Gerrycan

If the knocking noise is related to wheel rotation does it vary with acceleration or on extreme lock in either direction? Universal joint wear? Rarely reported on VAGs but since we still don't know the car mileage or whether it is subjected to a lot of full lock maneuvers like a taxi driver would likely do?

Are you now saying the noise pattern is related to wheel rotation speed and not engine revs?

I'm with @Aldfort on this. The car is still under warranty, contact the dealer for an appointment to update all relevant software, almost bound to be more. Roadside Assist have identified a particular software problem that can repeat without notice so make it the dealer's problem. If you can find out when the update was issued and it was not done during the last service, then I would politely be insistent on a very good explanation. Especially since you have now been inconvenienced twice by their incompetence. I'd only get an OBD2 reader after the warranty expires. A little bit surprise that warranties are still only 3 years in the UK. In Australia they were 3 years when I bought my Octavia in 2014 but increased to 5 years about 2016 and 7 years about 2021. Dates are guesstimates 🙂

I recently found a longlost self help book called "Superman" by a Robert Heller from the late 1970's. He had applied his speciality of business management analysis to consolidate a lot of the recognised texts and studies of the period into a simple to read presentation of the best practices to improve mind and body. It influenced me when I first read it, especially with regards to the ongoing benefits of exercise and a good diet, and I have to say that on re-reading it stands up fairly well to accepted modern recommendations. However, I discovered a subsequent disconcerting revelation: There is an entry in the book about his father and how he had a formidable constitution undermined in later life by a crank diet which is inferred to have lead to his death at the age of 81. When I googled Robert Heller I found that as well as being a prolific author of 280 publications, he died in 2012 at the age of 80 after a long illness. I now have a "what went wrong" feeling similar to what I experienced when I learnt of Michael Mosely's premature death.

Have you owned from new or just acquired this car? I'm almost surprised that the pump has not had to be replaced already based on the frequency that topic appears in this forum. IF it has then hopefully the belt and guides were at the same time but while that is considered a 'no-brainer' addition, obviously not guaranteed. If you are a new owner of an old diesel I'd recommend you get an OBDC reader and software to confirm the status of the DPF.

I attended a local athletic meet recently and watched a junior athlete give a seasoned Olympic finalist a surprise in the sprint finish to a middle-distance race forcing the more experienced athlete to rally again to win. Who doesn't love precocious talent, especially when the backstory includes coming from limited Australian country facilities (a good grass oval) and the nearest proper running track a couple of hours drive away. I was also blown away by his likability and maturity at just 17 years old when I spoke to him later. I find youngsters like that really uplifting.

You are quite right, it is up-selling of a service in much the same way as McDonalds' employees automatically encouraging larger portions (that you may not want). However, as others have already pointed out modern cars with stop/start and numerous other electronic loads and devices do require more expensive versions (EFB or AGM) than the traditional flooded lead-acid type to support the extra requirements. Also bear in mind that stop/start has largely been implemented by the manufacturers to meet increasingly severe pollution and consumption requirements. Anecdotal comments in Briskoda suggest that stop/start equipped vehicles battery life (even with the much expensive EFB or AGM types) can be as short as two years or longer than 5 years, depending on vehicle usage patterns. Occasional charging on an advanced charging systems (presumably those used by the dealers) can reduce sulfation present in lead acid batteries and theoretically extend their life. They may also detect a failing battery and offer a relatively high-priced replacement. There are two ways of looking at this: a) cynically, which I fully understand or b) this is offering preventative maintenance for the many owners that do not know anything, or even care, about vehicle maintenance but would complain vociferously when their battery fails in inconvenient circumstances soon after a vehicle service, which Murphy's law dictates is 'always'. Reading above, I think @nta16 put it better than I did lol

Now I have disturbing images of all those kilted Scotsmen constantly bent over by the roadside adjusting their tyre pressures 🤮

For Loads yes, but do you seriously think 'plenty' do for temperatures? Of course there many, many other factors but that is just changing the topic goalposts.

Yeah you do that.

Sure, but we can get quite high diurnal temperature variations, and I for one won't change all 4 tyres twice a day, everyday.

We used to do a regular 120 km run to the countryside (so little or no traffic) on a near perfectly flat route during our (Adelaide, Australia) winter. If there was a high-pressure zone over us then there would be no wind, but clear sunny skies with daytime temperatures typically in the high teens (say 18 deg C) just after midday. Our return journey would be at night and the temperature would plummet to 4 degrees or less and our average consumption would always be noticeably worse by about 6 mpg for the same average speed (56mpg going and 50 mpg return) While there may have been a marginal improvement in engine efficiency from the higher density cold air it was obviously not enough to offset the negative factors. The longer warm up time to engine operating temperature (you can bet we had the heater on), the increase in air resistance from the aforementioned higher density cool air, the reduction of effective air pressure in the tyre from the colder air and lower road temperature would increase rolling resistance as well, also, headlights would make a very small negative contribution. Looking at internet references your ~15% deterioration in winter is pretty well spot on with reports from others based in the UK.

