SteveTheElder

I reckon that's a good price for those tyres, good effort. In due course, please let us know what you think of them.

The guys at TyreReviews appear to agree greater longevity with the EfficientGrip 2... https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Goodyear/EfficientGrip-Performance-2.htm

On the pre-FL cars there is physical switch beneath the Infotainment screen to turn on/off the Park Assist screen. Tap that (if the FL cars have it) and your Nav screen should come back.

No, the 'standard' version. https://www.protyre.co.uk/tyres/goodyear/efficientgrip-performance/product/2055517VGOEFGRPE

My 1.5 TSI SEL FE estate came fitted with Michelin Primacy 4 (205/55-17), changed them at 45,000 miles (a tad early because I was heading off fully loaded on a two month European road trip). Anyway, to answer your question, my go to tyres are now Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance. By comparison to the Primacy 4 I feel they are quieter, give a more supple ride, plenty of grip, feel more sure footed under heavy braking, and I reckon about 5-8% better fuel economy. Current set have covered 35,000 miles and I reckon a good 15-20k left (near as damn-it 5mm left). OK, they probably come in the premium tyre category but I think they're worth it. Just checked my preferred, local-ish, tyre fitter and they're lower price than some tyres in the mid-range brands (Falken, Toyo). As a slight aside, I also fitted these on my previous Mk2 Superb; similar gains (especially the ride and economy) over the previous Continental PremiumContact on it previously.

Could it be a tyre? I pose that question because on my previous car, a Mk2 Superb, I had a low noise which I thought was wheel bearing; the Master Technician at my local dealer came on a short drive with me and his thoughts were wheel bearing. Put it on the ramp, checked, bearings were fine. Turned out to be a tyre. A very slight bulge on the inside tyre wall, probably caused by some pot-hole. Changed the tyre and noise gone. According to the tyre depot the bulge was so slight it would not have been an MOT failure but there was some minor structural damage internally. If your rim is dented potentially your tyre is damaged too.

Good to see that the ADT will include private flights in the coming years. The rates of Air Passenger Duty are ridiculously low. For an internal flight in economy, it is a mere £8. So, should my wife and I choose to visit friends on the Black Isle and fly from Southampton to Inverness it is £16 (2x£8) in duty. If I drive, fuel duty, and VAT on that duty (not the VAT on the base fuel cost), would amount to £28.60. Bonkers. [Rant over, for now!]

I still reckon all flights should attract greater green levies in light of their greenhouse gas emissions. The individual motorists is too easy a target whereas airlines & airports have a powerful lobby influencing governments.

Just a thought... I wonder if there is a limit on the number of concurrent bluetooth device connections that car can support. If there is and, for example, you have your phone connected it may see the media player but not be able to connect to it. I mention this because I spent ages trying to get my My NextBase dashcam to connect to the app whilst in the car. Eventually, I worked out that It does connect fine, provided I disconnect from CarPlay 🙄

Not today, but Monday. A lovely Rover 110 at Cairn Lodge services (M74)

Sounds like you’ve either lost confidence or don’t have a good rapport with the dealer (or both), in which case I would be looking elsewhere. A good independent should be able to do everything a dealer can, but as you say finding one is easier said than done. Interestingly a Škoda dealer near me is advertising servicing for VW and Seat as well as Škoda - would be worth a chat with you nearby VW dealer, hopefully you’ll get a positive response.

@Evolution13 I've never used RainX - got put off it ages ago when it talked of the criticality of cleaning the screen before applying it. Is the in your photo a single application version?

On my early Mk4 (2020) there are options to change colour and brightness of the ambient lighting; I assume similar on the newer FL models so maybe check for the brightness settings.

Is your 2025 Octavia is a facelift model? I’d assume so, else it’d be one of the last of the pre-fl models. What is your query about traffic and road closures? Mine has done that from day 1; really quite helpful. Maybe a function of your user permissions - something to do with location 🤷‍♂️ On my pre-fl car there is a setting to save the PIN in the infotainment system; yes, reduces security a bit but massively reduces the faff! I leave my climate control on Auto, with temps set at 21C +/-1; the car retains that setting. IIRC, that syncs to the Škoda servers ‘cos on the rare occasion my wife drives it as her user and sets different temperatures it sets back to my preference when my user is selected.

A tough time for you but you now have a new chapter ahead of you, the new car is a nice way to get started in it. All the best.