lastgasp

That's a damned good question! I am sure I had heard several times that it was impossible to just pour fuel in if there is an antisyphon - so I just took it as gospel; having taken the warning onboard, I was not going to test it out for myself for fear of flooding the Evap canister, something I had read about recently on this forum. If I've fallen for some sort of old wives' tale, I feel a right prat! There again, it's only cost me a couple of quid, and I'm still 25 litres of petrol to the good.

Yippee! Finally got there. This long-spout funnel from Ebay is of the correct dimensions to operate the antisyphon flap - although it's only just long enough. ebay.co.uk/itm/358288782651 Thank you to Evolution13 for pointing me in the right direction. Of course, I cannot yet use the 25 litre jerrycan as, sod's law, I filled up at the petrol station yesterday, - so it will have to wait a few days. For the sake of a couple of quid, it's worthwhile keeping one of these funnels to hand, in the event that you ever need to refuel from a can.

Thanks to those who responded and apologies for not getting back to you earlier - I have been struck down with a mystery ailment for the past week, unable to do anything. Gave it a go today - unfortunately, neither of the spouts from the plastic petrol cans I have available would reach - one was too fat, the other not long enough! I then thought that I would use Alasdair's garden hose idea, but the only hose I have is too small a diameter to operate the flap. So I have now ordered a long funnel from Ebay. Hopefully, once delivered, it will do the job.

Oh, thank you for that. It never occurred to me that there might be a special funnel for the job. Every day is a school day.

As per the title - I've got first dibs on a jerrycan of fresh petrol for free if I want it. The obvious question is how would I get it into the tank, as I understand that the anti-theft thingy will prevent me from simply pouring it in, as we used to in the olden days. Is there a work-around? What happens when people run out of fuel?

I have just taken delivery of my second Kamiq. I was very satisfied with its predecessor, but it was getting a bit long in the tooth and I was thinking that I really ought to swop it. By chance, my dealership chose to contact me with a very good deal on a new one, and so I went for it. What's odd is that I never gave a moment's thought about any other model or make - so perfectly does the Kamiq meet my needs. The on-board tech has changed, generally for the better, but otherwise it feels no different. For me it is the perfect vehicle and I hope that your Kamiq experience is equally good.

I would be very surprised if Skoda, or even VAG, produce their own towbar. My last towbar was a long time ago and my memory could be in error, but I have it in my mind that their towbars were actually made by Westfalia, the well-known manufacturer. Aldfort has it right. Go to a good independent - they the have the experience.

Right, an update to tidy up my original post. Finally spoke to the service manager today. He confirms what SurreyJohn had previously said. So, effectively the cambelt should last the life of the engine. He cannot understand why the email message was sent to me. There had been an update put on their internal system that was specifically not intended to generate an email to the customer. Incidentally, checking the invoice for the recent service, there is an item for visual check of cambelt (I know you can't see much of it) that is ticked off in green. So, I can again sleep soundly at night!

Thanks, all. I'll give them a bell now I have a notion about the background.

SurreyJohn Thanks a lot. I understand now. It does beg the question, did the service dept bother to check the belt, as you suggest, when they had it there a couple of weeks back.

Received an email (reproduced in full below)from my dealership today. Car is 2020 1.5 TSI that has done only 24k miles (as they know from a recent service): "Vehicle ReminderAccording to our records your Skoda Kamiq (*******) is due for the below. No Cambelt Change Req (Due Date 25 September 2025) Please let us know if this is not the case or call ------ or ------- Service Department to book your vehicle in to our workshop. J**** K***** Aftersales Manager" Before I contact them, so I don't appear totally dumb, any thoughts from those with knowledge of the subject? If the message is to be taken literally - no change needed - why send it to me? I haven't looked it up, but I was under the impression that the TSI had a ridiculously long cambelt interval - 100k miles or something like that.

I think that Warrior193 has it right. You are lucky that the battery has lasted this long - they are very life-limited in modern cars. Change the battery and there is every chance that your problems will disappear.

I must confess that I am a teeny bit envious. That is one nice car. Hope you will enjoy!

I claim no expertise in matters relating to electrickery, but it is not clear (to me) from what you have said what purpose it will serve to disconnect the battery. My first thought about your issue was that it might be a problem with the battery or with the alternator or its charging regime - and that, I assume, is what you are seeking to check. Disconnecting the battery does open up the possibility of various ancillaries losing their settings and needing to be re-set. There is nothing to stop you from just charging the battery without disconnecting it, if that is simply what you are seeking to test.

