Former

A very, very cheap lesson to what I've wasted more than once on a lot, lot less important items on a car (often thanks to the dishonest and lazy motor trade we have in England). Could you not offer them up for sale to get some return on them, some tyre places in England would love to have such tyres just left with them to sell on.

I remember the DSGs on the original Aldi TT, first TT they had lots of bits of trouble with some, a chap in the club we know had the Dealership models more than his own for the first 12 or 18 months (I forget) more than the one he bought. I always think of VW having the, to me, rough sounding 4-pots and higher cc then had to lose a cylinder which they did have history and experience of. At the same time the chap had the TT my wife had the Daihatsu Copen which looked similar but smaller (and better) and it had a bullet-proof 659cc, 3-pot turbo engine, 5-speed manual of course, 16mph/1k rpm (so 5k rpm at 80 mph where allowed). It's top speed was claimed at 106 mph which by coincidence it did (abroad) as verified by my mate's new at the time Jag XK 4.2 V8. I like a car with a properly ranged speedo and can't stand widely over optimistic speedos, makes the numbers too small for legal UK speeds. With these 7 gears if 1st is low do I take it 6th is direct ratio (or there abouts) and 7th is overdrive, any idea of ratios?

Jane and her late husband were offering various cars for our club's Sporting Bears Dream Rides from before we joined the club in 1997. Her husband, along with the Honda NSX Mk2, often favoured small cars like the three wheeled Grinnall Scorpion and they had a grey import Daihatsu Copen before my wife got her very early official UK car. First 500 got Momo steering wheel and heated leather seats, 659cc triple turbo. As mentioned that engine is in the tilt Carver which was taken to NEC SBDRs a few times, and the Vanwall and Jane driving the Jag 220 all around the highways and streets outside the NEC complex, the 220 was always popular. Jane must have finally sold the lime green Lambo Miura that Twiggy once owned. Obviously not all cars were shown or mentioned, some very interesting ones to those that don't have to drool over popular mass appeal favourites. I also liked the vids from our Club Patron Mike Brewer, yes he has put on a lot of weight over the years but no as far as I've ever noticed he's never had a wig. Ant wasn't too bad in the end but a bit of a peacock when he first started on the Discovery stage, probably didn't help when I asked him were Ed was, Ant really made sure he made my knuckles ache with a very over-firm handshake as I asked, muscles not just for show. 😆

Could possibly be two things together or separately, something is draining your battery and/or your battery though showing as fully charged is not really fully charged and the charge is only as full as it can get but not fully charged. If a plate(s) are still sulphated or perhaps buckled then that will reduce what the battery is capable of. Did you remove the plugs to each of the 6 cells to check the electrolyte "water" levels on each cell and top up as required before charging the battery, did you also check to see if each cell looked buckled or sulphated or just take what a battery charger or tester told you. Did you take a voltage reading with your multimeter directly on the battery terminals on the battery out of the car or when fitted to the car 24-48 hours after chagrining the battery. What were the voltage readings immediately after stopping the battery charging and again 24-48 hours later. Just starting the car to move it and back again, to cut the grass, does the battery, the engine and the car no favours at all.

Yes, so is the manual, this all goes back to the earliest days of Blue Motion? start/stop when VW had it as 'look at us we 'care' about fuel economy' (I won't mention emissions of course 😄). As long as the engine makes it passed the longest warranty available that's all that really matter to them, hence them also not pushing more frequent engine oil and filter (and air filter) changes for vehicles under what used to be termed "serve" conditions (I think, might be wrong, other manufacturer(s) might mention these but not VWŠkoda that I've seen). I am of course biased as I've never liked VWs (Mk1 Golf being the exception),

Thanks for those. The G12 clearly looks pink to my eyes in that photo on my screen, not red.

If you've got a later one with the confusing G12evo (after G13) and info on dilution I'd be pleased to add it to my small library. Below is another, less clear and distinctive, chart for the G number coolants with more VW numbers included but again only goes to G13. From G12+ to G13 it shows the colour as violet which to me is a purple colour but the VW G12evo I have is more of a pinkish colour - but you never buy coolant by colour as there's not any standardisation really to the colours from the various manufacturers.

