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Oh my god. This is definitely now the bitchiest busiest thread on here. Guys, Seriously ease up on all the personal slagging and unveiled insults! Colin is big on self regulation but as we know when things get very dirty he and the mods will step in and force a ceasefire.. I only pop in here every few days and in the 4 days since my last advice there’s been 6 more pages of just pure arguments and insults fired back and forth. It’s gonna get locked if ye don’t start breathing more slowly before posting. Here’s a line ———————————————— Now, why not pretend the previous 435 pages of bickering doesn’t exist and start again with some civility? New line and attitudes start here? Or I will report this… ———————————————————

I give up... Some people are just completely tone deaf...

Those gases aren't actually released into the atmosphere... they area recirculated back to the storage tanks via a vacuum system incorporated into the filler nozzle. You really need to stop making things up, or at least do some research.

Aberdeen showing the way as EV charging company Fasned get approval for indoor charging and location with facilities...... https://www.electrifying.com/blog/article/raining-champ-fastned-plans-first-indoor-charging-hub#:~:text=Fastned%20could%20become%20the%20raining,that%20found%20in%20petrol%20stations. Of course could not really do this with an ICE vehicle refuelling station as it has to be outdoors to waft waft away the foul smelling, carsogenic gases released when refuelling as well as a much increased fire risk doing such refuelling inside.

Discussed (in some detail) in this 2023/2024 BRISKODA forum thread https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/515617-driving-a-dsg-auto/ The "Automatic Gearbox" section in every Fabia MK 4's Owner's Manual (print and online versions) includes the following guidance Obviously holding the car stationary with the footbrake depressed will result in the rear brake lights being illuminated and, at night, may irritate a driver stopped behind you. The UK Highway Code's Rule 114 advises In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again. This is fine when the vehicle has a manual transmission and shifting to Neutral and applying the handbrake is what I do when I'm driving a car that has a manual gearbox. But, when I'm driving my Fabia Mk 4 DSG, I leave it in D unless I know I'm going to be stationary for quite some time.

That 'blanking plate' will be the front cover of the main infotainment unit as the screen in the dash is just a screen...

Ditto here as well, but we still know nothing, apparently 😉 You must it seems have had or driven an EV before you can comment, an engineering background and majority of ones working life don't hack it.

Nowt to do with luck but everything to do with concentration and exposure levels. I've done testing and risk assessments etc. for contaminated sites and the like. Read up you might learn something... 😉

He he .. my 'arts degree' was Engineering... Of all types... I've probably forgotten more than you've learnt from your multiple jobs. Ps I never said the system was 100% perfect but even at 85 to 95% you'd struggle to smell the fumes and as you imply Anyhow onwards and upwards eh?

Now I have it! :) All I had to do was sign out and sign in again. Thanks

Practical reasons, I can understand. Thankfully there is still 20% cars that can be not full ZEV after 2030, for people who REALLY can't get any charging or must do mega miles daily. Financial reasons? Second hand cars are always available. EV's are very slowly coming into the budget segment, example such as Renault 5 for £20k and Ford Puma EV being cheaper than petrol versions: https://www.speakev.com/threads/are-bevs-getting-more-expensive.193933/?post_id=3840652#post-3840652 As previously mentioned, public rapid charging with membership are cheaper than some diesel and most petrol. I agree it's a trade off, that's why we aren't seeing 100% ZEV mandate in 2030. I respect both of your opinion. I also wish to say it is my opinion that the ZEV mandate is borderline not fast enough. This is the thing with politics, we can all have different opinions, there is no one truth for everything. The only thing I CANNOT stand is posters spreading misinformation and FUD.

@lol-lol £1 million is peanuts. But they have just advertised for Contractors and that is not including asbestos removal which could take years. Then you need local contractors because if you bring them from the South there is accommodation needed which in the Inverness / Highland region is in short supply. There are major construction projects worth £billions under way and with planning approval. Rig decommissioning, turbine fabricating, Green Free Port / Hydrogen, Dry Docks etc etc. Global Companies have big investments going into Nigg & Ardersier & elsewhere. There is a couple of major local based companies which can actually deal with the construction needs and employees. Some Civil Servants have as usual c-cked up big style. They should have looked at how long the Inverness Castle development project has taken.

Million is peanuts compared to the recent total of £3.6B spent on asylum accommodation.

