[akki5069]

It was the summer of 2020, everyone was homebound keeping safe from coronavirus while I was busy on the streets ensuring essential supplies are moving through the city and across borders, I worked for an FMCG startup. It was a very tough time for each of us but as they say, one must always try to look at the positive, and so did I. 2 years back, my garage had a Japanese duo - Honda City Vtec (2nd gen or as they say type 2) and a Mitsubishi Cedia Sports. I live in National Capital Region (NCR) where it is not legal to drive a 15+ years old petrol car, however, my work was so crucial that the car I drove was not a concern to anyone at all. I capitalized on the opportunity and a street racer found its way on the streets for 2 months singing out the tunes of Automech free flow exhaust while Cedia found itself parked in the stilt-covered car park.


My Vtec - The one that occupies one of my parkins full time


You don't get a simpler engine bay than this


My Mitsubishi Cedia, with a friend’s Yeti (in Noida)

Since the context is set, lets’ get back to June 2020 (1st week) when it all began. It was about 4 pm, tired from nonstop digital calls I found myself with some coffee and a secluded corner in an almost empty office overlooking a desolated National Highway 48. As I stared across the glass window on this rainy evening, my moment of peace was disturbed soon after by the loud ringtone of my phone in an empty office, almost like an alarm waking me up from sleep. It was a call from a fellow Bhpian from Mumbai assigning me more work to an already packed schedule, but this was about a car, and I can compromise some sleep for it. The topic of discussion was a pre-owned Skoda Laura VRS 2011 on sale parked 40+ km away from me. I made a failed attempt at explaining the time, effort, and money that would be required for buying, transporting and re-registering the vehicle from DL to MH, all in vain. He was too keen instead hence I spoke to the owner of the car and aligned a meeting with him, the car was never bought citing the above-mentioned reasons eventually while it was going to be an experience that would change quite a few things later for me.

Before I jump to the details of the test drive, I must set the context fairly to explain my emotions much better. All my life I have driven Japanese Cars and have loved them like anything considering their agility and reliability (from a City 1.3, to Vtec, Civic, Accent Viva, and Cedia). My love for Japanese Cars esp. Honda was known to many, while this love was created out of a much smaller sample space making the love questionable the moment it was challenged properly. Until this moment, I had driven only 1 German Car - Skoda Octavia MK 1 VRS (a friend Kaustub’s beautiful Black VRS), but it was too brief a drive to turn my head, heart, and mind.


Image only for reference (not the exact car)- how beautiful this car looks & those gorgeous wheels

Since by now it is clear I had driven decently powered Naturally Aspirated machines as on then, let make take you to the 1st hand experience of the German. The meeting was aligned and I paid a visit to the owner of the car, following are my thoughts and emotions -
1. Looks – Too Curvy more so when you have grown to stare back at your civic/ city type z/ Cedia (my opinions are different now, the looks grow on you with time)
2. Stance – A lowered stance would have been better but then you get good ground clearance, something noticeable esp. coming from the low-slung Japs experience
3. Interiors & Features – Wow, Japanese & I felt so poor looking at those classy & useful features inside
4. Driving –
- Suspension – Extremely Solid
- Body Roll – Oh yeah, it swung like a bus at corners
- Handling – is good but Cedia takes away all the trophies here
- Built quality – Every Inch shouted solid, I was sold the moment I opened and shut the driver's door (the thud was extremely beautifully pleasing)
- Seating – I have been in low-slung cars, it felt like SUV
- Engine – Punchy and extremely smooth

No contesting the agility of the Japanese but Laura felt much more advanced in terms of built quality, features, sheer outright power, and modernity was multiple segments above. I will get into specifics later; I was wholeheartedly convinced that I wanted this car as my next. Having said that, I was also clear I do not want a black car, the color fades with time, and more than anything it is a dust magnet. I moved on from this car but my mind was fixated on the Laura VRS (not a TSI since the beige interiors don’t excite me at all), I expressed my emotions to almost everyone I knew then esp from the community. Driving a solid German Car was a reality check and the Japanese fanboy inside of me was losing ground rapidly.

