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Beepers on the bumpers can't spot a soft verge when you're reversing.

Where's the OCD fun in not worrying about turbo-overheating? Thermostatically controlled louvres that open/close to allow cool air in and warm air out help. I think there are already some cars with this feature on, and I think it's a great idea. I think they're normally implemented at the front, and generally to help the engine warm up quickly. I don't see why somethign similar couldn't be implemented on bonnets. It might be "cool" to watch your bonnet louvre vents open and close automatically from time to time in slow-moving traffic on a hot day, and genuinely useful in lowering under-bonnet temperature. (A little off topic, but I remember the trend of people sticking fake RS Turbo vents on their bonnets, so public acceptance of bonnet vents probably wouldn't be a problem.)

Yikes! I do a lot less than 50 miles most weeks since lockdown & working from home. I'll have to keep an eye on my battery.

I'm a big fan of buying a car at the end of the model's life, after all the bugs have been sorted out. I get that it means you end up with an arguably dated car, and also miss out on some fancy new functionality (some of which can be excellent), but I prefer to buy something that is tried and tested. I'm sure the MK4 issues will be sorted out, but it must be a nuisance to have paid to be a test-bed for debugging the MK4. It would be nice to see some sort of goodwill gesture from Skoda for MK4 early adopters. Maybe an extended warranty, such as Ford did with certain Powershift-equipped cars?

Hi Barry! Welcome to the forum. There's lots of ideas for modifications on here. I've recently added a reversing camera to my car, and it was not as complicated to do as I'd expected. There are lots of helpful people on here and some great guides. Have fun!

It it's a TDI, then potentially DPF problems. I can't think it does a TSI any good, but I have no info on whether GPFs can be clogged up by extended idling. I get the logic that:- Getting kiddo to sleep for an extra 45 min > possibility of car trouble that someone else is going to fix I remember those days...

I always liked the idea of having DSG paddles, but I chose not to buy a vRS. Bear with me, I know nothing about this, but I do like the idea of being able to drop a gear quickly and easily and then for the DSG to take back control a little later without me having to faff about putting it into and out of manual mode. Presently I just knock it into and out of sport mode, which works okay, but is not quite as convenient as paddle shift. I've searched the forum and AFAIK, it's a fairly straightforward plug and play swap. I reckon I could fit it myself, but don't want a face full of exploding airbag when I inadvertently do something stupid during fitting. What is the "best" way of adding DSG paddles to my MY19 SE L? (When I say best, I mean OEM quality at lowest price.) I couldn't find a guide on here, has anyone seen a guide to this job? Are there different paddle wheels, the VRS and flat-bottomed? I'm happy with a round wheel and it would keep the OEM look, but I could live with a flat-bottomed one if it was a fair bit cheaper.

I've used them for parts a couple of times, (touch-up brush kit and front mudflaps) and they were fine. Took my phone number, told me when they were expected to be in stock, and phoned me up the morning of the day they were expected to confirm they had got them. One persistent annoyance I get from some car people is they say they'll call you and then don't. So you call them and get the "I was just about to call you!" line. So kudos to All Electric parts dept. for managing to make phone calls in a timely manner.

I'll have a look at this, I've not noticed it. I like the idea of forcing all the air towards the airbox.

This chart helps explain the VAG coolant timeline, comparability and corrosion protection. Here's the link to the full presentation:- https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10138342-9999.pdf

This is exactly what I intend to do at my next service.

That is usually the way these things go.

Surely the battery voltage sensor doesn't just supply the SS system with information? I mean it's great if that's literally all it's there for, but at a guess, I'd say it was used by other systems in the car. Off the top of my head, (and I'll grant it's not a vital function ) I had a message in my Octavia telling me to take the car for a drive as I hadn't used the car for a bit during lockdown and the battery level was getting low. Presumably that function uses the battery voltage sensor too.

Presumably this is down to technical faults, not vandalism? I've no idea what vandalism of charging stations is like, but I'd assume it's going to be on a level with public phones. The "worse" the local area, the higher the vandalism. I can only imagine the chaos to a local area determined vandals could cause. I'm guessing theft of expensive parts from charging stations might become more common, in time.

