pinkpanther

Pretty sky last night.........

Further update - the noise from both the from LHS and steering motor continues and my local dealership have received further information from Skoda technical - I'll keep you posted 👍

The Michelins will more than likely e my tyre of choice when the time comes 👍

Had high hopes for tonight, but arrived a little too late 😔

Happy Summer Solstice!

Realise now how the hybrid geese come to be - never seen this before (and hadn't previously thought it biologically possible)!

Visited Kedleston today, where we came across the angriest Swan! Lots of Oyster Catchers at Kedlestone too, including a chick!

Slim pickings for photo opportunities this evening, although a huge bug nearly joined us in the car!!

Given how Toyota were pretty much the de-facto hybrid manufacturer for many years I'd assumed they had something like this up their corporate sleeve ⚡ I remember a few years an old friend who worked in automotive design saying there was a big focus on integrating motors into axles/hubs in order to save space and improve efficiency. That is now pretty much all the major manufacturers committed to an all- electric future, with the obvious exception of Mazda, who have recently released six cylinder petrol and diesel versions of their CX SUV range 🤷‍♂️ Both the projected range of the new battery technology and charge times may well be a game-changer I suspect? Reuters

Both the lake and the roof of the car make the most of the reflections!

Skinflint Yorkshireman here, so free 'Energy' blue for me! A colleague at work has a Mazda in the 'special' Soul Red colour, and found there is a considerable premium if any touch-up / scratch repair is required. Apparently the colour is made up of many layers and is difficult (costly) to repair. I had wondered if this might attract a premium on the insurance? I used the cash saved on the paint to pay for winter pack plus😄

I did comment to the service agent that we appear to be heading back in time to a day when various bushes and so such require lubrication - after all the car is not a Morris Minor!

As previously mentioned I suspect the battery may be coming to the end of it's useful life, as in my experience stop-start not working is a symptom of either a discharged battery, or one with failing residual capacity. I previously owned a fabulous Mk 1 4x4 1.8T Octavia estate (purchased from a wonderful member on here!) and the original (Varta) battery eventually failed at 15 years of age! I tend to change cars fairly frequently, so failing batteries were never particularly evident to me, although the (Exide) battery on my old SX4 S-Cross failed completely at 4 years & 55k miles, pretty much without warning. My battery tester tells me the original (Varta) battery fitted to my 2018 SEAT Mii (40k miles) has a significantly depleted capacity and requires replacement, despite easily starting the car and stop-start still working appropriately.

They clearly have excess stock to shift!

After following this thread with interest (and previously falling foul of changing VAG UK guidance on cambelt replacement policy - relating to the purchase of a MK1 Octavia vRS) I can only hope if I continue to own my 1.5 Karoq in five years time the replacement cost of the timing belt has fallen considerably, as both main dealers and specialists become more familiar (adept) at the intricacies involved🤞 I recall clutch replacement on a Mondeo I previously owned initially required suspension to be moved, whereas a technique was later developed to avoid this added expense. This all makes the Kona EV previously mentioned sound like a hassle-free option!!

Prompted by the recent resurrection of this thread (https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/506348-front-knocking-noise-from-lhs-we-think/) I thought I'd post regarding my recent experience with our model year 23 (manufactured March 2023 & delivered April 2023) manual Karoq 1.5 SE-L. Pretty much from picking the car up I noticed a noise from the left front top mount area, most evident during low speed maneuvering (parking etc). I eventually found the time to drop it in with the supplying dealer, who to their credit took a look straight away and subsequently booked it in for further investigation. Despite the car only being a matter of weeks old there is apparently a recent service bulletin regarding this noise - I was told rhe original fix was to replace the top mount, although updated advice from the factory was to lubricate with lithium grease. The area was subsequently lubricated and at present the noise appears to have abated. Whilst the car was in for investigation the technician identified a noise from the steering, which appears to relate to the electric motor. I'm told the car remains safe to drive and a request has been submitted for replacement under warranty, although I understand has been on back order for some considerable time. The passenger side front window mechanism has also begun to make considerable noise, although only whilst going down, and was lubricated with advice to monitor and report back. In the meantime the car remains exceptionally economical (a good 15-20% more MPG than the admittedly 4WD 1.4 SX4S-Cross it replaced), although I am beginning to find it difficult to drive smoothly (I have never stalled any manual car as often!) and now regret not opting for the automatic option, which I'm sure would integrate much better with the electronic handbrake and make for a more convenient drive, especially whilst in traffic. The Karoq in-car entertainment system continues to infuriate and, despite appearing much improved over the last Yeti I owned, is in practice frustrating to use whilst driving and is actually less functional, despite it's 'connected' characteristics (which will expire in one year!). I will post a further update regarding progress with both the noise, steering and window 👍

My SEL just has the standard LED headlights, although I must say they are impressively bright, and a significant step up from the AFS Xenons in previous Yeti's (and the LED headlights in my old SX4 S-Cross)👍

A few from yesterday's walk - found a new spot from which to watch the sunset and glad we stayed later as the colours just got better and better🙂

Had high hopes for the sunset this evening, but it petered out to nothing sadly. Did spot some ducklings though 👍

A few from a local nature reserve.......

The Moon is stunning this evening 🌛

A few from this evening's walk.........

Had a play with my phone's Macro mode

Mum and Dad have them well organised 👍

Glorious at Rufford Park this evening and pleased to see both families are still around (10 & 4 goslings)🙂