Leaderboard

I've noticed more and more electric cars reviews appearing in car reviews and now we have a TV show specialising in e-car reviews too. It made me wonder what the future of the traditional car show and magazine is. Bear with me while I digress a little. Once up on a time... The traditional heart of any car is the engine. Most of us on Brisky love the internal combustion engine and have a long and intimate relationship with it - you can read into that what you will, but with the onslaught of the electric motor, this relationship is sure to change I feel. I genuinely can't see people raving about the Tesla 'whizzywoosh' motor being more evocative than the BMW 'whirrrthweep', the attraction of these engines all comes down to the numbers imho. However, with combustion engines, Is the straight six preferable to the V6? Which sounds best, which is smoothest? Which is evocative of the marques pedigree most faithfully? The scream of the V12, the discordant howl of the V10, the bark of a Pinto engine with big carbs, all to be consigned to the dustbin of evil things. There is the smell of mechanical things, the character of the beast as it warms up, the visual allure of multiple cylinder banks, the miles of plumbing and belts, it's all part of the living breathing, organic core of our cars. As we have a liquid fuelled car, we need a gearbox, this too has its own appeal, or if you have certain British Leyland products, then repulsion. The 4 speed snickity Ford gearbox in the early Escorts to the 7 speed manual of a Porsche, these are the most tactile of things, we connect with our engine in a sympathetic way. We ask the engine to accelerate us and in turn, to assist its task, we listen and feel our motors increasing urge, so with mutual rapport, we change ratios and await the next symbiotic moment where in perfect unison, we enjoy the synchronised dance again and again. The amount of pleasure that can be gained from timing a perfect gear change is ridiculous, but it's part of the process and the reason we connect with our cars on a human level. Even the DCT and Automatic can be controlled and used to great effect in the enjoyment of driving our cars Of course the compromises that having a combustion engine mean even more mechanical items are required, prop shafts, drive shafts, differentials, even the bonnet shape is partly dictated by the machine beneath it. This brings me to electric cars and heading back to being OT I suppose. There is no getting away from the fact that electric cars are coming and in the short term at least, these will be battery powered devices. They are green, generally fast in a straight line and futuristic in their interiors. But the 'heart', where is it? I fail to see how I will ever be enthralled or excited by a set of electric motors, no matter how fast they can fire me down the road, pure straight line speed is a nice party piece, but there is no interaction at least for me. I've only driven one electric car and I'll admit it was only for 20 minutes. I've also only been a passenger in a couple of them, but any initial wonder when stepping on board a 4 wheeled space ship is soon dispelled once we are on the move. Yes they are fine cars and fulfil their brief admirably. Comfortable, quieter than Boris when questioned about Brexit and potentially spacious. I can't really fault them as modes of transport, they seem generally excellent. Personally I hate touch screens, especially in cars and the large display in cars like Teslas, I truly detest them. Perhaps it's because I played piano in my younger days and got used to being to feel my way around the keyboard without the need to look down from the music and without accidentally playing an unintentional note, owning to a certain amount of force being needed to activate a key stroke? Electric cars leave me cold I'm afraid, no matter how fast they are. I won't mention range anxiety as for me in my job, it's potentially a real issue, even with some cars being able to cover 300 miles (or perhaps 250 in real world winter conditions and sitting in motorway jams with the heater on), however I know it's not really a concern for the vast majority of people, or at least it shouldn't be. So, at last the media side of it... Well, I have now read many reviews of electric cars and by and large they talk about the things that don't excite me. Handling of many of these cars is fine, often thanks to the low centre of gravity caused by extremely heavy battery packs, ride quality if OK and acceleration is good to outrageous. They talk about electronic doodads, connectivity and charging rates, but it leaves me with an empty feeling in my stomach. It's like reading a mobile phone review. Phones reviews seem to be mainly about battery size, screen quality, processor speed, and storage and that now seems to be pretty much maxed out. Screens have extreme resolutions that few can discern, they are more than enough storage for 95% of people, batteries are pretty much the same spec across the board and processors are a marvel of modern engineering. I've had the same phone for 3 years now and I looked at the latest version and could perceive no real difference when compared to my own. I know the newer version has superior specs, but the biggest difference was the OS version. That's how I see electric cars if you will excuse the generalisation. I'm now more interested in the software of my phone than the device itself. Phones are almost all the same size and shape, similar speed, similar storage, similar facilities such as camera, in fact the manufactures are desperately throwing crazy specs at us to entice to buy something with a wow factor. 100 megapixels camera anyone? Phones that can bend in the middle? No, for me phones are becoming white goods and I fear that to a large degree, cars will become that too. Will car media survive this transition? Will a 'Which' test of electric cars become the norm, rather than the 'CAR' magazine giant group test? Maybe Top Gear and its ilk will continue with their, "how can we drive something totally inappropriate for the conditions and do ridiculously unpleasant things to it" standard template, but ultimately I fear this too will die. I have stopped reading electric car reviews, at least for cars that I may well be forced to drive one day and possibly only am interested in something a bit different, an electric Bowler might be a laugh, but the latest Mustang-e or Tesla Jetson mode doesn't float my boat. I'm not knocking the electric car as transport, it's magnificent at doing that, but I think the death knell of the petrol car will mean apart from what will become 'classics', the car scene and myself will become estranged and no longer BFFs 😞 Will car reviews online and in print survive in the current form? Will even Brisky ultimately be consigned to the dustbin for worshipping the devils juice? Will only middle-aged and old men huddle in the corners of pub car parks for a covert mini meet of their pride and joy Fabia 2.0 petrol? If anyone actually has read this far, perhaps you'd like to pitch in with a thought on the matter. Please don't use this thead to knock either petrol cars or electric cars as such, I was only setting a scene for what I think means the potential end of car related interactions as we know them. Do I get a badge for the longest post/rant in quite a while? .