It was not even 15 days since I test drove the black RS, one of my close friends Archit - a Bhpian, Quickshift Auto blog owner, who happened to be the second one to hear my experience with the German Car notified me about a Skoda Laura on Sale on team-bhp Classifieds. The following were the details and the majority of them ticked right in bright green –

1. Variant – Yes, VRS
2. Color – Oh yes, White
3. Body line – spotless (at least in the images)
4. Location – Mumbai – My Aadhar card bore MH address, no road tax charges, only transfer of ownership was needed
5. Parked in a covered park – Rarity in Mumbai
6. Specifications – Yes, stock
7. Service History – very detailed at Skoda ASS
8. Previous Owner – A Bhpian with a detailed thread of the car
9. ODO reading – a little above 1 lakh km, slight concern but aren’t the above all points convincing enough to let go of this one, oh yes they were. Further, I had maintained one of my Honda city (1.3 Dx) well above 1.5 lakh km and it was, without doubt, the most reliable car of my life

The advertisement went live at 7 pm that day, by 9 pm I had messaged the owner and desperately waited for that notification to pop up on my phone. It did not happen that night and I resorted to staring at the pictures and reading the description at least 20 -25 times. Since I could not sleep away from these thoughts, around 11 pm I was on a long one-hour call with my dear friend/ brother in Pune, Praneel, another bhpian who is a proud owner of MK1 Octavia Combi VRS, and had owned a Laura as well as a Superb TSI before. He has a very good eye when it comes to inspecting cars and it did not take any effort or request whatsoever since he was equally excited to go check the car, and it was a great relief that he was convinced about the car as well. Came the next day, early in the morning I had the owner’s message and by 12 pm we had multiple calls amongst the 3 of us, negotiated the price (very briefly), and closed the terms of purchase. By 2 pm, we all had arrived on the same page, I had transferred a non-refundable amount ensuring the ad was pulled down. I was so convinced about the car that I was not ready to risk losing the car against another a probable 20-40 k of negotiation (that was the max I knew the price could change by).

Images from the advertisement – I don’t have images esp with the garage in the backdrop -



We were moving at a blistering pace, to say the least, Praneel had arranged a movement pass, and the very next day he would be in Mumbai to inspect the car personally. More anxious moments and more staring at what’s app images later, came the next day. By 9 am Praneel was in Bandra and by 10 am he was standing next to the car in Worli. I had the pleasure of getting more pictures now and waited with bated breath for another hour while these guys discussed the car and its upkeep in more detail. I so wished for a live telecast of this conversation, a gruesome hour, and a half later I got a definite yes from Praneel and the following were the details that came along with the approval to buy -

The following updates came by -
1. Car came out of a closed shed parking. Yes this is Mumbai, yes it was for real
2. Body line – Extremely good, literally no scratches anywhere, one very small running board dent
3. Service History – very detailed at Skoda
4. Underbody & engine bay – Completely Intact
5. Engine Performance – according to him very smooth & as they say very tight, the low band was ok but mid-range was super punchy (better than the TSI’s he had driven, as stated)
6. All glasses were tinted light greenish – I only have a problem with darker tints, good to go
7. Extended Annual Maintenance Package
8. Steering and Gear knob looked amazing considering the miles clocked
9. Almost everything worked, from power windows to central locking to wipers to sunroof
10. We had checked the Service History of the car – all seemed majorly ok

Drawbacks –
1. Front right Abs Sensor was shot
2. Suspension had some sound
3. It had Michelin tires (my 1st choice) but only about 30%-35% life left
4. Dashboard had leftover marks since the owner took out an idol and later I removed a Godrej Car Perfume later on (both were pasted on the Dashboard), the air freshener/perfume was so terrible that my first agenda was to remove that smell from the car along with the round bottle from the dashboard
5. Driver side Ac vent had a couple of sliders bent
6. One Headlight washer was not working

All in all, it seemed a good car to own so we proceeded with executing the purchase. We chalked out a detailed sales agreement between both of us to avoid any misunderstanding or confusion. Having closed the basics, I still had to wait about 30 days to get behind the steering wheel of “My Own” Skoda Laura VRS. In the meantime, we closed the final terms of sale & Payment Terms on email with attestation from both sides and started executing the terms of sales. I had made the required payments and duly filled, signed & couriered all the required forms for transfer, Seller was to send the car for its due service to Skoda ASS – Autobahn, Mumbai. Things moved extremely fast, but due to manpower restrictions and norms during Covid times, Skoda slowed us down by giving the car an appointment 15 days hence for detailed service.

