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The guidance from Skoda is in the owners manual for using Snow Chains. Nobody at a dealership is liable to know more or give alternative advice or information unless un-officially and they drive a Octavia vRS and use snow chains. @SurreyJohn The thing about the need to carry and if required fit Snow Chains are location location location. So regardless of having 'full winter tyres on' you need the chains and need to be able to fit them even if you never actually do other than as a trial to be sure you can. PS. Sometimes driving up is easier than actually driving down in control...

Are you fitting good 19" tyres for use in snow in Austria before and after it comes to the point the Chains need to go on? The Tyre / Wheel size as given in the guidance from Skoda is the way to go IMO. Snow or All Season Tyres are best fitted, then the snow chains when required by weather or law. (So unlikely ever the snow chains will be used in the UK on 19" rims / tyres. They would never be on for long before needing taken off. ) Hopefully anyone that does use Snow Chains on 19" tyres on an Octavia anywhere will be along if there are such members. Clearance even before the snow is then on the chains must be an issue, and getting them on and off even in the best of locations / circumstances. http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/504761-snow-chains http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/443656-snow-chains http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/439874-snow-chains-or-socks http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/503202-thule-snowchains-for-19-wheels-bough-for-superb-mk3-unused-as-new

^^^^ great idea. Tax the cars by the miles driven or parked on road by the use of GPS. And also by how much. Electricity they use annually and miles covered. Once the UK can have full GPS and mobile coverage it can work. Also when the Non Tamper legislation is in place. Also the UK can have the DVLA database showing all registers keepers and cars being insured. That means they could block cars illegally on the roads getting charged on the national grid. Or just shut them down over the air.

6 rapid chargers still out of service at Edinburgh airport this morning. Nearest hub had 5 rapids out of order. Thank goodness for a LIDl just 4 miles from the airport with a PodPoint at 40 pence a kWh . City of Edinburgh really is the pits for those wanting to just get electricity in a car and get the funk on your way.

I have never known a poor Scrappy in my life. There is value on the dismantling and salvage and recycling and the industry is geared up for the disposal of EV.s. Their issue is that the batteries and motors are in such high demand for the 2nd life use just now that they are not scrap. Or requiring 'extermenation'.

So as things are supposed to be going the EV,s charging or plugged in at homes or businesses or any placed are supposed to become part of the UK,s energy security. Vehicles taking in and storing electricity off peak for the National Grid or more local usage. This being because of the lack of investment in storing electricity from renewables. Presently wind farms are paid when their electricity is not required.

Edinburgh airport park and ride has 6 rapid chargers with 5 out of operation and the 1 on service had a Polestar 2 plugged in for 80 minutes and at 95%. There is a 30 minute max charge time then a £30 penalty. I charged for 30 mins and it cost £8.12. yesterday on free chargers I used 3 for 60 mins each but nobody came needing to charge until the last one and as I was away to unplug. An Ark would be the most appropriate today. In torrential rain when charging a car you really want to just tap a card and plug in. Not call call centres to have them reset chargers and all the carry on it takes. ?how can Scotland's capital city and airport area have such crap mobile reception in some bits.

Tax drivers of private cars. So the people as well as vehicles by miles travelled. Or parked on the roads, public places. A driver is only driving one vehicle at a time. Then the same with business users / taxi / couriers. They can only drive one vehicle at any time. So micro chip human beings and use tech to track travel, speed of travel.

Many have done well over the decades. They think what they are buying. They do not expect retrospective charging. But taxing by Square foot of vehicles and weight traveling in cities with company cars and private cars with empty seats never going to happen. There are road sensors that weigh vehicles crossing them and the tax class from anpr is known. Taxing inappropriate vehicles or high emitters of emissions never bothers those with plenty money. VED is of no concern to many drives.

Those bigger cars might have just a driver in and 2 big cars are taking the space on gridlock roads of 3 small cars and doing more damaged to road surfaces, maybe making more brake and tyre dust. But then big fat heavy ev,s are as bad. Maybe just less brake dust. Maybe more tyre wear. But then there is VAT to pay on tyres.

@varooom might be able to give you advice on checking soot levels. Lots of recent posts on the subject in different sections of the forum.

Ps. Vintage / classic cars will be staying exempt from VED. Including those converted to EV,s.

