[Bingeljell]

Congratulations on an awesome choice!

Everytime I see happy Skoda and Volkswagen customers, I'm always pleased. I really like both companies, but a bad after sales and service reputation has really destroyed their value in my eyes.

Back when I was choosing a car for my mum, I was very tempted to buy the Laura. I even test drove it. A few bad reviews later we dropped the idea.

But keep on keeping on and keep us posted on she treats you.

[prithwi-81]

Originally Posted by azeemhafiz

I can't express how tempted I am, every time I see Robi's car (which is quite frequent), the temptation just grows. The only thing that keeps me away is honestly the impact on Warranty, but you have set an example to do it well within warranty :-)

May be I should take that drive to Cochin or visit Shibin at Head over wheels. Its only a matter of time :-)

I just hit 6000kms! The fastest I've modded a car.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by azeemhafiz

I can't express how tempted I am, every time I see Robi's car (which is quite frequent), the temptation just grows. The only thing that keeps me away is honestly the impact on Warranty, but you have set an example to do it well within warranty :-)

May be I should take that drive to Cochin or visit Shibin at Head over wheels. Its only a matter of time :-)

Fear of losing the warranty is what's been holding me back as well. Considering that I purchased the 2 years extended warranty over the standard warranty, I thought I'll do whatever modifications I want after the expiry of the extended warranty. But fours years is too long a wait. I am currently at 34K kms and two years of ownership and I don't think I can wait any longer. The car has been working like a charm and I have not faced any single issue so far *touchwood*. I doubt I'll be needing the safety net of that warranty anymore.

I am thinking of getting a simple stage 1- 200 bhp remap and Bilstien B6 suspension upgrade. Luckily I swapped my 15" Alloys and wheels for 16 inchers at the time of purchase. I don't want to go all out sporty. I love the ride quality of my car. The stock TSI's suspension is a bit softer than the VRS's and there's a bit of body roll and understeer while cornering. I am hoping the Bilstien B6s will help in giving tighter body control without sacrificing the ride.

I just completed an 800 km drive. What a beauty this TSI engine is.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Fear of losing the warranty is what's been holding me back as well. Considering that I purchased the 2 years extended warranty over the standard warranty, I thought I'll do whatever modifications I want after the expiry of the extended warranty. But fours years is too long a wait. I am currently at 34K kms and two years of ownership and I don't think I can wait any longer. The car has been working like a charm and I have not faced any single issue so far *touchwood*. I doubt I'll be needing the safety net of that warranty anymore.

I am thinking of getting a simple stage 1- 200 bhp remap and Bilstien B6 suspension upgrade. Luckily I swapped my 15" Alloys and wheels for 16 inchers at the time of purchase. I don't want to go all out sporty. I love the ride quality of my car. The stock TSI's suspension is a bit softer than the VRS's and there's a bit of body roll and understeer while cornering. I am hoping the Bilstien B6s will help in giving tighter body control without sacrificing the ride.

I just completed an 800 km drive. What a beauty this TSI engine is.

The ride quality will be stiffer with the Bilsteins. Why not try and get a set of RS springs first, that should improve the handling a bit while not degrading the ride too much. Of course if those are anywhere near the cost of the bilsteins, then get those.

Prithwi, man you are tempting all of us to get the mods.

[ashish22]

Just finished reading your ownership review. Very articulate and crisp! I could feel the emotions through your words which you must have gone through!

Glad to see more members in the exclusive vRS club!

Oh and you owe one to your mother :-)

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Fear of losing the warranty is what's been holding me back as well. Considering that I purchased the 2 years extended warranty over the standard warranty, I thought I'll do whatever modifications I want after the expiry of the extended warranty. But fours years is too long a wait. I am currently at 34K kms and two years of ownership and I don't think I can wait any longer. The car has been working like a charm and I have not faced any single issue so far *touchwood*. I doubt I'll be needing the safety net of that warranty anymore.

