PetrolDave

That's fine IF you can get onto a rapid charger - but the reality at the moment is that the number of rapid chargers at the motorway service areas I've stopped at this year is between 2 & 8 (the average being 4). How many petrol/diesel pumps is there at most motorway service areas? - 12, 16,... - something like that. So clearly on anything approaching a busy day (don't even think about the extreme holiday days on the M5 through Somerset and Devon) the strong likelihood is that there will not be a free rapid charger and unless you want a stop that is likely to extend to an hour (or maybe even 2) then you will want enough range to be able to move on to the next stop (in another 2 hours and 100+ miles). I still contend that unless and until there are as many rapid chargers at EVERY motorway service area (and equivalent on major roads) you need enough range to cover at least 6 hours driving (to allow for unavailable rapid chargers plus some margin) in winter which means a 300 miles WINTER range, hence my figure of a manufacturers figure of 400 miles.

IIRC in Individual you can set the mode of the ACC separate from the throttle and gearbox modes (might be wrong since I haven't driven an Octavia since July!).

That doesn't solve the problem of how long it takes to charge - it's just a sticking plaster to keep *some* (business?) people distracted - but for those with young children (I see no mention of a creche) or pets it's of no benefit. I still say the EV & infrastructure solution needed by families is range at least equal to the average family petrol vehicle (i.e. 400 miles or more) and a recharge time of less than 10 minutes.

That's a valid argument while charging at home, at work or whilst shopping - but is not valid when charging in the middle of a journey at e.g. a motorway service area or a roadside garage/charging station - where there is nothing you can do to "get on with your life" except wait for the charging to complete (or at least get far enough to complete the journey).

This is one of the longest running problems reported on here, but it does seem that a recent trial fix is now being rolled out - there are threads in this forum from the owner who took part in the trial.

Surely it's not an unreasonable expectation to expect that a new car can be "refuelled" in the same time that the car it replaced? Going from a few minutes to a few hours is not going to be seen as a positive step by many people, especially those with small children to keep entertained whilst waiting, or those who just regard a car as a box that gets them from A to B.

That's a bold statement which I don't believe is correct of the majority of car drivers in the UK - yes current EV drivers either knew or have learnt it, but I strongly believe that the vast majority of the public have no understanding that battery capacity and hence EV range will be reduced when it's colder - and will not be pleased when they find out the hard way!

This is what needs to be solved before owning ONLY an EV will be a viable option for many people especially those living 'out in the sticks' - it's all about range, range, range (apologies to Phil & Kirstie of Location, Location, Location).

Petrol vRS has a timing chain, 1.4 & 1.5 petrol have a timing belt.

Don't the new clutches need the clamping pressure calibrating after fitting? I seem to remember reading about this on the VCDS (Ross-Tech) website.

I always found the anticipation on the drive home before I could rip the CD to MP3 made it more enjoyable listening to the ripped version next time I was in the car.

I was replying to FlyingGecko who commented on the size of the roof cubby - when one is fitted.

A 65 plate Octavia is almost certain to have a MIB2 infotainment unit (depends on production date not registration date) and hence no CD player - which IIRC was only in MIB1 units.

Oil slick spreader Boudica like wheel slashers (both a la James Bond DB5)

Remember the manual covers all variants and options often in more than one country, so just because something appears in the manual doesn't mean your car will have it. You have to check the spec advertised by the local importer...

AM has been gradually disappearing from OEM radios for several years, I'm pretty certain it wasn't on the Octavia 3 I had until recently and it's not on my current Toyota.

Worked for me on the Amundsen I used to have? If you know how to use VCDS or OBD11 those instructions tell all you need to know - BTW no security code is needed.

See https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/299424-octavia-iii-vcds-adaptations-tried-and-tested/page/2/#comment-4021330

We used to fit both our sunglasses in the roof cubby.

Be aware that when you remove the instrument cluster it is VERY likely that the ABS will lose its coding, so take a full diagnostic scan (e.g. OBD11 or VCDS) BEFORE and be prepared to have to recode and redo the basic settings on the ABS afterwards. "My ABS has lost its coding after I removed the instrument cluster..." is one of the most common requests for help on the Ross-Tech forum.

On which the water pump is on the opposite end of the engine and not driven directly by the timing belt, and for which there is no evidence of premature water pump failure (I can only remember one example being posted on here). When the Skoda dealer in Barnstaple offered to replace the water pump at the same time as replacing the timing belt I reminded them that the water pump is on the other end of the engine and declined.

For me the phrase I have highlighted is the important thing that hasn't happened in this case. The customer can only properly agree if they are informed what the firmware update is expected to achieve, which the dealer clearly hasn't done here, and then choose whether (or not) to give informed consent.

Don't always believe the dealer, they often get confused between the many different engines fitted to the Octavia.

I presume they mean from 25.10.2021 ???

Unless the dyno operator correctly applies the expected transmission loss figures specific to the car then what will be measured is WHEEL bhp/Nm plus a guessed correction for transmission losses. Manufacturers specify FLYWHEEL bhp/Nm so unless the transmission loss figure is correct the numbers seen on a dyno will be wrong. A decent dyno operator will firstly do a run powered by the dyno to measure the actual transmission losses on that specific vehicle and then apply them to run(s) powered by the vehicle - this data should be shown on any graphs you have received.