It was about 20-25 days later, everything as per the sales deed was ticked off and the car was ready to be picked up. In the meantime, Praneel had got a new job offer in Gurgaon and offered to drive it down. Although, I was slightly nervous agreeing to it eventually we agreed after Praneel swore to drive extremely cautiously. Everything was working out beautifully well.

The following happened next -

27th July 2020- Mumbai – The car was back from its service and parked in the same garage, ready to be picked, we have been more than ready all this while

28th July 2020 – Mumbai to Pune– Praneel was in Worli by 10 am, RTO agent was there to collect the signed documents to proceed with transfer straightaway, agreed documents and items were exchanged. It was this day I was technically the proud owner of a Laura VRS now, Congratulations to me !! We made sure to speak and show the car to the same Mumbai Bhpian who was the catalyst for this entire process (the guy who asked me to check a Black Laura VRS in Delhi), the call with him was of such a nature that can’t be penned down here.

29th July 2020, Pune to Baroda– It was this day that the Car was to start its journey towards me. The car left Pune early morning and by afternoon the seller – aka the previous owner now, had sent a speeding challan on the Mumbai Pune expressway. We both really appreciated the image taken by the speeding cameras there, special thanks to the Cops. Although I took the opportunity to caution Praneel again not to speed, not to drive long hours, and drive cautiously, I would speak with him every 2 hours asking where he was and how the car was behaving. By evening, the car was in Baroda where Praneel would spend the following 2 nights to get him enough rest and the car would also get checked at a friend’s garage.

30th July 2020, Baroda - The car was picked up by the garage staff –
- Brakes were bled
- New ABS sensor was installed which we had already ordered a week before
- Left Low Beam Ballast was found faulty which was replaced
- Clutch master cylinder sleeve was replaced

31st July 2020 – Baroda to Jaipur – After having taken sufficient rest, Praneel left early morning for Jaipur and by afternoon he had covered good ground. We spoke multiple times during the day, and he would also send me pictures, and videos of the car & the drive. This is what I thrived on during this entire one-month-long transaction. All went well through the day apart from a narrow escape with a truck where both the vehicles tried to negotiate a big stone on the highway and we managed to nudge it from the side leaving a small dent now on the left running board, making it even from both sides now 


Images from the Trip –

Somewhere on NH8


Clicked at Baroda

It was around 5 PM Praneel had entered Jaipur and we had agreed to speak later at night when he would have got enough rest after a long day of driving. I don’t think it was the right decision to put him to the task of driving the car all the way and the kind of risk on the road made me nervous for the further part of the journey esp. after hearing about the stone and truck incident.

It was around 10-30 pm, I had assumed that Praneel was fast asleep when I get a notification on what's app, it was a live location from Praneel. Confused & Unsure I opened it, and to my surprise, the car was crossing the Haryana Border into Delhi. AT this hour, it would take just 30 mins to reach Dwarka (where I used to live then). Although Super excited, grateful & happy, I still chose to express my displeasure at him for stretching the drive. I was updated that Baroda to Dwarka – more than 1000 Kms were done on one single full tank of fuel as a testament to how sweetly the car was driven. I intently watched the car inch toward me on the map for a time long enough that I would lose track of time completely. I still remember the entire path and every turn that the car took on that beautiful rainy night. It was time the car had entered Dwarka, and it was time for me to run downstairs, in excitement I left my home quite early and stood in the rain waiting for the car to reach me. I deserved it since I had shown the level of patience and composure that I would never have nor would. It was about 11 pm, it was extremely silent, the Roads were desolate with no one apart from me and our street dog Seb (yes I liked him as much as Sebastian Vettel) and we both waited together for the car. I was extremely excited and happy, waiting for the car, while Seb was happy to see me at this hour (we don’t deserve Dogs !!).

We were inching toward the moment as the road perpendicular to the one I was on was lit with white dim lights getting brighter every second. Came the moment when the angle of lights turned left toward me, glowing the road that I was on with a white milky ray of a converging beam of light. My head, eyes, and hands, nothing moved an inch for the next 2 seconds until I could see those white projectors and sharp DRL's light the damp road completely. I had not even got water for him, but I had gotten him the warmest hug of my life, I couldn’t have done better than that. I spent the next 10 mins walking around the car and smiling, the cloudy night didn’t offer much of help while the Moon seemed to try a lot. The next moment I was behind the wheel, the moment I had waited for the last 30 days for every minute I was awake.

