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Nostel Priory in the sunshine (Easter Sunday).........

Whilst I’m waiting for the thermostat to open, why not update you all ☺️ Arrived at the work Saturday morning and grabbed the replacement tandem pump, only to find that was also broken. FML Luckily, GSF we’re open. £263 and an hour later and o had a new, Bosch pump. Whilst I was waiting I stripped all the old pipes off the original pump, which was a PITA as of course they had not been off in the 17 years since they were put on 🤦‍♂️ No problems getting it to line with with the cam without all the pipes restricting movement, which could well be the cause of me balls putting the original back on in the first plate 😛 New pump back on, as is the inlet manifold, turbo and intake pipe etc. Once that was all back on it was time for the new water pump, tensioner, guide and cambelt. All timed up and tension set perfectly. It felt great getting the engine mounts back on and off the axle stand for the first time in a couple days Once all the underside stuff was complete, I chucked in some oil then tried to put the rocker cover back on. All back together looking spic and span Once all done, I changed my pants then stuck the key in the ignition and switched on and off a few times to prime the pump, but couldn’t hear the usual swirl of fuel?!? Not put off, I stuck a battery back on the car battery as I knew it would take a while to fire up, then turned the key to crank the engine for the first time 🤔 TBH, it didn’t take as long as I thought it would to fire in to life. I’ve changed just a fuel filters on other cars that took waaaay longer to start again! Whilst I was very happy that she started, I could immediately feel and see an injector chuffing / misfiring. I walked round to the engine bay and could see it was trying to leap out of the bay. Turned it off and had a quick check of the cam tension. …. which was not where it was before I started the car 😞 I decided to down tools as this point and get my diagnostic brain in gear in the morning.

Nah, you don't know what this lot are like when they get really toxic, I knew you'd be ok with the oil capacity, I was just trying to reassure you really. As a practicing engineer I've gotten used to the theorycrafting from the armchair experts, it's like water off a ducks back these days.

I got to the point in life where I realised money isn’t the be-all, and now do something I actually enjoy

It does make it a hell of a lot easier f course, but have spent the last 20 years spannering on my cars without one! And yea, 22 months in to my apprenticeship:)

