Gerrycan

It might be an idea, when you get your car, to run it unmodified for a while just to ascertain true consumption and whether the available performance actually meets your needs anyway. I know that 150bhp does not seem much but with a diesel it is all about the torque and the 2.0tdi will have a heap more than your previous Octavia or current Kia and probably be a lot more tractable at lower revs than either. If you then choose to apply an ECU performance tune you have some basis for comparison

Despite it being our Antipodean winter here and predictably colder, wetter and windier I have got out a couple of times each week since the last post and the calve stiffness issue has subsided, thank goodness, as I hate the associated occasional midnight cramps. Today I posted my best time this year for my 7.25km run, by one second (it still counts) so fingers crossed I can keep up the routine going forward. Did not even have to rest up against the local pub's wall at the end of the run during recovery from the 'sprint finish', which is a far better look

So I just took the 1.4tsi in for its 8th annual service (all Australian Skoda have annual services presumably due to our varied and potentially arduous environment) and since it was topical I asked they did not apply any additives/cleaners during the service. The service guy responded they did not apply additives and never had, which surprised me a bit and had me doubting my memory, but maybe I was thinking of the former Skoda dealership franchise, or maybe a totally different manufacturer (age can do that to you). It begs the question that if that is the local Australian policy (which tends to reflect international policies) then are there actually any VW branded additives as Root says? My manual says: Fuel additives Unleaded petrol in accordance with the EN 228 standard meets all the conditions for a smooth-running engine. We therefore recommend that no fuel additives are used. This can result in considerable damage to parts of the engine or the exhaust system. And there are similar warnings against using additives for diesel fuel and the lubrication oil. Of course anyone can add what they want to their car just don't go crying to the manufacturers if something goes wrong because you were too lazy to read a manual and believe everything read on the internet.

The only detrimental factors that continuously running a tank down low to empty that I could think of is that the fuel pump in the tank relies on the fuel around it to keep it cool so the pump could overheat and the other is that running high pressure injectors without fuel is not what they were designed for. VW Group manuals do not recommend any additives to fuel but I have noticed that our Skoda retailers have charged me for putting 'cleaners' through the system during the annual service. I now make a point of telling them not to do it.

If you are in the market for a new vehicle then a PHEV is definitely worth considering, especially if you do a lot of local driving and you can easily charge at home and can afford the extra purchase price. Otherwise buy a 20 litre jerrycan for cheap peace of mind. Most fuel shortages are pretty short lived. The only inconvenience with the jerrycan approach is that you should renew the fuel in the jerrycan every couple of months, although I have gone longer without noticeable effects on the engine when eventually used.

Your previous point about where and what type of driving the car would be subjected to was the more important point on whether someone should even begin to look at a diesel. DPF and even PPF requirements are a problem if you are only into local urban shopping trips and school runs. Unfortunately EVs are relatively expensive, have long wait lists and/or just not available in Australia.

I think the problems are likely due to an accumulation of negative factors in recent years. The huge fines resulting from dieselgate, not to mention the resulting internal disruptions and loss of personnel due to purges and low moral. The enormous investments that have had to be made in EV design development and manufacture and associated battery tech and production. It's not that it's a recent thing either. Remember it took them an age to get their vehicles/engines accredited for WLTP standards due to lack of expertise/resources.

For various reasons (excuses) I am only running once a week so I'm doing my longer 7.25 km route to compensate a bit. As I've mentioned before I'm quite active at work so despite the longer intervals between runs the times are holding up quite well. However I noticed near the end of the run there was some muscular stiffness in the calves so lack of conditioning is going to catch up with me eventually if I don't get out more frequently. It confirms previous my previous experiences that running three times a week will generally yield improvements, two times a week will maintain performance and once a week is a path to slow(er) deterioration.

I agree that would be very disappointing, should be about 10mpg or more better depending on various factors. Assuming you don't have a stuff permanently on the roof rack, have checked tyre pressures, that brakes are not binding and the car is serviced regularly then I run out of useful suggestions that don't involve expensive expertise.

