Jay's Octavia vRS Estate

[jaygemson]

In preparation for the forthcoming intake modifications I spruced up the engine bay this weekend.

 

It was so grim beforehand that I needed to de-grease it with a strong solution of Fairy Liquid before dressing the trims with 303 Aerospace Protectant.

 

Also added the inlet manifold cover to tidy things up a bit.  Part numbers for anyone who's interested:

• 06K103925AA - Inlet manifold cover
• 06E103164 – Pin

 

 

Passenger-side

 

Driver's side

 

Much better!

[jaygemson]

After much research and help from fellow forum members and vRS owners I went for the Reiger front splitter and rear diffuser.  Glad that I did!  The quality and fitment were brilliant, and they lift the appearance of the car in a subtle way.  Really chuffed with them.

 

Some pics...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Baillie]

Looks awesome!  Love the style of the photos too.  Did you install both yourself?  Wondering if the front bumper needs to be drilled?

Edited 13 June, 2018 by Baillie

[jaygemson]

Cheers @Baillie 

 

Yes, I fitted them myself.  For the front you need to jack the car up and get it on axle stands.  The new splitter is held onto the car initially using 4 of the existing screw points on the undertray.  I also used some masking tape around the front edge to keep it from dropping down, but if you have a helper this stage would be much easier.  You then use the remaining holes in the splitter as guides for drilling, and screw through into the lower edge of the bumper with the provided self-tappers.  It's very secure in the end, no sealant or glue required.

 

So yes, you will end up with a few holes in the bumper.  But if you removed the splitter you could fill these quite easily, paint them with a touch-up kit and be none the wiser.

[p5stokes]

On 14/06/2018 at 08:54, jaygemson said:

Cheers @Baillie 

 

Yes, I fitted them myself.  For the front you need to jack the car up and get it on axle stands.  The new splitter is held onto the car initially using 4 of the existing screw points on the undertray.  I also used some masking tape around the front edge to keep it from dropping down, but if you have a helper this stage would be much easier.  You then use the remaining holes in the splitter as guides for drilling, and screw through into the lower edge of the bumper with the provided self-tappers.  It's very secure in the end, no sealant or glue required.

 

So yes, you will end up with a few holes in the bumper.  But if you removed the splitter you could fill these quite easily, paint them with a touch-up kit and be none the wiser.

How hard was it to fit the rear jay 

[jaygemson]

@p5stokes the rear was a bit more of a challenge. The tricky bit was removing the old diffuser, the tabs are pretty stubborn. I used a combination of brute force and trim removal tools to persuade each of the tabs along the top of the standard diffuser to let go of the bumper.

 

Once the old one is off the Rieger one slots in really easily and fits perfectly. You then use the supplied screws and spacer washers to secure it, with only two holes to drill (one on each side of the car).

[jaygemson]

Got some intake mods fitted this weekend:

• Racingline R600 induction kit (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Racingline-R600-Cold-Air-Filter-Induction-Intake-Kit-Golf-MK7-R-GTI-Clubsport-S/162649374125?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649)
• Turbo Technics one-piece turbo intake pipe (https://www.vrsnorthampton.com/home/127-mqb-large-bore-intake-hose-and-bell-mouth.html)
• Coolant hose relocation kit (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Golf-R-GTI-MK7-VWR-Racingline-R600-Cold-Air-Intake-Induction-Kit-Coolant-Hose/202295368901?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649)

 

Gives a lovely OEM+ look to the engine bay, hiding the ugly coolant hose in the process, and releases approx 15bhp. Nice to finally be able to hear the turbo spooling and the DV releasing pressure too.

[Bannon87]

Really like the intake pipe. Good idea how it replaces the stock hose and turbo elbow. 

 

I went for the racing line elbow and hose as a kit 

[jaygemson]

Thanks @Bannon87 - It's a nice design, the only downside being that it's more difficult to install than the VWR elbow.  I suspect the gains for it being a single piece are minimal over the VWR setup, but it was recommended to me by MRC Tuning (and seems to be the intake pipe of choice amongst Golf 7R tuners too) so I went for it.

