Leaderboard

A trip to Nottinghashire yesterday, up via M25, M1, return via M1, A42, M42, M40 & M25, then A320. For me considering the traffic levels and the excruciating 20+ miles of roadworks on the M1 (hence the different route back), I didn't want to go out of my head with tedium... 😵‍💫🤪

I'm running a solar set up with a Givenergy All-in-one which is basically a 13.5kwh battery wall. The weather we've had the last few days has meant I've spent pennies on the grid electric and sold electric back to grid for pounds. So far this year I'm nearly £700 up on electric costs. The down side is I'm still about £15.5k in the red on the installation costs. 🫤

Free electricity right now for many once you have spent a bit on buying some gear for the solar, wind or hydro and that has paid it,s costs back. A couple were asking me about EV,s and charging and costs and then mentioned they have a river running through their property. That was when it dawned on my the V12 Vantage Carbon we were standing beside was theirs.

Car manufacturers moved away from hydraulic power steering many years ago as electric power steering uses less energy and hence improves emissions figures.

I'm an 80-years-old male and weigh a weedy 52kg. Removing and replacing my Skoda Fabia's wheels at home is fairly easy without using the type of tool being discussed above (I took the alloy wheels off soon after buying the car to give them a good waxing and check that the steel spare-wheel would fit), but carrying out a single-handed road-side 'emergency' wheel change would be a real challenge without some means to safely hang the wheel on as it's replaced on the hub. As I said above, an alignment tool suitable for the Fabia's wheels is widely marketed and (as nta16 has highlighted) the quality varies. A good quality alignment tool will be made from strong metal (You do NOT want the threaded end to snap off in the hub!), be smooth and - if possible - have a 'tommy-bar' hole in its outer end to aid insertion/withdrawal. (Examples here) Regarding Chug41's enquiry about offset, alloy wheels normally have their offset (ET) cast on their inner surface. https://helpcenter.wheelpros.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055697352-Identifying-Wheel-Markings#:~:text=Wheel Size and Offset - The,and an offset of 0mm.&text=Manufacturing Date - This is the month and year of manufacture. https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/how-to-read-the-wheel-markings

Hello, your vehicle is fitted with an electrically assisted power steering system. I believe that option, when active, will restart the engine if steering wheel is turned while engine is stopped.

It’s now just under two weeks since I collected my Mk4 L&K 193 ps dsg 4x4 estate. So I thought I’d share a bit about it: I’d had a 2018 Mk3 non facelift L&K 190 ps dsg fwd which I’ve been very pleased with in the almost 6 years I’ve had it. I wanted one last estate car before I eventually downsized, so I went for it. I’m guessing I might be one of the first in the uk to get one of these. I’ll try to feedback my experiences with it in case it’s useful for anyone thinking about getting one. Because I tow, I stuck with diesel. So far: First impressions are very good. The gadgetry is a leap on from the Mk3 although you could argue that the Mk3 was good anyway. Example: Self learning parking on the new car. I reversed in an S shape track into a corner of my driveway. The car asked if I wanted to save the manoeuvre for it to do itself next time. Self regulating speed in response to reading traffic signs. Stuff like that. Other stuff in no particular order: CD player in glove box is gone. Apple car play + Android does it all now and I also believe the new car has its own registered SIM. No more tyre gel. Space saving wheel now. Floor is still at low height so retains maximum space. Space also gained in rear side of boot because the Canton amplifier etc which was there, now houses in the spare wheel. Only one umbrella this time, although both doors still have a recess. Power outlets (the old cig lighter sockets) are no longer permanently live. They come on with ignition. As far as I can tell, the new car unlike the old, does not after a time, turn the ignition off on an unstarted engine. The ride and quietness is very good. The old one was great but it seems as if everything is soundproofed a bit more on this new car. I’d say though that the suspension on the old car was gentler. This is when comparing Comfort mode. Both cars have 18” wheels. The new car sits quite a lot higher at the back. Maybe all suspension settles and softens. I’m sure the old car was higher when new. Infotainment. The satnav map on the new car, unlike the old, has no altitude reading. Regardless, the map seems better and clearer overall although it still carries that trait where, if you expand the view, the text stays small. Rev limiter, when car in Park: The new car does not seem so far to have this although I obviously have not tested it too much. It’s a 7 speed as opposed to the old 6 speed. I’m getting the feeling that it’s longer legged as a result rather than closer geared. I tow an Eriba Triton caravan, and just like the Mk3 car, the Mk4 is a complete dream when towing and averages just over 35 mpg. The caravan is a small 950kg aluminium thing but the mpg is still pretty good. The co2 emissions are stated I think about 157 gm/km whereas the old car was about 132. Maybe the 4x4 has something to do with that. The quoted solo mpg is in the high 40’s as opposed to 54 on the old. But, I’m getting pretty much the same on the new car albeit without the bike roof racks on yet, and just like with the old, 65 mpg on a steady A road trip has not been over difficult to get, and easily does 54 on the motorway at 60/70 mph Once the racks are on this may all drop a bit. Rear seat release from boot is new and it’s great. Seatbelts add security and tighten up when the new car reaches about 15 mph. Front seats move back when doors opened, makes exit easier I guess, a nice feature. All in all this promises to be a great car, an improvement on outgoing one if that were ever possible. So far I’m happy and still singing it’s praises😊 Hopefully I’ll add more as time goes on.

