[Nikhilb2008]

Nothing major but a few things to report.

To begin with, I decided to get the 3M Anti-Rodent treatment done.

Went to 3M Car Care HSR Layout even though there is a 3M about 400 metres from my house. Why? Because even though I dont go there regularly now(since they stopped the full car wash), I have great memories from the team there.

They made me wait about 10 minutes while they finished up washing another car.

They soon parked my car in the bay, sprayed some water, used a lot of APC to clean the engine bay as best as they could. Finished off with compressed air being blown through a nozzle to dry the engine bay as much as possible.




The pic below shows how the engine bay looked before applying the spray. Quite clean and nice





Post the application of the spray, it looked even better. SHINY! Wonder how long it will remain like that!






3M says this spray will last 6 months. Some friends are sceptical. I havent had any major issues with rats on this car but prevention is better than cure.

This treatment costs Rs 1086/-


Next up: The immense cargo carrying ability of this fast car. A couple of friends were travelling to Australia and me being a good friend offered to drive them to the airport (this has nothing to do with the fact that I havent been on a long drive in ages and was desperate for a drive )

3 Adults, 6 suitcases and a couple of smaller bags. Easy-peasy. There was still space left over for smaller stuff. I had to fold down the right side of the rear seat and one of my friends sat in the rear left seat.

Below pic was taken when I was transporting a bunch of Honda Civic car parts from a friend's house to the workshop.


Below shows a typical airport run!




Kerbing a wheel:

Completely my fault but I didnt have a choice. A hard lesson that the rear track width of the car is 10mm wider than the front. An idiot had parked his car on the road and I had to squeeze between that car and the kerb on my left. I was inching forward slowly and the front of my car made it through.

The rear left wheel caught the kerb and got scratched badly. I am terribly disappointed but I also know that it was just a matter of time.

A hard lesson in track width difference between the front and the rear.






Another interesting 'feature' I observed about the Octavia vRS is that the AC doesnt shut off completely. I was driving on the highway the other day and it was quite cold. Even with the AC fan at the lowest setting, it was too cold for me. Decided to just shut it off for a few minutes. I hit the OFF Button. A few minutes later, it wasnt as stuffy as it should have been! I could also feel a light breeze inside the car. I put my hands near the AC vents and could definitely feel air coming from there.

The volume of air coming through the AC Vents increased as I sped up. My theory is that while the AC compressor and everything is switched off, there is a simple channel to funnel air from outside the car into the car's cabin through the vents. I doubt it's just air from the engine bay too as that air would be very hot. However the temperature of the air coming out of the vents was very close to the outside temperature.

I have never experienced this feature in my other car, the Civic. I wonder if all European cars have this? Can anyone check and confirm?

The oil temperature readout is extremely useful for me. On many of my early morning drives it is very easy to start revving and enjoying the car just a km or two after leaving home. However it is not recommended to push the engine until the engine oil has warmed up. At low temperature, it doesnt flow as well as it should and there is a miniscule chance of extra wear on the engine.

Given that I have been using the car heavily and plan to continue to do that, I want to ensure that I do my bit in taking good care of these small things so that I can have a longer life of the car.

Usually the engine oil takes a fairly long time to heat up. The coolant reaches the operating temp in just a minute or two of idling. The oil temperature though takes much longer. So, knowing the temp of the oil is very useful for me.

I wait till it hits a 100ºC before beating on the car.

MY usage of the car has reduced a lot in the last couple of months. I have hardly found the time to drive thanks to work and family commitments keeping me busy. Whenever I do drive though, I enjoy the car thoroughly.

Skodatribe Contest:

After I was declared as the winner of the Instagram contest, I was asked to first DM the Skoda India account with my details. I did that but didnt receive any reply. Then a few days later, I was asked to email them with my details. Did that too but didnt get any reply.

Suddenly, a small package turns up at my office and it's a scale model of a Skoda Superb!




Well, obviously, this is going to be gifted to the talented Abu Abraham for clicking such a wonderful picture!

