Hello All,

So I am now a proud owner of a 2026 Skoda Octavia RS (2.0 TSI), my first brand new car. I put 400 miles in the car these last 3 days, and I am loving nearly everything about it so far, however I noticed a strange thing today.

I took it on the highway, and I noticed minor but strange vibrations from around 130km/h to 150km/h. It's not just on the steering wheel, but on the whole body of the car. I felt it from under my seat first. Not at all too bad or annoying, but still noticable.

I am wondering if anyone here had the same "issue", if it is one? I had wheel balancing issues on my previous MK4 1.5 TSI before, but that I mostly felt on my steering wheel. This seems to be present on the whole car. No noise coming from the tires either, and not related to a rev range.

I just would just like to confirm if this is standard on all RS cars or something I should go back to the service with, as the car is still under warranty, and it might still be a wheel balancing issue.

Thanks for the replys,

Tamas

I’d check the wheel balance

What I have realized is, the rims of Skodas are quite weak. Last summer I had dented 2 of the rims, which took its toll at higher speeds, making the whole car shake. Apart from the rims, if you are a seasonal tire changer just like myself, there's a chance that you may have placed the left wheels to the right etc. which makes the car vibrate at higher speeds (noisy as well). Thirdly, you get the wheels check for balancing, as the tires do tend to deform and cause vibration with high speeds.

Of course there can be many other reasons including springs, shock absorbers, engine mounts etc.

52 minutes ago, Octawia said:

What I have realized is, the rims of Skodas are quite weak. Last summer I had dented 2 of the rims, which took its toll at higher speeds, making the whole car shake. Apart from the rims, if you are a seasonal tire changer just like myself, there's a chance that you may have placed the left wheels to the right etc. which makes the car vibrate at higher speeds (noisy as well). Thirdly, you get the wheels check for balancing, as the tires do tend to deform and cause vibration with high speeds.

Of course there can be many other reasons including springs, shock absorbers, engine mounts etc.

Yes I had this problem on my previous car after running into a pothole as well, but this car is brand new, with new rims and tyres. That's why it seems odd. Maybe the factory balancing is off, but next week i will take it back to the dealership for checking, and we will see what they say.

If the sound / vibration is coming from under the seat, check all the plastic undertrays are properly secured. One of them may have been disloged / broken by the delivery driver on the transporter.

36 minutes ago, JamborT said:

Yes I had this problem on my previous car after running into a pothole as well, but this car is brand new, with new rims and tyres. That's why it seems odd. Maybe the factory balancing is off, but next week i will take it back to the dealership for checking, and we will see what they say.

Sadly, your assumptions maybe correct. Skoda's quality assurance standards have lowered over the years. The topics in this forum are the living proof. Although new rims & tires do not require tuning, there's no guarantee as these days, car parts are produced in many different locations and just assembled in a factory building.

High risk scenarios may include defective tie rods, wheel bearings, engine/gearbox mounts. If the car is still under warranty, I strongly advise you to get it tested at Skoda service as they are liable.

21 hours ago, Octawia said:

Sadly, your assumptions maybe correct. Skoda's quality assurance standards have lowered over the years. The topics in this forum are the living proof. Although new rims & tires do not require tuning, there's no guarantee as these days, car parts are produced in many different locations and just assembled in a factory building.

High risk scenarios may include defective tie rods, wheel bearings, engine/gearbox mounts. If the car is still under warranty, I strongly advise you to get it tested at Skoda service as they are liable.

Yesterday I kept investigating the issue and doing some more diagnosis by driving the car. :) The vibration is also noticeable during engine braking at certain speeds — sometimes more, sometimes less. I can feel a stronger vibration through the seat, while the steering wheel only has a very slight vibration (it does not shake, it just vibrates slightly). It occurs in the same way during engine braking as it does during acceleration, so I would rule out the drivetrain, engine mounts, or the driveshaft, although I’m not an expert. It is probably most noticeable around 140 km/h. Below 110 km/h and above 150 km/h, it disappears. I checked the tyre pressures, and at the moment my main suspicion is wheel balancing. I have booked an appointment for next week at a local tyre shop with very good reviews, since the reviews of the official service were not too promising. I’ll keep you posted — maybe my case will help others here as well.

Edited 5 April5 Apr by JamborT

If it starts around 100 km/h it's most definitely to do with the rims/tires. Starting with tire balance maybe good idea. Plus, those guys can also tell you if your rims are dented too.

26 minutes ago, JamborT said:

Yesterday I kept investigating the issue and doing some more diagnosis by driving the car. :) The vibration is also noticeable during engine braking at certain speeds — sometimes more, sometimes less. I can feel a stronger vibration through the seat, while the steering wheel only has a very slight vibration (it does not shake, it just vibrates slightly). It occurs in the same way during engine braking as it does during acceleration, so I would rule out the drivetrain, engine mounts, or the driveshaft, although I’m not an expert. It is probably most noticeable around 140 km/h. Below 110 km/h and above 150 km/h, it disappears. I checked the tyre pressures, and at the moment my main suspicion is wheel balancing. I have booked an appointment for next week at a local tyre shop with very good reviews, since the reviews of the official service were not too promising. I’ll keep you posted — maybe my case will help others here as well.

I fear I have a similar issue which I've been trying to tell myself doesn't exist. The vibrations are at similar speeds and also noticeable in the seat but less so on the steering wheel.

