[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by ashish22

Hey Avinash thanks for the lovely pictures and the write up and off course many congratulations for the new acquisition. No wonders its one hell of a car and you must be enjoying her to the hilt!
Keep us updated with the Ownership!

Originally Posted by ecenandu

Nice and crisp review . Wishing you a lot of happy miles with her.

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Congrats and great review. About time you put it up. I wish I had got those PS3s when I got my car, but at 11k a tire and with me not using the car so much it didn't make sense. Does the car still wheelspin if you put your foot down in first gear?

True about the steering controls, that and bluetooth is missed.

Thanks Akshay. Yeh, I'm quite late with the review. You should've gone for 225s, they do make a difference and I'm sure, more so at higher speeds. I paid 22k for the set after exchanging the stock ones. Didnt spend on sunfilm or anything else afterwards though. Yup the car sometimes do wheelspin in firstgear when in put my foot down. I find shifting from 1st to 2nd in such a situation a little notchy.

[maheshramaling]

Congrats on your new ride and thanks for the crisp review/ pictures. Laura looks great in Black and I miss mine being black :( Also - liked the black interiors.

Quick question: does sporty pedals slip by any chance if your shoes are wet? Reason for asking is that - when I asked skoda guys to replace my normal pedals with sporty pedals they recommended not to change since it is slippery if used with wet shoes and this would be trouble when you have to get out/ in during rainy seasons. Would be good to get your input.

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by maheshramaling

Congrats on your new ride and thanks for the crisp review/ pictures. Laura looks great in Black and I miss mine being black :( Also - liked the black interiors.

Quick question: does sporty pedals slip by any chance if your shoes are wet? Reason for asking is that - when I asked skoda guys to replace my normal pedals with sporty pedals they recommended not to change since it is slippery if used with wet shoes and this would be trouble when you have to get out/ in during rainy seasons. Would be good to get your input.

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

Sporty pedals
Attachment 953870

Thanks. Yes those sporty pedals tend to be slippery when shoes are wet. This is in comparison to my Verna and AltoK10, dont know how it is with the regular Laura. Maybe it's cause the actual contact patch between feet and pedals is just along those rubber strips rather than the entire pedal area.Not a real issue as I've a habit of rubbing along the floor mats each time my shoes are wet. But otherwise they tend to do their job well.

[Monaro CV8]

Hi Avinash,
Many Congratulations on the vRS!

For me, after the Octavia vRS, this is one car that sets the heart racing.
I'm sure you must be enjoying the ride.

A quick question: Do the DRLs have dual purpose as the parking lights?

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

Hi Avinash,
Many Congratulations on the vRS!

For me, after the Octavia vRS, this is one car that sets the heart racing.
I'm sure you must be enjoying the ride.

A quick question: Do the DRLs have dual purpose as the parking lights?

Thanks.
Yes the DRLs have dual purpose as the parking lights, but along with a dimmer function (while working as parking lights). In their normal DRL operation mode, they're quite bright like that of a Merc.

[vishaltanksale]

Looking at the recommended tyre sizes are different from your upgrade size 225/50 R16 PS3, do you see any issue with the warranty?

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by vishaltanksale

Looking at the recommended tyre sizes are different from your upgrade size 225/50 R16 PS3, do you see any issue with the warranty?

225/50 R16 is a proper upgrade. Its just that usually 225 tyres are provided as stock only on international variants of Laura RS, but with 17inch rims. Hence not mentioned on that sticker. It has no warranty issues.

[avinash_clt]

Its been a while since I updated this thread. 2 years and 2 months since the vRS came home. The car has been sparingly used since Jan-2013. My job took me to Chennai and the car had to be left behind at Calicut. It was used by my dad on a regular basis, but minimal highway drives and company of a Verna crdi / Brio meant only 500-600kms a month. This meant the catcon-cleaning exercises were limited to those weekends when me or my brother used to take the vehicle out for a spin during our weekend visits to Calicut.

And still we adore this car, it turns heads and has its own fanbase among our friends circles. It was joined by a VW GT TDI and a Vento TSI, both good performers , good cars. But one drive behind the wheels of the vRS and it still steals my heart, makes me smile and say WOW again. I use a Stage1 remapped GT TDI these days, have clocked 18000km in 6 months, lots of higway drives, but a few min driving the vRS, I fall in love with her again.


Services / Niggles in the 2 year/24000km ownership

• 15,000 km service was carried out within 10 months . I dont recall the expenses exactly, but it was cheaper than the similiar interval service I had to do for my Polo GT TDI (approx Rs8500 without wheel alignment/balancing) . A fog lamp which got a stone hit during a highway sprint was also replaced.
  
• We dont have rats in our house, but mongoose. When the dogs are out at night, mongoose find shelter under the car and one one them bit through the wiper washer fluid connecting hose. Replaced them with a set of new.
  
