[sunny310c]

Congratulations on what looks like a Superb buy . Loved the detailed posts. Learnt quite a few things thanks to you. Like many others have pointed out, I didn't even know such car ever came to the Indian shores. Thanks for sharing and wish you thousands of miles of trouble free ownership.

[Pal]

Hi Avinash!

Let me start by sharing an honest reason for starting to read your article. Firstly I thought 'Calling the superb a sleeper? He is probably referring to her drooping headlamp design and calling her a sleeper...bah'

But boy was I wrong! Little did I know that the 3.6litre engine was available in the Superb models and more so, its designed configuration was such a marvel of German Engineering!

Bit by bit my attention was completely funneled in by your level of details mentioned viz engine (vRS vs FSI vs 1.8TDi), transmission (Reason for Halde oil replacement), brakes (reason for 17" as compared to 16", size differences) and about the handling aspects. Enjoyed every bit of it!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and kudos for doing it in such a non confusing manner.

p.s. I work for the VW group here in the middle east and reading your article makes me feel like going back to the basics via SSP's again.

Cheers

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

Those figures are just the test data using 91 RON. If there is a BS4 variant it would have different specs to the engine - compression ratio etc.

VW will not change the specs of an engine that has a limited sales potential to meet Indian requirements. In fact they don't change the specs even of engines with larger sales. Partly the reason for the issues one faces.

Thank you for the clarifications. I was also told by tuners that the car runs a Euro 5 map and now understand the owner's manual is a bit misleading.

Originally Posted by Asta_la_vista

Congrats on the buy! I too once came across an used 3.6 FSi Superb from Chennai while looking for a replacement for my Benz. But the infamous Skoda ASS in my part of the state prevented my from going for it.

Thank you and agree on the ASS part. Neither would we take a chance in such a case.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

There is nothing like it when both the head and the heart can agree on a car!

The beauty of used car market. These cars lost out in the diesel race. NGT to the rescue

Coming back to the car, it really is Rossi and Simoncelli rolled into one. The adaptability and longevity of 46 with the daring and talent of 58. I so wish the Superb can retain that registration.

Yes I too wish for the same. But the smallest possibility for it is to shift to an address in Guruvayur. I have also heard that you don't have the choice for selecting fancy numbers when re-registering a vehicle, not sure of it though.

Originally Posted by ajmat

Congrats on a rare machine. You are already aware that the dealer might not know everything about the car and you will need to develop resources on the net for diagnosis and parts.

Thank you. I hope that there isn't anything out of regular maintenance on the engine side. Otherwise basic fluids and filters are shared with other cars. Brake and suspension components have different part numbers, but manageable. Body panels are cosmetics are shared, so safe there also (but lack of b2b insurance can hurt). Even though the car was religiously sent to the ASS by previous owner, they hadn't changed the DSG or Haldex oils. I am pretty sure it was due to the lack of awareness of the ASS than customer refusing to do the job.

Originally Posted by Pal

Bit by bit my attention was completely funneled in by your level of details mentioned viz engine (vRS vs FSI vs 1.8TDi), transmission (Reason for Halde oil replacement), brakes (reason for 17" as compared to 16", size differences) and about the handling aspects. Enjoyed every bit of it!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and kudos for doing it in such a non confusing manner.

Thank you for your kind words. I had gone through the SSPs available for these engines as well as for the fourth gen haldex systems. It is freely available on the web and was quite useful. Forgot to include it in the opening posts.

If anyone is interested to read more about:

3.2/3.6 VR6 FSI engine (applicable for Superb 3.6) 3.2L 3.6L VR6 FSI SSP manual.pdf

4th gen Haldex systems (applicable for Superb 3.6, pre-facelift Yeti 4x4) Haldex 4th gen VW SSP.pdf

[nipcarlover]

Dude this is awesome! What a great find!

I love VR6 engines, they have such a unique sound when uncorked, both the 3.2s in the Golf R32s and the 3.6s. In a Superb it makes for an amazing sleeper.

Some madmen in Canada have this engine fitted with twin-turbos making 740HP in a Golf:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnR6FBRC0F4

Now that engine in a Superb would make one amazing sleeper.