I was to drive a turbo-charged 1.8 TSI motor oozing around 200 BHP (it was a Stage 1 Tunen-o-tronix mapped car that I got to know later from the ownership thread of the same car on team bhp) with such solid, confidence-inspiring build quality.

Exteriors –
- Bodyline – The pearl white paint with water droplets on it made the car shimmer in the fading moonlight. There was a slight paint chip off on the left B pillar and yes of course the tiny dents on both the fenders.
- Lights – DRL’s looked gorgeous and all lights were working, although the low beams were not as impressive as Cedia and rains didn’t help the white lights either.
- Wheels – Pristine condition VRS alloys complimented the car beautifully
- Etc – The rear Skoda Monogram was not in a great shape, all fender linings were in place properly – For those who have dealt with Gen 1 & 2 Hondas will relate to the kind of changes fender linings wanted on them, those could run for thousands of miles without an oil change but fender linings would go bad any moment.

Interiors –
- Before anything else, the black and silver interiors – they couldn’t have been better, just that the whitish Alcantara on the seats was a bit dirty on the driver seat, which was handled later by me
- Steering Wheel – The VRS wheel looked gorgeous, with a minute dent on the VRS monogram (How God, how), it gets the adjustment option as well (both vertically as well as horizontally), don’t raise your brows, it was a Wow feature for me
- Instrument Cluster – Yes, that was too new, too fancy for someone like me to fiddle with on the outset
- Seats – my favorite part in the entire car, of course, the new-gen VRS takes it all away with its black and red Alcantara, but these are timeless, the bucket seats would happily snug you in and by a far margin the best seats I have sat on. Seat belts slid through their slots as if they were sliding on butter
- Gear Knob, Pedals, Rear View Mirror – From Vtec to Cedia to Laura the racing pedals stay in my life, the gear knob was as good as new, and the auto-dimming rearview mirror was so impressive and joyful that I don’t have to keep on toggling it up and down at nights (what a blessing !!)
- View from the seat – It was good enough, of course, Gen 1 & 2 City made you see the entire world around you with massive windscreen and almost non-existential A-pillars – this one couldn’t match it but was good enough
- Sun-roof – For the first time I had a car with a sunroof and for the first few months I would play with it a lot - open it, close it, lift it, and whatnot during my entire drives, gradually performance took more weight against the sunroof (after 2 years, all I can say is that yeah my car has a sunroof, nothing more than that)
- AC – It worked decently, nothing close to what Cedia was offering me then (later to be known that it was running on a weak compressor)
- Boot – I need not say anything, it was so huge that I can park both Vtec and Cedia inside of it
- Music System – Fantastic is the only word, in-built twitters are precise to the P

Performance – Roads in Dwarka are extremely nice covered in the shade of trees from both sides and they keep turning to create such beautiful road tracks at night, those who live in Dwarka shall be able to relate with me better. It was time for Laura to undergo the testing of Delhi’s Nürburgring

- Engine Noise – The door closed with such a mind-pleasing thud leading into an extremely silent cabin misleading me into re-cranking the already firing engine
- Riding Stance – Oh yeah, it felt like an SUV, something I complained about for a considerable time, it took me a long to adjust to that ride height
- Engine Performance –
o 1st gear – the initial surge is slow - may let you stall, as revs went up pull was pleasing, the entire unit felt unified and intact, no specific click and bangs
o 2nd gear – now I was taking it to higher rpm’s, and TSI motor was coming alive
o 3rd gear – that’s where loyalties with Vtec came under extreme threat, 3rd gear pull was so brutal (at least for me then) that I had to slow it down out of fear, rolled down the window, and the open sunroof did make things worse. So we closed the cabin entirely from outside wind, repeated the same and the fear was still the same, the acceleration in 3rd gear esp mid-range was very aggressive for me to handle then. And it would keep on pulling in 3rd gear and continue the music in 4th gear without any drop whatsoever, Wow !!
- Suspension –
o Front – the car was planted and drove on the fabulous roads with ease
o Rear – The rear was bouncy (took me multiple attempts and parts to solve it later but not entirely, it is inherently a little bouncy)
- Handling & Body roll
o When it comes to handling, I believe there would be very few cars that will match a Cedia while Cedia or Vtec are quick cars that can be thrown around any corner with ease but you always know that they are too light to negotiate those turns and may leave their track if not done properly, Laura’s body weight, build quality and suspension was confidence inspiring
o Bod Roll – For the first time I understood body- roll in my life, yes, this car has some
o High-Speed dealing – 100+ on Laura was quickly achieved and it didn’t feel we were doing 120 or so, while my other parked cars staring enviously knew this wasn’t their forte at all
o Braking – Ah, pleasing is the word since it was spot on

The RS was still not in my hands yet, it was to be parked under my building itself that night but to be taken away the next day. I don’t know if Praneel liked it so much that he suggested one must not take the car on a Saturday. Post 2 days on 3rd Aug 2020, it was to be the day when I will have it officially with me.

