[Closed] Octavia VRS

Mates VRS had something unpleasant go on the suspension, think it was sorted under warranty though. Great car other than that, it went like stink

I had a very early mk1 vRS. I had it from new and covered about 110k miles in it. No real issues while I owned it, couple of very minor faults but overall I was very happy with it.

There is an owner's forum which I am sure will have some pointers of what to look for.

Yes Briskoda I believe. The previous owner was a member so it may pay to join up.

I had a mk1 vrs for 5 years and absolutely loved it. No issues with it in that time.

I've just returned to the fold with a mk2 vrs diesel estate and so far so good.
The wife had a fabia vrs too so you could say I'd recommend them 🙂

As mentioned, briskoda website will have plenty of info

As mentioned, Briskoda. You don't need to pay to join but £12 a year gets your Freedom membership which gets you a sticker, discounts, access to the classifieds and some locked parts of the forum etc. Well worth it...

I don't know too much about the mk1 but its certainly not a bad car, especially for the money they can be had for.

I wouldn't bother fixing the Mondeo... seems false economy. Sell it for parts and put the money towards a k04 for the Octy 😉

/slightly off topic.....

The new vRS is being unveiled today at Goodwood.

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Nice.

wow that looks nice!

mutton dressed as lamb!

New one looks really, really good. R version with 4WD would be nice!

The new one is on my radar for next car on company lease once my current one runs out. Drove the 4WD diesel (non vRS) back in March in Switzerland and it was properly bloody brilliant. Properly impressed with it. The only thing you can mark against Skoda these days is past history. If people can't look past the badge then they are missing out on some cracking value for money (and just generally excellent) cars.

I had a new 2.0D Elegance hatchback ffor a weekend demonstrator a couple of months ago - time to replace my lease car. At the beginning of June I had my finger hovering ofer the "order" button but decided to have one more look to see if I could find any more reports/reviews of the estate (which wasn't available on demo). My search threw up the announcement of the vRS just a few days prior!

I've been hanging on ever since to see if my lease company will include them on their list. Today should be the day they say yes/no!

The only thing I'd say is the mk1 is starting to get age-related/old now stuff. Most will be well into 100k+ territory.

Its an 04 with 84k. FSH cambelt and water pump done. I think the previous owner was obsessive about keeping it pristine. The seats and interior have had covers on from new.Its not cheap but nothing comes close for the money really. As a friend keeps telling me the quality will be remembered long after the price has been forgotten.

I need those new vrs wheels for my t4!!!!!

And yes they are nice and reasonably quick too for a family saloon/estate but quite small inside in comparison to a mondeo or passat.

What is a K04? Is that a uprated turbo!

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Heres a tip, when buying older cars this works for me- get the owner to drive the car. Sit in the back and relax. You can get a feel for the car if you aren't visually concentrating/listening/doing two or three things at once......

Normally you only start to spot certain things after you've owned the car for a while and relaxed.

Get them to wear a hat too and you can pretend you have a chauffeur 😉

That's the new vRS?? Holy shit I want one! I could really see myself buying an actual new car for something like that.

If my wife would let me buy a Skoda.

I take back the 'reasonably quick' comment in reference to the new RS with the petrol one having 6.8 sec 0 to 60 and 154 mph. 😀

Does anyone know which wheel model is on the above picture of the new one as I [i]really [/i] want a set of them!

That is a 04. They are the standard alloys I think. 320mm disc brakes for what that's worth. I pick her up tomorrow. Quite looking forward to driving her back to Durham via the back roads of course!

That is a 04. They are the standard alloys I think. 320mm disc brakes for what that's worth. I pick her up tomorrow. Quite looking forward to driving her back to Durham via the back roads of course! I think they are 17's.

Don't know if this helps - bro in law had a 1.8T S3. I really liked it but (from fuzzy memory now) it was nervous(?)/weird in a way. He had it remapped- not by much but when I drove it again it felt waaaaay smoother. It was only c£300 as well. Alot of remap companies can put a tester map on that expires after a while so you can try before you buy..

