muddyboots

I find recording rides and runs (on Strava for example) has it's upsides and downsides. It's great to keep track of your overall distance, and get an idea of speeds. I like to grab photos to look back on, and also look back for inspiration on routes I've not done for a while. Bit of fun competition with friends on certain segments. Gives me lots of geeky stats to pore over too. However I find the downside is that you can become too obsessed by times, and it can take away the enjoyment of actually just being out. Until earlier this year I'd always had a Garmin (Edge 520) mounted on the bars of my bike - so it was directly in field of view all of the time (with all the live stats - speed, distance, elevation etc). I then got myself a watch (Forerunner 945) which I can record all my riding, running, walking activities with, complete with heartrate etc (and it tells the time, bonus!). So I stopped using the bar-mounted Edge. Straight away, with the watch face being a little more out of view on a bike (requiring a conscious arm movement to see it), I found myself thinking less about whether I was going "fast enough" or beating times, and taking in more of the surroundings - and essentially enjoying the ride more. Everyone has good days and bad days. Some days you just feel like your legs are made of wood and you've just got no energy. Other days you feel on fire! Enjoy the good days, but don't beat yourself up "for going slow" on the other days - remember you've still been out, and lapping those sitting on the sofa I notice a couple of posts up, on your Friday run which you didn't think was quick, you were still doing low-8min miles (sorry I have to convert units!!) which is pretty speedy for majority of people!

Hey all Infrequent poster here, but stumbled across this thread and thought I'd chip in. I'd always hated running. Not through lack of fitness....I can walk in the hills all day...or go on an all-day epic mountain bike ride....but running ? I'd tried once or twice in the past, but I'd just get maybe 1/4 of a mile and be so out of breath and in so much discomfort that I'd give up, loathing it, and have no inclination to ever, ever try again. So for several years, I've firmly been a mountain biker (as are several of my mates in our village), while my wife has been a keen fell runner (as are quite a few people in our village, several of whom are my mates' wives). I'd had a partial meniscectomy (sp?) a few years ago which saw around a 1/3rd of the cartilage removed from my right knee, and I'd used that as a reason (excuse) not to run because I thought the impact could cause damage. I started to feel a bit bad though, that my wife would occasionally come out for a ride with me, yet I wouldn't entertain the idea of returning the favour and running with her. There was also an element of wanting to achieve something that had always beaten me. So right at the start of 2020, I decided to have another go. But this time, more gradually. I decided I'd follow the Couch to 5k, as a means of getting into it in a more controlled manner. First, I went to a local running shop and had a proper shoe fit, done on a treadmill with slo-mo video analysis of running style etc, so I gave myself the best chance of not injuring my knee. To start with, I didn't want anyone else to know I was trying to run, apart from my wife. Most times you walk down the road in our village, someone drives past who knows you....so I'd wait till late evening, drive 1/2 mile to a car park on a nearby trail, and do my deeds in the cold, wet, lonely darkness with a headtorch. I carefully followed the C25K guidance for the first 2 or 3 weeks. Run for so long, walk for so long....and repeat. Kept all my running activities private on Strava. About 3 or 4 weeks in I felt like I could run for a bit longer at a time than the plan suggested. So I gave it a go, and after about 4 weeks I managed to run 5k without any walking. After all these years (I'm 46) of thinking I couldn't run - it felt like a great achievement. It was time to "come out". But to add a bit of excitement I decided to do a Parkrun as my first "public" run and go public on Strava to see the surprise of my riding & running mates. My wife said she'd pace me, promising not to go too fast. I should have realised that was a complete and utter lie, and that she'd already decided what time I was going to run it in, and that time was quite a bit faster than I'd ever done. Also, she knew most of the pacers, and each time I went past one of the slower pacers, she'd tell them it was my first Parkrun, and they'd start shouting "support" from behind me, so I felt I couldn't slow down even though I felt like I was about to collapse and die. Ended up doing my first Parkrun 5k in 23:39, which was way faster than I'd ever run, and was the reason I ended up leaning over a fence at the end trying not to vomit. I felt elated though ! Since then, maybe once a week, I've been keeping it up. Now we're both WFH, I sometimes go out for lunchtime runs with my wife. I've found I much prefer cross-country now, much prefer exploring offroad and getting plastered in mud (probably the same reasons I prefer offroad mountain biking than road riding). There's less pressure on times - as it's all hilly, muddy terrain, it's naturally slower yet very challenging. Have even bought a second pair of running shoes now, for more offroad terrain. Never thought that would ever happen. Still a way off the 10+ pairs my wife has though.... I can now run 10k XC and still be able to function relatively normally at the end and without several days of aching afterwards, and with hardly any walking on the hilly bits too. I'll always prefer bikes to running, and I don't think I've fully got to the "enjoying it" stage of running yet, but it's a great feeling to conquer something that you always hated with a passion.

