skidpan

After an accident of that magnitude I would leave the wheels well alone. A wheel failure is not what you want.

Sorry to disappoint you but just measured ours, it is exactly 6m from the 3 pin plug to the car plug.

The DQ400e is only used in the iV so its quite simple, you don't have that box. The clue is the "e" at the end.

Don't think there is such a display. It would be pretty meaningless since the figures displayed include energy recovered and depending on the settings energy from the generator. Its easy for me, on Octopus Energy you can simply download your energy usage in spread sheet format and with a swipe of the mouse see how much the car has used to charge. From zero miles to full (approx. 33 miles on the dash) its about 11.8 kWh on average.

Mid May we went on holiday for the week in the October 2020 iV hatch. Before setting off I filled to the first click and fully charged the battery, car showed 530 mile petrol range plus 33 miles of battery. Its 430 miles to the lodge and we averaged 62 mph for the trip. Once there we did local trips but had no opportunity to charge the battery at all. I refuelled after we had done 571 and the car was still showing 90 miles of range remaining, a potential range of 661 miles and if we had had the chance to charge it would have been greater. I calculated the mpg for the week (including the cost of the charge before we went) as about 57 mpg (dash showed 57 as well) which I was more than happy with. Last Wednesday we did a 254 mile round trip to the coast. did not fill to the brim, no need, gauge showed midway between 1/2 and 3/4. Gave the car a full charge overnight. Range shown was 345 miles petrol plus 34 miles electric, total 379 miles. Traffic was pretty grim at times, only managed 47 mph for the day. Back home still had 150 miles of range left. From my spreadsheet it seems that the displayed mpg on the dash is pretty accurate (as it was for the May holiday) so it looks like the car actually did about 67 mpg for the trip, really happy with that. It appears that as with the 1.4 TSi Superb we had before the iV the mpg improves quite significantly with miles so its no surprise it did more last week than in May. But I am surprised at the size of the improvement. Next planned long drive is not until September, will be interesting what it does then. But at this time with a full tank and a full charge driving at the national speed limit I am pretty certain that a 700 mile range is perfectly achievable. If you can charge on route its going to be even further.

More to report after Nicola allowed us to cross the border. We did 1022 miles in the week so a perfectly normal holiday. Filled the tank and charged before departing. Set the car in hybrid mode with the Auto box ticked. Surprised me when the battery lasted just over 300 miles before dropping to zero and this was cruising with the ACC set at 72 mph for the whole 300 miles. Got there perfectly relaxed, just like we did in the 1.4 TSi. We were aware of several "free" charge points in the area and on day 2 went for a coffee and walk round whilst it charged a bit. Discovered whilst it is theoretically free there is a £20 a year registration fee, no way we would get our monies worth so abandoned idea of charging. The company that runs the points is changing the rules from July and changing the £20 a year fee to a once only registration but no indication what this will cost, might be better, might not, we will see. Did local trips all week, between 4 and 25 miles each time so no long sight seeing outings this time, too wet for that, and refuelled on the Thursday for returning Saturday. Just calculated mpg for the trip (including the cost of electric for the pre-trip charge) and Mr Libre Office (I don't pay for software if I can avoid it) said 55.7 mpg (the dash said 55.4 mpg so pretty close). Very happy with that considering the fact that we could not easily charge the car. Looking at the eco display when we got home showed the car had run 14% of the 430 mile return trip on battery, not bad when we started off with zero miles, shows it recoups a fair bit of power. Comparing that figure to the mpg we got from the 1.4 TSi manual the first time we did the trip is a good comparison. Both cars had covered just over 2000 miles on departure so both still not bedded in really. The 1.4 TSi managed 47 mpg for the week which I was very happy with. To get over 55 mpg from a heavier car with an auto box with little chance to charge is way better than I expected. Last year on the same trip the 1.4 TSi did 53 mpg for the week so lets hope that the iV loosens up with the miles like that did. Will it be cheaper to run over 4 years than the 1.4 TSi, doubt it but its a better drive and we like it. The price we bought it for softens the blow of course, probably be less enthusiastic if we had paid £8500 more.

