Gerrycan

What sort of driving do you do? A lot of short journeys, long commute, highway driving?

Fuel sloshing when full or near full is a frequently commented on feature of the mk3 Octavia , which from your comments was carried over to the Mk4. It does not worry me even though it is a baffling problem

If you are checking your loads the don't forget to check the spare wheel and tools are properly secured. It was an issue for me on another car especially on speed bumps. Unlikely to be the problem but a simple check and a good excuse to check the tyre pressure on the spacesaver spare, which reminds me I haven't done mine for a while. Unfortunately the water pump replacement is not cheap but it maybe worthwhile pushing the fact that the car is such low mileage and legally goods are supposed to be of merchantable quality especially just outside warranty. I'm sure I have read rare reports in the forum where this has got the complainant some sort of discount on labour and/or parts, but I am certainly no expert on British consumer laws.

The coolant loss you describe was very similar to what I experienced with my 1.4tsi which was caused by the water pump. I also think the consumption deterioration occurring at the same time is too much of a coincidence. These new engines have pretty complicated cooling configurations and a defective pump would confuse the engine management system. For such a short commute your previous 30 to 35 mpg was actually pretty good in my opinion. Is the noise from the rear coming from either or one particular side when you encounter a bump/pothole? Is it a new phenomenon? You are really unlucky to get these issues in such a low mileage car just outside warranty

I would expect the 1.5tsi to be more economical of the two and the figures are really good in the conditions you describe, but I'd be very disappointed if my 2014 1.4tsi got as bad economy returns as you related for yours. The mk3 does have a larger 50 litre tank and I'd be confident of easily completing a roundtrip of 700km, and probably showing 150+km to empty. I've never actually achieved a full 1000km on a tank with this car as I chickened out at 850km (showing 160km range left) knowing there was no fuel station for the next 120km of hilly terrain and the car was weighed down with 4 adults and luggage.

@Slick2097 I'm in awe of your ambition and enthusiasm! There has to be a lot travelling and also overnight stays to achieve your target. It would be interesting to see whether an equivalent A to Z is even possible in Australia, and if so I dread to think how many kilometres that may involve. It is a big place. I know of retired Australians who have doing the great tour around Australia in caravans and motorhomes (they are known as "grey nomads") and some include as many different parkruns in their itinerary as they can. I am far too busy (haha ok, let's be honest, lazy) to aspire to any real level of commitment. Even my nearest local course 5 km away with our 8am start time has proven to be too much of a challenge for me so far. For me Parkrun is a holiday opportunity thing, to do something different from my usual local coastal jogs, which I still enjoy very much. The Uk was great because the course was very near where we stayed and started at 9am so it was all much easier for me.

What with one thing and another I have to admit that running has been a very low priority for me over the last three months. I'm thankful that the UK Parkruns gave me an incentive to at least get out some weekends while there, but it was no surprise that today's run was yet another example to me that you either use it or lose it, and I had definitely lost it 😞 . Hey ho let's see if I can get back in the groove and improve. It is fun seeing the variety of runners who get involved in Parkruns. Those storming round determined to set a new course record but missing out by a just a few elusive seconds (better luck next week), the skinny very young boys and girls who bounce along effortlessly like antelopes, all tendon rebound and the all the others out there like me doing their best and it does create a great atmosphere. In amongst the runners there was a genuine talent who set two course age graded records on successive weeks I was there and I would have been interested to see her style but regrettably I was never going to be fast enough to see her or slow enough for her to lap me. Parkrun measure (and publish) your effort against the best theoretical speed for the distance achieved in your age group and sex and express it as a percentage of age group world record times. For instance in the male 65-70 year age group I'm currently achieving a circa 62% score but the person in question achieved a 94% rating in theirs, which is really up there as even the person who finished the course fastest is 'only' rated at ~70% for age/sex. Ok the next bit is a bit creepy; you can click on a person in the parkrun website and view their running history. What is really interesting is this runner had been doing parkruns for some years and typically quickly achieved improvements until they reached a particular time which was good age group rating. Here is the thing, over the next few years she was consistently able to maintain that time and as she entered each new age group her age rating improved to the exceptional one it is now. I find it quite a remarkable and different achievement and a demonstration of the use it or lose it mantra.

I have started a new thread my diatribe might turn out to be a bit long and not Corsa related

What you are feeling is the automatic modulation of braking force by the ABS system feeding back through the brake pedal as it avoids the wheels locking (skidding). Perfectly normal under emergency braking and when experienced then increase pressure on the brake pedal and trust the system. I have only experienced it on an advanced driving course (on purpose) and once on the road where it worked really well and avoided what I thought would be a certain collision.