We both agreed to meet at Lodhi Colony, South Delhi to offer our prayers and religiously make RS a member of the family. We, myself, Praneel, my niece, my sister, and my parents were there together to welcome the modern member. My parents and my nieces sat with me, and we headed to Dwarka while Praneel took my Cedia to Noida. As a usual norm, my father wasn’t expressive enough while he kept smiling while my mother was quite happy and talked around the looks, features, etc throughout the drive. Meanwhile, the kids took their turns to head out of the sunroof (not something I promote but it is allowed on the first day, come on). I am sure my father was happier for one reason that he would not have to slouch into the car anymore for which he always suggested I sell my cars and buy a Wagon R.

We all have those memories, images, and little drives that remind us of every car that we have owned, this drive back home with my family shall stay etched in my heart forever as the unique memory of the RS, it was a beautiful moment. I don’t remember how a 1+ hour drive back home in peak traffic didn’t bother any of us, and time just went by smiling or talking. The car felt like a massive upgrade over the cars in my garage plus the plush bodyline added more to the pride.

Some Images from my ownership -


The massive massive boot of the car


Beautiful engine Cap – Although I betrayed the brand and stuck to Rowe (suggested by Akshay from GT Tunerz)


The engine is beautifully covered with this plastic cover


One of the images from my 1st hometown drive on The VRS


Met another VRS in Gurgaon only a few days later


The engine bay is neatly packed & the best part is the Intake air position – Cold definitely


The first check-up at GT Tunerz, Delhi


When VRS went for its first TeamBHP Meet

In the end, I would like to thank everyone who helped me own this beautiful machine and would be sharing updates on its upkeep.

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[sunikkat]

That’s a nice find. Congratulations.
A good suspension upgrade will take care of most of the body roll issues.

[AZ911]

Awesome purchase Akhilesh. Lovely write-up to go with it. I hope you put thousands and thousands of happy miles on this hoot. A meet-up in Delhi to see this beauty is due.

[digitalnirvana]

Beautifully penned, must compliment your writing skills! Felt the emotion and excitement all the way through. Congratulations and wish you many happy miles and memories!

[evil_grin]

Originally Posted by akki5069

In the end, I would like to thank everyone who helped me own this beautiful machine and would be sharing updates on its upkeep.

Congratulations on a great buy. The Laura is one of the best used buys for an enthusiast since it ages well and is available for a bargain because the masses are afraid of the maintenance and don't prefer a sedan.

At what price did you buy it for?

After owning two great cars i was surprised at how restless you were to recieve the 3rd. It felt like your first car.

Do keep us updated of your experience with it through the years.

[thehillybilly]

Congratulations on the purchase Akhilesh, the excitement can be felt in each and every word of the article. Wishing you happy miles ahead!

[Akshay1234]

Wow nice to see the new ownership report of my former car. Even the person I sold it to (whom I assume you bought it from) is on tbhp now. Hope you have a great time with it, and it surely was a super fun car to have! Btw it had a stage 1 map on it, and that is probably the reason why the midrange felt stronger.

[akki5069]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

That’s a nice find. Congratulations. A good suspension upgrade will take care of most of the body roll issues.

Hey,

I have taken that road already since I am more than fine with power while the handling is something which I want to improve for this car. I was going to put posts around the upkeep on this thread.

Just a quick snapshot of what was done -
1. Got after-market Sachs (OEM Supplier for Skoda) - installed the TSI one's while since day 1 I wasn't happy and felt something off
2. Researched on Bilstein B4 & B6's, wasn't going to go stiffer than those (Slip disc issue and anyway it is my daily now)
3. Eventually went to Skoda, got entire suspension redone (not just the dampers)

The car rides much more planted, the mismatching spring and damper rate is gone now, while I still feel the rear is still a little off - the dampers slam a bit on quick exits on bad roads

I intend to import VRS spec lowering springs (15 mm drop) to get the stance even more flattened out.

