Gerrycan

Forgot to mention that belt replacement for my car is recommended after 7 years in Australia. The recommendation was pointed out to me prior the last service but to be fair they did not try the hard sell when I declined.

@varaderoguy's response is generally accurate as far as belt life is concerned but the reference to the water pump replacement is a less obvious action on a tsi compared to a tdi.. On the tdi the water pumps failures are commonly reported (see pinned thread) and being on the same side of the engine as the cambelt if you are replacing one then it is recommended to do both. The small tsi engine's water pump is on the other end of the engine which adds to the complication and cost of replacement. It is also far less prone to failure than the tdi's pump although it is not unknown. Mine failed at about 60k km after 4.5 years, but fortunately right at the end of a near 4000km holiday road trip where I could get away with just topping it up for the last 100km. There is a reported water pump 1.4tsi failure currently in the Superb 3 section, but as I say reports are relatively few. Our car's belt is over 7 years old and still looks in good condition. Our car is driven conservatively, only 80k km on the clock, and serviced annually. I have never heard of a belt snap reported here yet so I'm gambling that I can get away with it for another couple of years before replacing the belt or the car entirely for an EV.

Inspirations and perhaps a warning: While I admire the performances of elite athletes the fact that they have always been so above anything I can dream of attaining I have never really found them to be motivational. I'm a sucker for stories of what Australian's call "battlers". Achievers despite adversity, little support or others expectations. Classic example was the inaugural running of the Melbourne to Sydney Ultramarathon in 1983 with a then massive $10,000 prize. It attracted some of the world's best athletes most of whom were in their 30's, and also a 61 year old local potato farmer called Cliff Young who signed up still dressed in his work clothes and boots. To be honest he did not look 61, more like 70+ and apparently it took a bit of persuading for the organisers to take his entry seriously. At the start the other athletes flew off into the distance and he shuffled off after them to a fair bit of disbelief and ridicule from press and spectators. But Cliff had a plan, when the other runners stopped to rest at night, he did not stop but just shuffled on with just two hours sleep each night, sometimes less. Long story short he won the 875 km run by 10 hours and broke the old record by a couple of days. He did not know about the prize money and chose to share it evenly with the next five finishers keeping none for himself. When he was 75 he attempted the 16000 km run record around the circumference of Australia to raise money for charity but had to pull out after 6520 km because his only support crew member fell ill and had to go to hospital. He died when he was only 81, and I guess that is the warning that sometimes you can overdo it, but his story still inspires me that age is not an excuse to stop a sensible running/exercise routine.

@EdHilton in my opinion there is an increased risk of filling up with a 'bad batch' of E10 fuel so it does not surprise me that the poorer consumption you experienced was limited to the one fill. Ethanol absorbs water more readily petrol so if there has been any contamination in storage or transport then the two components will separate and become layered. There are a couple of things to consider if that has happened; - If the separation occurred in the suppliers tank then you may have either greater amounts than 10% Ethanol, so potentially much lower calorific value, more fuel burnt and poorer consumption. - or lower than the prescribed 10% Ethanol and the petrol component then falls below 95 RON rating and so again poorer performance and consumption. - I presume that separation can also occur in the fuel tank but I am not sure what effect sloshing during car movement has on the potential effects I've described. Pure Ethanol has a naturally high octane rating so adding 10% contributes about 3 RONs enabling the refineries a proportionate reduction of their normal anti-knock additives. In normal use the 10% Ethanol fuels slightly lower calorific values are barely noticeable and some Briskoda contributors even report improved consumption with E10 but I'm not sure how that works. General advice is to simply try to buy fuel from high turnover vendors. In fairness it should be remembered that even low ethanol fuels can go 'off' over time as the volatiles (up to 30% of the mixture) will disperse and the remaining fuel is slightly compromised in quality. I've seen recommendations as low as a month for petrol storage before deterioration occurs, although longer most professional storage facilities. Diesel is also hydroscopic and has been known to grow moulds over time. I have no idea whether the absorbed water has any negative effects other than initiating the separation, but presume not. These are only my opinions and I would welcome correction or confirmation from knowledgeable professionals.

