ColinD

There are soooo many useful topics for VCDS users. We can't pin them all, so this is the pinned topic of pinned topics

The driver penalties are now looking absurd. Dock team points instead. Verstappen on pole would have been interesting till his engine failed. Still, think it's a young guns display de force in the damper conditions, let's face it, in the wet, I think we're all a bit slower than when we were young and invincible.

OO007 STU on a white audi r8 I think... flew by the van.

Off to chamonix for a wee walk n climb. Given I screwed my leg three weeks ago on a quick 10k... going anyway to see what can be seen. Just take the down easy... Will try to post the odd picture for memories, motivation Oddly I said to skoda about the Kodiaq and a mountaineering' trip and I didn't get offered one, must not have the right colour beanie hat I'm pretty certain I've been on that crag in the video, the one he lowers to on the road... very strong memory Good climbing island and even better for cavers! Thankfully the citigo has been upgraded by my mates camper van close call

Advertising yes of a sort, also a lightly interesting topic by proxy associated with. I didn't want to pass it off as my own though

Only a third? I'd say far more. Only this week, did I see a Nissan GTR on Sheffields main high st, driver had bright blue phone to ear, no seatbelt on, window down, could hear conversation, sat at traffic lights. I must admit it's the high end cars that I see far more doing this than your 10yrd old toyota corolla's drivers... I recently asked an officer what you could do if you saw someone taking the absolute mick like this. Report it I asked? No point, it's your word against there's. True enough I thought, well apart from the logs the phone co's have of position/call. So given the police are I thought about prevention, why not issue a warning letter at least a 'heads up', get smart! So heads down, ignore it as a member of the public... What do you think, does a third seem like a fair number? Are you bothered if you see someone on their phone while driving in an urban/rural/motorway environment? This is a report that came in this morning from Kwikfit. Number of road accidents in which mobiles are a factor has increased by 24% in five years - Millions of drivers don’t know the rules for using phones Despite high profile government and police campaigns highlighting the dangers of using a mobile when driving, many motorists are still flouting the law and putting their lives, and those of other road users, at risk. A new study for Kwik Fit, the UK’s leading automotive servicing and repair company, reveals that a third (34%) of drivers are still using their mobile phone without a handsfree set1. The figures are especially alarming as the most recent government statistics show that in five years there was a 24% increase in the number of accidents in which a contributory factor was the driver being distracted by using a mobile phone2. Kwik Fit’s study revealed that more than a quarter (26%) of drivers use their satnav or GPS on their phone, while almost one in five say they take calls (19%) or read text messages (17%). One in six (16%) make calls without a handsfree set, with around one in eight (12%) sending texts. Although some drivers claim they only use their phone in an emergency, more than half a million motorists admit to making calls on almost every journey they make. Four months on from the introduction of increased penalties for mobile phone use, many drivers remain unaware of the laws and the penalties for breaking them. More than two in five people (43%) do not know that the penalty for using a hand-held phone when driving is six points. The additional focus on inexperienced drivers has also passed many people by, with only 47% of Brits knowing that those caught using a phone without a handsfree set in their first two years will lose their licence. It is worrying that it is the youngest drivers who are the most ignorant about mobile phone rules, despite the use of a handheld mobile phone having been illegal since before they started driving. Drivers aged 18-24 are nearly three times more likely than the average motorist to believe it’s legal to use your phone when stopped at traffic lights, and twice as likely to say you can answer calls but not make outgoing ones, and that drivers are allowed to use their phone in slow moving traffic. All these statements are incorrect. It is also the youngest drivers who are most likely to have experienced trouble on the road due to mobile phone use. 40% of 18-24 year olds have either had a collision or near miss, or got involved in an argument because somebody was using their mobile phone, more than double the figure for all drivers. Almost one in ten (8%) drivers aged 18-24 say they have had a collision because they were distracted by their mobile phone, with a further 8% saying they have almost done so. This compares with figures of 2% and 3% respectively for all drivers. While many of these collisions may be minor bumps with no injury, government data reveals that there has been a large increase in serious accidents where a contributory factor has been the driver using a mobile phone. The number of accidents in which people were killed or seriously injured increased by 25% between 2011 and 2015, the most recent years for which full data is available. Although the number of fatal accidents in which a driver has been distracted by a mobile phone has remained consistent at an average of 22 per year – there has been a big rise in the number of accidents resulting in serious or slight injuries. Flouting the laws on mobile phone use is most common in London, where nearly half of drivers (47%) say they use their phone without a handsfree set. The most law abiding region is the East of England, yet even here, almost a quarter (24%) admit to breaking the law when it comes to mobile phone use. Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “The findings of this study are very worrying indeed. While car manufacturers have made great strides in improving safety, it is vital that drivers remember that they are the most important safety feature in the vehicle. Any form of distraction can have serious consequences, as sadly, the statistics clearly show. “It is especially important for inexperienced drivers to be fully focused on what they are doing. The fact that this report has found that younger drivers have less knowledge of the rules and are more likely to take risks means more needs to be done to educate them in the very first weeks and months of driving. Kwik Fit is working with schools and colleges around the country to hold events aimed at improving the safety of those drivers who are new to the road and education on the use of mobiles is an important part of that.” Any school, college or other youth group who would like to hold a free road safety event can contact their local Kwik Fit centre who can help arrange it. --my emphasis - ENDS - Notes to editors 1 – Research carried out by ICM amongst a nationally representative sample of 2043 GB adults aged 18+ 2 – Contributory factors for reported road accidents About Kwik Fit Established in 1971, the Kwik Fit Group is one of the largest independent automotive parts, repair and replacement specialists in the world. Kwik Fit has over 600 service centres across the UK and more than 200 mobile tyre fitting vehicles, making it the UK’s leading tyre, exhaust, brake and MoT specialist. Details of its range of products and services can be found at kwik-fit.com

