Leaderboard

Collection day has finally come around and I’m super stoked to be a Superb owner at last! I only grabbed a couple of pics as I was hoping it would be light and dry when I got home to take more but it was neither. Here it is on the forecourt It’s a MY2020 Facelift Superb SportLine Plus 2.0 TDI 190 DSG with the following options Exclusive Dragon Green paint Supernova wheels Virtual Pedal Reverse cam with washer Spare wheel Virtual Cockpit All of which put the list price at pennies under £40,000 which is nuts considering what I paid and the paltry 6560 miles it had when I collected it this morning. The 260 mile trip home was fabulous and I look forward to a much quieter build thread compared to my Octy as it has so much spec there is little to do, but I’ll be sorting a few things for sure! Badges are a start and some cool lighting mods too. More soon

This one took me a while to trace, so I thought I'd document it to maybe help others. Fault - (2009 Fabia 1.2 Hatchback, BBM) Door open light and chime and interior lights coming on at random whilst driving and stationary. Fault was intermittent so made it harder to test. Summary - Opening and closing each of the doors wasn't conclusive but I thought it was drivers door when I could get the fault to occur. I read up on here and then checked the wiring in A pillar bellows (all looked good unusually), so I then removed the door latch mechanism as described in posts on here. I tested the latch micro switch on the bench and all seemed good. I checked the PCB contacts for the connector and switches both visually and with meter for continuity and all seemed good. I ran 9v from a battery through switch and all good. I then removed the complete door loom (a little fiddly but it can be done without removing the speaker) and double checked all wires - all good. Having not found any problem with door lock mechanism or door loom I decided to put it back together and reinstall without changing micro switches or re-soldering so as not to disturb anything. I then looked at wiring diagrams in posts on here to see if something else could be happening. It showed that the door latch circuit has two wires (brown, brown/yellow) and when the door is open then these connect in the latch micro switch and earth is supplied to the brown/yellow cable and that feeds back through the bellows to the Convenience unit under the dash. However, there is another brown/yellow cable that goes from the same pin in the bellows connector to the Window Motor/Door Control (not sure why). This meant I could easily test the state of both brown/yellow wires at the window motor connector with the door in operation (have door open all the time and just use a screwdriver to push the door catch cam all the way in to simulate it being closed). Doing this when the connector was off the window motor I was able to see the door catch micro switch always operated perfectly and only completed the earth circuit when the door was open (and the dash light operated correctly). However, when I reconnected the connector to the window motor, that wire was earthed intermittently and caused the dash door open warn light to come on even when door was closed. So I concluded the window motor was incorrectly earthing out the circuit and causing the fault. As an aside, using this window motor connector (status of brown/yellow wire when unplugged) would be a good way to test the door micro-switch operation without needing to dismantle door catch as easier to get to than the bellows connector and allows window motor to be excluded from the test (as its unplugged). So I then decided to strip the window motor as couldn't find much info on here. First time stripping it came apart completely and I found a very tiny spot of green corrosion, some metal filings, but not much else so I cleaned and sealed up the pins on the board with PCB varnish thinking it was maybe just moisture or filings causing a short. Reassembled, tested, just the same fault.... So took it off again (three screws, easy), and second stripping it came apart in better way and PCB easier to access. I tested what i could with a meter for continuity of soldered joints behind main connector, but everything else was tiny SMD stuff so beyond me. I didn't find a fault but decided to reflow the solder on the connector joints as they cause issues elsewhere (dash, lock pcb etc). They are small and fiddly, but I got it done and then added PCB varnish on top. Reassembled everything, and everything now works as it should - the original fault of door open light coming on has not happened since. I did look at replacement window motors before i stripped it and there are many versions, and some are costly, so this might be an option to try before going that route. The circuit board is small and I couldn't see detail that well (corrosion, joints, filings, etc) so I zoomed in on camera and took lots of photos, then zoomed in again whilst viewing and surprising what can be seen then! Some pics below, but they are just a fraction of the couple of hundred I must have taken.... Testing the door latch on bench (now know this could have been avoided by testing in situ through the window motor connector) Model of window motor on this 2009 1.2 hatchback Window motor connector (brown/yellow at bottom right here is the wire that should be earthed when latch closed (test with connector unplugged from window motor to test latch micro switch first, then plugged in to see if Window motor is providing a false earth). Connector block on Window Motor PCB, - small amounts of corrosion, but perhaps more under the block itself, but didn't fancy trying to remove. PCB from Window Motor with my thumb for scale (board is small....) - I reflowed solder on back of connector block (the 14 blobs in the middle - they look a bit domed but connectivity was good and I was concerned at leaving too much heat on the pads with all those SMD's around...) PCB Varnish added on top to seal out any moisture. Hope that helps someone. I have more pics of dismantling things is required (but there was a 10mb limit on this post).

