Sagalout

The effect is speed dependant of course but generally it will seriously disrupt the aerodymanic design of the vehicle and thus lead to significant increase in fuel usage. If you do a lot of driving at slow urban speeds (less then about 35-40 mph) then research suggests open windows/roof may not be such a problem. The thing to remember is that it is automatic climate control these days and not the simplistic air conditioning of earlier years. So not only does it control temp but also humidity (and some have good filters for the air being drawn in) all making for a far more comfortable journey at almost anytime of the year. I leave mine on auto all the time. I can't imagine driving a car with a/c off and windows etc all closed. And as for driving with windows open at anything other than very slow speeds would only remind me of those days long ago on the German autobahns in the summer. Being passed by a succession of Mercs with their airconditioning and closed windows passing my non a/c Uk car with all my windows open just to try and stop being fried is a memory that I never want to revisit. 😁😁

I can say that for replacing the halogen bulbs on my son's Focus the Osram Night Breaker Laser Next Generation have transformed the visibility. We chose them based on all the good technical reviews they get and they haven't disappointed. A bit expensive but worth it. One down side is that the life of these upgrade bulbs willl be less than standard so they will need replacing more frequently.

Both would fail in the same way. Opinion suggests the problem is more likely with pano roofs. A quick chat with Gertie Google will give you a picture of why.

I did think of suggesting a solution might be to apply some material to the inside surface of the sunroof like the tinted window stuff but then thought maybe not as it might lead to the whole sunroof falling into the car in one or two large lumps! Solve one problem and cause another; the engineers nightmare 😁 But it mught be worth some research and would be a hell of a lot cheaper than £7K. Goos luck with it.

Not true in both cases. The legal system is just different in the US and IMO provides more protection for the man in the street which manifests itself as more claims coming to judgement. Class actions can be very helpful in getting to the truth of the design, engineering and technical aspects of matters such as these. You can't predict that it wont happen again to the same person even if the overall likelihood of future failures is small.

HI Andrew, just couldnt resist highlighting the 'threat' to change your wheels. 😂😂😂 I blame autocorrect for these wonderful occasions where it comes up with a funny outcome Welcome to the forums, good luck with the swap.

Any failure of a piece of toughened glass is a scary experience even when one may be used to working with it everyday!! So I can empathise with your distress at the occurrence. Luckily you managed to stay in control of your car and get to safety. VW/VAG have been aware of this phenomenon for at least 10 years so they cant deny it. However, the issue is, as ever, that glass can fail. If the failure was caused by a fault in the glass, its installation or the design then you have recourse but it could just as likely be the same situation as let us say you getting a stone in your windscreen and that needing to be replaced. You wouldn’t think of going to Skoda for that would you? The ‘explosion’ Is the failure mode of tempered glass. Sudden failure of tempered glass is well known and can have many causes. · Internal defects within the glass such as nickel sulfide inclusions · Minor damage during installation such as nicked or chipped edges later developing into larger breaks normally radiating from point of defect. · Binding of the glass in frames causing stresses to develop as the glass expands and contracts due to thermal changes or deflects due to wind. Or in cars possibly any flexing the bodywork causing binding against the seals. · Thermal stresses in the glass · Inadequate glass thickness to resist wind load · Impact damage. The size of the object can be very small especially with point loading. Anyone have one of those small impact hammers that used to be around so you could shatter the door window if trapped inside? An internet search will show that the ‘expert’ opinion suggests an ever increasing number of panoramic sunroofs and their failure. There is some noise around the total size and the thinner profile glass (?) that may be increasing the risk of failure due to one or more of the above factors. The issue for the car manufacturers is that laminated glass is both heavier and more expensive which is why they have mostly continued with tempered glass. However, if we look at buildings the codes for requiring laminated glass in areas where a failure would result in glass raining down have long been applied. It would seem reasonable then to require sunroofs to be laminated glass. Some companies already do use laminated glass but not on all models.

I have checked the 2015 and 2017 brochures and this function is clearly identified as a £75 option on all models except the base S and Sportline. It is listed as an option for a rtear passenger to be able to adjust the passenger seat from the right side as they would look at it. I am now sure that this is the function that you are talking about. I cant say whether it was added as included at a later date than the 2017 brochure but it obviously wasn't 'removed' as you questioned. hth

That description may just refer to the elec operation of the passenger seat. There are lots of easy to misunderstand dstails in brochures etc The ability to control was always standard on the L&K. I hink I recall the driver side control was always extra as part of a package.

Do you have the drive mode selection option? Comfort/dynamic/Eco. I dont know what central screen you have on an SE but that is where you find the option on higher spec models. Sorry I cant help more.

The S3 needs to be in Eco mode for it to work. As said above it is the equivalent of putting a manual car in neutral and 'coasting'. Yiou can check when it is coasting by looking in the driver info centre where it will say 'coasting'. Because the car is running in tickover mode fuel is still being used whereas, in modern engines, you use no fuel when you take your foot off the accelarotor. So to get the gain you might expect you have to use the coast wisely. (i.e maximising the use of the kinetic energy). Going downhill stretches take your foot right off the pedal and it will coast, approaching a stop point, take you foot off and coast etc etc. Try it and be amazed at how far it can coast without losing any significant speed. It will auto re-engage going downhill if you gain too much speed; is instantly re-engaged if you touch either brake or throttle pedal. I could get a few mpg more in my 220 TSI if I concentrated but found it more useful in making the drive smoother at slower speeds; less switch down to lower gears.