I am thinking of getting a simple stage 1- 200 bhp remap and Bilstien B6 suspension upgrade. Luckily I swapped my 15" Alloys and wheels for 16 inchers at the time of purchase. I don't want to go all out sporty. I love the ride quality of my car. The stock TSI's suspension is a bit softer than the VRS's and there's a bit of body roll and understeer while cornering. I am hoping the Bilstien B6s will help in giving tighter body control without sacrificing the ride.

I too had the fear of warranty and hence waited for 2years/25K Kms. I did not get the 4 year warranty as it was not available then from Skoda.

Now its been another 25K after the mods and my love for the car is ever increasing. The scare of getting a small scratch/dent prevents me from driving it a lot in the city, as the number of lunatic drivers are increasing everyday in Bangalore.

Go ahead get a set of B6's and the Stage I remap. Better still change the springs to the RS one's, as Akshay suggested in case you don't want to lower the car (good idea if you use it often with more than people in it in Bangalore). It will make a world of difference. I don't think a suspension upgrade will void your engine/transmission warranty. Coming to the remap, it will void it but it cannot be detected and God forbid you need to claim warranty for something, you can get it swapped to stock in a few minutes.

[ketla2411]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Fear of losing the warranty is what's been holding me back as well. Considering that I purchased the 2 years extended warranty over the standard warranty, I thought I'll do whatever modifications I want after the expiry of the extended warranty. But fours years is too long a wait. I am currently at 34K kms and two years of ownership and I don't think I can wait any longer. The car has been working like a charm and I have not faced any single issue so far *touchwood*. I doubt I'll be needing the safety net of that warranty anymore.

I am thinking of getting a simple stage 1- 200 bhp remap and Bilstien B6 suspension upgrade. Luckily I swapped my 15" Alloys and wheels for 16 inchers at the time of purchase. I don't want to go all out sporty. I love the ride quality of my car. The stock TSI's suspension is a bit softer than the VRS's and there's a bit of body roll and understeer while cornering. I am hoping the Bilstien B6s will help in giving tighter body control without sacrificing the ride.

I just completed an 800 km drive. What a beauty this TSI engine is.

Santoshbhat, if you come down to Goa on a driving holiday, do give me a call. It will be a pleasure to give you a ride so that you feel first hand what turbo / suspension / arb / brake & exhaust upgrades can do to a humble Laura 1.8TSi.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

I too had the fear of warranty and hence waited for 2years/25K Kms. I did not get the 4 year warranty as it was not available then from Skoda.

Now its been another 25K after the mods and my love for the car is ever increasing. The scare of getting a small scratch/dent prevents me from driving it a lot in the city, as the number of lunatic drivers are increasing everyday in Bangalore.

Go ahead get a set of B6's and the Stage I remap. Better still change the springs to the RS one's, as Akshay suggested in case you don't want to lower the car (good idea if you use it often with more than people in it in Bangalore). It will make a world of difference. I don't think a suspension upgrade will void your engine/transmission warranty. Coming to the remap, it will void it but it cannot be detected and God forbid you need to claim warranty for something, you can get it swapped to stock in a few minutes.

Am glad to see you reply to my post, I have so many questions to ask you .

Even I don't drive the car around Bangalore much. I drive an i10 AT to office daily . Its only during weekends that I take the car out. Most of my running has been on NH 4 drives to Belgaum, Kolhapur etc...My work involves travel to places like Chennai, Coimbatore, Bellary, Mangalore etc... Time permitting I prefer to drive to these places.

My usage pattern is such that for work I travel with max one person in the car. But the car also does duty as the family car when travelling out of town for personal visits. During such drives, the car is loaded upto its gills, with four adults and a tiny tot and their respective luggage.

So lowering the car is out of question for me. With the Bilstien B6's, you think its necessary to upgrade the springs as well? My needs are basically reduced body roll and better cornering ability. I am prepared to sacrifice some ride quality for this. And since you are the TSI remap expert, I have to ask you, what should I look for in a remap? I don't want to lose the practicality and easy driveability of the car. I am not the sort of guy who takes off from traffic lights, with wheel spin and rubber laid on the road. But I do like to drive fast on the highway.

