Organist

The main problem I have found with Winchester is that they seem to need a bit of a kicking to get things done, especially servicing stuff. Some of the servicing staff are a bit slow-witted and the car is NEVER clean when you get it back.

Don't be ridiculous! Silly person!

Why not wait until the new Superb Estate comes along before you choose. You'd certainly get your bike in that!

Car plan do a lovely 'cherry flavoured' screen wash. My wife sprays the screen just for the smell now! Haven't half gone through a lot of it lately.......

My screen was absolutely bloody filthy when I picked my new car up with only 3 miles on the clock,,,,,,,,,

Quite often it is the alternator 'coming on line' if the battery is calling for more oomph. It will also occur when the a/c is regulating itself, I have noticed. Both of which put additional drag on an idling engine.

:D That made me laugh!

There is a new Skoda dealer opened up in Botley - Sparshatts. Had a notification from SUK yesterday. They have been a Subaru dealer for years. Don't know if they're any good though. Although I have brought two Octavias from Winchester Motor Co over the last three years, I can also agree that the service side of things is a bit slapdash lately, and they NEVER EVER wash the bloody car after a service or warranty work either. It's a bit S H I T E !

Have you been Talivaned or Gatsoed?

Manual every time. I have owned over 25 cars in my driving life and 3 have been automatic. I have had problems with all three autos, (Honda, Vauxhall and Peugeot) and never had to replace even a clutch on a manual, even on the VERY ropey Datsun 120Y which had done over 350,000 miles BEFORE I got it!

Saw an 09 reg MK I taxi in Southampon yesterday, in the obligatory white!

The older steams (that is to say non MP3) do not have AUX in. The later ones do. Your car is a 2004 model so it will not have the facility, I'm afraid.

Well done, Mike. I have found that it is perfectly, and repeatedly possible to exceed 70mpg on the octavia 1.9TD, provided that you do not exceed 62 mph! This will give you a reading on a full tank of over 800 miles! I have also found thought that as soon as you approach 70+mph, the fuel consumption descends rapidly into the high 50's, with a normal 70mph drive getting between 51-57mpg.

No, there was no interference on MW, which is as crap as ever, but I have noticed that the FM reception has been getting progressively worse over the last couple of weeks. This prompted me to look at the radios' menu settings and I found the dreaded Ant=off in the display. This has also coincided with the high-level brake light suffering from condensation and that two of the leds have gone out. Am just wondering whether the two are coincidental or not? Anyway, warranty work beckons, me thinks!

Kick angle is fine for MOT (as tested and set up at MOT station) its just that the spread (width) is so huge. To be honest, there is no such thing as a perfect light and any will dazzle in some circumstances - at the crest of a hill, for instance.