[torque18]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Everyone! I'm back!

Finished upgrading my car's ESP to the latest generation of ABS with ABS / ESP(basic) to advanced ESP with ESP, XDS , PLA , DSR , HBA , LDE , EBC , HVV, CBC , TCS , YMC ,EDL , HHC ..... Such features are only found in high end cars. The car now has full fledged automatic parking along with 360 degrees view.

ESP: Electronic Stability Program, XDS: Advanced Electronic Differential Lock, PLA: Automatic Parking, version 2, DSR: Driver Steering Recommendation, TCS: Traction Control system, YMC: Yaw Moment Control, EDL: Electronic Differential Lock, CBC: Corner Braking Control, HHC: Hill Hold Control, HVV: Maximum Rear Axle Deceleration, LDE: Low Dynamic ESP. Shall put the pics and videos soon!

Hello

I am in need of some help. I see that this abs+esp unit is an upgrade for all Skoda cars as mentioned on the vagtune website also. I am considering this upgrade for my Rapid.

I have a few questions on this and since you are already using it, I think you would be the best person to comment on it

1. The module apparently adds Hill climb control. Does this require extra wiring to be done? If yes, then how does vagtune go about it? original harness? also, I am assuming that this would require placing a switch also for activating/deactivating this function. So how is this managed? if there is a switch then is it an OEM from Skoda? A picture of the same would be much appreciated.

2. As for the other three functions, CBC-PLA-DSR, I think PLA will be rendered useless in my car as there is no supporting accessories for automatic parking.
However, please shed some more light on CBC and DSR. What exactly are these functions and do they also require any extra wiring and other accessories? Or do they just start working upon activation from VAGCOM software? Also, do they offer any real advantage?

Regards

[nitinbose]

Hi Torque,

These require the ABS upgrade along with the relevant modules and wiring, following which there would be VAG coding.

I would suggest you get in touch with Vagtune, since the car under question is a rapid.

[sc0rpi0n]

Hi Nitin,

I am in my final round of discussions to buy a used Skoda Laura.
This thread has been really informative and also did bring a question mark to me when it came to ASS. Do you still visit Vinayak or is there a better place you could suggest?

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by sc0rpi0n

Hi Nitin,

I am in my final round of discussions to buy a used Skoda Laura.
This thread has been really informative and also did bring a question mark to me when it came to ASS. Do you still visit Vinayak or is there a better place you could suggest?

If the car is out of warranty period, I would strongly recommend Pete's Bangalore (Head over wheels). Shibin would service/repair/upgrade your vehicle(s) quite religiously!

I'd vouch for this place any day!

[nitinbose]

James Bond is simply rocking, taking on mission after mission and always coming out with flying colors!

When the car clocked 41.5K, I decided to have the 45K service done as the engine oil has turned really black and become thick.

I opted out of Vinayak Skoda after my previous bad experience and was wondering where to find a suitable service center, which was when Shibin (Pete's - Head Over Wheels) agreed to do the service for me.

Shibin agreed to be present all through the service. I took the car by 0830hrs and Shibin, along with his staff promptly started the service procedures.

The first step was to add some engine flush and keep the car running for sometime which would ensure any dirt deposit in the engine/oil path would be dis-lodged and removed when the oil is drained. This was followed by the replacement of the filters, namely, oil, pollen and air. The existing filters were badly sooted.

The car was then taken up the ramp and the existing engine oil completely drained. The new oil was then poured and the level monitored till the optimum level was reached. The engine covers were then washed, cleaned and fitted back.

We then started the car to ensure everything was okay and took a test drive. I could feel the engine being smoother than before.

The next step was to check the brake pads. The front brake pads were worn out and needed replacement. This would be the first replacement from stock. The rear brake pads were good for another 10K. Nevertheless, the brake pads were removed and cleaned and fitted back. I wanted to have the brake fluid changed but Shibin did not have it in stock, so I had to get it replaced from Tafe Access Skoda, the following week-end.

