FelisBengalensis

Have a look on the PF Jones website. Select the right tow bar and they usually have a download for the bars and electrics.

It isn’t as cavernous as the S3 Estate but given that my son is that much older and we don’t need to carry all of the stuff we used to, we haven’t run out of space with it (yet). We don’t need the 7 seats either but having that capacity was what sold it to us. It’s a very nice car and we much prefer it over the S3. It has enough room to get a family plus luggage and Xmas pressures down to the outlaws in Wales with no trouble at all. We have a roofbox as well - and that was also used on the S3.

It’s interesting how much they vary. Mine was a very early UK spec 2015 S3 190 DSG Estate L&K with every toy available at that time and regardless of how careful I (and my Wife) were with it, it never produced more than 43mpg average on a 60-mile daily commute on fast roads. Motorway runs might push the journey mpg up to the mid/upper 40s but no higher. I changed it for a 2019 MY BMW 220D xDrive MSport Gran Tourer a year ago and that gives low 50s on exactly the same journey. Motorway runs push that into the mid/upper 50s. It is also a 190bhp/400Nm power plant, but has a proper automatic box (8-speed) and like the S3 is predominantly FWD. The weight differences are not massive so I did wonder whether the early S3 launching so close to Dieselgate ever forced Škoda to make some modifications whilst they sorted things out longer term - something they have always denied of course. Later S3 models seem to be much better on fuel. One thing I have noted though is that after 15,000 miles it has only used 6L of AdBlue, which is about 1/3rd of what my S3 used. The computer tells me it still has 2,000 miles range left in that tank. BMW say that a single fill of AdBlue should last between services (18,000 miles) and so far I believe them.

You also need to check the load index number (usually given immediately before the speed rating letter - something like 97H). If the number is lower than those listed on the tyre pressure/tyre size plate then again the answer is no you can’t (Construction & Use Regulations), but you can go with a higher number. Your insurers may not like it either as it counts as a modification from the factory standard and needs to be reported/approved by them.

Because the TSR system will only work on clean and unobstructed signs. If it misses them then you could be at the wrong speed.

Had this several times right through my ownership on my early (2015) UK build S3. Every so often it would suddenly lose lock on the car ahead and accelerate! The most frightening ones were whilst in stationary traffic as those required immediate and sharp braking to prevent me rear ending the still stationary car ahead. I stopped trusting any of the systems after the third or fourth time. Dealer could find no errors logged nor help with a diagnosis. I also found that it would occasionally react to the car beyond the one directly ahead. I can only guess that it’s something to do with the reflections seen by the radar being misinterpreted by the software.

I located mine at the fuse box and ran it via a piggy back fused one of the switched live fuses (can’t remember which now and car long since gone). The wires were run up the A-pillar (behind the trim) and fed in gently with a trim tool. I then fed across the top of the screen and again with a trim tool pushed the wires out of sight behind the headlining. At the mirror I used a clip stuck to the glass to stop the wires drooping and mounted the camera as high as possible and to the immediate left of the mirror such that the mirror could still be adjusted. With me being 35cms taller than my wife, it needs to be fully adjustable.

The front 12v socket will be rated at near 20A and the USB socket around 2A. Lighter sockets are usually run on their own separate power cables because of the current drawn. Your dealer is fobbing you off. I ran a front camera (Nextbase) on my S3 for a few days until I put the hard wire kit in, and it ran just fine.

The last two xDrive BMWs I have bought or leased have both been 8-sp full autos and there is no manual option offered at all. I was told that for the latest one WLTP emissions are worse on a manual because the engine/transmission computers don’t have total control on fine tuning the performance. They’re all ‘drive by wire’ now anyway so it would not surprise me to see the end of the conventional manual box. Personally I much prefer a manual but the modern full autos are so good now. I do not class the DSG in that group as my 2015 S3 DSG 4x4 box was simply dreadful - probably due to the torque limits and firmware used that has hopefully now been made much better on the 7-sp version? More members on here sing its praises so something must have been improved.

All standard B8 diesel fuel regardless of where you buy it is from the same refineries and storage depots. You will see all of the brands filling their trucks at the same distribution sites such as Buncefield. It’s all made the same way and to the same standard - BS EN590. The only differences are down to any additives the tanker driver may pour in when filling the tanker wagon itself. I have been driving diesels now since 1985 and never seen any difference that makes picking one brand over another worth the effort. Super diesels are just different additives, the base fuel is the same. Some use oil, some use GTL but the end product is the same.

The Hyper XL (US Name) looks like the Excellence XT (EU Nane?) that I have. It worked just fine on my Superb (as it does on the X6 and 2-series). It holds 5 Thule soft luggage bags (I think mine came with them) with a little room to spare along the sides (for skis I suppose). Easy to fit and weighs about 30kgs if memory serves. It’s quiet in use and doesn't knock the fuel economy very much -maybe 1mpg? Never had water ingress even in really torrential rain at motorway speeds, and it opens from either side. You can’t shut it without locking it as the key is held in the lock. Expensive to buy but has now been in use for 6 years.

If you have KESSY then buy yourself an RFID key pouch to keep the active key in it when not in use in the car. Keep ALL spares in a metal tin well away from your house front or rear doors.

Check that all of the travel blocks have been removed from the suspension as well. It has been a fairly common event! Tyres could be whatever the factory had at the time, but are usually a premium brand. Mine were Pirelli.

