Paul Bennett

Informative thanks and where I live now (Clitheroe), you're reasonably local.

Thanks. I'd always taken it as a short motorway run at high revs rather than just ragging it around... I found a post detailing the dpf behaviour of a Yeti; I'm assuming the process is the same for the Octy. Reading about it, the regen will have been interrupted on my journey as I won't maintain the required criteria for long enough and I won't have triggered it in my run out at lunch. I've got a fairly long run tomorrow evening so I'll aim for 2k rpm in 5th for a period.

Are you saying there's no benefit to a dpf of running at higher revs for a prolonged period (even when you're usually only doing quite short journeys)?

Climate control is on yes. So: Yes after journey to work. No after journey to lunch. Yes after journey to lunch. No after journey home. It's done circa 115k miles and is getting used increasingly less for long journeys as we use the mini (stupid economy).

Twice within half a day? Does it need an 'Italian tuneup'?

Hello, My '11 plate vRS TDI estate confused me this morning when I parked at work (~7 miles from home, -1.5'c) as the fan came on when I turned the ignition off (car was up to temp on arrival). Likewise at lunchtime I did a short journey and the same thing happened. Is this normal behaviour as in a year of owning it I haven't noticed it before now (although I remember a friend parking her A3 2.0Tdi next to mine a month or so back and that did the same). It's not always doing really short journeys either. Thanks in advance.

Has anyone had their car dyno'd pre and post fix? My letter came through the other day and I just don't feel like the risk is worth it based upon the limited information being offered by VAG.

I'm not sure you would've; it was vibrating at what seemed like random speeds / revs and I couldn't tell the issue. Originally I thought it was a tyre balance problem but I had them all checked and re-balanced and it didn't go away. We barely made it back from our France trip and I just thought that the inconvenience of it going wrong wasn't worth it any longer (even for the 200k smug factor). The current Octy is on 110k and I have no intention of changing it anytime soon.

I traded it in for an 11 plate Octavia vRS TDI. It had 198,950 on the clock and had the traction control failure warning and something else I think. I was sad to see it go in the end as when it was working it was great fun and it had a stupid amount of extras.

Thanks, they sound more performance driven than the satin!

Well, it ended up being a luke warm hatch - London 12 Mini Cooper D. I looked seriously at a 13 plate Swift Sport but the fuel figures, and the Wife swayed the decision (it's mainly her car) as the Mini came with a ridiculous list of extras for less money. It's quite a fun drive (on twisty road) if a little underpowered at 112bhp!

Vredestein seem to have discontinued my go-to tyre, the Sessanta which I've had on a number of vehicles (including the front pair on my current '11 Octy vRS 2.0TDI). Has anyone purchase either the Vorti or the Satin as the replacement? It's not an interesting subject but tyres always seem like such a minefield! I used to run the Fabia on Uniroyal Rainsport IIs which were good (if a bit squealy in the dry!).

Amusing; Mr Toyota drove my vRs on Wed night. Thurs he was booking his (Avensis) in for a power/torque increase (only available via box I think)! Thanks, I'll give that a go at some point over the weekend and see how I get on. My music folder is a bit of a mess so the depth of folder structure may cause it some issues.

Mine is "OK" and it's cool to have everything on an SD card. However, I'm not sure the AUX plug and my phone isn't better?

TBH there's nothing wrong with it at all. It's well specced, seems well built, comfortable etc. it's just really really dull and I haven't even driven it