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So the TT made it's debut at Donington park on Monday. It went pretty well until the turbo let go at the end of the day Nothing that can't be fixed though, turbo is currently off, that took about 6 hours longer than it should've done due to the lower mounting bolt being really difficult to get a decent purchase on and when I did, it sheared off. Anyway, I eventually got the turbo out and discovered that the shaft has nearly 10mm of in/out play and isn't quite as straight as it should be. Luckily though, it hasn't fired anything into the engine. I've dropped the unit off at a local turbo specialist this morning, hopefully it can be rebuilt, but I'll find out once it's been assessed on Monday. Before the issue with the turbo, the car was really good. Properly fast and loads of grip although you do have to be smooth with it. Had a couple of big sideways moments, worst one being through Craner Curves at 100mph. That one focused the mind a bit. I've decided it could definitely do with a brake upgrade. The 312s with Ferodo DS2500 pads were ok and I never ran out of brakes, but they didn't always feel 100% positive so probably best to keep my eye out for a set of Cupra R Brembos. So whilst we wait for news on the turbo, here's a bit of footage from Donington once I'd learned the car and circuit a bit.

This Thursday............... On The Road ITV4 8pm, and....... Worlds Greatest Cars on Quest at 9pm. Possibly been on elsewhere before though.

B6 fitted when No1 had just turned 1. Profit fitted a year later (ish) then had no2 during lockdown and not had an issue. Just need to watch the mounds they like to use as speed bumps round here. My boy (No1) loves it and says "zoom zoom" when I do the nursery pickup 😁

Some more pic spam with the fog tonight

I agree, that's a good looking car. If you want a suspension you can really throw around, maybe you need another car, like a used Mazda MX-5. Something you can throw around on a sunny day? You've probably spent the equivalent on "fixing up" your family car?

After 3 Skodas ( 2x Octavias & 1x Karoq), ALL 3 giving faultless service and having been great transport, I've opted to go all electric with a Kia e Niro in 4+ spec. At the time of ordering details on the Enyaq were sketchy, with a starting price of £40k without options being mooted, so that was out of the question for me. I know its a lot less now, but too late, I've just taken delivery of the fully specced e Niro and so far very happy. My Karoq , in immaculate condition was returned to Skoda today via BCA ( it was on lease like the Kia is) therefore its goodbye from me, with best wishes to you all, and onto another motoring adventure !

Bought my car in Feb this year and purchased a service plan in the showroom. Booked its 1st service on 14 September before realising a day or two later that it wasn't required until December. Out of interest as I hadn't received any paperwork for the service plan, I asked the servicing dealership to check. Rather surprised to find out that no plan was activate on Skoda systems. Contacted the original supplying dealer and after many phone calls and long emails, I had confirmation in today's post that the plan is finally active. Good job as it's being serviced in early December. Therefore if you buy a plan ensure you receive confirmation by post (yes even in this paperless age). Secondly never underestimate how easy it is to make a simple task seem extremely complicated. This took the combined efforts of multiple Skoda and VWFS staff, who to their credit, lwaysreplied politely to my increasingly insistent queries, 7 weeks to untangle. Top tip send your complaints to email address ' [email protected] ' and it will get resolved.

Jesus. That noise generator. Put it in the bin.

Thanks guys - I will certainly provide a review / views of my Kia. I've been getting it organised today, re- stocking (!?!) it with stuff I always carry around, plus installing my radar detector & dashcam whilst hiding the cables under the trim etc. First thoughts ; great build quality, unsure about the view outside from the front which divides opinion that's for sure; the "toys" are a revelation, from the heated steering wheel to the drivers seat automatically moving rearwards when you open the door which eases egress, yet returns to the correct position when getting back in, to the spacious interior, and the boot is a good size too with loads of cubby space under the boot floor. The touch screen has a multitude of items that I've yet to fully explore. No spare wheel in the Niro which is a shame, just a compressor & "gunk kit" so not even a jack or wheel brace provided either. Only very limited driving done as yet, but as soon as things allow, I'll provide more info, but so far so very good, even re charging at the free Pod Point Chargers at Tesco's is a doddle, although I'm getting my home charger installed on Monday if all goes to plan. With a realistic 250 mile range on a full charge, once per month (about £8 ) should do me, costing FAR less than my Karoq did, which itself was pretty good doing about 40mpg on average. Anyway, more to follow as things develop........

