AnotherGareth

Both of you - look on a tyre site and you'll find useful information. I'm using Camskill and mytyres for this reply ... The standard load rating in this size is 88, and the common XL rating is 92. Looking at what is available, and assuming you prefer to avoid the makes that people who have any interest in decent tyres generally avoid, you should probably expect to pay anywhere from best part of £100 per corner for a fitted tyre. You really should check your handbook or maybe a label somewhere on the car that specifies what tyres are required. For instance, if your car needs XL tyres and you save money by using non-XL tyres you might be setting yourself up to fail an MOT, (notwithstanding potential safety issues). If you are buying tyres for the Octavia, WiseBuyer's Guide says the standard wheel/tyre size is 225/45R17. The standard load rating in this size is 91, so if you are using a different wheel/tyre size you probably need to choose tyres with a load rating of 91 or higher. In the case of 225/40R18 then this does indeed mean XL (92).

What would the comparative cost be if you were to insure your cars for people who have only just gained a valid licence? Presumably there is a significant saving if you don't do this?

Given the PITA rules -- must be SORN'd if not insured, if SORN'd road tax doesn't seem to be valid and tax disc should be returned, needs valid insurance and new tax disc if taking off SORN -- I wonder if it makes more sense to SORN the new car until the old car is sold. The system seems to be designed to stop private sale of cars -- pretty much forcing people to buy and sell via dealers. FWIW when I go to see a car I think I might be buying, I buy a single-day insurance policy from DayInsure, eCar or similar to cover my wife and I for a test drive.

We'll soon be changing the wheels on one car since it has a set with winter tyres and another set with summer tyres, and since I'll be doing it myself it will cost us nothing. Our other car has all-season tyres that get used all year around. Also worth remembering the advice from Continental that if you have to choose one set of tyres to use all year then it is better to use winters in preference to summer tyres, (Continental don't make all-season tyres so don't mention them in their advice).

First let's get a couple of brain-dead behaviours out of the way. Some drivers accelerate up to their chosen speed then step up through each of the remaining gears at a fairly constant speed. Some drivers use a pitifully small amount of acceleration in each gear, often completing their acceleration to cruising speed in top. The reasoning for why brisk acceleration can save fuel starts by assuming that the journey is to be completed in a specified time. With brisker acceleration, it should be possible to use a lower average speed, which reduces the adverse effect of wind resistance on fuel economy. If the journey can take longer then less brisk acceleration may give better results. If there is overrun fuel cut-off then every rev-matched gear change uses fuel, and each one that is unneccessary wastes fuel.

There's a sensor or two that might be set incorrectly and can result in the headlights aimed so low as to be useless. This is fairly obvious when it happens, probably most likely after some work has been done on the suspension! If the dipped beam seems slightly too low it's almost certainly a combination of the beam pattern -- a step up to the left of centre rather than angled up as normal headlights -- and that the bulb output reduces over time. On another car I had the bulbs replaced (with oem spec.) at 5-6 years. The difference wasn't great but significant enough to make a difference when driving. Frustratingly, the life of HID bulbs is something that isn't discussed much or else people think they're good for the life of the car. Certain behaviours shorten bulb life, besides normal usage. In particular, switching the lights on immediately after switching them off isn't good.

Well that's for you to decide Ken, from my point of view as someone who doesn't know you or your driving, it's more about whether you are hungry to learn more or whether you are happy with your driving as it is.

Way back when, a hot hatch was a special, often released later than the normal models in the range which went from poverty to luxury spec., and sold as the seriously sporty variant with better performance and handling. These days the distinctions are blurred, not least because higher performance engines are available in a larger proportion of the models in a range, stylistic cues such as over-sized wheels and stupidly low-profile tyres are used to sell the whole range, and manufacturers found that the market for image and bragging rights is much larger than the market for performance motoring.

My insurers (Allianz) specify that all free repairs are to be carried out by Autoglass, and require the owner to pay a larger amount if Autoglass are not used for glass replacement. When I needed a new windscreen and wanted the genuine Skoda part, I paid extra to use a local fitter who agreed to get the correct item. I recently had a stone chip repaired and a few days later noticed how there is a blemish that is only noticeable from the inside when it catches the light. I went to the local Autoglass depot to ask if the repair could be improved and they told me they only guarantee mechanical repair and do not make any claims about optical clarity or distortion. They said they could have a go but it almost certainly wouldn't be any better, and that the only way to get it better would be to replace the windscreen. I'll probably end up doing this when I have funds, as the blemish is in the driver's vision. A useful snippet is that one person said that if they had a stone chip in the driver's field of view they'd not bother with getting it repaired, instead they'd leave it until a replacement windscreen was necessary. The implication was that repairs only make sense when replacement glass is hard to find or when the stone chip isn't particularly noticeable to the driver.

I also like Koni FSDs for a nicely controlled ride, firming up only when needed.

The only other gotcha I know relating to resetting the throttle body is to make sure the throttle cable isn't too tight. On our last Felicia I'd set it according to the guidance in the Haynes manual but even after leaving the battery disconnected overnight I was finding the revs were falling slightly too slowly when I took my foot off the accelerator pedal. It turned out the cable adjustment needed a little more slack and then after the throttle body was reset again all was well.