I'm not a 1.5tsi owner just a 1.4tsi but you probably need to provide more details about the issues and if you have reported them to Skoda while it is still under warranty. Is it manual or DSG? The inference in your post is that it is manual, but best to clarify. When you say it is noisy >70mph is that the engine, wind noise or something else? What gear were you in when attempting 139mph? The top two (or three gears if DSG) are overdrive ratios for better fuel economy, not really suitable for top speed attempts and not recommended on public roads anyway 😉. Can you be more specific about the intermittent buzzing at idle? Does it seem to be from within the cabin, or from the engine itself? Is the noisy idle (engine?) apparent inside and/or out of the car? I am a bit confused that despite the apparent lack of power, and the clutch judders during a rapid first gear pull-away, that you can also experience wheelspin in dry conditions. Are you sure you are not confusing the clutch judders with axle-tramp? Octavias seem to prefer either Michelin PS or Goodyear asymmetric for traction according to others. The clutch could also be playing up of course, rare but not unknown. According to one saga in this forum, Skoda are not good at acknowledging potential clutch manufacturing issues preferring to blame the driver for abusing it. From memory, the complainant of the slipping clutch got the parts examined by an independent expert and took Skoda to court and won the day. My tyres are less premium and it certainly possible to wheelspin in first gear as there is not that much weight over the front tyres (compared to heavier diesel engines)and it all gets a bit jerky as the nannies cut in. ACT only works over 1500 rpm and when less than 25% torque is required, in other words light cruising. Does it work in those conditions and what sort of instant consumption does it display in those conditions? You know , flat road, top gear at say 60 to 70 mph it should be showing (way) better than 50mpg. The steering definitely 'sounds' to have issues. I have experienced noise with hydraulic power assist systems near full lock but never with electric power assist. My 1.4tsi is, and always has been, a bit jerky, especially in first gear, when cold and puttering along the drive in first gear to the road but once on the public road and using more throttle and other gears it resolves within a 200 metres, so I can live with it. If it is a cold start thing it is difficult to demonstrate to dealers unless worse than I described and would have to be left with them overnight. When I left mine with them they said they did not experience it, possible as their exit was down hill, but it was all too hard after that and not a big enough deal. What have Skoda dealers said when you have reported the problems?

@lol-lol , recharging "free at work for many". Your employer happens to specialise in this field but is that really true for others? Agree with the rest of your other points though.

Bonus all the domestic and work demands have allowed a niggling problem the time to heal without too much conditioning loss.

I did say "my limited experience" as my cars do not have stop/start so I my battery replacements are the far cheaper basic lead acid with limited warranties. I usually get more than 5 years out of them and I don't lose out on as much petrol savings as you may think as I'm quite prepared to turn off the engine manually in situations where I know no movement will happen for a while. Annoys the wife no end when I do it

Anecdotally it seems that cars (not just Skoda) with stop/start are susceptible to shorter-than-expected battery life. Lot of caveats, like it will depend on driving conditions, whether subjected to abnormal battery depletion (accidental or otherwise), whether the car's battery management system is working properly, or just possibly the battery fitted was defective, but if the latter was the case then it would probably have failed earlier. I'd be surprised if you could not find a better deal on line than what the dealer is offering but in my limited experience the warranties for new batteries are rarely longer than 3 years. I think that batteries are excluded from the car warranty, like brakes and other 'consumables'.

Not really, the boost is only noticeable on light throttle. Heavier applications of throttle drown the effect. Sure you are not describing axle tramp? It is possible on a 1.4 in first gear when pushed. Clutch engagement is always smooth for me..

I've got an older 1.4tsi manual and another totally different manual car and have to adapt throttle use between the two because they have differing characteristics. The Octavia lifts the revs automatically, but briefly, to around 1500rpm as I lift the clutch which means I have to feed in throttle to offset the rev loss that occurs from both the brief boost and the extra load. My other car does not the brief clutch lift rev boost so the throttle balance at clutch bite point is very different. That is when both engines are warmed up. It took me a while to identify the Octavia's 'automatic boost' and my throttle control was a bit off initially and you may be experiencing the similar?

