a rinse seemed like it might be worth a try. 

24 hours later and my seatbelt now shoots back in place like a greased ferret but smells lovely and fresh too. 

 

[dubDEAN]

On 2/4/2018 at 15:55, sheb said:

Exciting update! 

 

Yesterday I washed my seatbelt.

 

It's  been really slow to recoil since I got the car and I assumed it was just whatever does the recoiling losing its tension through use.

After a bit of research , soaking  in normal clothing detergent for 15 minutes followed by a rinse seemed like it might be worth a try. 

24 hours later and my seatbelt now shoots back in place like a greased ferret but smells lovely and fresh too. 

WHAT DID YOU USE???????????????????

[sheb]

35 minutes ago, dubDEAN said:

WHAT DID YOU USE???????????????????

Daz I think. Might have been persil...

[dubDEAN]

15 minutes ago, sheb said:

Daz I think. Might have been persil...

CHEERS FOR THAT AS MY SEAT BELT IS SOOOO LAZY

[sheb]

Just now, dubDEAN said:

CHEERS FOR THAT AS MY SEAT BELT IS SOOOO LAZY

Just half a scoop in a washing bowl of hot water. 

Stick some towels on your seat first. 

Wear rubber gloves if you have them. 

Just soak for 15 minutes ,then rinse and dry with the towel. 

You'll need a clip/peg/mile grips to hold the belt out at its longest. 

Leave it out draped over the rear view mirror for the night and it should be fine in the morning. 

[sheb]

When I first got my car it had normal wipers so when I changed them I fitted aero wiper on standard arms. 

They always irritated me as they looked almost as bad as standard. 

I needed to replace the blades last week so dedcices to do it properly and fit mk4 golf aero arms this time and it's a hell of an improvement.

not only do they look a lot better, I'm sure there's less wind noise now too. 

 

 

Mk4 aero arms on top

 

standard aero wipers on the bottom. 

 

[sheb]

Another little thing I should have done ages ago. 

 

Gearbox oil

 

According to the paperwork it was changed at 70k ish miles but I have no idea what oil was used. 

 

I understand genuine vag is the way to go and it's been a bit notchy since I bought it but I've no experience for comparison so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

It does feel a little more positive, especially going into 5th which could occasionally be a bit hit or miss. 

 

Time me will tell if it's solved that issue but for £17 it's worth a try. 

[octyal]

44 minutes ago, sheb said:

Another little thing I should have done ages ago. 

 

Gearbox oil

 

According to the paperwork it was changed at 70k ish miles but I have no idea what oil was used. 

 

I understand genuine vag is the way to go and it's been a bit notchy since I bought it but I've no experience for comparison so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

It does feel a little more positive, especially going into 5th which could occasionally be a bit hit or miss. 

 

Time me will tell if it's solved that issue but for £17 it's worth a try. 

 

One of the jobs on my list this year (after refurb of the wheels, another service, and change the springs). Have you reset the gear linkages yet? Did mine last year after selection issues, much better now.