Former

Yes, well, as I put a lot of "classic" owners were old farts (regardless of their chronological age) in old fart cars made that way their ownership. But I'd certainly agree such cars are a lot less fun in heavier rain even with, or because of, having the roof down. That was a point I made when taking passengers out, we might be behind say a Metro, to not upset anyone, and going roughly the same speed in something like a Spridget, the Metro driver is experiencing very little about the drive, it's nothing, whereas the Spridget driver has to be working at it a little, (hopefully) enjoying the sounds, smells, sights working the (15.5") steering wheel, clutch and gears - but going no faster. You either enjoy it or you don't. I had a mate who'd had a good few TVRs (and many, many other makes) and got into Porsches, after TVRs!, totally beyond me - but he was a a few years older. 😄 I had to go to my ex-neighbours website to see what a ZX was, if it was more fun I can't dispute that, each to their own and circumstances of course. I know DS19s, that those and the Rover P6 always featured in films about the future, even long after they were no longer available as they were such forward looking and interesting cars. I had one ride in a DS19 long before they got fashionable again on a bumper road and it might not have been in the best condition as it seemed to go up and down and slightly side to side, started to make me feel seasick. Back in the day a mate had his boss's almost new BX 16v (though it didn't have the badge) and he being a rep drove it like a rocket ship, he didn't pay for the petrol or upkeep, plastic dash and bonnet as I remember it which both shook at (very) high speed. Going on an empty local dual-carriageway at a fast turn of knots I enquired about the brakes and my mate demonstrated by jumping on them and we rapidly slowed to what seemed like a crawl, and the speedo showed 90 (kph of course). It was great on the back roads too. I also like the 2CV from the one and only ride in the late 70s, when we only had pushbikes no car, and being taken to a village pub in the fog going around the roundabouts of Daventry in the fog, car four up leaning like mad, great fun at totally legal if not perhaps entirely sensible speeds but the driver knows his car, on the downside he was gagging for his first ale. (I hasten to add there was no drinking and driving, even then).

Clean air filter (and filter box) is one of the most basic requirements for an engine, think of the engine as a giant air pump that just happens to help propel the vehicle and the old computer term GIGO. Diagnostics is confirming and interpreting the information not just reading off a scan report and not just blaming the messenger, a sensor, though it might be at fault and the cause or contributing cause of the issue (wot's a MIL sensor anyway(?!)), fair enough they tried changing a sensor so put the previous sensor back in as long as they didn't charge too much for that. From what you have put the garage never had a diagnosis and you'll not get one on the internet especially without a a scan tool report to refer to and lots of information and questions and answers usually. Previous work needs to have been diagnosed correctly and then the correct parts fitted correctly, just because a part is replaced doesn't the previous part was a problem and/or the replacement part and or fitting (including coding perhaps now) was correct or done correctly. This is all why you go to someone who knows what they are doing, to fully diagnosis correctly and know if replacement parts are required which correct and reliable parts to fit and how to fit them correctly and have them working correctly. This requires knowledge and experience and possibly training, none of this magically arrives so takes time and cost so needs paying for, which can be more cost but much higher value if it sorts things. A good person, they apparently still exist, even in the UK motor trade, will advise you if you are throwing good money after bad and either take the work on if you insist or say they'd rather not take your money off you.

I had to look up the Rover 25 as they are too new to me and that was a later look to them, there were MG versions of those too. I took my wife and her female friend to a Rover Dealership back then so her friend could look at a Rover 200 or 25, I forget which, without the usual slimy, patronising and misogynist salesmen you almost always got at such Dealerships then, and still now, getting too much as she knew I would not allow it and take the mickey out of them and make them feel small instead. I wasn't interested in going out on the test drive so I just looked around and saw a newish Rover Mini Cooper in the corner of the outside lot behind other cars and asked the salesman if I could have a drive of it, he replied it was so different from a 25/200 that I had come to look at, I soon put him right on his incorrect assumption and told him if he wasn't interested in selling the Cooper that was fine. He had to admit he thought the battery was flat and he would have to move the other cars to get it out so I told him he should have been honest in the first place and if he sorted it I would arrange to come back another time to test drive the car. Another impulse buy which I shouldn't have and went on to be another involved story of purchase from the UK motor trade . . .

