I need quite a lot of work just in time for this years MOT. I've checked some reviews for aftermarket parts but to be honest I find it a bit mixed as to recommendation. I was hoping somebody may be able to offer some advice, perhaps based on experience, as to which direction I should take. I have to be careful as I'm not working at the moment, and besides all the work I need, the car will want taxing and cant go anywhere apart from on a trailer, until the MOT is done! This is just adding to the expense, and the savings are running low. So, heres what I need, and I'm open to suggestions...

1) Full set of brakes required. Am I better off with grooved, or will standard parts suffice to keep costs low (car is standard under the hood), im sure if i shop around the prices should be near enough the same

2) Tyres, again full set needed, theres no way I can afford quality rubber this time so can anybody recommend good mid-range tyres

3) 60K service. I know i will need a belt and lubes, water pump, etc, ive heard horror stories about the standard water pump falling apart into the water system, whats the best option for an upgraded water pump

4) Exhaust needed from cat-back, theres a blueflame on the bay for 250 but im told jetex can be slightly cheaper for the same quality, anybody with experience of both systems?

5) Other odds and sods for MOT, eg a steering arm, and ARB bushes(again), im told to stay away from poly bushes as it makes the ride hard but I dont mind that, anybody explain the difference in feel?

6) Although its not quite MOT work, I need a clutch too if I can afford it, again, are there any benefits to be found from an aftermarket clutch, or will standard do?

Is there anybody in my locality that could lend a hand one of the days, I'm going to attempt the fitting of exhaust and brakes myself to keep costs low, but Ive only ever attempted it once on a metro turbo and i guess things have moved on since then. She's SORN at the moment so I cant get anywhere without a trailer. Midland VW will be doing most of the other bits in a few weeks, so my target is to be roadworthy again by the end of April.

And just as a side issue, does anybody know if there have been any out-of-warranty recalls on the mk1 octavia vrs, that i may have missed out on? I know shes had coil packs just before i bought her, and im assured these were uprated parts due to a recall, but ive heard on the grapevine about alloy wheel corrosion and I wonder if i should be contacting my dealer about any other free repairs before i dig into my pocket???

1) Get a standard set of OEM equivalent ones from GSF - non-grooved should be fine and will keep costs down.

2) I like the Falken FK452's which are budget priced tyres which perform like most of the expensive branded rubber. Not sure what fitment you want as to whether they're available for you.

3) I've heard a few tuners saying they've never encountered a problem with a failed water pump and it's urban myth, but to be on the safe side you can replace your existing one with one with a metal impeller. Again probably available from GSF or somewhere like Awesome for not much more than a plastic one (30 ish quid I think).

4) My experience of Jetex exhausts is that they seem to be ok and do the job fine. Not heard any bad things about them but that was in the Subaru community. You'd probably find you can save some money by getting a non stainless replacement system from your local tyre and exhaust centre.

5) Poly bushes have less give in them which stiffens up the ride. IMHO, it doesn't make it uncomfortable but it depends what you're used to. They are a bit more expensive than normal bushes IIRC.

6) Clutch will depend. How many miles have you managed on your current one? I'd probably only bother with an aftermarket one if you were getting through clutches frequently and would say the standard one is fine unless you have big plans to mod.

Good luck

Chris

(3) Run a search. Regardless of what "some people" say, there are some fairly spectacular photos of pump fails on this site. Also, I cuccessfully and correctly diagnosed one for a mate, and seriously impressed his garage by saying what the problem was just from a desciption of the overheating sumptoms.

(6) Is the clutch actually showing signs of getting much objectively heavier, or slipping under load? If not, then there's no need to replace it.

Nothing to add to what Chris said on the other queries.

1) Brakes: Skoda Octavia Parts 1997-2004 I got a full set and they're fine. Search the forum for my posts on brake fitting checklist.

2) Tyres: shop around, places like etyres.co.uk will come to you for no extra charge

3) Water pump: get a brass impeller version from ECP or GSF

4) Exhaust: check the classifieds on here for an original perhaps ?

Si

the clutch isnt slipping, just thought it might be worth doing while im spending my hard earned, im on 55K at the mo, i assume its the original clutch, what sort of life should i expect from this one? all comments appreciated

mine will be done later this year

for the sake of £30-40 to put a new one in while the cam belt is done at a cost of say £300.00 - 350.00 make sense

What sort of life to expect from a clutch? Depending on driving style etc, over 100_000 miles is far from unheard of.

300 notes to do the cambelt? i thought the kit was about 50 quid with the belt and tensioners, is that all labour then? i had budgeted 200 quid for mine but hoped it may be quite straightforward job..?

Yes. One of the problems is that there's an engine mount that needs to come out (and that's not actually unusual with transverse engine FWD IME).

yep that is what i have been quoted by the dealers to do the cambelt