andyoctavia

Well, I got back last night, having completed the trip, and did 2900 miles in all, at an average of 53MPG. There were good parts, great parts nad the downright scary and hilarious parts (other motorists - particularly in Italy). We had a stopover in Alsace (Colmar), and I would really love to explore this region, the mountains, castles and wine and food. Our trip from Colmar to Bologna was a nightmare, due to huge tailbacks for the Gottard tunnel, so I peeled off and went over the Gottard Pass (despite my acute vertigo), and what a great drive that was! Stunning scenery and sunshine, with a break at the top for water, lunch and piccies. Then we hit the customs point at Milan, with thousands of cars trying get through just TWO kiosks!!! Lovely hotel (Cosmopolian) in Bologna (Booking.com £44 per night for a great room for two), and then the long, hot (40 degrees, no aircon) drive to Sorrento. I wouldn't recommend Sorrento or Capri to anyone, as it is a complete rip off, mixed with surly service and the rare beautiful view. On the return leg, we stayed outside Siena, so were able to visit Firenze (Florence) and the surrounding area - Chianti - great! Our last four nights were spent in the Beaujolais region, and the hotel had no air conditioning, and there was a heatwave. The scenery is stunning though and the food and wine excellent. All in all, a great trip, albeit a bit tiring, and I probably would not drive to Italy again due to the driving (lack of) ability of the locals. We encountered one young lady veering towards us on our side of the road, and then beeping at us as she hurriedly got back on track! I had to pull out of numerous overtaking attempts, because of Italian drivers on their mobiles, wandering in to my lane just as I was about to pass them at 80MPH. We saw a fine display of driving in a French supermarket car park, where two lady drivers reversed into one another, sorted themselves out, and then did it again!!!! One of them had every window except the front screen blanked out with towels to keep the heat out!!. I was planning on a day of relaxation today, but the OH wants the car washed - unbelievable!

We have been running one of theirs for a few months now, and touch wood everything is OK. I am wondering if this DMF problem is unique to VAG or it happens to other manufacturers as well? So much for so called "progress". :wonder:

I totally agree, and would also point out, that it is not a consistent fault in all cars, which makes their response even more ridiculous. We have just sold our Mazda (strange that they always get a good write up in the motoring press) because of several faults which the manufacturer refused to deal with, Perhaps as consumers, we should be a bit more grumpy and "in their face" when it comes to highlighting faults and complaining about things.

Thanks for that information DBT85, really interesting. I think that it is obvious to all, that tyres are a compromise, and you have to make your choice based on your intended use. Just like Formula 1 racing, if you live in the UK, then you are not going to get away with the "Super soft" dry tyre. If you do most of your driving on motorways, then you need a combination of longevity, low noise and grip. If you are enthusiastic and have deep pockets, then you may want a super sticky set of Yokohama or Toyo - but don't expect them to last very long. I got a ragging from some people on another forum, because I used Pirelli P6000s for years on a variety of vehicles (FWD and RWD) and never had any problems with grip. There were comments like - "they are ditchfinders", and "I wouldn't like to be stuck behind you mate, accident waiting to happen" - absolutely stupid, inane remarks, and based on - what? My current tyres on the Octavia are Barum Bravuris, and they seem fine, maybe a bit of extra noise, but rock steady, no hint of understeer, and I think that they may last as well. I reckon tyre choice is very much like choosing a new driver for playing golf. Many people are swayed by peer pressure, advertising, perceived superiority.

That may well be for another trip Stuart - a visit to the Champagne region for tastings and food maybe.

Cheers Peter, I much prefer the Reims route.

Cheers Nick, the only Saturday which we will be driving in France is on the way back to Calais from Beaujolais. The route planner says to use the motorway, which takes in the Paris periphique and then goes to Calais via Boulogne (not Rheims). Would I be better off going the longer way via Dijon and Rheims?

Cheers guys, I think I will be taking it nice and steady on this run, trying to save fuel and stay calm. What are the headlight requirements for Switzerland and Italy (not deflectors), do you have to have them on all the time, or just when it is raining?

Cheers Fubar, I have been to Naples (for a day trip from Rome in a VW Polo hire car), and a lot of it is run down, but we had the best pizza ever there. As for Italian motorways, we went to Garda years ago (in a BM 520i), and went to Modena for the day. There were no speed cameras on that road (unlike the notorious A1), but you had to be doing 120MPH plus to get into the fast lane, and even then you were being tailgated. Talk about a white knuckle ride!

Cheers Stuart, it seems to be around 1.31 in Colmar at the moment.

