Axle_of_weasels

You asked a question, and I answered. I was in a bit of a rush at the time. OK, so this is a bit less lame, then. It is an algorithm that scores different conditions. So, when the oil is really hot, it accumulates points at a higher rate. Possibly, high load/accelerator values add to the rate at which points are added, although with the oil temperature already there, I'm not at all sure that is necessary. Possibly, you add points for every cold start, as there will be a tendency to accumulate crud and moisture. The moisture points, if any, would be cancelled on the next extended hot run. These points are then used to predict oil life and when you reach some threshold, the oil is over. Given the variability in all of this, you'd probably need a margin, but with the lack of transparency, most people won't have the evidence to complain, provided it is more or less right, most of the time, and tends towards the conservative side. As big an issue is the oil specification. IIRC, it dates from the late 90s, when some of the tricks used in current Oil Design weren't in common use, and while that isn't necessarily a problem, it does mean that the scoring isn't necessarily as accurate for today's oils as it was for the oils of the day. Originally, only two or three oil companies were in the program of oil development to the new spec., and there was then some dropping out, which I think only left one or two companies in, at introduction. Since then, oil technology has come along to the point where most oil producers could produce to the variable life specs, even if some don't feel that the economics are attractive.

Yes.

In theory, yes, but the temp rise could be -0.1 C and that still represent damage. And, if the temperature did go up ~10 C, but the engine hadn't yet got up to temperature, would it detect that? And, if something changed the engine cooling (failed thermostat/edge of tolerance thermostat, blocked radiator, etc) that would probably throw up deceptive codes. And, if the oil viscosity was even slightly different (or antifreeze conc changed slightly) then cooling would change more than the minute amount that a small bit of friction would cause. (Or, old oil...or a different brand of oil, or, in some cases, a mix of oils) To summarise: that's not how it works.

I'm guessing Beryl is a car 😁 With all this seemingly random stuff, I have to suspect electrics, probably an intermittent earth somewhere. Now, probably the best thing would be if someone with a vag scanner (ooh, err, missus!) could check for odd error codes. Now one problem is that you may get stored codes, you may only get codes when the fault is 'live'. If your 'pervert' friend is both willing to put a bit more time in, and you can get the car to him at a time when you've got the Christmas tree lights, you may be able to get a bit further, but there are a couple of problems: You have to be able to get from 'codes' to 'likely faults', and that's not necessarily trivial. Also, you are making quite large assumptions about your friend's willingness to get further involved. My suspicion is that you'll end up at either a garage or an auto electrician, so you might consider short-circuit the whole 'relying on friends' thing, if you think that's inevitable. One slightly cunning plan might be to try and get it MoT'd. If the lights are on, it will fail, and they'll give you an opinion on what needs doing, if it doesn't fail, you might want to sell it with 12 month's MoT, but that depends on lots of things.

Replace a single shock? That part price is a bit high, but there is quite a difference between the price for a standard pattern shock (probably what you've got) and a performance brand. In any case, changing a single shock is often not recommended, as short of, say, impact damage, if the conditions have caused one to go, the other is probably about to go. Price for pads doesn't sound too bad, but you can get some 'el cheapo' pads that are really bad, and you won't know 'till they fail, if they fail. And the pads are different prices at the two ends of the vehicle. CV Boot price doesn't sound too bad, only a bit bad, a bit high...but, but, but: You can get specific repair boots that fit over the top of the existing, damaged, part, and while the price of those is higher, they reduce the amount of labour (only a valid solution if you haven't got too much grit in by driving around for too long) Hub carrier labour price doesn't sound too bad, but the part price does sound too high....but if they've gone for 'new, genuine Skoda' (why?) that might be about right. Here's the biggy, though. If this stuff is all at one end of the car, its as if they've charged you for taking the suspension to pieces and reassemble several times, and they only have to do it once. (And, you should ignore the 'repair boot' thing, if you've got to take that corner of the suspension to pieces for something else.)

