Former

I think you might be surprised at some of the roads here, plenty with decades of rough surface dressing and plenty of potholes. Sorry I didn't make myself clear I did not mean the reviews themselves they are a waste of time for you as the sizes are wrong and for other vehicles. I would not recommend the Uniroyals ( by the way I am not in Scotland but a dry (well for UK) part of England) and I would not compare the NanoEnergy 3 or Proxes Comfort, in fact twice I have suggested you stick with the CF2 and in the same size as you have. What I was suggesting is that you look at a video about three different tyre sizes on the same car, unfortunately it is the heavy BMW (I remembered wrong) with bigger wheels, again I forgot the wheels were different size front to rear, and it is a rear wheel diesel, but the video gives the general idea with it's conclusion bigger is not always better. It is not the best video to prove the point I am trying to make but was just in my mind. If the old tyre site was still live it would give you a much better explanation and details. Tyres are an extremely complicated car component, hence why racing teams concentrate on them so much, and many of the principles also apply to road cars. Do wider tyres give you more grip? The differences between tyre widths tested and explained. -

Thanks, I found the button to turn the sound on. The video from last night has the revs jumping just after initial starting, is that the car or you on the accelerator pedal?

Perhaps you got those before Brembo was having them made in China. Many decades back the steel was better quality, the brake discs could be skimmed rather than replaced sometimes but I'm not sure it would be worth trying now. My previous brake drums had the wear and turn down dimensions cast on them, the cheap replacement you just throw in the recycling. Yes that is after a few days not overnight but that did not used to happen in such a short time, items are now cheaper because they are made cheaper with cheaper materials but they may be more expensive in the long run. I had a Suzuki Cappuccino (you may have to look that up) and it was terrible for the standards of the time for the discs to rust up so quickly so I have been used to cleaning the rust off with foot and handbrake. That's very understandable. Yes very much so which is why it is difficult to get the alternatives to them as they are mostly in the bigger tyre sizes for the bigger and heavier cars (and of course because of the fashion for oversized wheels and tyres). I know you will not believe an old fart like me about the tyre sizes and handling so if you have a look at the videos the fashionably groomed and biceped chap does that runs the tyrereviews.com site you will find one where he compares three different sizes on the same car, admittedly an overweight VW Golf IIRC but it gives the general idea. A great deal of a vehicle's handling is down to the driver and driver training, I know because I am poor at it but with my car club activities I have been out on the highways with those that are very good at it, track instructors and performance car reviewers. Stick with the Toyos, unless they have changed for some reason they will be hard to beat, if possible I prefer Toyos made in Japan.

That was the point I think to stop the worry and comparisons of different cars. The driver would get to know where the needle normally was for that car and if at any time the needle was hotter or colder from its norm. No comparing of "mine runs at 82c why's yours at 78c" and of course it hides the variations of instrument calibration and variations in how the engines run. A place in Wales make the gauges now and when I emailed them to check the factory test calibration figures for the marks on the gauges I got both were under but as one was further from the normal needle position I was used to seeing it was returned it to the seller.

There's no sound on the video for me but everything looks fine to me, apart from the camera orientation of course. 🙂

Another good video, and to me the idle sounds (at least) 200 above what the needle indicates but you have no knocking noises. On a different subject, for the internal condensation you could try something like a Pingi bag, or two, (other makes and types available). -https://pingi.com/product-category/car-dehumidifier/ And another subject again, I notice LPG seems popular with you chaps, is that the case for Greece generally? Whereas over here it was never that popular and to me has gone off a lot in the last couple of decades(?). My neighbour has it on the "classic" and LPG is still a lot cheaper than petrol but is not always available at the petrol stations that are supposed to sell it. And I've noticed NGK do different spark plugs for LPG.

Another reason the gauges went from mechanical with numbers to electric with minimal markings, and other "idiot lights" being deleted from the dash or dials.

Sorry no idea of cost but I would be interested to know the results, if it is wheel bearing and if it's front or back or only one side or at one wheel, as my wife's car is the same age, but with 40+k-miles. If you are taking it to a main Dealership I'm sure they won't take a chance and recommend changing the wheel bearing, or whatever else it might be, even if in reality the bearing might (obviously I've no real idea about this in your case) not need replacing straight away and have more serviceable life in it and just noisy and they might find other work that needs doing, if it does then it does but again the work might not need doing straight away and you could get more good serviceable life out of the part or component. Again obviously I can't know if this is the case on your car. I had this with a Czechoslovakia made Skoda back in the mid-80s but the Skoda Dealerships then weren't part of VW and were much smaller and much friendly and I was advised that the wheel bearing, on that car back then, though noisy could run for years like it and be fine, as it turned out it got noisier and had to be changed but it was still fine in its actual operation. Let us know how you get on, good luck.

