VRS_White_Hatch

I thought that as DRL's throw light in every direction so it can be seen in daylight, that in the dark this would, at the very least, be annoying to other motorists. As someone said earlier, they either extinguish, or dim when dipped beam selected. It's a safety feature. I believe its also the law. Even those tacky Ring kits people added to older vehicles (OK I admit I wanted a set on my old car) have a relay that connects up to the lighting wires and turns off DRL's when headlights are in use. When you see someone driving at night on DRL's because they have forgotten to switch on any lights they are dazzling. As Root said, why not just turn your fogs on and wear a baseball cap backwards*. * I added that bit.

Flicking a signal is no effort though. If there's no one there to see you then who is going to think you're stupid? My view is if I'm changing lanes and I DO indicate, even though I don't believe it's necessary, I'm not just trusting my judgement and observation, I'm giving anybody else who might be there that I didn't see the chance to use their's too. I'f it's saved one minor bump in all my years of driving I'd say it's worth it. Motorbikes and cyclist's without lights probably hardest to spot. I have yet to wear out a set of indicators, and my experience of other body parts* would imply "Use it or lose it" so I'm keeping my hands going. *mobility like touching toes etc - you have a dirty mind.

I got 4 months free (car was 8 months old when I got it) and I wouldn't pay for it. It was unreliable and therefore pretty much useless. However Connect light with the VW diagnostic port device for £4.75 is great value. I know its not the same, but it works out fuel use and knows where you parked (Yes, I'm getting old) which is well worth the fee.

Yeah its the classic price to trade. Like the house situation. "My house has gone up by XX thousand, let's sell up and move now. Oh have you seen how much the new place is going to cost us, it's ridiculous!!"

I got a deal then, 2 years ago, a 68 plate VRS on 8k miles for £18,800 - The salesman showed me the Glass guide thing that they'd give more than that to take it as a part ex. I got a tank of fuel too. Depreciation must be pretty low at the moment because used prices are so good. Sometimes a dealer just wants rid of a car, Skoda was traded at a Honda dealership and they didn't know what to do with it.

I got Auto express this week, they've done a winter tyre test too. Not read it yet - busy for a change!!

I'd like to change my Winters, you see quite a few tyre tests but an up to date winter tyre test I haven't seen for ages. Black Circles fan myself, I'll see what fits. I have a second set of the same wheels my car came with, got them off a member on here a couple of years ago. They had Winters fitted, so I got a couple of years out of them. I hope we get some snow if I splash out!!

Great idea! Get someone to smash into the back of your new car at every opportunity!

Why indeed? Could it be for an oil and filter change? WHY do you get an annual service? On the oil front I use the Manol stuff The one that meets the VW 507 std - and yes, I go for the 5w-30 prefer engine protec tion long term over ultra low emmissions. * * Remember on the subject of oil everyone is an expert and always right, including me!!

Is that what happened to Talbot? I never knew that. They just disappeared somehow, like Triumph and a few others. My brothers first car was a mighty 1.0 Talbot Samba. Dreadful, but he loved it.

I said something similar a few years ago. I then had 2 punctures in about a month. To the OP I'd use it as a spare, a space saver is a "Get you home or to the tyre place" wheel. You don't use it for weeks or drive fast on it.

Can they get their music on cassette? If not it might be unsuitable for ears of a certain age - such as mine.

I have an Amundsen (Octavia) and it always offers 3 routes, where only 2 are feasable they can overlap. The routes are shown in green, orange and red.

High depreciation is the bain for the new vehicle buyer, but a delight for the used. I know the Insignia leaves a lot to be desired for example, but if you were looking for a 2 yr old vehicle in that class then the sky high depreciation makes it very desireable for the private buyer. I wonder what the highest and lowest depreciating (mainstream) vehicles are at the mo?

Model and year of the car might help mate, I'd say much more likely an H7 - long time since I saw a H4 in a headlight, but just a guess ... as I dont know what car your driving.