Well... When you say 'these wheels', there is no 'these' there. I think you intended a link, You need the diameter, Whatever diameter you think is appropriate. you need to get tyres of the right sidewall height to get the right rolling radius. Conventionally, people go for roughly the same RR as standard, so the speedo reading is unaffected. You need the 'J' dimension (inches, between the two fitting positions on the rim). This determines how wide a tyre fits. Usually, it is best to use something that was an original fitment to the car, as going too narrow reduces grip, and going too wide can induce sudden breakaway. Then there is the ET. this is the amount that the centre-line of the wheel is inset from the mounting face. You should stick to a value that is used originally on the car. If you go to a seller of wheels, they'll tell you it is all about whether the tyres foul on the bodywork, but this is only part of the story. There are some odd conditions where having wheels too far out can reduce your ability to control the car (split mu surfaces, for example). For that reason, ET should be in the range originally used, or within a few mm. You can find websites that will help you tell whether the wheels will fit (will they fit). A site like will they fit also allows you to check speedo error.

I hadn't heard of that particular Ferodo pad until you mentioned them, and they sound good....actually assuming that fade is no worse than standard they sound close to perfect (only thing I can think of is that, while standard is ok for me in normal use, I cannot left foot brake on them..just don't have the sensitivity..probably no learning to left foot brake for me, then!) I've had previous good experience with Mintex 1144 pads on an old Golf, but when a standard merchant sells a Mintex pad, you often don't know which Mintex pad they are selling. Was intending to try Brembo, but you may well have talked me in to these Ferodos. There is a review here. If you don't mind, where do you get them from?

Simplest USB charging solution is to get a multiway USB adaptor for your lighter socket. It is probably not what you want, though. Second simplest is a multiway lighter socket adapter, and have several USB adaptors. Probably neither of those is really what you want (although, maybe if you have devices that you want to use right now...). I think estates have an additional lighter socket in the boot, and maybe those have parts that you could use, probably in a different place to the estate. My impression is: There are a lot of suppliers and brand names placed on what are essentially the same units (plus or minus some start up screens and logos). That isn't to say that they are all the same; newer ones tend to have more up-to-date processors and more ram. If I was upgrading, it would be to a unit that included DAB, and for some units that is a separate box that you have to buy, so, in that case, you have to factor that cost in too. Oddly, the web sites seem very happy to tell you the cost of the basic unit, but the cost of the add-on box is often hidden. My impression is that none of the Chinese units is as reliable as you'd like. So, the first thing you have to do is be lucky... Second, if you can't be lucky, deal with a decent supplier, one who will give you support in installation, and one who will deal with you decently if something does go wrong. Dealers who have poor user reviews should be avoided, even if the product seems attractively cheap. You don't say what you want to improve about your brakes. You might want a sharper response, you might want the exact opposite. Pad dust might be your main concern. On the other hand, you might just want the extra feeling of confidence that you can abuse them a bit without fade ever becoming a danger. I haven't done anything on the Octavia brakes, but: I've had bad experience with EBC yellows in the past (stopped the car, but the rears became sticky, and were quite expensive to repair (and buy), so, my personal view is to avoid them. You are better off, in my view, with Brembo, Mintex, Pagid, and their 'mild upgrade' type of pads are probably a better place to be. If you go beyond a mild upgrade to 'track' pads, be sure that they are marked/approved to 'Regulation 90', otherwise you'll fail an MoT.

Two comments: -some of the description contains pretty poor spelling mistakes, so I'd imagine is prepared by a Chinese company, or at least one for which English is a (very) foreign language. -It says that it is for Windows XP only. Is that what you have?

It was worse than that: There is a lot of truck traffic across Germany, and some Eastern European truck drivers (judging by their plates/truck branding, which may not be the full story), and some truck drivers seem to want to play some elaborate game, involving pulling out in front of fast cars. On a two lane autobahn, this is really dangerous.

In addition to what langers says, you should probably add the year of the car and the gearbox. Things like the brakes may also come in to question, but only if you are getting adventurous.