freelunch

No, I haven't had to resort to that, yet. I don't have the rubber seal sliding out of position like you do. Only the trim shifts, I suppose from expansion/contraction with temperature changes. I'm guessing your car is out of warranty, so you'd have to rely on your dealer doing a "good will" repair, as it has been a documented problem. Can't hurt to ask. Škoda repaired mine for free last time, but they had previous repairs for my car on their system. Gluing into place would prevent heat expansion, which might lead to buckling? Like I say, it would be a last resort. It would only be a dab on the end, rather than gluing the whole strip.

Stools, chairs, rolling seats... you all remind me I forgot to do the roof!

I gave The Big Red Bus a serious wash and polish today. What a gorgeous day! Now, it takes me about ten minutes to stand up straight from a sitting position.

He can copy his own CDs to USB media and play them in his car, but it he gives that USB stick to you there's a problem. I would suggest PM, is what I'm really saying.

@Benjum And line up a solicitor, as you've made your intentions public!

"FOC. Warranty Repair – Confirmed OSF & OSR upper door trims loose after previous repair, confirmed relevant TPI followed, replaced OSF & OSR rubber door seals, checked window and door operations, retested, all OK." This has been a recurring problem for the four years I've owned the car. The last time I pressed the trim back into place, I decided, next time I would get the silicone glue out and sort it out myself. Hasn't popped up since. I guess it just needed a good threatening... This window trim is the only design fault that I have come across with this otherwise quite excellent car.

There may well be a way to achieve that, but I believe it would be illegal. The lights are required to come on with the ignition in the EU. I don't believe, even with Brexit, that the law will change here. Motorcycle headlights have been required to come on with the ignition for many years. It's a safety feature. Only stealth fighters over enemy territory are allowed to operate without running lights.

My 66-reg Sportline came with three keys: one nice one, two plastic ones.

I've not seen that autoebid site before. Thanks for the link. Next time I look at it will be after the council installs a lot more charging points in the neighbourhood.

@310golfr I just must have got lucky: I bought the sales manager's Sportline. Three months old, 1,700 miles on the clock. Fully speced. £10K off list. I ran it pretty hard during my test drive, as I imagine did previous drivers. I've had four years faultless service from this car, and expect many more. Surprisingly, I don't feel foolish at all. My only regret: I had to settle for Corrida red, instead of dragon green.

A word of warning from Martin Lewis: Martin Lewis warning Basically, it says be careful about where your goods are being shipped from (Amazon, eBay, etc) since anything shipped from Europe gets taxed. The threshold seems to be £135.

That's a lovely colour. Race Blue, I'm guessing?

I had my list whittled down to the Škoda and the Alfa Giulia Veloce. I was driving a Brera at the time. I drove both and settled for the Škoda. The Alfa's problem areas for me were: naff stop/start (dealer said just switch it off), lack of boot space (the hatchback is better) and the Alfa's steering has a wierd hitch under slow speeds and tight lock (dealer said that's the way the front suspension is set up). I don't regret my choice, but stop and admire the Giulia whenever I see one on the street. You should own an Alfa at least once.

@gsf600y If a car is just transportation, get the Octavia. If you're as obsessed about cars as most of the posters on this forum, really, how much per month is the difference in cost? That Sportline looks pretty nice.

I doubt your new ride will put you to sleep...

Someone's smiling out there?!!! How dare they!!!

Started it. I'm sure the Sportline hasn't been fired up in at least a month. It's a 66-reg with the original battery and sits outside on the street. So, I grabbed the door handle and... nothing. I figured the battery had finally died, especially in the last few days of freezing cold. I proceeded to dig the key out of the fob. As I stood there trying to remember how to access the key hole, I looked at the fob and thought, well, just press the open button. It unlocked. Got in, pressed the starter button and it fired right up. So, I revved the motor until the water temp read normal, drove it back and forward a couple inches, shut off all the infotainment and heater stuff, then killed the engine. As I left the car, I put my thumb on the door handle and it locked. Heck, I might get another year out of that battery....

In the interest of fairness, the Marshall Škoda dealership in Croydon has done alright by me. To the point where, even after the warranty has expired, I'm taking my Sportline back to them for its annual servicing, rather than to my local mechanic.

I know a guy whose girlfriend left him after he put a £2,500 stereo in his Mitsubishi pickup. Well, it was a four-seater.

I had this problem – Media refused to load. It only happened when it was very cold weather (I park outside). After the car had warmed up, the problem disappeared. You might try holding down your On/Off button until the unit reboots?

They did have a bad QC rep. However, they hired a German from BMW to head up QC when they designed the Giulia. It's a nice car and the Alfa website has been very positive. Moved from an Alpha, but wanted a bigger car. The things that put me off the Giulia were the stop/start implementation (dealer said just turn it off) the small boot (as compared to my hatchback) and the price (when compared to the same spec Škoda. I don't regret choosing the Škoda over the Alfa, but I've not developed the same attachment to it as I had for my old Brera. That was a cool car.

When you're driving, the car doesn't feel too big. When you park, you realise what a long car it is. The rear camera is very useful in that regard, as the sensors are triggered a bit too early.

@Timcooper55 It depends very much on your level of OCD. I'm probably 7/10. I bought a small bottle of colour matched paint for my Corrida red car and a very small brush. If you take your time and don't over apply the paint, you can do a respectable job as seen from four feet away. You know where the scratches are, so you will see them easily, but not a casual observer. Or, you pay for one of these travelling repair guys to come and do a much better job for £100+. You pays your money, you takes your choice.

I bought the dealer's demo with 1,700 miles on it. It's been a great car.

220 is plenty, unless you absolutely need 4WD. I'd be more worried about two owners in two years.