Sorry, meant the new RS (white one further up) Have fun, clearful now 😉

@ Hora, Yes the local Revo place offered a try before you buy remap on the passat (tdi 130) up 50bhp or something, didn't go for it in the end as milage over 100k and worried about reliability (and my licence) 😉

Tried the forks with that comp. damper in too yet?? 😀

On a TDI I'd rather spend the money on a service. With the added torque over a petrol, even a 110bhp 1.9 doesn't feel lethargic/crap!

200hp easy with a remap. A lot of cupra's have the same engine and they kick out 225 as standard.

@Hora serviced really regulary and everything done, 130 is quick enough a little more poke would be nice the VRS TDI I almost bough in it's place was just about right, mate has the current VRS Superb which is awesome (and massive)

Think there is a mk2 golf with one of the 1.8T engines in that's road legal and running over 1000bhp 😯

Loco. I make do with 65bhp at the moment.

The next time I step into a 200bhp car I imagine I'd have to readjust the springs in my right foot 😀

Drive the T4 most of the time with about 65bhp and 2 tonnes odd, so even the sensible family saloon requires re adjusting my head especially the decent brakes 😕

Have the motorbikes for going proper fast. (when they're actually in one piece)

Think there is a mk2 golf with one of the 1.8T engines in that's road legal and running over 1000bhp

Think it had the 4wd drive system fitted. There was a video somewhere, may have been on here.

Inbred456 - Member
That is a 04. They are the standard alloys I think. 320mm disc brakes for what that's worth. I pick her up tomorrow. Quite looking forward to driving her back to Durham via the back roads of course!

Enjoy! I missed mine as soon as I sold it. Just returned to a mk2 vrs and it feels great to be back.

Yeah i looked at a lot of mk2's lovely cars but just not any around up here for now. I would of gone for the estate but they are really thin on the ground. So its a detachable tow bar going on for the bikes.

Really good size boot in the hatches too .. In both the Mk1 and 2.
Get some more pics up when you've got it 😉
The diesel mk2 estates are even scarcer ... Mine came up in a local garage and I couldn't go past without stopping for a look 🙂
Just because I love it...
[IMG] [/IMG]

That is very nice! Diesel or petrol?

Really like these, looking at getting a MK2 when the Pishrat gives me a big bill, on 178,000 at the mo with no sign of stopping though.

Is it possible to get a smaller size wheel on them, say 16" or will the brakes get in the way?

Its the Diesel pd170 bhp engine.
Goes really well yet i Can get up to 50 mpg out of it even when its full of camping gear.
I think my next car will be one of the new mk3 estates that was posted earlier on in the thread. Not for a few years yet tho!

Is it possible to get a smaller size wheel on them, say 16" or will the brakes get in the way?

18's on mine which were an option. Standard on mk2 vrs are 17". Don't know if you can go smaller but even 17's look too small IMO

17s were actually only an option for the first year or so of the mk2. From mid 2006 I think onwards, 18s were standard on the vRS.

Im pretty sure the octavia vrs came with a ko3s turbo which is why it put out more bhp than the normal 150bhp
By having a ko4 it means it been played with so may be running a remap anyway, there would be n point fitting the ko4 otherwsie

remap easily to 216bhp and still decent on fuel.

watch out for coil packs failing.

Check dump vlave as it should be a recirculating type for the turbo to work properly, easily upgrade able to the version fitted to the 225 bhp audi tt

Based on mk4 gold platform so should last a while and parts will be cheapish .

I know there was an injector recall for the 150 & 170 diesels but i think that problem is sorted now.

