ExpatHotspur

That the electric boot motor button won't close the boot from the drivers seat. Here in Czech Rep, electric boot is std equipment, but if I had paid £300 for the option, this would upset me. And they missed a trick not including a foot sensor ala Ford Kuga to link with the Keyless when you are carrying children/ pets/ boxes etc. I wouldn't pay for this if i had the choice to, since when was opening and closing a boot arduous ? Fin. I love this car Love the pan roof, love the petrol turbo, love the DSG, love Kessy, love the heated seats etc. The hatchbag boot liners makes moping up after a nervous Alsatian a doddle too. Check it out. http://www.hatchbag.co.uk/

So if you are using search engines, the price comparison websites ( and most modern retail websites) use cookies to track whether you have visited before. Ever checked car insurance, or train tickets, gone back to the same site to purchase the item, and the price inexplicably increased? This is why. Work out how to clear your cookies between searches, or use private browsing so your computer/ IP address can't be "remembered" For some perspective, the fully comp cover here in Czech Republic is twice the cost of cover compared to the UK, despite wages being 33% of UK wages.(same drivers, same car, same mileage, same occupation, garaged in a suburb of the capital city) For 250 GBP total, buy the insurance, move on with your life.

Greenwich to Prague through chunnel. 12 hours non stop on my own, with two car shy cats for company. Don't fight the tiredness, stop and rest. Audio books are good companions too

Get the Petrol, you won't regret it. 2500 kms and now its run in, goes like a scolded cat. You won't regret it This is my car performance car, and i'd say this: I've got some misgivings about the lateral abdominal support the leather seats give when cornering hard. They are comfortable on the straight ahead, and the heaters are great. And the lack of front traction on anything like full power can be poor. I also have park sensors fitted to a car for the first time and they aren't accurate enough (to within say 3 inches) to garage park, but sound off like a hypochondriac on acid when i'm within 4 feet of something, which mutes the tunes. However, the DSG, the panoramic roof, the KESSY, the adaptive cruise, and the Canton are wonderful.

I've got more misgivings about the lateral abdominal support the Recaros give when cornering hard. In hindsight, the Focus ST was much better. And the lack of front traction on anything like full power. I also have park sensors fitted to a car for the first time and they aren't accurate enough (to within say 3 inches) to garage park, but sound off like a hypochondriac on acid when i'm within 4 feet of something, which mutes the tunes. However, the DSG, the panoramic roof, the KESSY, the adaptive cruise, and the Canton are wonderful. I wouldn't\ didn't buy the mk2, thought the styling was anonymous, but everyone is different, and I'm almost certainly in the minority on here.

Your mechanic has your interests in mind. My late father used an independent mechanic, and kept his cars until the guy told him large bills were on the horizon. You definitely not doing enough miles to warrant diesel, and short journeys wont do your power plant any good. Your mechanic seems to be saying " Sell your 2000GBP car, before it costs you 1500GBP to repair it (made up numbers). Question is, would you get like for like age/ mileage/ spec petrol version, or would you be looking to modernise. Because if its the latter, the depreciation hit on the new one will be far bigger than the impending parts bill on your current one.

Hey, it'd be dull if we were all the same wouldn't it. I was sharing my pain with a brother who scuffed a wheel. Thanks for the salt in the wound. Shalom

We have had ours 2 weeks. My wife reversed into another car using the auto park feature at the weekend. I said nothing, took the dog for like a 90 munute walk, and said nothing. **** happens, its metal and plastic, get out there and drive the nuts off it!

Welcome. Where in CR are you, I'm in a suburb of Prague

Mellyboy - It would appear I've upset you, I apologise for making generalizations about your finances. If I had the level of income Lewis does to run a private jet, so I could be in the UK to see family within 12 hours, I would definitely be minimizing my tax bill by emigrating. This is my personal opinion & preference, as a taxpayer. I can't choose to pay tax, I must, I like the idea of contributing to public goods, but when you see how it is spent sometimes, I would like more control on how much of my income is spent if that were viable. I don't, I have one source of income, from my employer, which is straight forward to track.

I find his public speaking irritating, so many false platitudes and religious references. That said, in the car, the guy is a demon, and fully deserving of this award. Lewis is only doing what you would do in the same situation, its what his fellow race drivers do, its what fellow international sportsmen do, just about any tv figure worth anything, and countless business owners with no public profile. Just happens to be LH on TV this evening. Financial astuteness and sporting prowess aren't correlated, go ask David James

I have 205/50/17 Nokian winter tires mounted on Dezent aftermarket alloys. Any idea what pressure they should be set to, as the recommended pressures inside the fuel flap are for my 18" Gemini wheels. The tires themselves only say max 51 psi, which would be by far the most pressure i've ever put in a car tire. Ideas? Links? The info system has picked up that the tires/ wheels are different, and is asking me to check pressures. As i didn't witness the tire mounting procedure, it seems sensible to check the pressures before resetting the info system. Funny how its baltic in"we don't need winter tires" UK, but is was a sunny mild 12 degrees here in "mandatory or you void the insurance" Prague. :sun:

Probable stupid question alert :| What's the significance of them being Diamond cut? Are they prone to corrosion. My Anthracite Gemini's saw salt for 3 days before I took them off, didn't bother cleaning them at 3 days old, should I have?

I really liked the way Gabbo's grey VRS looked on the Dezent TD Graphite wheels, so I ordered some. Thanks for all your help & advice Gabbo, as undersized aftermarket ugly winter wheels go, I think they look the business. I went with a slightly different offset to Gabbo, 17" 7J ET45 5x112) with Nokian 205 50 R17. I even got some snazzy blue centre caps that match the car colour, unexpected retentive bonus! I've had the car a week, winter tires have been fitted 3 days. So far, I can report a distinct lack of traction from a standing start, but that might be more to do with my childish induction to 220bhp. :p Fitted them Saturday night, tuesday morning in Prague was black ice and icicles on the cars, so just in the nick of time. 4 tires fitted & balanced on 4 rims, delivered was 24,000Kc, which is about 700GBP. I'm pleased

So, been driving it for a few days, a summary of my thoughts: what a car, what a car! Love DSG, love paddle downshifts, love the TSI torque, love the fake exhaust noise, love kessy, love canton, love heated leather, love the colour, love the panoramic roof. The paint in places up close is a touch "orange peely", and I managed to snap off the little key for the towbar. These are very small ownership flies in an otherwise very agreeable tub of ointment. Question: Can the sensitivity of the "Hypochondriac" park sensors be adjusted. I haven't got my English language manual yet, stuck with the Czech one.