Yes some of us use that for illustration, still relevant with D.FYLAKTOS's coolant choices but unfortunately it's out of date with the ever changing German engineers' thoughts on coolants. Just in case you thought otherwise D.FYLAKTOS isn't mixing G12 with G11.

The new engine is a bit like new people what you do to and with them at the very start can set them up well or not. As previous posters, and the Owner's Manuals, have put don't labour the engine or over rev it. You can see in the graph put up 3500-4000 rpm is good for torque and power but you also want to go above and below that to vary things. Highway driving generally is less wearing as you keep to a constant speed depending on the highway conditions no or next to no gear changes or braking (if you are driving sensibly). You are much better if possible to drive on roads with more bends and twists and various speed limits to get used to the car and "bed" everything in and check everything works as it should. Unless the Mk4 has some sort of terrain mapping in it's over-complex and over-interfering computer programs the gear selection advice will not be the best advice for best fuel economy or labouring the car. I have proved to my neighbour in his 2023 Ren-No! Cashcow that using brisk (not heavy) acceleration to slightly higher revs past the display change up points than the display wants is more economical that following the gear selection display, use it as a guide not an order Same for down changes, use your own computer your head (brain, ears, eyes), look at the circumstances ahead, plan your actions for what you need to do with the car. As regards the oil change intervals VW are only interested in the engine (gearbox, car) lasting as long as any warranty they give and then with all the exclusions so if you intend to keep the car well beyond that warranty treat the manufacturer's oil (and filter) change intervals as the minimum period. If you use the car for lots of short journeys and have lots of cold starts and use the start-stop (can you still disable this feature on a 2024 car?) then one year 15,000 km would be a minimum but the oil may need changing sooner depending on many variables. There is no problem with changing the oil and filter after a run in period, it is a very good idea whether you can persuade a VWŠkoda Dealership (and perhaps others on here here) of this might be another matter though you would think they would gladly take your money and whether they would do a thorough oil change, or quick cold drain or suck out, is another matter. Two bits of advice for you, particularly as it is your first car, read the Owner's Manual and refer to it often ( I think you might already have) as this can save you time, hassle and money and visits to Dealership/garage/mechanic/auto-electrician/breakdown services. Second be aware that the car 12v battery is just a store and this store can be depleted if you keep taking out more than you put back in, the car does not always fully put back what you and the car take out. When the car and battery are new this will not be notable unless you really hammer the battery or make a mistake but in a number of years time it can become very noticeable and even cause issues and problems. The battery could easily last more than the 3, 4 or 5 years than many owners are now replacing them at, prematurely often. The computers do not like a battery that is in too lower state of charge and will punish you with unexpected warning lights and issues and unseen error codes. This can be despite the engine starting easily and the lights seeming bright enough. If required preventative charging with an appropriate battery charger maintainer will prevent the issues and prolong the battery's good functioning period of life. Great to see you asking about your new car to get the best out of it.

Have a look here. - https://www.ngkpartfinder.co.uk/catalogues/cars/search/spark-plugs/SKODA/FELICIA/1998/

I can't see how but I'm not a lawyer. If you're not fiddling with the infotainment, phone, Tw8tNav and concentrating on your driving you should be OK we managed for decades without such driver "aids" such things can made driver's too lazy and complacent anyway. It could be a sensor or alignment issue but I never rule out programming error, I doubt VWŠkoda will want you to know the real issue even when they fix it. At least now you switched it off you don't have to worry about puddles or shadows of bridges, whether either is correct I don't know but it'd not surprise me, computer programming is often not as good as it's made out to be but all your product testing in the real world will help improve it.

Can you switch it off from a menu? No point having it on if it's intermittent and could activate unnecessarily anytime.

One odd tyre especially if it's a cheap low quality would send off alarm bells to me, especially on a 3 litre, admittedly it might have been a distress purchase knowing the car was to be sold but the selling price of the car would have to allow for the purchase of a decent tyre to replace it. One of my wife's relative's bought his old MX-5 round to us, three Chinese tyres of one make and model and fourth another Chines tyre of another make and model and this was on the rear of a lightweight(-ish) RWD sportscar, I suggested he swapped it over with a front tyre at least. He also had all four tyres at different pressures. He obviously never drove it as it could be driven, well not with those tyres on.

