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Wow! it's so quiet around here that we can almost hear the door panels being built...

My brain was not working,,,,,,you are funny!

2 bottles of decent wine.

***Long geeky post alert*** Going off the battery label part number in you pic, you have one of these AGMs currently as in the pic below and it looks like the original battery. Check the date on the +ve terminal and it should show Mm/yy format (expecting a 12 for the year if original fit). 7P0 915 105 VARTA AGM Stop start is currently not working as the battery has fatigued and the car has recognised this. (There is a lot more hidden functionality to the Stop Start set up other than just cutting and restarting the engine.) For Stop Start functions, ideally you should swap like for like AGM tech battery. For your usage pattern, the 2 reasons for this are…. 1, AGM is the best tech for Stop Start functionality as it is handles the tougher duty cycle the vehicle is set up to operate under. Fitting a lesser tech battery such as EFB or standard flooded won’t have much of a performance impact short term and stop start functionality will be restored but they will be under more operational stress and wear out quicker with vehicle use. 2, As you are barely using the vehicle, the battery if left connected with monthly external charging cycles will be in a constant pattern of discharge/ recharge. AGM is the best battery tech to handle this type of duty cycle as it is more resistant to sulphation damage during discharge phases and recovers best on a recharge. Lesser tech won’t recover from discharge damage as well as AGM adding to a faster demise than what you have experienced so far. A third reason to stick with AGM is that by regular discharge/ recharge cycling, batteries are more at risk of drying out. AGM are valve regulated to prevent this, EFB and flooded are more vented and lose moisture quicker putting them at greater risk of ‘popping’ after a few years of the same regime. For a battery of 10 years aged and only now showing fatigue is exceptional for the duty cycle it’s operating under and is a testament to AGM performance. It’s been well maintained but is now wearing out. You won’t get the same longevity from lesser tech batteries if you are planning on keeping the car for a good few years yet.

Hi All My beloved Fabia has been running a small bit rough over the last few months - There seemed to be like a drag on the car - hard to explain to anyone else - we all know our own car and if summit is going adrift then you just feel it ! There is a roundabout with a steep incline on my commute so from a standstill the car is under a big load - she usually laughs at this hill but recently she developed a misfire which got worse. I did notice the digital SMC boost gauge I fitted fluctuating wildly and put this down to boost leakage ! Well last Sunday going home from work she dropped on to 3 cylinders - I nursed her home. Next morning she ran normally until she reached temperature and then went off a cylinder again - i will repeat again it is not the DMF. Going looking for an intermediate issue is very time consuming - better to have it failed rather than chasing hearsey and speculation I had an injector in the dock but it happens to be the injector loom itself. Age related problem - i have a distrust of the Internet and spurious suppliers so would you believe that Western Motors VW in Galway had a brand new old stock genuine loom !! This is now fitted and the car is running really well once again. I did see a lad fix the loom but to me this is only temporary. Ive seen 6 year old machines with brittle looms and bad connections so 17 years of heating, cooling, oily atmosphere and vibration is no shame.

You asked "What do you get for GB£16?" Alternatively, 6 men's tee-shirts from ASDA.

Rufford Park last night.........

@BigEjit This is the type of "geeky" posts that we really do require so no apology required, but I wonder if it would also be advantageous for you to repeat this into a new post titled AGM - EFB - Stop Start or something similar with this info and possibly, if you have the knowledge and data, explaining the difference in chargers - Acumate, Ctek, generic old school type - to ensure we all use the correct type, info on the hidden stop/start features as I believe that this would allow easier availability in a search. Your post has cleared up many things for me, including some simple things such as the date location on the post, and is the type of info I really enjoy.

I'm about to really annoy all of you waiting for your cars.......... We took delivery of our new L&K TDi 200 with optional Travel Pack, Red Metallic and 20" wheels which was ordered in September '21 and delivered middle of January '22. However on delivery there was a problem as the interior was Black NOT Black/Beige that we had ordered. So we took the "wrong" new car while they sorted a replacement. This was ordered Mid January '22. Just had an email from the dealer. The new "new" car (correct colour interior) has left the factory and is on it way. That's 11 weeks! It was probably rushed through as it was a dealer/ factory error.

@Churchyy What is the story with the car you are getting. What age, miles, how long has the owner had it and how many former keepers? ? Has the owner been a member on here? ? What does the past MOT history look like?

Thankyou very much guys, been a great help and given some pretty decent scope!! Feel free to add anything extra as it is always a great help. Thankyou again!!

