Pacific_Blue

True - that was my first one - a 1.3 - in '96. Different wheels on the 1997 diesel and mighty 1998 1.6...

Hi everyone, At long, long, long last I am about to re-enter Felicia ownership. I was wondering if there are any companies that are most recommended for spares, please? To start with it's purely for cosmetic purposes as I would love to fit a set of the OEM seven-spoke 13" alloy wheels that my car had back in 1996-97, but naturally parts of all kinds will be needed to keep the car going over time. Thanks in advance for all and any help... pic of the original car (and wheels) attached!

Unfortunately AA warranties from used car dealers aren't really worth the paper they're written on. The warranty states that it is valid for up to 90 days when driving in Europe, for example, that it will pay for a hire car and any travel arrangements and recovery. So we called the warranty provider (not the AA), who told us that we have the 'light' warranty which entitled us to: 1) Recovery to the nearest approved garage (although they have none in France, so would accept any that we deemed fit) 2) Payment of up to £50 per day towards a hire car upon validation of the claim 3) Payment to repair the original part that broke up to a value of £1,000 upon validation of the claim but not a penny for any subsequent damage 4) Contribution of up to £150 towards travel costs upon validation of the claim The garage in France did a diagnosis (€250) and a costing (€9,800 for a new engine from Volkswagen and €1800 to fit it). This took 2 weeks. Because... France. Car hire in France during the first week of the French and British holidays is a bit of a challenge, all the more so when you need to pick up locally and drop at the port. Nobody would accept a booking of less than 7 days and the best deal I got for a car that could transport family and self and camping equipment was €1500. The car was a Peugeot 2008, which is big on the outside but supermini on the inside, meaning that I had to drive the family and bags to the campsite, then drive 2hrs back up to the garage to retrieve the camping equipment and 2hrs back again. I then had to take the camping equipment back to the garage to put it back in our car, then go back to the campsite to collect family and bags before we could leave the country. We had originally booked a return crossing Dover-Calais but with two children, 10 bags and two bicycles, my in-laws said they would pick us up if we could get to Portsmouth, so I booked us on as foot passengers at Caen. Then we had the hard decision on what to do with the car... leave it in France and write it off, pay to have it brought back and write it off or pay to have it brought back and pay to repair it. As things stand, the warranty has paid for us to be recovered from the roadside to the garage in France. We've paid for a diagnostic, a hire car, an unused return journey Calais-Dover, a return journey Caen-Portsmouth and the repatriation of the Skoda. The claim is not yet validated by the warranty company, so we may get up to £500 back towards the hire car and ferry, and they may pay for the replacement of the timing chain, but that's as much as they will ever commit to. All told, we're in for just over £4,000 before any work is done on the car, which then limits our options on what to do as we're now out of funds. All we can really do now is pay for another diagnostic by an AA-approved garage to see if the timing chain was faulty - or even if the garage which did the work last year did exactly what it said on the invoice. Once we have that information then twe will have to see what our options are legally, because the warranty company will do nothing. The work wasn't done for us per se, it was done for the dealer. When the piston rings went on the way home from the dealership, we returned the car as unfit for purpose. The dealer then got the work done, presented us with the bill and gave us a 6-month warranty for the work done. That seemed fair and as you can see it looked comprehensive! The car has been great and gave us 10.5 months of trouble-free motoring but was clearly a timebomb. We'll get the engine inspected first by an AA-approved workshop to confirm which parts were faulty and whether all the parts listed on the original job sheet/invoice to the dealer were even done. Only after that will we (or our solicitors) then approach either party (or both). It may also be worth going to Skoda UK given that the car has suffered two known faults (piston rings in 2021 and now the timing chain) which according to this 75-page thread (and many others) it denies exist with the TSI engine.

Standard 12-month warranty with an additional 6-month warranty on the work done. Consulting solicitor now on that

Hadn't thought of the Sales of Goods act, but that's a worthwhile avenue, thank you. If the chain was replaced 11 months ago and the car has done 10,000 miles, been serviced and MOT'd on time... could be a route.

You're right... sorry I'm slightly at sixes and sevens trying to work out a) what's happened and b) how to pay for everything. Here's what was done when we bought the car last year.

Add me to the list of timing chain/tensioner victims - 2011 Superb 1.8 TSI at 77k miles. When we bought it last year the piston rings were shot but the garage had these, the pistons, conrod, gaskets and sundries all replaced and put a 6-month warranty on. I hadn't realised that the chain could be an issue, otherwise I'd have asked them to change it then. Ten trouble-free months later, and with a fresh service and MOT, we set off for Calais and a 570-drive onwards through France. At the 540-mile mark there was a horrible rattle. No hole in the block, all fluids still in it and it starts and runs, but chain gone. Car arrived back home last night on a trailer. We've really got no option but to get it repaired, as there's no value in the car as it is and there's nothing else that would fit the bill reliable for £3-4k. My question is, whether trying to source a later engine and paying a bit more for it is sensible?

