Leaderboard

Moment of joy... we found this little tacker fallen out of his nest up the driveway, just hasn't quite got his wings yet. We put him in a makeshift nest in a box by the back door, Mum and Dad magpie usually come to our back door to get food so we were really happy when they came along and fed him. They come and feed him regularly now and we take him inside at night time so the cats and foxes don't make dinner of him. Funny thing is the parents are usually super protective of their young and will aggressively swoop you and attack if you even come near the nest but they seem to trust us with their little fella, even let us hold it while they're watching.

Letter arrived in the post this morning. I am now in isolation prior to D-Day - going in for a Total Hip Replacement 12th October! My journey into becoming a cyborg is suddenly starting to feel very real. Gaz

Ooh yum, I did some on the offset smoker on the weekend too! 9 hours low and slow over redgum and cherry smoke, ended up exquisite 👌

Great job of concealing the cable StealthRS245, that is heartwarming

Harissa Chicken with Vine Tomatoes, Onions, Sweet Potato, Pointed Peppers and Spinach. 😋😋

Well that’s the Fabia vrs sold have owned two furbs over 5 years first one being a silver one with mild map which owned the longest. The last one I had owned for just over a year and a half with all the bells and whistles 250bhp 500nm. But picked up a rare vw polo gt tdi 2005 3 door full votex kitted absolutely stole it aswell got big plans for it just in the middle of fitting all the handling parts for It brakes polybushes coilovers etc etc then I’ll move onto the power side of things. But I’ll say farewell to the page I might keep yall posted on the none Skoda topics

Another Race Blue Sportline, only the little engine though. I picked it up in Saturday and very happy so far.

Calm down ladies......let me explain Firstly the belt does not run in oil, someone is confusing this with Ford Ecoboost engine designs. There is no MUST about cambelt changes, they are recommendations only, in any case any car over 5 years will normally be out of warranty so no claim would be possible. But heres some detail...... The 5yr/60000 mile recommendation is a Skoda UK (official importer) thing. Lots, but not all dealers will follow that, except some try it on at 4yrs/40,000 miles. Skoda factory maintenance manuals on the other hand state that its recommended the cambelt is examined at 5yrs/120,000 (iirc) miles and give a detailed procedure of how to examine and what to check. Then take appropriate action, change the belt or leave it for another 2 years/20,000 miles and re examine. Until the mileage limit of 120,000* is hit then change it regardless of condition. A number of design innovations supposedly make this possible. Firstly the belt drive is quite simple, no driving the water pump directly, which is now driven by another much smaller belt at the opposite end of the camshaft. The sprockets are of a CTC oval design which reduces repetitive tension stress. The belt material and construction used are now much more long lived and its now quite a beefy wide belt . The valves are actuated by low friction roller rocker fingers again reducing load. SSP-511_The_New_EA211_Petrol_Engine_Family.pdfpdf Both Continental, who came up with this innovation over many years of development and VAG have stated at various times in promotional and technical papers that the belt is now a "lifetime" part, but its also obvious that when it dies its life is over. There is also the other vacuum cleaner size toothed belt at the other end of the camshaft that drives the water pump, but its not so instantly disastrous if that were to break. Hope this help you all understand EA211 cambelts and make informed decisions. *120,000 is my recollection, but it may be 110,000 or even 130,000 miles. In my experience its unlikely a UK skoda dealer would carry out such an inspection even if asked.

nah, them lads are gone international, theyre not interested in small local jobs anymore theres also a better margin in selling people gates, then selling the same gates to someone else.....

... unless the team has a prancing horse badge.

Finally added the hardware to complete the 9VD Audi/SEAT Sound System retrofit. This isn’t a config Skoda ever offered and I’m very sure this is unique in an Octy so far. With some VCP magic it’s possible to load the 5 channel EQ and activate sub and centre speaker pins on the Columbus radios so I did it and with the extra speakers added I’m really happy! It’s no custom build and it’s not quite as powerful as the CANTON system (though I also have the cheeky ‘Sound by CANTON’ splash screen 😬 but I’m really happy. YouTube will compress the hell out of this but hopefully you can hear the centre speaker and sub working. That needs time to bed in a bit but I’m happy it’s added some low end for now. I need to adjust the grill a bit as it’s not gone back in quite perfectly but that’s a job for later. For now I’m happy the stereo system finally has some decent punch and all for under £130.

Are they doing software updates over the air, a la Tesla? But doing it in the Microsoft 365 style whch is to fk up all your other hard won settings in the process?