The old xb falcon was a beast , you couldn't help ya self but drive it like ya stole it... and then the A2 if you was to drive it like ya stole it no one would notice 😅😅 . Yep flap front grille to check all the vitals .. and 20 seconds to remove the whole bonnet. . Bonkers cars

^^^ this I've been following a chap who's been building a Stratos replica for several years and is clearly a labour of love. I honestly can't see that ever being the case for a Tesla and it's ilk. It depends on how you view your cars I suppose. Are they just a mode of transport for you? and do you measure it's success in that department in how efficient it is in doing its job. Is it comfortable, quiet, reliable, capacious and has reasonable running costs? Many of us will compromise some of those factors for a car that gives us that little (to quote James May) "fizz". There aren't any forums, as far as I am aware, that are dedicated to washing machines and their modding, or group meets for frost-free freezers. That's why I find myself glossing over more and more car reviews and wonder on the future effect of the electric car on magazines, both in print and online. It therefore seems an extension of that, which will lead to car forums dwindling too. That's the main question I'm throwing out there.

wouldnt get too excited about EV vehicles ..... i do break down recovery and pretty much every smashed EV car i have recovered has been written off due to the price of parts etc .... Picked up a pretty much 3mth old BMW 330E that had been speced up ( pretty much a M spec car ), was involved in a hit and run , took the car to main dealer body shop center . dropped it off went back 2 weeks later to drop another car off and got speaking to the body shop manager about the 330E i had dropped off .. he told me " we stopped quoting on repairs at 44k and thats what they could just see " but you can guarantee the cost will rise due to all the electrics ...... over 3k for a new laser headlight for a 3 series and over 8k for a new 8 series headlight .... this new tech is too expensive to repair and put back on the road .... these cars are going to be for breaking only

Hit quite a milestone today... Bodyshell done! there's a few runs in the lacquer, and some minor imperfections, but overall it looks incredible! Although it's been painted in a automotive spray/oven it's mainly used for scenic painting (I'm a set builder) so it's not perfectly setup for cars, but the preparation has really paid off on this one, and straight out of the gun the finish is pretty damn good! I'm over the moon and can't wait to get it back together and out on the road enjoying it!

Made a start on front suspension, got both sides stripped an n/s refitted just run out of daylight again as weathers not been great, hopefully finish it at weekend

We tried one, the 1.4TDi. Three pot diesel and it sounded awful, drove terrible and the interior and boot space was shoite. SWMBO likewise went for a MkV Golf TDi 140 in New river blue. That had some great features - the best being a VW branded bottle opener in the centre console for those drives home from the pub and you're still thirsty Or a magazine for Hydrogen cars called 'No Charge'. However that may cause some confusion at the checkout.

If I can afford it....