• May-13 : A metallic whining noise whenever the engine went above 2k rpm. I couldn't recall such a noise during all my drives . Neither could i confirm with another vehicle, as a stock 1.8TSI was nowhere near me. Skoda ASS said an alternator pulley was making noise and they replaced the alternator assembly. Well the noise never went away. They couldnt explain the noise , but gave me assurance that its of no major concern. Later on I had the vehicle inspected at Petes, with Mr. Peter Chacko himself taking trails and confidently ensured that there is nothing to worry.
  
• Oil consumption: An advice for all 1.8TSI owners, please dont wait till the manufacturer recommendation of 1year/15000km to do oil change service. I would recommend every 10k , doing the same for my Polo GT. I have had low oil engine level indication glowing on two occassions. Once at 11500 km when i was on my way from Ahmedabad to Pune and that too on a Sunday. The particular brand of Castrol OE synthetic oil which VW & Skoda use are not commercially available in the aftermarket and in the middle of the highway, I couldnt find the particular grade. I was doing a straight 3100km drive and didnt keep spare oil And luckily somewhere after Vadodara, I found few lube shops open on Sundays, found a Valvoline synthetic which matched the recommended VW grades and bought two litres. The car happily gulped down nearly 1.1 liters of oil. Later again at 20500km , low engine oil light came on and 550ml of oil was topped.
  
• Headlamp washer not functioning : In Jan-14, I noticed that the headlamp washers were not functioning. A small pump near the RHS side had to be replaced, costed around Rs2300 , and since we already had replaced a fog lamp due to stone hit and bumper corner paintings carried out, we didn't argue for warranty.
  
• Overall experience with Skoda ASS : Not the best we have seen among many other OEMs, but all the horror stories are not true. As per the local ASS, they hardly receive one 1.8TSI vehicle per month. Had to escalate at times when they disconnected AC compressor coupler while replacing fog lamps etc, but there was a prompt response and a personalised service during each visit.
  
• Overall niggles with the car: I would say very minimal. Every other car we have owned previously have given us more niggles in the first two years of ownership. There are no noises, no squeaks.

Some of those trips which made me fell in love with the vRS

• Calicut to Pune
• Pune to Delhi (via Udaipur)
• Delhi - Agra - Delhi on Christmas day 2013 (Yamuna expressway)
• Delhi - Ahemdabad - Pune - Hyderbad - Chennai

.

The car has seen some of the best highways across the country including the Mumbai Pune expressway, Baroda - Ahmedabad NE1 , Yamuna expressway, Hyderabad ORR. Those drives were a blast. Its very easy to keep high average speeds. The vRS seats gives a much better support compared to my GT TDI or Vento TSI. A remap was never carried out in the vehicle because off late I dont get to use it on open highway. Will post some pictures taken during those trips soon.
Petes opened a detailing store in Calicut lately and we got the car Smartwaxed. A very commentable job and car was shining again in all its glory. It suffers from a split personality disorder which all of us in the family enjoy. She is going to stay with us for a very long time.

[microaubin]

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

Some of those trips which made me fell in love with the vRS

• Calicut to Pune
• Pune to Delhi (via Udaipur)
• Delhi - Agra - Delhi on Christmas day 2013 (Yamuna expressway)
• Delhi - Ahemdabad - Pune - Hyderbad - Chennai

.

Wow, those trips would have been such a delight in one of the best drivers car available.

VW group cars are quite known for the oil gulping capabilities. Always good to carry one in the car at all times lest the warning light comes on. In fact some of my friends have a couple of oil cans in their boot at all times, including me, mine which was given complimentary by the dealer!

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by microaubin

Wow, those trips would have been such a delight in one of the best drivers car available.

VW group cars are quite known for the oil gulping capabilities. Always good to carry one in the car at all times lest the warning light comes on. In fact some of my friends have a couple of oil cans in their boot at all times, including me, mine which was given complimentary by the dealer!

Yes those trips made me fall in love with the car. I had used a Verna Crdi in Pune previously for four months, with occasional bursts across the Mumbai Pune expressway and short trips to Lonavala etc. And when i drove the vRS across the same routes, got to really feel the difference and focus of European engineered cars. Some more long highway drives and I started appreciating driving dynamics , potent engine and the connection the vehicle could give while behind the wheel over creature comforts. Verna was no slouch, it was a fantastic car, but didnt give that confidence on highway. After 5 years we parted , an in came another from VW stable , the GT TDI. Later on a Vento TSI too. It was indeed the vRS that made us go back to the VW stable again .

Yes I have two cans of oil each in the vRS as well as the GT TDI these days. GT needs a top up of close to 400ml every odd 6000kms. But then majority of the kms being covered in spirited highway driving, one can't complain.

Below are few of the pics of the vRS during the drives. My harddisk crashed and I lost many of them, sparing the below few.

