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Thatnks for the heads-up on that. I'd normally expect progressive understeer, controllable by lifting off the throttle. Presumably with XDS, you just keep the throttle steady and point the steering where you want to go?

I think my use of the term "driving at the limit" was possibly misleading, and triggered a few folks. I will be perfectly content if the Octavia's ability far exceeds my own, quite modest ability. Perhaps I should have said "driving at my limit", which I think is more accurate. I'll be on very familiar roads, but in a relatively unfamiliar car and tyres, so I've got a bit of a learning curve. I'm also quite uncertain about all the electronic driving aids, but hopefully they'll just do their thing and I won't notice them working.

No insult taken, @VWD, but I do think the spirit and intent of my original post has been misinterpreted. Let me rephrase my post, but in bullet points. -1 I'm really looking forward to my holiday. -2 Many Welsh roads are great to drive on, and will let me explore the performance of my car, which I have spent the last year pottering around town in. -3 After 10 years with my old car, I knew it's handling characteristics intimately. I had no driver aids other than ABS on that car, so driving my new car at speed with a lot of electronic assistance will be a new experience, and I'm cautious about it. -4 Some of the B-roads roads in Wales are ridiculously narrow, with steep banks and passing places, meaning scratching the sides of my car on roadside bushes is a possibility. I don't like scratches on my car. -5 All those lovely roads in Wales may make me buying regret my sensible SE L and make me wish I had bought a vRS instead. -6 Even though my car is "sensible", it still has a top speed far in excess of that I will feel comfortable reaching. I remember when cars had more modest top speeds. That was all I was saying. Hope this clarification helps whoever needed it. No matter what I write, it seems there are always some people who seem determined to view my post through the least charitable lens. I do wonder where the "Won't somebody think of the children!" club are, when people are discussing getting 300 or 400+BHP out of their Octavias. Presumably nobody ever drives a tuned Octavia enthusiastically on the roads, those are all track cars? Still, if the virtue-signalling community wants to focus their opprobrium on me, if it means they're leaving someone else alone, I can put up with that.

If the tyres are run in, then I'm looking at a fitting issue. I assume you've checked the wheels are all on tight, and there are no loose wheel nuts? Somewhat out of the box thinking here, but is it conceivable that too much lubricant was used fitting the tyres and the the wheel is slipping within the tyre? Running with that idea, when tyre pressure were increased, that might make the tyre grip the rim a little better and explain the improved driving characteristics. I accept, this theory is unlikely, I'm just tossing it in here. The symptoms are pretty bizarre, and it's hard to tell in your video exactly what's going on.

Probably a bit late, but for the record I have this set, and it's been pretty useful. https://www.amazon.co.uk/MotoDia-6PC-Piece-Removal-Moulding/dp/B07CTH7442/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=motodia+trim+removal&qid=1625641481&sr=8-5

I think you got a really good deal on your SE Tech, tiber.

My local garage put me onto WBAC purchase price as a good guide to the actual value of a car. When I was shopping around in 2020, I found cars up to about 3 years old seemed pretty good value, with cars 5-8 years old seeming relatively expensive by comparison. Turns out I know next to nowt about assessing the value of used cars. I've found the best thing to get a feel for used prices is to compare prices from around the country for the same age/type of car. Some areas suffering price slumps, while others surge at the same time.

I can relate to OP here, as I found I didn't "love" my car. But then I remembered I didn't buy my car with my heart, it was very much a car bought with my head. When I think about the alternatives, there still isn't anything objectively better for me than the car I bought. In fact when I was at the dealer looking at it, after a lot of uhming and ahing, I had to concede that I couldn't think of a reason not to buy the car. Once I got it into my head that my Octavia was bought as a solution to a variety of problems, not food for the soul, I learned to appreciate it more. It does exactly what I bought it to do, and hasn't done anything I didn't want it to do. That'll do me. (That said, it's only done 1K miles in the last year, so it's still early days.)

What are you on about?

Hence "I'll certainly be a bit more cautious as I get to know the car, not least as it's so bloody expensive to sort out, whereas the old one was effectively disposable. "

I've had my car for 12 months now, and due to a combination of lockdown and horrific family circumstances, I've only driven about 1000 miles in my year of ownership. I'm preparing for our annual holiday and I'll be able to have a good drive down to South Wales. I'm really looking forward to driving on those Welsh roads. Also really excited about going a bit nuts in sport mode. That said, I'm also a bit twitchy about driving my car though winding thin country lanes, being forced into hedges to squeeze past oncoming vehicles. But beyond that, I'm also vaguely apprehensive about whether I'm going to enjoy throwing my new car around Wales as much as I enjoyed my old. I could really push my old car, as I knew how it behaved on the limit, and even when sliding, it slid very predictably and progressively. I've no idea who ESC feels on the limit, so it's going to be interesting learning about how it affects the handling of the car. I also don't know how the Octavia feels when it's just about to let go. Hopefully it's safe and predictable, and doesn't do anything sudden and alarming. I'll certainly be a bit more cautious as I get to know the car, not least as it's so bloody expensive to sort out, whereas the old one was effectively disposable. This is the one time of year when I'll possibly be wistfully regretting being sensible, and not getting the vRS. Talking of wistful thinking, I don't think I quite max'd my old car and I'm pretty sure I won't be maxing this one, either. It used to be a bit of a rite of passage when getting a new car: taking it somewhere relatively safe to see just how fast the thing would actually go. Then the top speeds of cars started soaring. Amazing to think neither the Mk1 Golf GTI or the Escort XR3i could crack 120mph. Now a base 1.0L Octavia can top that. How times change. As you can probably tell, I'm really winding down for my holiday and really looking forward to going away for a week.