The more gauges and the more information you get the more you have to worry about. In 1999, last century, indeed last millennium, I got a new Japanese car, being used to old British cars with often fully mechanical gauges I said to someone how good the car was as once it reached temperature the needle remained rock steady unlike the British cars where the needle (correctly) moved up and down with the efficiencies and inefficiencies of the 'water' cooling system. Then it was explained to me this was a 'comfort' gauge and not a true range like I was used to. Ken will have explain as I'll just mess it up but the idea is don't look for exact figures but just what is normally showing for your car running in good condition, or be careful about what you are comparing with what.

Unless you know the evil ways of VW computer programs difficult to apply logic. Someone want to apply logic to some electrical faults Ken said battery or charging issue, I as always said battery but the chap just could accept that the machines take over and have their own very invasive and intertwined programs, with no doubt glitches and errors in them. VW have over-complicated computer systems on these cars (wonder how that could possibly help them, cough). Let your car battery get low and try and make logic out of the scan tool error codes and readings. Apart from that I just say about checking the throttle body and MAF are clean, never overlook the basics and yes use your eyes, hands, nose, ears and why trust one machine a scan tool against another like VW's finest . Cross reference all findings and information - especially when it's from me. Better scanners give loads more info and I don't know but expected ranges for throttle. My neighbour's scan has 638 lines just for the engine on my wife's Mk3. Good luck let us know how you get on.

Is that on the car's gauge?

Where do they take the figures from?

No, no, no, you'd never get a job at a proper Italian garage. 😁 It's about accelerating to open the old tubes and keeping in your power band but for as long as possible have the gearbox, clutch steering and brakes well exercised not high speeds motorway dashes. Get the engine oil temperature up and keep it there. No need to drive silly or break any laws, just well spirited - British Italian tune-up.

Yes but OP put - and with all the silly names and description changes isn't premium now ordinary Shell unleaded 95 (E10) and not the latest version of V-Power + Nitro. 😄 I prefer to stick to V-Power to save confusion for and from me to others. And whether using Shell 95 or 99 OP may swap either way. Thanks for the downloads I'll look at them later. Does that explain the attached PDF for you? (eta: just realised I forgot to attach the attachment) Have you used the Jet Ultra f'an'ol free at all? Or the Esso (I know it's not relevant to modern cars but mine used 4-star)? petrol.pdf

Best not to do it too often otherwise you then have to go to . . . eleven and some cars don't have eleven! 😄 Ran my car for the first time in 5 weeks today, misty drizzle to air and roads no chance of a blow-out. Perhaps tomorrow after I've cleaned the underside and wheels (from 5 weeks ago) as justification and reward for doing so.

What happened to Tesco having a share/part ownership of Greenergy and getting their petrol from them, or and I having another false memory?

What's the service history of the car like, as in GIGO for computers if you air filter hasn't been replaced you might not be getting the cleanest air through the engine. If they changed the air filter you'd hope they also changed the plugs but it's all charge and some people (and garages) would sooner save on such items. Once you've sorted this issue out and are confident in the car put in a couple of tanks full of Tesco Moment99 or Shell V-Power (yes they are a lot more expensive) for their additional cleaning additives and have a few Italian tune-up runs to blow the cobwebs out. Blimey, I almost forgot, if you like a peaceful life do not let the car battery get too low, even if the car starts and the lights seem bright enough and there are no warnings, the battery could still be too low for the very invasive and intertwined VW computer programs and they may play up in all sorts of strange ways.

Wow, I have not seen we have such groups here but perhaps we do. Generally the petrol and diesel here is very reliable and so are the petrol station (perhaps some their customers less so though). Reportedly there are 8,380 petrol stations in Britain most are branded by the oil companies or the supermarkets, there were reportedly 12,305 twenty years ago and around 40,000 in the mid-1960s. With have E10, 95 octane (RON) or E5, 97/98/99 octane with additional additive packages including more cleaning - and rarer to find E5 ethanol free 99 and 97 patrols with additional additives and cleaners. Buyers are quite polarised (like with many things over here) with some putting in the higher priced 97-99 brands and avoiding the 95 and others wanting the cheapest cost they can find and saying the 97-99 is a total waste which often they are more or less correct with.