It depends on your definition of "budget" but over here often that means low cost and low quality. There's no doubt there are some good Chinese and Chinese made tyres but over here there can be so many different makes (or at least brand names) and some arrive and disappear very quickly from here, production and any info of them existing on the the internet. 205/55 r16 to me is a silly size on a family vehicle but I'm old.

It's a great pity more women aren't involved with cars more but that gender has more sense to waste there time on such trivia as cars. I wish there were more women as mechanics and running and owning more in the motor trade particularly in the UK (and of course Germany for this marque).

You can get different results with different oils that meet the same weight number be it 5w-40 or whatever. I use 5w-40 number(s) as an example number(s) only. One 5w-40 can be a lot different to another 5w-40. it might be that some, none or all of a particular weight number suit a particular engine. Some oils can move out of their stated number particularly in protracted use, a 5w-40 may soon become a 5w-30. There are many variables things aren't cast in stone. There can be generalisations, these old design engines may not generally suit "thinner" oils. One, say 5w-40 again, engine oil may be "thinner" than another 5w-40 oil particularly in use and extended use. Try getting that certificated. 😆 It's almost (not) poetry. 🤣

Fair enough but you could/would have done a more thorough job of changing the gear oil and cleaning the cooling/heating system and possibly rubber bushing than most garages/mechanics, if only because you own the car and really care about it.

I'd no idea the Scala had active suspension that introduces more variable but I'd have thought the active suspension would dealt with more variations than just mechanical suspension. The 15mm lower might mean less bounce room for rough roads so slightly "stiffer" set up give a "harsher" ride particularly on rough roads. I'd not have expected the new tyres to make so much difference, difference perhaps yes. Just noticed you've got a 2021 car, and you say a production label was miss of it, that makes me wonder about the active suspension but if it was good previously . . . I don't know if there are any Aus owners in the Scala forum but if you've not already done so you could have a look and/or ask there if there are any and ask them what pressure they run the tyres at on rough roads. - Škoda Scala - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/384-škoda-scala/ I don't know if F1s go back further than the later 80s it was just the first time I could afford decent tyres, I didn't own a car from 1979 -1985 just pushbikes, and by no stretch of the imagination was the Škoda Estelle 2 130 a sportscar but it was a driver's car particularly if you wanted to drive it, much like most cars until about 20 years ago, and simply adding some good tyres and nothing else added more sparkle. When the importer (Škoda UK?) got them into the UK they put on alloy wheels (never usually my choice I prefer steel) and different tyres anyway. 1200kg on-road car could be on 165 width tyres though you might want 185 for185lbsft (250 nm) but I can imagine modern car owners being in tears seeing their cars on 14" wheels with 185/80 r14 tyres, work clothes and shoes instead of party frocks and high heels. 😆 IIRC the Scala can have 16" wheels here, how good the alloys look I'd not know as I don't particularly like or dislike the look of alloy wheels, though some do look ugly to me but that's of no matter, I like steel wheels with chrome hub caps. It'll be interesting to hear how you get on with your replacement tyres.

Just seen I forgot to paste the Kwik Fit quote in my previous post, it should have shown - To be fair to Kwik Fit as I put before on their website they do put - "Tyre pressure information should be used as a guide. For the most accurate tyre pressure information for your vehicle, please consult your handbook or check inside the door of the fuel cap."

I meant why didn't you wait until now, when you are at home on your vacation and not working on a city street, and do the cooling system cleaning more thoroughly and G12 refill yourself rather than paying someone to do it whilst you were in the city?

