Mk1 Octavia VRS Estate

[Endoof]

Hi All, 

New to this forum, new to skodas so wanted to join up here and get some much needed knowledge on the cars. 

Yesterday i purchased this lovely bit of kit 

2004, Octavia VRS Estate, completely standard and needing some TLC 

Interestingly it came with a tilt and slide sunroof, something i've not seen before whilst looking through the classifieds as well as a few other nice bits and bobs, electric mirrors with heating element, full working trip (i wonder how accurate they are) 90% Skoda service history, brand new clutch, cambelt and waterpump done last year, so all in all, pretty decent. 

As it goes, touching 20 years old, few things need doing, such as:

Fixing the god awful creak coming from the front of the car, plan to do a whole poly bush upgrade over the course of the next few months

Fixing the rear passenger side window, can hear the motor going up and down but no window movement, bit weird??
Fix the boaty ride by fitting coilovers

Rear spoiler needs painting, definitely had a rather rough life looking at it 

Overall health check, having had a few 20vt's in the past i know its not uncommon for hoses to split and despite this being factory fresh, i am 110% convinced i have a boost leak somewhere so i need to book in for a smoke test 

Alignment - not sure if this is part and parcel to the creaking and worn bushes but the car drives straight and true, the steering wheel is just out of alignment which is annoying

Replace the cassette player deck with a nice android touch screen double din unit, going off ebay prices can be done for sub £100 which is nice and will massively bring the car into the modern era of bluetooth connectivity and sat nav

 

In the long run im looking to take this 20vt further than my previous ones, always stalled at the 270/280 bhp and 300ft lbs mark due to rods. All being well i plan on doing the following aswell as the above 

r-tec remap, heard very good things about nicky

badger 5 tip

ebay 'wellycooler' intercooler and piping 

Cat back exhaust, twin pipes however not the oval, not too keen on the shape

New DV, upgrade to a forge one 

A decent cold air intake (will take recommendations)
Remove and blank off the SAI
Bypass the N249 Valve

Adding a catch can into the PCV system
Upgrade dog bone mount

and then stick a set of forged rods in there, granted this will leave me still cutting about with a k03s but once all the build up work is done i'll be able to save up for a gt28 or similar

Im not looking for silly power however something in the region of 330-350bhp and close to or over 400ft/lbs

Thankfully alot of the above can be done for not alot of money, so im itching to get my teeth stuck into it

 

All in all, very happy with it, the mrs is yet to come around but hopefully the above can change that. 

 

[Evil]

Welcome mate... 

Car looks tidy.. 😎

 

 

I think we may have differing opinions on what constitutes not a lot of money.. 

 

Full polybush and coilovers ain't arf gonna make it a harsh ride.. 

 

Good luck with it, look forward to updates 👊

[Endoof]

Thanks Evil! 

Haha, don't get me wrong its going to cost a fair bit, but the majority of the small fixes i.e alignment, sorting the bushes etc, more so the quality of life stuff shouldn't cost tooooooo much, no?

Would you advise just replacing with OEM bushes then instead of going poly? i want it stiffer but not horrible... i've never had polybushed anything on previous cars so have no experience in ride comfort, or should i say discomfort lol. 
 

[Evil]

Well.. I've been warned against fully polybushing the front of my Mk1 (and my Mk4 Golf before it) because of the overly harsh ride.. 

I replaced all mine with quality bushes (Lemforder, I think Meyle are decent too - I'm sure there are others) and the solid rear wishbone bush off the TT is recommended - did that on my Mk4 but didn't on the vRS. 

 

Iirc there are a couple worth doing but I don't remember which.. 

 

Visit the projects section for Dean's car(s?), Bowders, Yellowvrs (I think).. There's others..

Major work in them all... 

 

And the how2s are excellent too... 

 

 

[Endoof]

1 minute ago, Evil said:

Well.. I've been warned against fully polybushing the front of my Mk1 (and my Mk4 Golf before it) because of the overly harsh ride.. 

I replaced all mine with quality bushes (Lemforder, I think Meyle are decent too - I'm sure there are others) and the solid rear wishbone bush off the TT is recommended - did that on my Mk4 but didn't on the vRS. 

 

Iirc there are a couple worth doing but I don't remember which.. 

 

Visit the projects section for Dean's car(s?), Bowders, Yellowvrs (I think).. There's others..

Major work in them all... 

 

And the how2s are excellent too... 

 

 

 

Oh right haha, i'll give that a miss then and as you said, good quality OEM replacements.

