[TurboGuy]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I've also been using Power 99 before my long drives. It's been such a long time since I drove on the highways, I want to enjoy the full power of the car. I've also carried Proctane to be mixed with the normal fuel I fill up on my road trips.

Attachment 2068882

Hi Nikhil, glad to see the thread updated again. Mine is a 1.0L TSI and the manufacturer recommendation is minimum of 95 RON. Wonder, if Proctane could help here when filling normal fuel. While in Bangalore or wherever possible I normally fill Shell, Essar or Reliance. But likely I'd end up with other fuels at times. I've seen GT TSI guys using Proctane. Do you think this makes sense for 1.0 TSIs too? Cheers!

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by TurboGuy

Hi Nikhil, glad to see the thread updated again. Mine is a 1.0L TSI and the manufacturer recommendation is minimum of 95 RON. Wonder, if Proctane could help here when filling normal fuel. While in Bangalore or wherever possible I normally fill Shell, Essar or Reliance. But likely I'd end up with other fuels at times. I've seen GT TSI guys using Proctane. Do you think this makes sense for 1.0 TSIs too? Cheers!

Honestly, I dont know. I am not an expert. You may need to try it and take a call. Proctane makes a big difference in my car so I use it. When I drive, I enjoy the extra power over normal fuel.

[Mr.Perera]

The vRS 230 is definitely a wonderful all rounder car. Hustling through traffic for daily office runs looking like an executive sedan to the normal eye, fun blasts around the twisties like a sports car and mile munching on the highways like a GT car. In my opinion the perfect 'all the car you ever need'.
But the only issues I have been facing are the minor quality niggles. And sadly Skoda isn't providing full warranty for those even after rounds of mailing and escalations.

1) Rattling sunroof- Lately I have been hearing heavy rattles from the sunroof area. I see many vRS owners complaining about the same. In all cases the respective ASC was unable to provide a resolution. I see most owners recommending 'Gummi Pflege Stift' and some even keeping extra sponge between the rubber beading and sunroof to reduce the rubber squeaking noise.

2) My gear knob leather is getting degraded badly. Few months back i noticed a small part of the leather on my gear knob having a texture difference. Upon close inspection I found that its the leather peeling off. Now the gear knob looks pretty bad !



When this issue started I contacted my local Skoda service and they said its because of wear and tear ! The car is just 3 years old and unlike manual gear levers, we tend to use the gear levers very less ! I tried for warrantly replacement but Skoda didnt give full warranty since its 'wear and tear'. They agreed to pay 70% as goodwill and rest 30% I need to pay. (The gear knob alone costs around Rs 24,000 and that means I will end up paying close to Rs 7,000 for this) .

3) AC chrome peeling off- This is a common issue in many cars. I see some lucky owners getting it replaced under warranty, and some unlucky owners like me who have to pay for this saying this is also 'wear and tear' ! Finally after some rounds of talking they agreed to give 70% goodwill for this too.




The car is still under warranty till 2021 September and sad to know that such niggles are not covered under warranty.

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

2) They agreed to pay 70% as goodwill and rest 30% I need to pay. (The gear knob alone costs around Rs 24,000 and that means I will end up paying close to Rs 7,000 for this) .

3) AC chrome peeling off- This is a common issue in many cars. I see some lucky owners getting it replaced under warranty, and some unlucky owners like me who have to pay for this saying this is also 'wear and tear' ! Finally after some rounds of talking they agreed to give 70% goodwill for this too.

It's weird that Skoda won't honor the warranty for items likes these. Even though it is wear and tear items, wear and tear over a very limited used vehicle does have some weight to the claim for a warranty change.

As for the gear knob. A good leather workshop should be able to get a new leather cover for it maybe. Might be a jugaad but could be a more graceful fix than having to face the same issue again with the Skoda part

AC chrome peeling, do have a look if hydro dipping/vinyl wrapping is cheaper at this point.

