PetrolDave

Given that all the road signs are in miles, it will take a Government decision and lots of ££££ to make the change which just isn't going to happen any time soon - so until then cars in the UK need to show miles not km.

Since when have insurers been constrained to TA as their only criteria?

For many years now VAG infotainment systems have remembered the VIN of the vehicle they are first installed into, and on startup check the VIN of the vehicle they are fitted to.

If the tyres were not of a size specified by the manufacturer then they would claim it as a modification they were not told about. Having said that if they were of a specified size but mixed construction then if the insurance assessor notices and says it invalidates the insurance then you could have an interesting time arguing their opinion.

Updating the firmware doesn't affect component protection, but it does set a fault code that the firmware has been changed - which is easily cleared following instructions widely available online.

... unless the team has a prancing horse badge.

... then spend a bit of time surfing on here, you will find MANY threads where this has been discussed and ALL of them (including those that have pasted in the Skoda UK service schedule) say that Skoda UK say that on the 1.4TSI EA211 (note NOT the older 1.4 twincharger) the cambelt MUST be changed after 5 years which no other Skoda importer or Skoda themselves say. Here's one example:

"12V" is only a nominal number, in reality it can be quite a bit lower and even as high as 14.5V - so don't get stressed about 0.02V

Good luck with a warranty claim (which Skoda UK pay) if you follow the advice of a dealer against the advice of the importer. Having said that I too don't see the need for a cambelt change after 5 years (as VW say it's good for lifetime) BUT as an "insurance" I had the cambelt changed by the Skoda dealer in Barnstaple when my 1.4TSI reached 5 years.

Take a look at the VCDS owners thread at the top of this forum VCDS Owners List

If you, like me, have Halogen headlamps then the main beam and DRL are both in an H15 bulb and the dipped beam is an H7 bulb.

Which is NOT what Skoda UK say - they say the cambelt on the 1.4TSI should be changed every 5 years regardless of mileage. I also have a 1.4 TSI Octavia (Elegance spec) and agree it's a great engine - having come from a 4.2litre Audi RS4 I do miss that level of performance but in reality it's perfectly adequate to keep up with the traffic flow even on the steep hills in north Devon!

I was after parts for a replica of their tridem (not really!). Nothing exciting really just some brighter bulbs for the boot and some projector warning bulbs for the front doors (couldn't find non-vRS red ones so they're white). More updated bulbs to follow...

Got one from superskoda yesterday along with several other 'goodies', fitted easily and happy that I should spill a lot less washer fluid now

So it's just a revenue earning choice by Skoda UK with no real technical justification?

So the UK has the worst climate in the world for life expectancy of timing belts? I don't think that's going to be true.

Timing belt change interval varies from country to country (don't understand why) - VAG say it's maintenance free, some importers say inspect after n years/x miles but Skoda UK say change after 5 years. Makes no sense at all to me

So the era of Ferrari having a different set of rules to all the other teams is likely to continue

Personally I would replace the cambelt as it's probably been subjected to a lot more stress than expected.

+1 The last VAG car I owned which had 2 rear fog lights from the factory was a 2000 Audi S3.

Two of the larger capacity CR2032 will definitely be better (2x210mAh vs. 210+150mAh).

We have a coolbox that we use in the boot, if the socket went off with ignition it would be a real PITA especially when in a really hot climate (e.g. south of France). The battery management will turn the sockets off to protect the battery if necessary so it won't flatten the battery enough to prevent starting the engine.

Create an account, login, pay for shortest access possible, enter your VIN, download EVERY document you see as a PDF onto local hard drive.

RHD cars always get an "after thought" conversion, the majority of worldwide sales are LHD cars and that's how cars are initially designed. On some the conversion is OK, some it's poor and some it's downright bad.

Since it's an aftermarket screen take a look at the labels on it when you've got it out, then we'll all stand a chance of knowing what it is. I'm wondering if a previous owner fitted a different screen along with a "black box" for either navigation or DVD playing or WHY?