Your last two points are very valid. I'll have to watch again. Being follically challenged myself maybe I was too jealous of his head of hair to take him seriously

Even when driving on the open highway? Remember most of the impressive claims are in ideal conditions. Not stuck in a traffic jam on the M25. Reported diesel consumption can vary a lot between individual vehicles under similar conditions. Seen mid 40's to high 60's claims for circa 70mph motorway cruising speeds and I have no idea why it would vary so much between 2.0tdi.

The thing I do not like is the 'hard sell' that a few minutes of weight training is the answer to everything. Quite frankly that is ridiculous. A a grossly fat 140kg man standing up from a chair is achieving something I simply could not do (with an equivalent 70kg weight on my back), and in essence is performing daily resistive weight training, but is he fit? Hell no! A poor diet and bad habits will overcome any benefits from a weight training programme. I know because I have lost a couple of friends to medical conditions who apparently thought that going to the gym was enough. His audience were senior citizens seeking the 'fountain of youth' and from his comments they were already in better condition than your average Joe and in that context what he was suggesting for them would almost certainly offer supplementary benefits to what they were already doing, but let's keep the claims within reason.

The claims in the video are very seductive but I'm wary when a charismatic American presents a 'Do this once simple thing....' type promotion of his book/gym/etc. Ever watched the old Hollywood musical 'The Music Man'? I'm not keen on the paleo diet he mentions, sure it's better than processed food but many nutritionists are critical of its basis and dietary recommendations. I doubt the incredibly fit looking 72 yo man does less than 30 minutes exercise a week. Maybe only that in the gym but I suspect he does not have a sedentary life in between. The CT scan of the 70 tear old triathlete, yes it is remarkable but having done some triathlons in the past myself (at a low performance level) the training for the three disciplines is very time consuming, even for just Olympic distance (1km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run). And he won't be as fast as the 40 yo triathlete. 100% agree there are massive health benefits from exercise, and particularly resistive training, but in isolation the benefits for many are not going to be as great as claimed unless it is integrated with a good diet and healthy lifestyle habits.

That is just a beautiful run. I was a bit worried you might have been suffering long covid. When I used to travel extensively around Australia for work I really used to enjoy the route variation it offered. Highlights were running around the extinct volcano rims of Mt. Gambier, desert regions out of Alice Springs and the parklands of the major capitals Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and especially Sydney.

Hi @mac11irl, no post from you lately, are things ok?

I don't think you were really 'hypermiling' @willwn , from what I read all you did was what I regard as sensible driving. I think the term hypermiling originates from the US where protagonists will do absolutely anything to get ultimate consumption, and consequently drive inconsiderately and unsafely resulting in a terrible reputation with other road users. There are a few factors that would have contributed to your excellent consumption: It was a longer journey and most it was conducted on a free-flowing road which is always a good contributor. You 'sacrificed' 5 mph off your permissible speed which probably meant the automatic systems you employed were able to work more smoothly without excessive surging or braking, while integrating with the traffic. It is five years since I drove on UK motorways but the usually high level of traffic means a lot of unintentional drafting which helps a lot Your driving decisions meant your 1.5tsi engine would have been able to make high use of its highly efficient two cylinder mode and that requires at least 1500 rpm and low torque demand. A comfortable ambient 18 deg C temperature meant the aircon would have done little or no work and the radio has no perceptible effect on consumption, unless you play heavy metal Considering your average consumption included the 10 miles out of London then you must have been getting over 70mpg on the motorway. It is fairly easy to get good consumption in those conditions, there is little difference in consumption ( 8 year old 1.4tsi) whether my wife or I drive on the open road, however I can get 30% better consumption than she does in urban driving. I can get 60mpg or better driving off-peak on our urban roads with 50% 'luck' at traffic lights and with due regard to other road users. In heavy peak periods I hope to better 40mpg, but in our hot summer weather with aircon at full blast then it will drop down to 35 mpg. There are a lot of positives to sensible driving, reduced costs, improved safety, nice green feeling, a small poke in Putin's eye and all for probably less than an extra 5 minutes on your journey.