Running Shoes: There are kids that can run over the stony beach at Brighton like it was sand and others who look like they are walking on broken glass. Needless to say I fell in the latter category. This meant that my running prowess at school was considerably hampered by the standard issue school plimsoll (of the time) which consisted of a thin plastic base with a semi-breathable artificial shoelace-tied cover. In my case they were cripplingly bad. Years later my seminal moment was buying a pair of then very fashionable Reebok runners. That is so long ago that they still featured the British flag prominently on the box. They felt like slippers and at last running did not hurt! Best shoes I have ever bought and lasted for years but later editions were cheapened down so I jumped brands For many years of running I was an Asics devotee but increasing prices and another apparent quality reduction means I have become an agnostic. Literarily "If the shoe fits, at a reasonable price, I'll wear it" I do have foot problems with classic symptoms of mild plantar fasciitis, the first few footsteps in the morning are always pure pain and reminiscent of my youth on Brighton beach. I did have a major flair-up of the condition a few years back, which side-lined me, and did everything to avoid surgery (anecdotally only 50% success rate) and I found that using a low heel running shoe on grass rectified most of the issues. The brand was Merrill and I found their last in that shoe suited my foot profile really well, unfortunately that model has apparently been dropped from their range. I buy a Neutral shoe (I am not quite flat-footed) with a wide fitting to avoid pressures on my arthritic big toes (self inflicted with a bad landing attempting a somersault dismount off gymnastic rings) and currently favouring New Balance and Brooks. Whoever has the best sale prices at the time. I am fussy but cheap! One thing is for sure, even though I have had a few running induced injuries (foot fracture, both Achilles tendons, sprained ankle over the years) my feet are a lot better now because I have persevered with running than if I had just given up. My wife and I manage to walk a few kilometres barefoot along the beach most days, needless to say it is a sandy beach

Very interesting, I did not know there were solid state options already in production but reading the specs the larger battery package option is still about 550 litres and weighs 450 kg which is both bigger and heavier than I expected for the technology. Durability and design simplicity claims are impressive though. What is the price premium over conventional lithium and does it handle multiple deep cycles well (I'm expecting 'yes')?

'Athletic life' is a bit of a stretch but I like to think I have remained active, necessary because most of my working life involved relatively sedentary office jobs. My son is a very active and fit firefighter and having to wear heavy firefighting equipment in hot Australian weather means his boots are a fungal heaven but says using methylated spirits has kept it under control. Hopes it works for your wife, it usually takes two or three days before noticeable improvements. You can substitute rubbing alcohol but they will both sting on application if the wounds are raw. I think it is effective because apart from the antiseptic effect it dries the area between the toes as it evaporates.

Here is another promising new Australian developed battery chemistry that is exiting the laboratory and going into production. Graphene Enhanced Aluminium Ion. They are not claiming any greater energy density, other than over rival Al-ion competitors, but that it can be charged and discharged at 60x time the rate of lithium ion without any temperature issues, it is virtually a super capacitor. No lighter than equivalent lithium batteries they claim it saves the 80 kg of temperature management equipment a typical 100kwh system requires. Other advantages are no rare metals, easy recycling and no fire risks. They have entered into an agreement with Bosch to build production facilities. Initial production will be button cells followed by lithium ion compatible pouches for auto applications. Bosch to produce Aussie EV battery tech - carsales.com.au