Definitely the most scenic expressway , Mumbai-Pune


vRS and an abandoned airfield (near Ajmer)


Excuse the poor video quality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m5qPulZweA

Definitely the fastest expressway, well back then on a cold December morning - Yamuna expressway


Support partners for all those drives


Regards,
Avinash

[Gannu_1]

Nice clicks there Avinash! We had been through the Mumbai-Pune expressway 2 weeks back and although I was a bit scared to take up on this journey initially, the entire trip went well. The curvy roads along the ghat sections, hair-pin bends and the tunnels were lovely. Never experienced anything like this before. My co-driver tried his best capturing some snaps inside the tunnels but couldn’t focus on any object and they all ended up being blurry! Your vRS has seen some of the best roads in the country already. Good luck with her! Lovely car.

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

Yes I have two cans of oil each in the vRS as well as the GT TDI these days. GT needs a top up of close to 400ml every odd 6000kms.

What make of engine oil have you stored in your GT?

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Nice clicks there Avinash! We had been through the Mumbai-Pune expressway 2 weeks back and although I was a bit scared to take up on this journey initially, the entire trip went well. The curvy roads along the ghat sections, hair-pin bends and the tunnels were lovely. Never experienced anything like this before. My co-driver tried his best capturing some snaps inside the tunnels but couldn’t focus on any object and they all ended up being blurry! Your vRS has seen some of the best roads in the country already. Good luck with her! Lovely car.



What make of engine oil have you stored in your GT?

Its indeed a beautiful expressway and absolutely lovely during the monsoons. One trip by train from Mumbai to Pune and I just couldnt resist not taking a car to Pune. Hence the trusty Verna arrived. Used to go on sunday drives crossing the expressway, the sea-link, worli sea face, have lunch at Bademiya, park across the marine drive, have a little nap and drive back to Pune again. Miss those days . vRS , GT TDI these are vehicles meant for those open highways, take them with you and you will fall in love with them. Sorry for getting carried away.

Regarding the oil grades, I'm using the same 1L Castrol Magnatec Professional supplied from VW workshops. Skoda ASS also use the same, but unlike VW workshops, they receive the oil in barrels rather than in 1L bottles like VW (the same being informed to me by the Skoda service manager). It's a multigrade synthetic oil , I guess specially developed for our markets since it caters to the requirements of 1.8TSI, 1.4TSI and 1.2,1.6,2.0TDIs without DPF.

Regards,
Avinash

[Wanderers]

Hi Avinash

You truly hold a flier in Hand.
Did you take-off at Ajmer airfield or for that matter at Yamuna Expressway, which is tempting but a good safe speed is manageable.

Did you had any problem with inferior quality fuel, which we normally end up filling during long highway drive.

I know that Skoda ask us to fill normal fuel only even though the specification calls for premium.

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Hi Avinash

You truly hold a flier in Hand.
Did you take-off at Ajmer airfield or for that matter at Yamuna Expressway, which is tempting but a good safe speed is manageable.

Did you had any problem with inferior quality fuel, which we normally end up filling during long highway drive.

I know that Skoda ask us to fill normal fuel only even though the specification calls for premium.

Never had any problem with fuel quality, used to fill normal fuel only. While I was there in Delhi for a month, had tried 97Octane for two tankfulls. The Yamuna expressway bash was on a 97octane tankfull. Throttle response was improved and a bit more smoother idling . Rest everywhere I used to fill up regular 91 Octane. A tankfull would mean a range of 550 - 600kms atleast (high average speeds) and I could manage to get into a decent petrol pump on these routes.

Yamuna expressway on the day which I drove (it was on Christmas 2012 to be precise) was pristine. Temperatures never went above 16-17 deg Celsius, the sun never came out shining through the fog and hardly any vehicles on the road. The road has very few curves and quite wide compared to others, but lacked barriers to prevent cattle/people crossing. Lets say i was left wanting for more top end power only on that drive. The abandoned airstrip was in pretty bad shape with the top layer of tar eroded. It was relatively short too and with car fighting for traction, managed close to 190 only.

Below was the welcoming party at the airstrip


Regards,
Avinash

[avinash_clt]

Recently completed 3 years of ownership and had the third oil change service. Like I said before the car's usage has dropped to less than 10000km a year now. I moved out of country recently. The long distance drives, which my brother takes, are done in the Polo GT TDI. It has already clocked 45000km in less than 18 months. City drives are managed by the Vento TSI and a Tata Nano. So vRS makes only small trips these days, but fun trips always.

No issues at all in the past year of ownership. No niggles , squeaks or electrical jargons . Touchwood. The more she gets older and more we adore her, all of the family loves the car so much. It kind of brings a sense of pride to keep the unique beauty with us, We get offers to sell the car almost once every month But don't think she will leave. The new Octavia 1.8TSI continues to be in AT only variant and also read somewhere than new vRS is further delayed.

Tyres are due for replacement. I am running 225/50 R16 PS3. New sets of PS3 are no longer available. Dont want to run higher profile of 225/55 nor want to upgrade the OEM alloys. The only option left is Yoko Adv.Sport in 225/50 R16. Though Yoko customer care themselves confirmed availability, still unable to source them.

Cheers,
Avinash