[prateekswarup]

Very nice find Avinash! Thank you for technical insight to a VR6 engine!

Have seen maybe one or two Superbs here in NCR and always wondered about the dual exhaust! Your review clears things up!

Wishing you a great and hassle free ownership experience. Loved the detailing done to get the car as good as new..

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by nipcarlover

Dude this is awesome! What a great find!

I love VR6 engines, they have such a unique sound when uncorked, both the 3.2s in the Golf R32s and the 3.6s. In a Superb it makes for an amazing sleeper.

Some madmen in Canada have this engine fitted with twin-turbos making 740HP in a Golf:
Now that engine in a Superb would make one amazing sleeper.

Thank you The exhaust note on the Superb 3.6 is far subdued when you compare it with even the stock one out of a Golf R32. Could be that the Superb is intended as large family car while the Golf R32 was more than a hot hatch for the time. Sadly bolt on parts & kits for the 3.6VR6 FSI are much lesser compared to the 3.2VR6 FSI. Again the larger engine originally went to family cars like Passat, Passat CC, Superb etc. While there are multiple options if you want to look at some basic exhaust upgrade for the R32 or even for the Passat 3.6, there are only a few for the Superb. I suspect the longer wheelbase also means different exhaust pipe lengths or routing and relatively the engine went mostly into the VWs than the Skoda.
Thanks for sharing that video. Precisely why I made a reference of the engine block being capable of handling 700+hp in my original post.

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Very nice find Avinash! Thank you for technical insight to a VR6 engine!

Have seen maybe one or two Superbs here in NCR and always wondered about the dual exhaust! Your review clears things up!

Wishing you a great and hassle free ownership experience. Loved the detailing done to get the car as good as new..

Thank you Back then, I did come across two vehicles from Delhi while searching online. Pretty sure there will be more around.

[Jag4]

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

I was home for a short vacation in May and drove the car around as much as possible. These are the initial driving impressions and most of the comparisons would be to our Laura vRS.

Performance & Drivability: 260 hp @ 6000rpm, 350Nm @2500-5000rpm, approx 250 hp available from 5000rpm. Skoda quotes a 0-100 timing of 6.5sec. In real life that number is irrelevant and in gear acceleration matter more. It is a fast car, no doubts, but it doesn't quite feel as 100 horses and 100 Nm more than the Laura vRS. The Superb 3.6 is heavier by almost 400 kg compared to the vRS and lack of a turbo kicking in might be the reason for this lack of 'feel' of being fast. Although a NA motor, the large displacement and FSI tech ensure a flat torque curve. Throttle response as expected is quicker than the vRS owing to the NA setup.

Apologies if you feel I have gone overboard, this car has been a very special buy after lots of research. Thanks for reading

If this isn't a Project Car, I don't know what is. You took an absolute gem which was neglected over the years to the not so great condition and transformed it into a spanking new equivalent.

I am very fond of such transformations and God willing, hope to do one myself someday. The superb was in fact the car I wrote about in the membership application here and it was the perfect car according to me up until it a close friend's 1.8 TSI ended in lighting, sunroof, A/c, Transmission and Horn problems. Your thread has has given me hope that good examples still exist.

Lastly, the Post is Beautifully put with the right amount of detail and it is an absolute joy to go through. Best of luck and may the remain problem free!

[Capt. Shyam]

A very well written report! Enjoyed reading every line.

I wanted to buy one, a replacement for my Accord V6. Checked out a few cars, actually only two, and due to the time constraints settled for a 1.8 TSI Manual. Same colour!

Just for info, does it have all wheel steering? I think it does.

I have put the BSR Tuning kit, which increased the power to 215bhp and 320Nm torque. Very fast and efficient! It gives me an unbelievable 16+ kmpl!

Thank you again.

Further, I strongly recommend all BHPians to check out the products, especially the tuning kits. It is the cheapest, fastest and most reliable way to get big power.

These kits are available for all European cars and surprisingly for a couple of Hyundai models.

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

If you don't mind will you cost out all the repairs and modifications that you carried out? That would help others wanting to take a similar plunge for a used luxury cruiser like yours.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Do keep the thread updated with all the latest info & updates and do post images of service bills as well.