In the detail of the Autumn Budget Statement is an increase next year on Fuel duty for Petrol, diesel and LPG, so also the VAT. PS. It is not Road Tax they call it. It is VED. Vehicles Excise Duty. There was the ridiculous £0, £20 and £30 ,VED introduced on some smaller cars with supposed low emissions that actually are not. There were part of the car kidology of testing / cheating. Defeat devices etc.

Fuel duty and VAT to increase in the UK next year. Something not that clear from yesterday's Autumn Budget Statement but is in the stuff that gets found in the Papers when people look at the detail.

If you do the oil and filter and no the pollen filter then all that is being done by then as a 'service' is visual inspections and report. Any servicing / maintenance is extra. So changing the air filter or even checking it, which you could do. If you want the Haldex oil changed / servicing will requirr cleaning, or the brake fluid changed you are paying extra to have that done. ? How much are thet charging to look at your car without an oil and filter change and to reset the service indicator?

What does the Full dealer service history show as having actually being done Is what matters. Oil and inspection services each year or 2 is nothing. Look see if a clean and dry air filter is fitted. I suspect the poor fuel economy is the car using fuel doing regens. As to stop / start the new battery might not have been coded to the car. Has the DSG been serviced with oil changes at 40,000, 80,000 and 120,000 miles. The full history should be showing work done as per schedule. Was the brake fluid changed in 2019, or since then? Things that are considered extras at Main Dealer serviced get done if paid for. Even a car with a serviced plan might just get oil and filter changes and look see and reports. Ps. Running low oil levels means the car is working harder to keep the oil to an efficient oil temp. Also that checks were not being done. Always check oil and coolant when cold when collecting vehicles, the. Again once at normal op operating temp. That is once the oil is at an indicated 90*oC. Not the coolant showing that.

Lots of that tax and duty has been and will be there paying for the climate change that has come about from those emission from the use of fossil fuels used for road transport. But then there is as much burning of oil and gas and coal going on producing electricity now and long into the future.

Service stations and shopping centers have that kind of stuff, but many travel with their 'piece and drinks' Toilets are more important where there is just 'charging hubs or single chargers'.. Solar powered auto toilets even if they are £2 a time to use, or you can get a seasons pass. People have internet on their phones, tablets, laptops, chromebooks etc. Sadly there are charge hubs with crap phone receptions. Many are not wasting time waiting, or once charging, they are working. They are what we used to consider 'Commercial Travelers' / Reps. So they do their calls and laptop stuff. Then there is the social interactions and community good will. Well not today with me and the ladies who like to get together and chat while their cars get charged for free because obviously going public charging at busy times a few miles from your home charger is your right and stuff others who just want to be going places having got in the energy required.

Fossil fuel is cheaper to run than electric can be for those that need to public charge right now. Great for those getting home charging cheap rates, or slow charging or workplace or best of all free. I almost went to pay 79 pence a kWh at a public charger because 2 charge hubs i tried were occupied by people charging to 100% because they were on free chargers. But 20 kWh would have been £13.80 and i would just have got 60 miles on that in todays torrential rain and cold weather. So instead i waited about for 30 minutes then charged free for 60 minutes.

There are still problems with DQ200,s since 2018. As there are with DQ381,s. Small in numbers. But there is plenty time as they go out of manufacturers warranty.

Somehow VW group manage to source crap components of all sorts for decades,. Water pumps, tensioners, clutches, door seals then rings, scrapers, pistons, sumps, door seals, sunroof seals, engine management software and new in-house IT. Even when working with partners like Ford or Suzuki they ballsed up. But that's what penny pinching does.

That must be a dealership where customers can get same or next day appointments and have not weeks to wait to get a service or even Software updates carried out on new cars with faults. Or warranty work done.

More to changing a pollen filter. Do it right. Clean out / wash where it fits, maybe vacuum where you can. As to Haldex. Not really an Optional thing. If you have a warranty then look at the T&C's and servicing to manufacturers recommendations, guidelines, or even Specifications means stuff needs doing, and when due. Sadly not clear enough for many. Lots of cars with a VAQ front diff are not having those serviced. This is Service Desk staff not making customers aware because they are not aware.

There is not a named driver on a V5. It is a registered keeper. That can be anyone in a dealerships name. A company, a Motability customer that had on lease. ? What recourse need there be on a 15 year old car? 2007. WTF.