My car has led a sheltered life, 6000 miles in 3 years, always garaged (internal so its not only dry but temperature doesnt vary much night/day, never below 10 deg as well). Usually only take it out on dry sunny days and avoid taking it out in wet or bad weather. We use the Fabia on rainy, wintry days as well as for short trips. So its at home and in the garage safely tucked up for up to a month at a time, with the parking brake always off. Despite this Briskoda induced OCD , it appears the rear discs are indeed made out of swiss cheese. In particular the passenger side has become quite pitted on the outside, at last service Skoda reported that the inside face was far worse "mainly in one place where the pad had clamped the disc when parked" Confirmed by their health check video clearly showing it. Hmmm. Disappointed but not unexpected judging by this forums testimony. The front discs are nice and shiny , as is the rest of the car underneath, the suspension etc. So, frustrated that nobody here is man enough to try, today I decided to be the forum pioneer/guinea pig and use the EPB as an emergency brake to see what happens. First, I checked YouTube to see if someone had already tried this and what to expect. Found an american video with a Honda Civic, where the EPB pulls the car sharply up making lots of loud alarming farting/grinding noises. Another was a Topgear video in Golf R (closer to a Superb), no farting/grinding was evident but a sharp pull up. Handbrake Turn with Electronic Parking Brake So I set off down our estate, got up to 20mph , onto a straight quiet deserted bit, checked it was safe to proceed, EPB on, loud farting type noise from rear for a fraction of a second and sharp pull up, took no more than 2 seconds. Judging by the way the car squatted, it was rear braked only. Quite dramatic but controlled. Tried again, this time at 30mph, same again, fart and sharp pullup, though the car evidently travelled that bit further and took a bit longer. I tried it a third time, same. Nor sure what causes the fart, might be ABS, but its quite brief followed by a smooth but sharp deceleration. Be prepared! Anyway, I can confirm it definitely helps to clean up the rear discs, although my three low speed attempts weren't enough to completely remove the pitting. I can't see the inner face to check that side. Gonna have another go at a faster speed when the car is out again and the mood takes me, but that might be another month. I will have to take the rear wheels off (for the 1st time) sometime later this year, before they become too welded to the hub. I will check the inner faces then, and if I remember, I'll report back. So if you're going in for an MOT or a service/upsell attempt, or those discs look like a scrapyard castoff, why not try it yourself, just make sure its safe to do so, straight deserted road, weather/road surface good, and brace for impact! Definitely don't try it with passengers/pets or half a ton of bricks in the boot.

Well, as simple as things could get, the plug from the passenger side had come out from the other plug which is clipped above the firewall. I pulled up that side of the scuttle plate and could easily see the wire. Then as I traced it, it just come into my hand. It was just a case of plugging both back into one another. I'm a little worried now they've come apart in the first instance, but I tried to pull them apart without touching the retaining clip and it seemed firmly fitted. I've not long come in from 'testing'. I threw a 2 litre bottle of water in the freezer earlier on and I got that chilled enough to be just on freezing. I poured that other the windscreen to get that cooled down. Whilst I was doing that, I threw the kettle on and then used the steam from that to fog up the inside of the windscreen. Then it was just a case of turning the engine and screen on and seeing things return to normal. I can only assume it wasn't fully secured when it's come out of the factory and over time and driving, it's now come away enough to lose contact in the circuit. Just glad it was something as simple as that, as I'm not in the mood for having the car in the garage and or glazers whilst they charge me for it to be repaired.

No DMF on the Greenline.

Turn up your volume and listen to that melody. Isn't lovely? I won't back to gasoline ever

Just incase anyone else ever has a similar issue, I figured the problem out, checked for power and was getting power at the permanent live, but nothing on the wire for the switched ignition power. then had another look at the fuse box diagram and found fuse number 10 mini 10 amp fuse protected the Ignition, S-contact (For power consumers, e.g. the radio, which can be operated with the ignition switched off as long as the ignition key is not withdrawn) stuff. this fuse was blown swapped it out for a good 10 amp fuse and problem solved.

