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Old 8th August 2018, 13:16   #466
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Frankly, this is the ultimate fun business tool. I guess this is one business asset always 100% utilized. Have you ever taken the E350 instead for a change on your trips?
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Old 9th August 2018, 10:49   #467
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

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Originally Posted by ajmat View Post
Frankly, this is the ultimate fun business tool. I guess this is one business asset always 100% utilized. Have you ever taken the E350 instead for a change on your trips?
Never by me. If Dad is going alone somewhere, he drives it. It's too conspicuous.

The vRS on the other hand, a fun business tool, for sure!
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Old 21st August 2018, 08:26   #468
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km


36,000 km update.


Another rainy drive and my car looked like this:

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6537.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6539.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6542.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6545.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6548.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6549.jpg

My pressure washer helped in cleaning the car and after 2 hours of hard work, this was the final result!

I find this video extremely therapeutic!



2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6600.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6601.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6603.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6604.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6605.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6618.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6619.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6621.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6625.jpg


Post that, it was time for a drive to Jog Falls and back.

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6633.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6635.jpg

The three cars on the drive. 2 Turbo petrols and one turbo diesel!
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6637.jpg

Till Nelamangala, this was my Trip statistic:

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6632.jpg

A pic of the Jog Falls in it's full glory!
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-_dsc4270.jpg


We were lucky that we got a spectacular view of the falls. The clouds kept drifting in and out, but we managed to get a good amount of time viewing the magnificent waterfalls.

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6645.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6660.jpg


There was a huge volume of water thanks to the Linganamakki Dam being full and the gates staying open for the last few days.

After the Jog Falls drive, the car was back to looking it's usual self given how much I drive!

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6679.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6681.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6684.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6687.jpg

Total Trip Stats:

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6677.jpg



Eagle Eyed readers would have noticed something new in the pictures.

It’s the TYRES!
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Old 21st August 2018, 08:31   #469
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

I’ve changed out the Perfinzas for Yokohama Advan Sports .

After my Kolhapur trip, on August 16th, I was getting a routine Wheel Alignment and Road Force Balancing done. I felt that the tread depth on the front tyres was a bit less. Measured it and the front two tyres had just 3mm of life and the rear two tyres were between 4 and 4.5 mm.

Front Left
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6576.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6577.jpg

Front Right
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6582.jpg
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6583.jpg

Rear Right
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6584.jpg

Rear Left
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6585.jpg

If I had swapped the two fronts to the rear, I could have run for another 5000 kms. However, as you know, I’m not shy about trying new tyres and given that tyres are my favourite part of the car, I decided to swap it then and there.

The Michelin PS4 was obviously a great choice but it was quite common on vRS’s. So, I wanted to try something different and decided to try the Yokohama Advan Sport.

Before I dive into the Yokos, here is a summary of my experience with the MRF Perfinzas.

TLDR version: They are absolutely BRILLIANT! I love them and they did everything I expected from them and more. They never lost grip except for a couple of instances of extremely hard cornering in the wet on concrete roads (the slightly hilly stretch after Belgaum). The ride comfort was quite decent, the tyre was strong and survived a couple of very bad hits. My wheels got bent but the tyres were in perfect shape.

The noise level on the MRFs were also acceptable. I have done a few drives with colleagues and those times, the music was switched off but even at high speeds, we didn’t have any major tyre noise to speak off. The wind noise had a bigger impact at those speeds.

What could have been better on the Perfinzas? Honestly, I can always go on asking for more grip, but it doesn’t matter. Except for a couple of really hard moments, the Perfinzas rose the occasion every time. I had a couple of moments on the highways where I had to brake hard and suddenly and the car stopped without any drama.

Yes, the Michelin PS4 or the Yokohama Advan Sport may be better, but it’s like saying the Mercedes Benz C63 S is faster than the regular C63. Most normal people wouldn’t be able to use the regular C63 itself to it’s fullest, so any performance increment is kinda useless.

I feel the same with the Perfinza. It will be a lovely option for people who want a good all-round tyre. The pricing in 17” is too close to the PS4 to justify it in this size. However, in it’s other sizes, 15” and 16”, it is a FANTASTIC option.