Originally Posted by AZ911

Awesome purchase Akhilesh. Lovely write-up to go with it. I hope you put thousands and thousands of happy miles on this hoot. A meet-up in Delhi to see this beauty is due.

Thank you so much, really appreciate it (esp when it's my first thread). definitely, always happy to meet like-minded folks and I see a civic there, which has been one of the cars that I have missed a lot, had to let it go due to NGT.

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Beautifully penned, must compliment your writing skills! Felt the emotion and excitement all the way through. Congratulations and wish you many happy miles and memories!

The overall purpose of my writeup was to get the emotions out, your comment really made me happy, thank you so much.

Originally Posted by thehillybilly

Congratulations on the purchase Akhilesh, the excitement can be felt in each and every word of the article. Wishing you happy miles ahead!

- Really Appreciate the motivating comment, thank you so much.

Originally Posted by evil_grin

Congratulations on a great buy.

I would definitely keep the updates here going and while writing this one I realised I need to keep saving images for a better representation (I really had to scout out for the limited pictures there)

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Wow nice to see the new ownership report of my former car. Even the person I sold it to (whom I assume you bought it from) is on tbhp now. Hope you have a great time with it, and it surely was a super fun car to have! Btw it had a stage 1 map on it, and that is probably the reason why the midrange felt stronger.

Hey Akshay, wonderful to see you come here and see your car. Yes, I am aware of the Stage 1 setup, which I have mentioned in the writeup (somewhere in between) as well. From one Akshay the car has gone to another one - Akshay Titus from GT Tunerz, who ensures the mechanical keep-up of the car. Would be happy to touch base with you to discuss more things in the future around the car.

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[OctyBoy]

Congratulations on the awesome find brother complimented by a lovely post.

Do you have any plans to visit an FNG in NCR for servicing and other stuff (please tell the name if any) or would you be sticking with the Skoda ASC?

[akki5069]

Originally Posted by OctyBoy

Congratulations on the awesome find brother complimented by a lovely post.

Do you have any plans to visit an FNG in NCR for servicing and other stuff (please tell the name if any) or would you be sticking with the Skoda ASC?

Hey,
I have been to multiple FNGs in NCR and there are three problems with almost all of them -
1. Price difference between ASS and aftermarket is almost negligible
2. All aftermarket parts were soon rejected by my car or they wore out pretty fast
3. None of the garages would pay attention to the detail

After having spent a lot of time and energy, I have shortlisted the following -
1. Skoda ASS, Jai Skoda - Majority of part-related jobs, I take the car straight to Skoda, for eg - Headlight washers, bumper, bumper brackets, sunglass holder, etc., and also for parts that are VRS specific for eg. dampers.
2. GT Tunerz, Ghitorni - for almost all mechanical jobs (AC compressor, Intercooler, timing, service), plus I am very happy with Rowe Engine Oil suggested by Akshay from there
3. Viraat (Teambhpian), Pallika Bhawan Market - Perfect for cosmetic jobs, he is also well known for mechanical jobs for Germans but he is too far from me

[Viraat13]

Lovely write up, Akhilesh. Could really feel your emotions with regards to the excitement of seeing your car in person.

I myself can relate to some of the issues, and pleasures of owning a 1.8 TSI... like AC compressor (which I'm sure I will have to address soon ), or the lovely midrange and pull in 3rd gear.

I hope to find the time to post my own ownership thread sometime soon, it's currently on the assembly line.

Looking forward to more updates from you.

[akki5069]

Thanks Viraat for the kind words and a special thanks for solving the light related issues (which I shall be covering later)

Also, a heartfelt thanks to everyone for the warm response to my first thread and apologies for a delay in posting further updates.

