WillM82

Thanks Rybu79 The parts numbers come up as Rapid stoppers too, in case people can't find them as Octavia

Probably more of a Superb competitor, I prefer the look of the Superb, don't like the current trend for a 3rd side window. However it is great to see another option for a 5 door fastback. They are a dying breed, about 15 years ago you could choose from Lagunas, Xantias/C5s, Accords, Primeras, Avensises etc., these days the only real options are Mondeo, Insignia, Skodas or go 'premium' with the Audi A5 or the proportionally challenged 3/5 BMW GT models.

Mine must be a secret panoramic model, because it feels like a goldfish bowl the windscreen is that big. If you want a letterbox, try something like an Alfa Romeo GTV. I struggled to see some traffic lights the windscreen was that short. Did mean I rarely used the sun visors though!

Very occasionally on startup I'll see a message to check third brake light. The first time it occurred was during a frosty evening in March, then it occurred this morning after it was parked up in yesterday's heavy rain. Stopped at a busy junction I quickly turned the car off and on again (the IT diagnosis approach) and it went away. Is this a sign of water ingress causing a bad connection, faulty seal etc.? Thanks

Ha, you know what I was getting at! If I'd put "Felt Spec", someone from Croydon or Slough or Auchtermuchty wouldn't have a clue! There are sporting diesels, the VRS models and GT TDi models prove that, but a knackered 306 XUD with the suspension springs clamped down with a G clamp isn't.

That is a pretty sweet Subaru, and the VRS is nice too, @tubbytommy My original rant though was at inexplicable mods that made no sense, your cars are tasteful and look the business. Kenwood stickers across the back - that's fair enough, doesn't impair front visibility, not that different from tinting the rear window. And the "shopping list", well when I fitted a K&N filter to the Saab I put the small sticker on the lower rear window, surely the is just the same as that taken to the next level, displaying the equipment fitted to the car? Not a dangerous nor inexplicable mod. And yes I'm a grumpy old man 9 years ago I was driving this...

I appreciate that modifications are all subjective, that they come in fads, and that I've made minor modifications to cars I've owned myself in the past that others would see as tacky - big mudflaps, debadging, those cheap ebay flimsy plastic "M3" spoilers etc. I've lived through the Max Power era and seen all sorts of weird and wacky bodykits, but I don't understand some of the current fads: - No front numberplate / numberplate in the windscreen. I appreciate that in publicity shots, cars won't have a front plate. I even get Alfa Romeo or Evo-style side mounting, to allow air in to an intercooler. But I don't get the trend of ripping the front numberplate off and placing it in the windscreen. It just looks like it has fallen off and needs to be put on again. - Words all over the windscreen. I once read about a car dealer who got done for taking a test drive with the price and feature list stickers on the windscreen of a car they were selling. Now people are doing it to their own cars. I appreciate that this is probably an evolution from the old fashioned "Rothmans Rally" sun strips, but how do people see the road for all the stickers? And what do they do at MOT time - peel them off and put them back on again? - Wheels that foul the arches and the "camber" look. Popular in the dub scene. I can appreciate lowering a car a little to get a better stance, but when tyres start rubbing bodywork you've gone too far. When you can't negotiate speed humps, and drive along country roads at a crawl in case of potholes you've taken it too far. The "camber" thing too just looks like your car has been dropped and axle snapped. - Diesel smoke, usually from a Peugeot 306 diesel, open up the fuel lines such that when they accelerate they put out a huge cloud of black smoke. Not particularly sporty.

That was what I meant by pre-programmed in. I haven't bothered. Not a fan of the touchscreen, yes the maxidot allows me to change stations (my poverty spec has a DAB radio but doesn't have wheel controls!) but trying to press presets while on the move is borderline dangerous.

No difference, boot is easier to close with them screwed in, might leave them like that.

Have never seen that in the status. Usually when it is running a DPF, the status just says "Start Stop unavailable / Engine needs to be running"

Is there not a point where the DPF gets inevitably clogged up by soot, that it needs replaced as part of maintenance? Some people have said not to switch it off when it is performing a DPF, it would've been useful if some sort of indication was present - other than high idle / no stop start / fans.

The station logos seem to need pre-programmed in. Perhaps your station name has changed (eg. Xfm to RadioX, Citybeat to Q etc.) and it can no longer find an appropriate logo? The only logo I have is for World Service, which seems to be sent over the airwaves, not sure why other stations can't or won't do this.

I tend to just leave it in D. On previous automatics I would've selected P when sat in traffic for a while, bad habit as others have suggested in case you are shunted. Only really used N for MOT testing, when it was getting a brake check. My Octavia is my 3rd automatic. My commute is half urban in stop start traffic, an autobox was a must. 1st autobox was a Honda Accord coupe, big 2 door thing that they brought over from the US, had an old fashioned autobox with 4 speeds and a big T shaped gearstick. We had bad snow when I was driving it, it had a D2 mode which took off in 2nd gear, and it handled the snow just fine. Strangely it didn't hold on a hill, you would either need to balance the brake and accelerator or hold it on the handbrake. 2nd was a Saab 9-3 1.8t (really a 2 litre petrol) saloon, it had a weird resonance at 1800rpm that felt like it was in the wrong gear, and it was heavy on fuel, but otherwise no issues with the box. This had a semi-auto +/- mode that I never used. The full kickdown was fantastic, it would rev all the way to the limiter before changing up, making it sound like an old touring car. 3rd is the current Octavia. Originally looked at a Toledo or Rapid hatchback, but the former was rare in DSG, and the latter was only available as the sportback estate in DSG. DSG is a different beast to the old slushmatics, more of an automated manual. So it provides manual style gearchanges, 7 speeds and great fuel economy. I guess the downside is potential long term reliability - DSG7s have a bad reputation, and I guess like manuals the clutches will eventually go - and there will be 2 to replace - so potentially pricey future maintenance. Also my first car with stop-start, I try to gauge if I'm going to be stopped a while, if not I'll balance the brake slightly, if so then full brake. One thing I noticed, when opening the door to buzz the awkwardly positioned buzzer to get security to open the barrier at the drop off point at the maternity hospital, is that when stop start has stopped it, it is in Park, and you open the door, you need to manually restart it.

Got the last of the sticker adhesive off with the powerhose and sponge after giving it a good wash at the weekend. As others have said, I really dislike dealer stickers. They aren't paying me to advertise for them, if anything I'm paying them for the privilege of driving around with a car with their name on it! Though on the other hand, it is nice sometimes to see a classic (or near-classic like early 90s Favorits/Felicias) car with an original dealer sticker. Numberplate dealer tags are another thing, technically legally required, the used car dealer I bought mine from is part of a Hyundai dealer, so mine has a little tab at the bottom of the plates with a Hyundai dealer name on it. No big deal, I will probably re-register it on a Northern Ireland numberplate at some point, and order a fancyplates.com set of plates - standard font, possibly a small Skoda logo on the bottom (had previous in the past, and on my wife's car with a little SEAT logo, never had issues at MOT time).

Our Leon has 2 rubber stoppers they look like the VW ones I've seen, not as easily asjustable as the Octavia. I don't want to mess with it too much, as it isn't a concern on the Leon.