Fatbloke

I don't believe air is getting in. It will be the pads bedding in. Until the surface is worn to match the disc only high points on the disc and pad surface will be making contact and this causes a slight loss in performance and a spongey feel. Bed them in gently and after 100 miles or so they will feel like normal.

I run a stone grey metallic octavia and have noticed that the painted plastic parts are a slight mismatch with the bodywork which is not unusual for a metallic. (I have seen it on Audis that are the same colour). However the rear bumper seems to be quite noticably different. The car has not been repaired while I have had it and I bought it as an ex demo. When I bought it the match appeared fine and almost seems to have faded? for some reason. My new local Skoda dealer were no help at all (Sylk Macclesfield) Any body got any advice please?

Rather than them being "hidden" it could just be that it is convenient to mount them in the signs. In the short term they must have significant value as a way of keeping an eye on the genuine criminals on the busiest roads in the north west and if the law swings in their favour they are already equipped to generate a fortune for the government.

Just had this round at work regarding the cameras from the motorcycle section; "Just phoned a friend of mine who works in "traffic" for the Gerkas ... sorry, Cheshire Police. He told me that these cameras have got the capability to carry out the claims but are not, as yet, legally enforceable. He pointed out that all 'safety cameras or devices that are automated & fixed MUST carry warning signs prior to the location of the equipment. This is current law. However, the Police are apparently trying to change this. The SPECS are used mainly for traffic data & detection of stolen vehicles & are front facing, therefore a bike plate won't be detectable. Certain SPEC's are accompanied by CCTV, so he said not to wheelie past it or you may be 'spoken to' further down the road! It certainly sounds like the signs are equipped unles this is perpetuating the hoax.

I have a 2.0 which uses quite a bit of oil, particularly when I do a lot of motorway miles. I was told that the engine has spray nozzles under the pistons cooling the crowns from the underside and this tends to evaporate a bit off. The vapours will pass through the breather and be harmlessly burned off. My only concern is that the oil residues will gradually concentrate, thickening the oil. My car is on variable service intervals but I decided to change the oil early myself. It was thick and quite black. The new 0W-30 oil was like water in comparison.

Do Skoda want to shut down the smaller dealerships? They appear to be pricing the smaller family run garages out of the franchise by demanding costly upgrades to their premises. It has happened to two of dealers I have used, Station Garage in Mossley and Finnikins in Leek. The personal touch is being lost as Skoda becomes a clone of all the other manufacturers. Rant over.

It could be your hydraulic tappets sticking a little. It is quite common on all types of car, you may need an oil change or it could be just mileage. It isn't a problem unless it doesn't clear within a reasonable time after starting.

Has anybody used any additional soundproofing? I have the 2.0 Ambiente and I find the engine noise a bit intrusive at 3-3.5K which means 85+cruising on the Mway to avoid the drone but the road noise is fairly significant as well. I am considering the kit from noise killers ~

An article from motorcycle news. Hope it might help somebody. A safety camera on the M4 has photographed 2500 motorists who were fined despite driving legally. The camera was placed to catch speeding cars, bikes and trucks in a temporary 50mph limit in road works around junction 24 of the M4 outside Newport. Instead it flashed people who left the 50mph zone and were legally increasing their pace to the national motorway limit. The camera has been in place from July 2002 until October 2003. The innocent drivers have paid fines totalling approximately