I'm adding very little to this compared to what has already been mentioned but: -Rarb absolute best bang for buck mod, cannot praise it enough. I got the whiteline rarb (BWR19Z is the code for the one for our cars) Some people get H&R. Whiteline is the one I have. I would 100% put a Rarb on first and go from there. -Suspension, ask him what springs he has, how much of a drop they are, brand etc. On standard, original shocks and springs my monte would often bottom out on some of the roughest parts of our roads (albeit at first only when I was going ""quick"") eventually they got to the point where the shocks were completely gone so I put coilovers on mine. 20-25mm drop, the car handles itself very well and no more bottoming out. If your cars reaching around 100k miles theres a good chance the shocks won't be performing at their best and it would be pointless putting lowering springs on worn out shocks. Tyres- your car will have 205/40 R17 tyres standard, thats one size smaller than the equivalent ibiza/polo. Going up to a 215/40 to match the sister cars is a no brainer. Bit more tyre on the road and a slightly fatter sidewall to soak up the bumps better. Plus a 215/40 fits the rim so much better than the 205/40s. Bushes- If its on original bushes they might be wanting to be changed at this point. I replaced all my bushes with polyurethane but thats just me. I'd atleast do the wishbones with polyurethane bushes. Brakes- Standard brakes are decent especially if you have quality pads. I changed my front brakes to 312mm ones and have no regrets in doing so. Rears do very little in comparison and your vRS has rear discs already. They can be upgraded to 256mm vented rears but again, it won't make as much of an impact as upgrading the fronts will. I'm in the process of converting my monte from drums to discs, think I have a set of 256mm vented rear brakes sourced but if that falls through it'll just be 232mm solid discs same as a vRS. While a Monte (Especially a diesel one) is different to a vRS, the basic handling upgrades will be the same.

@Churchyy If you just want to drive 60 mph NSL roads at maybe 70 or 80 mph and get around corners then a Stage 1 Remap will help and good tyres and springs and a rear ARB. You can do that with a standard car anyway. There are weights on the rear crash bar unless already removed, the standard brakes are so so and maybe better tyres will be a good move, but then maybe the tyres on it are fine. Try the car and see and if you just drive on public roads at NSL's the car will do just fine in the dry.

They are fine if you know how to look after them and know what to look for in terms of major issues, As i said you can squeeze 500bhp out a 1.4 block which is unbelievable if you ask me. In terms of handling, I'll be completely honest with you mate......they are terrible if your used to driving a good road set up car, 40mm h&r springs and a a full anti roll bar set up will help but the body roll is still shocking and the general comfort of ride isn't great. I know a couple of boys who track them and in comparison say to a fiesta ST, round a twisty road or track it'll leave us no problem.

It's a cr2032, dealer has since told me to use Panasonic ones.

Blackcircles list that size: https://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/205-50-15 £65 fitted for some Sumitomos or £72 for some Toyos. The wife has the Sumitomos on her VW and they seem fine though I'd plump for the Toyos personally. You might want a chunkier tread for your 4x4 but really depends on where you drive?

You tell us. The size information is helpfully moulded onto the tyre sidewalls (and wheel size stamped or cast onto the wheels). Where do you work? (town/city) I may be able to recommend a supplier near there but don't know anyone in Lanark.

^^^ Nail on head. @Churchyy That is where you need to see what is fitted now. What springs, dampers, are they standard and the original factory or already upgraded, is there a rear ARB fitted. Are you sure there is not a remap on the ECU already. Get the car on a dyno maybe and see how much power it has and as it left the factory, or as is after the new engine was fitted.

Building on what @roottoot said... Make sure that you adjust to the driving dynamics of the car before chucking a wad of power at it or else it'll go wrong pretty quickly I reckon. With regards to handling, sort that out before adding power, can't have it putting out more power than it is capable of throwing into a corner. Hope this helps.

There is so much in the Fabia Mk2 section and the Fabia Project Section has members cars covering upgrades and remaps etc for 12 years now. ? So is it a car with a CAVE engine from 2010-2012 a CTHE from 2012-2014/15? Best thing is run it for a while using E5 Super Unleaded and see how the power is and that all is well. Be sure that the servicing is up to date, good spark plugs fitted, clean air filter, good oil etc. Tyres & Brakes and wipers are all good. Handling good and suspension not needing a refresh. Exhaust is good. Then enjoy the car awhile before starting to try and improve it.

And as it stands now with a years ticket on it. YeeeeeHaaaaa. (I know I've got to raise the rear exhaust box a bit!)

it got to me... i went... i hill climbed... i got to the first junction on the climb... ignore those pr times, that first km has a data issue... no way i did a 2m 11s km! i wouldnt cycle it in that! the 8m for km3... yeah, thats accurate... i was practically crawling towards the top. it was good push though, think i needed it, hoping it will help blow out my lungs and reset this f'ki g covid cough...