Never owned a diesel with DPF but I thought the problems with modern high mileage (km) diesels also occurred with high 'ash' levels? What does that register? A very minor point but 10L/100km equates to 28.5 imperial mpg so not quite as awful as the title claim but obviously well below expectations.

Yeah, not good! More detail would be useful, so people know rather than assume. Diesel or petrol (I 'assume' diesel), manual or auto, distance on odometer, ownership history including any fixes, servicing history, has consumption always been bad or a recent phenomenon, typical driving patterns, location in Aus (ie Brisbane is recognised as having the worst traffic conditions), how does the car drive??? Do for starters but others will probably seek more to try and help you.

No protein supplements?

The Yaris is certainly a more modest sized car and more suitable for tight urban areas. I have a 21 year old predecessor Echo 1.3L manual which has been incredibly reliable if uninspiring. If you are complaining about the performance of the octavias 1.2L turbo engine then you will have more complaints about the 1.3L or 1.5L Yaris. If you are looking at an auto version then the 4 speed auto torque converter in the Yaris will kill what ever performance or economy you were hoping to achieve. The manual is far better imo. My 1.4tsi Octavia is more economical than the Echo despite the Echo still being able to match Toyota's original consumption claims. Is your Octavia a manual or automatic? I am a bit surprised you find the performance on hills so poor to be honest. The turbo should cut in at low revs and provide more than enough torque. Is the turbo working properly, if not it might account for a part of your abysmal consumption? This reply was keyed on the bus home so might be a bit disjointed.

Springs may not be broken but they may have been deformed by excessive loading. Even higher risk of this being the case where towing is involved. Probably best to get a professional suspension specialist's opinion. In future please add relevant details of the Octavia model/type/year for others to assist you or just add the vehicle details to your profile.

We are on holiday in New Zealand and I attended a Christchurch Parkrun at Hagley Park. Good conditions and reasonably happy with a 26:30 run. Lots of people there including some visitors from the UK. The volunteers were brilliant as usual and I was sorry I had to rush off at the end before I could thank them as we had to pick our hire car.

Welcome to your new "home-from-home" Skoda Fabia Mk III (2014-2021) - BRISKODA

I do not think it will ever be listed on this forum since it is UK based and the Slavia seems specific to India.

If you are using a PC then go to the top of the page and click on the 'Forums' in: and then roll the page up to see the models and variants

Welcome to Briskoda. Navigate to the appropriate model and the latest version and you will find there will probably be many opinions, issues and reports already posted there by existing users. Just be aware to look at the date any issue was raised and see if there have been any updates by Skoda to rectify the reported problem. This forum is one of the better ones and there is usually someone ready to respond to any questions you may have or offer advice on what to look out for.

The tank size on a non-AWD Octavia is a nominal 50 litres, and that will be the minimum amount it holds. If the 50 mpg displayed is reasonably accurate then 500 miles would use about 45 litres of fuel. So as others have previously stated it really comes down to how much fuel you are putting in the tank (and distance covered) to work out whether your perception of reduced range is real or just as a result of change in the accuracy of the fuel gauge and it's now prompting you to refuel a little prematurely.

I think you should consider installing both: A good quality, but not too dark, tint will provide good protection from UV A, B and C (everyone benefits on a long drive). It will still allow reasonable external vision for passengers and driver when it is not especially bright. Shades for when it is exceptionally bright, or you just want to reduce stimulation to allow baby to sleep.

I got about 3 minutes in and decided that it was too long to view on a subject I am already reasonably knowledgeable on, and in agreement with anyway, and have been for decades, which is well before the presenters were even born. The simple truth is we are subject to incessant marketing of addictive processed foods, high in sugar/fat/salt, low in nutrition/fibre which are good for their profits and bad for our health. I've always thought that if there is a Satan on earth, then he is probably a marketing executive. Actually getting the message of the benefits of a healthy diet across to those who really need to know about it and apply it, is another problem. I reckon my 89-year-old mother-in-law consumes a big cup of sugar a day (600ml packaged egg-nogg with the equivalent of 10 teaspoons, 2 teaspoons in each and numerous coffees, flavoured yoghurts, chocolates, cakes etc) but only has a small breakfast and her small main evening meal may occasionally have a couple of vegetables (because for some reason she is not hungry). She is overweight, her joints are overloaded and painful but amazingly her main organs are performing well, and it is a tribute to her doctor and the incredible number of medications she takes. Naturally she ignores all nutritional advice, from her daughters, one of whom is a recently retired but highly credentialled nurse.