Another ABC parkrun story about a young family man in his early thirties, suffering from myocarditis, suffering from overwork and poor life choices meant he was barely able to climb stairs. Took action and participated in Parkruns, was encouraged by his regular improvements and moved through phases to ultra marathons. He is now Australian champion in a thing called 'Backyard Ultra' Backyard Ultra's consist of running successive 6.7km loops in under an hour, so if you run a lap in 45 minutes you get 15 minutes rest then you do another lap until you cannot beat the hour limit. He won the Australian event by running 308km in 48 hours. What is really interesting to me is that he obviously had many genetic advantages to be achieve what he has, but his previous lifestyle had pretty much set him on a course for poor health, even a premature death! How parkrun helped turn Chris Murphy into an Australian ultramarathon champion - ABC News

As @MarkyG82 says the vRS , whether diesel or petrol, has the same wet clutch DSG. It used to be 6 speed but later versions are 7-speed. They do require a fluid change but not sure of the intervals (40k km?) and it is not cheap. Very robust though. Others can provide more specific details.

So what was the true extent of the wear?

@Iggy_ZG so how does the Scala consumption compare to your previous diesels? I went from a 1.9pd mk2 Octavia, which I thought had excellent consumption, to a mk3 1.4tsi (both manual) and to be quite honest there was not as much consumption difference as I thought there would be. The petrol is maybe 1L/100 worse overall whether town or highway, but you have to drive to the respective engines differing characteristics, to get reasonable consumption. From what little I have read on the high gearing of the Scala 1.5tsi I am almost surprised you get into 6th at all unless on a highway. My 1.4tsi in 6th does does about 2100rpm at 100kph, what revs does your Scala do at that speed?

I give the shop staff my mobile phone as surety so I can run outside the shop. Probably why my family refuse to be associated with me when I shop for shoes

Personally, I would not like like unexpected steering inputs, mid bend while pushing it a bit.

Is @TheWanderer the unluckiest man in the world?? 😞 Joking apart, I agree that the handling issues sound strongly like wheel alignment issues and, a long shot here, I suppose the lane centring facility has been turned off?

Here is a brand new edition from my favourite source of health information and it is about the secrets to longevity. The lowdown on longevity - Health Report - ABC Radio National Much of the information is already presented in other sources in this thread but it is supported with evidence sourced by scientific method (you know the double-blind, peer-reviewed stuff). Basically it touts the widely known benefits of restricted calorie diets and exercise. The main feature, of the excellent content, for me was the importance of a good quality food based on the 'Mediterranean Diet' which is high in nutrition, fibre and minimal refined processed food and high calorie products. What was very interesting was that while Michael Moseley's promotion of the 5/2 diet (just two days of low calorie intake in a week and eat what they wanted on the other days) did achieve weight loss (reduced visceral fat), the biometric markers of improving health were not as good as those achieved by those who just had better diets and similar weight loss. In fact those wholly on the 'Mediterranean Diet' foods could not help but lose weight eating normally and some had to eat wildly excessive amounts to try to maintain weights for the the experiment. The purpose of maintaining the weight was to prove the better biometric markers with the diet were not just due to weight loss. A problem with many scientific studies is that they tend to be very focussed on one particular aspect and in this case I think it ignores the probable link that the diet almost certainly promotes excellent gut health which contributes and may even be the main reason for the biomarker improvement. None-the-less I think this is an interesting and well presented broadcast well worth the near half hour it takes to listen.

VW group advice varies by country. UK Skoda is pushing owners to change belts at 5 years. Australian dealers seem to be recommending 7 years. I might change my low mileage 2014 model's belt this year since I have decided to keep it. Service intervals vary as well. Australian dealers insist on 1 year/15000 km services. UK can be the same or may opt for longer variable depending on use intervals. Spark plugs about 60k km but when mine were changed they showed no wear.