Can you upload a pic of this too, please?

Thank you, I will.

Judging from the replies, there seems to be a consensus of opinion to leave well alone when it comes to basic tinkering unless you know what you're doing. Which sounds like good advice to me. The under-bonnet mat sounds interesting, but TBH, my engine is ridiculously quiet, and I don't think that would help keep the inlet air any cooler, so I think I'll keep everything stock for now. Maybe add bolt-on replacement intake ducting that gives a decent bang-for-buck improvement, but I doubt that would make much difference without a remap. (I'm a bit twitchy about tuning the Gen3B TSI engine much as I plan to keep the car for a long time, so I'm focussed on simple efficiency improvements. That twitchiness may pass with time.)

Yeah, the idea of insulating a turbo, which already runs very hot, seems silly to me. I'm also surprised that the oil temp in the turbo didn't increase, which just doesn't seem right. I have to admit, I have no idea where the intercooler is on my car, so I don't know what sort of a job it is to upgrade/reposition it is. I have seen what I took to be front-mounted intercoolers on some cars and they often have a missing grill or hole cut in the bumper for better cooling. I'm not really into that idea. Interesting thought about overheating and premature failure, though. Not sure what the reality of exhaust insulation is, but you might be right on that. Now I'm thinking about it, maybe DPF/GPF insulation might help regeneration, and thus increase DPF/GFP life by keeping the temp up?

I'm a big fan of simple improvements/optimisation changes that improve the car without actually changing very much at all. I'm intrigued by under-bonnet insulation. I realise I don't know enough about air-flow to start faffing about altering what I think is where hot and cold air goes, but I should imagine that it's possible to insulate cold air intakes from being warmed, and also insulate turbo and exhaust pipe work so that it doesn't warm the engine compartment. I can't find a thread on this on Brisky, so I'm asking: Has anyone heat-insulated their downpipes, turbo, air intake? What works, what doesn't? Turbo insulation seems to offer some advantages according to this video (though it sounds counter-intuitive to me, given how hot turbos get), but I haven't seen anyone posting on here about having insulated their turbo.

Good job you know Octavias well and can spot when something's not quite right. I do wonder about some salespeople. Years ago, they seemed to actually know quite a lot about the cars they sold. Now car salespeople seem to be just interchangeable with any other salespeople, equally happy selling white goods, double-glazing or cars. So long as they shift "product" at a profit, they've done their job.

I see. Hope you get the info you need.

I know it's an old thread but... Just a thought , but I wonder if when an engine "uses" oil, it does not use it perfectly. By that, I mean assuming it's burnt, presumably the most volatile constituents of the oil are burned off most easily, and there's less volatile constituents that don't burn so easily. Where I'm going with this, is that I suspect when an engine burns oil, it leaves some crud behind. You add more oil as it is burned by the engine, and slowly more non-volatile crud builds up. I've no idea whether my suspicion is correct, but I'd love to know where the "used" oil actually goes.. Maybe oil that gets past the piston rings is either burnt in the combustion process or flung out through the exhaust? Maybe it really is nearly all perfectly burnt, and what's left is negligible? Maybe it's all dealt with by the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system? I dunno, but maybe someone else does. (Probably @weasley, who has decades of experience with engine oil.)

Hi! What sort of advice are you looking for?

Had to google e-TEC, but that looks like very useful tech to have for economical driving. Really like that idea!

Just for the record, why have you excluded the 1.5TSI from your options?

I'm afraid you have exposed my ignorance here. I had completely forgotten there is a 115PS 2.0 litre diesel.

Given the choice between the 1.6TDI and the 1.0TSI, I'd go for the 1.0TSI, but those weren't the engine choices on offer.

Edit: Just scrolled up and noticed e-Root has said much the same. Bah! Anyway... Maybe a switch to a fun budget RWD car? (MX5 or BMW 3-series compact?) Alternatively, a low-powered vehicle that you can drive hard without getting into trouble may give you the excitement you seek? Years ago we had a 1.3 Vauxhall Chevette that was laughably easy to get the rear end out on roundabouts in the wet, and just as easy to catch it again. It was a ridiculously fun old banger, and every successful journey without the car developing a fault felt a bit like an achievement. But you might be right on the MLC: You might be just having a bit of a moment, suddenly wondering when the hell you became all sensible and responsible without noticing.