Bobbyg

Thanks for all your thoughts so far - giving me lots to ponder on. Am still interested in having the thoughts of anyone who has went for the Yeti after looking at Qashqai / ix35 / Kuga type vehicles. The Yeti seems very dear second hand - maybe a sign that they hold value well but, for instance, the cheapest I can see a1.2 Elegance, at less than 1 year old and less than 10k miles, is £17k. However for £17.5k I can get a brand new ix35 premium with all the toys inc heated seats, panormaic suntroof and 5 year warranty?

I am thinking of maybe getting a Yeti but looking for some info and advice from the experts here! I currently have a 2.0 TDI Altea which I have had for 5 years and had it since new. Mileage is 70k so have averaged about 14k pa but feel that this may come down to nearer 12k as the car is not used as much for family holidays. So first of all petrol vs diesel? My daily commute is about 12 miles of which 7 are on motorway and the rest town. Probably about 90% of my driving is done in a radius of 20 miles from my house so not a lot of long journeys, in fact, prob most are half an hour max. Have had diesels going back to my Fabia vrs and right back to my first Citroen ZX. With the advent of DPFs and the price comparison between petrol and diesel (I average 42mpg in my Altea) I reckon a petrol would prove to be the better choice? So if petrol - which version is best? Regarding spec, esentials for me are air con cruise control (I know I don't do many miles but like it when driving on SPECS camera roads) reversing sensors ipod connection rain sensing wipers / lights alloys (pref 16inch) 6 speed economy of 40mpg minimum bluetooth connection would really like one with a panoramic roof but as far as I can see these have always been an option and they are very rare in used. I think I would look for one under a year old, and preferred colours are red (to remind me of my Fabia VRS) or white (especially nice if panoramic roof fitted). Most of the time I am in the car myself but occasionally I allow my black lab into the boot! So any help on engines / spec (what spec should I be looking at for all that) or any general advice would be appreciated. Also, the other cars on my shortlist are Qashqai, Hyundai ix35 - anyone went from one of these to Yeti or have experience of them for comparison purposes? Many thanks for your anticipated help!

Thanks for all the input so far. Looks like its a choice of £6500 trade in or about £7k to sell it privately?

Hi there, am looking at possibly changing my Fabia and was wondering if anyone on here could give me real / actual values that these cars are trading/selling for just now. Mine is a 2005 (05) red 40k miles, just had its first MOT and is totally unmodified. Now Glass's guide via Vauxhall web is showing between 5590 and 6970 as a trade in price depending on condition. A dealer offered me £6500 yesterday. But then I see some of these (allegedly) retailing at up to £8500 - £9k on the Skoda website. Now I know these can then be discounted, depends on trade ins etc etc but there seems to be a huge discrepancy. Even checking completed listings on Ebay is hard as not too many of them seem to sell on there! Anyone either bought ot traded a vrS of similar age to mine willing to let me know how much they got / cost them ?

Well when I picked up my car the prices quoted were as follows: Front pads and discs - supply only £93.50 + vat, £210.91 to include fitting Rear pads and discs - supply only £73.31 + vat, £183.08 to include fitting They also advised me my offside suspension consul bush was worn and this would be £64.71 + vat supply only, or £183.08 to include fitting. Service, MOT and wipers cost £362.16 so if I had also added in the price of all the pads and discs, the consul bush, and the two new rear tyres I also need (just passed MOT and no more), then I would have been talking a bill of between £900-£1000!! Will need to wait till the Visa bill for the service is paid then start picking things off one by one, starting probably with the tyres! I am sure Eurocarparts etc will have pads and discs much cheaper and I might try and tackle them myself, having borrowed my friend's caliper rewind tool and reading the excellent step by step guide thats posted on here! Are all caliper rewind tools the same, my friend bought his for his Scenic, are they all model specific or one size fits all?

My Fabia was in today for its 40,000 mile service and first MOT. Ouch! £360! On top of that they advised me that my front discs and pads will need done before the next service, and my rears are really needing done now. Oh and I will need 2 rear tyres as well very soon! My question is, how much are pads and discs for the Fabia vrS from a dealer for supply only, and also from a car parts place? I will obviously ask the dealer tomorrow when I collect my car but just wondering if there is any input from here? Also are the pads and discs easy to change to the average DIYer? I have done pads and discs before but I struggled with a Scenic as I needed a special tool to loosen the rear calipers on them. Are a Fabias straightforward or am I looking at having to get someone to do them (obviously not at the dealer!) Any advice appreciated!