The Yaris sure looks fun....envious. Bikes, yes with a smaller frame, less slack geometry and the fact you won't have your seat as far back as I did, should just be a front-wheel off job OK (with back seats down). Regarding the roof though, if you ever needed to, you could just keep a plastic step in the boot so you could reach ? Another option is a towbar carrier, obviously needs a towbar, but it's a way of keeping muddy bikes out of the car without needing to reach up to the roof. We use a Atera Strada on the back of our Superb when we go on summer holidays, tilts right back out of the way to give full access to the rear. Bit of a faff threading three bikes on, but smaller racks to carry just one or two bikes I would imagine to be quick to load. Engine wise, I think the 170 TDI was available for a short period after the facelift models came out, but was dropped in more recent years in favour of the 150 TDI (we have that engine in our Superb). There was a 160bhp petrol Yeti in earlier years, didn't seem very popular and I think was sometimes prone to excess oil usage, and didn't have the 312mm brakes of the 170. Simple remap will see 200-205bhp from the 170 if you're that way inclined. I fitted Bilstein B6 dampers, EBC Yellow pads all round, decent fluid, and a mildly uprated rear anti-roll bar from a Q3. Surprisingly good on Peak District roads considering the elevated height. Loads of traction and not too badly balanced either with the Haldex/rear diff/propshaft etc running to the back. Pretty capable in winter too with the right tyres on. Incidentally if you're after boot space AND rear seat space - don't overlook the Superb. It's immense, never been in a car with more rear leg room and also having a huge boot. Noticeably more space than my A6 Allroad yet both cars are almost identical in length. Our Superb is 4wd too - just lacks the ground clearance. (Yeti was far more fun to drive than our non-sporty, floaty-boaty-suspension-spec Superb though!). If it wasn't for the fact my bars are just an inch too wide to get through the boot opening, my full-sus MTB would go in the back of the A6 with both wheels on (seats down). With the front wheel on I can't angle the bars or wheel quite enough to get it through. Never tried it in the Superb, but I think it would probably go. Just saying that to give you an idea of the space difference between the Yeti and other cars, given that bike carrying ability is a factor for you.

Hi Previous Yeti owner (and fellow mountain biker) here, had my Yeti for about 4 years until I changed last year. I have a 29" wheeled, full-suspension MTB, large frame, and with the front wheel removed I could only just fit it in, with the back seats down and the forks pushed up behind the driver's seat. So in reality if you want to carry the bike internally, you may well be taking both wheels off (which may be fine for you, I just find it a faff!). Road bikes probably less of an issue compared to the current trend of ever-longer MTBs, with larger wheels and larger tyres. I tended to carry mine on roofbar-mounted bike carriers. If doing this, just be conscious of the Yeti height, and your own height, and the weight of your bike...because you'll be shoulder-pressing the bike pretty high overhead. I'm 6ft tall and - holding my bike by the front fork lowers and the rear seat stays - I was pretty much doing it at arms length (can be fun in strong winds!). In terms of car model - all depends what you want. I'm a fairly enthusiastic driver, and had the 170 TDI 4x4 (remapped to ~200bhp plus simple damper & brake upgrades) and it was a real hoot to drive. I'd go so far as to say it's the most fun all-round car I've owned. Now have an A6 Allroad 320, which is far quicker than the Yeti, can vary in height to give almost as much clearance as the Yeti did, and is a very nice place to be....but....all in all I think I enjoyed driving the Yeti more. Yeti has a certain image...possibly more associated with the er, more mature person let's say....but the child in me enjoyed the surprise element it sometimes gave other drivers, and also people don't generally assume you're a **** (unlike with the Audi). My tips would be to really carefully inspect all the door paintwork. In my last year of ownership, my Yeti started developing a number of small bubbles in the paint, on every door, and also the bottom corners/edges of the front doors tend to rust (where they rub against the rubber seal separating them from the rear doors). Not sure if the paint blister issue went away after certain model years but it wasn't uncommon at all. Also bear in mind other specs, for example the 170 had larger brakes than the others. Also the Xenon headlights were pretty good on the Yeti too (in fact better than the lights on my Audi are!!).

If you pay for short-term (eg 1hr) access to ErWin, you can download all the official workshop manuals. Somewhere in those manuals will be the "proper" steps to remove/refit the airbag, so that will include all necessary steps to make it safe and carry out the fitting safely. I recall an hour's access is quite cheap (under a tenner maybe) - it's money very well spent. Repair manuals, wiring diagrams, self-study guides - they're all there as PDFs. Once downloaded they're yours to keep, don't need to access ErWin again.