Fitted and all working! Thank you guys for your help on this. Saved myself £300 from going to the stealers

I see. Some free mileage is nice to have for sure and maybe in the future it might mean easier circulation depending on your country's regulations etc. but "IF's" sometimes are too far away/too irrelevant... Performance and tuning wise though, a remapped 272 is at another league completely compared to those hybrids and the cost is around the same (or maybe even higher for the PHEVs being a bit younger and all?) I got this car in order to have careless family carrying during that hardest time of their first years when carrying those huge strollers and all other paraphernalia is a requirement, while also being able to enjoy blasts of decent forward acceleration when I drive on my own. I didn't expect to stick with it for more than 2-3 years but it's hands down such an incredible and complete package that has along this time spoiled me to the extent I can hardly consider anything below an RS4 an (overall) upgrade...

That is one shiny car. Well done you.

Washed girlfriend's EcoSport seeing as it's been dry today. Chemical Guys Bug+Tar Remover CarPlan No 1 Super Clean Shampoo Two bucket wash with microfiber mitt Rinse Dry with microfiber towel Simoinz Carnauba Wax DemonShine Spray on Shine RainX on windows DemonShine Super Wheel Cleaner Simoinz Wet look Tyre shine Ready to sit on the drive for another 4 weeks! At least it is clean though.

It won't go down 30mm from your 70mm... These measurements are usually taken from the standard car (not the Rough Road springs or Sportline) so you need to add the extra height of the Rough Road pack, if it is 15mm it would go down 30mm + 15mm = 45mm from your current height. If you worry about lowering you could combine B6 with the Sportline springs. Much better control but still a height which leaves quite some clearance in the arches. Height would be same as my stock Sportline probably, more than enough:

Absolutely. You can get a Haldex controller which allows for different torque split depending on conditions you set (% of throttle, gear, speed etc.) over-riding the stock Haldex ECU. I've mostly seen it used from people with highly tuned cars for drag starts etc. no idea if it is a real improvement for fast driving though. The way I see it, drag start or straight line racing it can be beneficial as conditions are more or less standard. For cornering though, ideally you'd need a system that can vary torque split according to conditions and input from several sensors as opposed to a fixed value, essentially what all the latest AWD systems with active rear diffs are offering... Something like this: https://www.vdveer-engineering.nl/index.php/en/products/haldex-controller

They do differ, this is from my 2014 brochure:- 2.0 TDI CR 140PS 4x4 DPF 152 G 2.0 TDI CR 140PS 4x4 DSG DPF 164 G 2.0 TDI CR 170PS 4x4 DPF 149 F 2.0 TDI CR 170PS 4x4 DSG DPF 164 G Colin

My car in this picture is lowered by ~30mm: B12 lowers by 25-40mm so at the highest setting, (25mm) it should be even a little be higher than mine which I think is fine. This depends where you live of-course but mine which is almost 30mm is still fine for most daily situations, speed curbs, ramps etc. Haven't had an issue so far. Yours does not have DCC, correct? Otherwise B12 would not fit without a DCC cancellation kit.

As you can see in the 1st picture (stock), the rear is sitting 5-10mm higher than the front, probably for loading and carrying people without getting lower than front. This is true on many cars also. Now in the 3rd picture where I used the Eiback Pro-Kit (the correct one for my car) but I also added the thicker Audi pads on top (at the rear), the rear is again a bit higher than the front, similar to the stock proportions. If putting just the Eibachs on, you end up with the front and rear at exactly the same height. Looking good on photos but I didn't like how much lower it went when loaded so I brought it back to the stock relative position. If you want my front stock springs send me a PM! I could sell them for a rather small price, not interested in keeping them anyway.

Not that I'm aware of. You can do some adjustments in VCDS but think it's a case of on or off. I'd prefer it to be off to be honest, it's turd.