Nice!! I've just been contacted by an old pal from Southend who's an excellent sprayer (and welder).. He's offered to sort our cars for materials cost if we want.. He's also offered to build me a baja bug but that's a different story entirely 😆

I agree with everything you've said @Lady Elanore... Even current 'connected' cars worry me with all the tech and, apart from the driving is another reason why I love my 1995 MK1 MX5. In terms of the media the change is already happening, even in the likes of Car magazine. If it's not a review of the latest lookalike Porsche or latest 'special' 911 they major on pretty much everything bar the actual drive (apart from George Kacher that is). Curtis Moldrich is a case in point .. most of his reviews and dislike for certain cars have been down to the in car multimedia systems and how well, or not, they connect to his beloved iPhone... It's painful to read in a magazine that used to feature wrirs like LJK Setright.

agree half agree .. yes my 1982 E28 525i is very slow compared to anything now a days but its a car that you really have to involve your self in driving , steering is heavy and you have to actually use your arms , no drive by wire so you can actually feel the throttle working , it leans going into corners its 40 year old tech but i could drive that car every day day in day out and never feel bored . You have to interact with the car and when you do you get a sence of satisfaction from doing it ..it has soul and presence ..... new EV maybe quick etc but lacks emotion ... company i work for has contracts to move Porsches , Lambos, ferrari, Aston martin , classics etc ..... weve had Porsches in my family for over 25 years ,,, My sister had one of the last air cooled 993 targa's..... gutted she had to sell it when she got pregnant .... It was a drivers car the noise when you started it was enough to make you think "ok im gonna have to get my head on " when i get sent to pick up a new 150k plus you just zone out .. completely dead of soul

^^^ Which is fantastic for Car Modders as the motors, controllers and batteries, suspension etc are needed. All the classics that would go off the roads, slow with horrible brakes etc that can have the body and chassis & style kept. The thing is that the DVSA / DfT are going to clamp down at some point as are insurers. At present you can fill your boots.(and anyplace else with power.) The UK System for customising & modding was always lax and the EU did not like that. No worries now with the EU but it will be the Treasury & Safety Campaigners that will be the spoilers in the near future. Drifting or spinning and putting in a ditch any EV be it FWD, RWD or AWD is dead easy, especially on the crap ECO / Summer Range making tyres they come on.

Early this year my TDi became undrivable on a motorway 200 mile trip. Constantly going into limp mode requiring a switch off to reset it. 2 tins of winns cured it for 4000miles but the writing was on the wall. I had a good look underneath but was put off with removing the subframe ect ect. The fact that the best part of a £1000 for parts was also a damper. + at 77 ive spent to much time on my back under cars 2 weeks ago it became undrivable again so after looking at all the video's re cleaning turbos I set to work. I removed the top most sensor next to the turbo outlet, I then made a ? mark shaped piece of small brake pipe that would go into the sensor hole and can be fed into the top off the turbo housing. Once in place I used the tube off a can of WD40 compleat with nozzle fitted on top of a can of Mr Muscle to spray the oven cleaner directly into the top of the turbo housing. I did this with the turbo hot for 5 secs the 1st time and the form came out the hole. Then gave it some more over night. It cured it after completely after 2 nights. I have continued this treatment over the Xmas break Always taking it for a 25mile drive after leaving it soaking in overnight. It must have moved lots of carbon as 5 secs blast was enough to see the foam coming out of the sensor hole the 1st time.. Tonight I gave it 10 secs and the only foam I saw was on the end of the copper pipe when I removed it. So it seems that if you leave it over night in a hot turbo the foam turns to liquid them evaporates out of the sensor hole. Ive done 300 miles on short trips + a150 mile motorway trip today without hitch, + its doing 51mpg at 75 mph its never ever been that good. So under £5 for Mr Muscle and I can remove the sensor in under 3 minutes without taking the engine cover off means its a no brainer.

Same oil on ebay in the correct TPS packaging and everything else to what they would of used.... £57.50 for 5 litres https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143490329435 EDIT: £41.99.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153542280345?epid=22032608400&hash=item23bfd54499:g:k~MAAOSwvqde-ITJ

Yes and also the readings from the MAF sensor will now be not what the ECU expects when EGR is commanded, yes it could be remprogrammed but I would go for an EGR emulator/simulator sold by the Polish guy on Ebay

Hi everyone, Fan came on at indicated 100 degrees, Bottom hose is hot so I assume all is well. Thank you for all your help and advice. Have a good and prosperous new year.

Totally agree with Root, put it down to experience and learn from it, Next time go somewhere else and tell them exactly what you want and if they dont agree go somewhere that will agree.

