PetrolDave

That sounds like a dealer specific policy to me, even post-Covid I've always got a courtesy car from dealers and independents.

My first Octavia was a 1.4TSI manual as my ex had a 'thing' against autos, but my current Octavia is a 1.8TSI DSG and I love it (in between I had an auto Toyota Aygo which she refused to drive). Not only is the DSG nicer to drive but my 1.8TSI DSG gives better mpg figures than the 1.4TSI manual despite me driving it enthusiastically(!).

If you're replacing a MIB2 Bolero with a MIB2 Amundsen (which is what those part numbers seem to be to me) then the only wiring change will be to add a GPS puck antenna as the Bolero has no GPS.

... and the driver's style of driving in those conditions. In 1986 I had a Renault 5GT Turbo which ran 195 profile tyres on a car that weighed nor much more than a baked bean can. On my way to work in central Camberley one showy morning I had to drive up a steep hill from a bridge over the M3, on arriving at the bottom of the hill I was confronted by a long line of cars making no progress at all, but by careful throttle control and use of left foot braking to control the inevitable wheelspin I drove up the hill with no problems at all - much to the annoyance of several stuck 'Chelsea tractors'.

I lived in North Devon near Exmoor (not that far from Cornwall) when 'The Beast From The East' blew in and we had roads on Exmoor blocked with 12 feet snowdrifts and the road to our house had 4-6 inches of snow which froze into craggy ice. It was noticeable that our neighbour on All Season tyres had no problem getting out to the local shops, while we couldn't even get out of the drive on Summer tyres. While events like this are much less common in the West Country they do still happen, my mindset is to be prepared. I respect your opinion but mine is different

Unless the Amundsen has been hacked it will go into Component Protection which needs either a dealer or an independent with online access to the Skoda corporate servers to clear.

Like these Avocet Ultimate Locks

But if it's true that All Seaon tyres are (generally) quieter doesn't that make them worth considering, especially if you're not going to be using the full potential (grip, handling, etc.) of Summer tyres? When I lived in Southampton I had Summer & Winter wheels/tyres on my daily commute (Citroen C1) and could definitely feel the benefit on cold Winter days. I'll certainly be very carefully researching All Season tyres when mine need replacing as I don't want to go through the hassle of changing wheels twice a year and storing the other set.

I've had a couple of cars with keyless entry and always keep the keys in a shielded enclosure (pseudo Farday cage). The security system on the Octavia 3 is AFAIK better than most cars of it's era so I'm not sure I'd agree that it's easier to nick. When my A4 got its window smashed not one single neighbour reacted, even though the car was parked within 3 feet of the neighbours front window and in clear view of it, so I'm not sure the extra noise of removing a disklock type device is a useful factor - just the visual factor of 'let's find one that's easier to nick'. But which car parts would you mark? And as you say does anything visible just attract attention, I prefer the stealth approach.

That's the difference then, AFAIK only the pre-facelift had the H15 bulb as there was no separate LED DRL.

The thing about JIT is that it relies on the future being able to be accurately predicted based on the past as it uses past data to try to predict future demand, so when major changes come along (like a pandemic) JIT is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Is this thread relevant as it's a 2013 model?

I've always been sceptical of Tracker (and it's copies) even though I've owned what were at the time very 'nickable' cars (like a B7 Audi RS4 from 2006 to 2016) I've never had one. Why? Because Tracker refuse to publish figures for cars fitted with a Tracker and NOT recovered, making it impossible to determine whether the chance of getting a stolen car back is any greater with or without a Tracker - which undermines totally the argument for having one and makes the cost seem a probable waste of money. I've never (so far he says crossing fingers, toes, etc.) had a car stolen and only had one car damaged by thieves - who smashed the front passenger window of an Audi A4 where I had stupidly left the mount for a GPS camera detector in the windscreen (not the device just the mount). So I'm happy just to rely on the OE alarm system, especially as the Octavia 3 has never figured high on the list of stolen cars plus as it's now obsolete that makes it even less desirable.

The main beam bulb should have 3 terminals as it also has a lower power DRL filament. If it only has 2 terminals then a previous owner has made some changes to the DRLs (it's easy enough with e.g. VCDS to make the fog lamps act as DRLs).

I'm surprised that a 2011 Fabia needs the radio code (assuming it's the original factory fitted radio), for many years no code has been needed if the radio is installed in the original car. Certainly my ex's 2005 Fabia didn't need a code when I replaced the battery.

It sounds like there are no India maps available from Skoda for the MIB3 (maps for earlier MIB versions are different so cannot be used), worth checking with VW Golf 8 owners though (both are MQBevo platform cars).

Certainly with VCDS there is a way to see how many times the ECU has been flashed, but AFAIK it's not possible to tell if those are official dealer updates or a tune.

We've debated on here several times why Skoda UK say the cambelt should be chnaged after 5 years (or equivalent miles) when VW UK and Audi UK and other country importers either specify much longer time/mileage intervals or even 'lifetime' (whatever that means). The more cynical members (me included) have suggested it's to provide a source of income for dealers, but I doubt we'll ever know as many of us (me included) are risk averse.

Since the figures were changed in the Government announcement last Thursday I don't see how the up-to-date figures can have been known for weeks. Even if we think before last Thursday then the media were not talking about the unit cost and standing charge, only the 'average' annual cost - them being buried on the Ofgem website is not what I would call making them 'public' (but that's a mistake many organisations make nowadays, they assume that because they've put something on their website that amounts to publicity - wrong!).

... or barn finds in original unrestored condition.

There's a long list of coding in an embedded link, with e.g. VCDS, I suspect that something there has been missed. Changing the Leuchte coding in the BCM only affects the bulb concerned, as the Westfalia module I can see replicates the official Skoda trailer module all the functions are controlled using the CAN bus so I think it's reasonable to assume that changing the bulb coding on the car to LED is not the cause of your problem.

I did say approx

The other thing to note from that document is that the increased standing charges are NOT being reduced: Average standing charges will remain in line with the levels set by Ofgem for the default tariff cap from 1 October, at 46p per day for electricity and 28p per day for gas, for a typical dual fuel customer paying by direct debit.

Have you tried changing the lights on the trailer that don't work to LEDs? If the towbar fitment hasn't used the OEM trailer module then the lights could either simply be in parallel with the lights in the car, or energised by relays. Since the car is now coded for LED lights any extra load (such as trailer bulbs) could appear as a 'short to ground', or the PWM signal used for LED bulbs could not properly energise a relay used to power the trailer lights. I suspect the later since you don't mention the car lights not working .