Look at The Roofbox company https://www.roofbox.co.uk/ for a good selection of bike carriers. One big advantage of Thule is the availability of spares. Plenty of reviews of bike carriers on Youtube, of course.

Another way around it is to buy an L&K to get all the options, and then black wrap all the chrome.

We have a Thule Velocompact. They are far from cheap but they are excellent. Easy to store. Seconds to fit and remove. Completely secure. Doesn’t damage bikes. Not sure what more you can ask. Ours is 4 years old now, and gets fitted/removed from the car on average twice a week. Still going strong without missing a beat.

It’d be interesting to have an in depth review of the new car too.

Seni successful day at Donington. Many laps were had chasing faster stuff, then i let my dad loose when i was tired. Something fuel related, pump or injectors has gone as when under load just judders. Only code is cyl2 missfire. Something else to look at over winter.

Some things you don't know you "need" until you've had them. I didn't know I needed an adjustable suspension. I didn't know I needed a rear view camera. Never needed one in the past. I bought a demo Sportline hatchback that came with an abundance of extras. The Canton stereo is very nice. I won't have a car again without a rear camera for parking – especially a car this long. The suspension is trick, but if I had a normal suspension I could change it to suit me. I mainly leave it on one setting, anyway. And I wait for it to go wrong after the warranty is expired. So, that would be any day now... Find a car you can afford in the colour you like. You can always fix it up later. (edit) Oh, yeah – the TSI 220 psi is a terrific engine, unless you absolutely need 4WD.

It's just a dodgy LED. The car indicates gearbox issues via the dashboard.

New Skoda Enyaq iV Halloweenline picture released - https://twitter.com/skodaautonews/status/1322448582151122944/photo/1

Similarly I have ‘bought’ High Beam Assist. The car says installing but it never seems to complete. Having looked at the Skoda Connect website it states that installation will be after 24 hours from purchase.

Don't believe everything they say... I've heard that those who have joined these schemes have found that once the lawyers have taken their cut of the fees there could be bugger all left as a payout. Also, should the class action prove unsuccessful and the lawyers therefore not have their fees paid by VW (or the settlement be insufficient to cover legal fees) then those who signed up will find themselves liable instead. Personally I think the whole thing is rather like Ambulance Chasing for the legal teams involved and is simply being done as a money making scheme to create 'fees' - so wouldn't go near it with a bargepole... Also, it seems you are of a similar nature given you haven't identified any financial loss you have incurred personally that requires recompense...

The rear number plate lights are standard. I'm not a fan of the harsh blue white over-illuminated plate lights.

Usually the body panels, and interior. But as yours is a basic spec I doubt the interior would be anything. You’ve also got to bear in mind the space and time to strip the car yourself. As I said, put the whole car up on eBay or one of the MK1 Octavia’s FB groups to see if it’s gets any interest.

It may be of help to someone if I point out that when charging the (installed) battery you shouldn't clamp the charger's negative lead to the minus battery post but instead clamp it to the mass post behind the battery itself. That's to protect the sensor placed on the battery's minus post.

It definitely ain't broke the reason I am considering a change of some sort is that in its current state it does not fully meet my desire for a more sporty drive. I will spend some more money either way, the question is whether the cost of mods involved starts to make this a false economy compared to buying a different car. I bought the car knowing as stock it won't be perfect for what I am after but that it has the base to build upon. However, a 30K car with 10K mods is always worth much less when selling up than a 40K car despite both cars having cost the same amount of money. I'm not too worried about going much faster than i already go. A downpipe and stage 2 map will probably find their way on the car at some point but it won't be that much different anyway. And to better the times I'm currently seeing with a more expensive car it would mean A LOT of mods and money so this is not the main goal. What I would really like is a closer connection with the road, some more playfulness and adjustability when pushing on, a more involving drive (but not necessarily faster) experience in general. I used to go karting and I was tracking all my capable cars before the Superb so this is something I miss and probably the reason I am having thoughts about those more "focused" machines.