Walked in Sunday morning knowing what I needed to do; set the car up on the ramp as if I was doing the cambelt again so I could remove the engine mounts and get access to the cam tensioner, which I wanted to adjust back to where it should be. But, as I walked to the front of the car I saw the little heat shield that sits on the exhaust manifold 🥴 Gitbag! I had a quick go putting it back on but the inlet manifold was getting in the way. Put to one side for another time. It took me ages pratting around moving the ramp up and down to getting access each of the three engine mount to block, bolts and to get the mount itself out of the way. Once decent access was sorted I rotated the engine by hand (well, big ratchet!) a few times and set cylinder 1 to TDC to see it I could still pin the crank and cam. Happy days as both went in no problem whatsoever. Engine still in sync. Then sorted the tension back to where it was originally set. Once set, I could look in to the injector chuff, which was not totally unexpected. Full engine scan Misfire on number 3. Looked at some live data…. ….. not the best photo, but can clearly see that injector 3 is doing nowt. So; wiring, injector or other?!? Did some multimeter checks …. and decided it was the actual injector that’s the issue. Quickly whipped out #3 from the head I had not long removed and set about removing the duff injector from the head that’s now on my block. First up, rocker cover. Each time this has come off and been put back on it has been troublesome as it keeps getting caught on the opening to the inlet manifold After battling for waaaaay longer than it should have, it eventually came off. Didn’t take long to whip out the duff injector, replace, torque down and set about getting that pesky rocker cover back on. It went back on with a fight, as expected by now. I must be missing something….. Back to the computer to wipe out the various codes and start again; Quick flick of the key and back to running and almost sounding like it should 🤘The only thing I could hear that sounded off was what I usually end up finding to be an exhaust blow. Far from the end of the world at this point as the engine is running as it should be with no knocks or rattles, or the best a person with the hearing of a 100 year old can 🤣 In all honesty, I’ve had hearing aid upgrades recently that have made a marked improvement, so I would have heard it if it was there! Very smokey at this point, but no blueness. Left it idling for ages whilst tidying my tools away, periodically checking for warning lights on the dash and temp gauge, along with the live temperature reading through the snap-on ecu computer and occasionally grabbing the thermostat outlet pipe to check that the entire coolant system had opened. Nice and warm in the cabin, but fan yet to kick in. Probably needs a spin to get some decent temperature in to it. Maybe. Smoking the place out During one of my periodic check of everything I notice specs of oil on the rocker cover and underside of bonnet 😵 Seemed like the cam sprocket with spraying it everywhere. Panicked for a moment, then logic took over and quickly decided I must have snagged the rocker cover rubber gasket during the fight to get the cover back on. Not the end of the world, but to sort this I decided I needed take off the inlet manifold, then fit the rocker cover and manifold again. It was too late on the day for this, so conceded defeat and accept I had to come back Easter Monday. Back in this morning much to my surprise to see boss and mentor in the garage. Took the chance to start the car so they could have a listen and both agreed that despite being a little blowy, tue top end itself sounded good. Happy days and the validation (or more accurate, decent set of ears to confirm what I was hearing 😛 ) I started by cleaning all the oil off from topside. Checked the bottom and looked like the rear of the rocker had also been leaking as was all over the turbo, removed the TIP and inlet manifold. Once the rocker was off I could see my suspicions were correct. Gasket was clearly wet with oil. All back together and looking clean and tidy. Happy and confident all is well, I started her up again, this time fast idling with a bar on the accelerator. Again, periodically checking everything was a-ok. Then, out the corner of my eye another oil drip 😞 Quick feel around and I had somehow left the third, hidden Allen bolt of the exhaust to turbo bolt out! Sorted that, another spray with brake clean and blow out and time for a test drive Before so, check that the coolant level was ok, then saw this mess Moron didn’t screw in the oil filler neck properly! After a quick, friendly drive up and down the ring road I popped to my mentors house to discuss the smoke levels. He convinced me it will get better. The only nagging thing at this lint is that I’ve not heard the fan kick in, with a code seek in the aircon module. I have half a clue on this, but not critical at this point. I wanted to finally have some of the bank holiday weekend. Drive home to pick Zee up in my car. Smoke levels showing signs of reducing. Back to the garage to pick her car up, but decided to go for a walk beforehand… then the pub for a pint and some food 35 miles driven so far, not once gone above 3.5k. Will get it in the garage after work tomorrow for a quick check over, then change the oil and filter at the weekend, along with another visual. Still plenty more to do, but for now …..

Did you try asking Wallis? Could'nt resist 😁

Visited RHS Bridgewater earlier.......

Clear plastic http://www.ellri.cz/produkty/skoda/felicia/cire-kryty-prednich-svete/0332-cire-kryty-prednich-svetel/ And better option is take original glasses and brushed them to clear.

Pictures will make this much more interesting

OTOH Westmoreland Farm Shops, who are a planned stop for many Scots travelling to and from the Peak District, North Wales and points South, were also an early adopter of EV hubs.

A quick razz on the Felt, rear tyre attacked by a dog, luckily just slobber on the sidewalls.... I think the owner got the gist of my reactions to dog and him 😏

Boneshaker ride....

There are many things with the MK4 I dislike, but the one thing that regularly impresses me is the mpg. Ok, I probably drive like an old man, but I can easily get 55-60mpg. Today on a 200 mile trip up the A30 & M5.. 83.6mpg! It's become a bit of a thing now, to beat my record each time! (2 litre diesel)

Bank holiday weekend and a joy of owning direct injecton engine car. 100000 miles on my vrs

Well my stop start button was playing up and as my Karoq was going in for a service I asked them to have a look at it, they came back with the button needs changing! At a cost of £196 well I priced the part and at £ 58 with postage I ordered one. well today I changed it and I thought it was really simple. i don’t know how they can justify £138 for about 20 minutes work

Yes normally exactly how I would think but I passed ownership of the nozzle back to Tesco is what I was thinking, the actual damage is a paint chip 2 thirds of the way down drivers side rear door with a tiny annoying dent about 3 inches above. I dont like to claim on insurance but could be very expensive because its metalic paint & they probably want to spray most of the drivers side to blend in.

