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Genius! 👌

A bit off-topic, but talking of tanks, Skoda did actually make tanks at one time, a fact that I only recently discovered.

Hello and welcome!

I think there's an awful lot of smoke and not much fire over the benefits and problems of EVs. As someone who wants to be left to his own devices, when I feel like I'm being coerced into a change I'm not interested in making, in this instance having to get an EV, I'm inclined to dig my heels in and put up a fight. But right now, we don't have to get an EV. Make the EVs better and more people will want them. Force people into them and there will be resistance. It's never a good thing to force things by law, as laws can be changed. IMO the increasingly frail straws that are being clutched at now, like "tyre particulate emissions", are pretty weak arguments against EVs. Few really care about "tyre emissions". A less densely populated country would solve more environment problems in the UK than EVs ever will, and yet the population keeps growing year on year. NOTE: Skip the video to the 5:00 minute mark and thereafter you'll see a lot of the particulate emission from the tyres.

That sounds to like a resonating vibration. Someone like @Crasher or @Warrior193 would probably be able to give you a more knowledgeable opinion on the noise, but if I had to come up with an explanation for it, I'd be looking at some sort of heat shield (or other "thing") that's not secured properly and is vibrating with engine RPM to cause the noise.

Oh Lord! If this is reverse psychology, it's starting to work. I'm getting the urge to get myself an enormously heavy E-SUV. 😄 The EV evangelists were annoying, but the anti-EV folk are now worse than them It's like vegans outdoing vegetarians in annoying nagging about how much better everything would be if you just did what they want you to do. And all these grifters like Geoff are raking it in while stirring the pot that really doesn't need stirring. Buy an EV or don't. That's it.

Looks great!

Thanks for the link! 👍 Did you remove the wheel arch liner before treatment, @bigjohn?

Hello and welcome, Fred! Do tell us about your engine, as it's an engine I dismissed when buying my Octavia without giving it a moment's thought, so I'm interested to hear how you get on with it. 👍

That's good to hear. I'm still planning to do my DQ381 at 8 years, but that will be under 40K miles. It's 4.5 years now and hasn't even cracked 20K miles yet.

Does this 4 year 40K interval now apply to the DQ381, @Rooted?

God help me, but I find like that wrap! 😄

There are a few issues with the oil-burners, but they are great engines overall. How many miles has it done? This might be a useful thread for you, not for your specific problem, but because there is some expert advice given on VAG TDI fault-finding and remedial action in the thread.

Is it diesel?

Hello and welcome! As I also migrated for Skoda from Ford, I know what you mean about moving out of your comfort zone. In my experience, Skodas require a slightly different approach to maintenance than Fords do. My Mondeos were just "service, repair, run" cars. (As is my current Fiesta). My Octavia seems to need a more thoughtful approach to servicing, and seems to need what I would called "fettling". You need to anticipate problems and administer preventative maintenance before a small problem turns into a big one. The good news is that most of the issues are known, and can be headed off easily by early intervention. Some are silly things, like the silica pack in the coolant. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/search/?&q=silica&page=3&quick=1&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy But there are other problems you just need to know about and look out for them starting. Water pump, timing chain guides, and a load of other stuff I've forgotten. But all in all, it's a good ownership experience. Enjoy! 😊

In that case, I'd give yourself 12 months to familiarise yourself with the vehicle and ensure it's running right before you add the variable of a remap. That way, if something fails in the first 12 months of ownership, you'll know it wasn't caused by the remap. It'll also give you a chance to investigate the different maps, get a good baseline of your MPG, and perhaps get an initial rolling road run to see what power you've got to start with.

Hello and welcome! 😊

I don't know, but if you phone Skoda up and ask them, I think they will tell you.

A couple of insurers are represented on here, so give them a shout and see what the difference is. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/247-insurance-legal-issues/ There is also a chance that some insurers will decline to insure a modified vehicle.

Oof! Have they got an up-to-date sheet with all the recommended service requirements on? Skoda used to produce one and it was pretty handy. (Hat-tip to @Rooted who I think provided the copy shown here.)

Hello and welcome! 🙂

I don't think people need to identify as a Socialist on Briskoda, I think that's a given. 😋 It's more helpful for those who aren't Socialists to make themselves known. 👋 I do find Lee's bad smell analogy appropriate. I thought I'd left that in the Social And Chat swamp, but suddenly here it is. Must have been the mention of Socialism. 😄 EDIT: My mistake, this is part of the Social and Chat Zone swamp. I forgot GAC/EV was part of the swamp. So that explains the smell.

That's a comprehensive and convincing post @wyx087, so thanks for that. You're right, I had overlooked the much harsher re-cycling that a phone battery gets. 👍 (Makes me wonder why phone manufacturers don't accommodate this in their data.) But, your point about the range drop could be an inhibitor, when car charging requires a time committent. It's no problem for the people charging at home, though I wonder if it requires less power to charge a degraded battery than it does to charge a completely healthy battery, but when there's a time committent of 30-45 minutes involved, then yeah, it's going to be a nuisance. I think we need to remember the human factor here. Beyond the cold facts and data, there are things that people just don't like, and are uncomfortable with. And there are things that people are drawn to, perhaps due to fashion or good marketing, when there are superior alternatives. For example, I'll never understand the appeal of SUVs. Most people never take them off road, and they just increase running costs and are more likely to roll in an accident. Now if I were an Activist, I'd be off lobbying, campaigning and trying to get SUVs banned or taxed up to the eyeballs. But I'm not, so I just let them get on with it. One thing I've not mentioned, is that there are also undoubtedly some Activist ICE owners. They think everyone should own an ICE vehicle and think EVs are bad. They're just as much of a pain in the backside as the EV Activists, IMO.

Welcome back, Dubz! I wasn't around here when you were last on, so it's nice to see you on here.

I'm old enough to remember sheets and blankets. Nobody needed a government campaign and a load of affirmative-action to get me to buy a "continental" quilt. I had a look, was convinced, bought one and haven't looked back. That there's so much Activist activity associated with EVs is at odds with EVs being a better solution for most people. Rushing the hesitant simply makes them sceptical, like having a pushy door-to-door double-glazing salesman, who has an amazing offer BUT ONLY IF YOU SIGN TODAY!!! FOMO (fear of missing out) is a mug's game. People will find the best solution, often by copying someone who has already found that solution and are seen to be benefitting from it.