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Seriously - being in the industry - you must be stark raving bonkers to think that full self driving vehicles are 'the near future' for much of the population. Yes there are a few places where they are being trialled but not without faults / problems and only in very small geographical areas. Whilst the industry (and certain well known billionaires) are prone to make extravagant claims they don't currently stack up and don't reflect reality. There is then the issue of interior cleaning / sterilisation etc. between users (eg the drunk coming home from the pub who throws up int he back, or the person going to the hospital with a contagious disease). Add to the above a human being's natural self preservation instinct and lack of trust, plus the differing nature of many parts of the UK (many don't live in cities which are where full self drive will be commercially viable) and we're decades away from it.

1967 VW Type 3 Variant 'notchback' I spotted on my travels today. I prefer the Kombi ('Squareback' as the Septics call 'em) and the Fastback myself but I'd settle for one of these. Yours for just €16,990 or £14,565 of your finest British pounds (as Henry Cole might say).

Hissing is often an indication of low refrigerant quantity.

@lol-lol You just do not get it do you? . All those that do not stay at street level or one level up in a property. High rise flats in blocks etc. Multi Storey living. Streets of houses, tenement housing where you might never get a vehicle near your property or a lamp post or pavement side charger. These are in towns and cities and some might have a charger or 3, but dozens of residences and both sides of the streets lined with parked cars. Re a Highland 500 mile loop / North Coast 500. With a 200-250 + mile range you only need a TESLAS charge in Fort William or Inverness then 1 or 2 charges on a 50 kW charger maybe costing 70 pence kWh. (Highland Region, but there ere EVolt from 56 pence to Osprey @ 89 pence, PodPoint and others.) No issues there, just find a working one that is available.

One minute I was toddling along minding my own business, and then this stopped me: Gaz

Search for ECS Tuning, as previously posted. I just wrapped over the decal because I didn't want the advertising. You need to look in the Golf 7 section.

All the 5s on the Octavia. Unfortunately, I missed it with the Vauxhall Omega.

Thanks George for the info about Fort William. Will be interesting to visit their again as last time, several decades ago, it was as part of my Officer Character Training, we got a "white out" on Ben Nevis, it was mid spring and snow line was at about 2k feet so 2.6k feet to climb and descend in snow. Oddly back in to Fort William at 2300 in time to catch the Chinese Restaurant opening times. Surreal. I don't think that that form of one's residence is not going to matter ie home charging availability in the near future. 36 million cars, 42 million vehicles, not including motorbikes etc, is probably a peak and as Self Driving cars become a thing then those that hold a driving licence, I reckon, will have one or no cars. Maybe a small car to do the trip to the shops, or hairdressers etc. Journeys of any length will be mostly done by a FSD car being summoned from the local car hire company and it will arrive in your road and you will pop yourself in the back. In some cases, longer journeys, this FSD car will take me to the Solihull Birmingham interchange station where I can get on a train that does two or three times the speed of a car on UK roads. The near future travel concerns, i reckon, is not having one's own car as that will become increasingly difficult and expensive, but weighing up the cost of which hire company to order ones FSD car from and whether to do all the journey in a hire car or a hire car and train journey combo. Funding it for UK citizens will be an issue looking at the UK's general lack on money. Welfare state under stress, Uk industry largely destroyed in the 80s. The Triple lock is already being questions, several political parties wishing to cut the UK Welfare bill so travel maybe more of a social divide not on driveways but a UK society that is more frugal with its welfare money it hands out and less tax reliefs, and more taxes, meaning less people can travel as much as cannot afford it. I started with nothing, a £25 loan from my Dad which I repaid in a couple of months. Technology will solve no driveways but by FSD cars, BEV of course.

I think you made a great choice in both counts, model and drivetrain. There is only to gain in all fronts, except tight manouvering and obviously fuel consumption when pinned against a TDi. As for the rest ... ❤️

Send VIN in PM and list of part numbers you need

Looks like ECS tuning one but with a different sticker like here

Some good news, the heads not cracked! So that’s a result, “just” a HG failure. So about spend £1k on parts to put it back together and some “while im in there jobs”. I will finish this thread once it’s back up and running without issue but it’s been quite the introduction to Skodas. lol.