Some Autumn pictures

Currently on b6 with prokit springs (octavia) and as newbie says they offer support and control but without being overly crashy/firm. Used the B6 on stock springs for a while too and definitely something I will be doing to future cars when shocks die. The way I see coilovers is you get loads of adjustment which is good for the tinkerer but not so good for a daily.

Indeed

Hey there! I have the 1.5 TSI manual with optional sports suspension and 18" wheels. I ordered it simply for the looks and that's what I got. It's not really stiff and it doesn't give great handling that you could expect from a similarly priced aftermarket set of springs (e. g. Eibach). To be honest, compared to the standard suspension which I tried on the demo vehicle, the difference in driving feel is not that big. It doesn't bounce, it doesn't crash when going through potholes and it's still better than the standard suspension which I had on my 2015 Octavia MK3. Would I order it again? No, because a set of Eibach's would probably drop the car a little lower and it would look and handle better. Would I order it again if there would be no aftermarket alternatives? Definitely yes, because the standard suspension looks horrible This is how it looks:

@Eddie-NL knows his stuff. I'd call him a master tech when it comes to electronic modules. Good result for you someone was able to check what they should of done in the first place!

Without listening I can't tell for sure but classic engine knocking (as opposed to tapping) sounds are due to either 1. Low oil pressure or blocked/low oil flow somewhere. 2. Worn small/big end bearings or piston/cylinder wear/slap. As yours came on suddenly after an oil change/additive, Im inclined to think no.1 Sometimes engine flushes/additives have aggressive cleaning that high mileage engines suddenly can detach carbon/sludge and end up blocking an oil pickup/feed/gallery. Not sure there's an easy fix for this. Still think compression pressure test might reveal something.