The sun visor hinge point is removed by: Opening screw cover (pointed trim tool or carefully with corner of small flat blade screws driver/knife) Remove screw (torx T20) The fitting will pull or drop down a bit but likely won't come out as pointed out by others The fitting is held at the end towards the rear of the car. So, it needs to be pushed towards the windscreen to disengage the end towards the rear. Then pull that end down and it can be removed. It may be easy or difficult despite the bits of plastic holding it in perhaps only being 1-2mm My driver's side needed levering down gradually to remove. It causes some damage to those tiny points of plastic holding it in, but it will be held by the screw when refitted, so not the end of the world. My passenger side came out easily first go. .... Now who will be the one to point out this is reviving an old thread when that's, a) completely irrelevant and, b) they're incapable of contributing anything of use themselves?

I think we need to also take account of the negative effects on the economy of banning ICE sooner than many owners can make the change to EV (both for financial and practical reasons such as no driveway parking). It's a trade off between damaging the economy and creating hardships due to financial reasons, or damaging the climate and creating hardships due to health reasons - neither are particularly attractive options, which is why I agree with @Graham Butcher that the timescale of the ICE ban needs to be continually monitored and possibly pushed back.

As I said, it will depend on your usage. If you're rarely going far from home it's unlikely to be an issue. If you regularly take trips to the Alps or Spain etc then you're likely to regret it.

Is it 20 posts? @robinio pop back to the hellos section and say hi to a few fellow members. That’ll help get your count up to unlock the private messaging feature. The requirement is there to help reduce the impact of spammers.

This. I wouldn’t go trying to pull the cover off expecting to find a random hole there. That’s the MIB unit for the screen.

Thanks, it seems to come down to do it once and right rather than keep doing other things to then revert to what you should do at the start, but I have a steep drive hence why would only go as low as a Sportline on the SE L Executive

My cars are not killing people, ICE cars are. Might be only a few tens of thousands of shortened lives in the uk but it is millions throughout the world India and other large Asian etc cities. My cars just hum along, playing their Jean Michelle Jarre low speed warning, no tail pipe emissions with NOX triggering asthma attacks. Every time someone in an ICE car turns the ignition key, pushes the power button it it is another little nail in our future on forwarding the climate crisis which our children and grandchildren will inherit. They will not thank us.

If it's like the older cars then if you can see the exhaust exposed then that is the exhaust ! If you see an under-tray then there is no exhaust !

I love petrol cars, even diesel ones but they are killing huge numbers of people and fuelling climate change. I chose to be an Engineering Officer in the Merchant Navy, worked on 20,000 hp main propulsion diesel engines as well as 1000 hp disel generators. Studied thermodynamic in my Engineering cadetship as well as at honours degree level. But the Internal combustion engine has had its day, or even century, and decades, at that was a few years ago now and time to move on and try and save the world else hurricanes like Malissa will just get worse and worse. I hope COP 30 will see a leap forward. Now Ethopia has there new hydroelectric dam they have sensible stopped importing of most ICE cars. Citizens should buy EVs and use the abundant and cheap electricity. STOP BURNING STUFF !!!

Why would it horrify petrol heads?? I honestly don't know anyone who objects to anyone getting and running an EV, if that floats your boat and suits your requirements then I, for one, am really pleased for you. It's still a free country, I hope, and as such you should be free to buy whatever your heart desires, is anyone going to deny that has always been my stance? Now imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and there was a thread called "The truth about ICE cars" and the people with ICE cars were constantly posting things about how good their cars were and at the same rubbishing anyone with an EV, and it was deemed that EVs were from a political point of view, to be the enemy and sales of new EVs were being banned? How would you all react if the positions were to be reversed, that's the acid question here, I think. There is also nothing wrong or weird about what you call petrol heads taking more than a passing interest in the new technology, is there? This is what I and a lot of others who, while not having an EV, are doing.

Indeed my Renault 5 i am due to pick up this week I just a nidge over £20k but i get most of the amount on 0% for 25 months so in real terms it will be less than £20k for the European Car of the Year. A few compromises as the pop green 💚 is the free colour and the very nice pop yellow is £800 addition, ouch. This current basd spec comes with just a 40/43 kwh so nearly 200 mile range in dawdle mode but if one wang it at the uk national speed plus limit one will not get much over 100 miles which will horify petrol heads but those of use to living with EVs with the smaller battery options can live with. There is going to be a Renault 5 FIVE which will be even cheaper ie 95 hp, no DC fast charging that will be about 23k Euros ie under £20k, £19k maybe with a bit of haggling, same 40/43 kwh battery as my R5. Hyundai Inster is a good machine and good value. BYDs little EVs god value but will UK continue not apply Countervailing import duty and then there is the very cheap MGs, if one is ok with their reliability rating. Lots of choice and brilliant cheap running costs.