A Dolomite Sprint, just around the corner from my house: Gaz

Ah that’s annoying. This is the kodiaq one from the same brand as I used: https://a.aliexpress.com/_EQe9mI6

Tell them to sort a second key and get it all (including the key you've got and the immobiliser) recoded.

I took it to a tuner a couple of weeks ago and they said they could either send the ECU to Germany to be unlocked or I can just wait until somebody in the future finds a way to unlock it. The only other option is to get a tuning box but I’m not really very keen on these as they just trick the ECU. I will probably just leave it as standard for the time being

Check to see if it has a spare wheel or that horrible gunk you spray into a flat tyre which, if it has, will almost certainly be out of date. Plenty of get you home wheels and jacks on Ebay. Also consider the adjustable boot floor.

They are worth quite a bit of money, those things. They look and sound tremendous on the rare occasion I've seen one. Well done to the owner for not parking it up in a garage as an investment

EVs above £50000 now incur the luxury car extra tax, not £40000.

Not sure about the first locking but all subsequent lockings where because you unlocked it but didn't open the door.

looks good mate, exactly same model and colour as my 2 year old one to 🙂 I have been fairly happy and trouble free over my 2 years ownership, the only downside for me is its not much fun to drive and I find the 1.5 lacking in torque and just pickup from low down revs. but I think thats probably as I came from owning 2.0 Diesels for past 20 years and my last one was a remap to with 195bhp and 410nm torque. its a shame the ECU is locked on this one or I would get a remap done.

There you go...

Will this scenario work getting two people, two suitcases, Dog plus food and a mobility scooter from Lancashire to Devon?

Hello All, figured i'd make a post now i've rejoined the fold! Many moons ago i got seen off with possibly the worst Octavia MK1 to ever grace the roads of the UK, faults multiple and various (Including a mirror bodged into the warning lights, to allow the check engine light to be hidden!) which soured me on VAG stuff as a whole for the longest time. Fast forward 10 years, Missus finds a twofer - a Mk1 VW LT35 horsebox, and a Polo 6N2 for me to run round in. Huh, maybe VAG stuff is ok and i just got a bad one... fast forward a little more, and i'm now the proud owner of a 2012 Fabia MK2 Scout (105 Hp CAYC 1.6 Diesel, cause what could go wrong with that :) ) Special laptop based diagnostic tool is in the post, already fixing bits (blower resistor changed literally 5 mins ago) Apologies to all the Fabia owners here, but i'm definately gonna be picking your brains over the next couple of....well....i guess you're stuck with me now!

Bought it from Radcliffe! Started life supplied by Robert Eardley & Sons and went to someone in Sandbach who owned it for quite some time. I'm keeper number 5, but the last two have spent decent money before parting ways - not sure how to look at that yet. Main thing is that it's tidier than my last one. I was going to put my own plate on, but I might keep the knob reg for a laugh.

@mattbacon Who ever told you the DSG you had was sealed for life? Wet Clutch 6 speed DQ250 DSG,s were never sealed for life. They were @40,000 miles. DQ200 7 Speed Twin Dry Clutch DSG,s had no Service Schedule. They were and are not sealed for life. A 7 speed DQ381 DSG schedule is at 80,000 miles and Skoda / Skoda Dealers say the Oil filter needs changed at the 2nd Service. A total nonsense really. Best you decide if you want to have done sooner and the filter changed at each service.

The key is of course, home charging.

Yes. The set should consist of the car specific kit, foot pack and bars.