The 3 pin charging cable is about 6m from plug to plug including the box that does the magic. I have screwed several large hooks into the garage wall to keep it off the floor. Umbrella slot in both doors but only one umbrella. We kept them off the previous Superb since we are tight gits. Ours is the SE Tech and no torch, the previous Superb was a SE and that did have a torch. Won't miss it, in almost 4 years we never used it. We will know for definite next Saturday when we do our first 430 mile trip but based on experience for shorter trips (up to 100 miles) it looks like the battery should last about 200 miles on the motorway at 70 mph in hybrid mode. But that was several months ago and now it getting warmer hopefully it might last longer. No idea what media the L & K has/had. We put ours in "B" mode every time we drive it. Really like the dynamic brake feel, just like driving a manual with engine braking. How much electrickery it makes I have no idea but every little helps. Just set it to charge overnight for the first time on Octopus GO. Looked at all the available deals and whilst some did slightly cheaper off peak electricity you paid way more for peak and way way more for gas. Its 5p/kWh off peak 0030 to 0430, 13.45p/kWh peak and 2.8/kWh gas. Put our expected usage onto a spread sheet and it was no contest.

We had a 2017 1.4 manual for 3 years 8 months and had no issues whatsoever. Averaged 45 mpg (calculated) over that [period but on a 1000 mile road trip in Scotland it would average 53+ for the week. Brilliant car. When we were changing ours last October we wanted another Superb but an auto this time, and despite looking almost nationwide could not get a drive in a 2 litre. So we had a 1.5 DSG for 24 hours and I have to report it was not a car I would buy. In drive the car was very slow to pick up and changed up very early, put it in sport and the pick up was better but it hung on to the lower gears far to long compared to the revs I could use in our manual. Not the car for us. Out of interest we tried a Passat estate 1.5 DSG and it was much better but it still had its moments. Quite by chance our local dealer just happened to have some pre-reg Superb IV's in, drove one, loved it and bought it. In that the DSG integrates perfectly, very impressed and happy with the car. Paid less for it than the 1.5 Passat would have cost us. If we had not bought the iV it would have been a Volvo V60, the auto in that was way better than the DSG (but at the expense of fuel economy).

Perhaps the mileage the car has covered has something to do with it. If its running fine just carry on driving it. A litre of oil or 10 is way cheaper than engine work.

The list price of the 280 hatch is indeed over £40,000, actually its £40,405. But for the purpose of calculating the VED the first years VED is deducted from the list price which reduces it to £39,510, below the £40,000 and no extra to pay for 5 years. Add in any extras such as paint and you would be above £40,000 so pretty academic, who wants a crappy solid colour on an expensive car.

The prices quoted by CarWow normally include any finance contribution and tell you to add £££££'s if you do not want to take out finance. I have bought cars in the past from Carfile.net and their prices do not include the finance contribution and this can make them look more expensive unless you realise it still needs taking off if you wish to save even more money. Carfiles price on a 280 Sportline is £35,718.60, a saving of £4661.40. There is another £3000 to be saved by taking out a PCP and the service offer at £159 is also available. Brings the price down to £32718.60, one hell of a saving.

They cannot stop you from paying it off despite what some lying salesmen will tell you. The law allows it, if they stopped you (other than being unable to meet the requirements to pay it back) they would be in breach of the finance laws. We bought a Leon in 2013 on a PCP, paid it off within a week and kept the £2000 thanks very much. We bought a Fabia in 2018 on a PCP and kept the £2500 paying it off with the week. In between those 2 we bought a Nissan on a PCP and kept the £2500 contribution, free 3 year service plan and £1000 for being an existing Nissan owner and kept the lot.

We got our iV last October, it replaced a Mk 3 Superb TSi 150 PS. We had to pay for ours and I do not feel let down at all, even the wife likes it. I have not used the heated seats but the wife has and loves them. Only has them on the lowest setting and turns them off once her bum is toasty to save electrickery. Infotainment seems OK other than we do seem to get fewer traffic alerts than we got with the old car. Perhaps because we have been in lockdown and not used it a great deal but if it does not improve as traffic increases it will be one for the dealer to check. Charge ours at home on the 13 amp plug. Changing to Octopus Go next week so once they get us a Smart meter it will be 5 p a unit charging, better than the 14 p we are paying now. But even that is cheaper than petrol. I have worked out that with a full charge and the car in hybrid mode we should get about 200 miles max (in summer) before the battery runs out. Longest trip we have done so far was about 100 miles and near home we switched to electric to make the most of it. Last weekend started a trip with a full battery and when we got home we had covered 29 miles with 7 still showing. That is way better than it was doing in the cold, dark depths of winter, 25 was good then. The petrol mpg is working out at about 70 but its not as simple as that since we have to pay for the electric. Factor in the cost of the electric and it drops to 55 mpg. Very happy with those figures, at the same mileage in the 1.4 TSi it had averaged about 43 mpg. If Nicola will allow us across the border next month it will be our twice a year Scottish road trip, anywhere between 1000 and 1200 miles in the week. Don't expect much opportunity to charge, no points at the lodge and only 9 points in a 20 mile radius, will have to plan our afternoon coffees very carefully. That trip will show how well it does in the real world. In truth we never bought it to save money (if we break even I will be ecstatic) but because the other cars we tried were not to our liking. My calcs showed that another 1.5 TSi made more sense financially but we wanted an auto this time and the auto Superb 1.5 TSi we drove was dreadful, slug like at best. Interestingly the Passat estate with same engine/gearbox was much better but still not to our liking. When we got the opportunity to buy a 3 week old pre-reg iv (10 miles) we tried it and loved it and now just hope that the sums work out.

