numskull

Yep, he said the tech had checked all the visible pipework and there was no sign of any other leaks.

UPDATE OK, so over the past couple of weeks, the hissing sound on startup has returned FFS. 😖 On Saturday I went to my trusted indy, Wheelbase in Hersham, for an oil and filter change. As I was chewing the cud with Colin, the owner, I recounted the AC recharge story, the noise etc. He said hang on, walked toward the workshop and said he’d get his tech to check the system for leaks right now using UV. Less than a minute later he came back and confirmed there is a leak, right at the joint where the AC pipe goes into the top of the condenser and judging by the gunge on the joint, it’d been leaking for “sometime”; I asked if that meant more than a couple of weeks and he said “yeah, much longer than that”. He said it wasn’t a problem, it’d take less than an hour to replace the seals, which he’d order today and I’m going back on Saturday to have them replaced. I contacted the Aircon “expert” via WA and informed him what had been discovered. He called me immediately. Although he thought my comment that I felt “ripped off” was a “bit harsh” he reluctantly accepted that he’d “missed” the leak (so by that he meant he’d clearly not tested the system) and he said he refund me, which he did within an hour. In reality he probably decided it was worth doing that to avoid a big negative review. So I stand corrected guys and a big lesson has been learned. And I apologise to Pete, Graham and Colin for not listening, but TBH, I’m even more pi$$ed at myself for being taken-in.

I had an average of 63.6 on our MKI PD140. I did used to do a 110 miles a day round trip commute on weekdays, so that was the reason. But obviously that average included short local trips at the weekend.

Well, that’s sh1te!

I’d be interested to hear if that works, Graham. The most “solid” of the three I’ve had was the MKI, it was just weak in so many other areas! But it was very reliable til the oil pump went and the car filled with water, but of which I had rectified at big expense. And its still going strong in the hands of a Briskodian in Liverpool. I loved the sound of the the doors when they closed, with a hefty deep thud! But the 280 is very well screwed together, the gaps tighter and it’s the quietest by far.

Our armrest creaks…A LOT! I’ve also separated the top from the bottom and packed it as well as I could but it made little difference. The bottom of the armrest doesn’t touch the topsides of the cubby hole; there should be a couple of small, black round bump stops on the front top edge of the cubby, which holds the bottom of the arm rest clear, which I think are specifically there to allow the cooled air to exit. There also a slight buzzing sound - rather like a quiet bumble bee - at 50-70mph from the B pillar, exactly at ear level; no idea what that is.

I think you’ll find that they have, you just haven’t noticed them. The OP in this thread does not appear to’ve come back to it back in Nov 18 to update it with the outcome of the dealer visit. Did he go and they said “that’s normal” or did he realise what others here have said; yep, it’s normal.

Did you buy the car online or were you physically there at time you purchased it?

Firstly, welcome to Briskoda. You’ll find this is a great resource with a nice bunch of members. Secondly, that’s a very poor MPG for any Superb, let alone a diesel (I get 26-28mpg on a 2.5 mile commute!), unless you’re a “flat-to-the-floor” in every gear driver, so…. Thirdly, get someone close by to you, to do a VCDS scan to see if it’s holding any error codes - list of owners who’ll be happy to help is here; hopefully that may help pinpoint any significant problems. Finally, when and where did you buy the car? Does it have a warranty of any kind?

You should open an airco business, Colin… oh, hang on, seems you did! 😂

So basically, Colin, the “U.K. law” actually isn’t, as it still hasn’t been enacted into law by Parliament as yet; still, you can’t rush these things. Seems to me that given what you’ve said, it’s enforcement is practically pointless anyway as it’s effectively unenforceable, given there is no manpower, absolutely no control of the refrigerant products, no purchasing or sales audit trails kept and no operative registration system to act as a form of control. I could buy all the equipment and refrigerant product needed to empty and regass a car and I set myself up as a Mobile Aircon Expert tomorrow. Brilliant… 🙄

As I said, it had been making a noise after the system had been “refilled”, so that suggests it was not “filled” correctly by KF in December. There are ‘000’s of static and mobile AC experts/engineers/refillers in the U.K. Given this, I’m sure very, very few fully comply with these regs you cite which, from my quick look around, still appear not to’ve actually been implemented. https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/13c0893a-049a-4608-9f9b-7f268a71f15a/climate-change-civil-penalties Obviously, if they have been put in place - and you appear to know your stuff on this subject - can you post the link to the legislative documents as it’s something of which we should all be aware.

He connected it to a cylinder initially, after he’d drained the system and after 10 mins he said there wasn’t a leak. Then he refilled it. If it is leaking, then he’ll be called back.

Sorry, I should’ve been clearer; it has been making the noise since December, but I had no time to go back initially as we drove to Ireland the following day and TBH, life has just got in the way since then. Yeah, I suppose the leak test could be inaccurate, but I’d suspect it’s unlikely. As you say, time will tell. Perhaps I should get a second opinion from the Halfords aircon expert (a Master Tech too, apparently) we went to last year (no fix no fee) who said the wife’s AC was fully gassed so it had to be the compressor which had failed. Yeah, it was completely empty…. 🙄

No, there’s no leaks. Idiot Kwik Fit Fitter-Uppers… 🙄

UPDATE. So, he was right, there was nowhere near the amount of gas in the system there should’ve been. Noise has gone (yay!) and in now it’s seriously bloody cold! He said that the likes of KF don’t have a clue what they’re doing and invariably have their “automatic” Aircon regas “Dalek” incorrectly setup so it doesn’t fully discharge the system and / or delivers too little gas or both. His “system” was fully manual, so he completely removed the gas and oil, checked the system for leaks and slowly recharged it. He also put in an additive which lubricates the seals and has a die in it so a leak can be identified under UV light. Cost was £130, so yeah, more expensive than KF but it’s fixed. Anyone in interested in his services in Surrey/South London drop me a PM for his details.👍🏻

So I’m waiting for a local Aircon expert to come over and check the system. It works perfectly but there is a gas circulation noise when it’s on and it’s really driving me mad; it’s one of those “once heard, never un-heard” things. I had the system recharged by Kwik Fit in December and he suspects they haven’t fully refilled it. Fingers crossed he solves it. Update later….

Oh. Why not just plug the phone into the USB?

How’s it connected?

Bloody thing kept sliding off when I was on the M6 Toll last year. 🙄 Bloody dangerous. I had to buy some superglue in the services and stick it on. Thankfully, its been fine since.

If that silver car is the MK4, wouldn’t it have the latest shape grill?

Yeah, I agree but putting aside all those classics you’ve owned, Graham, a Superb is not a BMW X5/7, Land Rover or Range Rover, is it? Those are what thieves want; 4x4, high resale values as whole units or for parts and of course, they’re easy to nick in 30 seconds. Around here in Kingston, that’s all people report as being stolen and the recovery rate is neigh-on zero.

Skoda aren’t your usual car thieves and organised crime fare, which is fantastic news for us owners….👍🏻

^^^^ Bad luck mate. I finally managed to fit the stop/start module a couple of days ago - works perfectly. It’s actually a bit disconcerting, having the engine not conking out at a junction 2 mins after a cold start!

And just to make sure, I’ve just checked my 4 year old pouch and it works fine, although I suppose the coating on the material might wear-through making it less secure. I also just tested a £1 2-4-1 AA branded pouch from Homebargains and that works perfectly too.