I thought that was the case on chain vs belt! Yes, it's firing on all four, but lacking power and now features this rather unnerving knock/rattle. It is being recovered and should be back on Friday. It's the most expensive thing I've ever bought in one hit, my wife loves it and whether or not we could find anything comparable to replace it is a big question mark. The money that it's cost us to get this far means that all we've got is whatever value is in the car. Looking on eBay, there are companies selling 1.8 TSIs with lower miles than ours for £1500-£2000 and will fit them. I'd rather go out on a limb and spend £3000 on the engine than spend that money plus whatever the spares/scrap value of the Superb is on a Ford Mondeo!

Almost a year later... A year of trouble-free motoring I might add! Not having covered major miles in that time, but with a fresh service and MOT, we then set off for two weeks in France, dodging the worst carnage at Dover on the first day of the school holidays and set off for the 570-mile run south. We got to 550 miles when suddenly there was a big, horrible rattle from the engine. It was turning over but there was little power and a rather ominous knocking sound that increased and decreased in line with rpm. Pulled straight off the motorway and then waited six hours to be recovered, during which time I had a good look round, discovered no hole in the block and all fluid levels as they were when we left: full. Called the AA warranty provider who said that they would need a full diagnosis before verifying the claim. We were eventually trailered to a Renault/Dacia dealership who had very little interest in the car and said it would take 10 days to diagnose the fault. In the end it took 12, and their verdict (without opening it up) was that the timing belt had gone, causing the pistons and conrod to fail. New engine required: yours for €12,860 fitted. The warranty company said that they would only pay for the recovery to a garage and the first component to fail. Any subsequent damage from the initial component failure is not covered. They will pay £50 per day for the hire car - although in the first week of the French holiday season and dropping off at the ferry terminal it cost more like £200 per day - and nothing towards us having to rebook our return journey or any subsequent journey back to France to recover the car. So with the AA, the warranty and insurance all proving to be useless (the insurers said that we should have hit something when we pulled off the road, as they could have helped us then!) the car is still sitting in a yard in the middle of France. I am looking at paying for it to be recovered. Big question - have the French magicians correctly diagnosed the problem, do we think? I am pretty sure that the knocking is a loose/bent conrod, but whether or not that means a complete engine replacement is necessary is another matter. When it first stopped, it was also making a smell like a kettle that's boiled dry. As I said, it starts and turns over, there's no hole in the block and all its fluids are inside - but it knocks in line with the rpm. It's clearly been moved under its own steam at least twice while in the garage yard. But can the engine be saved? My feeling is that the original fix has let go in some way. But any ideas gratefully considered!

Thank you, 789. Just got off the phone with the dealer. He is having the rings replaced, the pistons, rods, gasket, chain and tensioner. All paperwork and warranties will be available. If we still want a refund he will honour it but it sounds as if the problem should be gone. Trying to find any big estate within our budget is a minefield. If all the work is done, documented and warrantied I'm increasingly inclined to stick with the devil we know.

Adding my wife's newly-purchased Superb 1.8 TSI to the chain. It's a 2011 model (61-plate) with 78,000 miles. We did a test drive and all was well. She went off a week later to pick it up, and by the time she got it 16 miles home there was an appalling eggy smell and the front wings were so hot you could have cooked eggs on them. Let it all cool off and discovered that there was no oil in it. Nothing wrong on the gauges. No warning lights. Running smooth... but hot and smelly. Filled it with oil and took it back to the dealer (massive reduction in eggy smell but still a faint whiff). They called a day later to say that the piston rings were gone, that Euro Car Parts were out of stock and that a main dealer would replace them next week. Interested to know what else they should be replacing as a result of any damage caused.

Thank you so much for the link, Bigjohn. That's really valuable knowledge which has been poured in to one place. The new rings are being sourced via a Skoda main dealer, so do you think that these will be the later and clearly better design? Can the garage do a like-for-like swap, so we can effectively just put the issue to bed and make sure that the timing bits are all regularly serviced? The car basically did 7,000 miles per year up until 2019. Since its MOT in early 2019 it's only done 3,000 miles, obviously Covid has taken a bite out of that but my assumption is now that it was starting to drink oil like a football fan 20 minutes before kick-off and, having realised it was a big, expensive issue, the owner traded it in. We negotiated a 12-month warranty instead of roadside assistance, but the piston rings are being replaced because the car as sold wasn't fir for purpose so it's on the dealer's insurance to sort out. I suppose my question is whether we would be wiser just to get our money back and find an alternative Superb or whether this fix should make our car the purchase that we hoped it was.

