[Nikhilb2008]

The car continues to serve me well. There is nothing really to report.

On Friday, as I was on my way to the airport to catch a flight, the brake pad warning light came on.





I quickly checked with my good friend Shankaranarayanan, the Spare Parts manager and he confirmed that the brake pads are available. I booked an appointment with TAFE for Monday morning and went there yesterday.

The brake pads were changed quickly and Shankar was standing around chatting with me. I casually mentioned to him that the right side indicator on my side view mirror was cracked by a two wheeler. He told me that the part was available and it would cost me 1500 or so. I requested him to get it changed immediately.









Apart from that, there was no other work to be done but the technician, Harish thoroughly inspected everything else as part of the "Summer Free Check up campaign".

Battery, coolant level, brake fluid level, engine oil, etc.



The Service advisor Shivaraj was quit helpful and I appreciate the speed with which he got my car into the service area, arranged the spare parts and got everything done.

Again, very happy and impressed with the experience at TAFE. The only fly in the appointment, yet again, is the excruciatingly slow pace of the paperwork. I waited 45 minutes after the job was done, for the job card to be closed and the bill to be ready. Another 5 minutes just to swipe my card and make the payment.

TAFE really needs to work on their processes to speed up the work done.

About 10 days back, I was driving around North Bangalore and had parked my car at multiple places. Later in the day, I noticed this horrible, ugly scratch on my car. It has been properly gouged out. Most likely a goods auto or some vehicle like that. It's too high and too deep to be a bike or scooter's footpeg.





Very painful to see it and yesterday at TAFE, I spoke to Mr Sanjeev, the body shop manager and he was discussing with me what is possible. He said he will try to paint only a small patch that is below our eye level. Let's see.... I have no time right now to get it done. Maybe in a couple of months or so.

[itwasntme]

Was your Octy in the Long Term CP section at KIAL last week? I parked next to it for 2 nights and it was still there when I left. Because of the new runway construction and the prevailing winds and the sudden rain, my car was filthy!

I've never had a brake pad alert yet - Do all Octavias have this sensory system or only the RS range?

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Was your Octy in the Long Term CP section at KIAL last week? I parked next to it for 2 nights and it was still there when I left. Because of the new runway construction and the prevailing winds and the sudden rain, my car was filthy!

I've never had a brake pad alert yet - Do all Octavias have this sensory system or only the RS range?

It might have been. I park my car at the airport if I am going for a short trip of 2-3 days.

I am not sure about other Octavias. I mind my own business

[Nikhilb2008]

It's been a long time since I posted an update. I plan on posting my 45k service experience in my next post (Spoiler Alert: It was another great experience)

I just want to pen down some of my thoughts as I completed 2 years of ownership. As I have been posting, I havent driven the car much in the past 1 year. The first one year, I covered 36,600 kms and in the second year, I struggled to cover 8,000 kms. The main reason was due to the fact that I now have two kids and I had to help out at home. Leaving little to no time for long drives. Work or otherwise.

I've pretty much stopped meeting my vRS buddies on drives even though they drive occasionally, but the initial excitement has worn off and everyone has settled down.

The car itself is still brilliant. Feels tight and nice when I drive. I drove it to the Chennai racetrack in July and it felt incredible. The car just flies when you want it to. The brakes are good. They stop strongly and with the right amount of bite. Not too sharp, and not dead either.

The steering is a bit light on the highways but I've gotten used to it. The suspension is just fantastic. Keeps the car steady and planted when I am clipping along at highway speeds.

The roads( ) in Bangalore are in terrible shape and I was feeling quite uncomfortable in the car off late. Recently, one of my tyres was looking underinflated but when I checked, it was fine. Around 33-34. For the first time, I opened the fuel filler cap and saw the recommended pressures. Skoda recommends 35-36 PSI officially and if the driver wants better fuel economy, they recommend 39-40 PSI. Both of these are not for full load. But part load. Full load is almost 48 PSI at the rear and 38 PSI in the front.