Don't worry. Topping up is an owner task not a tech task.

^^^ Yes you simply start the process and wait for it to finish. It will pasue if you switch off the ignition and restartwhen you restart. Usually takes about 30 mins to complete.

I ran a 220 MY 17 for 30 months without a single fault so an example of ths other end of the spectrum I guess. Maybe it is the dealer you need to change? Why? Because they have demonstrated their inability to resolve the issue and their lead times are ridiculous.

@newbie69 I can tell you now that front end is as good as the Skoda but back and boot are deffo not! I dont need the room anymore so not of concern to me. The rear seats are better comfort wise but legroom is more 'normal' for size of car. I am 5'10" and will have to move the seat forward a bit to give rear seat legroom. ( I do drive at straight arm to wrist on wheel distance normally ) It is a saloon so boot space is not as flexible. Fold down rear seats are extra in UK spec and which I added. I can squeeze 8 or 9 medium feed buckets in with the backs down, the Skoda took 12 with careful loading. The estate would of course have more space. I did look at the V60 but the ride seemed far more fidgety than the saloon. Also the addional retail cost put it above the stupid £40K band for VED. That amounts to over £300 extra a year tax for each of the first 5 years after registration. Driven 150 miles this morning and it gets better. Smooth, always composed and unlike the Skoda it doesn't feel as though you are ripping rubber if you push the loud pedal. 250 max horses with 350nm from 1750 revs. 70 mph on the Mway at 1800 rpm. What's not to like😊

Bumping this old topic of mine to report that the Volvo has finally arrived. It turned into an S60 T5 Inscription Plus in the end as the S90 wasnt going to be here until mid Feb 2020! This one took from early August to get here as now manufactured in the USA. Only picked it up today but it is a very nice car. 😎😎 Pirelli Tyres though 😞😞😞 Stayed with my love of hearing aid beige or do I mean moonbeam gold saharanpur haze. Volvo call it Pebble Grey ???? If it is allowed I will post a report in a few weeks. I intend to stick around and look in for a while.

Click on the tag in the map , then click on the link that appears to the left hand side of the page. YThis opens their profile page. Then click on the 'message' button whihc is to the right of their avatar and name and there you have the pm message to send. I think that is what I did last time I used it.👍

@El Dingo What is the cabin noise like with the Primacy 4 please. Better than the others?

^^^^^ No. You have auto high/low beam dip. So either on normal low or high beam. The AFS/HID system does modify the beam pattern according to speed etc but doesnt work like the dynamic system. That stays on high beam but 'blanks out' areas of possible dazzle for other vehicles whether tbey are approaching or being approached. (as per the video) One way to tell simply is to check whether you have the 'whiskers' that illuminate in the headlamp; that is the dynamic style.

@Flymo61 I suggest you review whether your frustration and disappointment are clouding your judgment. Ad hominem attacks are never helpful and your aggressive judgements are unlikely to bring positive responses. This is an owners forum not a technical forum. What I can see in the replies is a confirmation that people do experience some changes in fuel consumption AND that no one has confirmed similar significant effects. That is a result isnt it? Maybe not what you wanted but it is something useful IMO. When considering the impact of winter fuel consumption it is important to consider many variables beyond simple mechanics of a compression engine. Air temp usually colder, wind speeds usually higher, energy density which is lower in winter diesel, driving style in difficult conditions etc, etc. So it is a scientifically supportable fact. Is it your problem? Seems unlikely as your drop is significant. Do I have a simple answer? No sorry but I do understand why people have offered all the possibilities that they have. Do come back and let us know when you have solved it so we can help others in the future.

As freelunch says, "your car, your choice". I don't like them personally as they are all black but then I am of senior years. 😁 The pattern of the wheel does look good just all that black with that colour of car makes it all look drab to me.! I think black wheels always look very aggresive and remind me of the days before alloys when steel wheels were the norm and usually painted gloss black. Back then we had to buy wheel covers that pretended to be alloys but were actually made of silver/chrome coloured plastic. But then short back and sides hair cuts were something your parents insisted on you getting and yet today I hear parents bemoaning the fact that their kids have such haircuts. Fashion and time wait for no-one.

I guess those who wouldn't dream of fitting black everything along with faux metal interior trim on their cars. 😎

One significant advantage is that the system improves your chance of seeing pedestrians, cyclists etc on the near side compared to standard low/high beam. Is it a gimmick? Deffo not, it is a useful system to HELP a driver be more safe both for the people in the car and those outside. Lazy drivers are lazy drivers not the fault of modern safety systems.

The system can't predict, in the way that a human can, with regard to oncoming vehicles round bends/over crests etc so it can feel a little 'late' or 'slow' to react conmpared to what you would do manually. However, in my experience with these systems they are not slow enough to cause issues for oncoming or followed vehicles. I have never been flashed whilst using the Skoda fitted system. They also have multiple beam patterns dependant on speed etc which can be misinterpreted as too low a beam throw at slower/urban speeds. The system on my my17 L&K was the best I have driven. I had to have the software fix to prevent the 'lock out' on start up which caused an incorrect set up sequence with the lbeam set at very low. Perhaps a check by the dealer might be appropriate if you really think it is too slow to react??

You do realise that this advert was not really true dont you??😂😂😂😂😂