Well folks, it's time to resurrect this thread for our second attempt at taking delivery of our car which, this time, we are calling Rosie 2. My dealer has been in touch, sent across the VIN and a photo of our car sitting in the compound, pre-PDI. All being well, we hope to collect her in early-September. Since we sold our Range Rover Velar back in February, in anticipation of collecting Rosie 1, we have made do with our two seater MB SLC200. Cozy! However, we had to take an Avis Hire car last weekend because there were five of us commuting to Novara from Como, Italy - about an hour each way mainly on 130kph autostrada. Avis gave us the keys to a BYD Seal 6 PHEV saloon. You can get these in Estate body too. Hence, we wondered what the Seal would be like in comparison to the Skoda Superb. For about 30mins following pickup of the hire car our hearts sank. The Seal 6 has a cabin almost as big as the Superb, a load area that in Estate form is just a few litres shy of the ICE Superbs, despite being a PHEV and it was so quiet running out of Como towards the autostrada choosing itself when to deploy the battery or 1.5 engine (are all Chinese cars running a 1.5 engine 😅). We spoke to each other and asked how the Chinese can deliver such a car for the money - between about £32k to £38k approx in the UK). Needless to say, we are paying considerably more for our Superb. But then reality began to emerge. If it's too good to be true it probably is. And it was. Although many of the cabin plastics look okay they are really cheap to the touch. Worst offenders are the internal door release handles, an object you touch frequently, and the centre console between the two front occupants, grey plastic that reminded me of my 2001 Vectra or the central dashboard of a Ford Focus during the 1990s, minus the buttons. Really cheap. The auto climate control has a mind of its own. It is so noisy that you need to raise your voices above it. The booster fan is not the culprit. It seems like the air ducting is poorly designed because the noise is from the airflow, even though the flow is nothing exceptional. We ended up having to set the fan speed ourselves to reduce the airflow because of the noise. The two front centre vents are set below the iPad screen, low down and weird. I guess it doubles as cooling for the wireless charge pad for mobiles, except wireless charging is only available on the next trim up. The suspension is unsophisticated and unsettled, especially at motorway speeds. The autostrada from Como to Milan is extremely smooth but somehow the Seal managed to feel fidgety and we could sense vibration through the floor of the cabin into the soles of our feet. Speaking of feet, they get tired in the Seal. The reason why, for a PHEV, the boot is so large compared to the Superb PHEV is because the battery seems to extend under the cabin floor. The floor is therefore raised but the seats are set too low to the floor. You sit with your knees pointing upward at an angle with a lack of support under your thighs. Much of your weight remains on your feet which is why they feel fatigued after a while. The two outermost rear passengers complained that the ISOfix covers were digging into them after a while. However, the middle seat passenger was happy because the floor back there is completely flat. Every cloud has a silver lining. I won't even mention the intrusive driver safety systems, other than the fact that they are time consuming to switch off (where allowed) and just looking at the screen generates a driver attention warning. A yawn triggers a driver fatigue warning. You get the picture. To be fair, the money has been spent by BYD on the PHEV system which is impressive at this price point, very impressive. And the kind of toys and cabin elements that initially impress in the showroom or on a short test drive. It is an 'almost but not quite' kind of car. Not the car you look forward to jumping into for a lengthy journey. I have nothing against using a metal stalk to prop up the bonnet - it's reliable and lighter than hydraulic struts - but in 2026 this alone tells you where BYD placed the emphasis on the budget for this car. The more expensive R&D for the suspension is not where the money has gone. The Seal impresses initially but the Superb is a better long-term companion, for sure. There is a depth and sophistication to the Superb which is absent from the BYD. While I would welcome the extra money saved remaining in my building society account, I would need to cling to this thought throughout my ownership of the Seal. Quite reassuring really. An MHEV petrol or entry level diesel Superb in SE Technology or SE-L trim is around the same price point. Of course, they are not PHEVs and the Seal boasts that tech. But my money is with the Superb and I sincerely hope Rosie 2 works out over the upcoming months. I will keep you posted. Best wishes.

So been on hear for years but haven't posted in ages. Had a MK1 Octavia 1.8 petrol that did a sterling job of protecting my wife and baby when involved in a crash on the M25 that involved going up the embankment. Had a few Honda Accords and an S-Max before getting a MK3 Octavia 2 litre diesel. Finally took the plunge and bought an 18 plate 280 Superb estate sportline, for more passenger and boot space, as I'm 6'5" have a 15 and 17 year old who aren't short, my wife and the dog. So anyway bought the car 1 week ago, ran if for a week or so locally and have just driven it 500 miles from the Peak District to the west coast of Scotland for a total of 9 hours of driving. Observations are that there is loads more space than the Octy, ACC is awesome, and I'm glad I got the 280 rather than a 190 diesel. Made overtaking on the A9 easy. MPG on the trip up was 32, so not too bad. Ride is way more comfortable than the Octavia, but does wallow a bit over undulations so thinking Bilstein B6s or Koni active shock upgrade at some point. After the journey me and my wife both commented that we were way less fatigued than if we'd have taken the Octavia. So far, so happy.