I'll have gander tonight with my feet up across the forums and different threads, better than picking up a harry potter book surely lol

 

[DoDaniel]

Welcome,

 

Good to see another Black Magic MK1 VRS Estate on here. Here's mine.

I've had some of the issues you've mentioned, so I'll try and cover what I did to fix it.

 

Creaking from the front:
I found that after many years of service, the bushings on the control arms, ARB's and drop links were original to the car and needed replacing. I replaced these with all new OEM parts as it was quicker and easier to get them with new bushes pre-installed than fitting polybushes myself.

 

Floaty ride:

This ended up being some original shocks causing the problem and some long gone bump stops on my car. I took them out the car and they immediately feel down, no damping whatsoever to them. I opted not to go for coilovers as the car is used to haul the family around on weekdays, so I ended up going for this Bilstein B4 kit from eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333688524788

Whilst you're in there, make sure you replace the bump stops, top mounts and the bolts hold the shock to the knuckle.

On that subject, you'll need this to spread the knuckle apart to make removing it easier. I cannot stress how much time this saves.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003PZERSI/

 

Boost/PCV Leaks:

Very, very common on these. The PCV system basically rips itself apart every so often, especially the top 'Y' breather hose and the one that connects to the bottom of the intake. That one is a pain to get to and can't be seen easily.

You can get full PCV kits on eBay or replace them with silicone alternatives, but those get costly. Other than that, just check your hoses from the intake down through the intercooler and back. Can't remember if you said it was running the stock intercooler or not, but the 'pancake pipe' can get split I've read.

 

Other than that, regular service, good fuel and the car will last for years to come.

 

On a final note, defo get a stage 1 done asap, cannot tell you how much of a difference it makes.

Edited 16 September, 2021 by DeanVRS20VT

[Dean]

On 13/09/2021 at 15:05, Endoof said:

better than picking up a harry potter book surely lol

I’ll pretend I never read this… 

[Endoof]

Goodies update.. 

After reading through a few threads and being recommended by Evil i went ahead an bought some new Meyle ARB bushes aswell as new top mounts / bearings, hopefully going to get these fitted over the weekend and hopefully say auf weidersehen to the creaking at the front.

 

 

Found out a pal of mine also whos heavily into his vag cars has some crazy version of VAG-COM with all the bells and whistles, and kudos to him hes offered to use on the Octi to see if theres any stored codes and fingers crossed will be able to tell me if infact there is a boost leak or not.. however one thing ive noticed and have been noticing is when driving, lower in the rev range the car seems to run a little bit lumpy, im suspecting coilpacks on the way out..? Can anyone clarify? 

Also, theres a god awful squealing and rattle when pulling off in a high gear or doing early changes ... aux belt? 

 

Either way, bit by bit im still planning to get the car back to as best near stock condition as possible before i send it in for a map, dont really want to leave any stone unturned. 

 

 

10 hours ago, DoDaniel said:

Creaking from the front:
I found that after many years of service, the bushings on the control arms, ARB's and drop links were original to the car and needed replacing. I replaced these with all new OEM parts as it was quicker and easier to get them with new bushes pre-installed than fitting polybushes myself.

 

Floaty ride:

This ended up being some original shocks causing the problem and some long gone bump stops on my car. I took them out the car and they immediately feel down, no damping whatsoever to them. I opted not to go for coilovers as the car is used to haul the family around on weekdays, so I ended up going for this Bilstein B4 kit from eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333688524788

Whilst you're in there, make sure you replace the bump stops, top mounts and the bolts hold the shock to the knuckle.

On that subject, you'll need this to spread the knuckle apart to make removing it easier. I cannot stress how much time this saves.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003PZERSI/

 

Boost/PCV Leaks:

Very, very common on these. The PCV system basically rips itself apart every so often, especially the top 'Y' breather hose and the one that connects to the bottom of the intake. That one is a pain to get to and can't be seen easily.

You can get full PCV kits on eBay or replace them with silicone alternatives, but those get costly. Other than that, just check your hoses from the intake down through the intercooler and back. Can't remember if you said it was running the stock intercooler or not, but the 'pancake pipe' can get split I've read.

 

Other than that, regular service, good fuel and the car will last for years to come.

 

On a final note, defo get a stage 1 done asap, cannot tell you how much of a difference it makes.

 

Thanks for the welcome DoDaniel!

Yeah i think im going to do that, especially with the wishbones and stuff, i really do NOT fancy going through the trauma of trying to remove the bushes with a hacksaw and blowtorch lol.

