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Probably a little squeek!

Thanks guys, conditions were certainly tricky. Going from race wets on the GT-R to road tyres on the Focus caught me out a little but other than that nothing too serious. Thanks for supporting the event and coming along.

Evening all, back after a break I bought an Auto Express for the first time in ages (used to have a subscription) and flicked through eagerly looking for new exciting stuff. It dawned on me; I am liking new cars less and less and nothing is making me excited or curious now, we just seem to get more and more tech and less and less practicality. I see less clever designand more design by committee and an ever shorter lifespan due to the huge cost of sorting electronic complexity and ever more complex drive-trains which will make a vehicle uneconomical to repair when they fail. We've conquered rust and leaks and general ageing of the materials, but built in obsolescence of the electronics, turbos, superchargers and safety kit (eg active bonnets). This march towards being a passenger rather than a driver without the obvious advantage of being autonomous back from the pub is turning me off completely. What happened to car seats that fold flat to form a double bed? Where's the tool kit, spare wheel and practical stuff? Why are all cars not supplied with a fire extinguisher safely mounted? A first aid kit and triangle? Why do we have rubber mats over carpet rather than rubber floors with carpet mats over? Why do we have to have an SUV to get ground clearance, unlike most Russian cars which get decent clearance as standard? What is this nonsense about sportiness and stupid big wheels? Give me huge sidewalls and soft suspension! Why the awful visibility and high dashboards? Why complicate everything-my cars have clutch and throttle cables, not potentiometers, can-bus, ECU involvement and actuators or hydraulics... Why all these stupid fashion LED/Xenon/cornering lights when a decent lens H4 unit with upgrade bulbs works far better? Why no temperature gauges on many new cars? I don't want a red light to let me know it is about to blow... I use my cars as a comfortable refuge or a mobile part of home and have drinks, food, books, blankets etc on board and see every journey as an adventure. My first cars were Lada Rivas and these were superb, but the modern day alternative is the Dacia, which loses a lot of the functionality and durability for a higher price. I've seen excellent design in so many of the 300+ cars I have owned, there's often an excellent design in each car, but not a full package: The rechargeable torch in the Favorit The tough underside and decent ground clearance of a lot of my old cars The double bed in the Lada Riva, along with the soft rubber ends on the bumpers that "give" and leave a removable black mark The full size spare, bonnet light, plug in torch and full took kit in the Riva too The removable seats in the 2CV which all are freestanding, ideal for a picnic The hammock back seat in the base old Panda which swapped from seat to an ace secure storage spot in seconds The flip down rear seats in the Sirion/Myvi and 90 degree opening rear doors which mean a cooker can go in the back from the side The manual driver's mirror and electric nearside mirror of the Berlingo-the one you hit is reachable and cheaper to replace The integrated child boosters in some Volvos The family view second mirror in some MPVs I could go on (!) Give me a strong, basic, endearing car with a decent quality drivetrain and practicality, soft suspension and decent ground clearance; let me service it and bond with it and keep it for years. I don't want huge depreciation or stupid costs. Oh, and let the seats fold into a bed. I wish Renault group brought in the Lada range to the UK (I know the Niva 4x4 is imported new by one place even now) and take Dacia up a level, the Granta looks decent and costs £3500 for the base model in Russia...check out the ground clearance on that for a non-SUV!! I'm just seeing more tech and less bright ideas, anyone enlighten me of clever stuff and durability of new stuff? What was the best feature of your cars old and new? I liked the old Skoda and respect the new Skoda but want the rust proofing and reliability without the tech and poshness!

Skoda want you to feel paranoid , they want to keep control , they don't want you saving a fortune at your independant

So we all want dealers to be straight with us and repair faults inside and quite often, outside of warranty with goodwill thrown in. However we also want to present cars for fault diagnosis and warranty-type repair, hiding the fact that they've been been used with non-standard out-of-parameter software and possible additional stress on components. Sounds perfectly fair to me.

The Brisk Rover was going quite well until the exhaust snapped Had fun while it lasted though, certainly had to concentrate to keep it on the black bit.

Oh, really? Just ask the indy to give you a print of the work done and file it.

I may be wrong but I think it is a dealer ( or perhaps vcds?) visit to alter Xenons as they self level.

Auto Perfection keeps impressing me to this day. Evolve Hybrid Wax - i've used it on many cars, family & friends but never actually put a coat on the vRS. Temps were fairly low yesterday, very damp in the air too. Layered Evolve on with the Handi Puk, left to cure for around 15 minutes & buffed with a plush Carpro Boa. Came off like a dream.. left a stunning finish aswell.

I suppose the crux of it is that new cars are designed to appeal to those who like 'new things' rather than those who like cars. Consumerism in other words. Yuk.

