avi4tor

If you know the car is going to be standing for a while, then chock the wheels, put it in gear and release the handbrake. Unless of course the modern software engineer has programmed the car to always apply the handbrake when the ignition is off.

Can you get the rails retro-fitted? I didn't know they did the estate without rails.

I used to spend a lot of time on a gliding airfield. To position the aircraft on the ground we towed the gliders behind the cars at walking pace (very difficult, with some cars you had to either slip the clutch in first or dab the brake) and we never bothered to put the seat belts on at that time. We just clipped the buckles in first and then sat on top of the belts. I did consider knocking up a piece of metal the size of the tang with three inches of webbing attached which could be just plugged in instead of the belt, but never got around to it.

I used my for about a month after getting the car then lost interest in it. The one time that it tried to tell me that the car was still unlocked it was actually lying to me. It is of no use to me and I obviously didn't renew it. Mine didn't have the sat nav features, I use my Garmin nuvi (with lifetime updates) for that (or the ipad).

I bought my 1.8 mkII with 4,000 miles on it. It need an oil top up before the next service. I now have a 1.5 mkIV, and am anticipating having to top that as well. The only annoying thing is my supply of 5/30 oil technically is the wrong grade as the 1.5 requires 0/20. However I suspect that the odd 0.5 litre of 5/30 added to a sump of 0/20 between services will not be noticed.

In my experience the dealers are creating work for themselves. Get a second opinion from an alternative garage (preferably one that does MOT testing so they know what is acceptable). My dealer wanted to a) replace the aircon pump (too noisy) - aircon specialist said 'rubbish' and just ensured the freon mix had the correct amount of oil it b) replace the covers over the top of the rear shock absorbers - I ignored them and no other garage afterwards suggested it was a problem. Your dealer is just trying to keep his workshop full.

The petrol version always judders from cold on low revs (my has done it from new). You just get used to giving it a few more revs. Once you gone 50 yards it stops doing it. From my research it's a known problem amongst users which Skoda doesn't acknowledge.

What I found disconcerting was the fine graduations on the fuel guage. It means you can see the needle moving a lot easier. Very disconcerting!

Service schedules. When I bought my car new last year, one of the managers bemoaned the fact that their workshops were always empty (because of the reliability of the cars). So when I received a text prompt 2 months before the service was due I ignored it - I assumed it was a standard dealer trick to get me to have the car serviced every 10 months instead of every 12 (that way they get an extra service charge out of me every 6 years). It is now 3 weeks before the service is due, still a little early but I this morning I decided to book it in. There is a 6 week lead time before they can fit it in (mid April). Strange, I wonder if they've downsized their workshop?

The last time I got a blade from Halfords they offered to fit it for me, for £5. I declined the offer. As you say, fitting it barely slowed me down between leaving the store and getting into the car.

Wow, what is the labour charge for checking and topping up the wash bottle? I dread to think of the charge for checking the air in the tyres and pumping them up, after all there are 4 of them!.

160 AUD is about £80 - I can get a set of blades for £30. Assuming main dealer mark up, £80 is probably the price for a set of arms and blades, though I could probably get them for less from third party suppliers. The roos haven't been having a go at them have they?

The radiator and fan were never mentioned when I had my second hand 2011 mkII 1.8 fitted with a tow bar. And I always used the owner's manual to determine the towing limits.

It depends on the age of the engine - if you are keeping the car for a long while then the diesel will 'age' quicker than the petrol. I did once try a diesel (Peugeot 405 GLDT) which I kept from new for over 100,000 miles, and after awhile whenever I engaged the turbo (aka a heavy right foot) I got a plume of oily smoke from the exhaust. I decided the pros of a diesel weren't worth it.

The tow bar electrics require a loom between the front of the car and the back. You can either have it installed at manufacture, or have all the trim ripped out and replaced to install it at a later date.