Cheers
Krishna

[Karvel]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

1) Rattling sunroof-

2) My gear knob leather is getting degraded badly. Few months back i noticed a small part of the leather on my gear knob having a texture difference. Upon close inspection I found that its the leather peeling off. Now the gear knob looks pretty bad !

3) AC chrome peeling off- This is a common issue in many cars. I see some lucky owners getting it replaced under warranty, and some unlucky owners like me who have to pay for this saying this is also 'wear and tear' ! Finally after some rounds of talking they agreed to give 70% goodwill for this too.

Sunroof ratling is a given. And it's across VRS or L&K or Style Plus. And I had tried all tricks and have started living with it.

For the other two - gear knob and chrome peeling off - might be due to high alcohol content based cleaning solutions being used, can be the reason. Please have a check on whoever or wherever the cleaning is being done. Or sanitizers being used.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

2) My gear knob leather is getting degraded badly. Few months back i noticed a small part of the leather on my gear knob having a texture difference. Upon close inspection I found that its the leather peeling off. Now the gear knob looks pretty bad !

Did you try sourcing it from abroad? It should be available pretty easily if I am not mistaken.

Just came across this . No sure if LHD vs RHD is a big difference but I guess similar options exist.

Drive on,
Shibu

[arjunrudra]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

The vRS 230 is definitely a wonderful all rounder car.

The car is still under warranty till 2021 September and sad to know that such niggles are not covered under warranty.

Hi There. What cleaning products have you been using for your interiors ?

[Lambydude]

Hi Nikhil, now that Michelin PS3/4 is not available in Bangalore market, could you suggest an alternative with comparable characteristics? This is for Octavia 1.8 TSI.
Is MRF Perfinza a good option?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

This is for Octavia 1.8 TSI.
Is MRF Perfinza a good option?

Google his ownership thread. He was effusive about the Perfinzas. I'd say go for them.

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Hi Nikhil, now that Michelin PS3/4 is not available in Bangalore market, could you suggest an alternative with comparable characteristics? This is for Octavia 1.8 TSI.
Is MRF Perfinza a good option?

This should be of help. Nikhil started his Perfinza experience from the below post.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post4372998

[Nikhilb2008]

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening 300 times over to everyone reading this thread.

I logged on to TBHP yesterday after a gap of almost a year! My last log in was in Jan 2021.

The last few months have been the most stressful ever. With the effects of the Coronavirus induced lockdown, the business needed my full focus and as I was focusing on that, the 2nd wave decided to add a not-needed challenge into the mix.

The last few months have been all about work. And what little time I get away from work, I try to ensure I spend it with my family to ensure that they dont forget me.

My car has been by my side during this entire time.

The last time I posted, the car was at 52500. Today, the car crossed 83,000 kms. 80,000 kms and 83,000 pic attached below.





Over the last 1.5 years, I have driven across India. I will detail some statistics on this thread sometime next week.

In August I had to drive to Mangalore and a particular road had been closed off due to a landslide. I had to go through some non existent estate roads and my car managed to do this slushy off roading with a bit of difficult.



MY most recent trip was from the end of September to October 18th. The route plan was BLR-Gulbarga- Bijapur - Hubli - Mumbai - Nashik - Shreerampur - Sangamner - Loni - Pune - Satara - Karad - Kolhapur - Goa - Ranebennur - Davangere - Chitradurga - BLR

I have only listed the towns where I stopped for work or for a break. Obviously the number of towns covered were far more.

This long trip of almost 3900 kms took me 3 weeks. It included a short break in Goa for 4 days. I had completed most of my work in Kolhapur and I flew my family down to Goa for a 4 day break. A much needed reunion with my wife and kids after being away for almost 3 weeks!

Once the vacation was over, I hit the road again, meeting clients in Ranebennur, Davangere and Chitradurga before reaching home around 8:00 pm that night.



A few other pictures attached which show how fuel efficient the car can be if the driver is in the mood. Given the current petrol prices, this is a hidden superpower of the car that can be unlocked when needed.