I have a three year old Karoq. Next week I have to do a week long round trip from Devon to Edinburgh. If I select Eco Mode all the way will it really make much difference with fuel consumption?

Quick call to drop off parts and check the slave cylinder is correct - it is

What about the top mounts ,i had same problem on an alfa mito ,changed drop links checked springs etc nothing till i changed top mounts then it were grand again .

The airbag loom needed to be changed. The rest is pretty self explanatory - took an hour which included 20 mins letting the airbag 'relax'

Yeah. Funny thing, just before I got the car I asked them if the DRL failure goes under warranty. Like I knew this would happen 😂 Because if the DRL fails, they have to change the whole headlight. And that's super expensive.

It would be insane not to be in warranty. Only damage caused by yourself or pieces that are bad because of normal use as it ages and normal maintenance parts are not under warranty. So as a whole a lot is under warranty during the warranty period.

I just checked my VIN and it is affected by this problem. I have called an official Skoda garage in my city (Madrid) and they review this problem for me next Tuesday. Thanks a lot 👍

Skoda UK obviously has some Call Handler / Communications Manager in that has no knowledge of Skoda Vehicles, DQ200 DSG's the past history of them or how they are at present. Obviously no knowledge of the Recalls in Australia or the TPI's in Europe. So that is par for the course. They are right as in that the car is out of the Manufacturers Warranty. No idea if Kate Laws is still the Senior Resolutions Manager but if so she seems to have selective memory. They maybe they clear their desks, computers and memories at the end of each shift and there is then nothing to see, nothing ever happened in the past with components premature failures.

Genuine replacement legs sourced from Germany for less than the ebay ones (even with postage) this is why rot should always be cut out and replaced

I used to run summer and winter tyres and swap them over, but I got fed up of that. The last few years I just fitted a set of all seasons and have not noticed any drawbacks. The Crossclimate2 are one of the most consistent all rounders in recent tyre tests, in all weathers. No they are not quite as good as a full summer tyre in hot weather, but you are not driving a sports car, nor are they a full hardcore winter tyre, but they are a very good all rounder. Given where you are in the country, I'd expect you get a very good range of weather? For me it was a no brainer to fit all seasons.

Yeah

Yes I noticed your plastic has a chunk missing.

My fronts are actually quite good, I had the arch liner off and it seems very clean. The side I have the rust on is where the liner is damaged at the rear. The lacquer peel is fairly minimal on mine but my front bumper is definitely quite rough. Might be time to get a Pre-FL replacement. Now just to get the GT bumper add-on...

Rear Anti-Roll Bar - @DieselMonte has one on his... well... Diesel Monte. Lowering springs. General suspension refresh as well, perhaps.

Don't give up - complain directly to Skoda(UK) MD - you can find his name on Google. Remain polite but firm and don’t give up because initial response is usually “not our problem” but if you persist you have a good chance of them making a contribution to repair.

For me there are no real downsides to the Revo remap. The fuel consumption, which was not great to start with, has remained the same. Circa 25-28mpg around town & up to 36-38mpg or more on a run (I use Tesco Momentum 99 octane which is needed to get the best out of this engine). Luckily I don't do high mileages anymore so a lowish mpg is not an issue for me & was a contributing factor for me switching from a diesel to a petrol car. I'm also considering a Revo DSG remap as well but I'm not sure if this is really needed. Apart from the slight hesitation when moving off in D mode (which can be solved by selecting Sport mode to reduce the lag), the OEM DSG config is OK'sh for me. That said anything can be improved but not having sampled a remapped DSG I can't make a comparison or decide if that investment is worth doing. As for the engine remap well that's a different story. The extra 80bhp & 100+nm of torque make a substantial difference. The extra torque in D mode makes for quick progress without the DSG having to hang onto each gear. In Sport mode it's the reverse & borders on brutally savage acceleration as it revs up to just beyond the red line in the lower gears. That said it is huge fun when you want to make quick progress or overtake slower moving traffic. When needed I flick it into Sport mode for quick response to get onto onto roundabouts & when joining motorways etc & then put back into D mode for normal use. I hardly ever feel the need to use the paddles except for manual downshifts when approaching traffic lights or roundabouts to make use of the engine braking effect. The Revo Stg 1 remap more than enough for what I need without having to resort to any more expensive mods. My insurance company (LV) were OK with the power upgrade as well. Maybe not if I was younger! Since it's my car (which I will be keeping for quite a while) & not a lease car, I prefered the Revo remap over a tuning box. Other remap firms / suppliers are out there but I think Revo is one of the best around for VAG cars. I'm now waiting for Revo to come out with a stage 1 remap for the 1.5Tsi in our Karoq 4 x 4 DSG which is a bit lethargic by comparison. Even in sport mode it's not easy to get the Karoq off the line very quickly due to the anti stall software it now has to cure the kangarooing problems they had with the earlier models. That said the Karoq is my wife's car & she's not interested in more power. Any mods to the Karoq would be for my benefit when I drive it, which might more often because to save costs we are considering dropping down to one car between the two of us. The problem is whilst my wife can drive my Superb she prefers the Karoq. So the question is can I live without the power & practicality of the Superb estate? I think I'll wait a bit longer before I make that decision🤔