Latest models are biturbo (at least that’s what the drawings and parts now show) - changed April 2018 builds forward. BMW retuned the engines for the new regs and added a second turbo to bring the power back to 190bhp. Prior to that they were twin-scroll. The 2019 model (even though built in 2018!) has a number of updates and upgrades (the turbo config is one), and we both much prefer it, and each to their own

Exactly. I have never had such a poor performing diesel in the 33 years that I have driven oil burners. Even our 3-litre 3-series diesel does better. Lovely car but hamstrung by internal politics within VAG. I did wonder whether because it was produced immediately after ‘Dieselgate’ that something was changed, and later 190bhp EA288 cars are now more economical.

My 2015 (very early UK) S3 L&K 190 DSG Estate rarely exceeded 41-43mpg in service over almost 40,000 miles. It needed its Ad Blue tank refilling with 10-12litres every 7,000 miles or so. This and the simply dreadful DSG box, reliability issues and poor Dealer support led to me handing it back almost a year early. I now run a BMW 220xDrive Gran Tourer (7-seater). Same 190bhp on tap, two turbos, AWD, and a proper (Japanese) 8-spd auto. It produces 48-50mpg with no issues at all and after 7,000 miles tells me that I still have another 3,500 miles range in the Ad Blue tank. It currently only wants 3litres to fill it up. Given it cost the same as a fully loaded L & K it is a much, much better car. OK you can’t get 2 coffins in the back but even so it’s not a small car. I don’t know what compromises VAG forced on Škoda, but IMHO they ruined what should have been a really good car. The power train should have been far more economical. A recent long term test I saw a week or so back gave the real world mpg of this variant as 38mpg. To be fair there are a few on here who have seen better mpg, but the 150bhp engine is significantly more economical to run.

BCA messed me about with collection by failing to turn up on the agreed day. Having cleaned the car inside and out and polished out a scratch I hadn’t seen, I very carefully photographed the car from all angles, every panel, all seats, screens, displays, instruments, trim, wheels, roof and rails. Even low down front and rear. The person collecting it carried out very arbitrary checks, produced no paperwork and asked me to squiggle on his phone before emailing me a copy. It also said ‘dirty’ but the only dirt was pollen! I still have the images but I never heard a thing from VAG/Škoda and after the requisite two week wait, cancelled the DD.

I have had three cars with e-handbrakes and none have suffered from rear wear as badly as my now handed back S3. I currently have two BMWs fitted with e-brakes and e-handbrakes, one is 8 years old and I have just replaced the rear pads. This discs are absolutely fine.

Only via the Dealer as far as I know.

That looks like a generic OBD2 Powertrain code so you’ll most likely need to run a VAG specific tool to narrow it down to what is actually wrong.

Philips Xenstart were the OEM standard and it’s very unlikely that a dealer would have fakes simply because their stock will come direct from VAG. Supply tends to alternate between Philips and Osram (theirs are the Xenarc range) depending upon batch price and availability. If both lamps have been replaced but you are still seeing dropping out that points at an electronics issue in the lighting controls rather than the bulbs themselves. Bad earthing or a bad control module feeding the voltages out to the igniter/ballast would be good places to start. Unless an error code is being stored my bet is the average Dealer would have no clue where to look. Any D3S 35W bulb will be compatible, and it’s possible that if Philips no longer supply VAG then they don’t list anything. You can still buy Xenstart bulbs from all of the major suppliers.

I’ve Warranty Direct in the past and it’s OK as long as you carefully read the small print. They don’t pay for any diagnostic work so you could end up with a large bill for that whilst they pay only for the actual repairs. In my case they covered a failed fuel pump relay which cost about £15 but refused the £200+ diagnostics which found it. That being said there was no issue when I had a gearbox failure and I paid the £75 diagnostics whilst they paid over £3,500 to fix the box. They used not cover some of the electronics or entertainment system and can be challenging about wear and tear on items you might not think were of that type. They are cheaper for a reason. I don’t have my S3 any longer, but I have maintained an OEM warranty on my X6. Not cheap but it covers almost everything with no argument - hence the additional cost over aftermarket.

Wood Pigeon ‘hedge hopping’ on the A421 near Bedford a couple of years back caused mine to slam on! It’s obviously just big enough - and it was close to the car - for the radar to panic about. Again there was a large gap behind me, but it still scared the driver behind when I went from 70 to about 50 for no reason. My 2-series has a camera based system and also flashes collision warnings up when it shouldn’t, but has never (yet) slammed the anchors on.

I have just installed the D1S variant of the Xenarc Nightbreaker Laser into my X6 (bi-Xenon projector) and there is a definite increase in the quality of the light on the road with better infill. Main beam is also of a better quality. I can only think it is the length or orientation of the physical arc? BMW use the basic Xenarc as one if their OEM fittings (along with Philips). Whether they are actually much brighter I cannot measure - even though implied by the somewhat hyped by the {up to 200% brighter than the minimum for the (unstated) standard). The most noticeable other change is the colour temperature. These new lamps are blue white on startup but definitely slightly warmer (so a lower colour temperature) within 20 seconds or so, although having only run for an hour or so they do still need to burn in. If you are looking for a cooler ‘bluer’ tint then these are not your choice. My now 8-year old Xenarc lamps seemed much bluer - which may be age. As mentioned earlier, there is a bluer Xenarc version although this has a much shorter service life, and given how tricky it is to change bulbs (whether BMW or Škoda), it’s not something I want to be doing very often.

Wasn’t on mine (three year plan).