When I had more money I used to give tyres a 1,000 miles to see if I got used to the handling but that was on sportscars, unless the tyres are really bad now I put up with them until time to change. I'm not sure a mass market standard VW product will be that sensitive in the suspension or that it'll be centrifugal forces, to me it'll be like many you underestimate how complex a component tyres actually are, the design, build, composition and compounds must suit the needs and wants of the car, roads, environments, weather and yourself. Things must be different in Aus to UK as budget Chinese tyres you certainly don't buy for their handling and comfort most are rock hard ditchfinders and have crazed or cracked to MoT failure within a few years but have plenty of tread left despite how little or much mileage and use they've had. You seem to be - as is the fashion for decades now and it's your choice so suits you and nothing wrong with that - concerned about the visual cosmetic of the tyre size but I think you've misunderstood the function side, the car weight is about the wheel diameter (and getting over the brakes) and at 1200kg that could have 14" wheels for weight. Within a few size stages going wider doesn't generally give more grip or better handling in itself as you have found it's more about the tyre. Over here it's generally accepted that higher tyre pressures can give better fuel economy (by lowering the rolling resistance of the tyre) but the handling and ride suffer a little, with my wife's 2015 Mk3 Fabia we tried the VWŠkoda 'Eco' tyres pressure setting which I didn't mind as the Fabia isn't the best handling chassis in the world anyway but my wife insisted the tyres were put back to standard pressure as she didn't like the ride or the handling (correct suitable tyre pressures are very important to the tyres, car, driver and passengers). I've no idea what F1 tyres are unless they're the current version of the Goodyear Eagle F1 (165/80 r13) that I put on my (non-VW) Škoda Estelle 2 in the late 1980s (rear wheel drive, rear engine, 62(?)hp, 940kg - great fun) and those were great tyres on the car but I wore the tread down too quick for what I could afford at the time but they were great fun whilst on the car. ETA: in the UK we've had 3rd-world condition roads since we had to bail out very wealthy bankers huge severance and pension packages after they dropped the country in the ****, 2008(?) (late 1980s roads were generally good condition)

@jimmyjazzz you don't want to take a wheel off unless you have to (as I put it's a PITA and possibly back) take up either offer of looking them up for you. I can understand your lack of interest in cars (only certain cars interest me and none of them are modern or VW products) and I've removed wheels on my wife's Fabia and never noticed the part number, size yes part number no, and why would I or you if you are not specifically looking for it, You might generally look at the inside of the wheel and the inside face of the tyre (two of my tyres had cracks in them which you'd never normally see with the wheels fitted).

Sorry my posts must appear sour to you too, but hopefully with good info and advice - you don't have to be a VW fan to post here - and normally Paws4Thot gives advice freely without comment but we all have off times. We all have to learn for a first time, or if you're old like me relearn or be reminded. I've like some cars for a few decades (not VWs or Mercs) and I knew sizes could be on wheels but not often car manufacturers parts numbers, I will give credit to VW for having parts numbers on their stuff but unfortunately not much cop if you have to get at a difficult to get at part to see the number and if some of the parts were made better you might not be replacing some of them so soon. But as you can tell I'm biased against VW, particularly and more so since my wife bought one of their products. You're very wise not to be interested in cars but if you don't already know (not for this info but others) you can save yourself time, hassle , money and unnecessary visits to Dealership/garage/mechanic/auto-electrician by reading and when required referring to the 'Owners Manual'. If you don't have the paper printed version free VWSkoda downloadable pdf copies from this VWSkoda website. -https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models My second bit of advice to you, keep on top of the 12v car battery charge and do not let it go low, just because the engine starts and the lights seem bright enough and there are no warning messages or lights doesn't mean the battery charge isn't too low for the computers and they can punish you for this mistake with later putting up all sorts of unexpected error lights and messages and unseen error codes. If you don't like changing expensive batteries prematurely (and possibly sorting 'coding') you can use an appropriate battery charger for restorative, or better still preventative, recharging and have the battery work better for much longer. Škoda Recall Campaigns (well those they admit to) - https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/recall-campaigns Update portal - https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/ If you got this far, don't be put off asking for more info if you ned it in future, we're not the only two here. 😆 Good luck.

Hi, welcome. I'll call a member here that can list all the info for you - @Carlston to save you the need to take the wheel off to see the inside as the bloody silly German engineers use wheel bolts instead of nuts on fixed wheel studs, this makes putting the wheel back on not only a PITA job but also if you don't have a garage lift potentially a pain in the back, guess how I know. Best to have the help of at least one better two wheel alignment tools (or four if you're swapping wheels around.

If you do just live with it until your next regular coolant change as your coolant temperatures have been good then at next regular change so the clean again. Why couldn't you have done the more thorough cleaning I put up for someone else now for yourself, whilst you were back home on vacation and not working on a city street?