Don't mix all-season and 'normal' tyres. If you have to drive in snow, the car could spin. Goodyear all-seasons are very well reviewed. All-season plus summer tyres is even worse.

You can watch how tyres go on rims in a factory on Youtube. Tyre Fitters in a Tyre & Exhaust centre clamp the wheels differently. Some are hashy and damage the wheels, or clamp not in the centre bore only. Some are hashy just moving wheels / tyres from the car to the Tyre Fitting Machine, then the Wheel Balancer, and back to the car.

VW Group have a partial solution for the 1.5TSI EVO and issues with DSG's. They are going to have the 1.5 TSI with a DSG as a Mild Hybrid only and also do the same with the 1.0TSI's with DSG. So pulling away will be in Electric mode, and much smother and will do very nicely for the WLTP & RDE2. That is the future, if you can not sort it then bodge it. As to the Manuals, then VW keep on about super efficient new gearboxes. No idea if they are now fitting these or not and if they can 'fix' the issues that have the cars perform poorly when cold or starting off while still cheating the WLTP / RDE2 results.

The version of that I used to have of that ended with UK Corporation You have two cows. They are both mad.

I've said pretty much the same more than once myself. A very unpopular sentiment with the total fans and the newer is automatically better brigade. This thinking is precisely why VAG have gotten away with so much for so long, that and a motoring press too easily impressed by infotainment systems and 'assists'. For me the particular annoyance is that the 1.5 TSI is the important engine. 1.0TSI - Gutless, vRS iV - too dear, too complicated and DSG All Diesels - Great Torque...... but - regen, regen and more regen with a side order of regen So unless they fix the 1.5 it's not a case of an Octavia with a different engine, its a case of a different car altogether in future.

Both myself and my son have Octavias with the 1.0 litre 3 cylinder engine. They are fine for us and will cruise at 70 mph all day long. The engine is much nippier than you think. Why not have a test drive in one so you can see for yourself.

A bit in the wilderness.

First, just to comment that the VAG got their cooling systems right, I have never, across 3 hard worked VAG vehicles seen the temp needle go past plumb vertical. Second, the exhaust started to blow, on the 10 year old car, a quick pH call to JW down at Castleroe, Coleraine, diagnosed the problem, instantly, the sliding SS component that links the front and rear sections had failed, in that the mild steel clamp had rusted through. BUT everything else was as sound as a bell and very very fresh looking, for a comestically neglected 10 year old car. Just wanted to say sommat positive. Marcus

rabbit

Thanks

Holding parking tickets and alike. To remove it, you need to remove the A-pillar and then I believe there is a single bolt holding it in place

That's the one

The 1.5TSi. I couldn't really justify the 2.0 for the driving that I do.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is a great film if you like a bit of left field thinking (and don't mind subtitles). I would describe it as the worlds first and only 'French- Wushu- Werewolf- Period drama', yet made. It also has one of the most gorgeous fight scenes I've ever seen. It's a strangely beautiful film and complete bonkers if you think about it too hard. Well worth a watch and most critics thoroughly enjoyed it

My favourite Godzilla film of recent times was Shin Godzilla. An unusual take, a weird Godzilla and fab music. Really enjoyed the scale of it all Btw Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (I think it was called Godzilla v the Cosmic Monster here) is a Showa era film just like Mothra v Godzilla He's my favourite monster, much betterererer than King Kong

This link on national tyres is the Continental AllSeasonContact in size 185/55R15 86H. It's a good all-season tyre. Not the same as the TS860 which Continental classify as a winter tyre. Both tyres do well in tyre reviews. https://www.national.co.uk/tyres-search?width=185&profile=55&diameter=15&rating=H~&loadindex=&pattern=allseasoncontact However, Vredestein has just brought out a new all-season tyre called Quatrac. It replaces the Quatrac 5. Some sizes are being released now, other sizes won't be available until 2021. It came 2nd out of 32 all-season tyres in this month's autobild all-season tyre review. Goodyear G3 came in 1st place. https://www.autodoc.co.uk/tyres/vredestein-8714692358241-ap18555015hqt6a00 autobild September 2020 all-season tyre review https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2020-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

All seasons can be the best of both worlds or compromised in both summer and winter. If you are not the type to drive your car to its full capability then an all season on the UK is a good fit and forget. If you are likely to push a bit harder then a dedicated set for each half year is a much better option. As commented above, winter tyres are not snow tyres. They are just more suited to colder average temps and clear water much better. Yes they are more suited to snow compared to a summer tyre but a full snow tyre they are not. If you go to a tyre shop in the UK asking for winter tyres they will offer you rubber suited to driving on UK roads in the winter unless you ask for specific snow tyres.

