farty

Glass is harder than steel. As long as you don't have grit in the wool it won't scratch the glass. (I have tried). You need the very fine grade and only use it once. I'm sure you have some residue on the glass, which is why new blades didn't help. You could twist the arms a bit to change the angle between rubber and glass or you could fit new, OEM wiper arms in case someone fitted non OEM parts. You could try vinegar or Bar Keeper's Friend which contains oxalic acid. Many glass cleaners will leave a residue. Car washes can leave a residue too. Are the streaks on the driver's side AND the passenger side? If only one side, try swopping the complete arm and blade.

Brilliant info! Who would have guessed that?

TPMS reset on my Yeti has to be done with ignition on, but engine off.

I tried today and the plug is a VW one made by Texcel but it does work on my Skoda Yeti. I plugged it in and ran the app on my phone. It requested the PIN and then updated itself. I did log in to my Skoda account first. It does not offer me anything I might use and I wish I'd saved my money!

@langers2k Thanks. My mistake. Your point is valid.

This post upset me as I took it to be quite snarky. Perhaps it wasn't intended that way. But I searched eBay and found two Octavia switches for the OP to look at. In his shoes I would have looked on my car to see if they might fit. I acted in good faith. eBay listings don't normally include part numbers

I don't own an Octavia. But I'm showing you can save a fortune getting a switch on eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Door-Lock-Tailgate-Micro-Switch-Actuator-Boot-for-Audi-A3-VW-Seat/254644380497 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-OCTAVIA-TDI-ESTATE-BOOT-TAILGATE-LOCK-HANDLE-SWITCH-2004-2008/373127498867 So yours is bolted on

My switch was stuck 'in' so the two contacts were shorted. If you are going to prise yours apart, put it on top of a radiator or somewhere warm, as the plastic is brittle when cold. Mine was quite easy to pull from the car, I just pressed both sides inwards with two, blunt kitchen knives.

I have a micro-switch from a Yeti if anyone needs it although it is very hard to get the boot handle apart without wrecking it. I got a spare boot handle from eBay for £24 so I took the old one apart out of curiosity. The micro switch just needed a wiggle to free it up. Maybe yours just needs a few technical taps?

I actually said engine off but can test mine later today.

tyrereviews.co.uk did a very interesting test of wet and dry braking at various temperatures. Summer tyres are fine at low temps IN THE DRY. On wet roads their grip drops rapidly below 10C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKtnczk8Mxk&feature=emb_logo

Ignition on, but engine off; have you tried that? What is the make and model of your dongle? I have the Skoda Lite dongle and it's pretty useless really.

Some are open Sunday too

I took my wife's Fiat 500 after the engine started cutting out at random. Halfords reset the engine management and the car was fine after that. This was a Halfords Autocentre. I think most garages have generic diagnostic equipment nowadays. Halfords is able to update the official, electronic service record for most makes, including Skoda.

It could just be a wiring fault - an occasional break or short circuit. Can you ask what the fault code is? Was this a Skoda dealer? I would take it to an independent garage or Halfords as they might be more forthcoming.

Does anyone take out tyre insurance? For 3.50 per tyre per year you are covered against tyres that need repairing or, if they need replacing, there is a 25% excess in year one and a 50% excess in year two. Tyre wear is excluded. I've had to replace two damaged tyres this year and feel unlucky. https://www.mytyres.co.uk/spdf/shops/tyre_insurence/TC_Delticom_RDUK.pdf Any good alternatives?

So what are the pros and cons compared to the Beemer? I think Skoda have something, having owned a Fabia and now a Yeti. I always liked a taxi firm that ran Skodas as you felt comfortable in the back on the way to the airport. Oh, and welcome back!

The filter is a plastic mesh on the fifth generation Haldex. Volvo have a part number for it but it just needs to be 'washed' clean. This is a still from the video the garage sent me.

You could replace it as it is just screwed on, but, normally, a clean will make it as new. My garage videoed it after cleaning, but not before !!!! Grrrr!

It's six weeks away man! Unless you are driving overnight the daytime road surface temps will be much higher then.

Two years ago, we house-hunted all over the Highlands and drove in some abysmal weather and thick snow. But, having settled in Bettyhill and on the A836 we have quite mild winters and the road to Thurso is gritted and kept clear. I'd love to get some all-seasons but had to fit new tyres in a hurry and they were not available. The roads here are tough on my Goodyear Efficient Grips and I will have to change the rears after only 10,000 miles. Our neighbours have seen some heavy snow here.

Astronomical winter runs from Monday, 21 December 2020 to Saturday, 20 March 2021 But meteorological winter runs from 1st December to 28th (or 29th) February, so it seems a bit early to put winter tyres on!

@MarkyG82 I should have said in the wet when it's warm. "According to ADAC, the stopping distance at 100 km/h on winter tyres in the summer is sometimes 16 m longer than the same on summer tyres." https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/winter-tyres-in-summer and "Winter tyre material becomes too soft and elastic in summer conditions, therefore, the tread would be unnaturally deformed and could easier lose the grip on the road especially when accelerating, braking, or cornering. As a consequence, braking on winter tyres will take longer, they are more likely to lose traction while accelerating and on curves (the "tyre floating" phenomenon). This effect will aggravate as the speed increases, and given good visibility and better weather conditions in the summer, drivers tend to step on the gas pedal. Winter tyres would also fail on rainy days." from the same source. Winter tyres are designed to perform better on snow! I'm being argumentative, but isn't that part of any good debate? 😊

Unless there's a credible report of heavy snow, I think you should not fit winter tyres as they underperform in the wet. Good all-season tyres are a better bet. Do you have to drive to the far north or abroad?