I decided to try 38 PSI on my car and honestly, it's made a big difference. the car rides so much better over the Lunar surface we Bangaloreans call roads.

I was flabbergasted that I didnt think of this sooner.



The car is a very nice place to sit in and because I've been driving more in Bangalore, I have been spending more time inside. The AC works well enough for India but there are times I felt it could have been stronger. In Bangalore, we missed summer this year and I never felt the AC system was really worked hard.

Since I've been spending more time inside the car, I've been listening to more music and cranking up the volumes. The sound system is strictly adequate. It's good for an OEM system but when I'm listening to music I know well and love, it falls short by a big margin.

The sunroof beading and door beading squeaking issue has also quietened down. I havent applied Gummipflege in many months but I havent heard many annoying squeaks in a long time.

The interior is still tight and rattle-free. If at all I have a complaint, it's the right side scroll wheel on my steering wheel which works well only occasionally. At this moment, it has stopped working.

Except for the tacky looking shiny black buttons for the AC and related operations, the interior looks very classy and elegant and the big screen surely helps give the interior a modern look. I am glad I still have physical buttons and dials for handling the AC.

The service experience at TAFE which was the most worrying point before I purchased the car has been exceptionally good. I cant believe that my luck has lasted 2 years and the guys at TAFE continue to work honestly and sincerely to perform the usual services.

There are minor bugbears like charging the customer for small consumables like the steering wheel cover, seat cover, gear knob cover, but overall, I am very happy.

The new front office manager, Mr Krishna Murthy takes very good care of us and gets us inside as soon as possible.

More details in my upcoming post.

I have ended up adding a couple of minor damages to the car. Purely carelessness. Kerbed the wheel once and another time I scraped a small metal board somewhere. The edge of that metal board took off the paint on my rear right door. Smack bang in the middle of the door.







Apart from that, I continue to get my car washed only at Feynlab. If not Feynlab, then I wash it myself at home. The car continues to look stunning.

I felt at one point a couple of months back that the water beading of the Kamikaze coating had reduced, so I used the P&S Beadmaker which I got from the US in October and holy hell! It brought back the gloss and the shine which I felt the car had lost. The water beading was also back to where I wanted it.

[Ak007]

Hi Nikhil,
Good to see your post after quite some time.
Love to see your "beauty and the beast" glowing even after 2 yrs of ownership.
You have been one of my inspiration in trying to keep my car looking good. Not sure how long will I be able to maintain it though
Keep posting whenever you get a chance.

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

The roads( ) in Bangalore are in terrible shape and I was feeling quite uncomfortable in the car off late. Recently, one of my tyres was looking underinflated but when I checked, it was fine. Around 33-34. For the first time, I opened the fuel filler cap and saw the recommended pressures. Skoda recommends 35-36 PSI officially and if the driver wants better fuel economy, they recommend 39-40 PSI. Both of these are not for full load. But part load. Full load is almost 48 PSI at the rear and 38 PSI in the front.

I decided to try 38 PSI on my car and honestly, it's made a big difference. the car rides so much better over the Lunar surface we Bangaloreans call roads.

I was flabbergasted that I didnt think of this sooner.

Attachment 1914084

Attachment 1914082

Never knew this. I keep my 1.8 TSI tyre pressure 32.
Can you help me understand how to read the tyre pressure picture you have posted?

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I was flabbergasted that I didnt think of this sooner.

Goes without saying. Use German cars on recommended tyre pressure and it makes a lot of difference. On my X1, it says 32 PSI all round on less load. It simply glides on tarmac.

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Can you help me understand how to read the tyre pressure picture you have posted?

It written in BAR.

Just Google BAR to PSI and it will show a converter.

1 BAR = 14.5 PSI.

[niranjanrvce]

Congrats on the milestone Nikhil! The car looks stunning as ever.

