MarkyG82

Cant remember what the exact gearbox is in that but it will definitely be a wet clutch. They are more reliable than the dry clutch dq200. I wouldn't expect it to need work doing. The garage I use has mentioned tuned cars going for 250k miles with no issues. The engine is a good one but remember the need for longer runs to maintain the DPF. 156k in 9 years should mean it's ok but I would be wanting the DPF looked at before spending on it. At the very least get a reading via VCDS or similar and use it as a negotiation tool. That year is prime for water pump failure too so make sure its had that done when the belt was done 8k ago. I'm not sure if adblue was introduce by then. If it was then it's worth bearing in mind as it's another fluid to keep topped up. Otherwise anything that comes with buying used. Are the tyres all the same model and condition? Are the plates original and the same branding front and back (could be a sign of crash repair). Look at panel gaps and colours. Might also be worth budgeting for some suspension goodies too. This has DCC so the shocks are quite expensive to replace but they do tend to last longer than regular ones.

You can battle some of that by playing the timing game. I have my offpeak timer set to finish after the preheat event so it soaks up some more from the mains to top up from the preheat battery usage. I do have a proper wall point though and a house battery, so the mains usage is very small for that period. You could bring the preheat earlier (by 15-30 mins?) and have the charging period end after you expect to leave. That way you will maximise the potential for topping off the battery but clearly at a cost of peak leccy.

I had loads of issues with intelligent octopus and charging. Subsequently the preheat never worked as it does on plain charging. I've since turned the smart charge bit off and have it timed as per the in car system. Pre heat too. Not sure how the VW and Skoda systems differ but the base functions should be the same.....in theory.

There have been reports on here of people getting through MOT with them fitted. The tester probably employed by the same company as @gregoir's optician.

Years back when I was tinkering at making my own bike lights there was a growing movement to include a small red light as part of the system. Due to the high blue content of modern LEDs, the red added in massively improves the contrast and brings out the greens and browns in foliage, etc. I'm not suggesting we all go chucking red lights on the front of the car but there is definitely a move towards brighter instead of better. I try to keep my headlights clean and also aligned correctly. As above, you should not be using fog lights in normal conditions.

No reason that high torque output would affect the condition of the belt. It's not drive that goes through a cambelt after all. Heat cycling and high revs (maybe rev changes also) would affect it. Lots of A/B road blasts with a hot exhaust for example. My digging suggests all VAG UK engines have had the time interval removed for this work and the distance increased. However, the distance is up for question as many places are arbitrarily converting from km.

I assumed he contacted them due to having an MOT cert still in date (the whole 6 months thing) and wanted to confirm if still legal. Also got the impression that is WAS a taxi but no longer. Having done 300k miles I think the car is maybe in need of some real care. Maybe an engine rebuild. If the fuel system has been checked and it has a clean back end (turbo, DPF, etc.) then I can only assume the rings are on the way. O.P. do you know the origin of the car? Was it looked after or was the maintenance just bear minimum. If just the periodic oil changes and the odd filter then maybe it's in need of some more critical attention.

Need to post in for sale section.

Italian tune-up? You say it kicks out a bit of black when getting the revs up. How about holding the revs up and letting it kick whatever is in there out the back? Although maybe the dpf would catch it and get blocked?

No service listed but many have had them serviced. Worth looking into if wanting to keep the car longer.

38 should be fine. I have 20mm spacers in the back taking my stock et44 to 24.

My point was to start the climb already geared down. Not gearing up to manage the heating. If that means slowing down a bit then so be it.

As above, if the tune is otherwise good then it should be ok with increased load and I'd expect the car to be overheating in the same conditions but without the tune. Where it could be an issue is that you have more torque low dow making it easier to tow in a higher gear. This is causing the turbo to work harder and, if an engine driven water pump (?), the water flow will be reduced making it less effective at cooling. I would suggest starting the climb at higher revs. This will load the clutch less (torque wise) and keep the flow of fluids up. If you are still having overheating issues then start looking at upgrading rads etc. then oil cooler. Might also be worth checking that the coolant is topped up and there are no blocks for both air flow and fluid.

So was the battery coded? All Skoda's (as far as I'm aware) from the last 10 years need to be coded when a new battery is installed. So the engine seized due to hydrolocking and you were able to clear it and get it running without any issue with the running parts or internals? Seems unlikely but not impossible. Your comments on the dpf above definitely sound like it needs proper attention. And I would suggest not taking back to the same mechanic.

Are the dpf systems of the type with an additional injector in the exhaust? That may well make use of the additive. Otherwise I'm with the majority and you are experiencing a placebo affect. I'm a big believer in placebos. But not with mechanical stuff. My best (benefit of the doubt) guess is the additive alters the exhaust temp and that helps the regen complete.

Was the car coded to accept a new battery? And are you certain it was the correct battery? Did you really have a hydrolocked engine? If it was then rebuilt maybe it was done badly and it's now causing you problems. Also not sure what a new starter has to do with it unless that was burnt out from turning over after hydrolocking.

I've always been told less than 3%. Those tyres will be nearly 14mm different in radius. I wouldn't want to do that. My personal variation is within a tread depth which is usually around 7 or 8mm.

How old is the car? Could be a new battery is required and sending the electrics haywire. Fan running after short drives is the classic symptom of a dpf in need of attention. Could just need a blast but may well need a clean or even replacement. As @Rootedsuggests, you need to maintain the car and sounds like you may have just been putting fuel in and driving while waiting for the car to tell you it needs a service?

VAG UK engines are now no time limit and 120k miles (this varies depending who you ask). Where did you get 4 years and 40k from?

@Stonekeeperonly verbal from the mate with the caravan unfortunately.

The rules have changed recently (in the UK). A friend had to get a second car for towing his caravan but can now go back to the first as they are more concerned about the actual load at the time rather than the rated load. Ireland may vary so worth looking up the local regs.

@r0bm867 To help the clutch you need to use higher revs instead of accelerating from low down. Just drop a gear when wanting to overtake etc should do the trick. As a mapped engine is more eager to rev anyway its actually ok. I had my 1.9 mapped and had to adjust my driving from using 1200-2500 revs to only booting it at 2000+ (preferably more). It was far more flexible and continued to pull up to 5k so far nicer to use.

From various reports the 1.6 benefits greatly from a map. The one I drove was the oldest power (95?) which was massively under powered and even revs didn't help. You will never have the pulling power of the 1.9 but a map on the 1.6 should let it rev more freely while also offering a little down low. If you are happy with the risks and other stuff (insurance, clutch, etc.) then go for it.

@Rooted The argument for either camp has been discussed many times and every time it becomes clear that it depends on the circumstances. It's a fact that when you lift the go pedal while in gear the engine uses no fuel. However, there is still some loss as the engine is being turned over so the car will slow and you then need to use fuel to get back to speed. Coasting out of gear with the engine running will use fuel to turn the engine over but the car will roll more freely so it's down to the use case as to whether it's more efficient or not. Where you cannot argue the efficiency gain is with any hybrid (HEV, PHEV or MHEV) where the engine cuts out when coasting. The cars we are discussing here are none of those so lets leave the discussion there and think about the original point of driving modes. It seem that the factory changes the activity of the boxes at different times. Is there a link to release date and the functions described?

There are signs left in the logs if you remove one. Also you have the issue of breakdowns. Will you really be removing it while you wait for mr AA? What about a warranty question after an accident? Sorry for sounding a bit negative but for me the only reason for a box over a map is the ease of returning it to stock for resale.