I would be further sharing my journey with the car around the following –
1. Maintenance & upgrades done
2. Solving parking issues
3. Some general emotions

Back to Aug- Sep '20, Covid was ominously lurking on our heads making for extremely busy days at work while shops/ garages worked on roasters with limited supplies translating into inflated prices. By now, I had made lists related to parts, problems, key areas of work and divided it across phases. I could only be patient until Oct ’20, went ahead to take up the phase 1, which included -

1. Tires – Existing set of Michelins had about 35% of life to them, fast tracking an inevitable decision, search for Michelin Primacy was undertaken. Since my 1st tire change in 2012 on my OHC, I have been a loyalist rather evangelist for Michelins. Times were different now (Covid), supply of Michelins were as murkier as Delhi air quality, deteriorating each day and expecting a fresh set was laugh worthy. A month-long frustrating quest shifted the choice to Continental MC5, which were available on fresh rubber.
I headed to Pallika Bhawan in Delhi, where Viraat Automotive’s team would take care of the mechanical jobs while Nitish from Mahavir Tires will take it up in the evening for the fresh rubber. Came the evening and to my joy a new set of Michelins awaited the VRS, Nitish also helped courier a set to another BHPian, Vaibhav in Mumbai, a friend since Vtec days.
Location – Pallika Bhawan, Delhi (It is a car market & is different from Pallika Market of CP)
Dealer – Mahavir Tires
Price – Rs 8500/ Piece
Stock – Nov ’20 stock
Profile – 205/55/16
Make – Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (PS4)

Special shout out to Nitish, Viraat, Arjun Shubrah, Aman Bangey, Rahul Taneja, Archit and many more enthusiasts who connected me with tire dealers across India in my quest for Michelins.

2. Next in the list was Suspension – This wasn’t as simple as tire selection as I was to be introduced to a new range of makers - Sachs, Meyle, Borsehung, & likes affirming my transformation to a German. It took a few readings, discussions & a final confirmation from Viraat to make the final choice. Sachs dampers, OE Supplier to Skoda was the final choice.
-Both Front and Rear Sets were changed – didn’t want to change just the weak front ones
-Fronts – 10,000 Rs/ piece ; Rears – 7000 Rs/ piece
-Suspension Parts – Sub frame bush, Stabiliser Bush & Bush Kit were also changed

3. Additional Parts –
Coolant bottle cap (Febi) – (Rs 1100) – to fight the issue of dropping coolant levels
Gear knob & Upholstery leather replacement –Fantastic job replacing only damaged section (Total cost – Rs 2100)
Wiper Blades (Bosch) – Rs 1500
Few touch ups around the body line for a better finish (small chips)
Fresh Gear Oil - Motul (SAE 75W90)
AC Blower motor cleaning

As I zip zapped through the market, Sun had bid us an early bye, but the work continued under lights until 8-30 pm in the cold of the night. While this day was spent to boost up the car mechanically, tidy leather works inside the cabin brought a lot of peace. Coming back to addressing the elephant in the room –
-Minute Clicks & Bangs of the suspension were gone
-Side Profile - Car felt straighter/ flatter in profile against a front loaded incline
-Rear Bounciness - Rears felt planted against their bouncy predecessors, but still a tad bouncy
-Drivability - Car drove better as a single unit & driving through bad patches was improved against the car smashing down (a bit of exaggeration here)
-Tires – Although suspension overhaul did bring joy & satisfaction but not as much as Michelins -
Looks – beautifully complimented the VRS alloys
Ride Quality – Multi fold improvement with a softer ride as if a sponge was placed between the road & tires
Tire Noise – Reduced from an already low level
Grip & Braking - Grip could be felt immediately & to the extent that the car demanded bigger brakes as the tires had gone way ahead of the already fine braking system


A flatter stance thanks to Sachs Dampers, with brand new Michelin PS4


The tread design of Michelins completed the looks of the alloys very well


Stock coolant bottle cap replaced to prevent leaks


A few chips / peel off were taken care of, like this one - a small paint chip on the rear spoiler

New setup demanded good roads much supported by finer temperatures of November, and a few days later the German Adult was on its way to the royalty of Rajasthan. Oh yes, it made complete sense to invest on a depreciating asset followed by fuel for a road trip . Find below some pictures from the Jaisalmer – Jodhpur Trip (1600 Kms round trip). The stretches offered fantastic smooth drives and a memory etched in my heart - "the dark black strip (road) turning darker under the setting Sun, our only alibi, piercing through the shimmering golden sand, while meeting the orange sky at a far distance.


Drive was made pleasant and comfortable by these although narrow but exceptionally smooth roads with minimal traffic


Sam Dune, Jaisalmer - It is this moment that you wait the entire day as the setting Sun would turn the sky into a mix of beautiful orange shades while the sand underneath & beyond would glow to royal tones and calm itself to pleasing temperatures.