That could work but could quickly get nasty once (or if) the strut comes out as it would be free to swing around & the wooden block would almost certainly dislodge. I tried doing a similar thing but less dangerous by using my slim spring clamps inside the wheelarch to reduce the effective length of the strut, it does not need much to clear the knuckle, however having taken the spring load off the top bearing that is when I was showered with its ball bearings 🥴. There wasn't really room for the spring clamps & I'm not sure it would have worked, when I had the bearings I removed the knuckle from the driveshaft & it wasn't a big deal in the end. The safe & secure way to reduce the strut length is to thread a pair of ratchet straps though the coil spring 180° apart, jack up the lower arm until the vehicle starts to lift from the axle stand, tighten both straps and then release the jack, it's a variation on how I would safely remove coil over springs from 7's where I would compress the unit in my drill press & secure the spring with the ratchet strap to remove the retaining collar or compress & secure the spring before fitting.

Sorry to here about your accident. Accidents happen. Considering that Greenergy supplies Tesco Momentum all over the UK & also ESSO Super unleaded in most of the UK i would not be thinking about what happened over a decade ago.

Was the holder broken, if not it can only be your fault for not putting it back in properly. Unless I'm missing something else?

Oh and buy a long reach hexagon drive to be able to retain the piston rod while you remove the nut using a 14mm spark plug socket with a hexagon end to the body, no room for a ring spanner and Allen key.

You have to disconnect the lower swivel, the track rod end (I think), the hub nut and pull the now freeish steering knuckle off of the driveshaft in order to be able to lower the knuckle enough to release the strut. A strut knuckle spreader socket makes life less eventfull, no chisels springing out of the clamp joint at the critical moment. There are some good videos on Autodoc, a bit politically correct in that the mechanic has to be seen to use a torque torque wrench on every fixing whereas in the real world with the exception perhaps of the hub nut they would rely on feel, even they do not use new fixing bolts or nylocs. The videos are good because there is no talk, just the action. And no "HI GUYS! - WHATS HAPPENING!" either!

I had an issue where the earth connection on the car was causing electronics to throw a fit. I'm not saying that is definitely your issue, but it's free to take the connection off at the inside of the wing and clean it. Otherwise, I'll leave the experts to this.

I have replaced the shocks on the last 2 Skodas and multiple vehicles before, I never replace bolts just for the sake of it but if that is what floats your boat then feel free, Nylocs can be re-used multiple times and you will feel if they ever lose their grip which only ever happens if they are removed from a heavily corroded exposed thread or they have been heated with a gas torch The top bearings after the last job I would always now plan on replacing as one of mine spat out all its balls and I had to abandon the job and run metal to metal for a week (made no difference) until the new bearings arrived.

Must be nice having access to one of those car lifts. Are you a mechanic, Jars?

A rip off if from the keys collected at the service desk and the job done and the keys back with the reception / service desk is 30 minutes. But then have other trades people that have a 1 hour minimum charge & £100 plus an hour is not unusual.

it's one of Tesla's major USP. If it's completely open, many wouldn't buy Tesla's. Holiday travel is the biggest reason people would drive cars long distance, so having that spare capacity to handle this is critical. Same as my situation, I can see many Model Y's being used for family trips during school holidays. So they better do more supercharger expanding over next couple of years if they even think about opening up the network.

You’ll probably need a new BCM. They couldn’t sort out the component protection issue with the original.

