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Is there a problem with long-life oils and remaps or just the Castrol Long Life oil, @toot? I'm due an oil change this year after a couple of years on Mobil 1 ESP 0W20. My mileage is ridiculously low, so I'm reluctant to change the oil every 12 months. (Car registered Q2 2019 and has under 15,000 miles on it.)

I see both sides of the argument, here. What I would highlight is what @Schtumpointed out, that things have progressed considerably in automotive technology in the last 50 years, and the car does an awful lot of clever things that drivers don't tend to notice are happening. However to do those things, the system has to know what it's dealing with. If you change the car without telling the XDS/haldex (and whatever other clever stuff is in the car's system to keep the driver pointing in the right direction) that they are no longer dealing with a vanilla Yeti, and now have a big lump of weight hanging off the back of the car, there are doubtless circumstances when the XDS/haldex may be inclined to do the "wrong" thing, because it doesn't know the car has half a ton (or more) of unexpected weight hanging off the back of it.

Also could a mod move this to somewhere more appropriate?

Have you tried this variant? If you pop down to Halfords, I'm pretty sure they'd let you try it for size. https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-security/stoplock-airbag-4x4-steering-wheel-lock-291166.html

Not as stranded as getting your car nicked because you left the keys in it. 😋 Seriously though, does it lock mysteriously while you're away, or does it lock as you close the door with the keys in the car?

Hello and welcome!

I have to say the Irish Times is a pretty good read. I started with that article and then read another that informed me the Focus is being phased out and Ford will end production in 2025. I've always liked the Focus, but I have never actually bought one as they've been a bit small for my needs. But it's a shame they're ending production as they're great to drive.

I see, that makes sense to me. Good luck with your new car, whatever you end up with. 👍

With interest rates going up every couple of months, finance might not be the easy option it once was. I haven't checked the borrowing rates lately, but I very much doubt they're lower than they were 6 months ago.

I like young, high-mileage cars, so if the car has been serviced well, and the price reflects the mileage and condition, then it might be a canny buy, especially as you intend to keep piling the miles on.

Pointing the legislation gun at the heads of ICE users to get them to give up their ICE cars will not happy voters make. I mean you can do it, but I don't think most people like being bossed around and told what to do. (That's probably why the number of men getting married is declining. 😋)

No idea. I was curious to know why @Forerunnerwas buying new rather than used.

Just out of curiosity, why not considering used? Interested, as this thread seems to suggest there's a lot of good-value EVs about, but not many used EV buyers.

Do you have to buy new, or are you willing to consider a used EV?

Like it or not, I think there are a lot more people who want a personal vehicle than want an personal EV. I don't know how big is the market for EVs in the UK is, but I think they're less desirable to the average person than some people think they are. Maybe it's simply a case of the market being saturated with EVs, with more used EVs for sale than buyers wanting an EV. I don't know anyone who's bought a used EV or PHEV for that matter, but I know several people with them on PCP/lease from new. Just how big is the UK market for used EVs?

My mate has just had his BMW recalled with an airbag safety issue. I wonder how many different vehicle manufacturers are affected by this issue?

I do like the new front end design Vauxhall have chosen. The latest Corsa and Astras look very handsome to me. I wouldn't have one, as I have a prejudice against recent Vauxhalls, but I do like the look of them.

Greetings Sebastien, and welcome!

Hello. Short answer to your question is "Yes". But that's only because you can bung pretty much anything into anything, so long as it physically fits and you are prepared to do a lot of work, and spend a lot of time and money to get it working properly. The question "Will the time, money and effort it will take to swap it this Tiguan engine into my Skoda Octavia 2 be worth it?" is only one that you can answer. It could be a great project that you can enjoy doing, or it could be a never-ending nightmare that you get sick to death of half-way through, and then you're stuck with a half-done project taking up space. To answer your question more helpfully, the more similar the Tiguan engine is to the existing engine in your Octavia, the easier the swap will be.

I use it the Skoda sat-nav in preference to Google maps, but that said, for the vast majority of my journeys, I tend to know where I'm going. I don't use sat-nav enough for any clunkiness in the user interface to be a nuisance. Entering an address in the Skoda system isn't as easy as Google maps, especially as you can use voice control for Google maps, which is really handy. The voice control on my Skoda is rubbish, which considering it's a 2019 car, is a big disappointment. I'm not a big fan of Google Maps, which I find tends to give very poor instructions. Example: Google maps tells you to leave the M42 at the "Bickenhill Interchange". What it means is Junction 6. There is no signage on the motorway that tells you junction 6 is the "Bickenhill Interchange", so it's a poor instruction. Obviously it's clear on the map, but it's a silly mistake the Skoda sat-nav doesn't make. I've also found Google maps gets confused on some roads under certain conditions, but that may be down to urban conditions affecting the satellite lock. Whatever the problem, my Skoda system is more dependable. I've navigated a journey with both Google and Skoda sat-navs running, and I found the Skoda sat-nav gave more timely instructions than Google maps. If I could only use one system, I'd choose the Skoda system. If I was a delivery driver, I'd probably choose the Google system, as the voice control is so useful.

I'm filing this under "You learn something new every day." 😄

Warrior clearly knows way more about the specific operation than I do. I just have a rough idea of how the system works, but I'm glad we're all thinking along the same lines. If you want to know more, this might be worth a look. I haven't read it, but the VAG Self-study series are useful. https://procarmanuals.com/pdf-online-vag-ssp-640-audi-1-4l-3-cylinder-tdi-engine-series-ea288/

I love it when someone can nail the problem in a sentence.

Yes, GT85 is not silicone. I honestly don't know what it's made of other than it lubricates and has PTFE in. It sounds like WD40+ to me, which can only vbe a good thing. For rubber care, I use this stuff, which seems to work pretty well.

It certainly contains PTFE, but I think it's mineral oil based, judging from the safety sheet. (That said, I can't say I'm an expert at reading safety sheets.) https://media.gt85.co.uk/app/uploads/2022/06/01155628/F00270_EN.pdf I understand silicone oil is more difficult to shift than mineral oil when it comes to paintwork, though.