I think you are asking about 'fast idle'? While I am not certain about your problem, some of the comments in this thread may give you some ideas. In general, since the idle speed is set by the ECU, any of the temperature sensor, the lambda sensor or the thermostat being out of specification, the throttle body being dirty, air leaks after the throttle body, or the throttle body needing resetting, could lead to issues.

I'd need to check but I'm fairly certain the recommended tyre/wheel combinations on a 1U Octavia include 195/65 on 6Jx15 and 205/60 on 6.5Jx15, being optimum for each. If you are swapping tyres on existing wheels, chances are you have 6.5Jx15 but even so that's not a problem as 195/65 fits up to 7Jx15. Premium variation should only be an issue if you are using non-oem wheels - I wouldn't even bother informing the insurers if you are just changing tyres on standard wheels.

When I wanted the hid bulbs replaced on our Mk1 Octavia I got the garage to replace all the bulbs in each of the front light clusters at the same time since it'd be a pain to do them one at a time. If bulbs are easy to replace, like for the rear lamp clusters, then I'd not bother, although having gained access I would check the condition of each and replace any that were excessively darkened.

Standard problem on all cars is the electrical connections aren't clean and tight. Check earth straps. On cold days it might be that she is trying to start the engine too quickly - is she waiting for the glowplug warning light to go out? Sometimes it is worth waiting a second or two after the warning light has gone out, especially on the coldest days. After these it might be work checking whether the glowplugs are working properly -- not exactly sure how you do this but often some kind of resistance measurement.

It's listed on the label inside the filler cap cover, so yes. It's also listed in Skoda's recommended wheel & tyre combinations (.pdf). Ideally you'd have H or V rated, but so long as you keep below the maximum speed rating of whichever tyres you use then it's fine.

When ice forms it is rarely completely smooth, even when it melts and refreezes. While you may be correct in theory, in practice you're years out of date. The ice rink examples on YouTube should be enough to inform you that friction winter tyres are a significant improvement over normal tyres. Tire Rack have a video where they discuss how studded and studless winter tyres compare, in the context of testing on an ice rink.

I beg to differ; the Canadian and other tests showing cars on an ice rink demonstrate that decent friction winter tyres make a huge difference. In my limited expereince on a variety of snow, frozen snow, compressed frozen snow, polished compressed frozen snow, and so on, I've found that winter tyres (and all season tyres) are much better than summer tyres, and generate a surprising amount of grip. I've driven on surfaces that I have trouble walking on, and the grip levels have felt almost normal. The most slippery surface conditions I've come across is where frozen compressed snow begins to melt and there is a thin layer of water - I think I might have preferred studded tyres for that, but still the winter tyres provided reasonable grip.

Cold.

It's quite easy to imagine how using winter tyres might not benefit insurance companies as might initially be expected. First, as has been mentioned, drivers are more willing to go quicker -- I estimate a 20-30 mph speed advantage is available depending on the choice of tyres, and most drivers will tend to drive at just below the speed they feel uncomfortable. Second is perhaps slightly less obvious; if someone has greater confidence in their ability to get places they almost certainly will be tempted to drive more than if they didn't have winter tyres fitted.

I chose Optigrip (following on from using Hydragrip) because I want better grip in worse conditions - I reckon I can manage to keep it on the road well enough at other times ;-) Unfortunately Optigrip is no more, at least in the sizes I want in the UK. They're still available from mytyres but not directly from UK mail-order retailers or tyre fitters. I asked Goodyear and they said Excellence is the nearest replacement in the current range. I've been pondering whether to change to all-season (Vredestein Quatrac 3) or to continue with two sets of wheels. At the moment I'm tempted to move towards Goodyear Excellence for the summer and change from Snowtrac 3 to Quatrac 3 for winter use, because then the biannual change-over decision is easier. The other advantage I see is that both are non-directional, which means the spare can do either side.

Most car enthusiasts aren't driving enthusiasts so it ends up being all about willy waving. I reckon a DC2 Integra Type-R is one of the best fwd cars from a driving enjoyment point of view - about the right amount of feedback and feel, although the engine can get a bit wearing at times. Also up at the top is a Lotus, the M100 Elan SE, but not so practical. Hard to choose between them. I liked the Alfa 146Ti almost as much - just the right amount of power to be enormous fun on decent roads, less powerful but more practical than either. I'm not sure what else compares on the road, as opposed to for pub bragging rights.

Which tyres? Crap tyres are still crap even when they have a winter formulation and tread pattern, whereas good quality tyres can be astonishingly good. FWIW when I chose a few years ago I looked at comparative and independent reviews, and gave more weight to results where the tyre size being tested was closer to my intended application. In spite of spirited driving I haven't had issues, and definitely not at low speed. I have noticed the tyres haven't felt so good during unseasonally warm days, but there the issue only becomes apparent when pressing on and purposefully going beyond what the tyre feedback is telling me. In answer to the OP's question, I aim to swap back at the end of February but will defer that if the weather continues to be cold in my part of the country and at the times I am most likely to be driving - typical commuter times.

FWIW Haynes says all diesels had 232mm rears.

I've repeatedly heard of people having problems when trying to pay by personal credit cards and the usual answer is to use PayPal. I think it might be that credit cards are less common in Germany, but that may only be an internet rumour. What I can say, though, is that I've had no trouble paying using a company debit card, and strangely it's one that HMRC and most UK retailers treat as if it were a credit card.