I might not be sure of the person or the location but am certain of the car as I had 2 or 3 years and it was my first "classic" (overpriced, overvalued, old) car, if I'd had bought a second-hand or even new MX-5 instead I would be many, many, tens of thousands of pounds better off now. I didn't even want an MGB as I had no idea what they were, I thought all GTs were (Rover 3.5) V8s and didn't know of the Roadsters (1800cc) soft-tops, I saw a restored Triumph GT6 in a garage at Towcester and admired the shape of those but I was talked out of looking for one by a chap at work. I didn't know until after I' had talked to him that he just happed to be the organiser for the local autonomous MG Owners Club. After I got the BGT a boyfriend (engineer) of one of my wife's friends had said he had always thought of getting one so I let him have a drive of mine and he later bought a soft-top Roadster so he returned the favour and let me drive that. As the GT had a servo for the brake and his (1973) Roadster didn't initially I was just interested in finding the different to brake feel, allowing for the (fixed) metal roof on mine, difference in tyres and overall, he was a typical engineer, tight-fisted, re-use old fittings, straighten out a bent screw I expect, so my car would be better maintained and running. Anyway as soon as I drove his car with the top down I knew I had made a mistake so i bought a Mk4 Austin Healy Sprite (soft-top). Another car I'd never heard of but I saw one whilst visiting a work client and liked the size and look of it so noted the badges (I knew a little of the "big Healeys"). The local MG guy explained to me it was only a badge and very minor differences to a Mk3 MG Midget ((split) chrome bumpers). It was just coincidence and chance I got a Austin Healey instead of an MG ( both from this era are known as "Spridgets"), as a teenager I knew an older mate- of-a-mate who was adopted by well-to-do parents so he had a quite new "rubber-bumper" MG Midget (1500cc Triumph engines!) and he took me for a ride in it. To me it seemed so fast, where I grew up you never saw anything like sportscars, let alone anyone own even an old one let alone new. I can't remember doing 100 mph in my BGT but it was good for around 90 mph in third gear overdrive, I would often use third gear and go into third gear overdrive from a slipway onto a fast dual-carriageway or motorway (up to 70 mph obviously) or for back road overtaking and you didn't have to lift your foot on the accelerator, or dip the clutch pedal, as many thought, just flick the dash toggle switch to engage overdrive. I forget the figures now but hp was below 100, and they had to detune the 1275 Mini Cooper engine when they put it in the Spridgets so that it remained well away in hp from the bigger more expensive MGBs, but the B-series engine torque on the twin SU carbs was pretty reasonable. The B even when a new model in 1962, as a Roadster only then, was never a sportscar really more of a sports tourer. Bear in mind by the 1990s oils (engine, gearbox/overdrive, diff) were better, I always used Shell Optimax(?) petrol when I could (have a book of their stations selling it), mine I put on electronic (expensive original Lucas optical) igniter head instead of the then poor quality circuit breaker points, K&N carb filters with richer needles but other than that and proper regular servicing and maintenance it was standard, not fast-road but not the usual neglect mechanical with shiny paint (tartan red respray) or nasty bright shiny chrome wire wheels, factory Rostyle (which look good on a B but not Midget). Below from shortly after buying my first Spridget, meeting up for a local MG run, me and a mate in the Spridget, as it was bought (wrong Spridget Rostyles anyway and note the silly tiny sun visors they soon went wheels later), and my wife driving the BGT which she rarely did. At the first stop on the run I asked her why she was taking it so easy as we were behind her and she said the BGT didn't seem to want to go particularly well up the long steep hill and she had to change down to third gear, I had a quick look round the outside of the car, felt the rear wheels and suggested she made sure she fully released the handbrake, I can't laugh too much as I have certainly done it on another car, but in my limited defence it is more difficult to tell with a V8. 😁

deleted as I decided it'd not work

Good luck to them, I think they're mad to do it but I'm not them. If they ever needed to raise the temperature they could perhaps post photos with an Ukrainian flag flying on the journey, or if they get lost, I'm sure Uncle Vlad would send a search party for them. 😁

If you mean "All-in from Škoda" 2-year warranty for "between 3 and 6 years old at point of activation" then no, fraid not. ETA: If you bought the car recently you could try the seller and see if they have any good nature to appeal to or any goodwill. "What is not covered? Whilst you have a high level of Warranty cover, there are certain items which this Warranty specifically does not cover: >>Bodywork, paintwork, body component (including encased aerials, gas struts, sunroof assemblies, soft top roofs, and seat frames, strikers, hinges or any component which may require adjustment from time to time)." - https://customer.vwfs.co.uk/content/dam/bluelabel/valid/www-vwfs-co-uk/documents/all-in/skoda-allin-warranty-terms-and-conditions.pdf#?s_aid=2e8cc7d8-1bdb-4853-8b43-e8ccbee39e4a_210_0 skoda-allin-warranty-terms-and-conditions.pdf https://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/all-in-service-plan

Paws4Thot will correct me if I'm wrong but I think the following photo is from my first time of going on the "Bealach na Ba" ("Pass of the Cattle") in Scotland in the late 20th century, when I still had very dark brown (black) hair and carried more weight, in our 1974 MG BGT (1800cc) that was my everyday and work car.