In the end I managed to find a set of good used 215 60 16 Michelin Cross Climates and winter wheels. This is unscientific, but as the car had 225 50 17 Cross Climates on the front before, I think a fair comparison can be made on the same roads. I reckon they are '15%' more comfortable than before.

Sounds like maybe a vaccum leak. my sons fabia(same model) had the same symptoms The brake servo vaccum hose is prone to splitting at the joins. His was split in a few places. I taped his up and used some jubilee clips and the eratic idle/stalling was cured. He got a lean fault code as well. Hope its an easy fix Alasdair

Just a quick update. Managed to have a go at fixing the issue. As Cairus stated one of the green wires was damaged and was barely touching each other. Managed to solder them together. Wasn't the best of jobs but will see how it goes. Was a very tight space

@lol-lol Re the Barracks in Inverness. Turns out needs £1 million spent, but asbestos needs removing, and boilers and much else. No planning applications made. Inverness Council or Scottish Government not part of discussions. There are asylum seekers already in hotels. The Council had workers remove flags put up near the barracks. There are Military Families live near the barracks that have voiced concerns about when the member of the armed forces is away on tour. Using Fort George would likely cause as much controversy.

@lol-lol The nearest the NC500 is from this location in Aberdeen is over 100 miles by road. Handy for the North East 250. PS Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire Council Public EV chargers now about the most expensive Council Chargers in Scotland and still pathetic for provision and maintenance. At least there is TESLA Supercharging in Aberdeen. (Also Perth, Dundee, Inverness, & Aviemore.)

I like elephants, and Laura Brannigan

I am not the biggest fan of Dave Takes it on but some salient points here for people to plan for the future. The decline in fossil fuels, at least for motive power rather than plastic etc, could be more like a very steep slope rather than a gradual one. 2025 appears to be peak oil, gas, coal production and looking like quickly downwards from here. China leading the way of course and expect to see even more shadowy ways Russian oil makes its way to European markets.

Also glad to say my allIgator defence system is working as I have not seen any alligators around here at all !

Hello Everyone, This is Janos from Budapest, Hungary. Proud owner of an Octavia mk2 facelift vRS (petrol, CCZA engine). Had it for 5 years now. I've been modding the car quite a bit, sometimes after referring to these fora. Thought it was time to actually join the community. I do trackdays regularly with a 2-times European Hillclimb champion as my instructor. I practically grew up in Skoda cars, my parents owned a Skoda 105 when I was born. Later they bought a Skoda Felicia which they drive to this day.

Thanks for all your well explained help it's put my mind at rest now knowing I'm not doing any damage to clutches .

Yes at lights etc leave it in drive foot on brake

@robinio you have Amundsen MIB1, with Bluetooth, with DAB, part number 5E0035874A, with USB 5Q0035726B and fortunately you don't have CANTON sound system. To use display you bought (5E0919605M) you also have to replace glove box unit, either with MIB2 Bolero, Amundsen or Columbus. If you do not need video playback from SD, DVD and USB then I suggest Amundsen as with Bolero NAV button will not work. If you would like to use Apple CarPlay then you also have to replace USB port. All units support SmartLink (Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, MirrorLink), rear view camera, voice command. features that differ them: - MIB2 Bolero - no OEM navigation, no CD/DVD drive, no video playback from SD/USB - MIB2 Amundsen - OEM navigation, no CD/DVD drive, no video playback from SD/USB, support for displaying OEM maps in Active Info Display (Virtual Cluster) - MIB2 Columbus - OEM navigation, CD/DVD drive, video playback from SD/USB, no support for displaying OEM maps in Active Info Display (Virtual Cluster) If you are interested in P&P version pls contact me in PM.

Yes, it's the same. I sent you download link in PM.

