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-   -   Review: Skoda Rapid Monte Carlo 1.0L TSI – A Little Beast! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/227143-review-skoda-rapid-monte-carlo-1-0l-tsi-little-beast-4.html)

It’s been close to 2.5 years and a little over 26,000km with the 1.0 TSI and the ownership so far has been absolutely trouble-free. I wish the way forward remains the same and as exciting as it is.



The Rapid TSI underwent two annual services (15,000 and 30,000km) by now, leaving no room for any surprise. I’ve purchased the maintenance package for 4 years/60,000km upfront and the service costs were covered in this.

Over these years, the Rapid managed to get some mods which really transformed the way it drives - courtesy Bilstein B6 and OEM ESP retrofit.

OEM ESP Retrofit (15,550km)
I started some discussions with Nikhil of N2 Autotech to get the stock ABS pump replaced with the Euro spec pump with ESP which would help enabling traction control, hill hold and TPMS. I knew another BHPian friend VivekCherian already placed a similar order with Nikhil for his Polo 1.0 TSI MT (along with tons of other mods) and I hit him up with so many questions. Big thanks to him for all the help offered. Eventually, I too placed the order towards end of July 2021 and then the wait started. By first week of October, Nikhil managed to source all parts required for the retrofit. Vivek’s car had quite a lot of mods to undergo and Nikhil wanted to work on our cars back to back. In the end, we agreed upon later half of December for the mods.

Finally, Nikhil is in the city and Vivek’s Polo was being worked upon. I handed over my Rapid to him as he dropped the Polo at my place where he managed to complete some minor work which was pending. Nikhil kept on updating me on the progress by sending pictures and videos even without I asked for, much appreciated.

Here are a few pictures as he progressed with the retrofit.

Parts required for the retrofit


That's the Euro ABS pump now fitted


Steering to get the slip ring with angle sensor


The switch to turn ON/OFF Traction Control is installed


Apparently, the car was delivered next day morning and we tested ESP in real time by stomping the A pedal, indeed it kicked in and warning flashed on the cluster. An OEM switch was added on to one of the empty slots on the dash so that traction control can be turned off if there’s a need and we verified it’s working too.

I also sourced the trumpet horns from Jetta and which got installed as well. Here are the part numbers.

Low tone part # 5C0 951 221 B
High tone part# 5C0 951 223 C

Suspension upgrade - Bilstein B6 (20,500km)
I felt the need of a stiffer suspension setup as the car was used 90% of the time on highways. This was an easy one though. With numerous positive reviews about Bilstein B6 on team-bhp and other European forums, I simply zeroed in on the B6. Big thanks to d_himan who answered all my questions on B6 and I placed my order with TDC. The Bilstein catalogue lists 35-168560 and 24-231312 for the front and rear. The front cross-references with the Polo as well while the rear fits on the Vento and the Rapid alone. The package was delivered by Fedex and of course I had to pay the customs duty.



I got the Bilsteins installed the very next day and was truly amazed by the results. The difference was indeed day and night. The car feels a lot more planted and unlimited fun along the corners. The ride has become a little stiffer than the stock setup and potholes are felt inside the cabin at slow speed. But it’s a different story as you gain speed.

Top strut mounts and the bearings were replaced while installing the B6. They weren’t worn out, but I didn’t want to take chances.

B6 vs the stock


The front is in!


The rear too.


The front brake discs were already showing signs of giving up and I also replaced them along with the pads. I’ve got the rotors from Fabia’s bin (Part # 6R0 615 301 C) as they are of superior quality and are made in Germany while the original discs in the Rapid were from a vendor in India. Many fellow TSI owners were complaining of the poor quality of rotors and hopefully the Fabia’s set will hold good for long.



The brake pads were also changed. That’s it for now!

Great details! Can you provide the price details as well? Whether these mods void warranty?

Wonderful safety mod.. does this require any SW override to the existing system as that would void the warranty of the entire car.

Also, from what I see, you have replaced/swapped the ABS motor with the ESP and this will have different mounting which you added in addition.

And how does it gets integrates with ECU/ECM, do we need to do a different wiring for this?

Kindly throw me some light.

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

I am facing the same issue with rotors on my TDI. After applying brakes the car just rolls and i don't feel the bite at all.
I always break very gently and a bit earlier to give my family a smooth ride. I noticed a gloss like surface on my rotors, so i am assuming that's why I'm not getting a bite. Is this glossiness normal or is my relaxed breaking causing this?
I complained to the ASS and got it checked at a fng too, they always say rotors and pads seem fine. But when they test drive, I've always noticed they're heavy on the break, leading to a jerky ride. For emergency break testing it's fine but my complaint is with relaxed breaking.
Post the aggressive break test, the glossiness on rotors disappear and normal breaking also gets more responsive, but after a couple of weeks back to square one.
Is it me or the rotors?:Frustrati

I asked around and was told brembos are good. A good acquaintance at the ASS and a FNG said OEM will be better than brembos:confused:

If your Fabia rotors are giving you good response then do let me know.
Thanks for the detailed post you did on your Rapid.

The warranty on suspension (and probably the associated components) is void for sure. On the pricing, I paid £500 for B6 including shipping. But for the ESP retrofit, the prices could vary based on the availability of parts and one’s requirements. I’d say, best to check with your VAG specialists.

On the wiring, as I wanted to have a switch added to enable/disable ESP, this required additional wiring. Also, the coding was required to get the system running.

Hopefully you changed the pads to non-OEM too. If not get them changed at the earliest. I had changed to these discs @ around 23K with the stock pads but the vibrations returned back around 26K.
I then changed the pads to Meyle and re-greased the caliper pins and now @ 30K things are better. I believe that the stock pads quality has gone down the drain. So better use good quality with these imported rotors.


BTW why did you had to pay duty on personal usage items ? I am planning to get OBD Eleven and concerned on the duty costs.

Hi, Congratulations on getting some tasty mods on your pride. I am thinking to order B4 Damptronic with TDC automotive, UK. Can you please elaborate on shipping costs and % custom duty that you had to pay? Custom duty needs to be paid to Fedex or TDC charges the same at the time of ordering. I hope the process of importing such parts is not too complex.

Bro how much was the euro spec abs module I'm also planning to get it done. And where can I contact the guys from n2 ?

Hi there, you can perhaps leave a message on the IG handle @N2Autotech. The cost varies depending on the requirement. I’d say best to hit him up.

Hi can you please tell how much custom duty you had to pay on the b6 dampers?