I don’t know, but going by the number of slave cylinder problems that have been posted, and that it’s a gearbox out job, I would be tempted to replace it anyway.

Thanks, definitely really happy. This car was sent out on journalist duties at least once in its early life with the VW group which is quite fun so you can see more of it below!

Last week I retrofitted a VC to my Superb 2.0 tdi MY18. Because the info on this subject is scattered all over this and other forums I decided to bundle it into a how-to. First of all a big thank you to RomanB, langers2k, Richie2019 and Camarao69 for the help with coding and with finding the correct parts. Before you start, make sure your car is able to do the retrofit. As I understand it, you will need a Mib 2.5 and also the correct gateway to be able to have a map display in the VC. If the part number of your gateway starts with 3Q0 it should work. Maybe also with other part numbers, but you will have to check. You can check the part number of your gateway with VCDS. What about Amundsen? I have read that with certain types of Amundsen it should also be able to show maps on VC. But coding is a bit different. And, as I don’t have Amundsen, I can’t really tell. I ordered the VC on ali: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005001320853346.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dWnYaQ3 This VC comes with the optical MOST cable you will need for display of maps on the VC. Before you order, send the seller a message and ask for a discount. Also ask for him to declare a lower value (+/- 100 dollar) to customs. I paid around 60 euro import tax based on this value. If you have the CANTON sound system, you will need a Most splitter. https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005001590588805.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dWnYaQ3 Or https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/33003652246.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dysj90l (about the MOST splitters: I ordered both, but you will only need one of them. The first link looked like the better quality item, but it had 2 male connectors and 1 female. What you need is 1 male and 2 female connectors. The VC came with a spare female connector, so I used this spare connector to convert the splitter into 1 male and 2 female. It’s easy, just mind the arrows on the connector. They depict the data stream direction. The item from the second link is ready to be installed and does not need to changed. However just eyeballing it, it did not look as good as the one in the first link.) Vag audio removal tools: You need 4 pieces. https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005001502327510.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.61f03aa8VhZ892&algo_pvid=87f048ac-c0af-469f-a3a5-aa59929ac254&algo_expid=87f048ac-c0af-469f-a3a5-aa59929ac254-0&btsid=0bb0624716157231348261767efc60&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_ Trim removal tools: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/32963954415.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.477d61553u3Dn4&algo_pvid=40621dfe-6b26-4916-954e-3a1a0de8cdfc&algo_expid=40621dfe-6b26-4916-954e-3a1a0de8cdfc-0&btsid=0bb0623d16157232258103800e5d6b&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_ And a Vas5054a for pairing the keys to the cluster via remote coding. Links to a Vas5054a come and go. They don’t work for long. Look on ali and read the reviews. Disregard complaints about the software as you will not need to install it. Often there are choices in quality. Choose the best one available. Bluetooth is not necessary, I just used a usb cable. And you will also need a windows laptop. I also ordered a screen protector for the mib 2.5 and for the VC. Just to protect them while do the installation: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/32931529165.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dtJsu3p and https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005001805982326.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dtJsu3p And of course you will also need a VCDS-cable or a similar device. Wait until the parts arrive and, in the meantime, find an online coding service for pairing the keys to new cluster, remove component protection and to set the odometer to the correct setting. I used: Vag retrofit and Coding. Telegram: https://t.me/vagretrofit Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vagretrofitcoding/ Cost: 75 euro for 2 keys and 100 euro for 3 keys. Maybe there are cheaper/better alternatives, but this worked for me. The VAS 5054a comes with software. You do not have to install this software for use with a online coding service. You will only need to install TeamViewer. Before you start tinkering: Make an autoscan with VCDS and save the log to your computer. This saved my ass, because after the online coding of the VC, my sunroof lost it’s coding. With the autoscan available it was easy to fix. I also made screenshots from every byte of my old cluster, using the long coding helper (example, of just one byte, below) With this, it’s easier to setup the VC. See the service manual how to unclip the various trim parts. There is a certain sequence in releasing the clips. Before I used the online coding service, I installed the MOST cable. It was a pain. The