Apart from the heavy driving and use of the car, it has been victim to a couple of stray dogs that somehow entered the compound of my house and unleashed their frustration on the front of my car.

I suspect a cat was inside the hood or even sitting on the hood of the car and the dogs were trying to attack that cat.

I heard a lot of commotion around 4:00 am and when I came outside, I saw 4 dogs and chased them off.

Later in the day, I saw the damage they had wreaked on my number plate and the hood.

However, the scratches are quite minor and can be removed with some polishing. A few scratches are deep and need to be repainted. They actually managed to break the number plate and I ordered a new single number plate to replace that broken one.









Apart from that, I have continued to wash the car myself. I am unable to find time to go and spend 2-3 hours at a good car wash centre, so I end up washing the car with some help from my daughters on some Sunday evenings.

The car still looks good and the water beading is excellent after a good wash.

[Nikhilb2008]

I got the 52500 kms service done last year as detailed in a post on the previous page.

I got the 60k service with a DSG oil change done as well last year.

Then at 67,500, 75,000 routine services were carried out.

Sometime after Diwali, I plan on going for my 82500 service but maybe 800 kms later than scheduled.

By the grace of all the Gods and the prayers of every well wisher of mine, I have not had any issues with the car. I hope this continues. I have been aggressive in changing parts before their expiry date. Sometime last year, when the technician checked the battery, he found the voltage to be a bit on the lower side. He said we could use it for a few more months, but it would have to be changed any way.

I decided to plonk down a big amount of money and get it changed anyway. No point in delaying the change and getting stranded somewhere.

The same way, I may have changed brake pads a couple of thousand kms before they needed to be changed. I of course change the engine oil every 7500 kms instead of the recommended 15,000 kms.

I feel the most important thing for my car has been the fact that I drive the car eveyr single day. Except for the lockdown, I drive my car 6 days a week. Most Sundays, the car doesnt get used. If I do have to go out with family, we go in my wife's 2017 Grand i10 as the car seats are kept there and I can just give it to a valet somewhere instead of going hunting for parking.

I have continued to use Motul Xcess 8100 5W 40 for my car without fail, except for the 52500 service when I used the Skoda supplied Castrol oil.

It could be placebo, but somehow I feel the car is much smoother with the Motul oil.







As you can see, I get the brake pads changed a little before I absolutely have to. This ensures no anxiety when I am on the highways.







Also, I prefer the Skoda wiper blades. I find that they work very well.



I opted to wait for the NGK Spark plugs. I ordered them in advance and then went for the service when Mr Krishna confirmed that they have received stock of these NGK plugs. They are a bit more expensive than the Bosch ones.

Please do not ask me why I went for the NGK ones. I followed the typical marketing philosophy of thinking that it's more expensive, so it must be better.





The small clip on one side of the dipstick that holds the dipstick in place had broken, so I had ordered a new dipstick and replaced it.

[Nikhilb2008]

We also had a Skoda Octavia vRS meet up -- a bunch of vRS 230s and 245s met up at the entrance to NICE road and drove to a particular spot, took some pics and then headed back to the city.

I headed back to work while some of the other guys went together to have breakfast.

This was the first time I met fellow enthusiast friends since the start of the pandemic.

Was a lot of fun and some of the guys took some amazing pictures. I dont remembered exactly who took which pic though! Credits to the respective photographers -- If you see your pic here, message me and I'll give you credit!















Sometimes, some people just dont know how to park, I was blocked in by some senseless driver of this small red car. Maybe he wanted to take a pic of his car with mine. If he had asked nicely, I would have even exchanged my car with his, but he took the route of blocking my car in Frustrati

[Bibendum90949]

Amazing to see the array of VRS', thanks for sharing. So that's ~3000 BHP in one frame!

[reignofchaos]

The only thing I read in the entire review was how your ride was blocked by a small red car