I have one like Stox's, 56 plate 170 diesel.
I put 16" alloys on mine, no probs with brakes. Audi SE ones like [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16-Audi-A4-Alloy-Wheels-x4-with-205-55-16-Tyres-7mm-5-x-112-A6-VW-T2-T25-T4-/190865574481 ]these[/url]

I was fed up with the fashion statement 18" on mine with our cratered roads. Destroying an almost new £150 snow tyre was the final straw. Car drives much better now. It's not a car for attracting loose burdz, it's for ferrying my family around so I don't really care what it looks like.

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Those seats are going to take some getting used to.

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Quite a big boot slightly hampered by having those suspension braces across the back.

Avoid main dealers, our local skoda dealer was useless.
Find a recomended VW specialist near you and all should be well.
Even Jeremy Clarkson (who bought a bicycle, aparantly) gave the Octavia a big thumbs up in top gear magazine a few years ago.

Looks very clean that !!

got a pic of the engine bay?

Sorry cant link pictures with my phone, try the above.

The seats are fantastic when you have small children! Whose idea it was to put slightly off white seats in what is essentially a family car (albeit a fast one). Get some scotchguard on them straight away. Makes life a bit easier, when the inevitable happens

Is the inevitable motion-sickness-induced vomit? They're nice cars, been in a couple.

Will post a little review when ive had her for a bit, impressions,mpg costs, how practical etc.

That new VRs estate in white is stunning! I've got a standard 110ps Octy 1.9TDi, and it's such a comfortable car to sit in for long journeys, and even mine is reasonably quick when I welly it, but 0-60 in 6.4, 154mph? Yikes! That's all the car I could possibly want.
And Skoda's dodgy history is only as a result of the Communist occupation of the country, and even then they still managed to field successful rally cars. The original Skoda Superb was a luxury limousine that ranked alongside Cadillac and Rolls Royce, IIRC it sold for the equivalent to £110,000 or thereabouts.
Now, if you want [i]really[/i] crappy soviet-bloc cars, just try driving a Lada, or a Wartburg... 😯

Picked her up this morning. Everything appears to work. No knocks or bangs as of yet. Aircon has been regassed. Its had new coil packs and a cat. New steering rack as well. Serviced every 10k from new. New tyres on the front. May need some discs on the back at some point. Cambelt and pump done at 65k. Appears to be getting mid 30's mpg at the moment. I would say she's nippy rather than fast. I can't really think of anything that comes close with that amount of space for the money really( still looking through rose tinted glasses at the moment.)

Good stuff however if it is running a ko4 then I would be expecting it to be quite lively to be honest!

I think its bog standard at the minute, gives a fair old push in the back if you gun it. Jabba sport have an agent close to me that can give it a remap pushing out 210bhp with 230 ft/lbs for 240+Vat. That's what they call a stage one with the standard k03 turbo. They also do a self install kit that's switchable. I'll leave it as it is for now till my insurance needs renewing then see what the costs are.

A lot of cupra's have the same engine and they kick out 225 as standard.

Similar engine - different turbo amongst other things....

Took a Mk1 over at the end of its company lease for 3 months about 7 years ago. Drive well enough - but not as similar to a Golf GTi or an Audi S3 as some people may suggest. The increased overhang and poorer weight distribution were easily felt when cornering compared to the S3 I had at the same time or 1.8T golf GTI's I drove frequently at the time.

The above doesn't detract from the fact that it is a great car for the money though, with far more positives than negatives. Putting a bike in the back was simple too with a huge boot even when you had the impediment of the braces between the wheel arches.

Indicator relays go quite frequently as well.

That looks well tidy for its age.

My grandad bought a 2001 diesel estate but didn't get on with it (don't ask) so an uncle bought it off him and its still going strong at 180k.

That new VRS estate looks ace but is quite expensive, I know you need to take inflation into account etc but even still, VW seem to be pushing them upmarket.

My better half isn't that impressed with the ride. Feels a bit harsh over firm. Too late now!!! The clutch is a bit heavier than she'd like as well. Just found out its got cruise control hidden on the indicator stalk rather than on the steering wheel. Also just found the average mpg GULP! Hope the overall average is going to increase a bit. While picking up a curry tonight just had a lad ask if it was for sale. No chance matey.

