Gerrycan

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.

Not sure where you read the pessimistic comments? Sure you get the occasional issue as they have been around for 8 years or so but most reports I've read are fairly complimentary. When I got mine 7 years ago and joined this forum most were averaging around 45 mpg (6.3L/100) with general driving. There was of course one exception, "He who must not be named" was getting 30 mpg (9.5L/100) and was still pretty pleased with that with his 'drive it like it was stolen' approach.

@plutus just allow for the fact that UK motorway speed limits are 112kph (70mph) unlike French autoroutes 130kph when looking at UK consumption figures being given.

If you look at the extract of the manual above it says you can manually reset the long term anytime you want. I just went out to my car to test it and it read 5.2l/100 for the long term and 30 km travelled so had only just reset automatically. I pressed the knurled roller on the steering wheel for a couple of seconds and all the long term data reset to zero. A 100 hours of driving is usually good for about 6000 km of holiday driving averaging 60kph We just did 2300km in two weeks in a rental Toyota hybrid in the Northern Territories of Australia with 4.25L/100 returns actual calculated. The longer journeys showed trip average speeds ranging from 100 to 105kph. The roads were very clear of traffic and some speed limits are up to 130kph, but we were happy not to push too hard and soak up the scenery on the way through.

Whoops it seems I was wrong. My apologies

As mentioned above, servicing is very important. Unless you misquoted them then you are being fed some BS. There is no timing chain, it is a belt, so they do not stretch but they can break. A break can be disastrous but not something I have heard of in this forum. With the age and mileage the belt should have been changed at least once already. Seek proof this has been done otherwise other maintenance claims may be suspect. Fuel system on this car is a dual port and direct injection. A good system that reduces carbon build up on inlet valves but a probably a more complex system to repair of things go wrong. DSG system is a wet bath for the clutches and is very durable IF the oil is changed as scheduled. However the oil change is not cheap and a thing likely 'missed' after the warranty finished. Watch for issues with gearchanges and pull aways on test drive. Issues can be expensive to fix. Tend to agree that a misfire would be electrical or fuel feed. Great car if you get a good one. Good luck.

Any car made after 2011 should be ok but you can check your model here: https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol

The suggestion was a very 'tongue-in-cheek' one. I probably wouldn't do it either. I'm still not quite convinced about the standard suspension being adjustable. DCC has been available on a lot of models across the VW group for a while now but always at extra cost. On the other hand the group to have a lot hanging off the success of this pioneering range so maybe they have gone that bit further? It is just your initial complaint about the hardness and the easy rectification is absolutely typical of all the other incidents where they were not removed during the PDI.

Great news the problem has been fixed and I was very confident it would. Pity you were not present when they 'corrected' the suspension setting as I suggested to see if blocks were removed. I find it very hard to believe they would fit more expensive adjustable suspension, either manual or electronic, without charging for it or mentioning in the marketing blurb. Of course you could always call their bluff at some point and ring them up and ask if they could try a harder intermediate setting as it is currently too soft 😁. Bet they won't know what you are talking about.

That is a horological joke right? 🤣 You did a good job of 'Tetris-ing' it in there as neatly as that.

For what is worth, the belt replacement is recommended at 7 years in Australia. Even the tech who asked me at the last service, at 7 year mark, admitted I was not the first to defer and he had not encountered a belt failure yet. Still making up our mind whether to keep or replace our 1.4tsi estate which is still a joy to drive.