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

Overall repairs & maintenance done:

Below is a list of the overall jobs we got done on the car to get it back to perfect shape and hopefully have niggle free ownership further on:

• Replaced Engine Oil and Oil Filter
• Replaced DSG oil and filter
• Replaced air filter
• Replaced fuel filter
• Replaced AC pollen filter
• Flushed radiator and replaced coolant
• Replaced Haldex fluid
• Brake fluid replacement and bleeding
• Replaced front brake rotors and pads
• Replaced rear brake rotors and pads
• Replaced auxiliary V-belt
• Battery health checked
• Replaced front lower arm bushes
• Replaced front lower arm brackets
• Replaced a rear support for engine/gearbox mounting
• Replaced rear strut stop buffers
• Replaced wiper blades
• Replaced HT cable cover (ASC didn't have part number, imported the VW equivalent)
• Replaced body and wheel monograms with newer design
  
• Interior detailing and restoration
• Alloy wheels repainted and other minor scratches corrected
• Exterior detailing
• Replaced cabin lights with LEDs
• Replaced high beam halogens with Osram Night breaker equivalent
• Four new tyres

Preventive maintenance and mechanical repairs:
Among the above list of jobs done on the vehicle, all mechanical repairs and fluid/filter replacements were done at the Skoda ASC in Calicut, Pinnacle Motors. This means everything above except for the tyres, exterior / interior detailing, monogram/LED/headlamp upgrades. The jobs were done in two separate occasions:

• (A)Initially the engine/dsg oil, coolant, air / fuel / dsg / oil / pollen filters and wiper blades were replaced. The bill was Rs.30,145.
  • The major contributor in this DSG fluid replacement ,approx Rs.12,065 (every 4 year / 60,000km) and the wiper blades (Rs.3370).The Superb's wiper blades have a different type of adapter and the otherwise cheaper Bosch clear advantage wiper blades don't have the matching one. Hence no choice other than to use the one from ASC. Coolant was another Rs.1481.
  • Removing these three components from the initial bill, is what the minimum service bill every year would be. Thus if everything runs normally, next year I expect a service bill around Rs.14-15k.
  
  Service bill for jobs mentioned in (A)
  
  
  
• (B)We had asked for a thorough checkup and requested to provide estimates for the concerns we had mentioned as well as for anything extra they observed. The ASC provided an estimate of parts based on these and the same is attached below.
  • Highlighted in yellow in the estimate below, are the parts which I asked them to order. As you would notice, for the damaged interior trims (sticky door armrests, damaged rear center armrest) and slow retraction of seat-belts, ASC could suggest to only replace the item.
  • Door armrests were priced Rs.7000 each (x 3 = Rs.21000). For the slow retraction of seatbelts (only front seats belts had the problem), suggestion was to replace the belt assemblies, which is Rs.25000 each (x 2 = Rs.50000). So a total of Rs.71000 alone was suggested for the trims and belts alone.
  • These items were not approved from the estimate submitted to us(as can be seen below). Remaining haldex oil, brake discs/pads, suspension brackets / bushes, engine/gearbox rear support etc were approved (highlighted in yellow). The engine support went into back order while rest of the parts were received in around 3 weeks time.
  
  Estimate provided and approved items (B)
  
  
  
• (C)In the time it took for the parts to arrive, the car was taken to ColorGlo, Cochin. They restored all the damaged trims by using another layer of material over the door armrests. Rear center armrests leather was also restored. Removal of pillar trims and resetting them improved the seatbelt retraction to a great extent. Still there is stickyness in their operation which I hope to clear with a thorough cleaning and silicon lube DIY. Additionally the faded leather was dyed, the interior was detailed thoroughly. Total damage of Rs.20k (vs 71k for part replacements alone), but interiors much better than the average 5.5 year old with leather all around.
  