Hi Juan That is great news - I was very pleased when mine worked with the new actuator as I had worried a lot that there must be more to the problem. I sometimes get depressed with how, despite the potential, the internet is often wasting our time or being used by bad actors to anger and divide us. It gives me hope that it also can be used to share information and make life better :-) I have solved a number of problems with the help of others on the web and I try to share things I discover that I feel might be useful, especially now that cars are so much more complicated and the manufacturers don't want to give us all the information we need to fix them. Enjoy the open road! Greg

Yer sorry I'll try in the sun light if it stops raining

I'd suggest that out of the cities the vast majority of houses had space off road to charge, from villas, to properties with a garden to what I would call crofting shacks with a bit of land. Some of the older villages had limited space and hence might struggle, as might those in the city where there was limited off street (generally underground) parking. However, where we were I reckon most could find a space to park and charge if needed.

My Superb has started a new annoyance this week. Every time I get in the car it asks me if I want it to continue guidance to an address unknown to me about 8 miles away from my home address. I’ve never entered that address, last time I entered any destination in the Sat nav is over 5 months ago for an address 200+ miles away. The infotainment system is also deciding what music I can listen to. It will play just a few tracks from the album I select then it decides to start playing a completely different album, again for just a few tracks then another different album and so on… I have never encountered such appalling software before. It’s particularly irksome as I’m a retired software engineer with 35+ years experience. I would have offered my resignation if such basic faults were found in my software. I don’t think I’ll be driving a Skoda for much longer…

It was the locking unit itself on the door, iirc. I think it's all one piece, DCM and lock from memory. Took 10 minutes to swap out and had been as good as gold since.

I bought one of these for my Fabia estate 5j a few years ago from Autodoc at the time it was around £30 for the lens and the led's i had to use the old housing as to renew that it was a main dealwer part only; the only drawback with autodoc is the delivery chatrge --aroung £9.00 and you might wait a week for delivery, i had a look on LLL Parts but the price was rather high for a genuine replacement lens and a set of Led's , I too used ebay but landed up returning them as they did not fit my model which was a MK2 5J estate LLL parts do show you the part numbers if you need them Autodoc just gives you the lens and LED's but the website when you put your details in was correct and it did fit

Worth a listen if you can on BBC Sounds. Sliced Bread. The programme on Car Shampoos and Coatings. It was Released on the 30th October 2025.

The dogs are fine. I am trying to stick to Car / Transport subjects. In Scotland we learned from an early age about nature and resources. Shale Oil & Gas, Coal and Hydro Electricity and wind power as there were wind mills at many farms. Scotland is resource rich and renewable electricity rich. I remember as a child just how dirty Edinburgh, Dundee & Glasgow were. From burning coal and gas & industry. Thank goodness the EV charging infrastructure is improving. It is just a shame there are still so many objections to Pylons, Wind & Solar farms and battery farms, and Public Ev charging is so expensive.

My eight-year-old passed its M.O.T. with no advisories. This comes on the heels of a 2,646 mile tour of Portugal, Spain and France over 30 days. I had to have the water pump replaced before I went, but the car never missed a beat. Well, aside from losing some window trim on the autoroute at 85 mph. We spent nights in León, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Porto, Salamanca, Logroño, Bielsa, Sète, Grenoble, Colmar and Laon. I'm knackered! We had two days of rain (Santiago and Colmar) wore t-shirts and sandals in the beginning, winter coats by the end. I lost and had to replace my plug adapter, my laptop charger and my cap. I lost my phone on the second day of our trip, but ran back to the restaurant and the waiter was holding it. I lost my phone on the 26th day of our trip, but ran back and the barman was holding it. Sheesh! Santiago was a major disappointment. We were looking forward to our return after 19 years, but the town is a certifiable victim of over-tourism. Sète and Porto were the most fun.

An answer from AI "In a MK3 Skoda Octavia, your dials go darker when outside light decreases because of the automatic dimming system controlled by a light sensor . The car is programmed to automatically adjust the brightness of the dashboard and infotainment displays to optimize visibility and reduce glare at night." "How the system works Sensing the light: Your car's light sensor, located near the rear view mirror, continuously measures the amount of ambient light. Activating night mode: When the sensor detects that it is dark enough outside, the system assumes it is nighttime and automatically switches the instrument cluster and infotainment screen to a dimmer, less distracting setting. This is a safety feature that prevents the bright lights from distracting or blinding the driver. Adjusting for bright light: Conversely, when the sensor detects bright sunlight, it increases the illumination of the dials so that they are still visible and readable in direct glare. " So in a tunnel turn your lights on.

I meant to attach this as well ....

These made a tremendous racket 😁

I thought it was only found on Yeti's fitted with the factory sunroof. Doesn't it open the plug to drain the footwells?