News from Mladá Boleslav, August 2017 – Oliver Stefani will be responsible for design at ŠKODA AUTO. Most recently, the 53-year-old was Head of Exterior Design for the Volkswagen brand. Stefani studied design in Braunschweig and Pasadena (California). Numerous Volkswagen brand production vehicles from the last ten years, as well as a number of concept cars, bear his signature. From 1 September 2017, Oliver Stefani will be responsible for design at ŠKODA AUTO ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier said, “Oliver Stefani has great creative potential. He will allow us to instigate the next development stage.” ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development Christian Strube, “Oliver Stefani is the perfect fit for our brand.” Where do you think SKODA's design will be heading, predict it now, angles or curves? The press release is as follows: -- starts -- “In recent years, ŠKODA’s design has developed extremely well. Most recently, we have also transferred the new and expressive design language to our SUV models,” said ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier. “And now, Oliver Stefani will instigate the next stage of development. He will design our cars to have even greater emotional resonance and will lead them into the era of digitalisation and the electrification of vehicle manufacturing. Oliver Stefani has great creative potential. I am looking forward to working with him,” continued Maier. For the ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development Christian Strube, Stefani also represents the perfect choice. “I am convinced that Oliver Stefani will consistently continue to develop the ŠKODA brand’s new design language and successfully elevate it to the next level. His expertise will allow him to delight ŠKODA customers with future models. He is the perfect fit for the ŠKODA brand,” said Strube confidently. In his career to date, Oliver Stefani has proven his ability on more than one occasion. Stefani started at Volkswagen in 2002. Many VW production cars from the last ten years and numerous concept cars bear his signature. He played a crucial role in developing the up!, Polo, Jetta, Tiguan and the current Golf models, as well as the ID show car family. ŠKODA’s new Head of Design studied design in Braunschweig and Pasadena (California). In addition, he worked at the Design Center Europe in Sitges (Spain) for three years. His expertise fits in perfectly with the ŠKODA brand, with its numerous Simply Clever ideas and expressive, crystalline design language. -- ends --

It's ok I see people sat in the local SEAT dealer ( close to where I live ). To be honest I like some of the designs and I've seen some good windscreen offer prices... If all that's different is the badge... then price will begin to win again, just as Skoda broke in on price & quality it can begin to ramp up risk on price too.