Thanks @MartiniB and @Tell, maps updated today 👍

Fuel poverty is something we should not be seeing in the 21st Century. I have seen Youtubes of people living in high rise flats hanging out solar panels on their balcony rails and generating solar energy, costs can be quite tiny and charity organisation should be giving out as part of their support I reckon. The tools to cut cost and even live off grid are here and getting cheaper and cheaper. UK governments and Energy companies should be worried that there are less and less needed be involved in many of people's day to day needs.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/trade-and-investment-core-statistics-book/trade-and-investment-core-statistics-book

You can check out what was standard and what was optional by looking at the relevant brochure for the various years here: https://autocatalogarchive.com/skoda/

It fitted like a dream. It's definitely the biggest battery and the only gotcha I had was making sure the manufacturer was set to VA0 (for Varta/Bosch). You need to transfer the thermal surround and also the +ve terminal plastic cover.

Beachy Head West. Belle Tout (above the Pay Here sign), cliffs in the centre are Seaford Head, white buildings on the horizon are Brighton: Didn't stay long after this as a lovely pleasant moment, listening to skylarks got utterly ruined by Mr Very Important Obnoxious Tw@ (white shirt) who got out of his Maserati and starting pacing between my car and his, dictating business letters and emails to someone who couldn't hear him clearly (Unfortunately I could) 🙄🤬 Gaz

Indeed. Octopus Intelligent Go now 7 p/kWh off-peak. EV home charging now at 2 p/mile for 3.5 mi/kWh, easily achievable year round average for most EV's.

1: The 9CIRCLE=branded tool is an American product and expensive even in the USA. It was just an example of a tool with a tommy-bar hole. 2: Nope - that's my weight. Cleopatra was described in one of Shakespeare's plays with the line "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety". Sadly, age has definitely withered me, though I like to think it has not yet staled my variety.

Octopus Go rate for Midlands:- Nighttime charge rate down from 9 p per KwH to 8.5 p and day time from about 26p to 22 p per kWh, results !!

Okay some forward movement at last! Instead of using the lock plate as a lever, I was able to use it as wrench instead and finally managed to at least get the knurled knob to begin rotating - which I was able to speed up with some angles pliers. However still not able to get the actual unit and cable out it is still in tight. So I have applied more of the DP-60 fluid and am letting that soak a little longer before having another go. I ended up taking the car for a very low speed drive just up and back down the road without the lock plate in place, but has not made a differance, but the speedo is still reading so it does not seem to have harmed anything. Righto, will keep you updated as things progress.

Common Rail; it's the fuel injection system used on this model. Easy peasy; the Elegance trim has a full Climate Control system by default. If the display shows "ECON", press the "ECON" button once to put the system back into the normal "Auto" mode and leave the ECON button strictly alone after that. You'll get better (for you and the car) results by adjusting the cabin temperature to your tastes, and then using the "Demist" button as and when required. You may also want to disable the "Recirc" button in a similar manner, and only use it when passing through smoke.