In addition to all the pot holes on UK roads at the moment I have a lot of speed bumps at my work. I managed to warp 3 wheels on my previous Alfa Guilia which is a common occurrence due to the way they are made. I'm really hoping I haven't done the same again. Planning to get it checked in the not too distant future although it's certainly not as bad as on the Alfa. Cost me nearly £250 to get those ones straightened.... 🫣

5 minutes ago, mork23 said:

I fear I have a similar issue which I've been trying to tell myself doesn't exist. The vibrations are at similar speeds and also noticeable in the seat but less so on the steering wheel.

In addition to all the pot holes on UK roads at the moment I have a lot of speed bumps at my work. I managed to warp 3 wheels on my previous Alfa Guilia which is a common occurrence due to the way they are made. I'm really hoping I haven't done the same again. Planning to get it checked in the not too distant future although it's certainly not as bad as on the Alfa. Cost me nearly £250 to get those ones straightened.... 🫣

At first, I was also trying to convince myself that it was normal. Mainly because the car has only done 800 km so far, and I remember every single one of them. I definitely did not hit any potholes or speed bumps. But I have driven a few sporty cars over the years, and I have a gut feeling that this is not how it is supposed to be. The vibrations are nowhere near strong enough for me to be completely sure, though. I’m hoping that wheel balancing will either sort it out or reassure me that nothing is actually wrong.

Just now, JamborT said:

At first, I was also trying to convince myself that it was normal. Mainly because the car has only done 800 km so far, and I remember every single one of them. I definitely did not hit any potholes or speed bumps. But I have driven a few sporty cars over the years, and I have a gut feeling that this is not how it is supposed to be. The vibrations are nowhere near strong enough for me to be completely sure, though. I’m hoping that wheel balancing will either sort it out or reassure me that nothing is actually wrong.

I'm going to try and sit tight for a bit to see how it develops so looking forward to hearing your outcome.

Surely if it’s wheel balance it would become noticeable at a certain speed and become more prominent as you increased speed. It wouldn’t go away. The first thing I thought when you mentioned the vibration on the overrun too was in fact a loose or mal adjusted engine mount.

41 minutes ago, whippersnapper said:

Surely if it’s wheel balance it would become noticeable at a certain speed and become more prominent as you increased speed. It wouldn’t go away. The first thing I thought when you mentioned the vibration on the overrun too was in fact a loose or mal adjusted engine mount.

But wouldn’t that mean that, with shifting and changes in revs, the intensity should change as well? Because that is not what is happening in this case. This “massage-gun-like” vibration in the seat is quite constant at certain speeds. I’m not a mechanic, just trying to make use of what I’ve researched on the topic. Anyway, if the wheel balancing doesn’t bring any results, I’ll take the shop mechanic out for a test drive. I might just be overreacting to the sport suspension; for now, it’s really not that bad. I guess we’ll know more by the end of next week.

Maybe. If it were me I’d just take it back to the dealer and get them to diagnose it. It’s brand new

Were the tyre pressures checked after collection & readjusted if needing, and the TPMS reset. Incase still at TRANSIT pressure. Car needs checked that the Transit blocks have been removed from the suspension.

If its happening when accelerating and also when foot is lifted your probably right in it not being a drive train issue but worth getting garage to go out with you and show a mechanic not the salesman. It may be a bad tyre even though its brand new. Had one go slightly out of round that was fairly new. Couldn't notice at low speeds but at 50/60 mph felt like someone was shaking seat base. Not felt through steering wheel. Turned out to be one of the rears. The tyre service said they see it fairly often and have had random new tyres the same.

Alasdair

For my situation I've got the ability to compare this directly to my previous vehicle which had an almost identical issue but far more noticeable. I put that down to me being careless over the speed humps at work (rubber ones which when new are very harsh and continuously replaced as heavy goods vehicles were ironing them out) although both the forums and the garage I took it to told me this was a common problem with the alloys. Get to 72mph and it was like a switch was flicked - a few mph more and the steering wheel vibration was unbearable.

Mine by comparison is a mild vibration but I'm possibly paranoid from my own experience. The tyre pressures were fine on receipt. I even had to increase them for my long journey. 99% of the time it's all good, only motorway speed does it become more noticeable. Main issue is family are a 9 hour drive away! Music does the good job of taking my focus away for now but I am intending to get the tracking checked at which point I'll request the alloys are reviewed too.

On 06/04/2026 at 08:11, Evolution13 said:

Were the tyre pressures checked after collection & readjusted if needing, and the TPMS reset. Incase still at TRANSIT pressure. Car needs checked that the Transit blocks have been removed from the suspension.

I checked all the tyre pressures myself when I first noticed it. They were all more or less the same. One tyre was 0.1 bar lower than the others, but that is basically nothing. I inflated them to the specified pressures, but it did not make any difference. Anyway, I already got an appointment with the dealership for tomorrow. Based on my description, they said it is most likely a wheel balancing issue, and unfortunately it is quite common. If it turns out not to be that, then I guess I will be giving them some extra work by having them check everything else as well.

Quick update on my position. Now 4000 miles in - had an alignment check and all wheels checked for imperfections. Required a 4 wheel alignment and 3 of the 4 wheels needed quite a lot of re-balancing. Seems to have sorted my issue but I'll find out for certain in the next couple of weeks as I've the best part of 1500 miles planned. Fingers crossed... 🤞