wires behind the Mib unit in the glovebox were too short. So I needed to dismount the entire glovebox to get access.I connected the MOST splitter to the existing MOST cable and the new MOST cable. Removed the Mib headunit and old cluster to pull the new MOST cable in place. If you don’t have CANTON there may be a protective cover over the MOST connector on the Mib. After you have pulled the MOST cable into position, reconnect your Mib headunit. It needs to be connected while the online coding is being done. This it to remove component protection. Also reconnect your old cluster. You will need it connected at the start of online coding. I also tested my audio, just to be sure it was working after the MOST splitter install. A video which gives an idea how to remove the cluster: (the screws are behind the left and right trim parts. Not under the center one) A picture from pulling the cable: After all this you can start with the online coding process. Have all you keys readily available. It took 2 full hours in my case. When you install the VC, make sure to remove the grey protector in the MOST connector on the VC: After the online coding you can start your car, but your dash will light up with faults because of the lack of coding. Coding the cluster: I now took all my screenshots of the long coding from my old cluster to code the VC. Just one note: Leave Byte 0 bit 1 unchecked. It will give an ‘’entry out of range” error message if you try to code it. After you coded everything in, the error messages will disappear. Just take caution with your fuel gauge and make sure it is accurate so you don’t run out of fuel. My fuel gauge tends to read fuller than with the old cluster so I don’t trust it yet and may change the coding on it. Coding 5F (mib): Long coding: Uncheck byte 22 bit 0: Make sure MOST is on (for non CANTON cars) Byte 19 bit 5 Adaptation (5F): For imaging through MOST: - ENG122230-ENG142097-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-ability_switch_nav_maps,OFF - ENG122230-ENG122343-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-call_picture,On - ENG122230-ENG122341-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-coverart,On - ENG122230-ENG122340-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-crossroad_detail_map_compression_mode,H264 - ENG122230-ENG122344-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-crossroad_detail_map_resolution,resolution_3 - ENG122230-ENG127006-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-crossroad_detail_map_transmission_mode,MOST_streaming - ENG122230-ENG142153-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-dynamic_icon,0 - ENG122230-ENG127501-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-fastlist_most,On - ENG122230-ENG122338-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-navigation_map_compression_mode,H264 - ENG122230-ENG122339-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-navigation_map_resolution,resolution_3 - ENG122230-ENG127005-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-navigation_map_transmission_mode,MOST_streaming - ENG122230-ENG122342-Dashboard_Display_Configuration-stationart,On For the Virtual Cockpit menu on the MIB: - IDE11524-ENG137043-Vehicle function list bap 2nd generation: expansion-display_configuration_0x45, Activated - IDE11524-ENG137044-Vehicle function list bap 2nd generation: expansion-display_configuration_0x45_msg_bus, Comfort data bus - ENG122227-ENG142087-Car_Function_Adaptations_Gen2-menu_display_Display_Configuration, Activated - ENG122227-ENG142088-Car_Function_Adaptations_Gen2-menu_display_Display_Configuration_clamp_15_off, Not Activated - ENG122227-ENG142089-Car_Function_Adaptations_Gen2-menu_display_Display_Configuration_over_threshold_high, Activated - ENG122227-ENG142090-Car_Function_Adaptations_Gen2-menu_display_Display_Configuration_standstill, Not Activated - ENG122227-ENG142091-Car_Function_Adaptations_Gen2-menu_display_Display_Configuration_after_disclaimer, Not Activated Now restart the MIB. (hold power button until it reboots) You now have the normal dial VC: If you want to have the carbon look: 17 – instrument, adaptation: - IDE12467-Tubes illustration, Variant 3 - IDE02489-Display depiction, Variant 1 or 3 (can’t remember which one) If you want to change the end value of your speedometer because of reasons: 17 – instrument, adaptation: IDE13094-Tachometer end value. I used setting Variant 1 for 280kmph. Might be different for MPH. Trim Piece I needed I new trim piece which is now on order. As I understood the partnumber you need can be easily obtained. Note the partnumber on the white label of your old trim piece. In my case 3V0 857 053 N77. N77 is the colour code for my trim piece. To obtain the part nr for the new trim piece just add an ‘A’ after 053. So in my case: 3V0 857 053A N77 is the part nr for the new trim piece. There is also the possibility to fit new MFSW buttons with a VIEW button. - 3V0 919 719 E (manual) - 3V0 919 719 F (DSG) - 3V0 919 719 G (manual + heated) - 3V0 919 719 H (DSG + heated) I've been told that DSG versions work in manual cars and that heated versions work without heated wheels. I did not fit these buttons yet so I do not know if these part numbers are fully correct. If there are any omissions or errors please do tell. Also feel free to add more adaptations.