The tyre life is something to keep in mind. I got 27k kms, maybe pushed to 30k if I had rotated the tyres properly…. However, this was with a lot of fast driving in a 230 bhp 350NM heavy car. On regular sedans using 15” and 16” sizes, I expect the tyres to last 35-40k kms. Don’t hold me on this though! These are new tyres and until we get more long term ownership reports, no conclusion can be drawn on this.

As of now, I have kept aside the Perfinzas and plan on using it for any trackday that I plan on attending. Will test these on the track to see how they handle extreme abuse and heat. I am not too sure of how they will behave on track. They have a Temperature rating of B. Compared to A for the PS4 and the Advan Sports. That means that the grip reduces as the temperature increases beyond a point. On the roads this is not a problem but on track, this could be a factor.

Anyway, to sum up, I absolutely loved the Perfinzas. They blew my mind. Maybe I expected too little but honestly, given that this is MRF’s FIRST attempt at making a luxury tyre, it is beyond impressive.

A few more iterations and I honestly believe, given MRF’s strength in R&D and quality, they can really take the fight to the Multinational giants like Yokohama, Michelin and Continental.

This is a good sign of Indian companies upping their game and taking on the big guys head on. Tata is doing it with the Tiago, Tigor, etc, Apollo is doing it in the entry level scene (their Alnacs are almost as good as the Michelin XM2s, Earth 1s) and so on.

Let me remind you that The Perfinzas by MRF is the first Indian tyre to be given an MO rating by Mercedes-Benz. If that doesn’t give you confidence, nothing will.

Anyway, coming to the Yokohama Advan Sports.
Initial impressions after driving about a 1000 kms:

Do keep in mind that I am compring 27,000 kms run Perfinzas with brand new Yokohamas. I’m not going to keep talking about that. My view will definitely be biased but that cant be helped. Unless I tested both tyres back to back when both are brand new.

The ride comfort is superb. Definitely better than the Perfinzas. They feel much softer and the ride is far more pliant. The sharpness in the ride over potholes, broken roads, expansion joints has totally disappeared. The car feels even more pleasurable to drive now.

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6586.jpg

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6588.jpg

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6593.jpg

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6607.jpg

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6608.jpg

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6609.jpg

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_6611.jpg

I honestly don’t remember my car feeling this comfortable. I am now looking forward to every drive, even if it’s through the war ravaged roads of Bangalore. Every pothole or piece of broken road is now muted and there’s a silent thump, but that’s it. While the car does move around, it doesn’t feel like I’m being thrown around.

The flipside of such a lovely ride is that I am a bit worried of how this tyre will handle high speed pothole hits. The MRFs survived hits that bent my BBS wheel. Only time will tell.

When it comes to road noise, again, there’s a marked improvement. The MRFs were not noisy but the Advans seem to be a notch more silent. At highway cruising speeds, I feel like there’s a bit more silence now compared to earlier.

The grip: Oh dear god, this is the party piece of the Advan series. It is ABSOLUTELY phenomenal. The entire drive to Jog Falls and back, the roads were mostly wet and the tyres were simply phenomenal. Again, while the MRFs didn’t leave anything to be desired, these are in a different league. The braking feels sharper, cornering feels sharper and while throwing my car around some of the tight curves (on the State highway between Ranebennur and Jog Falls), there was barely a chirp from the tyres.

It was wet and honestly, I was really hammering on the car. The MRFs would have surely been at the limit (a slight chirp or a squeal) but the Yokohamas were as silent as they could be. It was almost as if they were taunting me…. “Is that the best you can do, you noob?” Well, yes, it was the best I could do. It was raining, the road condition was patchy and I didn’t have the confidence to push more. Unless I’m in an absolutely controlled circumstance, I don’t believe in driving with a low margin for error.

I honestly did not think that I would experience this much of a difference whne I got the new Advans. I thought they would be better but marginally.

Frankly, the difference is not marginal. It’s reasonable. Of course, keep in mind that Yokohama is a world leader in high performance tyres. They have a lead of a couple of decades over MRF in making performance tyres. So, it’s not fair to compare them to the Perfinzas. Unfortunately, since I’ve used the Perfinzas earlier, I have to.

Also, the Advans are high performance tyres. The Perfinza is a luxury mainstream tyre. The Perfinza’s real comparison is to the Michelin Primacy 3 ST and Yokohama Earth 1/BluEarth.

