nta16

No such thing as best brand, each brand has various oils. The 0w-20 is to get an nth degree more mpg out of a car that gets heavier and more complex each year almost). Personally I take VW numbers with a pinch of salt, they change them anyway and will have different commercial contract at various points of time, the oil needs to be suitable for the time of engine. If you look at say a folder that came with the car when new it'll probably show the brand and model of oil that was in favour at the time and you can stick with that (probably Castrol?). Whether it's the best oil is a different matter. Some (mechanics and engineers particularly) will tell you all the oils are the same (they're not) and use the cheapest you can with the correct specification which you could do and it would give the minimum protection specified by VW (who want the engine to make it out of the warranty period, 7 year in Aus? 3?, 5? years in UK or can you buy more now. At such low annual mileage especially if this is made up of very short journeys an annual change of oil and filter would be a minimum - but if you're not keeping the car for too many years then just do the annual oil and filter change with the cheapest oil in spec if you don't care about the next owners, and why should you necessarily, VW and the UK motor trade generally don't and many might not care about you. ETA: VW spec is 508 00. If you want to support a UK oil blender (for your German car) just one example is Millers Oils, their WhichOil? Oil Checker Tool''. - https://www.millersoils.co.uk/which-oil/ ETA: I've used Millers Oils for a good few years now by choice. I'll put a small bet the Miller's oil you were given was the cheapest "Pro" oil suitable unless it was left by a previous owner, VWŠkoda Dealerships normally use Castrol AFAIK but I might be wrong, perhaps a Yorkshire one might be loyal to the local oil blender but I doubt it. Or I have a list somewhere of VW Approved engine oils but I don't know that it's still up to date, oil companies and blenders often change their product names and packaging and sometimes tweak their oils. 0w-20 is now like syrup or treacle to later and better made engine manufacturers but might be a bit thin for old German designs when the engine ages and gets used more but we'll have to wait and see how well these VW engines last on the 0w20, perhaps someone with 30k-40k miles might know or in the future when they get to 60-70k miles. My wife's 65k-miles 2015 Fabia uses a bit of (VW Approved) oil between services.

20c that's a big difference, presumably what's under the wraps are at least 20c warmer.

Some owners are obsessed with getting as many miles/km per tank of fuel and do such things, others want a round amount of fuel or payment so keep clicking, you know why these are not such good ideas.

Not in the car, whether there is using a higher level VW program scan tool I don't know but I'd have thought if it was available it'd be available on a SE L model. If you have a VCDS, and it is possible to do you could ask where to find the bits on it to do this on the 'Diagnostics & VCDS' forum. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/23-diagnostics-amp-vcds/ Or if someone is near you with a VCDS and it can be done they may be able to do it for a beer token, here is a map of Briskoda members with such scanners. - Briskoda VCDS Owners Map (click me)

"I'd be replacing the battery before anything else, you can't diagnose modern car properly - without - a good voltage!" (I often put the opposite word by mistake too) The battery needs to be in a good state of charge for diagnostics, particularly for electrical and engine starting problems, but also for the computer stuff that's all over the car. If the car battery at too lower charge to keep the computer bits happy then you can get all sorts of unexpected warning lights and messages (and unseen error codes) even if the engine starts and the driving lights seem bright enough. You should not need to replace a 2 year old AGM, you might need to if it has been abused by you, the charging system (or computer control of that hence the question about coding) or there a constant drain and you repeatedly let the battery get to, and remain too long at, a state of charge that is too low. Normally I would say recharge the battery (I have recharged batteries at less than 4v a few times) but in this case I think a replacement battery would be a better idea, you need to start with a battery in good state of charge and good state of health before you can probably successfully proceed with the diagnosis of your issue. If you get a new battery do make sure it is 'coded' in, and all correctly, for this occasion.

Possibly Chinese Government sponsored crap from a Chinese company like the ones one of neighbours keeps buying all sorts of rubbish from, appears very cheap but they're not because they're such crap, a waste of all resources of all sorts - but it helps China.

Others would know better than me but I very much doubt any (legitimate) diesel, at say supermarket or known (or other) petrol stations would be of poor quality in UK. When my wife had a diesel car (our one and only) the few times I drove it, if needed I would fill with the cleaner diesel (an oxymoron if ever there was) V-Power and then I would see a cloud of silver-grey out of the exhaust from accelerating hard off a roundabout 1.5m from home instead of the very black cloud if my wife had filled with usual diesel. I'd suggest a couple of tankfuls of the likes of V-Power every now and again, all the time if very low mileage, short distance use, and before, during and after an MoT/service.

Well first would be I live in England where many members of the motor trade are literally villains, some convicted many not, also lots lazy mechanics, con-men, those with bad attitude towards customers and their vehicles, they think customers are something they trod in on the way to work (shi1T) - but not all are like this there are some good uns but they always have waiting lists to get them or leave the industry. And until a couple of years ago I ran various "classics" (over-priced) and over-valued old cars) for 30+ years as dailies, for commuting and work, holidays in the UK and parts of Europe, club events and runs. All but one of them were British (English) made, so loads of maintenance and this was during the parts coming from China and being often of poor / ****-poor / abysmal quality as "classic" car owners over here are generally very tight fisted and demand the cheapest of cheap (not me) I also had expensive specialist English made parts let me down. I also had a few brand new and second hand English sports cars where product development is done by the customers. The few new and second hand Japanese cars I had never let me down and needed no more than servicing but still the English Dealerships treated their customers like idiots (I let them dig their own holes before I let them know I wasn't a total idiot. By personal choice I would give a set of tyres up to 1,000 miles to see if they suited me and the car and if not change the set, particularly important on a sports car but also any car particularly if you want to drive it in a spirited way. We have lived in the same very small rabbit hutch semi-detached bungalow, without garage, for 42 years if I'd have not had the cars we'd have a big detached house now (well that and being a hi-fi nut for a good few decades). Now I don't own any cars or hi-fi. 😁

Did the car have an AGM battery from the factory, if not and it was changed to an AGM was that 'coded' in to the computer? Even allowing for variables 11.9v is low, that is only 30-40% of charge, AGM regularly run at 80% (around 12.v), fully charged is about 12.7v or 12.8-12.9v for a new battery. For 12.2v if taken a good few hours after the car was run isn't too bad if also allowing the car's computers and bits and bobs using around 0.2v-0.3v. Also depends on when, how and what was used to take the readings.

Wow, on what report(s) and other diagnostics or basis have they formed this solution - why? You want the mechanics and techies and those that know about the issues with 1.4 TDI (CUSB) engine on around 75k miles for this sort of thing. If the engine was also in the Mk2 Fabia (I've no idea) you could look on that forum for history and possible injector issues with that engine. Hope you find out.

@Ootohere just out of curiosity any idea of the current DQ 200 7 speed gear ratios? When I drove the 1.0 110 TSI I was in 5th (out of 6) manual by 30 mph IIRC, it defaulted to Eco at turning ignition back on and I normally left it there and just pushed the revs up when I wanted, it was reasonable enough higher up the range (very subdued at low revs, no traffic lights grand pricks stuff) setting to sports mode there was a noticeable pick up in acceleration, or at least that's the way it seemed to me, felt the extra 20 PS to my wife's 90 1.2 (4-pot) where the driving modes are left to the driver operating the three pedal and gears, within what the computers think suitable at any given moment of course, and I get this information anyway when car's owner is in any of the passenger seats.

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.