dxg

I've had yellow lamin-x'd fogs almost since I got the thing and I love them The headlights are also lamin-x'd (with clear) to protect them form all the motorway miles. Seems to be working as the lights are in great shpae. Shame I can't say the same about the paint. Damn gritters... You can easily fit the film without taking the bumper off. Just pull the fog sorround off, and wrap the film round the outer of the lamp housing, using lots of hairdryer action to bond the film to the glass all the way to the egdes. The just push the surrounds back on and the excess film is hidden from view.

The main stereo in my living room is an 17ish year old Denon micro system. Looks *incrediably* dated (and not in a retro-stylish way, just in a "lots of black plastic way") but it sounds *fantasic* and will, thus, be staying until it breaks.

Hmmm... So it came back from the dealer today with the comments: "We couldn't really see anything wrong with it, but we have topped up the brake fluid and you'll just need to keep an eye on it." So, where did all the fluid go then? Plus, they gave it an MOT at the same time! Fair enough, the braking action was still ok (if you ignored the warning bleeps), but surely any visible leaks would have been a fail? Time to take it to the local back street place I use for my other car, because they'll actually take the time to search for the root of the problem...

I noticed that the small print on their TV advert said the warranty is only available to the first owner. If that is the case, and it can't be transferred to new owners, then it makes the whole thing rather pointless. I mean, who would want to drive a Vauxhall for 100,000 miles?

Yup. The car's off the road until I can get this sorted. Reluctant to top up the fluid myself because otherwise the dealer is unlikely to believe that there's a problem. Question is: will it make the drive from my house to the garage...?

Well, after getting numerous chimes on the way home (but the light only a few times...), I tried the torch trick and... ... the resevior appears to be dry! There might be just a few mm on the bottom, or it might just be gunk. Bouncing the car didn't create any waves in it... No codes stored, which I thought was a bit odd, though, seeing as it has reported the problem many, many times... And if it is leaking brake fluid, where's it going? And, more importantly, what's it doing to any paint it might be running over. Eek. Soonest the garage can take it is Tuesday. So I'll be in the "fun" car until then. Lupo GTI - parp! Or not parp as its cambelt is due... On the plus side, the warranty runs out in a few weeks. Only *just* happened in time to be covered (hopefully...)

Quick technical question, peeps: Should it be possible to see the brake fluid in the resevoir from the outside? Reason being, I'm getting three long bleeps from the dash when pulling away on roundabouts (combination of power + steering). I *think* I saw the brake warning light flicker on, but really hard to say. It's happened three times in as many days now, so getting serious... I'm thinking ABS sensor or perhaps (more worringly) low brake fluid. But I can't get enough access to the top of the fluid resevoir to get the cap off - the vacumn controller lines and turbo ductwork is on the way (this is a VRS). So, I can see the coolant level from the outside of the expansion tank - should I also be able to see the same for the brake fluid? Because I can't :( Cheers!

My SE would be a 57 plate if not for the personalised one... Some story about it sitting in the dealers for ages after the first buyer had placed the order but never got round to stumping up the money and collecting it...

I was getting worried about the amount of fuel I seemed to be using, so I thought I'd give the whole "cruising along with the lorries" thing a go and this is the result (we all know the computer over reads, but this is still impressive!): This was a 50ish mile journey from Edinburgh to Glasgow in the middle of the day, so reasonably free-flowing traffic. The low fuel consumption I otherwise get must have something to do with my driving style...

My SE's now on 50k and the leather is still in great condition. All I've done is put some Gliptone cleaner and conditioner on them every few months. I do keep a bottle of Zanio "leather in a bottle" in the door pocket for those emergency top-ups, though!

Thanks, guys. I guess I have to wait to see what Skoda supply. If it's got the rubber then the fact that you guys have had such screens fitted with no problems should be enough to convince them that it can be done... We shall see...

I'm having real trouble sorting out a windscreen replacement for my SE. The latest problem is the lack of something called "encapsulation" on the screen that's currently fitted. Autoglass have been out a couple of times and have refused to fit a screen because the ones they stock have a rubber seal (the encapsulation) bonded to the back of the glass, but the screen fitted doesn't have this. I'm told VAG stopped using encapsulation on later cars, but the fitters have said they've never seen a Fabia without it. Later 9N3 Polos, however, apparently didn't. Can someone with an SE help me out, please, by having a quick look at the edge of their windscreen butting the a-pillar, please... Does it go: glass > rubber seal (behind glass) > a-pillar (i.e. a screen with encapsulation) or is it just: glass > a-pillar (a screen without encapsulation, like mine...). Cheers! The MOT on my other car runs out on Tuesday, so if I can't get this sorted out, I won't be able to get to work (which may not be a bad thing...) Autoglass are now going to get a screen from Skoda using my VIN, but this could take "a week or so" apparently.

That's still duck taped to my sat nav... I *hope* this Saturday to have at least a mock-up of the final position ready. It involves the central air vents...

Lupo GTI!

^^ That's mine - stock! (Although there has been some debate on here before as to how accurate it is.) I've also managed to get the torque to peak at 277, while pulling hard in 5th from 60ish upwards...

I bought it directly from racediagnostics.

Pixelmator is a good Photoshop clone. £43.

It can simultaneously plot boost pressure and command pressure against time on a scrolling graph. I love that particular mode...

Before you start mounting it, I have a square one and it *definitely* works with the Fabia. All you have to do is select the diesel engine option. Perhaps you can organise an exchange? I've been working on my mounting solution yesterday - hope to have something to show very soon. I like how it's turning out... Way better than this, certainly:

It's not standard, I can tell you that much. Alarm?

I've had a Netgear Duo for about 18 months now, with a couple of 1TB discs in it. Use it for work and I cannot afford it to fail. It's been rock solid and I'm over the moon with the thing. I've heard that Drobos (even the newer ones with an actual network connection) are slow.

I'm thinking about getting a mild map on mine (as the warranty runs out in a few months). All I'm expecting to have problems with, in the longer term, is the clutch.

Thanks for the suggestions re the estate kit above I shall try that and report back...

Interesting... also standard.

Get a set of VW plastic ones off ebay for a tenner. They look fantastic. Way better than the cheap-looking Skoda ones...