I would suggest selecting Neutral if manual or Park if DSG, and applying the handbrake BEFORE switching off the ignition.

It has aircon but instead of an aircon 'ON' and 'OFF' button it has an Economy ON and OFF button So economy ON = Air con OFF economy OFF = Air con ON

I believe that all elegance models have climatronic air conditioning and humidy control. The ECON push button is part of this. You can download a copy of the drivers handbook for your car from the sticky thread at the start of the page for this model. This fully explains how to use the climatronic system.

I'm the new owner of no.107 I work for a main dealer in Dublin. She's getting a full restoration back to factory spec Rory Dublin Ireland

The dials on satnav screen is only available on the newer version of the display. It’s a hardware thing not a firmware/software thing.

^^ this. Always clear it once, and if it recurs, you may actually have an issue.

Bit late for that.

The gearknob is clamped onto the gearstick not threaded on. Simple to replace. But the mk3 one sits a little higher unless you drill the centre out a bit. Then it will sit lower. Rear wiper motor failure on these is quite a common issue. That's why lots delete them. As for side skirts it's strange that the vrs didn't come with them from factory. The really improve the side of the car.

Once I'd found the source of the actual leak if I was keeping the car I would get the gearbox oil hot and drain or syphon out as much as possible and replace with fresh new good quality gear oil, it won't stop the gear problem probably but it could help, and help the gearbox generally. To find the oil leak you could wipe clean and dry all underneath and in engine bay then run the car to full temperature, cooling fan cutting in and then look again for the leaking oil tracking down, or throw on something dry that will highlight the wet or damp areas. Or you can buy and add engine oil leak detection dye and look for the glow, you could even add a few drops in the gearbox. Just one as an example only. - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RLD4 ETA: you can buy kits with the dye, torch and glasses, I always try to let the chemicals do the hard work (like a good penetrating/releasing fluid) plus now you've learnt to have time and patience in your tool box too, two things many professionals often don't have available, or keep in stock for some.

No, no, no UK people, like millions all over the world, are making their own electricity, putting it in to their cars and feeding their houses. Why do you think, despite the rapidly rising UK population due to immigration, that the electricity per consumption, as measure by the UK electrical suppliers, grid etc, is going down and down, year on year ? It because the UK home owner and businesses are generating probably several Terra Watts of electrical power to add to the 90 TW or so the UK passes in to home, some homes are substantially export to the grid. During the day I use solar to power the electrical devices throughout the home. Depending how much I have in reserve I will use that through the evening At night I set the house to use the super cheap night time electricity, currently 8.5 per kWh for me. In the morning, batteries charged up with the cheap nighttime time electricity, charge the EV up if needed also. Currently spending less than a pound a day, not including the standing charge. Now Octopus have teamed up with TESLA powerwall installing that maybe a way to go though I do like the portable solar generators 1, 2 kWh but would like to source a 3, 4 or 5 kW portable battery to add to the collection. Their price, like solar panels, just keep falling and falling. 200W portable solar panel £86 delivered from Amazon, pay for itself in a year I reckon. 1.5 kWh battery Amazon was doing for £299 delivered. pay for itself within 3 years I reckon. Plus it has power backup so one does not do a Manchester Airport total power loss for several hours.

Success!!!! Seems the pen fluid has paid off - was able to get a decent drip with some rubber gloves and just began screwing it back and forth until it finally gave. Predictably the gear did fall off but I was able to grab it before it could drop fully in! Your not wrong about the sulpher smell of the gearbox oil - hit me the moment the speedo came out. And even better news - the leak is deffo not from the gearbox - could seee plenty of oil in there even before I 'dippped' it. So I still have a mystery leak but at least that on one suspect eliminated, and I have saved on the cost of the visit to the garage. Cheers all for the assistance and ideas!

Well i have had a good few thousand miles worth in 3 years so i am alright Jack. & where i can i still get free charges. Actually i could not give a damn as i will be rolling coal for years to come if i last that long and be pleased i had a few of the possible best years for using an EV and not for work. My only regret will be that i never had a Tesla with free supercharging. But then i likely would have lost my licence again or wiped my self out by now. I loved Dodgems when younger, and this is what driving an EV feels like. Just lacks the sparks and some of the noise.

