[suneet_ag]

Any specific issues with customs that one should be vary of? I have bought stuff online but never attempted anything as big as a steering wheel, with the fear that it might get stuck at the customs.

How did you go about this?

[contessa]

Congrats Vinj.

Are the Swing and Bolero of the same external dimensions. I thought, we would have to replace the panel that surrounds player and A/C control.

When you change the player, do you also have to make an "Code" changes using VCDS.

I'm more keen on adding ipod control to my Swing player on my Yeti.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by contessa

Congrats Vinj.

Are the Swing and Bolero of the same external dimensions. I thought, we would have to replace the panel that surrounds player and A/C control.

When you change the player, do you also have to make an "Code" changes using VCDS.

I'm more keen on adding ipod control to my Swing player on my Yeti.

Yes, the bolero and the swing share the same dimensions (boleros made for the superb have different dimensions). As an anti-theft measure whenever the radio is removed and installed in a new car you need to type in a security code (no need for vcds) to use the player.

If you are only interested in adding ipod control to the swing player then you should try and get the MDI kit (comes with the latest vento and the new jetta). Even the swing player manual mentions something about the MDI kit at the end.You should be able to get it for around 200 dollars on ebay .

[vinj14]

Thinking of upgrading to OE Skoda 17" alloys.
Cant decide between these two..Would love some comments and opinions.



I'm selling my 4 month old 16" proxima alloys which are in great condition. Got it listed in the classifieds section.

[Santoshbhat]

I am sure you would have weighed out the pros and cons of riding on low pro tires on the 17 inchers. IIRC a couple of BHPians in Bangalore have upgraded to 17 inchers on their TSi's. They could probably give you some feedback.

Of the two I prefer the second one. Your car will look SMOKING HOT with these . The only drawback I see is when you have to travel on broken or potholed roads. Not only will the ride be very harsh but you also will be risking damaging the alloys.

[.cArMaNiA]

In my opinion second one looks way better than the first one. BTW i am also planning to upgrade from stock 15'' to 16'' alloys on my 3 month old laura ambiente. Would like to know from you, how do you find the ride quality with 16'' alloys. 17'' is a strict no for the quality of roads over here in haryana & delhi NCR.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by .cArMaNiA

In my opinion second one looks way better than the first one. BTW i am also planning to upgrade from stock 15'' to 16'' alloys on my 3 month old laura ambiente. Would like to know from you, how do you find the ride quality with 16'' alloys. 17'' is a strict no for the quality of roads over here in haryana & delhi NCR.

Ride on the 16" is great. Grips the road. You dont feel like you are on a see-saw when taking sharp corners. Overall i have no complaints, just wanted to go for something sportier. Spoke to the skoda dealer about upgrading to 17" and he didn't recommend it. Was saying the ride quality will go for a six when driving on the horrible roads in the rainy season... Got me doubting my initial decision. Still ambivalent..

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I am sure you would have weighed out the pros and cons of riding on low pro tires on the 17 inchers. IIRC a couple of BHPians in Bangalore have upgraded to 17 inchers on their TSi's. They could probably give you some feedback.

Of the two I prefer the second one. Your car will look SMOKING HOT with these . The only drawback I see is when you have to travel on broken or potholed roads. Not only will the ride be very harsh but you also will be risking damaging the alloys.

Thanks. As you can see from my reply to the previous post im starting to think the cons outweigh the pros when upsizing to 17 inchers..

[ecclipse78]

Doc, go for the 2nd choice.
Just take her a bit easy over rough roads.

[Maibaa]

Go for the alloys in the second picture. They look great!

I have 17" OEM Skoda alloys on my TSI and I couldn't have asked for more.



I was apprehensive too when I made the choice to upgrade to 17 inchers keeping in mind the craters in Bangalore. I went ahead with my decision to upgrade and all my fears were laid to rest when I started driving with these. I drive to work everyday on outer ring road from KR Puram to Bellandur Jn that has become an endurance track for all vehicles. Humps, bumps, pot holes, craters, gravel, broken roads, no roads, you name it and its all there. I have managed to drive comfortably in these conditions and didn't find any problems. The brilliant suspension of the Laura also has a part in absorbing the humps and bumps to offer a comfortable ride.

The ony thing to be careful of is the damage caused to the rims due to the low profile tyres expecially when the wheels happen to touch the kerb or footpath walls. Added to this I make sure I drive slow and carefully on bad roads so that I dont damage the rims.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by Maibaa

Go for the alloys in the second picture. They look great!

I have 17" OEM Skoda alloys on my TSI and I couldn't have asked for more.

I was apprehensive too when I made the choice to upgrade to 17 inchers keeping in mind the craters in Bangalore. I went ahead with my decision to upgrade and all my fears were laid to rest when I started driving with these. I drive to work everyday on outer ring road from KR Puram to Bellandur Jn that has become an endurance track for all vehicles. Humps, bumps, pot holes, craters, gravel, broken roads, no roads, you name it and its all there. I have managed to drive comfortably in these conditions and didn't find any problems. The brilliant suspension of the Laura also has a part in absorbing the humps and bumps to offer a comfortable ride.

The ony thing to be careful of is the damage caused to the rims due to the low profile tyres expecially when the wheels happen to touch the kerb or footpath walls. Added to this I make sure I drive slow and carefully on bad roads so that I dont damage the rims.

