Mison

http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/new-mot-rules-punish-diesel-particulate-filter-removers_59657?utm_source=motoring.co.uk&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter&src=motoring Be warned!

Hi, while its theoretically possible to squeeze a few more mpg out of your vrs it's unlikely because all that extra power is so addictive. Also, any savings you make will be offset by the extra insurance costs. Still worth doing though.

I always swap mine when the fronts are between 5 - 6 mm then change all 4 at between 2 - 3 mm.

Yes, takes a few minutes with their STS unit.

Start around £6.5k and haggle. I got £6k for my L&K 1.8 TSI at 24k miles and 4.5 years old.

Mine used about half a litre in 4.5 years (I had 2 variable services from new). Mileage was a low 24000 though.

I used my STS unit supplied by Shark. Very simple: took 3-4 minutes.

I'm pxing my octavia next Saturday. I've had it remapped for the last two years but have returned it to standard to sell on. Do i tell the dealer that I've had the car remapped so they can inorm the next buyer?

Took the remap off today. Plugged in the STS unit in and downloaded the original map. Took it for a spin and whoa, what a difference. All the mid range torque has gone. It's still a quick car but the lack of oomph is so noticeable. If anyone wants an STS unit get in touch. I'm open to offers.

I don't really care what the badge is as long as the car drives and handles well and is quick. 0-60 in under 8 seconds, costs around £20k and is reasonably economical when driven sensibly. I love turbo petrol engines. My Octavia is brilliant to drive, especially with the remap. But it's time for something new and the new Octavia is still a few months away and the Focus ticked all the boxes and is available now. When I change the Focus I may well get another Skoda. Depends what they have in the range that fits my criteria at that time.

I went for Candy Red pearlesant paint.

Yes it reverse parks itself. Bit of a gimmick i think. It can recognise road signs but it's an option i didn't tick. I just went for 18" alloys.

The Focus has a better MFSW, Bluetooth, DAB radio, ipod connection rather than aux in and LED ambient lighting. Downside is the smaller boot but the interior just looks more modern bit I guess it's down to personal taste.

Rear lights not an issue for me as it's the car following me which has to look at them.:-P

Rear lights not an issue for me as it's the car following me which has to look at them.:-P

Celtic Tuning do a remap to 220hp but I will probably keep the Focus standard to keep the insurance costs down. We shall see......

I am now in the final week of owning my Octavia. I will be picking up my new Focus Titanium X 1.6 Ecoboost (180hp) next Saturday. I will be sorry to see it go but I wanted something newer and modern with a few more toys. If anyone wants a low mileage 1.8 TSI L&K it will be for sale at Essex Skoda in Rayleigh soon. I got £6k for it so it will be interesting how much they put it up for.

If your rear wiper is noisy then it's time to get a new blade. After a while the rubber can get hard and it jumps when wiping, hence the noise. Worked for me anyway.

New Octavia Trick and Tips in the Technical Guide - has all the options for the aircon display.

From memory, hold the button in thats on the end of the right hand stalk until the menu appears. Scroll through the menu by using up/down rocker. Loads of things you can change. Coming home lights are adjustable from off/15 seconds/30 seconds. Have a search. PS: Welcome to the forum.

Were you charged for a fixed or variable service? What did you ask for when you booked it in? If you asked for a variable service then get them to change the oil to VW 507 00 as they've put the wrong grade in.

There have been a few posts on here regarding this topic. I beleive that the TSI engine is happy with 95 RON but the TFSI prefers 98 RON. My manual states using fuel higher than 95 RON won't improve engine performance (2008 1.8 TSI). Not sure if this applies to the 2 litre engine though.

As long as you have 1500 rpm or above it should pull away smoothly. Less than that and it can stutter a bit as there is very little torque at very low revs. I do about 5k - 6k miles a year (bought new in May 2008 and on just under 23k miles). I have had 2 variable services and had to top up just over half a litre of oil in this time. I have driven mine reasonably hard since new and had a remap after 2 years.

It makes the 1.8 simply awesome. I usually get bored with my cars - not this one though. Had it over 4 years and it still makes me grin when I put my foot down. I've surprised a few VRs drivers in the past.

Hopefully it'll get the new 170hp/236lbft 1.8 engine fitted to the A5 and others.