Sounds like a great trip (have read your topic), despite the efforts of the "Toblerone army" to spoil things. As a matter of interest, how much did fuel cost over in Switzerland (diesel if possible), because i am getting some extremely varied reports, from 1.21 Euros per litre, to as much as 1.70 Euros per litre. If it is expensive, then I will fill up in Colmar and refuel again in Italy (who I know have expensive fuel).

Here is the link from Drive Alive: http://www.drive-alive.co.uk/fuel_prices_europe.html

If I go on the AA site then there seems to be a lot of misinformation with diesel in France priced at 1.46 Euros, when in fact the official French site (which covers most stations across France) shows a very different picture: http://www.prix-carburants.economie.gouv.fr/index.php?module=dbgestion&action=fsearch I will try to get the link back, which showed Switzerland to be the second cheapest country in Europe for diesel after Hungary.

Love it Nick, particularly the "mutiny" bit, which is what I often get accused of - "You are kidnapping me!" - when I insist on doing too many miles in one hit. We used to make up all of our holidays, simply booking a crossing, then stopping at a place then chancing a stay for the night or more, and we were lucky, more so than when we pre booked a hotel. The advantage over sailing or flying is obvious, you get to see more of the places you visit, really sample the life and culture. My only real worry, is the long drag from Bologna, along the A1 motorway to Naples, then the minor road to Sorrento, but I guess an early start will be the best idea, and then chill out on the drive.

Really good job, looks great!

I had heard that as well, but I am old school, and use real maps and AA route planners, as well as the stars and which way the cows are pointing (that may be weather related though )

Just did a quick economy check on the car, after filling it up today. I had done 510 miles since the last fill up, and the needle was just on the red (fuel warning light not on). It took 48 litres to fill it to the brim. The miles included 11 days of 42 miles driving to work for my wife (21 miles each way, mixture of motorway, country lanes and town) and odd little runs. I reckon that 600 miles would be easily achievable, particularly with just one o/night stop. I will aslo have to fill up in Switzerland in order to take advantage of their low fuel prices - diesel 1 Euro 20 a litre!!!

That is a fairly long and complicated run, We did Lake Garda about 8 years ago, and stayed in Strasbourg (lovely place) for a couple of nights, then South of Milan for a night, then a place on the hills above Garda - San Zino di Montagno - which was great. We went back via Turin and Burgundy (4 nights), and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. If you go to Lake Garda, then please go to the opera in Verona at the Roman Arena - unbelievable!

So, we are legal, though it seems that they want to see moped riders squashed!!!!!!

Really weird, when I do the AA route planner, Nice comes out at 836 miles, whereas that Italian border is just short of 600 miles???? I am going to take on extra fuel just short of Italy, or maybe in Colmar, to get us to Bologna, then a top up to get us to Sorrento. Diesel is cheap in France but really OTT in Italy so we have to be careful - park the car in our Italian stops and walk (that should get a few pounds off us and help the fuel consumption). I will try to post some piccies - had a mini camcorder in mind, but I am pretty useless at that, and it will end up like "come dine with me " or "coach trip "

I thought that it was being sanctioned from 1st July? Anyway, I have a couple of packs. We are staying in Colmar, France first night, then on to Bologna, then on to Sorrento.

Now that we have had the Octavia for a few months, we are only a couple of weeks away from its first major test - a trip to Italy via France and Switzerland. I have a couple of jobs to do before then - oil service, rear brakes, but apart from that I am just about ready. Although I have done this trip before, we shall be averaging around 400 niles per day for three days, then resting, and then making our way back with a couple of four day stops. I have all the usual European equipment - bulbs, fluo jackets, warning triangles, and the now obligatory couple of packs of disposable breathalysers. I will also take a few basic tools, and arrange European assistance and insurance for the trip. The Octavia is averaging around 50MPG at the moment - 500 plus per tank (not near emptying it), and I said to the BiL (who has a petrol Megane), that I reckoned I could get to Italy on a tankful - around 580 miles. He simply laughed at me when I suggested that on a run with only one stop, I should be able to get well over 600 miles on a tankful. Well, we shall see. I would be grateful of any suggestions/advice/up to date information which I may need for this trip. Cheers, Andy

Yeah, because the longer you leave them, the harder they will be to remove. I think that my 1.9Tdi needs new rear discs soon, so I will attempt to do them myself, or use my regular VAG mechanic who does jobs by the roadside. Once done they should be good for another 90K miles.

Cheers guys, particularly the hint about Milton sterilising tablets, I may try that.

This is a problem which is really bugging me, to the extent that I totally drained the lot (sat in the car and kept wash/wiping) yesterday. There is a real stink every time I washed the windows???? I hope that with yesterday's draining it will have gone away, but has anyone else experienced this - a smell which reeks a bit of bad eggs? I use alcohol based solutions and have never noticed this before.