Can someone do me a favour and measure the height of the drivers seat base from ground level on a normal Roomster? And also on a Scout? I am still having debates with my dad about what is his next car after his current Peugeot 806. He likes the high driving position and is maybe thinking Picasso or Roomster (it has to be an auto which limits choice) But I was wondering what is the height of the drivers seat (ie what height off the ground is your bum!) If the seat is height adjustable what are the top and bottom heights? No rush, but many thanks in advance

Manatee, how did your test drive go?

Thanks for input guys so far. have made enquiries with a couple of dealers (inc Ants cheers mate) but there are very few Auto Roomster 3s in the top half of Britain. OK, there are none!! Looks like if he wants one it would be a new order build with the timescale of Feb ish!

According to the conditions of the 48 hour test drive, maximum age is 70 whereas my dad is 75 so I would need to get it and drive him round in it. Might still be worth a try.

If I am reading the above posts correctly, there are some sales staff from Simpsons who contribute on here? If they are, could you please PM me as I am on the lookout for a Roomster for my dad and I think you have the one he wants! Cheers

Thanks for the replies so far, keep them coming! Me and dad went to look at the cars today. Started off at the Peugeot dealer, here are the keys and off you go,so dad got a good drive for 20 mins to half an hour, no pressure, came back and salesman gave him a price for trade in etc and answered any questions he had. Went to Parks Skoda in Hamilton. Had a Scout in the showroom but we couldn't access the boot cos the battery was flat. Young salesman took us out to look at his own Roomster, although it was a Roomster 1, it still gave us an idea of sizes etc. Went back into showroom, salesman said he had to attend to something and then disappeared! Me and dad hung around the showroom for a further 15 mins, he did not re-appear, so we finally left without getting any further forward! I bought my vrS from Henrys Skoda in Glasgow and was thoroughly delighted with the service I got from there so I will give them a bell tomorrow to see if we can progress any further! Won't be going back to Park's though, thats for sure!

Going today to look at a Roomster and also a Peugeot 307SW auto. It also ticks most boxes but my dad feels it is not high or "boxy" enough. Local dealer only has a Roomster 2 manual so that will let him get a feel but really won't tell him what a 3 auto will be like driving! Wonder if he will have any chance of test driving the auto anywhere in the local vicinity (Lanarkshire), don't think its the model that many will carry as demonstrators!

Hi, my 75 year old dad is thinking of trading his current Peugeot 806hdi manual for a Roomster 3 1.6 Auto. He is obviously downsizing but likes the high up driving position and the boxy style. He was looking at Doblo / Berlingo etc but his priority is automatic and these don't come in Auto and this has whats directed him towards the Roomster and the 1.6 Auto. Most of the time he uses his car for town journeys to the local hospice where he is a volunteer driver (drives the minibus - do you see a pattern here with the driving heights??). But probably every other weekend him and his partner will go a decent drive and probably end up having a picnic. So do you think the Roomster ticks all his boxes? Is the auto a good one, I know it will be different coming from a manual diesel to auto petrol but is the auto any good. He doesn't do sprints away from the traffic lights and doesn't go over 70 on motorways but will the 1.6 feel alright? How is the flexibility in the back for two adults sitting having a picnic with thermos flasks etc? Also how is the storage in the cabin, is it practical? My dad likes to have chargers, thermos cups, bottles of water, mint imperials etc all the time, is their accessible storage for these sorts of things? Any advice on any of the above items would be much appreciated.

Well further to the info on this thread, a few weeks ago took my vrS into Henry's Skoda in Glasgow as one of my alloys had the corrosion / lacquer bubbling. They took photos of it and emailed away to Skoda. Couple of weeks later I get a call that my wheel is in and to come in and get it changed. After speaking to the Service Manager I was allowed to go in and collectthe wheel and take it home over the weekend so that I could apply some polish and Autoglym sealant to it. Took it back into Henry's today to get the wheel changed over. When handing keys over, I asked if there was anything they could do to clean the seats as they were really dirty. On collecting my car I find that not only have they washed the outside, but they have cleaned the seats and they are looking almost like new again! That as well as cleaning windows and hoovering the mats! And not a single penny charged! Henrys, thank you for exceptional service!

