Replaced my hotend, now I can't get a good first layer

I comissioned my V-Core 4 500 CoreXY about a month ago. I had an issue with adhesion which I fixed and the printer was working perfectly! I was getting perfect first layers every print and the quality of the prints was great. Then somthing happened while I wasn't looking and I ended up with a PLA blob wrapped around the cooling fan duct and hotend and turned them into a single object. I printed a new set of cooling components and bought a replacement Rapido 2 UHF and rebuild the toolhead. The printer is working again, but I cannot get a good first layer now. This is a good example. The only way I can get enough "squish" is to alter the z-offset at the start of the print, but then the nozzle starts to dig into the bed so I then have to keep adjusting the z-offset during the first layer. This then throws off the second layer and the entire print fails. I've re-reun all the commissioning steps including beacon calibration and it didn't get better I've also tried a Scan Compensation Mesh, but that didn't help either. I've tried heatsoaking the bed and the gantry, but the same issue comes back. Every time, the z-offset starts way too high and I have to adjust it down to get good squish for the brim and walls and start of the infill, then it's too low as the infill progresses and starts digging into the bed again. It's driving me nuts, because it was working perfectly before the hotend was destroyed. Any advice?