Wow.. Thanks. Just the confidence booster i need. Those 17 inchers are called pegasus right? Laura is a quite a big and bulky car and the 15 and 16 inch alloys do look disproportionately small. Based on the your pic the 17" alloys really does makes it look proportionate and not to get forget sporty as hell.

Hey if its not asking for too much, would mind sharing how much each of them costed and what you did with your old 15" alloys? You could PM me with the details if you arent comfortable sharing pricing information in the forum.. Thanks again

[Maibaa]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Wow.. Thanks. Just the confidence booster i need. Those 17 inchers are called pegasus right? Laura is a quite a big and bulky car and the 15 and 16 inch alloys do look disproportionately small. Based on the your pic the 17" alloys really does makes it look proportionate and not to get forget sporty as hell.

Hey if its not asking for too much, would mind sharing how much each of them costed and what you did with your old 15" alloys? You could PM me with the details if you arent comfortable sharing pricing information in the forum.. Thanks again

Not sure what is the name of the alloys my car has. Good to know they are called Pegasus :-)

Well, when I took delivery of my car I paid 65K to exchange the 15 inch alloys + the spare (steel rim) with 17" alloys with Michelliin PP2 tyres for the 4 wheels and 17" steel rim for the spare. Then the dealer could not source 17" steel rim for the spare and he gave me a fifth alloy for no cost. Although I could not get the same design for the 5th alloy I am not worried as its a spare and better than having a steel rim as a spare.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by vinj14

MOD#1
4 spoke non multifunction steering to a 3 spoke vrs multifunction steering with paddle shifts and an active PTT (push to talk) button!
Parts required
a) 3 spoke multifunction steering with paddles
b) Steering wheel control module with slipring
c) Airbag wiring harness
Source
All the parts were bought from skodateile.cz ( Alez from skodateile helped me procure the right parts and modules)
Fitting
Done in the skoda workshop thanks to a very knowledgeable and helpful skoda service advisor! Overall time taken for the procedure was about 12-15mins.

Adding a flappy paddle shifter is probably one of a kind mod I have see in Laura CR 140s. Kudos on that..!
Does the triptronic mode on steering wheel function seamlessly alongwith the one next to gear selector ; or did you have to disable the later.
Also did you change the air bag assembly from the older steering to the new one. Would be great if you can share some approx cost on migration to flappy paddle.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by Rasputin

Adding a flappy paddle shifter is probably one of a kind mod I have see in Laura CR 140s. Kudos on that..!
Does the triptronic mode on steering wheel function seamlessly alongwith the one next to gear selector ; or did you have to disable the later.
Also did you change the air bag assembly from the older steering to the new one. Would be great if you can share some approx cost on migration to flappy paddle.

Yes the paddles work on D,S and Tiptronic mode. You have full control when your are on tiptronic mode. Used the same airbag but you need a new airbag wirning harness (which has a extra slot for the multifunction steering wheell). Changing the steering wheel control module and finding the exact compatible part number is the tricky part. This mod costed around 25k

[vinj14]

So i decided to add some 'sexy' to the laura and went to the dealer to get the OE spoiler and chrome exhaust tips fitted.
After reading about updates being available for the ECU which improves FE and solves some glitches i told the service advisor to check if there was any software update for my car. He connected to VAS, scanned my car for errors (none found), searched for updates and he found an update available for the engine electronics. Took about 1 hour to complete the update process. And maybe this is purely psychological but the A/C already feels more powerful. A few fellow bhpians with yetis got their ECU updated as well and found the A/C perfomance and the FE to have improved.
I wasn't physically present when they did the update so i had to double check when i got back home. Came home plugged in my vcds cable and confirmed the update. I'm pasting that section of the report below for those who might find it useful.

PRE UPDATE
Address 01: Engine (J623-CLCB) Labels: 03L-906-018-CFF.clb
Part No SW: 03L 906 018 EH HW: 03L 906 018 BR
Component: R4 2,0L EDC H23 7021
Revision: 42H23--- Serial number:
Coding: 001D0012040500080000
Shop #: WSC 33361 790 00999
ASAM Dataset: EV_ECM20TDI01103L906018EH 003003
ROD: EV_ECM20TDI01103L906018EH.rod
VCID: 74EC1A636E20

No fault code found.

POST UPDATE
Address 01: Engine (J623-CLCB) Labels: 03L-906-018-CFF.clb
Part No SW: 03L 906 018 EH HW: 03L 906 018 BR
Component: R4 2,0L EDC H23 9480
Revision: 42H23--- Serial number:
Coding: 001D0012040500080000
Shop #: WSC 10039 663 102908
ASAM Dataset: EV_ECM20TDI01103L906018EH 003005
ROD: EV_ECM20TDI01103L906018EH.rod
VCID: 74EDFFB4DFA030E

No fault code found.

[ferrari_driver]

Hi guys,

I have bought the Top end Skoda Luara L&K a month back and to be honest I am not really happy with the ride quality. I had an optra magnum diesel before the Laura and have a civic at home as well.

I am not sure if it is purely because of low profile tyres of the Laura. Laura has 205/55, Optra had 195/60 and Civic has 195/65 in ascending order of tyre profile.

The standard tyre pressure recommended is 32 psi in all tyres. Can anyone help me if I should run on lower pressure to compensate for the bumpy ride?

I really thought the suspension of the Luara would be the best of the lot -- not sure if it is just in the mind