Our September 2020 reg (August 2020 build) iV SE Tech was fitted as standard with leather seats, exactly the same ones as the SE-L ones.

I have had loads of experience with the 1.4 TSi 140 and 150 versions. Bought the first in 2013 in a Seat Leon and was very impressed, only 100 yards into the test drive I knew I had to have one. Kept it a very happy 3 years 8 months and during that time it averaged a true calculated (not the dash figure) 45.04 mpg. But despite still being happy with it the car had become just too small so looked around and despite never really considering it (thought it would be too big) bought a Superb 1.4 TSi 150 hatch. To be fair its not as quick or as sharp to drive as the Leon but it did us proud for 3 years 8 months during which time it averaged a true calculated 45.08 mpg. Despite the extra size and weight I think the shape is more aerodynamic than the Leon and despite my misgivings with cylinder shut off I am sure it did help. Saw an average of 54 mpg over a week in Scotland (1000 miles). Both those were manuals and for our next car we decided it had to be a auto. Never really liked them but after trying some we found them to be totally fine. We had more or less decided on a Passat Estate 1.5 TSi 150 but after 2 test drives I was not totally convinced. None of the much reported kangarooing but unless you were in "sport" mode or using the paddles it just did not seem very sharp. Pretty sure the 2.0 would have been better but the mpg penalty was worrying. If you were buying manual I would say 1.4/5 but if you are going auto I would suggest you drive both the 1.4/5 and the 2.0 before deciding. What did we finally buy, got an iV yesterday.

Always take figures with a pinch of salt, not all RR's read the same. Its the before and after that are important (providing the mapper does not have a mysterious button to ggive a high reading as required - it does happen). My old race car on the RR I used for years read about 125 bhp at the wheels, engine was built to a 175 bhp spec so seemed a bit low but it kept winning pots so no complaints. On a RR shoot out it made 152 bhp at the wheels which was closer to what I would have expected but it was just a figure and would not make the car faster. The RR owners own car with a lower spec engine than mine (never won a thing) was supposed to have made 175 bhp on the night and some owners were flooding to him to spend their money. When my RR chap retired I found another local old boy who knew his stuff but had an ancient water braked RR. On that the car made 172 bhp at the wheels. Too many variables.

New one on me. But since manufacturers tend to fit more than one make of tyre on any model (depends whet they get the best deal on at any time) how on earth do you find out what the minimum original tyre "class" was without having a list of all the OEM tyres? The Pirelli P7's on my cars are "C" "B" 71dB. A tyre called the Rotulla S_Race RU01 is "C" "B" 69 dB is 1/2 the price of the Pirelli and betters the spec but would the leasing company accept an unknown ditchfinder? But a tyre from a well respected company such as the Bridgestone Turanze ER300 (on the wifes current Skoda as OEM and was on her previous one) is about 20% more expensive than the Pirelli yet is only "E" "E" 73dB i.e. it fails on every category. What a bizarre rule. when you can theoretically fit a ditchfinder but not a good quality tyre.

