pinkpanther

Wireless Android Auto is rock solid in my 2023 SE-L when connected to a Pixel (running the latest Android version), although is buggy as hell when connecting to my Huawei p30 Pro and only works reliably when connected via USB.

Lovely evening............. Q

Lovely out at Carburton this evening.👌

I had one in mind (a private sale on AutoTrader) but it sold 😕

The car went back for further diagnostics and the noise from the LHS top mount area appears to have resolved with the application of white lithium grease. The steering motor however requires replacement - due to be fitted in a couple of weeks.

I recently had a back to back test drive in both a Nissan Leaf and a Mazda MX 30. This came as a surprise to me, but I had a strong preference for the Leaf, as it was quieter, smoother (more refined), quicker and easier to operate, despite being a considerably older platform. The Leaf Satnav (and interior in general) is dated and dissapointingly the Bose was the worst premium ICE I'd ever heard, but I could manage with Android Auto. The Mazda by comparison was fiddly, noisier, slower and generally a bit of a faff to use. The rear doors are also a right palava and ultimately a deal breaker. All of which has convinced me I need to find an inexpensive Leaf 👍

Impressively this guy managed to hold on all the way home!

Suspect I would feel the same, although I guess on the flip-side at least you know it has been done and is now unlikely to fail

Could it be because it brings them in line with other markets? I recall falling foul of Skoda UK guidance when buying a Mark 1 Octavia vRS from a franchised dealer. The handbook for the car made no recommendation for cambelt change, although when I inquired of Skoda UK they told me it was due, which became a big bone of contention as I had just bought the car and not factored in the cost of the cambelt. I did contact the Skoda factory and they confirmed there was no specific time-related recommendation for cambelt change. Fortunately my local main dealer and I were able to come to a mutually agreeable arrangement

The sun has now disappeared behind a big bank of cloud on the horizon - lucky enough to snap this earlier 👍

Whilst collecting my Karoq from the local Skoda dealer I had a wander round the Mazda garage opposite and thought these looked pretty cheap. Savage depreciation, although limited range. Intriguing option though 🤔 MX-30 (AutoTrader)

Apologies!

The DSG must be considerably more economical than the manual I guess. I recall averaging mid 30's in my first (2009 1.2 TSi Yet). The best I ever managed was only high 30's. I thought it was a tremendous car (I went on the own another 3 of them!) and a considerable upgrade over the 1.6 Petrol Qashqai it replaced, although just not great of fuel.

I placed the order for my Karoq towards the end of November 2023 and it was delivered towards the end of March 2023. From receiving the email from Skoda telling me it had been built to it actually arriving in the UK happened within a matter of days!

From memory I paid £440 to add winter pack+ to a 1.5 SE-L. The heated screen is excellent, as are the heated rear seats (ingenious wiring solution too👍)

Colourful sunset earlier. Not sure what type of clouds they are? Still evident now

Very much appreciate the feedback - gives me confidence I am making the right choice 👍

Many thanks for the suggestion, but not keen on an Up! / Mii EV. I've owned a Mii from new (was £7500 as a pre -reg) and whilst it is a great car, I've had issues with the rear brakes sticking pretty much from six months old. The only Up! I'd consider would either be a GTi (prices are very strong) or a TSi, which are great fun, but are a rare find and still too costly.

Very much appreciate the feedback regarding the Zoe Zoe is likely not for me, as range / charging speed aren't paramount, whereas low purchase price, comfort and a decent boot probably are. Think I've narrowed my search to a 2018 -> Leaf 👍 Strangely I watched this yesterday - whilst I would always trust a Yorkshire man, it's definitely a Leaf I'm looking for 😁

I'm looking for a bit of a sense check regarding my latest crazy motoring idea! It would be useful to have another car available for general urban communting duties (maximum single journey would require a range around 100 miles). We have a new Skoda Karoq (and a Mii and 2 older cars), but the Karoq is likely to be the main family car for the foreseeable future (hopefully at least 5 years like the Suzuki it replaced). I've been looking round for something which would be a runaround for the whole family and as car prices are vastly inflated at the moment, choice / value is therefore limited. I ideally want something inexpensive to run/maintain/insure, which is generally undemanding, safe and smallish. I do not currently have a wall-box charger, but can park another car off-road, with convenient access to facilities (external socket) and I'm also in the process of exploring home EV charging installations. Apparently the home wiring is new enough not to present any issues. Whilst I have experienced several Tesla's recently, I'm not in the position to purchase one as a second car, given even something second hand will be £25-30k and frankly the performance is well in excess of our needs. Budget is around £10k. I did however think an EV may be particularly suited for this role and my mind has turned to the Nissan Leaf, which based on research I understand is a very mature platform and known for reliability? The original (2010-2017) cars are now pretty old and many of them have limited battery capacity, as they appear to suffer degradation owing to a lack of thermal management? Many of the older cars have a range <70 miles, which precludes consideration given our requirements, although despite this many low mileage examples remain in the £5-8k range. The later generation Leaf (2018 ->) still lacks thermal battery management, so I understand isn't suited to daily multiple rapid charging/longer journeys, but the lower battery (40 kWh) model appears to have a genuine 120 (winter) and 160 (summer) range, which would appear ideal for our needs. I gather the Leaf's charging technology (Chademo) is now outdated, but if the vast majority of charging was done at home (overnight) would be no particular limitation, given the car's intended use. I would be looking at an appropriate electricity tariff for home charging overnight. The Tekna models appeal from a tech perspective - leather, Bose, semi autonomous driving and the ability to remotely pre-warm / pre-cool the car whilst charging. I've read numerous user reviews and actual Leaf owners seem very positive, whereas the mainstream motoring press is less so and typically directs you to something new, which is not a consideration given cost. I have spotted a few 2019 40 kWh Tekna models and I understand drivetrain (motor and battery) warranty extends to 8 years / 100k miles, so is covered for a few years/miles yet. For this kind of budget alternative conventional hatchbacks are generally older / higher mileage. Whilst I've owned many (120+) cars over the years I am an EV newbie and therefore grateful for your thoughts on this latest motoring pipedream 👍

Not much chance of any kind of sunset this evening☔, but pretty decent last night👍

Same for me. I seem to recall it relates to the Privacy settings, accessed via the infotainment screen?

Pinkish tinge this evening

Another colourful one this evening.......

Colourful end to the day.........