Colin170CR

The first signs I got that the battery was on it's way out was that the Start Stop would not cut in. TBH I turn the SS off most of the time because it has a habit of cutting the engine before it comes to a stop which, when approaching a roundabout, can be a real pain if you want to move off smartly.

Doh. After 3 years of ownership I've just found out I've got a virtual pedal on my 2016 L&K. I wondered why the tailgate would sometimes close on it's own accord & now I know. I didn't think it was a std fit on an 2016 L&K so the previous owner must have spec'd it. Just have to watch out when I'm loading shopping into the car that I don't accidentally activate it while leaning into the boot. I found all this out while I was removing an old stainless rear bumper protector & installing a new PVC one. The fit of the Skoda PVC one is a far better fit than the old aftermarket stainless but, it's expensive at £64 ish.

I'm with you on the aching & stiff limbs - washing cars is for younger bones! Surprised your battery has lasted that long. My 2016 L&K battery gave up earlier this year after 6 months of inactivity. Even with regular recharging & trickle charging it still would not hold a charge for more than a couple of days on the drive. OEM batteries seem to fail anywhere from 3 years onwards - i.e. just after the warranty runs out!

I have a 2016 280 (DQ250 6 speed) with a Revo stage 1 remap which theoretically (not tested) is good for around 345-370bhp & 447 - 488nm (fuel dependent). Details here Revo Stage 1 So far (1 year on) all is well & the DSG is OK except for the normal hesitation you can get in D mode when setting off. In Sport mode it is very much more savage & revs right up to & slightly above the red line before changing. There is a Revo remap available for the DSG as well. Info here Revo DSG stg 1 In D mode the extra torque can be felt without it having to rev the nuts off the engine & using the paddles to shift in manual mode is much more engaging.

Good idea. It looks OK & as you say somewhat meaner than the std car although I think the configurator is showing a slightly lowered car to the stock ride height. I think I prefer the thicker spokes of the Trinity wheels which will cover up the discs a bit more than the Canopus. I think my mind is made up. Gloss Black it will be. There are 2 or 3 alloy wheel places in the locally 7 it looks like the going rate is around £70/£80 per corner.

Hi All. My wife curbed one of the front wheels on my L&K 280 today (honestly she did). As a result I'm now considering a possible colour change as part of an all 4 wheel refurbishment for the standard 19" Anthracite Trinity wheels. I'm thinking all gloss black wheels (including the diamond cut face) to near match the black magic body colour. The wheel cap centres would also be solid black since after two sets of corroded Skoda caps I ditched the one's in the photo for solid black colour centres. IMO all black wheels on a black Sportline look great but the question is would all black wheels look OK on an L&K which still has all of its chrome? All black 19" Trinity wheels are / were a standard Skoda wheel for the Superb but I'm not sure if they were ever offered on the L&K model. I know this is subjective but I would welcome any thoughts / comments to help my thought process.

Are those dummy or active exhausts?

I find getting "my leg over" is difficult at the best of times A dodgy left knee & increasingly painful hip joints make for a difficult ride

I have a 280 but no way of getting under it to have a look. I found this on the Super Sprint exhaust website. I think this is the stock layout showing the various heat shields. For more pics have a look here https://www.supersprint.com/ww-en/skoda-superb-sedan-wagon-4x4-20-tsi-280-hp-2015.aspx

Talking of '70's Viva's, here's my old 2.litre 1968 Monaco Blue GT with Black bonnet & vents. From memory the vents were dummy so they just added extra drag! These were the days when you modded your car to the hilt or to what your wallet would allow. My 2 litre had a stage 3 head & hot cam, tubular exhaust headers, twin Webbers, neg camber front wishbones & Wolfrace wheels. When I got it in '73 it had 4 tail pipes which were stock! I changed them for 2 x Thrush side pipes with no silencers. God it was loud & attracted a lot of attention from Plod. I really miss that old car. Rare as rocking horse poo now as well. Now I'm older & wiser & my boy racer days are long gone. I now prefer to fly under the radar with a Q car.

With the AC on check the temperature in the vent outlets which, depending on the ambient temps, should be around 8-12c. If the outlet temps are any higher then the gas charge might be low & it probably has a leak somewhere. Note that legally nobody should just add more refrigerant to any system without having 1st done a pressure & leak test on the system (environmental legislation punishable by substantial fines up to £200k under F-Gas regulations). https://www.coolingpost.com/uk-news/200000-fines-f-gas-violations/ A nitrogen pressure test will find any leaks (luminous dye additives may help for small leaks). Any found leaks must then be repaired or parts replaced followed by pulling a vacuum on the system to dehydrate the system. A vacuum of at least 300microns or better still 500microns / 29.92Hg should be held (with the vac pump off) for at least 1hr, although most Auto AC tech's would only hold the vacuum for a few minutes before recharging the system. As such only a fully qualified Auto AC technician should carry out this work.

A 280 + Stage1 Revo = 360bhp. Tyre wear is minimal although I did did get some abnormal tyre wear on the rears at 40k. Rear camber adjustment needed.

After my annual mileage dropped from 30k to around 6-8k I decided to switch from a S2 Superb 170 Diesel to a 66 reg 280. Double the power & no wheelspin in any weather conditions, which was quite common in the old 2WD 170 diesel on damp roads. The extra power of the 280 is very useful when needed, even more so now I've had a REVO stage 1 remap done. The only downside vs the old diesel is the increased fuel consumption which hovers around of 25/26mpg around town & up to 36mpg on a run also, 99RON fuel is needed for best results. That said with far fewer miles being covered I can live with higher the fuel consumption & now I've experienced the capabilities of 4WD I don't think I would go back to 2WD unless it was a much lower powered model.

You have been busy.

Snap. Really good & lasts quite a while.

Sounds like a sticky / squeaking electric damper / flap in the vent system. Or the damper / flap is scraping the duct - perhaps when it operates going from outside air to recirculated air. Spraying said WD40 or something similar into the ventilation intake might do the trick but is a bit hit & miss. If you can narrow the noise down to a more specific location then applying WD40 or similar might be more effective especially if you can get a long straw to get to the working parts. I suspect a bit of digging & investigation will be needed to expose the offending item.

I gave up after 2 sets of replacement Skoda emblem wheel centres which all corroded within 18 months & went with all black plastic ones, nothing to corrode & they match the car colour.

Think I'll do a pre-emptive strike. I have just ordered

OK. Mine is at 47k & 16 reg so just about in the same window. TBH I haven't noticed any hiccups - yet, but you never know.

Good work. I think this is an issue many of us will face at some point if we keep our cars long enough. What age / mileage is your 280 when it started playing up?

Impressive work Alan.

After a message came up on my dash a new battery went into my key fob yesterday. This is the 2nd battery that has gone into this particular remote during my ownership. The spare has not had one yet as it's never been used. For safety both keys live in a RFI proof tin in the house when not being used. I have also recently fitted a K&N engine air filter & replaced the pollen filter.

Very snazzy Alan. Difficult to do?

At least you get to eat the culprit.

I guess Carfile don't have the overheads of a You Tube channel, TV advertising, & an excitable presenter waving a "stick of truth" & throwing suitcases & rear parcel shelves into hedges..