James Bond was then sent for grooming and out came a shining car.

Overall, I did have a real good experience with Shibin and his staff for the excellent job done.

As for my Laura, its still rocking. I did have the infamous "Byte-18" issue which I had sorted at Marikar Skoda, Ernakulam by re-coding the BCM. With this issue, the DRLs were not lighting even though they were enabled. After the re-coding, everything is in ship-shape!

So far, I've had an excellent ownership from this Skoda, infact personally, I've been through some bad phases of my life and its only my Laura that did not give me any trouble.

The pics would tell the rest of the story.

[nitinbose]

Hi Mods,

I have to continue the post separately as I need to upload more photos and I'd reached the maximum limit of thirty in my previous post. Please merge, if possible.

The car OEM battery also needed replacement by 45K, the car started losing the self-starting ability, especially on cold mornings and furthermore, if the music system is played for more than 20 minutes or the headlamps kept ON for more than 10 minutes, the car would not start as the battery gets too low.

I'd opted for Amaron as the replacement. It comes with a 5 year warranty as well. I did try on www.batterywale.com but the local dealer gave me a better pricing.

I've also kept a regular check on wheel alignment and balancing from Madhus so that those areas are in ship shape.

My car is now closing 48K and I must say I'm a happy Skoda owner.

[nitinbose]

sI had serviced my Laura at 41.5K and its just been a year and because I did not want to take any risks (my time is pretty bad), decided to go ahead with the service.

Petes - Head Over Wheels did the service for me.

Shibin gave me an appointment and was fully ready for my car.

We started with the under chassis examination which passed with flying colors,

This process included the following:

- Any Physical damages
- Checking for any oil leaks (engine, DSG etc)
- inspection of CV joints

The next step involved adding the engine flush to mobilize any hard deposits and the engine was run for exactly 10 minutes. The existing engine oil was then drained. I was amazed with the engine oil quality. First of all, despite being a year since I'd replaced the engine oil, the level was still at 60%, though my car had run about 8000Kms. The oil was slightly dark. I was comparing with the A.S.S oil which turns dark the moment you reach home after replacing the oil; furthermore, after one year, the level would be at about 30%. Quite a contrast!

New engine oil was added while the oil filter, fuel filter, pollen filter and air filter were also replaced.

We then tested the car by running the engine for a few minutes and then a test drive. All pass!

The team then proceeded with the internal detailing.

I also had the rear brake pads replaced. This is the first time I'm replacing the rear pads.

The front pads were replaced (for the first time) at 41.5K Kms while the rear pads lasted till 48K Kms. These pads could still do another 3K Kms but I went ahead with the replacement so as to avoid another day in service.

A scan was done using VCDS and no errors were found and I retired for the day.

One challenge I came across was with rats. There was a lot of residue in the engine bay and it did not seem like a good sign. Shibin's team took a great deal of effort to clean the engine bay.

I then invested in an ultrasound rat repellent. I found mixed reviews on these types of products but the vendor informed me this unit uses rotating frequency so it would be difficult for rats to get adapted or get used to.

The windshield wash fluid and the coolant were also topped up.

Now for some pics.

I must say I'm really happy with the Skoda Laura - I was going through some trying times but she kept on sailing with me through the rough weather.

[CarMaster]

Hi Nitin, from the pictures it seems that you have added VRS multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifts. Please share more information regarding it. How easy or difficult is the installation? It's cost price and benefits. Thanks

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I was amazed with the engine oil quality. First of all, despite being a year since I'd replaced the engine oil, the level was still at 60%, though my car had run about 8000Kms. The oil was slightly dark. I was comparing with the A.S.S oil which turns dark the moment you reach home after replacing the oil; furthermore, after one year, the level would be at about 30%. Quite a contrast!

Please pardon me if I'm wrong but a loss of 40% engine oil over a year is way too much and why wasn't it topped up at regular intervals when it's known that this engine burns oil?

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

Please pardon me if I'm wrong but a loss of 40% engine oil over a year is way too much and why wasn't it topped up at regular intervals when it's known that this engine burns oil?