The Octavia 1.0tsi is actually not that heavy compared to most direct competitors, I can only think of the slightly smaller Peugeot 308 estate being lighter. Acceleration times to 100kph are supposedly a fraction under 10 seconds, which is pretty respectable for a 'lawn mower' sized engine but expect performance to be noticeably compromised when loaded. The turbo is more tuned for low end torque but I thought the engine revved more easily and smoothly than I expected from a 3 pot, though not as turbine smooth as the larger 4 pots. There should be no problem with motorways, or the hills in your area. If you lived in a hilly area a bit more capacity would be welcome. Consumption can be outstandingly good when driven sensibly, or just reasonable with a heavier right foot. Performance and especially economy should be noticeably better than your 1.2 Yeti imo due to less weight and better aero.

I believe 1940 is the factory version of 1941. But nothing major if whats been said on here is correct.

This was supposed to be a photo of a Small Blue butterfly up on Beachy Head an hour ago, but I guess he/she wasn't feeling it. Still came out okay though: Gaz

Reading the fine print of my price change letter it is not only the lower of both the night and day rates by 14% and 6% respectively but Octopus are extend the Go cheap period from 4 hours to 5 hour. When one only has a 3.6 kWh charge as I do, ( it was £100 cheaper than the 7 kWh ) the extra hour can mean another 16 miles of extra range added for 31p but also if I want to charge up beyond the 80/85/90 % I usually charge up to I can give the car another 24 miles ie hour and half charge for just over £1. Wow. Begs the question why residuals are quite poor for the Zoe but quite good for the mild hybrid Arkana to trade in for a 87 kWh Scenic with 300 mile plus range. Things might change over the next months and year and I can always just hand the Zoe back via the PCP.

You sound like a Precious McKenzie to me, I've got arms and legs like bits of string now and lifting my body from the ground is an achievement sometimes, lifting a wheel takes a lot more effort now, even a 15" (or a 13" x 4.5" as I used to have until a couple of years ago). 😄

The EU Emissions Trading scheme is about to move in to phase two ie EU ETS 2, where all EU members will need to deal with carbon/CO2 goods further upstream which means dealing with the carbon side for fuel on its import and distribution which could add ten s or even hundreds of Euro per tonne of fuel. Whilst UK is not in the EU this could have massive consequences anyways. Whilst tank dipping on trucks on raised its head for a few weeks when the Single market came into being ie controls like some EU countries tried to implement that trucks should not have more than 200 litres in their tanks when crossing borders it is well known that some European trucks fill to brim in the EU with 1,000 litres of fuel and drive hundreds of miles on British roads only using EU bought fuel think would likely change with EU ETS 2 as EU fuel becomes much more expensive. Maybe the EU would restrict amount of fuel in UK trucks etc arriving in the EU so fuel is bought within the EU. As the UK has less refineries than it use to maybe the UK, like TESCOs does, will buy fuel from the EU but if it is more expensive then it will have to come farther at greater cost. Diesel and Petrol is bound to get more expensive as less and less drivers use that form of fuel but the spill over from the new EU ETS 2 could also magnify this cost to get fuel to the pumps for those who still but that form of fuel.

Got my first project car - 2008 Octavia VRS 2.0 TFSI. It needs some work and it seems like this is a good place to start digging around for info

Did you change the alloy pipes that the cables go through on their way out of the car body? Might be sticking within there if not, due to corrosion build-up.

The 1.0 tsi is not a rocket, but it's not slow. I also found it to be very economical engine using e10 within my previous Scala 1.0tsi dsg. What I did find with the 1.0tsi mated to the dsg, it was a little slow to engage dsg on take off, bit of a lag, around a second, but something I adapted my driving style, too. So it's probably better mated up to a manual box. I don't have that issue with my current 1.5tsi act dsg estate.

Welcome. TDI common rail. So that is engine. Sorry no idea about your AC. But if no AC button or symbol then has it climatic. ? A grown up will be along that knows.