  
• (D)TyreX, Cochin is quite close to where ColorGlo is situated. While taking delivery post the interior detailing job, we arranged for a set of four Hankook S1 Evo2 225/45 R17 94Y tyres (11k per tyre). Only one tyre was in reasonably good condition, two had uneven wear. Another one was saved as spare wheel. In total paid approx Rs.38k (can't recall the exact amount)
  
  
• (E)Meanwhile the remaining parts arrived at Pinnacle Motors. ABS sensor fault had later disappeared (possibly it was cause by a temporary corrosive layer). Tie rod was also deemed not necessary to be changed. The second set of repairs and replacements at ASC totally came to Rs. 76,136.
  • Set of those large 345mm front discs rotors alone costs Rs.17,404. In total the front + rear rotor/pads alone came to Rs.38,000 in parts cost. Not cheap, but neither are any brake setups of such size. A Merc E350 V6 or a Volvo S60 T6 AWD all had slightly smaller setup than the Superb 3.6. Trivia: A single front disk on Superb 3.6 weighs a hefty 12.1kg, compared to 8.5kg on a 1.8 TSI. Nearly 50% more. Story is similar for the rear rotors too.
  • Other parts replaced were primarily rear strut stop buffers, front lower arm bushes, front lower brackets, rear engine support, axle boot, auxillary belt, Haldex oil and brake oil.
  • Couple of extra 'machining' components were there in the labour charged. I let it slip by for we were extremely satisfied with the care ASC was giving to the car. When you see the workforce having smiles on their face for seeing a unique car and passionate to do the job properly, it is re-assuring.
  • In total, the service bill at the ASC ( A + E ) came to approx Rs. 1,06,000.
  
  Second set of repairs at ASC (E)
  
  
  
• (F)Post the mechanical repairs were completed, we gave the car to Xpress Garage, Calicut who is the official Pete's franchisee. They undertook the job of repainting all four alloy wheels and correcting those major scratches which were an eyesore (repainted the affected areas as required). Minor scratches and stone chips were left as it is. There wasn't point in repainting the whole car. Post this a thorough exterior / engine bay detailing was carried out or as they call it 'SmartWax'. Overall approx Rs.25k for this job
  
  
• Thus the total expenses for getting the car to near perfect shape were: (A) + (C) + (D) + (E) + (F) ---> Rs 1.9 lakh. Was it money worth spend? I absolutely think so.

Other minor mods: These were not required, but done to remove signs of age from the car. Cabin LEDs, newer monograms and newer registration plates all help towards that.

• Regarding cabin LEDs: Superb has a total of 15 cabin bulbs you can replace that are not monitored via canbus (replaced 13 of them). I personally don't like the light output of random cheap LEDs. They don't last long enough and over time there will be variation in the color temperature between the same set you replaced. Some are annoyingly bright too. Hence went for the expensive set of Osram LEDs. In India you can get only the W5W Osram LED equivalents. But Superb's cabin has C5W and C3W LEDs also. Hence I bought all that were required from cheaper sites out of Germany and carried them with me when I went back home. With some trim removal tools, these are simple DIY jobs. The cabin lighting originally uses a single 15A fuse. However these are intended with most of the original bulbs being of 4W-5W each. LEDs consume 1W and less, thus replaced the fuse to a 10A one.
• Regarding monograms: If you want to upgrade from the old green Skoda logo to the current one, do taken into consideration your vehicle model. Laura, Superb 2nd gen, Superb 2nd gen FL all have different size of the logo and you need to order the correct part for a flush fit. For the second gen Superb, both front hood and rear boot monograms of newer design are by the part number 1ST 853 630 A. For replacing the wheel monograms, it is the same for both Fabia,Rapid, Laura and Superb with OE wheels. Part number 5JA601151. Bought all these off a czech online website and carried with me when i travelled back home.
• Headlamp upgrade: The halogen high beams alone were replaced. They are of H3 size and replaced with Osram Night Breaker equivalents. Bought from Amazon India.

Originally Posted by Jag4

If this isn't a Project Car, I don't know what is. You took an absolute gem which was neglected over the years to the not so great condition and transformed it into a spanking new equivalent.

