JohnMorr

Can't believe that constant stop/start activity does the drivetrain any good. Nor make any significant improvement to fuel economy. First thing I do on our Octavia and Smart is switch it off for the journey. Wonder - can it be set to off by default?

Thanks, Chimble. I've always thought our Mk3 Octavia Estate was eerily quiet, but put that down to the 1.8Tsi turbocharged engine not having to work very hard. But maybe it's all down to the Canton!

The dry DSG disconnects the drive completely when your foot is on the brake. My tip for a smooth getaway is to take your foot off the brake, wait for half a second for the clutch to engage then accelerate smoothly away without any jerking.

I've got a 2015 L&K Estate with Canton - never heard about a noise cancellation system - grateful for any info.

It's the Canton amplifier.

Wouldn't be without a spare wheel. We have heated alcantara seats. The wife loves the heat but I hate the way the alcantara clings to your nether regions. Much prefer leather seats, particularly when they become nicely shiny and you can swivel out of them.

Any Octavia menu option to stop stop/start starting every time? Our Smart has the same default "on" which has been reported to cause problems as it has an iffy startenator. I switch it off at start on both cars on the grounds that it is irritating, unnecessary and potentially a reliability issue.

I have transferred my entire iTunes library onto a 256GB card and they all come up on Columbus complete with cover art. Simples!

Our L&K 1.8 TSi is coming up to its first birthday with less than 3K on the clock (it's been a quiet year). It is now showing a Maxidot display that we are counting down from 31 days to an oil service. Skoda Canterbury say they can't tell if it's on variable servicing until I take it in, but an oil change service would cost £170. I know all about about-town driving being a bad idea, but the car has been on several long journeys which should have blown off the cobwebs. Has anyone come across this problem and - if so - how was it resolved?

In the (very) olden days you were told to run it in gently until 600 miles then thrash it to the limiter for a few minutes - supposed to stop the cylinder bores glazing. Whatever that is or however bad it is. Any old timers wish to comment?

We chopped our 2006 L&K 2.0 TDi estate down to our son and bought a new L&K estate 1.8 TSi (petrol) with 7-speed DSG. Apparently an unusual combination - the only available demonstrator was in Scotland and we're in Canterbury! Still the 1.8 + DSG got rave reviews in India, so we took a punt. Options chosen were space-saver spare @ £100 (assume it's there - I've never looked and hope never to have to) metallic paint (Rio Red is fabulous), panoramic sun roof (a joy even at £1100) and reversing camera (not sure it was worth £300, but since I ran over my grandson's bike while camping in the old car it seemed useful insurance). The Mk3 L&K (can't speak for other variants) is a joy. The engine is virtually inaudible even under load and the gearshifts imperceptible - you have to look at the display (the colour maxidot is fantastic) to see if you've changed gear. Much more space than the Mk.2 and lots of thoughtful touches - the rear seats now fold with a single pull of a handle in the boot. The Canton sound system in the L&K is excellent and all my iTunes tracks (160MB) transferred easily to a 256MB card in the second slot in the glove box (the first is for the satnav maps). Drawbacks? Well, you might want to keep the following in mind: The ride is firm on 18" wheels but not crashy. The L&K estate benefits from an independent rear suspension - lower models have a beam rear axle. The standard tyres are pretty noisy on rough surfaces but, hey, move to France! The satnav is pretty basic - I've given up trying to navigate to a postcode and just use my old faithful (and much more intuitive) TomTom. The Alcantara seats are comfortable but you can't squirm around on them as you could on leather - get your position right before you set off, as you're not going to be able to change it without an inordinate amount of heaving around. Storage is skimpier than on the Mk.2 - teentsy cupholders, small glove box and door pockets. There are holders under the front seats for hi-vis jackets, but ours won't nearly fit. Fuel consumption: obviously a 1.8TSi petrol isn't going to come anywhere near a diesel, but it all depends on your annual mileage. The Octavia gets 26mpg around town and 42mpg on longer journeys, which I find quite acceptable since we only do 8K a year on long trips. In any case we use our Smart around town, which gives us 41mpg urban. But overall I think the Mk.3 Octavia - in L&K guise at least - is a terrific car. I can honestly say it is smoother and quieter than a Mercedes 500 and BMW 730 I once owned. It'll see us out.

The service schedule for my Mk.2 Octavia called for a cam belt change every 4 years even with low mileage. Same for the Mk.3?

Some simple rules: If you are trading in your old car, just keep saying "cost to change". Refuse to talk about what they're offering as the sale price on the new car you're buying, or what they are willing to take as the trade-in value of your current car - just keep saying "cost to change". They'll know what you mean. If you are buying new, dispose of your old car privately then approach them on a cash-to-buy basis. But first go online to a raft of brokers and get a raft of online quotes. Up to you if you accept one, but a few sound too good to be true. Personally, I'd rather have a local dealer I can rely on. Then print the quotes out and take them with you when you go in to haggle. They'll see them on your lap and ask "what were you quoted?" Say: "I'm not saying. Give me your best offer". Make it clear you know exactly what the full list price is. If they ask what you're looking to pay, again don't answer. They'll then go away for 15 minutes to let you stew (it used to be to have a fag but now it's to to check the online brokers' prices. Have a jelly bean and read the paper. Your job is to be impassive throughout. (Actually, it's quite fun to outface them) Then they will come back with some supposedly superior member of staff who is the only one supposedly authorised to offer a discount (I suspect they swap these roles around). He will hum and haw but should offer at least 10% off the list price - if not walk away. Quite an entertaining way of spending an hour or so. Remember, you have the money and they want it. You have the whip hand. And don't fall for any of the extras (special coatings etc.) that they try to foist on you. Money for them, not value for you.

I'd have full leather (as I did on My Mk.2 L&K) over Alcantara any time - the latter clings to your behind, so if you don't get your sitting position right first time you can't squirm into a comfier situation.

All I can say is that the 7-speed DSG on our 1.8TSi changes quickly and imperceptibly - but then I usually drive in economy mode, wafting along serenely and in near silence.