.DVLA says. McLaren. Year of Manufacture 2006. Date of First Registration 2016. 5400 cc / CO2 emissions 0g/km.

I bags the red one.

60 EUR vs 2000 EUR

BMW Z-1. Totally standard and full BMW service history. Delivered to the bloke's parents in 1990. He said they also have another Z-1 but in yellow!

Mk2 Estate with its original 1.6 crossflow: Family owned for 43 years 😎 Gaz

Parked opposite this little (literally) beauty, dwarfed by the Range Rover next to it. I really had forgotten how small the old minis were - and I, at 6’ 5”, drove one for 80k miles over five years.

I've found this to be a particular problem on single track rural roads. If I meet someone and need to reverse smartly into a passing place, there's nearly always a blade of grass there that causes the brakes to slam on (if I haven't remembered to disable that 'feature'). The other driver waiting to pass must think I'm a total wally!

How about this one? 😂😂

Saw this little gem from 1980 this afternoon: Spoke to the owner - it's his seventh Fiesta 👍 Tip top condition 😎 Then I saw this: I tried to get closer, but a McLaren can seemingly outrun my 8mph mobility scooter - who knew 🤷‍♂️ Gaz

I’m not exactly qualified to respond to some of the questions posed by Arianne. ( but that’s not going to stop me 😂 ) I’m two and a half years into ownership of an L&K Kodiaq 200hp Tdi. I have just ordered a Superb Estate L&K ( now 193hp) Tdi. Build quality and reliability on the Kodiaq has been excellent, which is why I am comfortable going with Skoda again. Like you, I want a proper car again rather than a faux truck, SUV ,or crossover , or whatever moniker the marketeers and motoring journalists are using this week. I came to the Kodiaq after 8 years with a Mercedes E class estate. I tow a large and heavy caravan and launch and recover a 5m Rib from a soft sand beach - hence wanting four wheel drive. I had to be pulled out of axle deep sand a couple of times with the Merc , the car was fine, but the damage to my ‘best driver in the world’ ego was catastrophic 🤣 The Skoda has performed it’s beach duties faultlessly. Diesel v petrol ? I understand the noise concerns, but when getting over ( just) 30mpg towing the caravan, frequently seeing the right side of 55mpg on solo journeys and even getting mid 40’s when I drive it like I’ve stolen it. Going diesel again on the Superb wasn’t a difficult decision. Just as you have the SLC for blowing away the cobwebs Arianne, I ride a motorbike which hits a limiter at 186mph ( allegedly your honour )and Mrs Busa-Boy has a Mini convertible which she occasionally allows me to play with, so catching pigeons in the car is of little interest, I need grunt. I’m hopeful of even more impressive figures with the Superb with its lower drag coefficient. The 800+ miles on a tank of fuel is a bonus too. Spec wise - no need to spend hours on the configurator, tick the sun roof and tow bar, done. Oh, and after a rush of blood I’ve gone for 19’s - I’ll rely on the DCC to keep my dental fillings in situ. Arianne - a couple of things from your posts which puzzled me a little ………. You raised concerns about developing mileage anxiety when financing a previous car on PCP . My current Skoda was funded on a PCP ( for the first time in my life - but Skoda were offering 0% at the time ) It’s on 10,000 p.a. With a guaranteed residual/settlement figure - who cares about mileage ? At the end of the period if I’ve exceeded 30,000 miles, I’ll just buy it. The other observation I would make ( at the risk of being a little cheeky ) you mention in passing, a second home on Lake Como and frequent skiing trips to Austria. That might suggest that budgeting is not as critical for you as it may be for many Skoda customers. Buy the car, give it a whirl to the end of the warranty, then make the decision to stick with your plan and run it for seven or eight years, or flop it and get something else. I am even older than you ! ( by some margin unfortunately) so a certain Liverpudlian Mr Lennon’s quote “Life is what happens while you’re making plans” rings true for me - just buy the car ! Finally, I am totally perplexed by one recurring issue in your posts, …………. Do you really allow Mrs A input into the Next Car decision making process ? 😳 😂😂