Alright everyone. I'm Simon from Aberdeenshire. My new Octavia vRS should be delivered a week tomorrow. Previously had an RS3 running 440 BHP so the diesel Octavia will be a shock to the system. Decided on the skoda as I have a dog and needed the estate plus I had OCD with the RS3 and would never of taken a dog in it. Also have a few bikes which are my first love.

Hey guys, I thought I'd finally post my introduction after being surfing in the background for months.. My name is Harris and I've been fortunate enough to take over Rob Clubley's Octavia Mk1 estate on the 21st July this year! Thank you for taking the time to read, cheers (:

Some footage from inside the Brisk Rover which seemed to be holding it's own in the slippy conditions. Bit of a moment just after 9m 45 seconds. Kept it on the black stuff though because clearly I am an actual hero

Hi Graham. Couldn't you ask the same thing in a more friendly, polite tone? The whole passive aggressive sarcasm / combative vibe can be bit much sometimes and presumably off-putting to some (would be) contributors.

75w ?? Usually 35 or 55 watt I went for 35 5k lights 4300k is a nice oe look Trust me it will be worth it

Blimey! I can send cotton wool for you to wrap the baby Kiwis up in, if that helps.

Who’s a smart arse, then? Yes, it does indeed say “All Season” but then, somewhat confusingly, also “M&S”, which, as you will know, translates into ‘slush & snow’. Furthermore, the tyre tread looks pretty ‘winter’ to me – much heavier than I’ve seen on other so-called ‘all season’ tyres. Anyway, mostly I just thought it was amusing for a rental car to bear a sticker that could be read almost as an apology for the car not being allowed to go over 240 km/h (a touch under 150 mph). Not that that particular car could do it anyway. The car, incidentally, is an Audi A6, which feels awfully cramped with 4 people when accustomed to Superb standards of space. It’s back to the old “could you move up a bit (more), please?” First they offered me an A4 for the class booked, which supposedly included the Superb. How is that comparable?!! The A4 is positively miniscule against the Superb – I suspect an Octavia would be roomier than an A4 and indeed very close to A6.

I tested the superb in Scotland on a mix of roads at a mix of paces Rally car it is not, comfortable it was. Definitely get it checked out if you're not happy. All things mechanical have or can have faults in fabrication. I had some very expensive ( relative ) shocks and found them to be leaking, but only after taking them apart... only a niggling doubt made me investigate. @Škoda haters club, got it... wrong place though.

Did any of the vans have wobbly wheels??

We have a very modern car ( Yeti L&K ) & and old car that was bought as a summer toy ( mk2.5 MX5), and we both prefer the MX5. Personally & I suspect that SWMBO would agree with me that if we had to get rid of 1 of them, it would be the Yeti, even though it is more practical than the 5. The modern cars that everyone buys are no longer driven, they are so close to driving you, that you might as well take a taxi, it is only the exception and expensive cars that you have to drive and even those that don't have all the electronic trickery are very few. I am all for safety and helping save the planet, but not at the cost of making driving lazy, or lining the pockets of the manufacturers who get away with lying about mpg & emissions. I had to replace a bulb in the MX5 a few days ago - because it was an HB4 - £7 to replace, and less that 3 mins of my time, I dare not even think about how much it will cost and the complete P.I.T.A. it will be to access to do the Yeti. Modern changes are taking away the ability for DIY fixing, and not just cars, A simple bulb change, is now either a dismantling of the wheel arch, or undertray to get to it possibly worse replace the whole unit. With a PC, how many people here could get as a DOS prompt to sort out a PC, and how difficult is it to do that now ?

Looking good Karl :thumbup: Auto Perfection is pretty much unbeatable IMO. Easy to use, very flexible, good pricing and support....and amazing results!

Well... Excellent advice from everyone. I've reflowed those solder joints today and all the warning lights have gone - and the fuel gauge works! I'm sure if I'd gone to the garage it would have cost hundreds. To anyone who wants to try it themselves - it took 20 minutes and was easy even for an amateur like me. Thanks again for all your help.

Autosmart has been on my radar recently. Red7 looks worth a try - something i will hopefully try soon.

Thanks for the comment mate. I know my usual wash n wax pics must get boring for regulars on here. Every so often i do try and mix it up a bit.... :thumbup: I should get the DSLR soon for a good photo session on the Z4 really.

Well might just beat you there for the wooden spoon, got the car in Jan this year and I've just clicked over to 6200 miles. Great car I just work away a lot so I dont drive the car very often. It has a good run to france and back in August and I must say very impressed no problems really good performance from such a small engine 1.4 tsi act. Absolutely love the car with no faults.