[jaygemson]

No major updates, just been enjoying the car and stockpiling parts ready for the next modding session 

 

We took the Octy on a family holiday and I have to say I was really impressed with it.  Looks awesome with the roof box installed too 

 

 

 

  It was comfortable, quiet, seriously practical (especially with the roof box) and despite running the A/C constantly and getting stuck in a fair bit of traffic on the way there it still gave me nearly 36MPG:

 

 

[jaygemson]

Oh, there is a minor update!  Just remembered a cheeky mod that @SashaGrace reminded me about - LED sidelight bulbs.  Thanks Sasha!

 

I used to swap the sidelights for LEDs religiously on my previous vehicles, but as the Octavia has DRLs I'd not given it a second thought.  I just happened to already have some CREE LED bulbs and they worked a treat!  Very subtle difference, but the "eye lashes" now match the DRLs and generally look more vivid.  Nice touch 

 

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

 

 

 

Was surprised that the originals were tinted blue, and yet they still produce a yellow-ish light.  Very odd.

 

 

 

Edited 16 July, 2018 by jaygemson

[SashaGrace]

They are such a worthwhile upgrade! Nicely done

[jaygemson]

Maintenance update 

 

The following niggles are now sorted:

• Cracked passenger side sun visor mirror
• Creaky steering (under warranty)
• Gearbox selector lever fault (under warranty)

 

More details on the warranty work here: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/453314-thanks-reading-skoda-dsg-gearbox-fault-creaky-steering-fixed-under-warranty/

 

The mirror turned out to be a really simple job!  I was worried that I'd need to peel back the headlining but after sourcing a spare part from a breaker's on eBay they reassured me that you just pull down very firmly on the main pin (that it rotates on from the corner of the roof) and it pops off.  I've heard people being charged ~£100 at the dealer for these to be replaced so I was happy with my £25 part.

 

Old broken mirror - 2 year old son providing the muscle for pulling it free 

 

New mirror - mint condition from eBay

 

I was going to take a photo of the finished article but the job was so simple I just walked away after that - sorry folks  

[Rybu79]

On 27/07/2018 at 13:40, jaygemson said:

Maintenance update 

 

The following niggles are now sorted:

• Cracked passenger side sun visor mirror
• Creaky steering (under warranty)
• Gearbox selector lever fault (under warranty)

 

More details on the warranty work here: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/453314-thanks-reading-skoda-dsg-gearbox-fault-creaky-steering-fixed-under-warranty/

 

The mirror turned out to be a really simple job!  I was worried that I'd need to peel back the headlining but after sourcing a spare part from a breaker's on eBay they reassured me that you just pull down very firmly on the main pin (that it rotates on from the corner of the roof) and it pops off.  I've heard people being charged ~£100 at the dealer for these to be replaced so I was happy with my £25 part.

 

Old broken mirror - 2 year old son providing the muscle for pulling it free 

 

New mirror - mint condition from eBay

 

I was going to take a photo of the finished article but the job was so simple I just walked away after that - sorry folks  

What was the creaking steering issue??

[jaygemson]

On 28/07/2018 at 17:38, Rybu79 said:

What was the creaking steering issue??

Turned out to be a faulty front suspension top mount - as I said, full details in the thread: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/453314-thanks-reading-skoda-dsg-gearbox-fault-creaky-steering-fixed-under-warranty/

 

[jaygemson]

Another lighting upgrade, this time on the rear.

 

Diadem bulbs fitted to replace the horrible OEM orange indicators:

 

 

 

Before

 

 

After

[Kahunajb]

Link to bulbs please. Do you know if these would also fit the fronts?

[jaygemson]

Haha, what am I, your personal shopper?   Cheeky bugger  

 

As it happens I had these bulbs leftover from a previous car so I don't have a link for the exact ones I used, sorry.

