On the sticker under the boot carpet it tells you what options are on the car including the service regime set up. They are all set to variable from the factory.

My garage had reset mine to fixed without asking me, soon got that changed back

I do about 15k miles a year. I had an Audi A6 1.8T a few years ago on variable and had no problem with it

My opinion is, and has always been, buy the car alone from the Dealer ..... get the other stuff from specialists, much cheaper!

I am looking to a petrol vRS - the target the Dealer will have is the DtD price ... a Skoda Dealer somewhere can do it at that price, they all can!

With the scrappage scheme ending soon and the VAT Rate back up, there will be some better offers in April I feel.

Although, a Petrol vRS Hatch at £15,200 something is pretty much a bargain for a 200BHP car!

Can someone tell me what maxidot is?

Can someone tell me what maxidot is?

It's just a pretty display screen in the dashboard. Can do basic graphics (turn arrows for satnav etc.)

Maxidot:

Alternative:

However i believe that this is just an option for the dealers to make more money on servicing, cars with twice as much mileage between services will in theory eventually halve their service work load. they will in theory only get to do one service in warranty period if an owner drives 12000 miles per year or less.

I see where you're coming from, and from your point of view you'll be ok -- it really wont matter either way for you, there will be no issues with the car on longlife servicing in your 3 years of ownership.

However the engine will need a new turbo, and various other issues (worst is black death) sooner than it would have on normal servicing, but this is going to happen 5 or 7 years +. Not really a concern for someone in your position. The garage really are just trying to share benefit of their knowledge & experience.

Longlife servicing was designed by the techies for mega milers, but the message was "massaged" by marketing dept to appeal to fleet buyers looking to save a bob or two over the first 3 years.

If a car's doing 30k motorway miles a year, it's not going to need oil changed every 10k miles == long life servicing ideal.

A car only idling about town at traffic lights on stop start journeys for a total of say 6k miles a year -- that engine will really want the oil changed before 12 months. Joe punter will plead ignorance but his garage will advise more frequent oil changes (so will the cars instruction manual). Same joe punter will be looking for 50% off a turbo outside warranty right enough... poor garages!

It's all contrary to what Joe punter tells himself really -- his garage his never told him anything other than the right thing, it's just Joe always finds / dreams up ways to justify spending less on maintainance.

OK. Good stuff guys.

Sounds like a no to everything the dealer is flogging! Investment in a decent Collinite wax instead of the £300 Diamondbrite treatment, gap insurance to be taken out after 1 year with one of the recommended online companies, and I'm going to stick to the 10,000 mile/yearly service regime so no maintenance cover from them either .

On the subject of the bluetooth connection are people saying that the only way to integrate with the Bolero is to go with the Fiscon set up? Will that support the 3 network unlike the OE bluetooth? At £400 odd it looks an expensive option or maybe I'll just have to talk more to get the value!

Also can anyone give me any advice on running in the engine? Obviously I'm not going to rag it from the off, but I'd like to have a bit of fun. Unfortunately I pick the car up at lunchtime on Monday and then have to park it up and catch a train to Manchester mid afternoon. Planning on a blast down to Devon to see my folks that weekend though and I'm hoping to be impressed. Last six years pootling around in a 1.4 Fiesta, which handles well but didn't quite have the smiles per mile I remember from the 205GTi of my youth. Like to think that this VRs will be the grown up option!

OK. Good stuff guys.

Sounds like a no to everything the dealer is flogging! Investment in a decent Collinite wax instead of the £300 Diamondbrite treatment, gap insurance to be taken out after 1 year with one of the recommended online companies, and I'm going to stick to the 10,000 mile/yearly service regime so no maintenance cover from them either .

On the subject of the bluetooth connection are people saying that the only way to integrate with the Bolero is to go with the Fiscon set up? Will that support the 3 network unlike the OE bluetooth? At £400 odd it looks an expensive option or maybe I'll just have to talk more to get the value!

Also can anyone give me any advice on running in the engine? Obviously I'm not going to rag it from the off, but I'd like to have a bit of fun. Unfortunately I pick the car up at lunchtime on Monday and then have to park it up and catch a train to Manchester mid afternoon. Planning on a blast down to Devon to see my folks that weekend though and I'm hoping to be impressed. Last six years pootling around in a 1.4 Fiesta, which handles well but didn't quite have the smiles per mile I remember from the 205GTi of my youth. Like to think that this VRs will be the grown up option!

Regards running in keep bellow 4000 revs for first 1000 miles

For running in i pretty much did it by the book for the first 600 miles (around 1000km's) then was sensible but gave it some beans too there was another thread on here about running in a month or so ago with lots of should you rag it from the start or behave. the rag it from the start mob seemed to be saying that they used no oil in their cars at all, the run in by the book seemed to say it used oil i kind of did half and half mine used a fair bit from the off but i am now at about 1200 miles and over the last week or so has used nothing at all .... fingers x'd it will stay that way as it aint cheap the oil

be careful delaying your gap insurance because although your car insurer may give you the full amount in the first 12 months should anything happen, most gap insurers seem to only offer return to invoice insurance if you have bought the car in the last 90-120 days. my plan is to source a 4 year cover after i have owned my car about 85 days ISH unless people know of companies who will do rti 12 months in?