The superb grip of the Yokohama Advans also seem to have had a direct impact on the straightline speed of my car. Earlier, there would be some wheelspin before the tyres dug in and launched the car forward. That has reduced a lot now and the car just rockets forward whenever I aggressively step on the A pedal. The car feels a lot lighter and more eager to move.

The feel of the car has changed and boy oh boy! I’m loving it.

Another point to note is that the Yokohama Advan we get are the same that is sold the world over. The Michelin PS4 ST is what is sold in India and there are minor changes to make it more suitable for Indian and South Asian conditions. The Advans on the other hand are identical.

This is just for your information. Not that it makes any difference in the real world. Probably the Michelins will handle our roads better as the carcass is a bit stronger.

You do pay a price though. The Yokohamas are priced at 13k or so for a tyre.

However, after a 1000 kms and 4 days, I am mighty impressed. Absolutely loving the feel of the tyres.
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Old 21st August 2018, 09:11   #470
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post
A pic of the Jog Falls in it's full glory!
Beautiful. How about the road conditions? Heard its really deteriorated post the recent rains.

I was planning a day ride soon.
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Old 21st August 2018, 14:09   #471
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post
Fuel was a big concern. Especially since a friend, TBHP-ian Suraj had a bad experience filling at some petrol pump outside Tirupati. Getting good quality fuel in rural areas isn’t always possible.

I filled up my old vrs at a fuel station just before the BIAL on the highway. Within next 30 kms my O2 sensor conked up. Since then i've always filled at stations which are with in the city. Bunks at highways better to be avoided unless they are oil company run.
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Old 23rd August 2018, 21:39   #472
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

@Nikhilb2008, vRS is definitely my dream car and reading this ownership thread evokes the confidence in me to consider it as a daily ride.

Planning my purchase in the mid of 2019, till then I can keep drooling over your ride, Perks of being a BHP-ian!!!
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Old 24th August 2018, 11:42   #473
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post
After the Jog Falls drive, the car was back to looking it's usual self given how much I drive!
I appreciate your guts to make it all dirty after cleaning it squeaky
BTW, I see missing rear mud flaps, which is why the rear fenders are sprayed up top to bottom.

Last edited by suhaas307 : 1st September 2018 at 14:49. Reason: Formatting quoted post
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Old 1st September 2018, 12:22   #474
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Hi Nikhil,

Quick question, Are you facing any issue with your Wheel Nut covers..?
The wheel nut covers on my Stock VRS Rims have been falling of during use.
To the extent that I had to buy a full set of 20 Wheel nut covers as almost 10 of them had fallen of at various different locations while driving.
Any solution for the same..?

Thanks
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Old 4th September 2018, 09:47   #475
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshaydaryani View Post
Hi Nikhil,

Quick question, Are you facing any issue with your Wheel Nut covers..?
The wheel nut covers on my Stock VRS Rims have been falling of during use.
To the extent that I had to buy a full set of 20 Wheel nut covers as almost 10 of them had fallen of at various different locations while driving.
Any solution for the same..?

Thanks
That's a strange problem. I've never had that issue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KkVaidya View Post
I appreciate your guts to make it all dirty after cleaning it squeaky
BTW, I see missing rear mud flaps, which is why the rear fenders are sprayed up top to bottom.
Rear Mud flaps are not an official accessory for the vRS. However, many vRS owners have got it installed. I havent bothered with it till now.

And it has to get dirty! To misquote Thomas Wayne from Batman Begins.... "Why does it have to get dirty? So that it can be cleaned again!"

Quote:
Originally Posted by ramji_or View Post
@Nikhilb2008, vRS is definitely my dream car and reading this ownership thread evokes the confidence in me to consider it as a daily ride.

Planning my purchase in the mid of 2019, till then I can keep drooling over your ride, Perks of being a BHP-ian!!!
Thank you for your kind words. It is definitely a proper daily driver if you can live with the poor fuel economy in the city.