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Guys, I am really envying all of you. Its not even 10 days since I had to part away with my TSI. I was not even able to satisfy myself of the stock car forget about modding it like you guys are talking about. But this is something I am going to miss for a long time. Till that time, I am happy to read your posts and read your experiences with the modded car. Will keep on making notes till I again get a hand on skoda petrol (this time preferebly RS) and follow you guys to pimp my ride.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I have to ask you, what should I look for in a remap? I don't want to lose the practicality and easy driveability of the car. I am not the sort of guy who takes off from traffic lights, with wheel spin and rubber laid on the road. But I do like to drive fast on the highway.

For highway drives I would always prefer a stiffer setup like the B6 with H&R sports springs or B14 coilovers but since you often travel with a full load, the best bet for you would be B6 with VRS springs. Now, you can use the stock springs as well but the VRS springs don't cost much and it will be a worthwhile ugrade.

Get a remap with a wide torque spread till around 5800rpm. Concentrate more on the mid and the top range as you do lot of highway drives. One more thing, get the remap for the worst quality fuel even if it means sacrificing 10/20hp. I don't know how your primacy lc's will hold up though in case you do get a remap, especially in the lower gears. Eventually you have to upgrade to something like Michelin PS3 225/50 R16 (need not go for 17 inches)

[prithwi-81]

Vids are up fellows.

[azeemhafiz]

Originally Posted by ashish22

Glad to see more members in the exclusive vRS club!

Oh and you owe one to your mother :-)

Thanks! And oh yes I do, if it weren't for her guidance and encouragement the vRS would have just remained a dream. She thought me to take the leap of faith and how.

Originally Posted by ketla2411

Santoshbhat, if you come down to Goa on a driving holiday, do give me a call. It will be a pleasure to give you a ride so that you feel first hand what turbo / suspension / arb / brake & exhaust upgrades can do to a humble Laura 1.8TSi.

A Driving holiday, now thats got me thinking. Will float the idea with Robi on the weekend. It will be fun taking a couple of TSI's to Goa - Brilliant roads.

[azeemhafiz]

Originally Posted by azeemhafiz

I can't express how tempted I am, every time I see Robi's car (which is quite frequent), the temptation just grows. The only thing that keeps me away is honestly the impact on Warranty, but you have set an example to do it well within warranty

May be I should take that drive to Cochin.

Finally took that drive along with a brilliant friend and bhpian - Robimahanta, without whom none of this would have been possible.

More updates to follow (Image Credit: Pete's Automotive)

[azeemhafiz]

So the car has done about 22k kilometers in little over 11 months. Although I purchased extended warranty with the car the reliability and service support (yes, I do mean TAFE) I received thus far was encouraging enough to go in for a few mods. Fellow 1.8Tsi owners in the forum was definitely a motivation factor, plus with friends like robimahanta mods on the car were inevitable.

Miltek Exhaust with SS Downpipe (Decated) along with Stage 2 map (custom code) by Pete's Automotive
Now I really wanted to go in for a sports cat, but the price was really exorbitant but this is one of those mods that I wanted to get right from the beginning, although I admit I just wanted CAT back but after speaking to Peter just going for the downpipe made more sense and boy am I happy!!
My mom who is a big fan of this new exhaust noted that at idle and slow speed the car is now quieter than before but I just love the growl when you put the foot down. The throttle response and performance is now in a totally different league. And yes, I went in for a resonated exhaust - I really like the sleeper effect and subtleness.
I had to go in for stage 2 map to accommodate the changes in exhaust, the power output range is now in 210+ bhp range.
Overall I just love the mods, this takes the car to all new level - Its more quieter than ever before when driven in a sublime manner and grunt and exhaust note is smile pasting when its pedal to the metal. Its taken the car to a whole new league.
Also, I need to point out that I was astonished by the professionalism and level to detail orientation of Peter and his staff. This workshop and the craftsmanship is truly world class.

