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Once plastic cracked out then diesel etc will still been need in maritime and very cold climates abd where the pollution they create is not affecting population centres. We will need hydrocarbons for backup generators occasional use when we get a perfect storm of low sun and wind which is why we need more tidal which is the most reliable after nuclear energies normal operation of providing the 22 GW or so the UK needs.

But where does plastic, etc., come from? Oil of course and is one of the smaller extractions from a barrel of crude, so what are we to do with the rest of the extracts such as petrol, diesel etc, Return to the days of dumping them just as they did with diesel before the diesel engine was invented?

Steel is a declining material with aluminium and composites on the up. Energy we all agree is an area that needs addressing and the UK has been slow to bring more nuclear, solar, tidal and wind online and we are paying the price for that due the failure of previous UK governments to get things built so UK industry can benefit from UK made electricity rather than buying in Middle East gas and oil. Things are getting sorted with numerous 1 GW wind farms coming on line, more battery storage, tidal ie 5 GW Severn estuary, the Great Glen hydro storage 9 GWh. I notice several bits of my Renaults are plastic panels when I thought they might be steel and there is a huge use of recycled material inside too. France got sorted with its nuclear power ie nearly 50 sites and hence electricity much cheap in France. Hinkley Point and Sizewell should be enough with their 6 GWs as well as the extended other nuclear sites and added to solar, tidal and wind, with lots of BESS we should be in a good place in the next few years just shame we did not start these projects sooner. Add to this the massive adoption by individuals which will release Grid capacity to industry as individuals become more self sufficient for their home use as well as charging their EVs from their own solar generation and battery storage.

Go for ContiTech; it is the manufacturer for original VAG parts. I replaced the auxiliary belt tensioner at 152,184 km around the end of 2024 because there was a little squealing sound in the freezing winter on cold starts. However, the belt from 2013 (original equipment produced by Continental) was still in perfect condition without any cracks or wear. I replaced it anyway just because it came in the kit. For the water pump, go for ContiTech as well I've just replaced a Fiat water pump with that brand, and it is not giving me any problems. my advice for the timing chain is to buy an original one it isn't very expensive and is a good quality item

In Mk1 Octavia's fuel tank there was an NRV on the outgoing line of fuel sender, at least in a 1.9TDI110 that I used to own, so Mk2 Fabia could have one too.

Welcome back jeepyboy!

Yes, I think you are right, but it is still a pretty damning situation of the UK in its big net zero push. All it is really doing is moving that pollution somewhere else, thus making pollution worse for someone else, while making living conditions far worse for British citizens as a result.

Many forget that the individual states do their own taxation in addition to Federal taxes hence Californian prices far higher than many of the Red Neck states. Gather diesel is over $7 for 4 litres in Calfornia but then they really want people to go electric hence their financial support. Texas is an interesting state as it biulds to probably overtake California one day. California $4.3T, Texas $3T GDP. Trump cannot do a lot as Excise is only 24 cents per 4 litres, 6 cents per litre but Trump would not want to cut that tax as the Federal accounts are in such a bad place and help out individual states with their General Sales Tax collection. Screwed.

^^^ Aluminium smelting. "This Country", he must mean England. Alvance British Aluminium Ltd. Fort William. Uses Hydro Power. Limits what it produces to the times of low cost electricity so Production is at 70%. High energy cost is what limits boosting production. According to MD Tom Uppington on BBC 5 live 'Wake up to money' 31/7/2026.

Well now I look dumb! Thats what I get for posting late at night from my phone! Thats good to know on the resale. I've got a few bits on eBay currently that are the spares from my upgrades but they don't seem to be selling, even though I have undercut all the breaker's prices! Will be listing the screen and the trim piece too.

The UK government has created much of the current position and should be jumping through hoops to remedy the situation, but they aren't. Form your own opinions on why that is. This video explains the very points you raised above.

There is a Menu item in the Waze settings, on your phone, which allows you to select the arrow direction ie permanent North or the direction you are going along. You can also select, not on iphone which side the info is displayed, ie further away from the driver so the map is clearer.

Started on this Forum a good few Cars ago, when the Wife had an Octavia (wish we still did!) Since then she has had over 8 years x 2 Karoqs' and she is driving her 3 year old Pearl Black SEL now. I gave up my Subaru (previously 3 Wranglers on the trot) to downsize to a Moon White SKODA KAROQ ESTATE 1.5 TSI SE L Edition 5dr DSG. At least now the wife has no excuse to not drive me home from the pub saying the car is too big 😇. Looking forward to keeping up with latest info.

Yep, you need additional oil cooling. It's the transition from the oil path to the water path that needs a much bigger surface area.

