Hey guys!

So I drive a 2008 Skoda Octavia vRS with 230,000km. It has the same motor as a Mk5 VW Golf GTI (BWA Motor), same driveline, chassis and everything, and it's being a bit problematic. 

It idles pretty rough. The best i can liken the sound to is the sound of an old V8 with a big cam. It doesn't stall out or anything, it just idles like pure crap. 

And whenever I shift gears or let off the throttle, there are now obscenely loud pops and bangs which sound super badass, but they're probably linked to the engine running super rough because it never used to backfire like that before. I've done an oil change and I've replaced the oil filter to see if that'd change anything, but the problem still persists.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem could be? There's no loss in boost pressure, so it's probably not a broken PCV Valve. My best guess is it's probably a vacuum leak. If you guys have any other suggestions, please let me know 🙂

Thanks!
- Josh