Pete-n

Rema tiptop make a simple kit with inflation tubes aswell Peter

I am one of the owners who has replaced one of these , i think i dislodged it while cleaning one time and then it fell off it was only about £7 from tps my skoda parts people and takes about 5 mins to fix back on it has a small strip of double sided tape on the lower edge. I have had no issues since that one with them as i now wipe them gently while cleaning and every 2-3 months spray them up with silicone spray to keep them flexible and creak free. Peter

Check my posting history it's not really expensive i had mine done by the main dealer , Marlborough Skoda in Isleworth 12 May 2012 - 18:32 I had mine changed by Marlborough Skoda in isleworth west london at just over 40,000 the surprise was what i thought a very reasonable price it was about £74.00 , this sort of pricing you dont mind following the srvice interval recommendations. Peter

I had mine replaced at about 35,000 miles , i was experiancing a exhaust fume smell in the cabin especially if i had the heater on Marlborough skoda replaced it under warranty and since then no more issues. The performance was not impaired or the fuel consumption it was just the smell that indicated something was wrong. Peter

I had mine changed by Marlborough Skoda in isleworth west london at just over 40,000 the surprise was what i thought a very reasonable price it was about £74.00 , this sort of pricing you dont mind following the srvice interval recommendations. Peter

To answer the 215/55R17 question is the tyre fits well within the 3% ratio and suits the car very well as this is the size i use with my snow tyres (nokian) the http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/ The 215 against the 225 in terms of mpg about the same , noise level the 215 was quieter , handling the 225 wins much more stability (not in snow though) However the tyres did have different attributes being snow against sports so a closer product would really be needed to access this properly , the reason i use the slimmer tyres for winter is to clear the snow and rubbish easier as the wider section increases the chance of packing them full with snow etc. Hope this gives some idea Peter

I did not like the sound and the crackling tweeters so I got rid of them and fitted some Inphase which were not man enough so then used Alpine SPR-17S 17cm 300 Watts Component Speakers in the front & Alpine SPR-17C 300 Watts 2-way speakers in the back with the addition of a Jbl amp hidden under the passenger seat I now have no sound issues from the poor tweeters , it's so much better. Peter

And people said the yeti was odd looking initially ! L O L

Good luck getting anything to fit where the tweeters are they are pretty intergrated , the speaker is easy . I had to modify the door panel for my alpine 300w with the tweeter part and plate the rear of the speaker outwards with mdf but you will discover space is pretty limited behind your panels mate so best of luck , take a look at my pictures they may give some insight as to what you are about to discover http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream the alpine 300 Watt and crossover unit in the only place possible i could find http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream you can see what i done with the tweeters here as you can't use the original area http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream the first attempt with Inphase speakers which sounded poor in comparison to the Alpines peter

Guys if your fussy like me treat them or paint them ! I agree with the comments about reality they will need to be really beyond the life of the car before they are rusty enough to be compromised and even though my fantastic yeti is over 41000 miles old and under warranty still i would not expect these to be covered against rust as it was rightly claimed they are exposed to all elements etc. I used hammerite gloss black a lot of elbow grease and a sander and sorted them out but like i sad you could just leave them but i try to keep a vehicle as good as it was when new so i am a fussy person with things like this but dont panic ! Peter

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61477245@N02/7009171217/in/photostream Ok those who know me know i like a clean car and am still de wintering the yeti , So was horrified to see the rust starting to take it's toll on the rear wishbones after a couple of years and 40,000 miles. I dont think i have had a car that has started to age like this before so quickly however on the upside it does seem localised to the rear wishbones which over the next week or so will be dealt with , i think its just the minimal paint coverage they apply these days and the exposed area.

I love my black leather it's so cleanable with two young lads and the dogs etc , and very tough wearing http://www.flickr.com/photos/61477245@N02/5596265500/in/photostream's I may have added a few minor alterations for the family lol ! Peter

Well im loosing my individuality round here Almost every day for the last week ive seen at least one Yeti Thursday M3 between M25 and Junction 3 a lovely red one (first ive seenin the flesh in red) Friday a dark blue one coming out of the R M A Sandhurst Saturday Steel grey se in College town Sunday a brown one in Camberley Monday Black elegance in Feltham Tuesday dark blue on the approach to th M25 on the M3 Wednesday Think it was a green one on the meadows roundabout about 6.20 a.m Thursday nearly got all the way home thinking i was elite again then just before turning into my road coming out of the shops in college town another 1 Friday Safe so far lol ! But you know there out there ! Peter Ps all lovely cars people but still like mine the best.

With regard to the continental noise it's slightly better than the goodyear but i find the product to fall off a cliff in terms of grip after 3mm is reached on wet roads not something that suits my driving or expectations. The reason they remind you of your semperit's is most likely down to the fact they are the same family of products semperit , continental and uniroyal are all made by the cup group who manufactures all of them in the same factory in some cases and delivered on the the same paperwork all paid for to continental tyres Peter

The 16"wheel and tyre are more comfortable to drive due to the increase in sidewall height and are cheaper to replace however the 17" wheel and tyre are so much sharper in cornering and fast direction change due to the reduction in sidewall height flexing , i get this question at least once a week from customers complaing of comfort issues or handling etc and to be honest there is no perfect tyre for a car but you have to find the perfect tyre for them as we all drive and use our cars in different ways. The noise issue is another story with the yeti the arches being like speaker pods they amplfiy the road noise it seems , when i had my original tyres on the goodyear excellence they really let you know they where there on motorways so when i got to 30,000 which is the most mileage i've ever had from a set of tyres i decided to install pirelli pzero rosso's what a great improvement in comfort noise and even sharper handling so tyre brands make a huge change .