Found on a German Autotrader site. Smart Roadster six wheeler. https://m.mobile.de/auto-inserat/smart-smart-roadster-noch-einer-wie-keiner-geldern/229817699.html?utm_campaign=PaidSocial%3EDE%3EMotors%3ECars%3ECore%3Edynamic_product_ads__n-sp-fb-i-c-a-a&utm_content=FRame_one_&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=120228756720440634&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMEf_tleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHqD0lcU48KkeMa2xfE5FKaFyABwAe2Fp54-0z7cDwq7QRwRr_AzBXG9_gVIa_aem_oXwL_H_OkLJEqW-1qlZMYw

So I fixed the issue and I want to share how I did it 😁 I bought new part. Factory installed module V426 was number 5Q0907511A but part available in official distribution currently has new number 5WA907511C (note, that I write about part for Denso HVAC unit). Removing the dashboard is not required to replace V426/V428 module (in LHD vehicles) although the official service manual begins with this step. Access to this part is possible from the bottom - under steering column or as you prefer: above pedals. If you want to do that without removing the dashboard you should remove knee airbag (mounted on 3 torx screw) and next: remove left footwel vent (mounted on only one torx screw). You don't must unplug knee airbag, you just need to unscrew it and rest against on the center tunnel. When you remove this two parts, you get access to problematic servomotor. Be very careful when removing screws from V426, because when they fall, it will be very difficult to locate and remove them. With the screws removed, you remove the module from the climatronic mechanism axis, and then you need to unplug the plug - a small screwdriver may be useful, but there's not much space to work with both hands. In fact there is no space, so you have to work in a truly paralytic position. When you disconnect the plug, the module is ready to be removed. I have one advice for you: before you start unscrewing the module, restore power to the car and turn on the ignition. Next, turn on the ventilation and switch the airflow directions (face, feet, windshield) looking in front of the removed footwell vent, watch if the flaps inside the HVAC unit moves when you click the buttons on the air conditioning panel. In my case, the flaps were dead. Mounting new part - now the true play starts. Step one: connect the plug to new module but not try to mount it yet. Next: turn on ignition and try to choose combination of climatronic switches to set up new module in position which allows to to mounting its on axle of HVAC unit (in other words: you have to set the new motor in the same position as the old, disassembled module was in) When the axle and new part is synchronized, you mount servomotor on the place. Then you screw the motor with two screws: at the bottom and top. Installing the top mounting screw is dramatically difficult. Putting the top mounting screw is so heavy because there is no space at all to grab it with even two fingers. A moment of inattention and the screw drops, and its find is another challenge. When you screwed the motor with the two screws, turn on the ignition and check the flaps again during switching the airflow direction on the air conditioning panel. In my car the flaps came to life. You will also need to perform adaptation and read errors from the HVAC controller. The adaptation can be started on the air conditioning panel - turn on the airflow: to the windshield, to the legs and to the face vents, and then press "AC" + "front vents" buttons at the same time for 3 seconds. When its finish again check errors in HVAC module and clean them. If adaptation was finished correctly errors shouldn't back. During adaptation you can observing via left footwel vent that flaps are working right. At the end you mount again footwell vent and knee airbag and are you going for a test ride to testing that HVAC works right. If you unplugged battery you should also make test ride for few km's, next check and clear faults in all car modules. In authorized Skoda service center in Polad repair of this issue costs about 450 EUR (with dashboard and central tunnel removing). I repaired myself this fault for the price of about 70 EUR 🤭 However a lot of self-denial is required for made it. Good luck 😁 and sorry for my English...

There are multiple ways to help those without drive ways. I like the roll of street charging and lampposts are one good way as well as standalone street chargers. When my employer owned Source London I was involved in the import of the equipment and it is surprising hyst how expensive these units are. Those of use who have chargers fitted to our houses it is paid for one way or another. Partial grant under the lady Con government softened the financial cost but it still was hundres of pounds to fork out. Wallbox fitment is standard rated for VAT so UK government got a dose of tax from that at the time. My first two properties i lived in did not have drives but third onward did and having EVs is just logical. Yes I do publuc charge and whilst Sunak entirely dodged the full VAT rate on public charging i would like to see public charging VAT rate come down to get more ICE vehicles off the road as part of the carrot rather than just ever higher oil prices due to Middke East wars and gready oil and gas companies. Like previous governments gave remote areas excise cuts of about 10% i would like to see similar for EV charging as I want to do the 500 mile Highland loop as good chargers everywhere in the uk should be a thing.