PetrolDave

If you have already posted about changing your radio it would have been better to post in the same thread rather than starting a new thread without context!

Interesting but meaningless post as there's no context. Why will you buy this part (whatever it is)? What vehicle do you have, etc.?

I spent several years working for a well known sports car manufacturer who used to hold customer and press days on their private test track. It was very revealing watching how "Joe & Joanne Public" coped with both oversteer and understeer - in most cases oversteer led to a spin (in a few extreme cases a visit to the greenery), but understeer was in the vast majority of cases dealt without any drama after a lift of the throttle and staying on track. This, I believe, clearly shows once again that for a road car driven by a "normal" driver understeer is far safer than oversteer as "normal" drivers can deal with it far more easily and intuitively - hence the normal advice when having 2 new tyres is to fit them on the rear.

As you can see it's a sharp crease which probably won't push out (plus an earlier shopping trolley scrape!).

Why do you feel you need to reset the DSG?

They are pieces of diagnostic software that any owner can purchase and use. VCDS OBDeleven

Some "kind" driver of a Ford Transit forgot the hinge on their rear door stuck out so when I had pulled into a passing place on a single track Devon road they put a long deep dent into my right front wing. Is the right front wing on a pre-facelift Mk3 all bolt on (I can see several bolts) or is there some welded sections? If it's all bolted is there any reason why I shouldn't just get a replacement wing and bolt it on myself - and then get it painted?

Sounds like diagnosing it without a proper fault code scan is going to b just guesswork, you need someone with OBDeleven or VCDS to do a full scan for you I believe.

What VED did you pay in March 2023 and March 2024?

I fitted a full set of Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3 in October and been really pleased with them. Cope really well with icy mornings and standing water, and lower road noise than the Continental summer tyres fitted before.

The factory air intake takes cold air in directly from just behind the grille, so I don't think changing to a "cold air intake" will be of any noticeable benefit. The only time I've found a cold air intake to be of benefit was on a Citroen C1 where the factory intake ended inside the bonnet directly above the exhaust manifold so in summer it took in less dense hot air. Adding a reinforced flexible hose to a convenient hole in the grille noticeably improved performance on hot summer days.

I had this last week when the auto high beam also stopped working, I cleaned the area of the windscreen where the camera is and on restarting the next morning both were working correctly again.

A Google image search shows it's behind the solid block in the centre of the upper grille below the Skoda badge on a facelift (i.e. 2017 onwards) Mark 3.

On the pre-facelift Mk3 the radar ACC sensor is in the middle of the lower front grille, not sure about the facelift like you have.

At least the Bosch & VAG ones come with a warranty but I doubt that can be said of the eBay ones?

Lifetime depends on road and weather conditions, I drive mainly on motorways, A & B roads and for me the Bosch blades last at least 4 years.

I've owned genuine VCDS for over 20 years, and it has paid for itself many many times over with saved garage diagnostic costs as well as tweaks to my own cars plus I've helped many other VAG owners diagnose and tweak their cars - plus even a colleague with a Lexus using OBD mode. The help I've received from the experts, both professionals and fellow enthusiasts, on the Ross-Tech website has been key on a few occasions to understanding the sometimes strange descriptions that VAG choose for faults and their gathered decades of knowledge. So for me not having access to that support is not a choice I would make or suggest to others.

That will be a rip off clone, don't expect support from Ross-Tech or us here.

Then I would expect significant wheelarch rubbing.

What is the PCD? - Octavia needs 5 x 112. And what is the centre bore? - Octavia need 57.1mm You also need to check the overall diameter and the offset/width combination won't cause rubbing. Best to use a tyre size calculator, there are many online.

Not on UK spec Mark 3's where it's permanently live. I believe other markets have a fuse that can be moved to make the 12V socket ignition switched.

I used one during Covid lockdown to keep the battery topped up, just plugged into the permanently live 12V socket in the centre console.

Changing the timing belt on the 1.4ACT and 1.5ACT needs special tools and takes much longer than the non-ACT versions. For this reason the normal cost for a ACT belt change is around £900, how much did they charge you and are you confident they had the special tools needed by the ACT versions?

Some of the VAG engines are actually designed by Skoda (the 3 cylinder ones IIRC), and all of the VAG software (whether it's used on VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT, etc.) is outsourced to third parties. The only difference is how much time and money each 'brand' spends on getting the software problems fixed.

TDI or TSI, manual or DSG?