 

I wouldnt be surprised if it were the shocks or something along those lines if im honest, i genuinely just thought the car was ridiculously soft from standard, the suspension doesnt look like its sagging in any way, its just the body roll when going round corners is enough to knock someone sick lol, ive planned now for a set of JOM coilovers for it, i know theyre cheap ebay jobs but i've used them countless times before and personally have never had an issue.

I'll have a look at all the hoses over the weekend, there are alot of them lol, anywhere specific to put my attention to? 

 

10 hours ago, DeanVRS20VT said:

I’ll pretend I never read this… 

 

Oh no, you're a Potterhead!? - More of a Hunger Games man myself.....

[Dean]

2 hours ago, Endoof said:

Goodies update.. 

After reading through a few threads and being recommended by Evil i went ahead an bought some new Meyle ARB bushes aswell as new top mounts / bearings, hopefully going to get these fitted over the weekend and hopefully say auf weidersehen to the creaking at the front.

 

 

Found out a pal of mine also whos heavily into his vag cars has some crazy version of VAG-COM with all the bells and whistles, and kudos to him hes offered to use on the Octi to see if theres any stored codes and fingers crossed will be able to tell me if infact there is a boost leak or not.. however one thing ive noticed and have been noticing is when driving, lower in the rev range the car seems to run a little bit lumpy, im suspecting coilpacks on the way out..? Can anyone clarify? 

Also, theres a god awful squealing and rattle when pulling off in a high gear or doing early changes ... aux belt? 

 

Either way, bit by bit im still planning to get the car back to as best near stock condition as possible before i send it in for a map, dont really want to leave any stone unturned. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the welcome DoDaniel!

Yeah i think im going to do that, especially with the wishbones and stuff, i really do NOT fancy going through the trauma of trying to remove the bushes with a hacksaw and blowtorch lol.

 

I wouldnt be surprised if it were the shocks or something along those lines if im honest, i genuinely just thought the car was ridiculously soft from standard, the suspension doesnt look like its sagging in any way, its just the body roll when going round corners is enough to knock someone sick lol, ive planned now for a set of JOM coilovers for it, i know theyre cheap ebay jobs but i've used them countless times before and personally have never had an issue.

I'll have a look at all the hoses over the weekend, there are alot of them lol, anywhere specific to put my attention to? 

 

 

Oh no, you're a Potterhead!? - More of a Hunger Games man myself.....

Both equally as good. You’re redeemed.

[skinnyman]

On 13/09/2021 at 11:35, Endoof said:

r-tec remap, heard very good things about nicky

badger 5 tip

ebay 'wellycooler' intercooler and piping 

Cat back exhaust, twin pipes however not the oval, not too keen on the shape

New DV, upgrade to a forge one 

A decent cold air intake (will take recommendations)
Remove and blank off the SAI
Bypass the N249 Valve

Adding a catch can into the PCV system
Upgrade dog bone mount

 

Welcome to the forum and well done for getting a Mk1.

 

It's been really good to see a recent batch of new owners on here who are set on looking after their Mk1 Octavias.  As numbers dwindle and the rough cars are scrapped or broken it seems that there's a new wave of people who are appreciating the MK1 for what it is and for what can be done to them.  

 

My car has had a lot of work by previous owners and myself to keep it going but at the end of the day, it's still a decent car that can be used every day.  The list of things you have planned will definitely help to make it run better and if done in the right order will leave you with a reliable daily that can surprise a few people.

[Evil]

12 hours ago, skinnyman said:

 

It's been really good to see a recent batch of new owners on here who are set on looking after their Mk1 Octavias.  As numbers dwindle and the rough cars are scrapped or broken it seems that there's a new wave of people who are appreciating the MK1 for what it is and for what can be done to them. 

Really thought spares would be easier to come by. 

We need a black magic tailgate for our combi, if I'd known it would be such a pita to find I may have walked away from the car. 

 

Definitely something about the mk1 that's right though... been years since I've enjoyed a car this much. 

[Endoof]

On 18/09/2021 at 10:06, skinnyman said:

 

Welcome to the forum and well done for getting a Mk1.

 

It's been really good to see a recent batch of new owners on here who are set on looking after their Mk1 Octavias.  As numbers dwindle and the rough cars are scrapped or broken it seems that there's a new wave of people who are appreciating the MK1 for what it is and for what can be done to them.  

 

My car has had a lot of work by previous owners and myself to keep it going but at the end of the day, it's still a decent car that can be used every day.  The list of things you have planned will definitely help to make it run better and if done in the right order will leave you with a reliable daily that can surprise a few people.

 

Loving all these warm welcomes lol, thanks man! 