Done. For future ref, top of the topic, IIRC there is a moderation actions link, within that you can choose to lock. It might not be this, I've got a mushy brain today...well any day recently.

Do they have a 1.4tsi 150 in the superb or octavia? Both biggish by compare and the kodiaq isn't that much heavier, a superb estate might be better compare. Although the kodiaq is far more brick aero like than your golf or the superb would be... But it should give you an 'idea' of how it drives, at least in a straight line. Some factors you'll have to take with a pinch of salt, like gearing, noise. Or think, my golf match weighs x kgs the kodiaq weighs y kgs, take the difference. If it's say 400kgs think how the golf is fully loaded, that might get you to the kodiaq empty. I tested a 1.4tsi superb on launch and a 150TD, honestly, my money would be on the petrol one. Fully loaded it might chug a bit more, but that's 2 weeks of the year? I also do less than 20k so fiscally, diesel did'nt warrant the costs. etc. Anyhow that, different model, might be a line. Or contact Skoda, they can tell you where the stock is... In my future, the manufacturer will supply all combinations to dealers so they don't have to guess/gamble and you can go along, test at manf's cost, then buy online via manf in peace and quiet and pick up from dealer Dealers don't like this concept...

Hi good to see two blues. The colour on those photos' looks really good. Must be the light in Donny today. Shame they tweaked the grill, would of been great if the black pack bits would transfer. So the question... money, age, ignoring everyday reality which do you prefer?

While you're at it, for all browsers, check the disable 3rd party cookies option All browsers mine, but the site you visit far more! Facebook is terrible, given most sites have FB 'share' code, which pulls from FB, so FB know where you go! We use plain links Other good ideas: Paranoia is better than any antivirus/protection. Never click anything inc sms links. Have a laptop/device you only use for banking! Or don't use online banking. VM's are good for throw away sessions - never know when a domain has been flipped for wrong. Chromebook - or spankbook, throw away device for those moments. Also good as bank just remember which one is which, because rhyming is dangerous Don't use your browser to save passwords! Use a password manager. Only use the same password/email on sites you really really do not give one hoot or dam about ever using again. Or in other words, use a password manager and have a unique combo for all. Use different browsers for different things. I have Vivaldi, chrome, firefox, opera and a whole host of linux ones installed. I synch between them on different machines. Vivaldi rocks my tab hoaring, I've got 50+ atm. I use chrome for development as it has excellent developer tools. Firefox for most 'browsing'. Opera when I want random vpn ( they have a free vpn system ) If you're using your comp at home on google, then turn on your VPN and refresh a page... you just connected the dots, you're not annon anymore. IF this is a truly important requirement then you know you need a kill switch and your vpn activation is your network kill/on switch. Use a VM if not at home and doing anything vaguely important. You can run your own for/from about $2.5 a month and a bit of reading ( project striesland on github ). @camelspyyder there is evidence a good hack can get out of a VM. YouTube SecurityNow Steve Gibson. One of the episodes this year. Finally... the easy bit... can you rebuild your machine today? IF not then back it up, then do it. In win95 up to win 7 I used to rebuild my win machines once a month or quarter. The easiest bit, as much as computers help us, anything you put on one, is public and lost forever. If that bothers you, adapt or don't send your bank details on an email, the modern day postcard

Toyota might win it then... or Nissan, certainly would make it interesting. This years near collapse of the lmp field did make for more coverage of the other 'actionable' classes. Would the lmp class exist if only one team entered?