Thank you. Well cosmetically it was a neglected car, but still better than many others which were on sale. However it was mechanically and electrically sound, periodic services done and that was more important in the purchase decision. Let's just say gave the car the care it deserved, nothing more.
Anything faulty among the critical electronics or mechanicals, the bills will be huge. An out of warranty Skoda, a range topper in this case, can only be a calculated risk. More you probe through the particular vehicle's history and the variant in general, better your calculations

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Capt. Shyam

A very well written report! Enjoyed reading every line.

I wanted to buy one, a replacement for my Accord V6. Checked out a few cars, actually only two, and due to the time constraints settled for a 1.8 TSI Manual. Same colour!

Just for info, does it have all wheel steering? I think it does.

Thank you . I missed out replying to you in my previous post. As far as I know, there isn't all wheel steering / rear wheel steering in this Superb 3.6 nor in the VW Passat / CC cousins.

[The Observer]

Bravo Avinash - takes pure, highly refined, indomitable passion to do what you guys did,research,search,wait, find THE one you began your search for and nurse it carefully back to its prime.

Really enjoyed reading every bit of your review, time well spent.

Superbs are one of those cars I Ogle at every time I see one and to my pleasant surprise, never did I know that one of those had a 3.6 VRS heart.

Wishing you and the sleeper many many fun and safe miles.

[avinash_clt]

Owing to the fact that there is a small amount of unpredictability when taking these cars for a long drive, we had opted to purchase the roadside assistance (2 years) policy from Skoda. I was informed by the dealer that the cost of the roadside assistance policy is a flat rate of Rs.4600, irrespective of vehicle model. The policy can be taken for cars up to 10 years old.

The way we saw it, having the need to use a flatbed for one time alone can offset this cost. Also unlike the roadside assistance policies bundled into some vehicle insurances, this policy assures that vehicle will be taken to an authorized ASC itself irrespective of the distance to one. The benefits/cover (on paper atleast) also seemed to be better. The dealer could send a payment link via email that had a 24hrs validity. Upon payment, you instantly get the e-receipt of the policy, no need to visit the dealership. The fine print of the policy is attached below if anyone is interested.

[dkaile]

Congratulations Avinash on such a fine car!!

You have done a tremendous job restoring it to it's deserved glory. Wishing you many miles and years of fantastic ownership. Do mind sharing the cost of the car, if possible, by pm.

Cheers...

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Congratulations Avinash on such a fine car!!

You have done a tremendous job restoring it to it's deserved glory. Wishing you many miles and years of fantastic ownership. Do mind sharing the cost of the car, if possible, by pm.

Cheers...

Thank you. Though I could gather some basics based on our other Skoda, your ownership thread was very useful in understanding the long list of features and intricate details in the Superb. It helped me create a small list of things to check while buying the car.

[avinash_clt]

The front left wheel speed sensor failed recently. When we had initially got the car, the problem had persisted intermittently. As we have faced this issue already in the Laura (wheel speed sensor failing due to corrosive layer build up), we weren't quite surprised as the car was kept idle for a significant period of time prior to being sold to us. Luckily for us we had ordered the same senor (Part number: WHT003857) as part of the initial estimate ( See here), and thus didn't have to wait for it to arrive. Since the problem didn't repeat after the car was driven around on long drivers and after cleaning the sensor surfaces, we hadn't replaced it back then. Since it came up again, car was sent to workshop and the part was replaced within half a day and sent back. Total damage of approx Rs.4500 (4k for one sensor).

Some other useful info: The ABS wheel speed sensors are shared between variants of the Laura / Superb / Yeti / Octavia III. Depending on mountings / connectors / all wheel drive etc each wheel position has slightly different part numbers, but the basic parts bin is shared by all the models.

Skoda is also running some 70% discounts on ABS wheel speed sensors (applicable for all models I believe) when bought as a set of four. We know from first hand these wheel speed sensors tend to fail over time in our cars which have lesser usage and situated along coastal regions, three such failures in our Laura though all were replaced under EW. More than the cost of the part, it is the waiting time for receiving one that is irritating. So currently you could get a set of four wheel speed sensors for just slightly above Rs.4000, worthwhile if you have faced the issues earlier. We didn't want to wait for a new set to arrive and hence replaced one sensor alone which was already in stock. We might pick up an extra set (with 70% discount) as the amount is very minimal and could use it later.