Oh, well this is going well! Car arrived with proud wife at the wheel - stank of eggs and sulphur. My immediate thought was the catalyst but no lights and all was fine. Turned out it had no oil. Turned out this was because the piston rings were shot. Fortunately the garage is replacing the piston rings. And replacing the fuse that means its power sockets work again.

My 2004 car vRS has SatNav from the factory... but no CD player! It's all fairly redundant at the moment because when the car was off the road during lockdown the battery was disconnected and when I got it going again I couldn't find the code. I'm not overly concerned as 1) the radio couldn't hold on to a signal for more than 5 mins at a time anyway before fading to white noise and 2) the SatNav is a bit out of date and gets confused by things like the Hindhead Tunnel. If anyone's got recommendations for 1) getting past the lock screen to input the correct keycode to restart it and 2) where and how best to fit a CD player I'd be grateful. I was getting tempted to pull it all out and fit a new head completely but if it's a rarity then I'll keep it standard. Anyway, it was first registered on the Isle of Man in late 2004 and its audio is factory fit. May have been the dealer's demonstrator. A friend's grandma bought it new, then my friend inherited it. I bought it when she decided that she wanted a new Audi.

Well at long last I've convinced my wife to get a Skoda. We're picking up a one owner low miles 2011 Superb 1.8 FSI estate tomorrow and I want the car to be as good as it can be as it begins its second decade on the road. The very mild scuff on the nearside front bumper isn't a concern, but the rear seat cup holder - the one in the armrest/central seat back - is. Basically, when you push the button for the cup holders to pop out the entire assembly does instead. Has anyone else had/cured this problem? The other thing is that the exterior badges have seen better days. Both the bonnet and tailgate badges are faded and crazed, while the 'Skoda' and 'Superb' lettering have gone, leaving just the marks of the adhesive. Is there a preferred supplier for these and does anyone know the correct font as I've seen at least two different styles. Many thanks indeed!

Went back to the garage and about a mile away from arriving the emissions warning went off! They had a look but no fault code came up. Alternator's fine, only fitted 2 years ago, and the belt is no problem. Just been out for a 20-mile run to do Christmas shopping and the Emissions light is back on again! Confused of Surrey...

Hi there, Just had the car serviced and MOT'd and barely a week later I've got my constant companions back - Alternator Workshop and Emissions Workshop. I asked the garage to hook it up and find any fault codes and check the alternator and belt (both new on 2 years ago). Nothing. All fine. Apparently the Emissions Workshop light came on at some point in the MOT as it's there as an advisory but otherwise no problem and it's been off since. I'm less worried about the emissions one, as the car's only done short runs since February bar one trip down to Dorset which gave it a proper run and it went off after about 50 miles, but now I notice that the dash illumination can get a bit wobbly for a while after the Alternator Workshop sign has been on. Frankly I'd like to see the back of both of them, but is anyone else suffering from a dashboard that's permanently nagging them?!?

There was an old quarry that's actually just up behind the Seven Stars (see above), which was used as the venue for Bodie and Doyle's motorcycle scramble and, later on, as the training ground for a private army intent on taking over London. Today it's a recycling plant to which the contents of the green bins are taken, but what you can see through the gate looks quite recognisable...

The airfield which appeared most often was White Waltham, where the apron and the hangars were regularly the scene of illicit goings-on. The flying club has now been expanded out onto the apron upon which Rover P1 police cars, the CI5 Fords and the baddies' array of Cortinas and Jags would squeal, but the main hangars remain largely untouched.

Fairoaks also appears as 'RAF Pirbright' in the episode Foxhole on the Roof. A new, modern hangar has been built across the route out onto the apron but the older buildings are still there. The circles match up...

Your wish is my command! This is Fairoaks airfield, which featured at the climax of the episode 'Fugitive'. I think this is roughly the spot where the aircraft was waiting, I've marked roughly the location in pink...

The very first episode of The Professionals begins at a reservoir, where a secretary with a secret drug habit gives the keys to the company coffee machine to a deranged scientist so that he can poison everyone. The 'reservoir' was in fact the Thorpe Park waterski lakes, and the building in question was the original clubhouse. It's still there - just, but if we have a bad winter I can see it just dropping where it stands! The coffee machine poisoning, carried out by the deranged scientist (played by Keith Barron, better known for things like Duty Free and Benidorm), was a dry run. His intention was to poison the reservoir itself, putting a bomb laced with the poison in the reservoir under a waterski ramp. I've marked the position roughly of where the ramp was, and was amazed to see that there is still one - very possibly the one - original old-fashioned ramp still out on the lake. The red circle marks the filming position as close as I can get it (you can see trucks on the M3 in the background) and the yellow circle is around the old ramp with the same perforations.