That is very useful to know. Thank you

Thank you. That's something I have never seen before. I'll look into it more closely.

I do too, but it would be preferable if there was a more powerful option for the reversing light bulb. On my previous Octavia I had such bulbs - they were really effective and did not create a canbus error. Unfortunately I cannot recall any details or where I got them from. I am sure they were the result of a recommendation on Briskoda but some time ago I searched the Octavia III forum without finding anything relevant.

Sorry to point out the obvious - there are no grey areas. You are talking yourself (and allowing others on here to talk you into) a potential disaster. You have failed the MOT test. Once your present MOT has expired, it is illegal if you drive the vehicle anywhere. Long journeys, daytime short journeys - it is irrelevant. (The fact that I believe the tester was talking out of his backside and it is not valid grounds for a fail - is also irrelevant) If you want to see the fastest thing on earth, just watch the speed with which your insurance company rejects any claim arising from an accident once it twigs that you have no MOT. It's a hard lesson to learn, but this is why God invented hire cars - until you are back to being legal again.

I have been driven - by someone else, who was a very capable driver - fairly frequently in a C5, and I was always very impressed by the whole package. It had a very good auto box, but as has been pointed out it was not a DSG box, so no valid comparison there. I would urge you just to have a test drive in a 1.5 DSG. Drop it into 'S' and put your foot down. I suspect it may clarify your thoughts more than any guff on here.

If it helps - I was also a dyed-in-the-wool diesel man and also previously had an Octy 2.0 TDI 150, that I thought was the best car I had ever owned as it perfectly suited all my needs. Very reluctant to part with it, but the years passed and I finally called in the dealership to check out the Mk4, having also started wondering for various reasons whether I should go petrol and also DSG. They had no Octy demonstrator, but suggested I should try out a 1.5 DSG TSI that happened to be dressed in a Kamiq's clothes to see what I thought of the engine/DSG combo. It was quite a revelation and, long story - short, I ended up buying the Kamiq demo. I have been very pleased with the car and in particular with the engine/box. I get acceptable fuel consumption, similar to SteveTheElder's experience; given the price difference between the fuels, running costs must be only pennies either way. Like Steve I am also impressed with the performance above 2500 rpm; tap the DSG into S mode and it will blast past any slower stuff. At your current mileage, you must be on the cusp of the diesel/petrol viability equation. For the reasons you have already stated, there is a strong argument for going petrol; I really would urge you to have a test drive of a petrol 1.5 TSI ACT, whatever bodywork it is wearing.

Just measured - it's 44mm on mine, which is a 2020 model. Of course, there is always a possibility that it's something that the stylists have messed about with over the years.

Wow! I did not know that. That is fascinating (and still, to my mind, a bit spooky). Thank you.

I assume this fits in with this general theme - make of it what you will. Started car yesterday - alone - and reversing out of my garage, as I've done a hundred times, nothing unusual, a normal day - but suddenly a female voice said 'Emergency operator, what service do you require?' Startled, I replied 'Pardon!' She said 'You have called the emergency operator - do you want Fire, Police or Ambulance?' I said ' None of them, and I haven't called you!' She then conceded that it might have been the car that had called, not me, and said 'Sometimes that does happen.' Having again clarified that there was no emergency, the call ended. I continued on my journey and immediately realised the radio was not working. Everything else in the infotainment was functioning normally, but all my efforts to get the radio running were to no avail. At my destination I switched off, dealt with my business and when I returned and switched on the car, the radio burst into life. All has been normal since. I had spotted this thread previously, but had never bothered to read it. Now I have read it, I have two comments - firstly, I cannot be sure who I was speaking to, a real-life 999 operator (I have recent experience of that) or somebody within Skoda, - secondly, I have just thought to check my phone - and there is no record of any out-bound call, which I find a bit spooky.

For what they cost, why don't you just take some deflectors with you to be on the safe side? I have recounted in another thread somewhere that my Kamiq headlights once enraged every truck driver travelling in the opposite direction for a couple of hundred miles - obviously something to do with the truck cabs' height above the road and the spread pattern of the Kamiq.

On my most recent trip on French autoroutes, Troyes to Calais, approx. 250m, all the way with cruise control set at 70mph (I'm idle), the infotainment showed 55.4mpg on arrival. Ragging around on the local B roads in the UK I get a consistent 46/47 mpg.