Well worth a try at that price :clap:

Quite. TBH, as long as all manufacturers use the same test, and we all know that it is under "lab" conditions, then we have a basis for comparison, even if it is not "real"

Hi Newbies This part of the forum is basically just for saying hello... and you can let us a know a bit about yourself and your car if you so wish. If you have a specific query, we would be grateful if you could post it in the relevant section… For example, you need advice on a battery for your Octavia?... then post it in the Octavia mk1, mk2 or mk3 section…whichever model applies to yours. You want to know what polish is best for your car's colour?… then post in the Styling and Car Care section etc etc... I promise you will get more views/replies that way, and also save us Mods a job moving it for you One final tip… If you need to know the answer to a question, chances are its been asked before, so try the search bar in the top right of the screen (Sometimes best to use general terms rather than be too specific for better results) Thanks, and Welcome to Briskoda

Thanks for the replies everyone - yeah i can live without the start stop. In the habit now of just switching it off before i drive off. Have to also now remember to turn off anything connected to the power sockets! Compared to previous cars i've owned/driven, for the performance this car has, the fuel economy is actually quite impressive. At the moment I only do very short trips, and with a heavy right foot so really can't complain with the returns i'm getting. I just think a slighter larger tank would have been great. On the highways though the car is very economical! Anyway i'm happy to hear that there is potential for improvements to the Canton as it beds in a bit - sound quality also seems to vary immensely between different styles of music and the file source so i'll crank it up and see how it goes over the next few months. I've got it set quite similarly it appears to most others - sub up full, bass up, mid decreased, surround off. I might just need better tastes in music to get the most out of it!

I had a 190bhp tdi, don't miss the torque either, though TBH then 220 tsi has a fare amount of torque through a large portion of the rev range, and keeps pulling hard right upto 6-7k rpm !

The exhaust broke so I had to try and keep a low profile when driving home. I think people might have noticed though

Have recently replaced my number plate lights, with ones purchased from Fizzmo (on eBay, a recommended by others on here). They work an absolute treat too. I went for the 4 led (with heatsink) replacements if it helps, and they are bright. (http://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=fizzmocouk&isRefine=true&_pgn=t) No errors at all on my 57 reg Mk II Octavia, but they didn't work that well on my wife's 2010 reg Fabia without flickering :(

White noise was certainly the best on the day, very impressive wax, well priced at 200ml also. Probably the only one I would purchase out of all three!

I know this because I've seen how VAG xenon headlights are put together. Have you any information showing damage to xenon headlights when using the adjustment screws without VCDS? If you were to force an adjustment screw past it's end point then that'll damage it, but that's the same with or without using VCDS.

I did my MX5 timing belt replacement without any difficulty. An example of less (complexity) is more (enjoyable) also. What happened to k.i.s.s. ?.

Yes, looking like they have changed their name again

Winter tyres on here Ooop Norf BillyJim

That's true. Also there are few genuinely bad cars these days to make the others look good. But in the affordable bracket there are also very few cars with character. So we have a lot of dull but competent cars to choose from. A characterful car tends to not fulfil the majority of functions for the average buyer so it becomes niche and expensive.

No while driving on the motorway of course ! I just recline the seat. Stick the auto cruise on and get the popcorn out....:-D

My SE Business has Pirelli tyres fitted, god they are crap. No grip at all in the wet, had the same on Pirelli tyres in the past on various vehicles. Thankfully got a set of winter tyres coming this week.

new to forum..introduction message..looking for info...regards

Have a look at faulty N75 valve/controller for the 1.8t engine range. I'm about to start trouble shooting mine as i think i have the same problem but i dont have a boost gauge so cant be sure. I'll start with MAF disconnect as thats free, then n75 replacement and boost pipes and turbo intake pipe. I havent had those replaced since ownership and the car has just hit 105k. I've had this problem for years but it comes and goes so i've never really bothered with it until I had a twitchy bum moment trying to over take and i had a passenger.... floored it and it felt like i was down about 50hp.. Be interesting to know if you get this resolved! Good luck!

I'll see your £145.80 and raise you a £140.40 http://www.skodaparts.com/product/citigo-auriga-alloy-wheel-15---50310

A bit more bed time reading for you... http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/266114-18tsi-and-20tsi-engine-failures/ For Skoda UK to say they are unaware of the issue is to be expected but totally laughable.

I'm lucky to get to 60 most of the time!!

Saw this on Autotrader earlier, initially i'd only been looking for the 1.2 engine, but ran an insurance quote on this one....unfortunately i dont start my intensive driving course till January... :clap: fully comprehensive price was £713.17...from Tesco...not bad as it'll be my first car. (if/when i pass..aged 39...)

I sooooooo agree! From smart to Fuggly! Glad I'm rolling in a superb Superb wearing a sharp suit.

Bilt-Hamber Auto Wheels is very good and you can get it in 5 Litres containers to

......hope not, they've ruined the Octavia with those gammy head lights!