With regards to replacing tyres the only requirements I have ever experienced have been that the load rating and speed rating match or exceed the OEM spec as does the size unless agreed with your insurers etc. The 3 categories that manufacturers have to show on a sticker are pretty meaningless since they carry out the tests themselves. Some far eastern ditchfinders have good ratings yet can be lethal. I cannot see any issue providing they are a decent well known brand and I don't just mean the likes of Goodyear, Pirelli etc. I replaced a set of 4 Conti's with 4 Kumho's and despite being little more than 1/2 the price they were better than the Conti's in every way especially noise. Quick bit of simple maths. Your existing tyres have used 4mm (8mm down to 4mm) in 10,000 miles at the very minimum (the fronts on our 1.4 TSi 150 have gone form 8mm to 5mm in 13,000 miles). That is 2,500 miles per mm. You have 2.4mm down to the legal minimum and at 2,500 per mm that is 6,000 miles. Doing 300 miles a week that is 20 weeks. Even if you drive like a total animal its still going to be 10 weeks. That would take you to the end of October. So don't panic.

carfile.net have what appear to be 2020 models listed. Currently have a 1.4 TSi 150 which was new in March 2017 and I am planning to swap March 2020 (3 years old). Interested in a 2.0 TSi SE-L and Carfile are showing that car as a 190 PS which I believe confirms it as a 2020 model. List is £30575 and after discount and PCP contribution its £23,713.60. I work that out as a 22.5% discount. We have bought 3 out of our last 4 cars from Carfile (2 Skodas and a Seat) and they give a brilliant service with no risk. Would not but via any other source now.

Mentioned them plenty of times before, its Carfile.net. Bought the Leon, Superb and Fabia using them and the deals have been top notch. There are possibly lower prices out there but some come with added risk especially the brokers that ask for 100% of the money before you even see the car. With Carfile.net you never pass them a single penny, the transaction is 100% with the dealer just like it would be with a normal purchase. The only difference is the saving. But they have not been the best every time. Some years ago it was a toss up between a Civic 2.2 D and a BMW 118D. Local Honda dealer had car we wanted in stock for immediate delivery and without knowing we had obtained a broker price he offered us a better deal. Did not matter, we preferred the BMW and in that case the BMW dealer matched Carfile when I told him he was too expensive without knowing the broker or price, how did he do that? Local Nissan dealer offered a better price than Carfile on a new Note and included the £199 3 years servicing in the deal. I would not use a different broker but I always check the local dealers as well.

Just investigating what I might replace the Supberb with and via my usual boker had a quote for an Octavia 2.0 TSI 245 vRS 5dr [Black Pack]. With discounts and contributions its £21951.60 OTR including 2 free services. Anyone paying full retail needs their heads reading.

When we bought our BMW it was fitted with M sport seats but we still had to specify 4 way lumbar. Having had back issues in the past and problems with some seats it seemed a stupid omission. Turned out to be a waste of money. With no lumber support the seats were fine, when I added some I had pains. So for over 5 years I drove with no lumbar in perfect comfort. My next car may well be an A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI SE trim. Lumbar is definitely an extra and I will be specifying it despite my comment above. Not having it and being in pain would be a stupid and expensive mistake.

Carfiles price quoted is without any PCP contribution and other deals. Take off whatever those figures are and that is the price. Its exactly like buying form a Skoda dealer (which is exactly what you do - Rainworth Motors) but the PCP contribution comes off the discount price and not list. When we bought the discount was 14% (just over £2300), PCP contribution was £2000 and test drive bonus was £1000. The car was over £17000 (crazy for a car of its type) but £12000 was a bargain. Paid PCP off after a week and kept the £2000.

The dealer had no stock cars when we bought but since we used Carfile (a broker) the discounts were huge, we paid £12000 for a 110 PS SE-L with some extras after discounts and contributions, other dealers were asking more for 6 month old pre-reg cars that did not have the kit we wanted. Try car file before you buy, no risks, we have had 3 cars from them since 2013. As for the flexibility we found that 5th in the 110 PS version is far more usable than 5th in the 95 PS version. 6th is a bit higher than 5th in the 95 PS version thus makes motorway cruising really relaxing. If the car was mostly for town use the 95 PS would be fine but with regular motorway use (the wifes regular visits to the MIL are a 80 mile round trip) the 110 suits us better.

Before buying our 1.0 TSi 110 PS we tried both the 95 PS and 110 PS versions. To be fair the 95 PS with the 5 speed box was absolutely fine, way better than the 98 PS 5 speed car we were changing. But the 110 PS with 6 speed box was much better. You could feel the extra grunt (its the 30 extra torques that really matter not the extra 15 PS) and the 6th gear makes it really relaxing on the motorway, the fact that it closes the other gears as well makes for a much more flexible drive. Well worth the extra money.