Electronic Power Control, I think. And MIL is Malfunction Indicator Lamp. EPC is spelled out in capital letters on cars with that warning light. Here's a post with an extract from an owners manual: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/150495-epc-warning-light/?do=findComment&comment=1874575

I'm seeing a lot of Mazda below the beltline, and a fair bit of Mercedes E or S class above the beltline and behind the B post.

I've worked for nearly 40 years ( well 3 weeks a year) next door to the Lyceum and never been in...except once to see what frequencies they had their radio mics on as we were having problems and even then didn't see the full interior 😞 Lovely looking theatre

All arrived this morning via FedEx. Yet to install them but here are a few images, all Skoda original parts.

A couple of my recent efforts with black and white (mainly Jaguar related😁)

Hi, Im new to the Skoda range and have just bought my first Skoda, a 2011 Mk2 Octavia 1.6 TDI SE Plus Estate. Looking forward to interacting with like minded people and sorting out a few minor issues.

I didn't know Nissan had them but I use the curry hooks all the time in my old MkII Fabia Kombi and now in my Rapid. Pistonheads has a whole topic in praise of curry hooks. Page one even praises Skodas washer bottle cap but likens it to a she-wee https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1911024&i=80 Curry hooks are probably availabe on PHEVs, full EV's and other non ICE vehicles and will no doubt be discussed at length in future media.

For me, this is a perfect example of why I like combustion engines. Two opposing types really, but both brilliant cars. I love a V8 (I assume it's a V8) and the A2 is a genius little car. I came close to buying one, but ended up with a VW Golf TDi. Always regretted not owning one, the idea of a futuristic aluminium car with a super efficient 1.4 diesel (it was a 1.4 wasn't it?) was a great idea. Dummy grill at the front exposing a couple of filler nozzles if I remember correctly. I watch a video review of a V8 and I turn the sound up and wait for the drift moments. I see an electric review and I probably skip forward to see what the 0-60 number is and then go make a cup of tea. A friend of mine sold his crazy NA V8 Audi and bought a V6 Twin turbo replacement. A more complete car but not as charismatic. Now he's ordered an electric car because it makes sense financially (he can right off his first year's corporation tax with it). Given a review of those 3 cars, whether in print, or especially if it was a video review, I would choose to read/watch the V8 first, then the V6 and might not even bother with the EV. There is an irony in that the EV may well be the most complete car of the 3, it just doesn't do it for me. Maybe time for a magazine called 'What Recharge'

Do I sense a 'Non-Skoda project' thread, Evil? Your motor is looking good, @RMDavis!

The being able to create multiple desktops and easily switching between them is quite useful, making each one for different subjects, like personal, work and of course one for this forum.

Maybe it's just me, and a couple of other folk I've met. Some, like a lot of the public, just see it as a daily hack/tool though.

Maybe the younger generation wont really care about engine noise ,changing gear ,emotional contact with their car ,mebbe its just us (older)folk ,lets face it when ime out and about i find it strange how alot of younger people never look up from there phones when walking or riding trains buses etc ,ive had folk walk into me because their not looking where they are going ,ive even seen people with ear phones on while driving ,why when youve got in car entertainment ,cars are changing very quickly but i think it will end up a mess as we are years away from any infrastucture for long distance electric travel,i wonder how long they will leave petrol cars on the road for 🥴

Just received a call from the sales rep (after I sent her an email earlier today). She said that the chip situation is not the best, but that it's somewhat better and that the cars have started coming in. I ordered mine beginning of september, initially quoted july/august delivery, now she told me it could be as early as april/may. Normally I would be excited with the news, however since I've been following this thread, I'm not holding my breath. We will see. The good news is that I wasn't pressuring or anything, just wanted to wish her well for the holidays and to check if there are some news from the factory. Nothing in it for her to lie and give me a sooner date since I've already excepted my fate and almost a year long wait.

Maybe, but how does this impact the media? I kinda made a long first post to show my reasoning for worrying that motoring journalism and car forums are a doomed species. Electric cars are very good at what they are meant for, but I suspect people won’t bond with them in the same way. Perhaps Apple and Civic Type R fanboys (and girls) will embrace the electric car - it's light-hearted generalisation, so don't burn me - but I think the rich car culture society that most of us inhabit here in cyberspace, will slowly evaporate

I have used every windows operating system right back from Windows 95 right up to my current Windows 11 installation, only one I didn’t take to or use much was Vista. I must say I am loving Windows 11, I find very similar to the Mac system, being able to add all you icons to the bottom toolbar, cantered like the Mac. Willing to offer any advice that I can, must say I am more computer savvy that I am my Karoq’s Amundsen unit which is giving me a right headache

Yes that has fixed it, it is so much better now, thank you the cheapest "fix" ever.