I didn't check the average mph on that particular journey, but it was a dual carriageway and motorway trip so I'm guessing between 65 and 70. I did a brim to brim recently and it was 67mpg. But that included a bunch of local trips.

Is the 2 second start possibly an immobiliser issue. On stock cars they usually start and then cut-out after a second or 2. What boost are you expecting as 1.3 bar is only 19psi so does not sound excessive.

Was getting Component Protection error via VCDS for some reason. Took it to my local dealer who said there was a checksum error preventing the component protection error from being cleared. Needed a new BCM. Didn’t want to risk buying one myself and fitting it to find it didn’t work, so let it to them. Was about £600 including diagnosis, fitting and coding (BCM was ~£400 of that).

I agree. Diesel is far more efficient. I can get 800 miles out of a tank. So no range anxiety there. I had an LPG conversion a few years ago, and it was a pain to be constantly looking for lpg stations. I know we'll all be electric eventually, but until the infrastructure is everywhere, and your car can be 'refuelled' in a few minutes, it's just not like for like.

I'm over 6ft and regularly drive for over 4 hours and don't have a problem, I've got an SeL and that has better seats than the lesser trims, certainly more support under the thigh's.

I couldn't agree more. Without knowing someone's personal circumstances it's nonsesne for another party to tell them what is and what isn't best. How can one payment method be better than the next when we all have diffenent finances and commitmemts? And what has the amount you owe got to do with PCP. If your concern is the ballon payment then perhaps PCP isn't the best way to finance a car purchase. The majority of those who use PCP do so because they can't afford the car ( they can afford the finance, not the car. How many people have actually bought the car they financed, I don't know a single person who has ). So all this talk about paying off ballon payments, it's just not an option open to many people. With PCP or leasing you know exactly what the future holds, which given the current volitle market, is a massive advantage. As a cash buyer I can only take an educated guess. When someone says they're reducing their monthly payment by buying a new car, then that's great for them - IMHO they'd be crazy not to accept, But there's no getting around it, the only reason it appears a good deal is because their previous deal was shockingly bad. Let me explain: I prefer to use cash ( in truth buy on PCP then settle the amount a few days later). In Nov '20 my car listed at £39k. Using all the discounts available, I ended up paying £31K. When my car was 12mth old, they offered me £34k - that's £3K more than I paid for it. The only way that works out good to me is if I wasn't going to buy another car. ( I'd have 3k in my pocket but the replacement car would cost me near £40k. ) I'm not sure what the PCP figure would have been over that 12mths but I'm guessing about £600 a month. So over 12mths on PCP the car would have cost me £6600 + deposit against the garage giving me £3000. Hmm I wonder what option I'd take? So when someone thinks they're getting a great deal on a new PCP, they haven't taken in to account they already overpaid by a huge sum on the previous agreement. But because they see it as a monthly outgoing that they were happy to pay a few years ago, they don't see it like that. I often read about people thinking they're getting great deals because used prices have risen but the truth is they've been screwed on their previous deal. It the salespersons job to make folk think they're getting a great deal but the truth is, it's the dealer who always comes out smelling of roses. I think I read the other day that despite all the problems right now, VW Financal Sevices is having their most profitable time ever. I go back to my originally point, everyone is different and no form of finance is best for everyone. What seems crap to me maybe great for someone else. If someone is happy with the deal they've obtained then surely that's all that matters?

On many country roads there are no white lines for the Lane Assist system to detect and work, so I would say - AND with the Lane Assist systems.

I loved my cycle touring days around France. Especially fond memories of the Loire. In those days I had a full-sized frame fitting cycle pump (actually still have it and it still works at nearly 40 years old) which was especially useful at warding off 'playful' dogs. Only happened twice but both times were in France.

I think the only thing obvious with ours is that the lumbar adjustment handle for the driver's seat doesn't want to stay attached and is currently living in the glove compartment. I can't comment on how it stands up to "family life" as there are only two of us these days. However, it seems pretty robust and well screwed together; at least as well as the 5 VW's that preceded it.