 

I am slowly starting to fall in love with this like properly, just needs more oomph and to stop f**king creaking !!! lol 

 

So, did abit on the weekend, when i say abit i mean not a fat lot atall haha. 

 

I will apologise in advance, i really do forget to take pictures on whats being done so you'll have to deal with just the one for the time being paired with a very wordy update post

 

 

Conclusion? Replacing ARB bushes are an absolute nightmare without ratchet spanners... Best part about it, it didnt fix the creaking! 

Either way, after bruised knuckles, cut up fingers, and aching hips from sitting with my legs crossed for 2 hours i finally managed to get them in, even though the ones which came out didnt even look that bad.

It didnt fix the creaking but amazingly the way the car drives is night and day, it handles so much nicer now (not sure if just a placebo effect) 

 

Didnt get round to doing the top mount bushings purely because i didnt have an impact gun to get the top nut off but after replacing the ARB's the steering wheel seems to sit straighter, still pointing to the right slightly don't get me wrong, and when ive got a passenger in, it points further to the right, so by process of deduction, with the creaking, knocking, steering wheel sitting off centre to the right and because im convinced the passenger topmount is properly fubar'd, it would make sense that all these issues are being caused by that, no? 

 

 

Next on the list of purchases, new front wishbones because why not, set of coilovers because it needs new suspension so might aswell upgrade at the same time, have a Bosch oil filter on the way aswell as picking up this ... (i hope its decent)

 

 

So yeah, all in all, good enough Saturday, not the most productive but had to get it all tied off before an hours drive to Northampton where according to the trip i managed to average 36 mpg? H O W. 

Hopefully will be some more updates in the coming days/weeks

Cheers!

[Dean]

On 20/09/2021 at 10:08, Endoof said:

So yeah, all in all, good enough Saturday, not the most productive but had to get it all tied off before an hours drive to Northampton where according to the trip i managed to average 36 mpg? H O W

When you do miss daisy/old man driving you can hit 48MPG. Taking it with a pinch of salt, but it shows what you can get if, one sits at 60mph. 😂

 

Edited 21 September, 2021 by DeanVRS20VT

[Endoof]

3 hours ago, DeanVRS20VT said:

When you do miss daisy/old man driving you can hit 48MPG. Taking it with a pinch of salt, but it shows what you can get do if one sits at 60mph. 😂

 

 

😂😂

 

the screen under your fuel and temp gauge, mines just black and shows me the fuel light and open door etc, how do i get the one you've got? 😂

[Dean]

3 hours ago, Endoof said:

the screen under your fuel and temp gauge, mines just black and shows me the fuel light and open door etc, how do i get the one you've got? 😂

Let the original owner completely spec out the car. 🤣

[RMDavis]

Great to see another black Mk1 Combi being looked after and given the TLC it deserves!

 

Keep up the good work bud. 👍🏻

 

Haven't updated my own build thread in a while but fitting KW V1's, along with a few other bits this weekend. Having a stainless steel exhaust fitted along with a 3" downpipe/sports-cat on Friday also! 

 

Will post my own trials and tribulations once it's all done. 

[Endoof]

Mid week mini update... 

But before that, 

 

 

10 hours ago, RMDavis said:

Great to see another black Mk1 Combi being looked after and given the TLC it deserves!

 

Keep up the good work bud. 👍🏻

 

Haven't updated my own build thread in a while but fitting KW V1's, along with a few other bits this weekend. Having a stainless steel exhaust fitted along with a 3" downpipe/sports-cat on Friday also! 

 

Will post my own trials and tribulations once it's all done. 

 

I keep seeing people call them combis, is that the actual name for them? I.e Tourings for BMW, Avant for Audi yada yada?? 

But thanks for the welcome man! you sound alot further a head on your endeavors than i am currently so i'll have a gander through your thread and pick up on some tricks and tips lol 

 

 

Onto the update.. 

 

Had the car scanned last night, after seeing the codes i was quite surprised and full of relief considering it was probably the first time in 17 years the car had been plugged in (previous owner was a member of the tree society so didn't really give a f**k about the car clearly)

 

 

Going through them one by one 

17704 - pretty self explanatory, would rather not do the thermostat so going to replace the CTS first to see

16716 - erm? help?

18010 - erm? help?

16885 - This one confused me as the speedo works perfectly fine... Any advise on this is welcome

17608 - Kinda assumed some Nxxx related valve codes would come up, plan on bypassing this anyway so nice easy fix

16795 - Same as above, not needed and advised to remove it prior to having the car mapped 

 

Nice to know the car isnt as fubar'd as i thought... Am i right in thinking however that my suspicions of a boost leak would have been highlighted here? 