Received on 1st March, so nice to drive it on the first day of a new registration, not that anybody cares much about new registration years anymore! So far love everything, smooth cruiser, rapid turn of speed when required and a quality feel. Couple of issues with wireless charing dropping out, and Apple CarPlay struggling to stay connected along with Keyless locking rarely working. I'll do some searching on here and see what I can find.

totally understand why your doing it, my RS is harsh anyway and roads in general are not designed for rubber band tyres..........and when you hit a pot hole...........jeez.

They are sand cast aluminium, like most alloy rims. They are not magnesium. Magnesium would corrode (rust) easily, and are more suited to racing cars than road cars as they are not durable enough for road use. Expensive cars like Ferraris and Porsches, will use forged aluminium which is stronger and lighter than sand cast aluminium but much more expensive.

im wrong my build date was 20.08.2020. i just copied it from my messages to you and realised thats your build date 😂😂

As much as I like the Mk1 RS wheels....................mmmm look to small...........

Not sure how wipeable alcantara is to be honest, as I think a fair bit of the “leather” seats config is alcantara, but you know what you need, so ignore me if you’ve already factored that in. 👍🏼

Sure the kids are the reason you want wipe-able back seats 😉

Have you got the horn yet? Giggle /child

Unless there's a massive obvious hole that I think you'd have noticed when taking the pictures I'm not sure that pictures of your engine bay can help people diagnose your problem (I may be wrong though as I am definitely a novice to all this). If it's the same issue as mine likely is then it'll be a crack or split in one of your vacuum hoses, you'll have to do what was recommended to me and visually inspect all of the hoses for wear/damage, probably starting with the ends of each section where they meet other components.

Looks like there are a few non-franchise options in your area. https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=uptPYOmiD9KKatK5tOAF&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYE-pyluX5JfP8IIVrubhc-Gdgq5N3Qgf&q=cumbria+skoda+specialist&oq=cumbria+skoda+spe&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYAjIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKABMgUIIRCgAToOCC4QsQMQxwEQowIQkwI6CAgAELEDEIMBOg4ILhCxAxCDARDHARCjAjoLCC4QsQMQxwEQowI6AggAOgUIABCxAzoICC4QsQMQkwI6AgguOggILhDHARCvAToFCC4QsQM6BQgAEMkDOgYIABAWEB5QnQlYwTBgwjxoAXAAeACAAWGIAYULkgECMTiYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=gws-wiz

thanks Joe I shall keep looking... not paying stealers price lol

Sounds nice

Just collected the car, the difference in the clutch pedal is night and day. No other issue reported, and an innocent "nope" when the question was asked. With my 'work head' on I couldn't understand why he's left all the seats in the back down, the boot carpet wedged up behind the parcel shelf, and 2 litres of GOMAN rearbox oil (?) on the bill. Still it now drives beautifully and that's all that matters.

Thanks for this. Do you know when was your car manufactured by any chance and do you have an SE or SE L First Edition?

There are a few similar posts on this forum. Thought to be water corrosion initially causing the contacts to run hot. One other poster found corrosion on the other side of the board too in a different location. Other posters replaced the complete assembly at not too bad a price.

The way the chassis number before/after works in that page is like this: Firstly the >> 5J-xxxxxxxx means up to that chassis number; When it says 5J-xxxxxxxx >> it means from that chassis number onwards. You'll see they're one different in each case. The first character after the 5J- on those pages is actually the 10th digit of the VIN (the 9th is represented by the dash - and is irrelevant). It's the Model Year. So the changeover happened during model year 2008. MY2009 cars would have a 9 there instead, 2010 will have A, 2011 B etc. So I guess yours is MY2013.

Only the first few mk2's had the same wishbone. Look at this page, first two diagrams. front axle, steering Fabia (FAB) [EUROPA 2008 year] (7zap.com) First diagram same as mk1, second diagram, different at the back end (horizontal bush within wishbone) Last 8 digits of the VIN can tell you which diagram is appropriate for any given mk2; most will be the second diagram.