 

They're a pretty standard fit though - these should do the trick (don't hold me responsible if they don't though): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OSRAM-PY21W-Diadem-7507LDA-02B-12V-21W-BAU15s-Signal-Indicator-Bulbs-Twin-pack/292148282557

Edited 31 July, 2018 by jaygemson

[jaygemson]

10 hours ago, Kahunajb said:

Do you know if these would also fit the fronts?

 

The fronts are different to the rears.  Rears are PY21W and fronts are PWY24W, according to this post at least: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/391390-led-indicator-bulbs/?do=findComment&comment=4555832

 

Sadly changing the front bulbs requires breaking into the rear of the headlamp unit and then applying a Skoda repair kit (~£9 per side).  I'll be doing that at some point so watch this space!

[jaygemson]

Big update - new wheels!   

 

When the Skoda garage identified a small bulge in one of the P Zeros on the Xtremes I initially planned to replace all four tyres with Michelin PS4S in 235/35/19 with the view to fitting those to a new set of wheels in the future.  All very sensible.  Then I stumbled across a set of Racingline VWR360 wheels for sale on an Audi forum with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asym3s.  They weren't very well advertised so nobody had seen them, and I got them for £750 including tyres.  Considering the RRP of the wheels alone is £1100 I got a bargain.  They balanced up perfectly with no cracks or buckles and the tyres all have an even 6-7mm of tread.  I couldn't have been luckier!

 

 

With the assistance of my trusty helper I set about giving them a good clean

 

Masked off and painted the rusty wheel weights to make them blend in

 

Then polished and sealed them ready for fitting

 

Weight comparison - a very handy unsprung weight saving of 1.2kg per corner

 

All that's left is to stand back and admire the results 

 

 

The fitment is perfect - no spigot rings or spacers needed and they really fill the arches nicely.  The car is now desperate to be lowered to do the wheels justice, so the Eibach springs will be going on ASAP.  In the meantime though the unsprung weight saving has improved the ride quality and made the car noticeably more willing to change direction.  Win win!

[T00mm]

Car is looking sweet on those wheels.

Don't suppose you are after a set of coilovers and drop links that would direct fit to this. would set it off nicely. I loved them, got much lower than springs.

[jaygemson]

Cheers @T00mm!

 

I've got a set of Eibach springs waiting to go on as soon as the warranty is up as I wasn't after a huge drop, and the stock dampers seem to be reasonably good.  Thanks for the offer though!  What brand are the coilovers out of interest?

[jaygemson]

Happy New Year everyone!

 

It's been a quiet few months on the vRS due to the arrival of our second son in August and the many sleepness nights that ensued thereafter, but I've managed to sneak a few visual mods on over the course of December to keep me entertained whilst the car was still in warranty

 

Custom number plates

This was a cheeky experiment   It'd bothered me for a while that the front plate appears to overhang the lower grille slightly, and the white of the standard plate looked stark against the Meteor Grey.  So I wanted a shortened front plate (104mm to be precise, still within legal dimensions) and a very subtle tint.  It took me a while to find a willing supplier but Adam at AW Tuning was absolutely spot on!  Couldn't fault the service I received from those guys.  Check them out: https://www.facebook.com/awtuningpage/

 

Colour coded Skoda badges / Black vRS badges

I think any vRS that comes with the black pack should come from the factory like this.  Why de-chrome the grille, window surrounds and roof bars and leave the badges?

 

Skoda badges sourced from Superskoda, here: http://www.superskoda.com/Skoda/OCTAVIA-III/Octavia-III-original-Skoda-emblem-INT-version

Black vRS badges sourced from Mark Skoda on the Octavia vRS Owners Group on Facebook

 

 

End result of these visual mods...

 

 

 

[jaygemson]

Ah yeah, almost forgot!  I finally got around to replacing the orange front indicator bulbs with LEDs.  Full guide here: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/460835-how-to-change-those-pesky-front-indicator-bulbs/

 

 

 

Before:

 

After:

[greg_s]

Nice work on your project. its given me a. bit of food for thought.  Does the tuning affect the warranty from Skoda at all?