I am very excited

I've had the car for just over a month now so I suppose an update on progress is due. With it's first track day now just a week away, the key focus has been getting it all together mechanically and making sure everything is safe and working. One of the first missions was to get my set of four point harnesses in which wasn't too hard, I just needed to get a couple of longer eye bolts for the rear as two of the mounting points turned out to be slightly recessed. An unexpected change however was swapping the bucket seats it came with for my Cobra buckets from my old MG. Main reason for the change was the woman prefers the Cobras and if it means she'll have a go at driving it on track, then fine. To be fair, the Cobras are the better seats so she was right. Don't tell her that though. It was a quick job though as the mounting points of the two seats were different and upon closer inspection, I wasn't overly happy with how the existing seats had been mounted so it turned int a full day of re-fabricating and welding good solid mounting points. As it won't just be me driving the car, I needed to keep the seats mounted on sliders so they can still be adjusted. A lot of work but worth it as I'm now happy that the seats are properly mounted and won't cause me any issues. With new cars comes many shopping opportunities so I've been on a bit of a buying spree recently. Lots of service items, and a few upgrades such as Badger 5 oversize TIP, big front mounted intercooler, stainless exhaust system, baffled sump, bits of pipe for a catch can, stage 2 ECU, Haldex service kit and one of those Haldex inserts that Softscoop suggested, phenolic gasket for the inlet manifold, billet injector cups, RamAir induction kit and probably more little bits that I can't remember now. It's been a steady process of most evenings and weekends being spent on working through everything to get it all serviced and get the upgraded parts on. One of the first things I did was bling up the engine up the engine bay a bit by painting my cam cover, inlet manifold and charge pipe. Those who know me on facebook will be aware that I have a habit of painting such items to make a few pennies so it was only right I did a set for myself. Surface prep is key so a go in the dishwasher for a final degreasing is a must. All came out looking pretty nice though as the VHT matt red paint I use is very user friendly. I put the inlet back on along with a phenolic gasket to help reduce the amount of heat transferred from the head and I also fitted a new set of billet injector cups. A crucial job was the cam belt and water pump I've done a cam belt on a 1.8t before so this time didn't take too long. Hardest part is getting the engine mounting bracket out from the space that doesn't really exist It's also had all fluids changed, new oil pick up pipe and I've fitted a baffled sump as I've got experience of taking a 1.8T on track without one and it didn't end well. Forge want £260 for a ready made item, which whilst it is a good quality item, I managed to find just as good an option at a much more reasonable £50. CB Auto do a baffle kit and as my brother works for an engineering company, he was able to tig weld it into a sump pan for me. Well worth the piece of mind that the engine isn't going to be starved of oil during those long sweeping bends on race circuits. The car came with a 3 inch decat downpipe already installed but it still had the standard cat back system which has quite a restrictive looking flattened part where it goes under the rear axle. I kept my eye out for a stainless system at a decent price and luckily found one on Ebay for £100 and as a bonus it was located about 15 minutes from where I was working at the time. Most exhausts available were all centre or back box deletes which didn't really interest me as I didn't want anything loud that would potentially cause me issues with noise tests at circuits. The one I found is ideal as it really isn't a lot louder than standard but is much more free flowing. It was also a direct fit so bolted straight on with no hassle. The front mounted intercooler was also another Ebay find and a really easy fit as, along with the pipework, it's designed specifically for the car so mounted straight on and the bumper fits back over without needing to hack anything off it. With the bumper back on, I figured a little more airflow couldn't hurt so I got the hole saw out and made some holes across the front where the number plate used to live. Next important job, which I didn't get any pictures of, was serviceing the rear Haldex system. A fiddly job as access is tight and the special spanner I purchased to change the filter was an absolute must. The oil is easy enough to change, just a case of suirting it in through the hole and put the plug back in quickly. I fitted the insert I mentioned earlier and now it's in, it's staying in as it's tricky to get to. It's very very small so I really hope it was worth the £76 it cost One of the jobs that needed doing, so that it can get an MOT in a couple of weeks time, was to replace the front cv boots as they were both split. What should have been an easy job, I've done plenty in the past on various vehicle, ultimately turned into a massive pain in the winkle as the cv joints just would not come off for love nor money. Had to resort to the angle grinder. It didn't really help though as the new cv joints I had then wouldn't fit the shafts. Upon closer inspection, the shafts were infact some non genuine replacements. Disappointing but easily resolved by sourcing a pair of genuine, good condition used shafts. Getting close to being ready to use now so today I just did a quick little task of relocating the front number plate. Obviously I can't use a normal one now as it'll block off the holes I made for the intercooler, so I've gone for a square plate tucked off to the left hand side. I don't want any issues with the law so I've had one made with the legal font and size. Tomorrow's job is fit my uprated fuel pump and I've got a boost gauge to mount somewhere aswell. Then, it'll be a case of put it on the trailer next weekend and hope it all holds together when I drive it for the first time at Donnington Park. As long as it doesn't blow up, I can then get it MOT'd whilst I have a week off work and then maybe start looking at tidying up the cosmetic issues.

If the module is coded for trip computer, then that will cause the right side scroll wheel not to work in roller mode. but press it will still do the ok function.

Nothing exciting but New coolant bottle

They may have not reconnected one of the connectors or not properly engaged it, or not disconnected one and yanked the wires to the switches.

Now after

The module will have a default coding, i would say they haven't coded it properly Take it back or find someone with vcds

I got distracted over the weekend just gone, ended up doing a full exterior and interior detail on this.. It's my dads Fabia 1.9 TDi 100PD Ambiente which he's had from new and only done 40k. He's approaching 80 so has reduced enthusiasm for scrabbling about polishing cars so I took pity on it and gave the old girl some love. It's a lovely old thing, drives perfectly and so smooth. Anyway, I have now had all the wheels back from Project Powder Coating in Brierley Hill and they are utterly flawless, glossy and smooth. And Yellow. Fitted back up with the new tyres, and back on the car. The cars still up on stands as it's easier to work on while we get it running. Speaking of running.... The running in map is now loaded up, just need to change a bit of fuel hose i'm not happy with and replace a suspect crank sensor with new genuine one and we should be good to fire..

It's a point of view. May be considering many Sportscars or Supercars are also AWD or 4WD could help changing your mind. Some examples: Audi R8, Lamborghini Aventador, Porsche Carrera 4S, Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin DB11 AMR... None are meant for Off-road...