Will have another update on/following the weekend hopefully changing the oil and cleaning the TB so stay put. 

Cheers!

[Evil]

Right or wrong, I tend to clear codes just in case they're historic and see what comes back.

Does your temp gauge sit at 90 degrees? 

CTS is easy, 2 minute job.. 

Got mine from Amazon (wanted it next day) Febi 32510 £6.50

[KenONeill]

25 minutes ago, Endoof said:

I keep seeing people call them combis, is that the actual name for them? I.e Tourings for BMW, Avant for Audi yada yada??

"Combi" is a generic European word for what the UK calls an "estate car" and North America a "station wagon". Touring and Avant (in the cited context) are manufacturer trademarks.

Edited 22 September, 2021 by KenONeill

[Endoof]

4 minutes ago, Evil said:

Right or wrong, I tend to clear codes just in case they're historic and see what comes back.

Does your temp gauge sit at 90 degrees? 

CTS is easy, 2 minute job.. 

Got mine from Amazon (wanted it next day) Febi 32510 £6.50

 

Morning Evil... Yeah it does sit at 90 once up to temp, on the drive home from Blackburn sitting at 60mph (2/2.5hrs) it did go down to say, 87? But for the 99% of the time ive owned it, yeah, once up to temp it sits top dead centre at 90. 

 

3 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

"Combi" is a generic European word for that the UK calls an "estate car" and North America a "station wagon". Touring and Avant (in the cited context) are manufacturer trademarks.

 

Ahhhhhhhh, the more you know, eh? Cheers Ken.

[Evil]

3 minutes ago, Endoof said:

 

Morning Evil... Yeah it does sit at 90 once up to temp, on the drive home from Blackburn sitting at 60mph (2/2.5hrs) it did go down to say, 87? But for the 99% of the time ive owned it, yeah, once up to temp it sits top dead centre at 90. 

It should just sit at 90 regardless... right there, the whole time. CTS is the cheapest part (genuine thermostat from the dealer is about £80 iirc - cheapest (genuine) I've found is circa £50 - I ain't paying it). 

 

The combi thing is odd... Ken's correct, of course.. but, Ive found, it tends to get used for the Mk1 more than later models. Saab estates get called wagons, there's others...

There's folk on facebook will pull you up if you use combi... combi? you mean estate? they're funny.

[Endoof]

22 minutes ago, Evil said:

It should just sit at 90 regardless... right there, the whole time. CTS is the cheapest part (genuine thermostat from the dealer is about £80 iirc - cheapest (genuine) I've found is circa £50 - I ain't paying it). 

 

Well i suppose it does, me saying it dropped to like 87 is just me being pedantic lol. It warms up and sits directly up put it that way... I take it i can assume that the thermostat and CTS is ok then? 

 

[Evil]

7 minutes ago, Endoof said:

 

Well i suppose it does, me saying it dropped to like 87 is just me being pedantic lol. It warms up and sits directly up put it that way... I take it i can assume that the thermostat and CTS is ok then? 

 

 

Good chance, yes. I'd probably change CTS anyway... the o-rings squish, they leak and stuff.. (plus, in my old pd130 Golf, the CTS used to really affect performance - there was an unidentifiable coolant leak that dripped onto it, changed 3 in a year)

When I was doing all the deletes recently I didn't even touch it and it started leaking, the bugger... turns out it was similar price (and quicker) to get a Febi sensor from Amazon than it was to get a new clip and o-ring.

[Endoof]

36 minutes ago, Evil said:

 

Good chance, yes. I'd probably change CTS anyway... the o-rings squish, they leak and stuff.. (plus, in my old pd130 Golf, the CTS used to really affect performance - there was an unidentifiable coolant leak that dripped onto it, changed 3 in a year)

When I was doing all the deletes recently I didn't even touch it and it started leaking, the bugger... turns out it was similar price (and quicker) to get a Febi sensor from Amazon than it was to get a new clip and o-ring.

 

Yeah i've had a quick look they really don't cost alot so its almost not, not worth doing just as preventative maintenance. 

[Endoof]

So after doing some digging and according to some chaps over on audizine the 18010 - Power Supply Terminal 30, Voltage too low code is apparently down to disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, something about the ecu detecting the loss of power and therefore throwing a code? 

Makes sense as i took the top hose off the DV last week for some chu chu noises for the lols, it threw a CEL and i disconnected and reconnected the battery. 

Just for anyone in future who gets the same code come up on a scan.