Hence my "and you know they've been that way since new" comment

I think the only model of Gen1 Yeti that was fitted with 312mm front brakes was the 170 TDI 4x4. I don't think any others (including the 1.8TSI) had them. So IF a Gen1 Yeti has 312mm discs (and you know they've been that way since new) then it's a pretty clear indication it's a 170.

The Yeti doesn't have a centre diff, it's not a permanent 4x4...it just has a clutch (the Haldex coupling) between front and rear, which engages by varying amounts depending on the circumstances. It will engage to a high degree when you pull away, accelerate hard, or if wheelspin is detected...the rest of the time it mostly disengages, so the front and rear are effectively disconnected and you're driving a 2wd. So I assume that is why there is no need to match all four tyres. It's got me thinking now though, I must check the manual for my Yeti's replacement (an A6 Allroad.....which I understand does have a centre diff, although still learning...) to see whether it does advise keeping all 4 tyres even!

I recall it being a nightmare on my pre-FL 170 4x4. Had to jack it up really high to be able to get a long enough breaker bar under it, and remember having to buy a second spline bit of a different length just so I could get the bar on at a suitable angle between the various suspension arms, driveshaft etc. Right pain in the arse it was, those bolts are really tight. I remember being shocked how badly corroded the rear faces of the discs were, the outers weren't good but the inners were much worse (but normally very hard to inspect).

I seem to recall the exhaust tips were of a different design too ?

It seems to have lost one of its curtain airbags too 🤔

Not wishing to insult intelligence, but best to check fundamentals... Are you 100% it's the headlights coming on - IE have you stood outside the car and seen them ? (Making sure it's the headlights that are coming on, and not that you're seeing light from the DRLs illuminating the area in front of the car...)

After I got rid of mine, I set up a search on BCA auctions for Yetis, to see if mine popped up. Nearly every other Yeti I looked at on there, of similar era, had a bodywork condition report which mentioned rust bubbles on doors....

You're in the exactly the same boat as I was. Mine seemed fine for years and then quite quickly I started getting the bubbles on every door. Plus rust had started on the bottom corners of both front doors where it rubs the rubber seal that runs between front & rear doors. I'd also not been near a dealer in years. Sad to say, but coupled with another issue, it made me decide to get rid.

I would be inclined to replace them as a pair. Even if the new bulb has the same colour temp as the original, they do change over time, so you may well have a bit of a mismatch.

See here: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/93354/osram-night-breaker-unlimited-xenarc

It is possible to upgrade the Xenon bulbs in the Yeti, I replaced mine with Osram Xenarc Nightbreakers (D1S bulb type).

Morning all There's a little 8yo boy in our village called Riley, who goes to school with my daughter, and he's fighting an aggressive cancer for the second time in his life. He missed the first two years of school due to being in hospital, and now he's back in again 😞 He may need to travel to the US for specialist treatment if this round of chemo fails. This weekend I'm taking part in (and helping organise) a sponsored mountain bike & running event to help raise money for his treatment. If anyone could spare even just a few pounds to help the little lad, I'd be eternally grateful More of the story, and a donation link, here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/riding-for-riley Thanks for reading

Sounds like they could still be using a similar design to the one that failed in my 2002 Passat....the washer fluid passes through a central metal tube which eventually breaks internally. Back then an early symptom of impending failure was that the water jet wouldn't completely rotate in time/sync with the wiper arm. It was such a frequent failure, VW sold a repair kit that contained a replacement metal tube and few other bits, was cheaper than a new motor but you'd hope they'd improve the design to stop it happening...

Fairly certain only the TDI 170 had the 312mm discs...so I'd go with 288mm as well for the TSI.

Same calipers, just use larger carriers to mount them so they're spaced slightly further outward to accommodate larger discs.

A6 Allroad 3.0 V6 TDI Bi Turbo

After around 90k miles, and 5 and a half years of ownership, I'm finally moving on from the Yeti. It's replacement has arrived and the Yeti will be going by the end of the week. It's been the most fun car I've ever had, evidenced by the length of time I kept it - rarely have I kept a car for more than 3 years or so before. I may well still lurk here though, as there's a chance a friend may buy it off me and I may be providing tech support 👋

Could you not just turn the steering on full lock, and reach in & measure the strut diameter ? Or failing that, pop a front wheel off.

No, just 120,000 miles of mixed urban and rural driving, and the thousands of stones that will have been flicked up into the front of it. The lower grill is very open; some people made their own mesh guards to try and prevent the condenser being holed from larger stones.