Gaz

I've given it best, and fitted a new Yuasa 5000 series today. I'd charged it five times in total, with one 'repair' procedure, but within a couple of days it was back to 'low battery' warnings, which I don't want. Managed to kill the plastic retaining screw on the battery box lid, which felt like it was made of cheese 🙄 (It had suffered some mullering before my time). Gaz

Means you can get another similar sized dog! 🐶👍

I remember @SashaGrace fitting one to her Octavia in 2018, so would presume it's similarly viable. Starts here: Gaz

Hello and welcome VRS Gaz

I can empathise over backache in cars, and hope you find something more comfortable. All the best. Gaz

Looks like it might be new battery time. I was told the V70 had a new battery. It did, in February 2020 🙄 I took the seller at his word about it being 'new'. On the Norfolk trip the low battery warnings stopped, so I presumed it'd been revitalised. Turned out to not be the case as they started again three days after we got back. It still starts fine. My battery charger (old school - probably 40 years old) is at my Daughter's, who is in Thailand at present. So I got myself a NOCO Genius5 charger/maintainer, and left the battery on charge overnight. It was at two bars: But by this morning was charged: So I went for a c.30 mile drive. Got home and the low battery warning came straight on again 🙄 And it's back down to the two bars. I've set the NOCO to 'repair' mode now, so we'll see how we go. I suspect I know where we're going. The car's only done 2,000 miles between Feb 2020 and me picking it up, so I think the battery's probably slowly died of boredom/neglect. No reason to think the car's not charging, although I've not yet checked to be certain. I would think that it is, given it improved on the 580 Norfolk round trip, and was okay for a short while. A quick look suggests a Varta or Bosch battery is around the £130 mark (direct from Tayna), so not too bad in the grand scheme of things. I'm glad it hasn't got stop/start. Gaz

Happy roadtrip/hollibobs! 😁 I wouldn't bother heading south too much - looks like you've got all the good weather up there. G

I think if it were me, I'd swap the seat for one you know you'll feel comfortable in - the standard Octavia seat you refer to should be a relatively straightforward swap, and available from a scrapper. VW Golf ones may possibly fit too? Then, when you come to move it on, you'll have a pretty pristine driver's seat to go back in it. You have my empathy though. I had the same, donkey's years ago, with a Vauxhall Cavalier. And like you, it was the only car it ever happened in. Everything was fine on the 20 minute test drive, but after I got the car I found chronic back pain arriving at the 30 minute mark of every drive. I very nearly got a Recaro interior from a scrapyard, but when I went to get it, it had been vandalised with a knife. Nothing I tried worked and I got so disillusioned in the end that I moved the car on. Good luck with getting more comfortable. Gaz

I thought that too, but then I'd imagine (i.e. don't know) it'll probably have residual muck, and surface scum, for some time. Gaz

Another bag rupture victim 🙄 Perhaps the colour of your coolant has been affected by flushing agents? At least you haven't got the headache of having to deal with the disaster when it happened - something to be thankful for. And if done by a main dealer, then it should be warranted for two years, I think. I think if it were me, I'd leave it as is and maybe request a coolant change be included in the next service if the colouration bothers you. G12E050A3 is G12 Evo 👍 so it's got the good stuff in it. Gaz

I’ve got an identical tank on my GTI - one with ‘mit Silikat’ on. If there is a bag in yours, it’s very easy to find. You should be able to both see it with a good torch, and also feel it with your fingers. I oiked mine out as soon as the car was out of warranty. It was very easy to do and took moments. Having said that, I suspect you don’t have a bag in there. But it does look time for a coolant change IMO. Gaz

Tanks with a silica bag in generally had 'mit Silikat' printed on the outside I thought. This is the tank on my previous 2015 vRS: Gaz

The DQ250 six speed wet clutch DSG in the 2.0 is better and more reliable (as a general rule) than the DQ200 seven speed dry clutch DSG in the 1.4. I've got both, DQ250 in the Golf, and DQ200 in the Polo and were I buying, I'd choose the DQ250 all day long, even though our DQ200 has never missed a beat. Gaz

Hello S320TDILK2020 Gaz

Hello Modzo Gaz

My background's simple too 👍😁 G

Hello and welcome Donal Gaz

Hello David We're just back from a week up in Norfolk, but we were over the other (West) side, near Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Marham. We really like the area. Have friends just outside Norwich who we usually visit when up that way, but not this time. Bit of a change from a Rover. I really liked the 75's - my boss had one years ago and it was a really nice place to be 👍 Gaz

Hello wobble_all Which Octavia version did you go for? Gaz

Second day of no ‘Low Battery’ warnings 👍 And another nice little bonus: With my scooter in the boot with both front and rear sections locked together (good for stopping anything moving or clanking together): I can get my folding bike out of the OSR passenger door without having to move the scooter 😎: This is great because yesterday I did a couple of laps of Sandringham on my scooter. And today I’ve cycled around Wells next the Sea, and Old Hunstanton 😁 Gaz

Just crossed over 34k miles, so brimmed the tank with V-Power. Got 69 litres in it, and the car’s now reporting a range of 630 miles. Think that’s the most range I’ve ever seen on a car of mine! It’s a very comfy mile muncher. At one point yesterday it was doing a steady 67.5 mpg - not just a flash, it was doing it over three miles or so on very nice flat roads around RAF’s Lakenheath and Mildenhall. G

Notice how far away from it some lowly old white VW parked (Still in the space though 👍). G

Main battery is in the engine bay. I've read about some having a secondary battery but I've not found one (yet) - certainly nothing under the boot floor. Ta for the heads up on the alarm battery 👍 G

I had a nice day of car cleaning yesterday. Vacuumed the interior - proper vacuuming, not just the usual whizz around; took two hours, but the results are good. Then washed the leather, cleaned it (Gliptone) and fed it (also Gliptone). I'll give it another feed in a few days. It took a while to get the sticky residue off from the tax disc holder - looks like I've got a complete set of tax discs! I think the battery might be improving as the auto folding mirrors started working out of the blue yesterday. I've a 160 mile run to do tomorrow and probably 500 or so miles in the next few days, so that should be a litmus test. Although I did notice one chap on the Volvo owners forum has had the low battery warning for three years! One oddity I don't like. The analogue speedo is mph, but I can only have the digital speed read out in kph. I've checked and there's no way to change it to mph. Seems odd. Gaz

No, me either But I think it would have been daft to pass it up. It's now on my drive, with nice fresh screenwash. Tyres were at 26 & 27 psi, but are now up to where they should be - 38psi. Good inside clean tomorrow, feed the leather, try to work out how to change the digital speed from kph to mph (cruise is in mph, but the main dash is in kph - seems odd), and try to connect my phone. Diesel in the tank is going to be a year old, so I'm going to run that down and give it a tank of some nice fresh good stuff, whatever that might be. Gaz