So does the 200 hp leon use the K03 turbo as in the vrs and the cupra 225 use the k04? I have noticed quite a bit of lag when accelerating in the higher gears. You really do have to keep them on the boil don't you to get the best out of them.

I think so (trying to remember from when I was looking at S3's a few years ago).

What I do remember is that 1.8t engine is pretty bullet proof. The only common issues were coil packs.

I think it goes like this .........

golf gti/audi tt/leon with 150 bhp - fitted with ko3

same cars with 180/210 bhp - fitted with ko3s

same cars with 225 bhp - ko4

That would tie in with what I've picked up from the various tuning company websites.

inbred, it looks like you've bought a nice one there!

The earlier Golf and A3 had the K03 turbo, cable throttle, NVVT engine.
MY2000 Golf 150 had K03 turbo, NVVT but was DBW(drive by wire) throttle.
The later 150 and 180 (all of them) had the K03s, VVT engine, and DBW.
The K04 is on the 210, 225 and 240 engined cars early ones are NVVT later ones VVT all DBW. These engines run a lower compression to the lower powered ones as well.

If you are looking at remapping make sure the car is 100% healthy first (or have someone else do it!), whilst the engines are pretty reliable coilpacks, plugs, vac lines, boost hoses, DV, etc, etc. can all expire over time and lots of use.
Don't go chasing peak figures, it's the power/torque under the curve that will give you a nicer car to drive!

Those side bolsters look mint.

As you are one of those bloody dirty cyclists, personally I'd just get some good quality seat covers and leave them in there [s]most[/s] all of the time.

I had a nice interior once and did the same.

You have tartan blankets covering your interior. And a trilby on the back parcel shelf 😛

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You have tartan blankets covering your interior. And a trilby on the back parcel shelf

.....reminds me of the pair of old curtains that you left in a car of mine... it caused the whole interior to go fully mouldy!

Your selective memory has kicked in again. I think you'll find it was my sodding jacket that you left, pissed wet through, in your boot for months, while denying that you actually had it, that sent the interior of your car mouldy. That and the bodies of murdered prostitutes. So.....

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..sort of poetic justice? Askmid says the car is still in use with its mobile-penicillin interior 😆

http://www.oaktree-garage.co.uk/cars-for-sale.cfm?id=8490

Now that ive got her here is the link from the garage with more picks. I looked at several around the 2.5k mark, couldn't find a decent one at that price.

Some good info there Kevhl. Do you know witch turbo the later 200 bhp 2.0 TFSI engines had. Could the K03 comfortably cope with another 20hp. I agree with, as a large car the torque delivery is as important if not more so than a spikey power delivery.

if you want to remap it go to R-Tech, make sure the car has no other minor engine faults though (vacuum, coils etc)

k03 in the TFSI/TSI.

Will check R tech and see what they can do cheers!

Mine (mk2 2.0 TSI estate) going in tomorrow to have coilovers fitted. Few more bits to do (wheels and some interior bits and pieces) and then probably going to map it...

2.0tfsi (200bhp) has a K03 but it's not the same K03 as the 1.8t engine
2.0tfsi (230+bhp) has a K04 but it's not the same K04 as the 1.8t engine.
2.0TSI engines have an IHI turbo, but there are K04 upgrades available.
Your car has a K03s, the engine has plenty of scope in it but you don't want to go to someone who's going to push it to the limit, you want to have software on there that gives you a better driving experience and is reliable! Revo have a 20% summer sale on at the moment, definately worth a look.

One bonus of driving an Octavia VRS is that if you hang a high-vis jacket on the back of the driver's seat you won't get knobs in rep-mobiles sitting on your arse as they'll assume you're a copper!

🙂

not in one that old they wont

Yes she is an old girl but once she picks up her coat tails she can surprise quite a few young whipper snappers. Will have a look at Revo see what they have to offer.