That's an excellent advertising video and video in itself, high level production. I've been on a Lotus M100 club run with my mate driving his Elan M100 in the peak district area, as you saw in the video some of the roads are good but often with too much traffic on and did you notice the motorbikes you often get lots of them on that road and in that area, on the bends and twists they hold you up and a lot are Sunday-rides or occasional rides and don't know how to behave on the road or with their bikes. Motorbikers used to be known to some in the medical professions as "organ donors". As you saw the Lotuses could have ben two abreast on those roads, and did you notice how wide the modern Lotus looked compared to the original Elan (at 1:38) and drivers of modern Lotuses need long straight for speed or they get bored, the Elan wants the bends, narrow roads with tight bends. Personally I much prefer the Welsh or Scottish roads but each to their own wants or needs.

Thanks for the report back and info and photos (and being so honest, that's beyond many "blokes"). I bet you wish you'd remembered that photo sooner. 😃 Always difficult following up on someone's else's work sometimes even when it's your own previous work but at least you work for no money and make honest mistakes to yourself, when it all works out well in the end you have to just also have a laugh about it. 😄 To me that handle looks different to the one in the parts drawing above, perhaps similar though to the one on my wife's Fabia Mk3 hatch (but the car's not here to confirm) the recess/hole is different though. For the PITA panel clips and panel fitting I give the clips and or sockets they locate to a quick light spray of GT85 (shake can first) to lubricate and ease the location and fitting of clips and panel, I start locating and fitting opposite corners first to take away any panel weight and having to use two hands together, then a gentle tap with the edge of the palm when I'm sure the clip is correctly located. Things go better when you're not in a rush but Sod's Law it will start to rain just after you've started, at least you might get a bit of shelter working under a hatch or estate lid and somewhere convenient to place your mug of tea and reward (for wasting any of your life on a car) biscuits. https://gt85.co.uk/ Well done.

Your mechanic seems to have given you his own fair personal opinion on dampers and their fitting, note the should not. All modern cars I've seen have oversized wheels and very low profile and very wide tyres from shopping trollies to sports to hyper, it's the fashion and as it's the UK we have to go one size up on Europe apparently, then fashion is for high and heavy SUV looking vehicles. Fashion usually has little consideration for comfort. 😄 Good luck.

A garage that knows what they're doing with your car is worth more traveling and if they're honest and reliable too very well worth more traveling. These seem to be so rare and often have more work than they need so if you can get in with them even more worth the travelling. (But I've no idea about the one mentioned personally.)

That's not a downside, on a Skoda Fabia MK3 as using the keyblade synchronises the remote keyfob - but the car alaarm then goes off when you open the door - not "clever". I dislike remote keyfobs and almost always used the keyblade on my wife's previous car, it also help to synchronise, - and the alarm didn't go off !

Only if you consider and allow for all risks and circumstances, allowing for the unexpected and another vehicle with or without local driver. For obvious and various reasons most accidents are more likely to happen nearer your home.

Loads of roads like that around England and Wales at least, that looks fabulous but it does depend on how much and what type of traffic it gets on it and when. As with all those types of single track roads with hedges either side you want to pick your times if out for a fun drive. Roads that size often have grass growing in the middle of the tarmac, can clean a line on the underside particularly if it's been raining. The fact that that road doesn't have grass in the middle may suggest it's been resurfaced fairly recently(-ish) to photo taken and/or the road is used more frequently than others like it. These are the things a driver may consider. By the third world state of UK roads now it might suggest it's an older photo but as it's a UK government election year I expect suddenly more roads we will see more holes filled and resurfacing. Obviously you as always adjust your speed for the road and circumstances but you don't have to fear any problems on a road like that. When you're in a low set sports car with your buttocks nearer the road surface it obviously also means your head and eyes are also lower so you don't see over hedges or walls even on wider two track or more roads so you get used to looking out, listening, smelling what might be ahead or around, on country roads it's best not to drive through or brake on slurry or large animal droppings - especially if you have no doors on the vehicle. 😄