I'm not sure how many runners there are are on Briskoda but but instead of hijacking Mac's diary I thought I'd start a general discussion area for runners. My journey: I was mis-diagnosed with arthritic knees in my late teens and advised to give up many of the physical activities I was engaged in to avoid potential replacements in my thirties. Discovered cycling in my late twenties, bought a decent bike with toe-clips, suitable gearing and a high cadence fixed up all the knee pains I experienced each Autumn. I became a bit of a cycling fanatic, cycling the 10 miles into London to work each day and a keen European cycle tourer. Came to Australia and in my mid-thirties I got into running through involvement with a short corporate team triathlon, I was a necessary addition to the team as I had the bike which everyone used. Everyone in the team each did a 300 metre swim, 8 kilometre cycle and a 2 kilometre run in succession. Before the event I did a 2k run, my first in years, and it nearly killed me. I swear I was coughing up blood which was a bit of a shock for someone who thought they were aerobically fit. My run in the event itself was a joke as I put everything into the cycle part (it was what I did after all) and then suffered cramps when I tried to run from lack of transition training. I was overtaken by grannies pushing their shopping trolleys from an adjacent supermarket (seriously). SO I got into triathlons for a few years until work and family commitments got in the way of training for the three disciplines and I turned to running as the most time efficient way of retaining some fitness. I should add that my previous dedication to only cycling had caused bad back problems and I was also diagnosed with osteoporosis. However, running improved my (previously) weak stomach muscles and provided the weight bearing exercise I needed to reverse my bone density issues. Back problem fixed. My doctor, optician and dentist tell me I am in good condition, but always with the caveat, "for my age". When I do the occasional Parkrun (mostly when away on holiday) I may win my age category but there is often someone, one or two age categories older, sometimes female, who does a better time. I am competitive but I was never athletically gifted and know the enormous gulf that exists to the truly talented. A 'beep test' is a shuttle run between two points 20 metres apart at incrementally faster times to recorded beep tone. It is brutal. I did one the other day and the disappointing result was indicative I need to mix up my training a lot more to offset natural muscle loss from ageing and improve my anaerobic capacity. I've got in a comfortable and repetitive running routine (rut) of just going out a few times a week. My tip for the day: I get athletes foot (tinea pedis) fairly regularly and I always hated the chemist creams but someone put me onto regular applications of simple methylated spirits and it is no longer a problem for me. Apply early as soon as you get that itch, as the alcohol stings a bit on an open wound. One of my casual jobs brings me into regular contact with elite athletes, a young professional football player I spoke to suffered a really bad secondary infection from his tinea that required medical treatment, antibiotics and missing a few games, so it can get serious if left unattended.

I have given a 'like' for your post purely because there is not a 'sympathise' option. I remember life with young children and demanding workloads and sometimes it was real hard to get some personal time. These days the children have left home and I am grateful I no longer have to run or ride first thing in the morning and especially in the dark at night. My night vision is nowhere near as good as it used to be My revised running style is becoming more natural and I am seeing some benefits. I will take 30 seconds off my circuit target time since I have bettered my old one a couple of times now. If I get the time tomorrow between appointments, home chores and a late evening shift, then I will pop up the hockey field and do a 'beep test'. Not the most enjoyable thing to do but it is quick and does give a different perspective of personal fitness levels. The last two or three laps is as much to do with psychology as fitness. Should probably stop hijacking your diary and start my own.

Yesterday was ideal for me, overcast, cool and only a mild breeze along the coast. I managed to maintain my improved stance for the whole run and finished 15 seconds inside my current target time and it did feel good. Found a four year old photo my wife took of me at the Romford parkrun while on holiday in the UK and my 'now old' forward leaning style looks awful. I obviously have years of bad conditioning and habits to overcome. By lifting my eyes from the ground while running I'm now seeing dolphins frolicking out at sea and a seal lazing under the jetty which is a real enjoyment bonus, the downside is the increased risk of treading in dog's poo but so far so good

Sorry to hear about your issues but it is necessary they are shared. I find your story quite disturbing at several levels. When technology works it can be great and I can understand it can fail, but when it actually fights against you and cannot just be turned off or rebooted.....

I've found that monitoring running shoes wear gives an insight into my running style. When I was (considerably) younger my shoes used to wear really fast on the outside heel and the forward outer edge. So much so I used 'Shoe Goo' to extend the shoe's life and save some money otherwise I would have been buying expensive new running shoes every three months. General ageing, arthritic toes and sundry other issues have slowed me down (a lot) and the wear pattern is completely different, with most of the shoe wear now occurring under the ball of the foot and I think that reflects the more 'hunched forward' style I have unconsciously adopted. Shoes easily last me about a year as I run slower, shorter distances and less often, it equates to about 1000 kilometres a pair. My attempt to get back to a more natural upright stance is challenging my cardiovascular system, but the legs feel fine. Weather and work have interrupted my running routine this week. Maybe tomorrow?

Well I tried the recommended techniques and it was illuminating. Seems I have become a ground watcher over the years and lifting my head for the required running posture made a whole lot of difference to appreciating the run more. The first two kilometres felt good but it was more difficult to maintain it for the rest. Stride pattern felt shorter but with a bit more 'rebound' the difference in the actual number of strides taken and time were minimal. I will stick with it and see where it goes, it feels more correct if you know what I mean.