Right so after a few emails yesterday the salesman, without me asking, sent me a finance proposal at £5,495 with a £50 admin fee on top. Told me he could get the ball rolling all he needed was the deposit but forgot to answer me questions re the mot and service history as on their website it says none which I thought was strange for a 3 year old bike. I rang him this morning and asked him why the price has now gone up, conveniently for them since my enquiry yet eBay and autotrader show the original price of £5,295. He muttered some utter rubbish about a file upload and said he could honour £5,295 almost like he was doing me a favour?! It turns out that the bike has full main dealer history having had 3 services and he said they will service the bike and put a fresh mot on it for me. At this point I tried to ignore the fact that he had tried to “twirl me” originally re the price and was happy that he had at last provided the details I had asked for. Told him to send me through this deal which in my head was the original deal anyway and he sends me it through with the admin fee on top. I then ring him back up and say I thought we agreed to wave the admin fee and include a full service/mot at this price?! He then goes oh I thought we only agreed that at the original price £5495 queue me going £5,295 was the original price until you upped the price after my original enquiry. Needless to say the bike is what I want at a now reasonable price certainly not a bargain but for the money seems the cheapest around on all the usual sites and has full service history, one owner and low miles. On one hand I feel like the guy is a bit of a cowboy and what if the rest of the shop are like that? If I do purchase it and then turn up to collect will he have conveniently forgotten to mot and service the bike? On the other hand should I try and forget about him trying to treat me like a school child who doesn’t have a clue and just get the bike in the hope that once it is done and dusted I will quickly have forgotten about the experience and just enjoy the bike. The irony is they have a lot of good reviews on Facebook and google. Oh and he has just text me saying have you completed the finance agreement yet. I replied I’ve seen a cheaper one so made an enquiry re that one. Think I need to have a little breather to consider.

if it's an Amundsen unit you have to use an official Skoda SD card. An ordinary SD card will not work. Make sure it's there If it's a Columbus unit no SD card required

Most of the slave cylinder problems are those reported by the garages wanting to make more money, the only failure mode is leakage and it is very very easy to test with nothing other than a hose clamp or mole grip on the flexible pipe leading to the bleed block. If there is leakage then the brake fluid reservoir low warning lamp will come on very quickly, I have yet to read of any owner mentioning this when they have been advised that they need a new slave cylinder. I understand your sentiment regarding replacing it anyway if you are paying the labour. I would be considering replacing the DMF before the concentric slave cylinder.

Our 2019 SEL has the puddle lights and the SKODA lights - pity the red door markers don’t light up.......

I guess the euro 5/6 relates to emissions.

This is the one i'm thinking of: Edit: yeah this is the 32G version in the video. Would be a definite upgrade on my MIB1 Bolero

If I can offer some buying advice: Decide how long you intend to keep your next car before you choose it. How long you intend to keep it may have quite an impact on what you buy. Plan ahead. I'd check the price differential between diesel and petrol, as I'd suggest the price premium on used diesels is no longer a thing. Diesels seem to be increasingly being viewed as a bit of a risky purchase, with reliability and pollution charges being issues impacting people's perception of diesels. I think diesels offer pretty good value for money just now. I also have the perception that it's a bit of a seller's market when it comes to used cars at the moment, but I might be wrong on that. I spent a good while looking for the right car, but nothing perfect for me came up. I wasn't in a rush as I had a perfectly good car, I just fancied a change. For the longest time I wanted a diesel vRS with a manual gearbox, but I actually ended up buying a petrol automatic. When I choose a car, I take a lot of things into consideration, but they are personal to me, and probably not much use to other people. Running costs: Insurance, VED, fuel, reliability, servicing and parts? DPF issues put me off getting another diesel, due to my low annual mileage. Practicality: Will it fit me, my family and our luggage comfortably? Have I got children who will vomit onto my lovely Alcantara seats? Driveability: Will it be enjoyable to drive and have enough acceleration? Longevity: Will the car age well during my ownership of it? (I typically keep cars for 8-10 years or until my wife writes them off, but I intend this car to be my last, if I can look after it) Desirability: Is the car likely to draw unwanted attention from police, or criminals of various sorts. (People who want to steal bits off the car, steal the car or just vandalise it because someone else has a nice car.) Low desirability is important to me, while others prefer a "flash" car. I like flash cars too, I just can't be arsed with the aggro that comes with them. Fuel cost isn't a big issue as I do less than 5K miles a year at the moment, but that may change after retirement. I can't be doing with filling up all the time and I have to be able to run the thing on a pension when I retire, so reasonable economy and low running costs are wanted. Still looking ahead to being an old git, I figured an automatic would be useful too. I'm in my 50's now, but sadly I get older every year. Coming from a grunty diesel, I wanted a car with some grunt, whatever it was. So got the power curve for my old car, and compared that with power curves for cars I was considering, paying particular attention to the power delivery under 2500rpm. Hell! I even produced spreadsheets comparing specs & engines between models and years. Sounds very nerdy, but you'd be surprised how specs change from year to year. (As it is, I ended up with a car without a CD player because I just assumed all cars had CD players these days. ) Like I said, I probably overthought the whole thing, but I quite enjoyed myself and I ended up with a decent car that suits me well.

