OctaviaBuzz

In a nutshell, yes. BUT, credit doesn't have to be debt! Ok, i have a loan out that was for my motorbike, but i also have a credit card. I make a point of using it every month, even if its just £50 for a tank of fuel. Each month you have a different line of credit, but repay in full, helps increase your credit score/stability rating with the credit reference agencies, like equifax. Just set up a direct debit so that your credit card company debit the ful amount from your bank account every month. You'll never pay interest that way, but are helping your credit score all the time. Visit moneysavingexpert for a good beginners guide to improving your credit rating. I am currently A* rated which is as high as it comes, despite only earning a modest salary and having no mortgage

Hmm, Derv is stil 116.9p where i am :(

Hmm, after 83k in my SDI, i'd disagree that its utterly indriveable. Its a piece of cake to drive, in fact, i'd say its the easiest car i've ever had to drive, has lovely simple electronics, and gets really good mpg. It goes where its pointed, its not really got enough power to get itself out of shape.. Oh yeah, absolute doddle to drive! Mine has happily hauled me all the way to Berlin and back (where it maxxed out at a noisy 110mph and cruised at about 80 most of the time), and crossed the length and breadth of the UK more than i'd like to remember. Its in no way a sporty ride, in fact, its not even remotely entertaining, but its not wallowy either. But hey, thats why i have a 140mph 600cc motorbike... i used to drive coupes and generally fast cars, but for years i've been hapy with my octy sdi, paired with a reasonably quick bike. I do think i'll hanker after more power now, as i'm selling my bike on MCN though. The recent purchase of a new shape '55 plate Passat tdi105 SE should satisfy, though i'll consider a remap if it wont cost me mpg, as I'll miss the bike big time :(

Gerry at the AudiVW repair centre in Clydebank does Custom code remaps and is a sound guy, and his pricing is pretty reasonable. Thats where i get my B6 Passat serviced, and he's offering the phase 1 remap for my 1.9Tdi105 for about £220 that will give me 135bhp up from 105 with no fuel consumption detriment. I *think* that includes a dyno run afterwards to see what power you are genuinely putting down through the wheels too. I'd consider Revo too, but not from Drivers at Charing Cross. They charge astronomical prices, for backstreet cowboy standards of workmanship (in my experience at least) You do also have the option of an Angel Tune. Colin is pretty sound, but Angel don't discount willy-nilly so you can expect to pay the full £300-350 for a remap. Their phase 1 does give a little more than the CC one though. For a Vrs you'd get a genuine +40bhp for £350 Thats the only 3 companies i can talk about, as i have never been up to Star in fife or used jabba at all. (yet) Dont be afraid of the quoted power increases for remaps. They are generally pretty close to whats achievable. Turbo'd motors, and diesels in particular, can see massive gains of up to 40% through a remap. Basic 'phase one' or 'generic' remaps tend to

The SDI boxes are generally perceived to be the weaker link, but only a little. It was exaggerated by the fact that so many taxi drivers in the UK (i'm talking tens of thousands) bought mk1 SDI's cause they were only 10k BRAND NEW back in the day, and they rattled shedloads of miles on em very quickly, as taxis do. I've heard of them going by 100k, and some getting to 200k before needing overhauled. Theres no patern that i've seen or heard of.

If your SDI is reasonably well looked after, and you aren't kicking the nuts off it (its only got 68bhp after all so why try) and you dont have all the electrics on all the time, you can average 55mpg. I get just a little less, but i alweays have my sidelights n as a minimum, and if its even spitting, let alone raining, then its dipped beam. Add the that a 1000W stereo and you can see why i'm getting 52mpg, not 55 like I just suggested you can get. On a long run to Berlin and back last year i was getting 60mpg, until i got to the autobahn stretch and sat at 80-85mph for about 8 hours. That dragged my average for the whole trip right down to 54.5mpg, lol. Dont go above 65mph if you dont wanna waste any fuel at all. Top speed achievable on the autobahnn was 110mph with me, 2 passengers, and a boot with our weeks luggage in it. But its not a nice 110mph. very noisy. I fill up at about 500 miles, and the light is usually on before i hit 550miles The reason folk buy SDI's is because they are noticeably cheaper than TDi's Hope that helps tkerton