Is it a hatchback or estate? The estate will often use a slightly stiffer rear spring than the equivalent hatchback. Does it have a factory fitted towbar? If so, the factory sometimes fits a slightly stiffer rear spring than the equivlant non-towbar model. What are the OEM part numbers of the front and rear springs? These might be 5Q0411105GM front springs and 3Q0511115AL rear springs. If so, consider going up one weight range with both springs to 5Q0411105GN front springs and 3Q0511115M rear springs. 5Q0411105GN front springs KYB RA1491 Lesjofors 4095137 Bilstein 37-293123 Kilen 25123 https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/5q0411105gn?supplier[]=85&supplier[]=16&supplier[]=253&supplier[]=246 3Q0511115M rear springs KYB RA5337 Lesjofors 4295136 Bilstein 36-301959 Kilen 65126 https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/3q0511115m?supplier[]=253&supplier[]=16&supplier[]=85&supplier[]=246 New shock absorbers could also be considered, if the performance of the old ones is suspect. Bilstein B6 front shock absorbers 23-254343 (DampTronic) https://www.autodoc.co.uk/bilstein/8049602#shock-absorber Bilstein B6 rear shock absorbers 20-267537 (DampTronic) https://www.autodoc.co.uk/bilstein/9166711#shock-absorber

Just to finish off my little story, the wait was I think close to 3 months. The 'two weeks' thing is just the timeline Skoda gives the dealer, and therefore they give to me. It was incredibly frustrating. Not nearly as frustrating as losing 2nd, 4th, 6th and reverse whenever the car felt like it, nor the car deciding that 1st was the only gear I needed, sometimes when pulling onto a motorway slip road! I was on the verge of dumping the car in a ditch at one point it got so bad, but it's been fixed a few weeks now and life is good again.

Just when I thought I'd got it hacked and then you post that link! So, Fabia Mk4; PCD, 5x100, check! 185/65R15 (in my case), check! Offset 40, ...sorry? That is the same as a contemporary Polo (2017 -) but earlier Polos were 38, as were earlier Fabias. So what is offset, please? I feel like like they must have done at Bletchley Park when they realised that the Kriegsmarine had just added a fourth wheel to their Enigmas!

Retrofitting the Facelift Superb headlights to the pre-facelift model like urs is possible, but it's a big job. Ur options r:- 1. Keep ur existing headlights, get better performance bulbs 2. Retrofit pre-facelift Bi-Xenon version headlights. This will however require new headlight units, D3S xenon bulbs, levelling sensors, AFS modules, power ballasts, light control modules, upgraded BCM, parameter files and coding. 3. Retrofit facelift Bi-Xenon version headlights. This is even more complex, but doable. In addition to the above, u will also need a completely different wiring loom, new gateway and BCM modules, facelift headlight units, facelift bumper, and possibly facelift front qtr panels. I would stick to Option 1 unless u have deep pockets.....very deep.

Thank you very much for a great post, very useful. My current Superb is the same as your old one except it's a Mk3 facelift. I have the same Mk4 Superb on order as yours, which was ordered on 14th March, the day orders opened. The estimated build week is the 2nd week in July meaning I'm unlikely to get the car until September unfortunately.

Pah... That's no excuse! If it's not raining the roof should be down... And only takes about 30 seconds to put back up even if it does start to rain... And if it's light rain just keep driving and you stay dry!

A couple from Crosby Beach the other week. And because I’m basically a child…

In my case, the problem with the starter motor wasn't that it was not working in the sense it couldn't start the car, but it had an electrical fault (for more detail track down my mechanic from 2018!) that meant it put too much load on the battery, and the car was progressively harder to start until eventually the battery was flat and all the electrics died one day. However, when starting the motor with jump leads, you're connected to a car where the engine is already running and the battery is charging, so the faulty motor still gets sufficient power to start the engine. Basically the cause of my issue was the starter motor, but the actual symptoms were in my battery.

River glaven at night

Not my photo, but one taken last night, of the Milky Way over Cuckmere (on the coast between Eastbourne & Seaford): Thought it was quite stunning. Gaz