Sorry I had a total brain-fart I meant voluntary excess not non-voluntary. Really annoying making adjustments on those comparison sites as you then get a quote for it saved in your every growing list of quotes on that site and follow up emails (or text I suppose on mobile devices, I've no idea) so you need to delete the ones you don't want to keep ASAP or your lose track of your a and e. Comparison sites aren't always the best source when dealing with insurance that's not middle of the road mass market stuff, specialist brokers and insurers can be better but sometimes perhaps the bigger names take advantage and don't offer good value trading on their name (advertising) to secure more business at higher prices within their market. I've lived with neighbours in their 80s and 90s for decades and I know why their premiums are higher and have known of them and others in that age range who really shouldn't be driving on the roads but are still able to do so long after they should have stopped. Decades ago I worked out it was more expensive to keep a car than use taxis below a certain annual mileage (not including free bus pass either) but it's not about the cost and let's be honest many at that age aren't poor or very poor, relatively they're wealthy, so they can afford to keep the car (or cars) as garage and driveway ornaments that may occasionally get used, sometimes on a hit, or scrape, and run. Edited: wrong info given so deleted that part of post

This all stuff the mechanic should have done or checked when cleaning and replacing rear brake parts.

@Tintowellfan if you're not driving it much and it's parked locked up for weeks on end use the "smart" charge as a charger or even maintainer. In the Owner's Manual (unless it's one of those horrid digital only type which tell you even less) it might say disconnect the battery if you're not using the car for x-number of weeks but a maintainer left on would do similar. My neighbour's second Ren-No! (2021) car was parked (outside) for 6-weeks he told me when I pointed out his brake discs were getting very rusty and they needed using to try to clear them up. I wasn't surprised that they engine started (though the starting sounded a lot better that I was expecting) and I certainly wasn't surprised at the lights being bright - but 24 hours after the failed attempt to clear the rust by driving, repeatedly round the crescent, to save petrol, and braking, I was surprised at the battery voltage reading at the battery terminal posts wasn't anywhere near as low as I'd expected (forget what now). But after 47 (four, seven) hours of the 4-amp "smart" charger maintainer doing it's stuff (with the battery still on the car outside in cold weather) the charger wouldn't show full, confirmed by use of a multimeter reading the next day. Had I been allowed to remove the battery from the car and in my home use my 20-year old 1.8 amp charger maintainer I might have done better but possibly not or not a lot. The 6-week slow drain from a 2021 vehicle, plus whatever use/abuse/neglect/ and no use of a charger or maintainer from the previous 2.5 years, had injured the battery enough that it couldn't full recover. 😄 I think I'm the only strange one you've meet on this thread so far, there are a very few others I consider even stranger than me, but I think on this thread it's just been a matter of misunderstanding(s) one and both ways. Some like or expect quick answers from very little given information, some like to give very quick answers based only on the information given which may sometime be good and correct, some like to see quick question and quick answers too. You can guess which way I go. 😄 Whenever I try to give a quick answer it all goes wrong plus assumptions have to be made if questions are not asked or answered and we all know what assume does(?). I feel more and sometimes better information and answers can be given and not only to the one question asked, by sometimes expanding on the one question asked. What I thought of as a trickle charger 45 years ago isn't necessarily what people think of as a trickle charger now, and even might not be the same as you thought of 45 years ago, whereas they all seem to know "smart" devices now. Despite none of those devices being smart - don't get me going on "smart"-"phones" . . .

Looking at the video again that's not the road I was thinking of and might not even be a mountain road but there are so many good roads or good bits of road in Wales. When that video was shot ,for Top Gear, possibly just before the stack-of-****e joined the program and well before his little sycophant joined him, in I guess 1988, the road would have been a speed limit of 60 mph (97 kph). That wasn't a minimum speed but a maximum so you didn't have to drive the bend at 60 mph. Broken long white centre line means hazard, you can overtake on a broken white line but as always only when safe to do so. A solid white line on your side of the road means it's generally not safe to overtake but you can overtake or cross the solid white line in some circumstances but obviously only if it's safe to do so. So you just because it's a 60 mph (97 kph) road with broken long white centre line doesn't mean you can do 60 mph and overtake before, on or after the bend. We aren't quite yet at the stage where some American or other computer program has to remind us how to drive or take over our driving (well they already partially do with modern cars) and need to be told not to put our head under a wheel and leave the handbrake off or let someone drive over our head (well most of us I hope). I remember reading the Owners Manual when I got my MX-5 in 1999 I couldn't believe it a third of the pages at least were full of safety warnings some were ridiculous but then the car was aimed at the American market where some would sue anyone for allowing them to act like an idiot without specifically explaining what idiotic things they should not do with the car. Even then they would have had a different book as the car was called a Miata over there (and LHD) and of course they have American English langue with different words for things like "wing" and "boot" and different spellings. Of course in the Japan home-market the car was called an Eunos (and RHD same as UK) and had UK extras as standard. I couldn't see the British road jpg you linked to as my virus app didn't like it, put it up as an image here from your own device, perhaps I might misremember that road too. 😄