I think it has. But I’m also keeping it mind that these rumours fly around every time an iOS update comes out and that I may just be seeing something that isn’t there. A placebo if you will.

Some autoboxes had a similar issue. Jeep used the same gearbox on the big 5.7V8 Petrols and the 2.8 diesels. The petrol pushed out more torque and considerably more power but the gearbox was failing on the diesel. This was found to be the pulse loading from the 4 pot diesel that would shred the lockup clutch and destroy the torque converter splines. V8 with more power and torque no problems. On subsequent boxes they fitted a "Torsional Damper" basically a DMF that the lockup clutch mated to to protect the lockup clutch, torque converter and splines. On a manual it's whatever is the weakest, clutch or gears? If you fit a SMF in place of the DMF and fit an upgraded clutch then the gears will see that pulse load. The 5 speed box is weak to begin with, I wouldn't fancy it's chances with a remapped engine, SMF and upgraded clutch.

Attack

counter

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/482795-looking-to-improve-grip-handling-of-20-tsi-220-ps/?tab=comments#comment-5426375 i posted some stuff in the thread above, also strut brace - subtle effect cutting down chatter through the wheel when cornering on bumpy roads front and rear arbs - brilliant upgrade bilstein spring/shocks moderateimprovement although fitted at the same time as my arbs michelin ps4 tyres (im running 18s) and get a proper hunter 4 wheel alignment - this is what i would do first!

My 2019 came with OEM-fit Goodyear Eco Somethings; 185/50/16. They seem perfectly good - grip, turn in, aquaplane resistance, emergency braking in the wet all seem perfectly fine. I run comfort pressure settings as the 50-ratio is arguably a bit stiff on ride. I have tried loads of brands and types in the last 45 years on many, many cars, but while stuff changes all the time, it's all swings and roundabouts and endless consumer marketing..... The thing is, when you replace old, worn-out tyres with new ones, they always feel amazing, no matter what they are. These days, I tend to just look at the wet grip rating and the price, as I'm no longer driving on the limit of lateral adhesion or doing 4-wheel drifts so much. Unlike quite a few people entering supermarket car parks at peak times, or on narrow roads where they can't see a thing ahead.... Just look for a good deal unless you are being bankrolled by Mercedes F1....

I've a few brochures that may be of use, one from Nov '17, one from Jan '18 and a final one from July '18. I've also got some from '19 if needed (I was toying with buying a Superb for entirely too long...) 11-17 superb_pricing_specs.pdf 1-18 superb_pricing_specs.pdf 7-18 superb_pricing_specs.pdf

Mine is worst between 1st and 2nd. And in reverse. I’ve just performed a new “basic setting” of the DSG via VCDS tool, and performed the proposed test drives. it seems to have helped. time will show if it is only short term.

@richard999, and if you have any question regarding the DIY process, then let me know.

Which is NOT what Skoda UK say - they say the cambelt on the 1.4TSI should be changed every 5 years regardless of mileage. I also have a 1.4 TSI Octavia (Elegance spec) and agree it's a great engine - having come from a 4.2litre Audi RS4 I do miss that level of performance but in reality it's perfectly adequate to keep up with the traffic flow even on the steep hills in north Devon!

If you're curious and don't know what this intake sounds like, here you go

This is what I got from ebay Skoda brilliant silver 2011 alloy wheel & rim paint repair kit for scuffs £12.95 from Aceparts-uk

I’m dropping suspension (h&r springs 30mm rear 50mm front) and fitting 15mm wheel spacers all round shortly and will definitely be having wheel alignment and tracking done after that

If Ford can't guarantee the doors won't unlock then presumably they also can't guarantee the brakes will work or the airbags will deploy

Leon, is one of my all time favourite films. It stars the gorgeous Jean Reno (I have no idea why I find him so attractive, probably that voice and accent ) and a very young Natalie Portman. It's about a little girl that tries to hire a hitman. Currently, it doesn't appear to be free anywhere, but It's worth a rent if you like an unusual thriller and one made by Luc Besson before he lost the plot (The Big Blue is another strange and very captivating one of his films)

Hitting the 'Confirm this transaction' button and paying my credit card off. Officially debt free

They are quite addictive. On my third Mk3 Octavia since 2013.

You can tell the strut size by the brake discs size too, 288mm or 312mm will be 55mm strut whereas 280mm will be 50mm strut diameter