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbeast View Post
I filled up my old vrs at a fuel station just before the BIAL on the highway. Within next 30 kms my O2 sensor conked up. Since then i've always filled at stations which are with in the city. Bunks at highways better to be avoided unless they are oil company run.
Generally, yes. Unless it's a COCO.
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Old 26th September 2018, 21:33   #476
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

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Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post
I am yet to apply the same on the sunroof beadings which I will do this weekend I hope.
Hi Nikhil, Thanks for the info on Gummi Pflege Stift. Not sure if i have missed any of your subsequent post regarding this. I keep hearing creeks occasionally from doors and consistently from sunroof . Just curious - Have you applied this to your sunroof ? How'z it now ? Also can you let me know if you had sourced Gummi Pflege Stift Amazon/any other online sites ?

Thanks
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Old 26th September 2018, 23:10   #477
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Quote:
Originally Posted by amar.madhavan View Post
Hi Nikhil, Thanks for the info on Gummi Pflege Stift. Not sure if i have missed any of your subsequent post regarding this. I keep hearing creeks occasionally from doors and consistently from sunroof . Just curious - Have you applied this to your sunroof ? How'z it now ? Also can you let me know if you had sourced Gummi Pflege Stift Amazon/any other online sites ?

Thanks
I applied it wherever I could reach. Including the sunroof beading.

I got it from Amazon USA through a friend. I believe it's available on Amazon India as well.
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Old 21st October 2018, 23:06   #478
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

If extended warranty is active service advisors are allowed to charge customers for Inspection charges(General Check Up) Gff guided functions ?

I think service center taken me for a ride despite my extended warranty is not expired yet.

Thanks!
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Old 23rd October 2018, 09:19   #479
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

It's been a long time since I updated anything on this thread.

There are multiple reasons for it. The main reason being, I got a promotion at home. From being a Dad of one daughter, now I have two!

Due to this, my driving has come down drastically. Apart from one drive to Mysore for work, my car hasnt left Bangalore city limits for more than 2 months now!

And of course, since it's addicted to long drives, being cooped up in traffic has caused the car to become cranky.

I got this message on my Head Unit the other day:
2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_7362.jpg

Soon after this, I realised the car needed an extra second or two to roar into life, especially the first cold start of the day.

Unfortunately, I saw this error message on Wednesday evening. Thursday and Friday were holidays in Bangalore due to Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadashami.

On Saturday, I spoke to TAFE and they told me to bring the car down whenever I can. Since I had plans to fly to Delhi for a couple of days, I told them I would bring the car down on Wednesday.

On Saturday I needed my car for some usual driving around town and it worked, even though it struggled more than usual to fire up the first time around. It struggled so much that the lights flickered and that led to this error message!

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_7414.jpg

Anyway, after driving around for a bit, switching off the car and then switching it on again, this error message disappeared.

I drove the car for a longer time on Saturday night, thinking a longer drive might be needed to charge the battery completely.

However, on Sunday, the battery was completely dead and the engine couldnt even fire up!

I had to abandon my plans of driving to the airport. I left my car at home and took a cab.



I have a professional grade battery charger which can also jump start cars at home. Hopefully that will work and I can take my car to TAFE without any major incidents.

The irony is just a couple of weeks before this, I was at TAFE and got my 37500 kms service done. If only they had identified the battery issue at that time, it would have saved me a trip.

2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km-img_7264.jpg

What is really annoying is that the vRS battery is known to problematic. a few vRS owners have already got it replaced under warranty.

TAFE's Front Office Manager told me that since my car is more than a year old, I will have to pay 19,500 rupees for a new battery. I was seriously pissed off! I've driven my car hard and long because of which the battery has lasted longer than in a few other cars! Why am I being penalised for taking better care of my car?

I raised my voice a little bit and then he said that he will try to get it replaced under goodwill.

I am 100% clear. This is a faulty battery. I have got the car serviced ONLY at TAFE. I have never seen a brand new battery failing in less than 3 years. And I am not going to pay a penny for a brand new battery.

Especially when I know that a few other vRS owners have got a free replacement.

I will keep you all updated on what happens tomorrow.
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Old 23rd October 2018, 11:21   #480
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re: 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 | 4 years and 83000 km

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 View Post
I got a promotion at home. From being a Dad of one daughter, now I have two!
Let me congratulate you on becoming a Dad again. Hope the mom and baby are doing fine. Wishing you hell lot of 'parenting' experience (again).

Get well soon for our dear vRS.
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