Thanks for the positivity. Much appreciated! There’s quite a lot of open source info out on the internet, much more than I could ever fill a guide with. What isn’t so easily available is the answer to somebody’s immediate issue, especially as batteries are fickle organic lumps in a digital world and react to unique situations in different ways. I try to help others out by explaining why a battery is doing what it’s doing based on its history. I guess we all want to help others experiencing issues anyway which is why we are all here. BTW, the only real rule for chargers is ensure a voltage limited device to 14.8v is used on an AGM. If it has AGM program, sorted!! EFB and Flooded are less fussy than AGM charging wise but need more attention and care as they are needy that way.

It depends on position of the differential cage when the driveshafts are removed. If you're not lucky, the gear might fall out through the hole into the gearbox. If you were able to put driveshafts back and they engage with the gears, it should be OK.

The car park at ballast bank (head down past Scotts towards the Wee Hurrie and turn left just at the gates to the harbour) is a nice place to park up as well, easy to walk round for a chippy and sit up on the grass bank. (Mind the seagulls!) When heading South we used to always cut down through Sanqhuar onto the Leadhills / Mennock road which comes out at the 74, think it is junction 14 if memory serves. Always a fantastic drive avoiding the sheep and pheasants. Nice wee place to sit out next to the burn / camp overnight as well. Last time I was through there it was full of motorhomes sadly. Ayrshire is just blessed with great backroads, we probably shouldn't be advertising them or others will come clog them up 😅

Hi, Just joined, and was informed I should probably post in here. So, i've just bought a second hand Octavia Estate Mk3 (2018) SE Technology 1.6 TDI DSG from Cinch, its getting delivered on Sunday where I will be swapping out my Focus 2018 1.5 Diesel because I don't really like it, there are a few niggles which are annoying me. Nothing majorly wrong with the Focus, but i've had a Golf Estate before the focus so the Octavia seemed like a good fit. I have a few technical questions about the car which I'll pop in the Octavia group. Thanks for reading. Slick2097.

Just shows orders can get done quickly if required. The only positive information I've ever had from my June 2021 order, is it's in the 'order-bank'.

Why have you a black toilet cistern fill valve?

More parts. These ones from Classic Quattros in the UK. Great service as always and really quick delivery.

Jurid also lists 288mm front discs on the Octavia MK3 2.0TDI 150HP 4x4 https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/brake-disc-10132/skoda/octavia/octavia-combi-5e5/59490-2-0-tdi-4x4?supplier[0]=48&criteria[100][1]=VA Jurid are one of the few brands that actually seem to know what size brake discs are fitted to various models. Most other brands just seem to list all the possibilities.

Mine is on its way across Germany by train , then onto England and me hopefully, still not convinced it’s on its way though , we shall see.

I went from a 65 plate superb SE L Exec that had all the bells and whistles over to a Octavia III which didnt. Now I'm in a IV and its like the car thinks its in Europe whenever I try to overtake anything on the motorway the card reduces to their speed like I was trying to undertake them. Very odd and dangerous. Going to take it back and get a refund as only had the thing a week. How the previous owner didnt see this issue I dont know.

Thanks! It won't be a very long report for a four-day trip. I went to check my tyre pressures this morning before setting off. They were all 31.5 psi. I have a Michelin foot pump in the boot. It took 50 strokes to get each tyre back up to 35 psi. London to Fakenham. M11, A11. Traffic was a breeze! Perfect weather for walking. Spending money like it's water. Might as well... Putin has me throwing caution to the wind. Car is running like new. Stop/Start is immediate with the new battery. Used to take 20 minutes to kick in... Why you would spend more than £25K for a car is beyond me. This five-year-old Sportline is perfect. Got passed by a Lamborghini – how the heck to you get in and out of one of those things?

You can hear it pulling the revs back in this video.