My vrS is suffering from the usual internal grubbiness of the seats. I have made things a bit better by using various cleaners etc but feel that I would be just better to put in for a proper internal valet. Anyone recommend a valeter in Lanarkshire / Glasgow area?

Do any of you have any photos you could post which shows the corrosion etc that Skoda have agreed to change. My vrS has a couple of bits / bubbles on it but not sure if this is what has been covered by warranties? Does the rest of the alloy need to be in mint condition for a claim to go through as I have some scrapes, kerbing etc on them but the corrosion, as mentioned above is in the inside where the spokes are razor sharp. Any advice appreciated,

Hi looking for some indication on what i would get for my vrS as the wife wants it swapped for a Beetle :confused: It is totally factory spec other than an AUX cable plugged into rear of Stereo for my mp3 player. A May 2005 05 Reg, 33k miles, 2 owners including myself in Red. As with most vrS, seats are grubby so I will pay to get them professionally cleaned before selling. What sort of price would I get trading it in / privately selling it? I can see prices advertised in the dealerships, Auto Trader etc but you never know what has been ACTUALLY paid for the cars? Also some of my alloys are scraped, is it worth getting these refurbed prior to sell? Would the cost be justified? Any advice appreciated.

And also remember that a lot of couriers are only "Franchise" holders for th emain company so not necessarily have a record of tracking as they may be doing deliveries not disclosed to the head office! I would call police ASAP

Stigdude, unfortunately there really is nothing to take a picture of! Think I posted the ebay link at the atart of the thread and now I have a single cable coming under my dashboard that I plug into the headphone socket of the mp3 player. I too had an FM transmitter but although it was good, it was another thing to rattle around and mine plugged into cig lighter as well so more cables. This way is neat and tidy. As for sound quality, I personally don't think the Symphony is fantastic quality anyway so this sounds as good as the cd/radio, albeit you need to turn the sound up on your mp3 player to make sure sufficient sound on the car stereo.

Just to update you on this. Seller was very helpful, repaired the cable and sent it straight back to me. He was also very prompt in dealing with my email queries. Was a bit fiddly to fit but managed it ok. For now I have just left the lead to hang down the bottom of the dash begind the centre console and I plug it into the mp3 player headphone socket. Suppose if you were a perfectionist then you could feed it through the glovebox or one of the blank switches but for now I will make do with it where it is(when not in use it can be tucked away and no one sees it.) Would recommend for anyone thinking of doing this and if I can DIY it then so can you!

Have emailed the seller after checking the unit carefully I found that one of the cables had came adrift from the plug. I have to return it to him and he will repair and send back so quite hopeful that this will work well. I will post on here once its fully fitted .

Got the head unit removed using the info found on one of the threads here and quoted below: having took my brothers out the other night with the correct tools but still had to strip the dash , i will tell you how to do it 1, pull off the heater surround panel , this is quite easy to do , start at one end and pull , you will now be able to access the bottom of the side trims 2, next pull out the trims either side of the radio , these are quite tight , but seem sturdy enough not to break if pulled hard 3, you will now be able to see a couple of squarish holes either side of the radio , you will need a long, thin screwdriver now , push the screwy through the hole nearest the middle of the radio side and push the shiny steel clip in , you should be able to pull the radio out slightly on that side ,repeat for the other side and the radio should be free However, got evertything connected but only problem is that the feed to the right channel is very poor, left is fine and loud. Have tried all the connectors, have tried different mp3 players and also ensured the radio played through both speakers normally. Have emailed the seller back for advice and will let you know whether I get a satisfacory solution.

Ordered the unit and it arrived today. I am now impatient to fit it and don't have the correct tools to remove the radio. Anyone improvised and used something else to get radio out?

eBay.co.uk: AUDI / VW / SEAT / SKODA Aux-in adapter - NEW (item 230116154150 end time 16-Apr-07 15:07:14 BST) Can anyone tell me if the above item would be suitable for the Symphony Radio/Cd fitted in my 2005 Fabia vrS? Anyone bought one before? Any help appreciated.