grafitti

I have the 1.9 which has a lot more weight over the front, and I would get about that much... 10k spent on the rear first, but they would hardly wear at all, and then 10k on the fronts which would gave them down to about 4mm. Also I had to have the tracking realigned as I was being premature wear on the front tyres. But by swapping 2 at a time and putting the rears on the front you get double the mileage from a pair, at least it feels that way. 20k in my instance, maybe 30k in yours?

These figures are based on trip computer, real world is a couple mpg lower. I get about 40-45 in town, 54-56 on motorway. Best - on A roads or at 50mph on motorway, I can get 65+mpg, and once I managed 68 average. But who wants to go that slowly all the time

Thanks for the suggestions. Tried cycling the windows/locks but no success. Both windows are dead, driver door led still flashes, cannot see any obvious cracking on wires. I guess it's off to the garage...

Recently my front windows have decided to pack up. First instance was a month ago on a booze cruise, rolled up to the passport booth and my window wouldn't go down. A bit of googling turned up a solution, open and close the passenger door. That worked, and for a couple of weeks no further issues. Now once again the windows won't move, and the door trick hasn't worked a second time. Can't see any frayed wires at the door hinge, fuses ok, everything else works. There's no click or other noise, it's like it's totally dead. This happened before the wet weather so am inclined to exclude moisture as the culprit. Any suggestions? I may bring it in to my local mechanic so a good start would be reducing the time he spends identifying the fault. Thanks

The 1.9PD seems just as bulletproof, at least when I was researching what to buy, all the forums and reviews I could find were positive and how they could go on and on if serviced properly. I have no experience with 1.4PD. 1.9 is 4 cyl and should also be DPF free. I intend to run mine into the ground, with proper care of course. 115k on the clock and only fault to date a broken 4th gear selector, which I put down to chance rather than an expected thing to go wrong.

Not the aircon fan by any chance? Mine has started to quietly whine on the lower two settings.

Agreed on the 1.9 diesels over the 1.4, you gain almost nothing on mileage with the lower power one and the 1.9 is solid. if not a scout then a Roomster 3 or a Roomster 2 with the options. Mine hasn't got rails, sunroof or cruise control but I'm happy with it. Check the gears, 1st to 2nd crunch on a quick upshift can be an issue, sometimes solved (as in my case) with a gearbox oil change but if not then needs new synchro. Bushes, cv joint protectors, bump stops - check they're in good condition. parts to replace are cheap but labor isn't, unless you do your own work. Don't know if any 1.9 Roomsters were DPF, but avoid those if they are around. My personal preference is for 1 owner cars with full fixed service history, reduces the chance of a nasty surprise. I had a 4th gear selector break but that i'd put down to chance - doesn't seem a common problem.

I've got the older 1.9 engined Roomster, but had a towbar fitted by a local outfit and the cost was £225. that was a fixed flange with 13 pin socket. Obviously that's too far from you (Theale Towbars) but worth a punt filling in the online form for a quote at least to compare prices and then find someone similarly priced up there. Declared it on insurance as a modification but no additional loading as not a performance mod

Maybe the VW badge? Love the way they fill the arches though

ic I have the 1.9 engine, 15 inch wheels. I did around 1/3 of my driving on motorways and the remainder on a mix of A and B roads. At the time was doing 20k miles a year, so in 2 years went through 4 pairs of tyres. I would swap the rears to the front and put the new ones on the back. Every 10k miles they needed changing, but I would get 10k on the back and another 10k on the front out of the same tyre. Probably down to 3 or 4 mm when I would replace them. I had varying experiences with different brands though. Best were ContiSport 5s, closely followed by Uniroyals Rainsports 2 and now the improved 3, and my personal disappointment was Michelin Energy Saver Plus, which didn't hold the road all that well and were down to the 3mm mark after 10k, without going onto the rears first. Luckily I have a company provided vehicle now so I don't get to experience the joys of a tyre change and service every 6 months anymore

Mine as well. Though I always used branded ones, I would have to swap out at least 2 of my rear running light bulbs about every 6 months for the first couple of years. Been over a year now and nothing has blown, perhaps some residual moisture in there previously.

I see it as a positive. Because the tax is based on this unachievable figure we all pay less road tax, and a quick check at realmpg or similar lets you know what to actually expect from the vehicle. Unfortunately my Roomster is an F band, could not get anywhere with Skoda or DVLA as to why, both say it should be E but skoda won't provide a letter stating this and DVLA won't change it without the letter from Skoda, I suspect having a full size spare as factory option pushed it over from E. Wife's Yaris 1.33 is £30 tax, due to its supposed stop start and economy. In reality it doesn't get near the published figures since it's used for town driving, but if it were based on real figures I'd probably be bumped into the 1.3 category which is £125. I'm happy for the savings I get due to the band calculated on the imaginary figures.

