Hi There,

I'm Paul and new to the forum. Owner of a nice red Skoda Octavia of the 3rd generation from model year 2013, so one of the very first I think.

It is a very basic spec, but just what I wanted after a piece of S%^% Toyota Prius.

With the tuning the previous owner had done, and very conservative driving (I daily drive about 100kms of which 95 kms on motorway), I get the same mileage per liter (about 5.0 tot 5.5 depending on the season) as in the Prius, but with much more comfort and space to take my stuff wherever I want to go!

So I'm a very happy owner so far!

After buying it about a year and a half ago I only upgrade the standard sound system to a nice android radio and have maintenance done at a specialised VAG garage that are very knowledgable, but don't rip me off and do unnecessary repairs or replacements.

I do like to do more simple things myself and hope to tackle rear shocks and brakes later this spring. I am now, march 2026, at about 150K kms, so time for different age related things, and of course preferably some preventive maintenace.
Already did the brakes on my 3BG Passat ten years ago, so should be able to manage these as well I think.

As I only have the street as my "workshop", I have to find a nice "weather window" to work in and make sure I can get everything done in time.

Appreciate all effort, time and knowledge shared here. 🤟

Will do my best not ask any dumb questions, but am no trained mechanic, so sometimes the obvious things are still in the clouds... :-O

In advance, thanks to everyone for heping out with suggestions, critical questions and/or advice!

Cheers!

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Advice on the shocks job -

Check check and check again that the springs and dampers you purchase are definitely the exact part number and rating for your car.

There are a lot of them out there that claim to be “compatible” but all that means is they physically fit on the vehicle.

Thanks Mac!

That is actually also part of the reason to also join this forum.

Especially as I seem to have a very early model, I'm always wary when ordering stuff. And as I only have this one car, it's not like I can simply get in another car when everything has been taken apart to go and get something else.

Is there a bullet proof way to ascertain which items you require for your specific make and model?

In Holland we have several webshops (as I think in most EU countries) that will have you put in your license plate and then show you the parts that are supposedly to fit your car. However, for example with brakes, I often see different specs with different offerings, so then get "lost"...

For the shocks I saw a recommendation on a how to video for a website for the shocks, but I can't seem to find that anymore :-/

So people can help you in the future, update your profile with engine and gearbox type