OLD AGE CRISIS

[daveo138]

Ultra Glaco sounds like good stuff, but I see what you mean about the broken English...

 

Quote: "Warning

.              - Do not inhale directly

               - Keep out of Children..."

[Superb170]

The paddles are certainly worth it.  I use them a lot even though the gearbox is very good on its own as an auto.  When you use the paddles to change manually the box goes back to auto mode again after a few seconds however, you can flick the gear lever to the left and go into proper manual mode where it stays in manual until you change it back to D.  You can change on the floor in manual mode but the paddles are the best.

[Sagalout]

As to the DSG gear changes. 

You can drive it as a manual by simply using the gear lever. Difference is that you simply push forward to change down and flick back to change up (or is it the other way around?). So you dont need the paddles to use it like a manual.

Some like them, I dont. I had them on previous cars and never used them after the initial play. I am of a generation that is used to going to the gear stick to change gear so I would often forget to use the paddles. You may find the same thing? Either way they are not that expensive to spec so nothing too much to worry about really.

 

In the final analysis the DSG is so good for 'everyday' driving that I would bet a shilling to a pound that you will both just leave it in auto 99% of the time. Of course if you are a closet Lewis Hamilton then maybe you should spec them 

[Rainmaker]

9 hours ago, daveo138 said:

Ultra Glaco sounds like good stuff, but I see what you mean about the broken English...

 

Quote: "Warning

.              - Do not inhale directly

               - Keep out of Children..."

 

[john999boy]

On 28/03/2017 at 22:09, Rainmaker said:

 

In the UK the rear wiper is a free optional extra. You can tick the box or not, but the price is the same either way. I ordered my 220 hatch with the wiper, and was glad at first. It certainly clears the rear screen. Then I discovered Soft99 Ultra Glaco rain repellent (based on fluorine polymers), and wish I hadn't bothered getting it at all. The wiper spoils the rear lines of the car somewhat imho, and with Ultra Glaco the rear visibility is perfect.

 

It's not like RainX of old where you scrubbed for hours to get rid of the oily film, which inevitably juddered your wipers and smeared for weeks. It comes in a shoe polish style bottle, from which you remove the cap, turn it upside down to apply the little felt pad to the glass, wipe over and then wait. Over a few minutes the liquid goes cloudy, and you then simply wipe away with a cloth. No pressure or scrubbing required, and no smears, unlike RainX. It's like a fine powder that just disappears to the touch. It lasts up to a year at a time and by heck it shifts the water. Anything from about 25mph onwards and the water just flies off the glass, but even stationary it keeps the water beaded up so you have great visibility regardless. It's only relatively cheap, and I did every window on the car (plus wing mirrors) with about 1/4 bottle. Super stuff and means you don't need the wiper. Your call.

 

@Rainmaker Looking to get some of this as you recommend it so highly but just wondered if you did get rid of the 'oily film' prior to applying it or did the actual Ultra Glaco application somehow sort it?

Edited 30 March, 2017 by john999boy

[Rainmaker]

45 minutes ago, john999boy said:

 

@Rainmaker Looking to get some of this as you recommend it so highly but just wondered if you did get rid of the 'oily film' prior to applying it or did the actual Ultra Glaco application somehow sort it?

 

I should have been clearer, sorry. I was talking about the smeary film RainX always leaves behind, which meant I stopped using it a couple of years ago. 

 

To prepare for Glaco, ideally you wash the car, clay the windows (optional), then use either Glaco compound cleaning wipes or (much cheaper) a wipe down of the glass with dilute isopropyl alcohol or panel wipe. The wipe down gets rid of any residual oils, grease or dirt and leaves the cleanest possible surface. The cleaner the glass on application, the longer Glaco will last (up to a year). 

 

Soft99 sell their own glass cleaner which helps keep Glaco topped up but it's not essential. Just bear in mind many normal glass sprays will leave behind silicones or other fillers/sealants which can interfere with Glaco until they wear off again. 

[Robbydazzler]

Having studied the Superb more closely a couple of questions please.

1. Most photos show the car without a rear wiper is it necessary? I have had one of these on cars for years and would be reluctant to lose it.

 

2. I believe that the DSG gears can be changed manually with steering wheel paddles. Do these come automatically with the car or are they an extra? Can the DSG "gearstick" be used as a manual gear change? ( wife likes manuals)

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how cheap the insurance is even for the 280 L&K!

[Robbydazzler]

Sorry if I am becoming boring but having actually visited a dealer and observed several versions the following thoughts occur to me.