Why are you looking at those dials on such roads, you can hear the revs and going up a mountain road in warm weather the engine may well get hot but that's normal, an occasional glance is fine but no need for more. When the needle is near or at 'H' or red it means the engine is hot not overheating, you will know your car dials and when to start being more vigilant. I had a car that would have the needle on the red and someone else with the same model new told me he drove all round France for a week with the needle on the red without issue, I will be honest and say I changed the fan thermoswitch as my car was an earlier model with slighter larger engine with only one fan and fibreglass bodies hold the engine heat plus these cars had two huge exhaust header gather tube boxes. I'd forgot the next video, it shows a Welsh mountain pass that even you definitely can't consider dangerous. 😉 -

If it is the rubber timing belt IIRC since July 2023 VW / VWSkoda finally put the UK with Europe and said every 15 years or 180000 miles whichever comes first, annual check perhaps, and this refers to the belt only. Now, I've no idea if Skoda Ireland might still be playing money-grabbers and still on the former VW / VWSkoda UK schedule for the purposes of their revenues and profits rather than looking after their customers' properly, who'd have thought it from VW.

That may depend on where you live and the insurer or other factors but playing around with the the answers and settings on the website forms (as long as being honest of course) can give a range to your options, as an example only depending on your circumstances reducing the preset non-voluntary excess given may not affect the premium.

Steve, if you've already done so my apologies but if not, have you tried the following link. - Briskoda VCDS Owners Map (click me) HTH.

It might be the size and colour of your wheel and tyre combination and/or the levelness and evenness of the ground the car is parked on but in that photo the front at least already looks low enough to me. People often think of changing springs and dampers to get the car to handle better when it's worn suspension bushes that might be causing much of any ride handling issues. Good tyres in good condition are always an asset as they also cover braking and steering as well as the suspension. Depends on what you call high speeds and on a public forum like this is I expect you mean high legal road speeds unless you meant on a track,. I only have experience of my wife's standard 2015, 1.2 TSI, SE (and a passenger ride once round Bruntingthorpe many years ago in a Mk1 or maybe 2 VRS, I didn't notice at the time) and my wife's car has always been stable at 70 mph without hint that it would have anything like slightly terrifying wobbles into low three digits at least, it is a bit wallowy on twisty country roads if pushed but depends on what you're used to and expect. Unless you're driving at the top end of the car's book claimed speed performance I'd suggest you get your tyres, steering and suspension thoroughly checked over. I can't remember how tough or not the Irish MoTs are but a pass in the morning could be a fail in the afternoon and the MoT pass, if the same as UK, are just to met minimum statutory standards at one point in time to one person's opinion they don't say the car is in as good as it could or should be conditions. With the handbrake sounds like possibly before you got the car it might have been sitting around unused a bit and/or perhaps you might have added to this a bit, but you might drive it daily or near daily and it was already set in, Other than cosmetics I don't know if a spoiler would do anything or much for road use, my wife's car has a small lip above the rear window and I assumed they all have. The best thing to get the car running well and first part of any tuning is to have the whole car fully serviced, maintained and repaired until this point further tuning is at best compromised. Other stage of tuning, possibly should be first, is what many men don't like to hear or consider, is further driver training and this is transferable to other cars and road use and might lower insurance premiums depending on the type of further training. Always the person's choice of course but I always suggest with a car new to you that other than the whole car full servicing, maintenance and repairs to leave any cosmetics and upgrades and improvements until you have used and driven the car for 6-12 months through as many circumstances, weather and roads as possible. That way you'll learn about the car and how to drive it to get the best from it and you may find things you thought you might want to change you've got used to, or visa-versa. Plus you might find you need the money you spent on any cosmetics and upgrades and improvements you need for unexpected priority stuff on the car (the handbrake might be a small minor example). If when doing the whole car full servicing, maintenance and repairs, or later servicing, maintenance and repairs parts actually need to be replaced then perhaps that might be a good time to upgrade the parts but bear in mind many upgrades and improvements can turn out to be not so and even make things worse, or worse overall. You need to consider overall balance when doing so too an upgrade/improvement in one item might unbalance the overall system so not giving an overall upgrade/improvement. First performance change I consider is tyres, good performing tyres in good condition make a difference to braking, steering, handling, road holding, comfort and noise, it might just be renewing the ones already on the car or changing to another make and model of tyre, if the whole car is good it might sometimes be all that's required for driving improvement. Good luck.

@Rob-Pesci what was the outcome?