My car also had a chance to pose next to my all time favourite car, the Ferrari 458 Italia!



Puncture:
I also had the Tyre Pressure warning come on yesterday when I was on NICE Road. That was a bit unnerving as I was far from any tyre shop.

I got down, checked the tyre pressure of the left front and it was definitely lower than the front right. Front right was 32PSI and Front left was 26.

Now, I needed to know if the tyre was continuously losing air or if it was stable and safe for me to drive.

So, what I did was a bit of a calculated risk. I know that the TPMS system in our cars as with most modern VAGs and BMWs measure wheel speed through the ABS Sensor. If pressure drops in a particular tyre, the overall rolling circumference reduces and the wheel speed changes. This small change and the difference in wheel speed between the front left and the front right is measured by the system and it gives a warning.

This is why, for this system to work perfectly, we have to reset it every time we fill air in the tyres. So that it resets itself on your command. If you dont reset it, it will not work perfectly and fail when you need it the most.

Knowing this, what I thought was that even though there was a 6-PSI difference between the front tyres, if I reset it for now, the system will assume that the pressures are equal. So, if there was a further change in pressure, the wheel speed will change again and it will warn me again. That would be the time I bite the bullet and change over to the spare wheel so that I dont damage the tyre or the wheel.

I reset the system and continued to drive steadily towards one of my stores. I may have driven about 40 kms and there was absolutely no cause for alarm.

I reached the tyre store and checked the pressure and it was only down by another 2 PSI. This was not enough for the TPMS to give me a warning.

Anyway, now that I was safe, I got the tyre inspected thoroughly and realised that it was leaking from an earlier puncture patch. I remembered that a few months back I had a puncture caused by a big nail. At that time, I was short on time so even though I should have got a mushroom puncture repair done, I just got a regular stick puncture patch inserted and continued to drive.

Turns out the hole had widened slightly and the puncture patch wasnt able to seal it 100%.

Since I had time yesterday, I got the old patch removed and a new mushroom patch installed.

I hope it holds this time.



Coolant Level:

A few days back I opened the hood of the car and casually checked it. That's when I noticed the coolant level was at the minimum level.

I called up TAFE yesterday and asked them if I can drop by for a coolant top up. Once I reached TAFE, Mr Venkat, the service Coordinator came out with 900ml of coolant. However, we realised that the engine was really hot and if we opened up the coolant reservoir, the coolant would spurt out due to the high pressure it was under.

So, Mr Venkat gave me the coolant bottle and told me to top it up at home when the engine was cool.

This morning I checked the coolant level and it was marginally below the minimum mark.



Another picture of the shiny engine bay! Couldnt help myself!


I had about 900ml of the VW original coolant and used up almost 400ml to top up the coolant reservoir.








I've never had to bother with all this with my previous car, the Honda Civic. I guess this is what they mean when they say German cars are a bit difficult to maintain.

I also checked the engine oil level and it was perfect. But then it has been just 4000 kms since I changed my engine oil.

Once again, very prompt and quick service by my friends at TAFE. 26,000 kms and they havent given me a reason to complain. Not just that but they have gone above and beyond the call of duty and taken extremely good care of me and my vRS Friends.

I really hope this is the start of a major turnaround for TAFE and Skoda in Bangalore.

Apart from a few short drives, I havent had a chance to properly stretch the car's legs. On one occasion, it reported the below numbers.



Apart from that, the car continues to munch miles and is a nice comfortable daily driver. The audio system may not be anything fancy but it sounds nice enough and I enjoy my city commutes too.

I hope the next few months have a few drives lined up for me. I'm really itching to take the car out on a long drive!

[deepfreak15]

Does 3M sell the rat repellent over the counter and can it be self sprayed or is there more to just spraying inside the engine bay?

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

The volume of air coming through the AC Vents increased as I sped up. My theory is that while the AC compressor and everything is switched off, there is a simple channel to funnel air from outside the car into the car's cabin through the vents. I doubt it's just air from the engine bay too as that air would be very hot. However the temperature of the air coming out of the vents was very close to the outside temperature.