Blurry Image, profound memory


Took a separate drive into the dunes next evening without the guide

Ignition Coil Pack & Arush (Autopsyche) -
By Feb ’21, Laura had covered a short trip to Hrishikesh and two rounds of Lucknow – Kanpur belt. Hrishikesh marked for pathetic roads while boring long stretches of Agra Expressway with constant humming resounding from the concrete roads marked the Lucknow-Kanpur trips.
One not so fine evening, I took the car to NH 48 for a late-night run and as I downshifted to 2nd gear VRS juddered to a halt flashing the ominous check engine warning light. Another attempt yielded the same result and I brought the hesitating engine back home with a lot of shaking & juddering. Many of you would have guessed it by now, one of the ignition coils had shot. I was convinced that I would be changing all instead of 1, choices were – Skoda Part – around 4k a piece and Audi R8 red top coil pack – about 5-6k for a piece.

A short discussion with my dear friend Sam in Nagpur and the decision was made, he got me connected with Arush from Autopsyche (Delhi) for the R8 coil pack. I know Sam since years, he is the authorized Code 6 partner in Nagpur, and he is the one who found, procured, and shipped the black Cedia all the way to me. I spoke with Arush and a few days later car was at Autopsyche. As his staff installed the coils, Arush walked down from his cabin excited to see a VRS while I smirked in pride. We took the car out on patchy roads of Ghitorni where Arush spoke about the capability of the 1.8 TSI Motor and probable performance boosts that could be planned. As we returned, I couldn’t help notice a black Laura parked on the side with a beautiful stance, Arush invited me to have a closer look at the open hood exposing the completely transformed engine bay and proudly opened the doors to show the VRS upholstery. While I was primarily fixated and impressed by the lowered flat stance imagining its effectiveness in countering body roll apart from gorgeous looks.

As I decided to bid goodbye, it was beyond my imagination that a fellow of his stature would walk me to my car, waving back from the car seemed so bloody rude. Minutes later, I rang Sam speaking less of the product but more of the humble fellow I had met. Months later, I heard the sad news of Arush’s demise, very saddening.

Feedback – The engine felt crispier or rather the firing, the throttle response was sharper. Till date, I find this as the most productive investment on the car.



Red top Audi R8 Coil packs – installed at Autopsyche (Delhi) – what a great upgrade !

It was around Apr 2021, Skoda seemed to be working fine, returning good fuel economy (better than Cedia & Vtec) while there was a new problem. I had only one covered car park and that was permanently occupied by Vtec while Cedia & Laura found space along the service lane right outside my society besides a huge park. Days later the inevitable happened, as I stepped down to drive to work I could notice a small chip/ crack on the windscreen which would only get bigger and scarier under Delhi's heat.



The sunblock film created a greenish tinge hiding it from outside viewers but it had started to bother me

I ended up selling my Civic earlier and later my Cedia since parents didn’t like to travel in a car with exhaust while I was driving the Laura primarily. I convinced my parents on the pretext of fresh air, and relocated my house entirely to a new locality with ample basement parking on the outskirts of Gurgaon. Windscreen change had to wait since the RC still bore the previous owner name as the seller mistakenly generated NOC for the wrong RTO and a process that could have lasted a few days with minimal effort, took almost 7-8 months to conclude. In the meantime, while I was searching for a Civic for my family, Vaibhav shared a listing of a clean Cedia in Mumbai and immediately it made it back to my Garage.


Welcome the newest member to the family of black and whites!
Here, one of my friends from college and his father met me on their journey across the length of the country (Leh to Kanyakumari).


Fantastic car with fantastic handling, brilliant ac and comfortable ride making it a good drive for parents whenever needed, I could get hold of it over weekends only. Although I still feel Civic was a better choice but I got myself a better weekender.

By Aug ’21 – around 10,000 kms done, we undertook another trip to Kasol – Tosh- Jibhi in Himachal Pradesh. It was a pleasant drive well complimented by fine roads and breathtaking views. Although driving in hills for long gets overbearing with the constant effort of negotiating turns and reckless drivers one after another. I believe the views of hills & valleys could only be better admired with the car parked on the side. Find below a few images from the trip and elsewhere to end this post, the next post shall be up soon with details of major set of work done at Skoda & Gt Tunerz.


On the way to Kasol, as we ate and hoped for traffic to settle down


A rare image of the car while on our way to Jibhi


From the only cars & coffee meet that I went to


That awkward moment when your love and crush are standing side by side


One of the images of Laura that I really like, clicked from my balcony