Gerrycan

The short history of lithium batteries is plagued with combustion incidents: Boeing Dreamliner, Samsung mobile phones, "hoverboards", domestic storage systems (causing house fires), cars etc etc. When the Musk supplied "then largest battery in the world" in South Australia was first turned on because of a local power failure there were several battery explosions, which were fortunately contained. Of course this was not publicly known and I only learnt about it from the guys who worked on the project. Admittedly there were probably quite a few shortcuts due to the built in 90 days or your money back contract conditions. The system has now been bedded in. BYD's Lithium Ferrous blade batteries claim to have fixed a lot of the combustion issues. Their cars are now just being offered here Ultimately I think that there will be alternate chemistries such as sodium ion offering better safety, even at the price of some energy density.

Looking at the reports from the UK it is a matter of getting out when you can between major storms at the moment. 'Damp' tracks are a given, but be careful around the trees. I get a bit nervous around the eucalyptus trees here as they have a habit of dropping really big branches in winds or during high temperatures with little notice. Last couple of days it has only been around 21 degrees max, when we usually expect double that around this time of year. Climate change is real and manifests in so many extreme ways.

My guess is that the error codes were coming up during stop start operation and I suspect that when you eventually replace the battery then normal function will be able to resume without errors. The battery is probably still mostly good for general use but no longer optimal and may well be in decline. Lots of reports where general issues were eventually fixed by battery replacement. It's like the situation where on my mk2 the battery in the non-kessy remotes lasted for years, but the mk3 demands the battery in the remote is replaced after only a 18 months or so. When I test the removed battery it is still reading 1.5 volts and I can use them in other applications for quite a while, but it fell below the high voltage requirements of the mk3. Personal opinion is the Redex use and fuel supplier change had little to no effect, others will disagree. Of course there is also the possibility that there was some change implemented affecting the battery you have not told us about like fitting a recording camera or something.

My dream car is the Aptera. Sort of combines a couple of my life experiences: so imagine my first car which was an Isetta 3 wheel bubblecar modified to encompass the extreme aerodynamics and seating position of one of my early passions which was gliding. Not a production car as yet, only being offered as a kit car and no rhd version mentioned, but I just love the principles behind it.

More fun than swimming laps though.

Not specifically running but I have to comment on viewing a 20km walk which is not something I have done before. It is always incredible seeing elite athletes doing their thing, their technique, and stride rate is almost mesmerising. Conditions were remarkably good for the event being cool, clear and calm, which you would expect early in the morning but never guaranteed locally at this time of year. The leading guys averaged near 15kph, that's four minute kilometres, for the whole distance and to my uneducated eye the eventual winner was going a bit better than that in the final stages.....walking! The organisation was very slick as there multiple events for different distance, sex and age groups which were all finished within a couple of hours. The other thing that impressed me again was the level of mutual support and friendship between the competitors after the races, for both those who achieved at junior ranks and those who DNF due to physical issues or penalties.

This is a bit of a longshot but.... In the past when anyone has complained of stiff suspension and poor ride in this forum (usually new cars) the subject of checking the front suspension for transport blocks has been useful tip on a surprising number of occasions. Even been found on second hand cars. Jack up the front suspension to let springs extend and see if there are any brightly coloured plastic blocks exposed that can then be easily slid out. You can do each side one at a time. They should have been removed prior to sale of course but are sometimes missed off the checklist or only one side done. As I said a really remote chance but a simple and cheap check.

I'd be a little nervous of taking an electric bike through that!

E85 is available in Australia but there are very few engines that can use it safely. The now defunct locally made Holden brand produced a 'flex-fuel' V6 3.0/3.8L engine that could use our famously poor 91 Octane fuel through to E85. The engineering consisted largely of using appropriate pipes and seals that would not perish under the high ethanol content and probably a bit of variable engine mapping. The trouble is that E85 has relatively low energy content per litre and but a very high Octane rating whereas 91 ron fuel is the opposite, so there was too much compromise in the engine design to burn either efficiently. Despite the relatively lower tax rate and price of the E85 the higher power outputs were achieved by burning a lot of ethanol and consumption was awful. Apparently an experimental modified turbo diesel specifically engineered to run on Ethanol by Ricardo Engineering managed to achieve respectable efficiencies but never went into production. To the best of my knowledge European engines are only rated to run E10 after a certain year (guessing 2002-ish???). You may wonder why Australia with successive governments committed to higher carbon outputs should support a supposedly 'green' alternative fuel then you should know that is because the local shonky company that produces Ethanol has made substantial political contributions to both major political parties....'nuff said. Brazil is the big player in ethanol production and use.

I think you can be really proud of your achievements, brilliant! Regular over consumption of alcohol was a large part of the social scene of my pre-marital years in the UK I'm afraid. It took my now brother-in-law's absolutely fantastic stag night about 35 years ago to finally prompt me to say "never again" to anymore benders. I'm certainly not teatotal and will drink a beer, wine, or spirit as befits the occasion, but just the one drink. These days that is literally all it takes for me to feel the effects.

@Pete_Ex-Wino, does the name change reflect your adoption of a more healthy lifestyle?

I've read that 90% of people will experience high blood pressure in their lives and, as you said, that is mainly attributed to over consumption of salt in our diet so I think you have the right approach but it is not real easy to work out what is right. My paraplegic sister was in hospital a few weeks back and apparently she was told she was over hydrating and her subsequent low sodium levels were causing her problems. You really cannot win. I can't find an easy way to test your sodium levels other than through a professional blood test. There's nothing like a simple ***** tester for blood sugar levels that the diabetics have. I have not had a medical check up for a couple of years so I think I'll make an appointment and they usually do a pretty thorough investigation of senior citizens including blood and ecg. The downside is all the shave points for the ecg attachments looks a bit weird, or I just shave my chest and the wife can't stop laughing when she looks at me. Cooler, low wind day today and a much better run than in the hot weather, with a semi-respectable average 5:15 per km. I might have to give up on the hope of ever getting back to down to flat 5's ever again though.