I have never experienced this feature in my other car, the Civic. I wonder if all European cars have this? Can anyone check and confirm?

This happens in my Creta. When the ACC is switched off, the recirculation mode is also switched off. I press the recirculation mode on and then the vents are completely shut off. Do try that.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Does 3M sell the rat repellent over the counter and can it be self sprayed or is there more to just spraying inside the engine bay?

Cleaning and Spraying. That's it.

They are not selling it. You need to go there and get the treatment done.

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

This happens in my Creta. When the ACC is switched off, the recirculation mode is also switched off. I press the recirculation mode on and then the vents are completely shut off. Do try that.

My car's AC is always in recirculation mode. Even then, the vents blow cool air inside.

[Flyer]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I had about 900ml of the VW original coolant and used up almost 400ml to top up the coolant reservoir.

Isn't it better to top up the coolant by mixing distilled water (maybe 60:40)? Or does vRS have different coolant requirements compared to other VAG cars? All VAG cars in India uses the same G13 coolant.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by Flyer

Isn't it better to top up the coolant by mixing distilled water (maybe 60:40)? Or does vRS have different coolant requirements compared to other VAG cars? All VAG cars in India uses the same G13 coolant.

Why would I use distilled water when I had the original coolant available?

Distilled water is good in an emergency. Here, it wasnt an emergency, I had enough time to go to TAFE and get the correct coolant in the correct ratio.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I wonder if all European cars have this? Can anyone check and confirm?

This was how it worked on my Fiat Linea.

With the Climate Control Off, the re-circulation mode lamp stayed lit. If I hit the button, the lamp goes off and there was a draft of air coming through the vents when the car is in motion. It is through the same duct that channels air from outside and via the cabin filter. It is not pulling air from within the engine bay. On the Linea, the fresh air intake was just below the windshield cowl. A flaw on this particular car was if you hit the climate control Auto button (or Full Auto as the display indicates), which is what I did mostly, the re-circulation mode was also set to Auto. I do not know at what intervals it decided for the flap to stay open or closed but it shortened the life of my cabin filter. 6-8 months tops and the cabin filter would be partially black. I used to change it twice a year cause that black soot or whatever it was would not go away even if you air blow the filter. Moreover; I was spending no less than two hours in my car everyday with the aircon running all the time. I did not want to risk catching some form of chronic sinusitis. As it stands I suffer from dust allergies.

On the frequent need to inspect the engine bay, I used to do this on my Fiat and there are instances where engine bay inspection did reveal something that was not right or which may have needed attention.

I have been driving a 13 year old Subaru for the last year and this car is exactly like your Honda. Nothing is amiss in the engine bay, ever. Pointless lifting the hood. The only reason I do so is because the car is old. Difficult to get out of the habit as I was doing this for 5 years on my Fiat. All I've done to date is top up wiper fluid.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

My car's AC is always in recirculation mode. Even then, the vents blow cool air inside.

You need to check if this is expected behavior. The flaps are probably not closing properly.

[Flyer]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Why would I use distilled water when I had the original coolant available?

I don't know if the G13 is an already diluted coolant in the bottle? If not then isn't it ideal for our climate conditions to mix distilled water as it will improve the heat transfer capacity than of a pure coolant concentrate (which have lesser heat conduction properties and more of anti-freeze properties suitable for colder European conditions)? I am saying this from whatever I have read in different forums. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Flyer

Isn't it better to top up the coolant by mixing distilled water (maybe 60:40)? Or does vRS have different coolant requirements compared to other VAG cars? All VAG cars in India uses the same G13 coolant.

The coolant used is a readymix(Check the pic). Meaning, it is already
having coolant+water in the required proportion. Hence it must be used directly.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Flyer

Isn't it better to top up the coolant by mixing distilled water (maybe 60:40)?

It is a ready-to-use (ready-to-pour in) coolant that doesn't require any sort of dilution. Check the highlighted part in red.