I also was going to ask if in Greece you have changes in petrol for 'summer' and 'winter' seasons, not mentioned at the pumps but done at refineries? Or D.FYLAKTOS and HappySkoda were buying their petrol from reliable and consistent sources or sometimes have to go with what they can get where they are at the time? First time ever last year (because of Covid lockdown restrictions?) I got a bit of 'milky' petrol that caused my car to run lean, bit of slight misfire and splutter when pulling off after slowing for pulling out from a stop at T-junctions, no computers to sort it, I could have pull the choke cable but accelerating harder was enough to clear things until the next T-junction stop.

And I apologise again as I meant to start my last post to you with saying sorry - but I was interrupted and lost my thoughts.

I thought yours was sorted with that flap, obviously not.

Sorry I mixed up the two videos, it was HappySkoda revved before turning off, I was trying to get two posts into one and failed. I must have mixed up the videos as I thought yours was a lot longer than it actually is, perhaps my brain combined and edited the two videos. 😄 Careful videoing with your keys in your hand though as you do not want your door frame scratched. Good camera alignment. 👍 😄

Provided the tyres are stored correctly they do have a "shelf-life" and you can ask for the date of manufacture before you order but I understand why you may not want to. I would not necessarily rely om Brembo brakes being as good as they used to be but yours may still be good, I was told their quality was up and down a few years ago when I was looking for new pads. And the Pagid discs I fitted recently to the front of my wife's Fabia Mk3 showed a lot of rust after a night of heavy rain this weekend. You are concerned about MPG and then set your car up for spirited driving which are at opposite ends so you will always have compromises. The tyres now are called 'Summer' tyres, whereas they used to be called tyres, and in the UK used all year round, and still are, but they used to put that the tyres performance would start to determinate at ambient temperature of 10c, that can sometimes be a summer's day in the UK. 🙂 The extra half an inch in the wheel rim width does also restrict tyre size choices. Toyo PROXES CF2 note the variances in actual dimensions against nominal sizes. - https://toyotires.eu/tire/pattern/proxes-cf2 What about looking at tyres in 165/65 R14 (only 3mm taller and differences in real rather than nominal sizes and tread depth in tread could may them the same height) ? - https://tiresize.com/calculator/

You must bear in mind you do have a fat heavy VW or fat heavy modern car so don't need big wide wheels. Is your car lowered and with uprated suspension and bigger brakes then or factory standard? Also if you worry about unsprung weight 5.5" x 14" wheels with 175/60/14 tyres might weight about the same as 4.5" x 13" wheels with 165/70/13 tyres. If you are concerned about fuel (and ride comfort) you would go back to the 13" wheels with their narrower tyres if possible. The Toyo Proxes CF2 generally seem to get very good reviews but I've not seen reports for your size and on your model. The Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 generally seem to get good reviews, not quite as good as the CF2 but again I've not seen reports for your size and on your model. Your rim width of 5.5" and your tyre size restrict your choice so why not stick with the CF2s. I have the same problem getting 145 or 155 13" tyres that are not for modern (heavy in comparison to my car) city cars and with Covid I was on my forth choice of tyre because I wanted them before finally going on a weekend car club tour. You know better than I what is available to Greece but perhaps you could have the tyres sent to you from another country and fitted locally.

Yes, that is the question. As it is intermittent it would probably be best investigated when it happens. For mechanical I can only think of the problem with the fresh air diverter flap for the air filter but there could be other mechanical things I can't think of or don't know. For electrics it's the usual starting and cold start items to be check and perhaps tested. If it is a bit damp under the bonnet then WD-40 for its one good use to disperse water. Electronics needs a scan tool that shows live data. I've just noticed in Thefeliciahacker's video (good camera angle by the way 😁) that he revved the car after starting, I can't think if you done that too, but that could knock of the cold start settings perhaps(?), what are the cold start instructions in the Driver's Handbook? As far as I see it you keep your foot away from the accelerator pedal when starting the car from cold and use use the accelerator pedal when pulling off. In my car if the running from start was like that I would pull the choke cable out a bit more to speed the idle up or perhaps further to make the fuel mixture a little richer. Bear in mind the engine start-ups, particularly from cold, are wearing on the engine and also you do not want too much petrol at that time washing the oil out.