Bucky

Thanks for all those very helpful replies. I park the car too far away from a mains socket to use a mains battery maintainer. I shall look into a solar charger.

I have a 67 reg Skoda 3 with a 1.4 petrol engine. I'm currently using it little so I am concerned about the battery condition. What is the ideal rpm for the alternator to put maximum charge into the battery? I currently try to do a 20 mile journey about once a fortnight keeping to 2000 rpm. Is this about right to keep the battery in good condition?

Totally agree it is hopelessly bad planning to issue a recall without the parts being available. The recall shows up on both the websites in Awaoffski's post. I have just come across TerryMck's post which has a link (not currently working) to this bearing housing recall. Thàt was posted on 20/12/17 so Skoda have known about the problem plenty long enough to get the parts sorted.

This morning I had a phone conversation with Skoda Customer Services. They confirmed that I would have breakdown cover whilst in France and I could have the recall work done there. However they still couldn't give any indication when the parts will become available. More reassuring is that even though the recall letter states "There is a danger of accidents". I was told " The car is safe to use until the recall work is done so long as I keep an eye on the warning lights and adopt normal breakdown procedures". I have sent them an email to create a record of this reassurance. Although the question of safety has been resolved I still don't want the inconvenience of breaking down, so I have delayed my departure for a few days in the hope that the parts will turn up.

The person I spoke to at the dealers said that if I did take the car to France, in the event of a problem I would be able to use the Skoda breakdown scheme however I don't know if she had verified that with a manager.

My superb is subject to the rear wheel bearing housing recall. It was booked in at the local dealers for the work to be done but cancelled because they do not have the new parts and do not know when they will be available. In a couple of days time I am due to take the car to France for 2 months so it would suit me best to have the recall work carried out when I return. I could delay my trip to wait for the recall work to be done before I go but it would cause considerable inconvenience. The dealer won't say the car will be fine for the trip but neither are they saying don't do it. The recall letter makes no stipulations about use of the vehicle prior to the work being carried out. The car was purchased new the end of September 2017 and has done 3000 miles I will do another 2000 max on the French trip. Would it be over cautious to postpone my trip or cavalier to go ahead?

I have sorted a spare wheel. First I went to my local Skoda dealer with the parts numbers suggested by Montegue and Silver1011. There I was told that the cheapest they could do a Stratos rim for was £365. Next I went to the dealer in Redditch. There the parts manager was quite surprised that the part numbers both referred to the same rim but one was priced at £360 and the other at £152 (the part number suggested by Montegue being the cheaper). I have had a new Contipremium fitted to the rim to match the current tyres.

Thank you for such quick replies, this really is an excellent forum. I have used the suggested part numbers to search the internet and have been able to confirm that the wheel dimensions are correct. There are a number of different websites offering the correct wheel but all outside of the UK. So first I shall go to my local Skoda dealer with the part numbers to see if they will supply a wheel at the right price. I already have all the kit necessary to change a wheel. I fully agree with Silver1011 that an under size steel wheel with a higher profile tyre will perform perfectly well (subsequent internet research, shows a majority opinion that the original wheel bolts work fine with steel wheels) but if I have an accident whilst travelling at more than 90 kph with one fitted would my insurance provider try to use it as a way of wriggling out of the claim? Would still like to know if anyone has experience of generic aftermarket wheels.

I have a 2018 spec Superb SE hatchback which like many cars these days only comes with a can of squirty for fixing punctures. I travel to and from France several times a year, usually on a Sunday when French tyre shops aren't open so I want a full size spare wheel that will do 600 miles at motorway speeds. I know from other posts and when I had a Mk2 Superb that a full size steel wheel is available at a reasonable price but that comes with 90 kph max warning stickers. Although I am sure that dimension-wise it would be safe at motorway speeds an insurance company/police might not agree and I am concerned that bolts (why are Superb wheels attached with bolts rather than studs?) designed for alloys might not be fully compatible with steel. My Superb has 17 inch Stratos wheels. Skoda parts charge £346 for a Stratos wheel which is more than I want to pay for something that I hope I will rarely use. So far I have had no luck in finding a used Stratos wheel so I am thinking of getting an aftermarket alloy rim for less than half the price that looks similar. If the rim I choose has the same dimensions as the current wheels and is specified as being Skoda compatible would it be safe? I think the Stratos wheel specifation is 17 x 7j with an offset of ET40. Can anyone confirm if this is correct so I don't have to remove a wheel to see what is stamped inside? Any suggestions re a supplier? Thanks

I have a 2011 SE Plus 1600 manual diesel bought from new which does not have KESSY. I have just noticed that the KESSY/Selector lever lock warning light at the one o’clock position in the speedometer illuminates when the headlights are switched on. I can’t believe that this is normal and I haven’t noticed it before now. As it’s a green light and I don’t have KESSY or DSG can I safely ignore it or is it a symptom of some impending electrical catastrophe? The only message in “Vehicle Status” concerns the next service.