[Speed.Demon]

Originally Posted by Flyer

Isn't it better to top up the coolant by mixing distilled water (maybe 60:40)? Or does vRS have different coolant requirements compared to other VAG cars? All VAG cars in India uses the same G13 coolant.

This coolant is not supposed to be diluted by mixing with distilled water. It comes pre mixed in the correct ratio from factory.

I very much prefer this compared to other cars where we have to mix the concentrated coolant with water when topping up the reservoir.

[adi_petrolhead]

A brilliant car, and equally nice experience shared by you over the 26K kms you've already driven your RS. So about this rat repellent treatment, wanted to ask:
1) Did they pressure wash the engine bay or use some grime remover spray?
2) Doesn't spraying water in the engine bay seem risky? As it could harm something like the ECU which is just covered on top by a plastic panel?
3) After applying the rat spray, the glossy finish in the engine compartment looks squeaky clean! But is it sticky to the touch? If so, it might gather more dust that will stick on the plastic parts. I try as much to keep the engine bay clean but only via dry cleaning (compressed air) and no water.

Few years ago, Skoda was washing the engine bay and then spraying some engine dresser. I have stopped them from using the engine dresser as it gets very sticky over time (inaccurate ratio used by the service team) and do not allow them to wash the engine bay either. But I do want to achieve a smooth and totally clean engine bay for me to just stare at it

About the low coolant, don't take it lightly. This might just be a sign of beginning VAG / Skoda gremlins. Coolant is not supposed to reduce to this level in any car. It cannot evaporate at high temperatures. SO its either air trapped in the system, or the coolant is leaking somehow for sure. Even the air trapping inside the system is not great news as it may lead to thermostat failure, water pump failure, etc. Its good to have everything checked once.

I feel bad looking at the rim damage! Since yours is a diamond cut finish, hard to rectify with touch up paint too. Have to live with it like I am with my BBS SR in matt grey since I was dumb enough to kerb it once. I don't want to mess up the original colour and finish.

[Jaggu]

Vag cars do have this issue of coolant loss. Noticed it in our Polo also.

And when you switch off Ac, I believe the air recirculation also switches off. This is standard in most cars with electronic climate control if am not mistaken.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Another interesting 'feature' I observed about the Octavia vRS is that the AC doesnt shut off completely. I was driving on the highway the other day and it was quite cold. Even with the AC fan at the lowest setting, it was too cold for me. Decided to just shut it off for a few minutes. I hit the OFF Button. A few minutes later, it wasnt as stuffy as it should have been! I could also feel a light breeze inside the car. I put my hands near the AC vents and could definitely feel air coming from there.

Usually the engine oil takes a fairly long time to heat up. The coolant reaches the operating temp in just a minute or two of idling. The oil temperature though takes much longer. So, knowing the temp of the oil is very useful for me.

I wait till it hits a 100ºC before beating on the car.

This feature is there in all Skodas, if not all VAGs. I remember in my old vRS, the same feature was nice. There is still ventilation even with the windows up and the ac off. Normally cars close the fresh air flap when the ac is switched off.


Also for the oil temp, I think 80 degrees is enough for you to start giving it the beans. At least that is when the oil temperature display on my Cls stops blinking.

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Cleaning and Spraying. That's it.


My car's AC is always in recirculation mode. Even then, the vents blow cool air inside.

That's not a good idea. The CO2 levels will increase rather rapidly depending on duration of drive and #occupants. It can easily cross 2000ppm in 1 hour with 1-2 people on board. That's what i found in my Superb (the Climatronic seems to have some issues also) - and I am measuring this with an air pollution meter. So, you should alternate between fresh air and recirculation.
There is a setting in the HU to allow the Climatronic to "auto-recirculate" but this failed to work on my Superb - CO2 levels reached above 5000ppm. I haven't done long drives (due to work and other topics), so still observing the behavior.


PS - CO2 above 2000ppm is undesirable, and much above that can cause drowsiness, fatigue, headache etc ...


@Jaggu, you're right. My Superb also had coolant topped up, though I have done only 5.4k km over 7 months.