Sorry if I was unclear, I won't be getting rid of my Octavia for about a decade, unless an unforeseen issue arises. This is really useful advice for people thinking of moving to EV as their main vehicle.

So let's say I'm me (which I am) and I decide I'm going green and cheap and buying an EV. How do I tell the difference between a good EV and one that's got some expensive problems not too far off?

Glad you've got yourself sorted, shame the vRS seems to have disappeared. What engine have you gone for in your L&K?

Free servicing sounds pretty sweet.

Hello! I look forward to seeing some of your car pics. I am terrible at photographing my car.

Greetings! I hope you enjoy getting more involved on here.

He doesn't need moral support to pay his bills, he has money. Re-read his "context" post.

These are two very interesting points I hadn't considered. The used EV market is going to be very interesting in a year or two. Thinking ahead, I think dealers will have to come up with some tempting offers for used vehicle buyers to overcome buyer hesitation, and balance that against the risk of high depreciation for used EVs. From my own perspective, the prospect of buying a used EV is filled with uncertainty. As ignorant as I am, I still fancy myself as someone who is able to buy a decent ICE car, and avoid a duff one. This (perhaps misplaced) confidence is because I've been driving ICE cars for getting on for 40 years, and I am familiar with them. I know how an ICE car sounds when it's healthy, and I know how it sounds when it's not. Likewise I know the way they should drive, what the exhaust smoke should (or nowadays shouldn't) look like, mayo in the oil, discoloured coolant, etc. But there's clearly so much I don't know about EVs, that I really wouldn't know where to start. Pulling random imaginary worries straight out of the air:- How would I know if the regenerative braking on the front offside wheel is knackered? How much does it cost to put right? How would I know if the battery or a motor is on the way out? How much would that cost to put right? How do I tell if an EV has been thrashed? How can I tell if an EV has been "clocked"? (Can you even clock an EV?) I think there's a big EV learning curve for anyone who tries to buy their car as a well-informed choice. Not only are there things I don't know about EVs that I'll need to learn to buy on with confidence, but there are certainly things I don't know I don't know about EVs. Just as a random worry, how would I know if there's an issue with the battery cooling system? It's only by chance I even know that EV batteries have cooling systems, and I don't know if that's common to all EVs. Goodness knows what I'd need to look for being covered by warranty for an EV! Given how clueless/dishonest car salesmen are about EVs, the opportunities for plausible deniability on outrageous lies about EVs are considerable. I think a lot of people will be fine, because they'll just go an buy a car they like and the chances are that they'll have little to no trouble with it. But I suspect that for a lot of grumpy old sods like me, who view things like GPFs & KESSY with a good deal of cynical suspicion, buying their first used EV is likely to be a troubling challenge.

Norton has red-flagged Dragy for some reason, so I'll look into that before installing it. But I agree that manufacturers figures for their cars can be some way off reality. This article caught my eye, it's quite an interesting read, from an EV fleet perspective. https://global.lockton.com/gb/en/news-insights/managing-the-risk-of-electric-fleets The author raises the issue of electrical safety tests & limited availability of repair shops for EVs leading to increased repair times and therefore increased repair costs. I think once the uncertainty dies down when more data is available, things will become clearer. That can't be too far off, with the big surge in EV sales over the last couple of years. They really are mainstream now, no more the novelty.

I guess the market will sort itself out eventually, though I do seem to recall Peugeots seeming to be under-grouped when it came to insurance in the 1990s. Not sure why that was, but they just seemed to be cheap cars to insure relative to equivalent vehicles from other marques. Maybe EVs will be favoured by insurance companies. That said, the accident avoidance tech and theft-resistance of EVs will probably pull prices down. But I do wonder what the 2nd-hand market will look like in a few years. IDK, but I'm guessing most EV owners have them on contract, then dump them after 3-5 years before the unknown and possibly big bills start creeping in. (Apart from Teslas, which from all the grumbling videos on YouTube seem to start going wrong from date of purchase. )

This article talks about charge cable theft, which is something else I hadn't thought about. https://www.leasefetcher.co.uk/guides/electric-cars/electric-car-charging-cable-theft I really know so little about EVs, and there's a load of stuff I don't know I don't know, too.