Well I guess I'm wrong. Although it is difficult to figure out the exact amount - I've been searching online and found many debates on the subject. The most sensible calculation I could find though equated 2x55w bulbs with a reduction in economy of a quarter of a percent. So I still don't think it's a practical issue in real world application. For me with an average of 55mpg that would reduce it to 54.85 mpg , which would also explain why I haven't seen a measurable difference

The X-Rack Stealth SQ works well. I have no roof rails and not willing to spend the outlay required to retrofit them plus there are stories of the holes rusting through afterwards. Bought it on ebay for somewhere in the region of £30, obviously it's not a full size rack but we carried the tent easily on top, weight around 30kg. It could have carried more but managed to fit the rest in the boot. If there are longer items like ladders, canoes, christmas trees it copes with them well although you need to use the tow points front and rear for long loads extra security. It's relatively easy to dismantle, fits on nearly every car, and the straps don't come through the windows unlike most soft racks. So my wind deflectors stayed safe.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I can't see headlights using up all that much fuel? I don't see a difference in my mpg driving in daytime vs night.

Have a look at this. £40 with free delivery for an alloy + tyre off of a 1.4 2009 roomster being broken for parts http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-ROOMSTER-2009-1-4-PETROL-SIZE-15-ALLOY-WHEEL-/121567926008

I use the little wire loop with a 90 degree hook on the end which comes with the other bits and bobs in the foam inset. Hook the end onto the bulb holder and it pops out. After several changes I can now do the both in under 10 minutes. Headlamps on the other hand, for me involve removing the front half of the wheel arch lining.

Roomster has 50kg noseweight limit www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/6678669/noseweights-mo.pdf

If you look in the boot there's the sticker with all the codes next to the spare wheel. I believe if it has 0GG it's without DPF and 7GG is one with. At least for the 1.9 TDi engines.

Didn't realize spare keys were that expensive for Skodas. Must be worth ringing around though as prices can vary. Bought a 60 reg Yaris last year with only 1 key, various toyota dealerships in the area quoted for it and the range was from £210 down to £80. What they did when cutting and programming the replacement was change the coding on both keys, so that if by chance the lost key was tried, it wouldn't be able to start the car. But for the downside of having only 1 key I got £200 off to compensate for loss in value. I think for the price (if no substantial discount was negotiated) the dealer should have had a second key cut and programmed. My 57 plate 1.9TDI cost 4300 in early 2012, with 55k on the clock.

On long runs I have gotten 73mpg average off the onboard computer, and cross checking against fill ups and odometer it's within 1 or 2 mpg of actual. Obviously the slab rear doesn't do any favors, and 50-55 seems to be the highest I can go before consumption drops into the mid 60s. At 80 my average drops to 57mpg

I recently had the selector fork for 4th gear break, so while the gearbox was apart they replaced the synchro from 3rd to 4th as it was showing signs of wear. Everything else was in good condition. The car is going back in as it doesn't feel like it's been adjusted properly and I have the same issue as you with 3rd gear - not every time but occasionally feels like there's a little something in the way preventing it from fully slotting in, an extra push and it goes fine but after shelling out on the repairs I'm not settling for any inconsistencies. That said, is it within reason for a gearbox to have these issues? my car is just over 100k and everyone that hears of my trouble launches into a diatribe of how shoddy the build quality is as "gearboxes should last at least 150k without issues". I had the other issue previously with 1st to 2nd needing half a second pause before engaging without grinding. That was cured by a gearbox oil change.

If the Skoda dealer is too far away for convenience, is there not a local independent VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda mechanic nearby who should be more familiar and able to diagnose the problem?

How about a breakers yard. Several up on eBay at the moment. I got my mirror taken clean off by a driver, and got it replaced at a dealers. It was over 300 including labour so there has got to be a cheaper alternative, as my car was about to go for its mot I didn't bother looking around, but if I would have had more time I would definitely tried them

When was the gearbox oil changed last? Mine did the same second gear crunching when I bought it, 5 yrs old and 50k - it needed a half second pause between the gears or it would grind. Don't know if the oil was dirty or had started breaking down, but a change of the gearbox oil - can't remember if a slightly heavier grade was used - but 2.5 yrs later and 105k on the clock, it hasn't crunched again.