This web hosting crowd have been funny with me uploading PDFs because apparently the item that triggered their system (a manual for the MS202 unit) is "abuse"... , I'm going to be sorting that out tomorrow with some luck so that they can be hosted externally, or I can move over to another provider.

Probably a bit late, but try https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/vagbolts I've used them a few times.

Amazing, I could write for hours about the cars but instead wanted to say what a great presenter he is for this sort of thing where he has not only to have the trust of the owners to gain the invitation but also the ability to put them at ease and get them to open up. Most Youtube presenters I cannot abide, no matter how interesting the subject their egos smother anything of interest for me, usually the video gets shut down within 3 seconds following the "HI GUYS!................" Johnnys videos are like sitting in a comfortable armchair in warm sunshine. He should be the next Parkinson.

Well, after my post above I have now had to put four summer tyres (goodyears) onto my 17” winter alloys as I discovered one of my 18’s was buckled 😫🙄. So now down in size with decent rubber. To be honest, it drives rather sweetly on the smaller rims and aesthetically it looks okay (car is lowered so that probably helps a bit to fill the arch gaps). Tyres were cheap(er) too as a smaller size….what a pain though. I do want my 19’s back on as soon as I can source a replacement rim (or fix it). They look great.

I’ve enjoyed the Autobhan a few times. On 4 wheels and 2. 4 wheel speedo max was 200kph (previous Kodiaq). 2 wheel GPS max was 216kph (current bike). As above, there’s always someone much faster than you. And you better be looking far, far ahead and also in your mirrors. It can get scary. And hard work on 2 wheels. Any (fool) can drive fast in a straight line, but there’s more fun to be had on other roads.

Agree - I hardwired my Next Nextbase dashcam last week and used the rear wiper fuse 43.

I would be wary removing airbag fuse to fit piggyback, as it could lead to airbag warning light on dash that requires dealer to reset. In all the Skoda cars I’ve had I’ve used the well recommended on here, rear wiper fuse as a ignition controlled supply for dash cam.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has really been promoting the benefits of running and walking lately and especially spruiking participation in Parkrun for all levels. This is quite a nice round up of training tips from a locally (Adelaide, South Australia) based elite athlete. Australian marathon runner Jess Stenson shares her top tips to get a parkrun PB - ABC News

Very good car, congratulations but I would be careful of adding a camera to existing wiring. I have had a bit of trouble when I asked a man to fit aftermarket rev sensors. The wiring system was not as normal and he had to abort the job. This affected the infotainment screen and also the emergency system. This car is a kamiq , yours may be ok I got all back to normal again by disconnecting the battery for a while. Anyway, good luck !

I'm forgetting the small DIY bits I've been doing! I've removed the parcel shelf, boot carpet liner thing, the tools and spare wheel and also the under bonnet lining thing. This has saved about 18kg in weight and has improved intake sound quite a bit. Then I've also fitted a pedalbox - I know it's a very marmite mod but I had one in the Fabia and loved it and now in the Scirocco once again it didn't disappoint. It gives more intake sound because of the throttle reacting in a more linear fashion when on the pedal and also allows for a bit more fun around corners - the rear seems to be a bit more lively on lift off, potentially down to the fact the throttle closes more abruptly? I don't know, but I know it feels awesome! Next DIY bit coming very soon will be removing the rear seats and fitting a Stern Performance 'clubsport pack' (read: rear seat delete kit) I'm very excited for this next stage and I'm extremely happy with how the Scirocco is behaving now - reminds me of my Fabia so much which means it's hilarious to drive 😁😁😁

Today we put coilovers onto the car, it lowered the car additional 2cm or to put it better, the tire is now 1cm from the fender. I will get some pictures later this week.

Over the weekend we put wheels spacer on the car. 12mm in front and 15mm in back, and it made a huge visual difference. In the next ~10 days the coilovers should arrive and i will put some before-after pictures.