Bluetooth & Auto lights by Sugesh from VAG Tune
These in my opinion are absolutely must adds to stock vRS.
The bluetooth module integrates well with the stock bolero system and auto-lights are simply amazing. I just cant understand why Skoda removed them although it saved them some costs the fact that these two features are still supported with only slight addition puzzles me.
Auto-lights come on when its dark (obviously!), when it rains heavily & when you maintain 140 kmph+ consistently for about 5 seconds (I'm not saying I did, but that's the theory)
Sugesh's work has been highly recommended elsewhere in the forum and his work is just amazing, very professional and only OEM parts - No messing with Factory wires.

I also put in H&R spacers to get rear wheels to align with the body, ECS antenna & Muth blind spot mirrors (damn cool). Now for a few pictures
Image credit - Pete's automotive.

[azeemhafiz]

While cruising back home with a friend at around 4:30 AM in the morning a couple of weeks ago, the check engine lights along with the EPC lights came on.

I panicked, a million things running through my head especially since I had the car remapped only recently. The car was in limp mode, got the car back home and send a message to Peter from Pete's on this. My initial suspicion was bad fuel, regardless waited anxiously for time to pass and for Peter to wake up. My mind wandering aimlessly, the usual worst case scenario's running through my mind. I also send a message to Old sport - Robimahanta and Shibin from Head over wheels.

As my mom was comparing my reaction to that of a dear one in the hopsital; I kept wondering we need to have emergency helplines for us petrol heads to talk about our mental make up during these anxious times. Some of us will understand, most of them will ridicule me for this - But I found my respite in the reply I got from Peter at 6 AM, very very comforting assuring me that this will be sorted out and he too mentioned that this has to be because of bad fuel. Following that I spoke to robimahanta & Shibin and I was calm after.

What happened after this is a true testament to some of the best in class service that one can receive in the whole world.

At 10 in the morning, Shibin came home with the VCDS cable and laptop to diagnose the issue - Remember, this is a working day and he was at my home and not at Head over wheels (his tuning shop) fixing my issue and in form of moral support, Peter had already spoken to him in the morning (I think Peter woke him up in the morning and asked him to touch base with me). Diagnosis revealed that there was a misfire in Cylinder 4 and it was shut down. This to me indicated that it shouldn't be bad fuel. Upon looking at the logs, Peter and Shibin was suspecting that the coil on cylinder 4 had gone bad. Regardless, we decided to call the Skoda line (TAFE) and ask them to come home and help.

Tafe send a service personal (who charged 1,000/- bucks) and to my surprise he turned up without the VCDS cable - Please note that this was TAFE and not Skoda's helpline. Shibin asked him to interchange the coil to 3 & 4 and see if that resolves anything - And VCDS immediately showed that Cylinder 3 has been shut down. This confirmed Peter and Shibin's thesis that Coil's gone bad.

TAFE personal said that this is covered under warranty, however I'll have to shuttle the car to TAFE (get it towed) and it will take in the order of 5-7 days to get approval and replace under warranty. And that they would only replace one and not the whole set.

Now, Peter was insistent that they have to change all the 4 coils and replacing just one will eventually lead to the failure of others. Peter said that he is sending me 4 coils from Cochin overnight and that should resolve the issue. I was happy to go with this route as I would have the car back and ready the next day.

There were some issues with transportation but Shibin came home and fixed this at midnight, took the car for a drive and ensured that there are not errors or issues at all. This kind of service in my experience and from what I have heard is unparalleled.

For those of us who are worried with Skoda A.S.S. Get a remap (or some work from Pete's) and enjoy the un-relentless, un-paralleled support from Pete's. Boy, Am I glad I got my car remap done - because the coil would have gone kaput regardless.

A heartfelt gratitude to Shibin, Peter and Robimahanta.

Back to crunching those miles.

Onward!

Azeem