Robert Llewelyn's Fully Charged review

Like a foam mattress that's delivered vacuum packed, you have to unpack it before it's useable. It's packed so that it's smaller to transport, but not useable while in its packed / compressed state. This is the exact same theory, applied to digital files. Windows has built-in software to "unzip" (unpack) zipped files, just double click on the zip file and it will unpack the contents. A zipped file may contain many packed files inside it.

Looks really SUPERB. Enjoy.

Yeah they should be there. One on each side

Not anymore as it's back to a 280 now.

Don't make things complicated. Buy just drivers mat separately from official dealers, not a big deal for every couple of years. Mine lasted around 4. I don't use rubber, hate it.

A lot of people think that in order to tow you need a huge, heavy and powerful car. I'm sure a car like that would make things easier, but it's far from essential. Here is my manual 1.4 TSI 150PS 230Nm Kodiaq towing a 1,400Kg caravan with absolute ease...

I have always used sticky 3m vhb and never lost a plate yet tbh. There was two sets of uneven holes under the front plate, and the back plates holes were offset!! Some moron obviously fitted them! Yeah so i didnt end up getting any plate surrounds, but im happy with how it looks now anyway

Manual gearboxes for Golf platforms are often larger because there is more room, unless there was a manual option listed this maybe why the Fabia was only available with a DSG.

Wrong size, wrong way round, one or both incorrectly aligned on the spindle. For the latter switch on the wipers and switch off the ignition just before they are going to clash, one will need moving on its spindle to give the required clearance, seeing where they are in the park & full sweep position will help you decide which one is needs correcting.

Yes, the oil ash value has been reset. And honestly, I think it's a total scam and waste of materials to say the DPF should be replaced instead of giving it a chance with cleaning. The guys at the workshop said that I should give it a try with cleaning since it's a really cheap option ( 100£ manwork and 80£ cleaning, in Romania) and only then should I consider replacing it if it doesn't do the trick. But I'm getting decent mileage between regens now in my opinion ( about 50-80 mg soot per km average, depending on the driving style )

Air only ever comes out of a tyre when left. So if the spare wont get checked regularly then put too much in when is is checked. It is better to have a little too much air rather than too little. I set my spare to the max load pressure for the car. If when you go to use the spare and find it is flat it is no use at all. As a rough rule of thumb, the wider the tyre, the lower the profile, the faster the car goes, the heavier the car is, then the higher the pressure wanted. Slow tractors with big profile tyre = low pressure. Faster lorries with heavy loads = high pressure. Thanks, AG Falco

Thanks for this, I was also considering potential mapping once the Skoda warranty (1 year) is up too. I don't do much in the line of long Journeys, just a short commute to work but I previously had a 6spd box in a Mk1 Fabia VRS and I was just wondering what it would have been like in the 1.0 TSI.

With a 10% Briskoda discount, why not take a look what we can offer you - Where to buy EBC Products (ebcbrakes.com). Any questions, let me know.

Bridgestone Potenza S005 on 19" wheels.

Mine does this as well. (Octavia 2.0l TDi Estate with 70k.) Only on very cold mornings, for the first few miles as it warms up. Its definitely something on the Clutch pedal, A bit unnerving, as it's a loud click and you can feel it on the pedal, but the actual clutch engagement and disengagement is fine. I've tried to look up from the footwell to see the top of the pedal, but its almost impossible to see anything... Due for MOT next month - I might ask my local garage about it... Did it yesterday again after a very cold frosty night..