I've no idea but the oil was topped up at the previous services, though I still have my own doubts on whether it was fully replaced.

@ Carmaster: I did this at Vagtune, costing approx INR 50K - I guess, its been three years since.

[newtonMeter]

Which engine oil did you use?

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by newtonMeter

Which engine oil did you use?

I'm using OWS Multilight, with the same specs mentioned in the manual.

[nitinbose]

Ahhh.... DSG oil change.....

James Bond has reached the age of almost 52K and four calendar years. The DSG fluid requires replacement as per the Skoda official maintenance schedule.

Though the schedule mentions 60K kms and/or 4 years, I decided to stick to the latter so as to avoid any possible damage to the DSG in future, which may boil down to not changing the DSG fluid on time.

I fixed up an appointment with Shibin (Pete's - Head over Wheels, Bangalore) and drove down to Bangalore, just for this activity!

The activity commenced with the car taken up the ramp and inspection of the under chassis. There was no damage anywhere, including the CV joints, so the next step was to check for any leakages such as engine oil, radiator or DSG fluid, since their respective openings are located under chassis.

The next step was to disconnect the battery, remove the air-filter assembly in order to reach the DSG filter. The filter cover and the filter were removed, followed by opening the under chassis opening to let out the DSG fluid. The oil drainage was pretty slow and took around 30 minutes. What surprised us was that the drained oil collected was only 2.5 liters whereas the quantity whereas the actual quantity should be 5.5 liters.

We initially thought there could be the "old oil" still stuck in the DSG assembly but the only way to confirm this was to start filling with the new DSG fluid with the under chassis orifice open. To our surprise, it was the new oil that came out! This meant the DSG fluid was consumed to a good extent and I'd chosen the best time to change the fluid.

The under chassis orifice/opening was closed (with the seal replaced) and we started filling the new fluid. This process was also pretty slow and took more than an hour. A total of 6 liters of the new fluid was consumed. The new filter was fitted and the cover put back.

The air filter assembly was installed back and the battery reconnected.

We would have to run-in the DSG system and this is achieved by starting the engine and changing the gear to R-N, D-N, S-N with 30 seconds in the respective drive mode and 60 seconds in the neutral modes.

Everything seemed fine so I took of from head over wheels.

Shibin specifically told me to drive very carefully for the first 100 Kms where I should not floor the accelerator but maintain a steady driving style and normal speeds. This would further help the DSG fluid circulate the entire system.

The car did feel a little smoother after the change but most importantly it was the peace of mind of having done something right.

Now for some pics.

[nitinbose]

My James Bond at close to 5 years of ownership!

This is the first time in my life I've kept a car for such a long duration. I normally sell my cars when its between 2-3 years.

I've really enjoyed this one a lot and everything has been great so fa and hope to have many more enjoyable miles ahead as well.

I've not sensed any ageing in performance or wear & tear and so far I've religiously serviced the car at the exact time intervals. All the features are still in perfect condition.

From my experience, as long as you use/maintain the vehicle within the limits and service it at the specified intervals, you should be good.

Hope other Skoda owners are enjoying as well!

[nitinbose]

So.... the time has come for me to say good bye to my Laura! After 5 years and 60075 Kms of ownership. Definitely its with mixed feelings that I parted my Laura because she's stood with me through thick and thin.

Having said that, my Skoda ownership has been quite joyful. Even now, the performance is as good as it were straight from the showroom. This reminds me of the dialog in the malayalam movie, "Jacobinte Swargarajyam" between T G Ravi and Nivin Pauly, where T G Ravi says, "Ethra parapichalum..... evan patharilla" meaning, no matter how much you push it, its quite sturdy on the road.

The only sad part is that the new owner would only start using the car two years after his arrival from abroad, for good. Till then the car would be very sparingly be used.

I must say, from my current experience, that my next car would definitely from the VW group! I dont think any other car can offer such performance, safety, features and comforts to satisfy me.