I know the thread's been hanging around but I got the app and a VW adaptor from ebay for £4.75, I think its very handy. A couple of times when out I've found it hard to find exactly where I parked - got a bit lost after walking up a big hill and came down a different way, and once in a strange town when I just couldn't find the car park I'd used. The app has a simple function showing where you parked, and offers to open a map to show you how to get back. It also has a host of other useful car info inc body and interior colour names, date first registered, mileage, tank range, service info and if you want to monitor fuel use / cost per mile just input cost of fuel - the app knows how many litres and does the rest. Anyone use any other features? Anyone got the app? Anyone out there? Hello?

I do really like BMW's and Audi's, but so many are driven by complete ******* it really puts me off the brands. Pancake throwers not allowed?

My diesels were never that economical anyway, last one was BSR stage 2 tuned, if you drive enthusiastically they aren't brilliant. I've had the vRS just over 2 years now and my MPG is showing as 30 long term. mainly short trips and I like to use the power, it has benefitted from a superchips +55bhp and a pipercross panel filter, so a shade over 300. I wouldn't buy it if your concern for economy is greater than your driving enthusiasm. It's been faultless so far, tyres swapped to Dunlop Sport Maxx made it much quieter road noise wise. Servicing is easy if you don't mind getting under the car yourself. I buy another in a flash if they didn't have so many glitches with the latest model. Last petrol car before the voltage takeover??

I was on the verge of ordering one from one of the car buyer sites, I'd specced up a vRS with heated screen, seats, leather, variable damping and got it to £28,800 - not an insignificant sale, but if I'm spending that kind of wedge I want it to work and not be back and too with the dealer. Decisions decisions. Im not bothered about adaptive cruise, lane assist etc, I find I'm a worse driver when I don't concentrate as much.

Great just bought one, is the smartphone software called Skoda Connect Lite?

I guess the issue would be locking someone in. It could part lock, so the interior release still worked, but an auto deadlock would be annoying and risky. The danger of setting it to part lock is owners would just rely on this, aand it's far less secure than deadlocked. They do re lock if you have unlocked but not opened any doors, but if anything's been open it wouldn't be wise.

When I used to do more mileage I went for a diesel, now I don't do so much I decided the mpg wasn't as big a factor. Different way of looking at it I guess. Paying for it myself has always been the way, never had a company car. I have bought new in the past 3 times - nice feeling - but not great economics. I wonder if someone smart could calculate the relative cost / savings for something like this: New Scala / Similar vehicle £20k. gets an extra 20 mpg(?) on annual mileage of 7000 Used (8 months old) vRS Octavia £18,800. I wonder what the relative used valiues 3 yrs later would be too. My insurance was just under £200, its now £202. When you look at lease cars they charge near enough the full cost of optional extra's over the life of the lease - My guess would be that the professionals don't believe options add much to used car prices. Quite a bit to think about, but while I'm thinking I got a smile on my face. You got to love that new car smell though, and the latest reg plate on your drive. Don't quote me when I come back in a year or two saying I want a brand new car!!

Ah the benefits just mount up.

It's not a bad idea, but I do wonder about some of the advances in tech like keyless or elec vehicles and the benefits they bring. I've never had to carry a spare battery since remote central locking was a thing, M116SSO Mondeo I think, I never had to shield my keys in a box or bag, I never worried about a vehicle unlocking its self or opening its windows (both have happened to me) because of some fault, and I heard recently about the need for a battery charger if you go away for a couple of weeks because some Hybrids don't have an alternator. I'm not against tech, I love some of the new features, It's just that I think sometimes they try and be too smart, keys that report back user stats or store data for example - and they have reduced battery life. Who actually benefits? My brothers toothbrush connects to his wifi and goes flat every couple of days, but it's a more expensive model than mine. he could go to an app and spend hours looking at the stats for his tooth brushing I suppose... Rant over.

300+ (yes a massive 302 in fact) is a handful from launch - hard not to trip the diff with wheelspin, but once on the move its a great shove in the back when you hit it. I'd still do the chip thing it if I could because I like to be able to give it some now and again. If you're doing 70 on the motorway and some idiot is too close as soon as the traffic opens up you can just leave them unless they are driving a very fast car. I think the fact its a Skoda doing it is more of an annoyance to the panzer wagon drivers than anything else.