@Wino lol it's a good job I don't use logic in my day job... oh crap. Yes of course I'm being an idiot (again). Better results under test... /goes of to hide in a darkened hole.

Not to mention small things like, the air temp, the air pressure, wind as mentioned. Lots of variables, but no doubt some variance has been recorded. I got a boost in my mpg after inflating my tyres properly, keep forgetting to do that as I do so few miles. There needs to be more 'data' and sadly more scientifically done to prove anything. Given the logic of it all, there is no reason the fix would alter daily use, given the daily use wasn't the cheat... I'm still out to sea if any of this is real, or just speculative marketing. Having worked with a claims insurer in automating processes, there is only one thing they are truly interested in and it's not you or I.

It's all different, I dare say there is a pattern and an algorithm. So many inputs, you'd hope the same values gave the same answer. A friend pays less for his brand new superb than I do on my citigo, he has a good postcode, I dont'. With pay as you go insurance around the corner ( I think ) it's going to get worse for many and better for a few. I got some cheaper quotes than CK on meerkat, but the policy didn't have the cover I wanted. I still pay <240, meerkat cheapest was only just 200. 40+male 15+no claims and never pointed lic... so I kept on with CK I've noticed most of the insurance products now, house, life etc, have a little cover paragraph about shopping around. I did hear a rumour older cars are now being hit for more, so whereas a brand new one costs more, you're far more likely to look after it than say a 10yr old 2k one. Thats one crazy strategy, but there we go.

@freelunch indeed, not invented in the 90's.. that said I do know someone; sadly, who with a hire car, asked what the beeping was, then what the crunch was... Little dents like that, leave them till you have to sort, if at all. Chances are you sort and another prang will find the same spot

Fair play posting Good for leaving a note, not many '96 merc's left I suspect. I was learning to drive, decided to reverse up a road. Dad said I really shouldn't but not why. Concrete post 1 Citroen Estate 0, lessons learnt 1, forgotten 0 well till I drove into a rock despite swmbo saying rock.

No, not specifically, I had the estate. I seem to recall Stuart had the hatch. You'll need to head back into the very early parts of the site for some good intel. Either hit the octavia MKI forum and go to the last page and work back or google search ( click search above in the grey nav bar ) not the one in the black. This takes you to https://search.briskoda.net, stuff like cannonball should keep you inspired https://www.briskoda.net/forums/profile/123-stuart_j would be my go to @Stuart_J forgive me I can't recall if you had the hatch... @DGW may of had a hatch...maybe, frell my brain is knackered. It's also different from the vRS, as the vRS est differs from the hatch, which I think yours will be, it just looks like a saloon? But some things will be ok, airboxes etc.

Should be ok given you're in the UK. I just posted a pair of shoes to greece, sat in france for 2 weeks, those sniffer dogs must like ... So sold to the 2SkodaFamily pending settling up

I should of been more explicit, the coilovers were a false prophet mod, sure they helped, but he 4x4's curse is the body roll... I think springs and rollbars would be more effective... but I learnt that only after selling it :( At least rollbars are easier to fit and test. I didn't mess with the haldex, just left it stock. Never concerned me enough to alter bias or settings.

Hi @Xiled50 thats the one I started with, well that model. 150 by default, a stg 1 remap took it to shy of 180, give or take. With the haldex it was better on real roads than the vRS. On a trackm the vRS did frequently shuffle past better drivers at the time too...Eventually though I did swap it in for a vRS. On the 4x4 I did the suspension, put KW v2's on. After I sold it I realised what I should and would of done given the chance again, and thats the roll bars. I say this after doing the rollbars on the vRS and that transformed it nicely on stock suspension. I suspect if the same on the 4x4, it would of been much nicer and probably perfect with the suspension work. Didn't bother with huge brake upgrades, just ran ds2500's with good fluid, stopped me quick enough for the sensible use cases Lots of fun had and for you to be had.

Hi Andy, welcome to the site. I've moved y our post into the fabia area for better visibility of this specific issue.