:rkick:

Congratulations! Its not easy to drive perfectly for that length of time, especially as its often in unfamiliar territory. Ive not long since started my observed drives and despite being probably the most observant driver i know, and reasonably skilled imho, its amazing the adjustments you have to make to please the IAM observer!

Its not the exhausts you usually hear, its the engines revving to 10,000rpm that you can hear. And thats because folk on sportsbikes seem to have an aversion to changing up through the gears...

I've always wanted an elise as a weekend car but cant afford it yet. Ideally, i'd have an EXIGE. Thats the puppy for me!

VAG are getting into the habit of not recalling cars, as it damages their reputation for building very well engineered cars. Truth is, they've been going downhill for at least the last 10 years, sing cheaper grades of metals, and shaving pennies here and there. The new shape passat 1.9 and 2.0 diesels have a frighteningly regular failure rate in the electronic fuel pumps. The fuel being fed back into the tank is too hot, and the warm fuel is causing the pumps to fail. Some folk are getting as little as 30k miles out of them, some as much as 60k. But they are all failing. VAG wont recall it, partly because they cant get enough pumps made fast enough to fit to their new cars, let alone replace FOC the ones that are failing. (i got 33k, and then my car was in their shop for 8 weeks waiting on a pump, as the whole of europe has them on back order) There were 2 manufacturers, now there is only 1, as the 2nd had the faulty ones. My Passat might just be the last VAG car i buy. Its a shame, as My Octy1 has needed ONLY a hazard light switch, which was suplied and fitted for £55. (otherwse, only wear and tear items like tyres, brakes etc)

Which bushes? Theres about 15 rubber bushes on the car! lol. If you look for a complete kit from the likes of powerflex, I imagine you'll pay £150 for the parts, and at leas the same again if you pay a garage to fit them. Your ride will be tightened up, steering more precise, and you'll get a lot more feedback through the wheel, and chassis. However, at best, poly bushes can be described as giving the car a 'sporty' feel. Sometimes theres a bit of vibration through the steering wheel, particularly if you put a plastic dogbone mount bush in.

For me i'd have to be the vRS unless the L&K was remapped. Insurance is a funny one, because its almost impossible to tell if its been remapped. However, if you do tell your insurance, you can expect to pay about 15% more, but its worth it!

Where was that from, may i ask? I have a 1.9TDi Pasat105 remapped to 145bhp (no other mods at all but would consider doing this mod at the right price for consistent summer performance) >

Worth noting that any rear springs from a similar Octavia (vrs and scout excluded, will physically fit though. Its a question of how firm they'll be. However, i agree that there are lots of different sets of OE ones(hence the mystery paint blob codes), and therefore lots of slightly different poundages. And then theres the lowering springs from all the different manufacturers out there. I would only replace a pair, unless it was a single i'd ordered that i knew for definite would match the one on there already. I should probably have said that i was fitting KYB springs, and therefore replaced the rear pair, and would not have considered just changing one for a different brand. As i noted above, i'm pretty sure they sit 10mm lower than the originals, despite being sold as OE spec parts. I've used lots of Kayaba stuff, and found it to be very good value for money and the materials and workmanship faultless. I guess what i'm saying is that you should always change a pair, that way you dont really have to worry if they are ever so slightly higher/lower/firmer than the old/broken ones. And if you are fitting lowering springs then its probably irrelevant to you that Skoda have lots of different part numbers Thanks for spotting that though. I was that concerned with getting the pictures in the right order i may not have been concentrating on the text content of the how to. I'll concentrate next time