Really enjoyed ourselves back in Blighty, caught up with family and friends and having not been back for 5 years it was a bit of a reminder that none of us are getting any younger. The decision to visit was taken at short notice and totally unplanned but we managed to do see and do lots of new things I had not experienced when I lived in the UK for the first thirty years of my life. Bird watching on the north Norfolk coast, day trips around the villages and stately houses and gardens of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex; six days on a narrow boat on the canals around Chester (fantastic experience) and apparently I am a natural at driving them, I think due to the fact the heavily laden trollies I push around at work have rear castors. If you are into that sort of thing then I recommend the Wedgewood museum in Stoke on Trent I'd also recommend the real "hidden" treasure of Kenwood House on the Northern edge of Hampstead Heath. It is a beautiful Robert Adams (notable 18th century Scottish Architect) designed mansion with a wonderful art collection (Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Turner, Gainsborough etc) that have to be seen in person to be really appreciated. Funnily enough while the building and collection are great in themselves it is not a good gallery. For instance going from one room to another I noticed a relatively modest portrait mounted awkwardly above the high door and I actually said out loud to myself "Oh you look familiar", the room attendant heard me and said "that's a Van Dyke". Not the best way to view it but entry was free so I could hardly complain. Back now in Adelaide with souvenirs, me with a cold (caught in the last three days the UK) and my wife with Covid caught on the flight back 😞 Lots of other views of what has changed (good and bad) I may put in another post.

I did try lowering the seat and it did take my eyes below the level of the rear view mirror but I could not get a comfortable seat position and I felt like I was then peering over the steering wheel, bonnet and even the side windows. I'm sure I am exaggerating but I felt I looked like either one of those very short old dears you see driving or contrastingly the very young drivers (with baseball cap) who adopt the really low seating position and right back with arms at full stretch because it looks "cool" (apparently?) . It is a personal thing I know but I had to be comfortable for the longer driving sessions and that required the higher seat setting.

All Fabia sold in Aus have had turbo power so the mpi versions did not even occur to me although I would not have minded one if offered. My preference for a Fabia was mainly for the less tomb-like interior and the far better view of the outside world (especially for rear passengers). The Fabia would have been a nicer car to drive around viewing the British countryside in my opinion, and a damned sight easier to drive in town without having to duck my head around the Corsa's visual obstacles to safely negotiate city streets and traffic.

Five speed manual so the lowest power option. It was happiest at 65mph doing 65 mpg at peak torque 3k rpm. The 10 miles of 50 mph restrictions on the M20 and it was showing near 80 mpg returns. Quite remarkable really on basic 95 Ron with 10% ethanol.

We flew into Heathrow from Australia in late August and picked up our pre-arranged Vauxhall Corsa rental from Hertz at Heathrow It was the second cheapest option, the cheapest being a Picanto which I did not think would be quite large enough for our two sizable suitcases and carry-on luggage but they fitted in the Corsa comfortably. The Hertz guy offered to upgrade us to a more economical Toyota Hybrid, which I was quite keen to do until I realised he expected us to pay an extra 20 pounds a day for the privilege... so I declined. First impressions were not positive, Visibility from the driver's seat was not good, I was bobbing my head around the obstructions presented by the rear view mirror and the A pillars like a Cockatoo on a perch as we made our way out to the M25 during peak evening traffic. The 1.2L 3 pot engine seemed gutless and coarse under acceleration and the projected mileage on a full tank was only 422 miles, however by the time I had got to Essex the projected distance has risen to 495 miles despite having covered 60 miles, so at least it could be economical. Handling was average and the steering provided little feedback, the ride was comfortable enough most of the time but did not like sharp bumps and all the windows were like portholes compared to our Octavia wagon and Toyota Echo back home and awful for sight-seeing people like us. The lack of performance turned out to be my fault as both our owned cars have relatively sensitive throttles, the Toyota with little pedal travel and the Octavia pedal only needing to depressed to the point where the turbo cuts in and it takes on a life of its own. The Corsa just needed more and more throttle as the revs rose and then it could attain its official 13 second dash to 60 mph. The other thing for me to adjust to was that that kph displays increases a lot quicker than mph (doh!) . The engine still felt coarse when under any pressure but was ok when cruising However the car proved to be very economical achieving 60mpg overall and 65mpg on a run ( I stuck to all the speed limits which few others did) and even got about 40 mpg in peak time Outer London traffic. As there was no manual it took me a while to work out how to access and reset the trip meters but when I did I found that over the last 6500 miles the car had averaged 22mpg averaging 18 mph and I have no idea how they got that. I did a 30 mile return journey using the North Circular to Hampstead Heath with the return leg entering peak period traffic and averaged 60mpg at 21mph. The car had a fairly high level of accessories, including very necessary reversing cameras and front and rear sensors, which is ridiculous in a small town orientated car. The interface with my Android phone was absolutely seamless as soon as I plugged in, and the Google maps guidance brilliant...most of time, but sometimes 'she was well off her game' and I would get conflicting instructions from her and my wife acting as back up navigator which got hilarious at times. Overall, it did what we wanted at a reasonable price and with good economy. I would have preferred a Fabia 1.0tsi but that would have cost more than twice as much to rent.