I'm sure that this will be part of the codeing list eventually. I'm the same with regard to the fog lights, however as I've found with my wife's car; 2 reversing lights or a night vision adapted rear camera, would be greatly appreciated! Both are not outside the realms of cost or technology these days!

Yes it will. Remapping places will no doubt do an "EGR software delete" for an amount of money, of course.

Perfect.

Posting pictures is beyond my skillset, my smartphone never leaves the countertop where it performs the functions that I begrudgingly had to purchase it for, when I work on my vehicle I dont even have my bombproof 2004 Nokia dumbphone with me, taking photos to share with others is the last thing on my mind, I have a memory for that, far from a perfect one neither are my descriptive skills. So I respect and admire others who can describe things well and concisely, what Cap44 wrote painted a perfect mental picture for me, I would not want a picture guide.

It is not using the best Long Life oil, just expensive long life oil & to the spec to get the WLTP / RDE results VW group needed. VW507 00 or VW509 00 are Long Life Oils and used even if on Fixed Services. That is because it has a DPF. Best have a 13 Month MOT done before 3 years old and get any Warranty Work done while there is the manufacturers

Indeed, also mentioned in that link above; Skoda refer to it as "Control system for exhaust gases" Screenshot from a mk2 Fabia Owners Manual:

Skoda did not change the coil that was another garage. Anyway it's going in on the 4th

Thank you for your replies, I've taken it for a short drive, on the way back the high temperature light started flashing and chime sounded, as I was only 300 yards from home I continued. Coolant level has dropped and bottom hose is warm, No sign of leaks so I believe thermostat is ok. Letting it cool before topping up. Hopefully all is well. Thank you again for your help and advice.

Not possible.

Arrived, installed, sounds good - need some more tweaking time and haven't tested the pass-through Android Auto (wireless) option yet, but initial thoughts are positive.

@Danoid 2 answers for you: Differences between PS4 and PS4S: A picture of my PS4 regarding rim protection: Quite efficient. I really thought I had dammaged it when I hit a kerb this summer, but the rim was ok. Pfewwww!!!! Severals quids saved!

I’ve just fitted Goodyear Asymmetric 5s to mine. They’re great compared to the Bridgestones which were fitter previously. They ride more smoothly, are quieter and have more steering feel too. I had Michelin PS4 on my previous Octavia VRS and I don’t think most people would notice the difference. Both excellent options.

@briinthesky That's your auxillary drive belt connected to the alternator (top) and air conditioning compressor or possibly the water pump (i'm a TDI owner so different layout) the camshaft will be driven from a chain or belt (petrol or diesel engine dependent) that is well protected from the environment. If you want to see how the chain is inspected then watch this video in this link, its "buried" under some covers and requires some dismantling to get too. https://www.shopdap.com/blog/post/timing-chain-tensioner-and-chain-issued-for-2-0t-tsi-vw-and-audi-models.html

Slow progress, but here's a few photos of the first bits to be painted! Both the front and rear bumpers took quite a while to bring back to a respectable condition, but I'm really pleased with how they've turned out. The front bumper now sporting the Milotec vents which I really think suits the Mk1 perfectly. Seeing the painted bumpers has really lifted my mood as all the prep work and looking at a stripped car covered in dust, including the interior! Is a little demoralising... Whilst the interior has been stripped I've also been busy improving the audio. 17cm Hertz components for the front, 6x4 Hertz coaxial for the rear. Connected to a Alpine headunit with an inline Alpine amp for the speakers. A Subwoofer will follow but that can wait until everything is back together! I also picked up a Forge front mount intercooler secondhand, which I was chuffed with as they get good reviews, but unfortunately no longer avaliable brand new. This will get fitted whilst the front bumper is off. There's other bits and pieces I've ordered and will be fitting/replacing whilst all this is going on, but I will update as I go. Finally when it gets back on the road it will be getting a new timing belt, and water pump so it's all ready for next year!

Well, for me the best thing about W8 is that I've never had to use it

Depends on what you want the car for I guess. Like Skomaz, I prefer a manual box for the control and just enjoyment of going up and down through the gears. This does not cover being sat in tourist motorway traffic, at which point give me the auto every day 😄