[mrpitt]

23000 KM Update:

So this is a bit of a premature and unfortunate update. I had a minor accident avoiding a car that was driving on the wrong side of the road. Long story short, I clipped the divider while braking and managed to cut both right side tyres as well as damage the front right side rim. The tie rod and ball joint also ended up bent and needed replacing. Very thankfully this happened right outside my regular tyre shop. Big shout out to Ashoka Wheels Banjara Hills who helped me get the car into their shop and got me two new tyres immediately . They also made the car somewhat drivable, so I could take it to the Skoda workshop the next day.

After Accident



After three long weeks, I finally got the car home today. One rim has been bent a bit and so have had to order a new one to avoid any bubbles forming on the tyres. While the car was at the workshop, I decided to get the second full service done. This was due in a month anyway so thought may as well get it done. Got insurance to cover the bits that needed replacing, and obviously the service I paid for. Apart from the long wait for the parts and insurance to get sorted, my experience with Mahavir Auto continues to be good.

Damaged rim



Bent Tie Rod






This is the sad state of my car unfortunately. Driving it around the city (have been recommended not to do any longer drives) with one steel wheel that’s smaller. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new rim!

[itwasntme]

Sad to see this but could have been worse with extensive body damage and the second alloy too. Just put it behind you!

Do get the alignment thoroughly checked at a reputed establishment.

[mrpitt]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Sad to see this but could have been worse with extensive body damage and the second alloy too. Just put it behind you!

Do get the alignment thoroughly checked at a reputed establishment.

Have got the alignment done multiple times at Skoda to make sure I was satisfied. But yes will definitely do it again at my regular shop once the new rim comes in.

[mrpitt]

35,000 Km Update

So this update has been a long time coming. The car recently ticked over 35000 kms and a lot has happened in the last couple of years. Of course, the multiple lockdowns have really cut the running down, else I probably would have gone on a couple of road trips, but anyway here goes.

First off, in January 2020 I switched to new TSW Sebring rims in Matte Black. I was really not comfortable with the idea of repairing my old rims, and at the time I couldn’t find a replacement for the damaged rim after trying for nearly 2 months. TSW Rotary Forged rims were a bit beyond my budget, but even though the Sebring’s weighed slightly more than the stock rims, I thought there were worth it. I simply loved their angular nature and felt they fit beautifully with certain design elements of the Octi – the split head lights, the shape of the led tail lights, and generally the slightly boxier shape of the vehicle.













Sometime in March 2020 the car ticked over 25000kms of fairly smooth running, barring a small incident. At some point in the lockdown the itch to modify/upgrade something started. After trying and failing to source a hexagon (vRS) style grille (which I’m still looking for) I decided something needed to be done about the car’s stance, particularly the yawning gap in the wheel wells. After a bunch of research including combing through a couple of threads here on TBHP, I decided to go in with Cobra Progressive Lowering Springs (40mm drop) that were to be used with the stock dampers in August 2020. It made a drastic difference to the looks of the car and improved them way beyond my expectations! The handling of the car was also transformed. The combination of wider rubber and these springs made body roll near to nothing and it felt like the car was on rails around corners. I’ll now let some pictures do the talking.















The ride quality was a different story altogether. My initial thoughts were that it was a bit harsh on rebound, but something I could live with very comfortably. I had to reduce the tyre pressures to 28psi but other than that it was okay. However, the more the I drove, the more frustrating the ride became. Maybe it was a result of the increasing number of potholes in the areas I normally drive though, or just a lack of patience from my end, but it started bothering me more and more. Also, this is my only car so there were recurrent instances of parents & in-laws traveling with me. The lowered height became an issue for elder folks to get in and out of the car. This combination of factors made me switch back to the stock springs in March 2021.

I still feel like the Cobra springs were a good upgrade, however I would recommend people to also change the dampers along with the springs. I think this will at least solve for the ride quality issues for sure.

Post switching back, in April, there was a small oil leak in the driveshaft boot as it had torn. This boot was replaced and there has been no repeat of this.

One morning in November, I walked up to the car to see the following sight.





It seemed like the dreaded water pump failure. Called up Skoda RSA. A mechanic came within an hour with two bottles of coolant and asked me to fill it up and bring it to the workshop constantly monitoring for a major leak or warning lights. Decided to do this the next early morning as traffic would be less so would hopefully be less of a problem. As dreaded on inspection they did find the water pump to have failed and this was replaced under warranty.

Ever since though, the car touchwood has chugged along without any major problems. It constantly amazes me how much stuff it can hold. Everything from sofas to center tables to boxes of clothes have been moved around with relative ease. On 31st August 2021 the car was given for its 4th service. I purchased both extended warranty as well as extended RSA.

In December 2021 I noticed there was a slight delay on startup. A couple of times the car refused to start but on waiting 5 mins and turning off the lights, it would startup without any issues. To be on the safer side I went to my regular battery guy to get it tested and lo and behold one of the cells had failed. Got it replaced with equivalent Amaron battery without too much discount as the guarantee period (2 years) was over and there were only a few months left in its warranty period.

This pretty much sums up what has been a relatively fuss free last couple of years with the Octavia. I dread thinking of what to ever upgrade to from here as nothing can be more fun, have the same amount of space, have an interior of such quality, and be as VFM at the same time. Signing off with a couple of my favourite shots of the car.