PetrolDave

No wear indicators on the rear pads.

After 10 years driving Vauxhalls I experienced the same different gear lever movement to engage reverse. It's like that on every VW Group (VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT, etc.) car with a manual gearbox - it's how VAG do it. You need to avoid putting your hand on top of the gear lever (except when you want reverse), which can result in pushing it down unintentionally. Instead cup your hand beside/behind the gear lever and guide it towards the gear you want.

Bluetooth won't support displaying Google Maps et al, it's only for phone calls and music playing. Since you have a 2018 Octavia it will have a MIB2 Bolero which can support Android Auto (and AppleCarPlay) provided it has been enabled. You need to use Android Auto which requires a USB lead between your phone and the car - use the USB socket underneath the climate control panel and a USB lead that works with a PC. If you don't see Android Auto as an option when your phone is connected then maybe it hasn't been enabled (I had to get it enabled on my 2016 Amundsen). I got this done by a third party not a dealer.

I'm not sure that with that driving profile you should be thinking about an ICE or even a hybrid and should instead be thinking about a BEV or a PHEV?

That's not right for any engine Octavia Mk3 - the only time I've ever had fuel economy that poor was winter city driving in my previous Audi RS4 which had a 4.2L V8 making 450PS 🤯

Please explain why you think a software update is needed.

When you live on the edge of a quiet country town (not in London) at night the only noise is boilers and heat pumps so their noise is a significant factor in neigbourhood discussions!

I wouldn't agree more accurate, but in this case you were lucky and it was as accurate.

VCDS or OBDeleven, basic scanners often don't pick up faults in non-powertrain systems.

The last time I submitted an error report for the maps it took 3 years for the corrections to appear in them 🤯

Not just artificial meat, cattle feed and breeding cows that emit less methane are starting to show encouraging results. For me the challenges with heat pumps are worse in properties with combi boilers and hence do not have hot water storage so as well as the cost and noise of the external unit and the possible cost of larger radiators there is also the complication of additional plumbing and finding space for a hot water storage tank. My new build had a "cupboard" where a tank could be fitted but no plumbing anywhere near it, but my GF has had her "airing cupboard" deleted to make way for a shower so there is no obvious place for a hot water storage tank.

We should regulate BOTH sectors with a view to incentivising them to reduce their release of CO2 and make their processes more efficient. But since methane is shown to be far more environmentally damaging surely that should have a higher profile and priority to be reduced?

That's the basic 20 camera not the advanced A5 camera which is required for Lane Assist and TSR - the complication is that the mount on the windscreen is different for the 2 cameras which (officially) means a new windscreen.

Please use a smaller font so we can read your message without scrolling.

My brothers 1.8I Zafira was recalled twice for a fault with the heater blower resistor which had resulted in fires in uncorrected vehicles.

Does the drivers door open on the first press of the button on the key?

That will only happen when the pointless link to world oil/gas prices is broken, and I don't see any of the current electricity suppliers agreeing to that as it will slash their profits.

That would follow the usual strategy of the UK car market - rather than decreasing prices to encourage sales (as almost every other marketplace does) they increase prices. With all the predictions of loss of business confidence in 2025 and even some analysts using the word stagflation this doesn't seem like the smartest move by car makers.

Maybe it thinks the tailgate is obstructed or you're standing too close and is warning you? Does the manual have anything to say about three beeps from the electric tailgate?

First thing to try is disconnect the battery, wait 5 minutes and reconnect the battery (don't worry about other warning lights, they will disappear after a short drive) to see if a power off reset gets the climate control panel working.

In the nearly 50 years I've been driving I have always engaged the handbrake by pressing the release button, and only once on one vehicle had the handbrake release by itself - my previous Octavia.

Your profile shows a 64 plate Insignia, but you're asking in the 2020> Octavia forum?

Two completely opposite opinions!!!

The BBC News article explains the circumstances, it's worth reading. Here's my precis of that article: The whistleblower worked for Tata Technology in the UK which does much of the background work for both Vinfast and Jaguar but was assigned to the Vinfast suspension design. He saw the suspension design was too fragile and failed early in tests (15,000km not 150,000km) and advised Vinfast management to redesign the suspension components but Vinfast management ignored this and went into production with the (in his opinion) sub-standard suspension parts. Unhappy with being ignored he changed jobs to work directly for JLR and subsequently saw reports of the suspension failures on Vinfast vehicles in the US. He chose to become a whistleblower and posted anonymously on social media about the testing failures. Tata worked out that he was the only person with that knowledge and as JLR are also owned by Tata advised JLR of their concerns that he could also leak information about JLR vehicles. On the basis of this it is alleged that JLR sacked him.

This has been the explanation given when both dealers and Skoda UK have been asked about this issue.