Funny, the graphics work well for me on my pc, but you are correct in that they are necessary part of the communication. I'll try out the articles suggestions tomorrow as I feel something is amiss with my running style lately and it is affecting my enjoyment. Nothing to lose.

Technique is all important and having run for years it is really easy to develop bad habits especially as you get tired. This feature on the ABC Australian Broadcast Company is fairly simple but informative. I'm going to try to implement it but I really should do some interval training (which I do not enjoy one bit because it hurts sooo much) Why almost everything you thought about running is wrong - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) And for a bit of inspiration about a relative running late starter: Olympic marathon runner Sinead Diver's 'unique' story: From running for fitness to Tokyo Games - ABC News

This topic has been a bit quiet lately. From an Australian context the time is nearing where the price I'm prepared to pay, the supporting infrastructure and battery technology will come advance to a point where I would buy an EV. Unfortunately it is unlikely to a be a Skoda. Some long promised Australian research is likely to influence future EV battery tech and supporting infrastructure. Lithium Sulphide batteries have long been known to offer much higher energy densities than existing options (up to 6x) but they were never capable of many recharges (massive expansion and contraction over the use cycle) Australian uni research had improved it from 5 recharges to around 50 but it was announced last week they had managed to improve it even further to around 500 recharges. Apparently they have managed to control the problem by adding sugar, prompting many Mary Poppins references in the headlines. Still a long way to go but apparently there are a few performance car manufacturers knocking on their doors. If they can get it into production then the implications for vehicles, aviation, well almost everything, would be revolutionary. Most of the technology used in currently produced solar panels was developed in Australia, but (at least) one of the scientists involved was Chinese and he set up production in China aided by the other Australian scientists. They made a lot of money. Anyway a small Australian start up company has a produced a PVC (photo voltaic cell) which has set a new efficiency world record. Ok it has only moved it by a couple of points (I think from 25.3 to 25.5%) but this is quite a big deal because the theoretical maximum is 27% (for a single layer silicon base). The REALLY remarkable thing is that they have achieved this by replacing the fairly high amount of expensive silver used in conventional solar cells with copper (99% cheaper than silver). IF we are going to produce more electricity with solar then it needs to be stored which segways into the next battery development of a production ready Nickel Bromide Gel battery. Nickel Bromide solution batteries have been available for years (Redarc) but involve pumps/valves etc. which offset their advantages of cheap materials and excellent high cycle use. The innovation is to turn the solution into a gel which overcomes the disadvantages. Apparently it does not require any special cooling and no risk of fire (the gel is a fire suppressant). It does not have the density of Lithium batteries but can easily replace lead acid on a production line with similar outputs at half the weight. It can support multiple 100% energy cycles so is an excellent domestic and large storage option at prices of around A$100 per kwh. Totally recyclable as well.

A turbo on a relatively small engine offers a different paradigm of features compared to the traditional naturally aspirated engine and in my opinion the VW groups 1.4tsi (and related engines) are good examples of the genre. If you just look at power then it is far from impressive, my 103kw (140ps) and the later 110kw (150ps) at 4000-5000 rpm can be matched by a sub 2.0l NA engine but look at torque and it is a different matter. Its 250Nm of torque from 1500-3500rpm would probably require a near 3.0l NA engine to match that torque at those low revs. The engine is turbine smooth, quiet and still revs out cleanly to the redline although there is no real benefit in going over 4000rpm, and this is in a car that only weighs circa 1300kg. IF you use the performance available then consumption will be quite heavy, but driven sensibly on public roads (ie avoiding speeding fines) then that small capacity engine can be very thrifty. I've overtaken B-double and triple trucks doing a regulation 100kph on an Australian (one lane each way, undivided) highways many times with our car fully loaded with 4 people and luggage and never felt I needed more performance. There is better out there for economy though. Last week my wife and I rented a Toyota Hybrid Corolla hybrid with a 1.8l engine and peak power of 80kw at 4000rpm and we did 2300km in two weeks touring on the flat empty roads of the Northern Territories of Australia where the hybrid system would contribute relatively little benefit. The remarkable thing is I reckon my Octavia would have used at least 25% more fuel for any given speed up to their local 130kph speed limit and around town it was even better. That is progress for you, although there were other aspects of the car I found wanting compared to ours.