@automass here's the thing. In your posts in the previous thread you were getting error codes across a few cylinders and after you had the plugs and coils changed there was a brief respite for a couple of days you now get the error code on only cylinder three. I guess that can be considered as some sort of progress. It seems that now you are reporting only one misfire being detected (out of all the multiple thousands of revs), and the only reason that you are aware of it is because the stop/start function stops as a precautionary measure. To be quite honest stop/start is not terribly important in the grand scheme of things. Consider also that when your 1.4tsi is idling it is only using 0.5L/hour so depending on your journey type, you may not be saving much fuel with it at all, and anecdotally the battery life can be reduced by the stop/start function so what you potentially save in fuel may have to be offset by the cost of a prematurely failed AGM battery. I would really recommend against putting multiple bottles of Redex, or anything else in your fuel. Additives are not recommended by VW, and while mathematically two negatives make a positive, it rarely works mechanically What you could do is to put some higher octane fuel in for at least a couple of tanks and hope the additional cleaners and detergents in it do something. I personally do not think it will but it is harmless and relatively cheap. You could also turn off stop/start for a few days and see if the error code goes away. It probably won't but if does it may provide additional clues to the problem. Also re-read @xman's suggestions regarding pressing the foot pedal a couple of times to test for an air leak. Judging from your response you either totally misread his instructions or you actually discovered the cause of your problems. I do think you are over-reacting somewhat, If you didn't have a reader you probably would not even be aware of the problem since the car seems to be running perfectly well. However, If you still want a solution then (as suggested by many others) it will require a competent professional mechanic to identify and fix. Oh, and I can assure you that these sorts of things do happen with other brands.

It seems you're incapable of following the good advice given so far, so I guess there was no hope that you would actually just follow the instructions on a Redex bottle 🤦‍♂️

Given you the 'trophy' uptick, you earned it. While I like evening runs it often ruined my sleep pattern, especially when it was a good run and the adrenaline levels seemed to be and stay high.

That would be deliberate, they did the same thing in my outer London Borough decades back when I lived in the UK. If built to international standards then it would quite likely get taken over for elite level training and competitions, the local ratepayers, who paid for it, would have reduced access. Near 2 kilometres is quite impressive by the way, especially considering you have only just got back into it

I know that Briskoda membership is just a small sample of Skoda owners, and I don't follow every thread for every model, but I don't remember any reported diesel cambelt failure since I joined in 2014. Can't remember a report for a petrol either so it seems it is not that common, other than @xman's diesel street encounter that is. Unlike say.... water pump failures which are a dime a dozen. Then again the common advice regarding diesel water pump failures is to get the timing belt on the same side of the engine changed at the same time to reduce labour costs? Wonder if the service history for the OP's car has the water pump changed?

How do you find the ride and noise levels on the winter tyres compare to the summer set?

Well, if I were the OP then I would google something like "changing coils on a VW 1.4tsi" and see what videos come up on the subject just to see what is actually involved. Even if he chooses not to do it himself then at least it gives an idea of time involved and likely charges for swapping around. More VW's out there than Skoda and the engines are identical.

No casual work due to Covid so I've been running more frequently but the hot humid weather has made it less enjoyable, and my times are quite poor. However there is a break in the weather for a couple of days and while it is a bit windy the cooler weather is really welcome and the times have improved somewhat. Funny how you never get back the all the time downwind that you lose going into wind.

Swimming offers terrific and varied benefits while being good fun but be aware it is not good for improving bone density. Apparently an issue for some long distance swimmers. Just something to be aware of if you are considering additional exercise options.

When Hyundai released official consumption data for models of their Hybrid Ionic (I think) I was surprised at how much difference there was between the lower spec model with relatively skinny small wheel/tyres and the higher spec 'sporty' model with larger wheel and wider low profile tyre. These were derived in laboratory conditions but not far short of what the OP seems to be experiencing.

These are the commandments for Australia: The first and great commandment - DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER put 91 ron fuel in a Superb 206. The second commandment is like the first - DO NOT PUT Australian E10 fuel in a Superb 206. If NSW fuel is anything like South Australian fuel then it is just 91 Octane with up to 10% Ethanol added which may then bring it up to 94 Ron (with up to 140 ppm sulphur ) The problem is that when the E10 fuel was independently tested the quantity of Ethanol added varied from 10% to none so now stations don't even advertise the ron rating of the E10 fuel and there is a little sticker on the pump warning about the possibility of variation. Look at the manual or inside the filler cap to ascertain the best Of course the absurdity of State laws may mean that NSW may have different fuel specifications but you should check.

I'm impressed that you let a 7 year old drive your car. 😅

Brings back fond memories of family rides, my son similar at a similar age to yours, and we were mostly on tarmac bike tracks. When he needed a bit of assistance on the steeper bits or we needed to go a bit faster/further than his normal speed then it started when I'd find a suitable length tree fall (stick) and push his bike from behind. I formalised it a bit with a lightweight, extendable tent pole. Not quite as awkward as it sounds and he loved being out in front and going twice as fast as he would under his own power. Not really practical when off a good surface but I never liked the idea or consequences of him overrunning a tow rope. Didn't seem long before he was pretty capable of managing on his own. They really grow up quick