Flying

My wife has exactly this issue with her 68-plate 1.5 TSI and today stalled it at a junction - that is a safety issue Skoda and needs to be sorted. Despite dealer's protest 'the 1.5 TSI engines do that' it is going back. If they cannot sort it I will pursue the 'unfit for purpose' route. Our last 1.4 TSI did not have this problem and we will not keep a car with it.

We're getting this on my wife's new 1.5 petrol. Talking to dealers service expert it sounds like it is now a feature of this engine. Maybe the last of a long line of Octavias in our household.

The fact that it defaults to stop/start mode is what I find annoying. Apparently the only reason one cannot change that default is that stop/start was necessary to meet the EU emissions figures but we know the VAG group found other ways of doing that until they were rumbled.

Having been stung for £500 in the past for a car park dent from an anonymous driver I only take a courtesy car now if I am satisfied with the insurance arrangements. If it is a large excess payable to the servicing dealership I never take it - almost impossible to get it back even if you are not at fault.

Several estates match your choice and look better value on the Motorpoint website - I have had good buys from there in the past and can recommend them.

Halfords do a fitting service wiring to the rear wiper fuse for only £30 - if you are not happy with getting behind the glove box this is a good option. I also rate their Nextbase 512G as a good buy with very clear video.

I have dealt over the years with many types of salesmen but it was the used car dealer in Arizona who had the best sense of humour in his dealing. When I started the well-used Pontiac I could hear a deep knocking sound like a big end on the way out and when I stopped the engine I turned the ignition back on to see how long it took the oil light to illuminate - a long time. I asked him if he had put treacle in the sump and he said 'No, sawdust - it's cheaper'. He said 'Take it round the block' and I asked him if it would make it that far. He replied that it might. Needless to say I didn't buy it but enjoyed the honest exchange!

I must point out to those who have derided the flowers and the dealers that in this case the price of the new car matched the best offers available from the direct dealers on the web and I sincerely hope that Westgate Skoda still made a profit because good business is a deal that pleases both parties.

I take your point, toni8b, but I doubt that will happen - this is the fifth Octavia I have bought and only once did I have an issue and this was handled competently within the warranty.

A big thankyou to Paul Buffey at Westgate Skoda Grimsby - they treat their Skoda buyers well!

Offered just £11,245 on my 13 reg Vrs Blackline with only 20,300 miles. They just don't get it.

If it was my car I think I would be looking at what I wanted from this company. Revenge is sweet but compensation more useful. I would give them the opportunity to offer either a reduction or refund of the cost of the tyres and if they refused name and shame them. Your evidence should preclude any defamation action.

Well, I'm not a car techie but I did read the excellent pinned thread on this forum on 1.8 and 2.0Tsi engine failures and I refer Yeti-Man to posts numbers 227 and 240. Might simply be an old wives tale but I read it here. If true, your 6-monthly oil changes might work!

Should be fine - good AC system if maintained and plenty of power. The Skoda shares many common components with VW/Audi and is easy to service and maintain. Need to make sure you change the oil regularly to avoid timing chain tensioner problems.

Credit where it is due, the service of my wife's 1.8 TSI yesterday at Westgate Skoda in Grimsby was excellent. I normally go to Dennis Horton in Lincoln but their service prices have risen like a rocket over the past three years. A simple request for quote at Westgate gave a much more palatable and realistic price and the service there was first class - certainly not cut-price in any way except on the invoice It's good to see competition in Lincolnshire and I will certainly call on Westgate in the future for both our Skodas.

It is not often that a dealership gets a positive mention here so, credit where it is due, the service of my wife's 1.8 TSI today at Westgate Skoda in Grimsby was excellent. I normally go to Dennis Horton in Lincoln but their service prices have risen like a rocket over the past three years. A simple request for quote at Westgate gave a much more palatable and realistic price and the service their was first class - certainly not cut-price in any way except on the invoice It's good to see competition in Lincolnshire and I will certainly call on Westgate in the future for both our Skodas.

I had a Yank Tank once with sticky hydraulic valve lifters that sounded just like that but that was mid-70's technology

Young 70 but you're only as old as the woman you feel!

Whilst I like the convenience of built-in Sat Nav I would not consider it as any inducement to choose a particular vehicle. It is time the manufacturers got with the technology and provided a decent Sat Nav that included Speed Cameras and useful Traffic info with regular free updates. Garmin do all this for under £200 - the only drawback is the need to plug it in manually.

Roads that were salted earlier in the week are very slippery now - had lots of front wheelspin under acceleration today

70 + but you're only as old as the woman you feel! Performance cars help to keep one young and this one is just as much fun as the Honda 2000 it replaced but is far more practicable. For example, I can get my golf clubs in and a whole lot of shopping if my wife tells me to!

Kwik fit here want £52.00

The Oponeo website comes up with a number of different offsets for each wheel suitable for the car so presumably there is a range of acceptable figures.

My dealer tells me that ET50 is the correct offset for my wife's TSI Elegance with 205/55 R16's.