I don't think so. Does the fuel pump prime when you first open driver's door?

Hello, We are experiencing the following issue with a 2019 Skoda Octavia 3 (2.0 TDI 150, DSG-7). In cold or damp weather, upon a cold start, all the dashboard warning lights come on and a "Brake Assist" error (code 03) appears. The car runs for 10–15 seconds; if we turn it off and start it again, the lights go out and there are no further issues. The battery is new. We took the car to service, but they couldn't pinpoint the exact problem; they mentioned that the grounds and wiring need checking, although the wiring harness leading to the ABS module had already been replaced some time ago. They suspect the issue lies with the ABS module itself but aren't certain. Has anyone encountered a similar problem, and what do you think it could be? This issue has persisted for three years; the error and dashboard lights don't appear every time we start the car. In warm weather, there are no issues or error messages. Also, do you know if the ABS module can be refurbished?

Refining, that is the thing. Refined petrochemicals from Russia. Lots, Oil exported to others to refine, lots. Venezuelan Oil imported to the USA to refine, not the refining capacity yet in the USA and not in Venezuela. Why is the diesel price so high in the USA? The Donald has lost control, but then never had any! No refining in Scotland and less in the RoUK, and yet today there is guff on 100 licenses that could have North Sea oil providing half the UK,s oil and gas needs. Well there is 'The market', & then lack of refining in the UK. Its all balls, buffets and banquettes and loads of talking rubbish. How much energy is used to produce diesel or petrol from Venezuelan oil compared to Brent Crude or West Texas Intermediate, (WTI)? Light sweet crude oil.

I scanned it with a basic OBD2 code reader, but no fault codes came up. Unfortunately, I don't have access to VCDS, OBDEleven, or a professional-grade scanner to check the deeper ABS/brake module logs.

they aren't both 8" though? One is 8" and the other has a 6" screen - it has a massive bezel around it. (also I sold my 3V0919606 for £40 on eBay so you can still get something for them)

I dont think this is a relais or something like that. I am working on a solution and got a used BKV for testing at home, investigated the function and parts of the brake booster. The tests look promising, i well test my solution on my own car now.

They don't need to be banned as they will / are simply becoming uneconomical and add to that an increasing availability problem with diesel those such elements will / are sealing the fate of diesels first and then petrol cars. Shadow fleet is massive and that does not include the huge amount that China, India buy and then refine. We will see what Venezuela actually manages to put on the market. If users want to pay a huge amount to buy a diesel ie the German marques, Land Rover and one can understand some of the logic ie driving on German Autobahns and farm /estate work but EVs are even encroaching on that territory but it has not been a priority over mass market sales and looking at the mass job reductions at German marques and JLR it is looking at the right choice even though the Chinese market, biggest in the world, is just about saturated with EVs now so they are gearing for more exporting. AI response on Shadow Fleet. (Venezuela now OK presumably) The global shadow fleet—comprising opaque, aging, and often uninsured tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions on oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela—is estimated to number between 1,300 and 1,500 vessels. [1, 2] Size and Capacity Total Ships: Analysts and monitoring groups like TankerTrackers.com estimate the active dark or shadow fleet totals roughly 1,468 to 1,529 vessels. [1, 2] Global Share: This armada accounts for roughly one-fifth (18.5% to 20%) of all global oil tanker capacity. [1, 2, 3] Carrying Capacity: Combined carrying capacity exceeds 200 million deadweight tonnes (dwt). [1] Trade Volume: These ships move an estimated 65% to 70% of Russia's seaborne oil exports, alongside sanctioned shipments from other nations. [1, 2, 3]

I took mine for its first MOT yesterday and it passed easily with a comment that it's in excellent condition all round. As it's only 3 years old and has just passed 18,000 miles, it's what I expected. The crunch comes at the end of this month when the tax is due at £640 - ouch!

Quick update following my latest tow to Spain with the car and caravan. I have had fitted the uprated 190 twin radiators, and also the twin fan. Replaced the intercooler, and failed water temp sensors. Sadly no improvement at all. Was creeping up hills at 45 kmh to try and keep oil below 140C. So I think I either sell the thing as not fit for purpose, or a final spin and fit the £500 external oil filter!! Decision decisions.

How soon are diesel passenger cars really going to be banned from being first registered in the UK, EU or Rest of the World? When will be the current date given next be rowed back on? Russian Oil and Fuels were supposed to be sanctioned anyway and the USA were seizing ghost ships, even taking them into UK waters / ports. DONALD TRUMP was talking nonsense yesterday as usual. Diesel is produced during the cracking process and before you get to lighter products like gasoline and uses less energy to produce.

What say the Error Log ?