I have damaged the same mirror indicator unit on my Yeti (not sure if it's the exact same part though). Vinayaka Skoda didn't have it in stock, maybe time for me to try Tafe for service based on your reviews so far.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Since I've been spending more time inside the car, I've been listening to more music and cranking up the volumes. The sound system is strictly adequate. It's good for an OEM system but when I'm listening to music I know well and love, it falls short by a big margin.

If you’re finicky about having to cut cables for upgrading the speakers, you can get adapters like these (attached below). It is available on AliExpress and eBay UK; just search for “VW Speaker Adapter”.
I’ve just ordered a set for my Polo GT TSI, and now I’m going to start the hunt for new speakers. With this adapter, you could even install an amp which takes speaker level inputs.

[Nikhilb2008]

A very annoying morning. An idiot on a bike riding in MY lane ended up scratching my right side door with his exhaust. Typical brainless biker. Wanted to avoide 2-3 vehicles in front of him, so he ended up driving on the wrong side of the road and scratched my car.







I had two scratches anyway. Now the third one means I have to repaint pretty much the entire right side of my car.

Originally Posted by Viraat13

If you’re finicky about having to cut cables for upgrading the speakers, you can get adapters like these (attached below). It is available on AliExpress and eBay UK; just search for “VW Speaker Adapter”.
I’ve just ordered a set for my Polo GT TSI, and now I’m going to start the hunt for new speakers. With this adapter, you could even install an amp which takes speaker level inputs.

Thanks but I am not looking at upgrading anything just yet. Will wait for my warranty to expire. I am still petrified of something expensive going wrong and then having Skoda deny warranty.

I am a typical Indian I think. Spend 30 lakhs on a nice new car but expect the ownership costs of a 5 lakh hatchback!

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Thanks but I am not looking at upgrading anything just yet. Will wait for my warranty to expire. I am still petrified of something expensive going wrong and then having Skoda deny warranty.

I am a typical Indian I think. Spend 30 lakhs on a nice new car but expect the ownership costs of a 5 lakh hatchback!

I'm in the same boat. But that's the whole point of the adapters! It keeps everything near stock and fully reversible if ever required.

Edit: Also very sorry to see the damage done by the 2 wheeler. They are beyond redemption. I'm sure there is a special place in hell for them.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I had two scratches anyway. Now the third one means I have to repaint pretty much the entire right side of my car

Is there a reason you don't want to put PPF? It looks impossible to avoid these scratches in Bangalore plus you've had vandalism problems too. Given how regular they are, would it not make sense to do a PPF layer?

[Nikhilb2008]

My car went in for some minor denting and major painting work on Tuesday. This is a pic of the car before the clear coat was applied. I thought the matt finish looked incredible! But of course I am sticking to the original paint shade.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Is there a reason you don't want to put PPF? It looks impossible to avoid these scratches in Bangalore plus you've had vandalism problems too. Given how regular they are, would it not make sense to do a PPF layer?

The main reason I dont want PPF is the gloss and shine. My car, when washed well, shine and looks absolutely brilliant.

Most PPFs have some amount of orange peel and that detracts from the look of the car.

There are newer PPFs which seem to be better but their long term durability isnt yet tested. I know a few cars who have the PPF installed and I am waiting to see them over a long period of time.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I thought the matt finish looked incredible! But of course I am sticking to the original paint shade.

I am pretty sure Nikhil that an exhaustive and a very detailed report on all the work done on the car is being penned down by you, but man oh man...

THAT MATT FINISH LOOKS HAUTE'!!

Unlike many other "All Show No Go" cars in India, Octy RS has "All Go", and it wouldn't hurt a tiny bit to just have some more "Show".

That Matt shade with Glossy Black rims is all I'd need for nirvana!!

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

My car went in for some minor denting and major painting work on Tuesday. This is a pic of the car before the clear coat was applied. I thought the matt finish looked incredible! But of course I am sticking to the original paint shade.

Looks smashing! Do let us know where you got this done if you're happy with the end result.