While I can understand your attraction to the vrs with its versatility and performance I'd personally be uncomfortable getting a 2nd hand vehicle at my financial bleeding edge. I always like to have some reserves for unexpected issues. Might I suggest you try a 1.4tsi manual, it should be cheaper to buy, insure and tax. Based on my experience at a steady 65mph you should get 55 (+) mpg on the motorway. It is not as mature a drive as a VRS for sure but because it is relatively light it is surprisingly frisky. Whatever version you buy be aware that internal noise on less smooth roads is highly dependent on the tyres (manufacture and wear) fitted.

50k miles on the cross climate tyres is amazing in itself.

3rd and 4th are usually the smoothest changes so seems suspicious. I seem to remember there is a relatively simple 're-centering' procedure for the gear change linkages that could help. I would go back to the dealer and get them to execute it for you and and depending on results then you can make an on the spot decision to keep or return.

Seems good compared to what I paid my dealer in Australia.

It does not sound like the water pump to me, in my case the pump failure resulted in rising temperatures and intermittent coolant loss. Some one with an obd2 reader might be able to find some error codes to be able to better target the issue?

I have an older 1.4tsi so keep an eye on associated topics but cannot remember any previous issue like yours over the last 7 years. I had a water pump failure after 5 years ownership but even that is relatively rare with this petrol engine.

Unknown to myself and several others last week's local Parkrun was cancelled due to the Queen's sad demise so we ran our own impromptu event without marshalls....as you do. This week was a normal event with over 200 attendees and fine but cool weather. I woke up just 20 minutes before the event after a long pleasant get together with old friends the night before and had to run to the start as well. Getting a small improvement with each run so happy with that and the Parkrun is providing the incentive I need to get out while on holiday especially with all the socialising and touring driving we are doing. I am pleased to find that a couple of my great nephews and nieces are doing half and full marathons which, as previously mentioned, is way beyond my ambitions but it is great to see young folk active and not just stuck behind a screen as so many are.

Yes the A pillars are awkward as well but they are probably thicker on many modern cars because of crash and rollover requirements and may also contain parts of the side airbags?

A 71 reg 1.2l 3 cylinder NA 5 speed manual. I believe the new Vauxhall owners engine but no paper manual with the car so probably the least powerful and the cheapest I could rent that could take our two large suitcases. IMO makes the Fabia 1.0tsi as smooth as a Rolls and fast as a Lambo by comparison (I may exaggerate slightly). Does what we require but I would not recommend it other than it can be very economical if you try. Hate how the mirror cuts out an important part of the forward vision. I think the name Corsa was inspired by how the engine feels when you apply a bit of welly to the pedal at low and even high revs, very coarse.

A feature of every car less than 20 years old I have owned or rented. Current UK rental Vauxhall Corsa can do about 100 miles before fuel level starts to drop. Very economical when up to speed (averaging 4.9l/100 over the last 860 miles calculated from refuels) but the skins on rice puddings can rest safe in their bowls when a bit of power is actually needed

'anti-stall' is a feature of most cars in recent years in my experience. I can/could easily do what you describe with your 1.4tdi in our previous 1.9pd and our current 1.4tsi Octavia. The difference being the diesel idled at 900 rpm and petrol at 750. I only use the feature in the lower gears and on the flat and in traffic. I imagine it is not noticeable on those with auto transmissions. I have a 19 yo Echo which runs initially at 2+k rpm from cold, 'on choke', so I do not have to touch the throttle at all for the first kilometre, it is a problem keeping under the local urban 40kph speed limit