 

1.Is there any external colour thats looks good with dark brown leather? It looked ghastly (in my opinion) with Black Magic paintwork.

2.Liked beige leather. Is it as hard to keep clean as I suspect it might be?

3.Liked the sportsline and the L&K but the deciding factor might just be that I prefer leather to alcantara.

4. Still trying to justify 280 & 4X4 over 220 and finding it increasingly difficult to do so with my driving circumstances.

5.The salesman at the local Skoda agent latched on to us immediately and tried to sell us a PCP agreement. Don't trust it as I don't understand it and will stick to cash.He tried to make us sign by suggesting Superbs were hard to obtain and if we didn't we would have to wait ages. He also said that he could not give discounts. I looked on autotrader and found loads of Superbs of all varieties with a few thousand miles and some Pre Regs with delivery miles .Also using Car Wow you can get a £4.5K discount on a new L&K 220!

Edited 30 March, 2017 by Robbydazzler

[Sagalout]

Robby, the answer to your questions about the DSG is given a couple of posts above.

 

Ignore the local sales bod, go with CARWOW or similar. The car comes from a main stealer just maybe not your local one! You still get all the protection and you can have it serviced etc at any dealer, it doesn't have to be the one you buy from.

 

As to brown leather. I have it in my L&K but with the discontinued Rosso Brunello colour and it looks good.I have had loads of positive comments about it. However, it is a marmite colour so if you have doubts then don't do it would be my advice. I would guess that cappuchino beige exterior would likely look OK with the brown leather.

 

I would agree with your feeling about the 220 versus the 280. By all accounts the 220 is plenty enough for mere mortals and given your description of your typical driving excursions I think the 280 would never be used to anywhere near fully.

[SimonTVRS]

On 3/26/2017 at 08:56, Robbydazzler said:

I am too old for a mid life crisis but ,having never had a flagship model of any car , I am considering purchasing a Superb Mk3 L&K 2.0 petrol 4x4 DSG. My present car is a SEAT Toledo Style Advanced 1.2 TSI (think top spec Rapid). I am an OAP and drive about 4000 miles per year almost exclusively urban. Never had an auto but have driven one.There is just  my wife and I to drive. Coffin dodgers frivolity or justified eccentricity? What do you think?

 

A year away from OAPdom I just bought an Octavia VRS TFSI. When a friend asked if I was having a mid-life crisis, I told him not to be silly; I never grew up so how could I be having a mid-life crisis?

 

Seriously though - if you can afford it and your OH is in accord, you won't regret it!

[Superb170]

On the beige matching external, I agree with Sagalout, cappuchino beige does look well with it and I've seen business grey with it too and it doesn't look too bad.  Beige is not as difficult to keep clean as you might think.  I've had it in three Superbs and not real hassle with it.  A quick wipe with a moist cloth every once in a while does the job

[wooyay]

38 minutes ago, Robbydazzler said:

4. Still trying to justify 280 & 4X4 over 220 and finding it increasingly difficult to do so with my driving circumstances.

 

I was in a similar quandary over the 220 or 280 - see my topic about it here with lots of useful replies: 220 or 280?

 

I test drove an Octavia VRS with the 220 engine and it was a very capable engine. In the end I went for what my heart was telling me (280) and I don't regret it at all. After all you only live once; the difference in insurance between the two were negligible - about £5 or so.

 

The 4x4 works well. Not once has the car struggled for grip and the oomph you get from the loud pedal would make even the most miserable person grin like an idiot.

 

Would I be unhappy in a 220? Far from it, but the 280 is better still, in my opinion anyway.

 

Ignore the salesman. They'll be pushing PCP as they'll have financial incentive to do so. It seems to be a hard task to actually buy a car with cash these days...

[freelunch]

Need, want. Need, want. I wanted the 280 4x4, but I went with common sense and a very good offer.

 

It's your money. Your choice.

 

Want. Need. (It's a tough one, but it's only money.) 

[Prykey]

2 hours ago, Robbydazzler said:

Sorry if I am becoming boring but having actually visited a dealer and observed several versions the following thoughts occur to me.

 

1.Is there any external colour thats looks good with dark brown leather? It looked ghastly (in my opinion) with Black Magic paintwork.

2.Liked beige leather. Is it as hard to keep clean as I suspect it might be?

3.Liked the sportsline and the L&K but the deciding factor might just be that I prefer leather to alcantara.

4. Still trying to justify 280 & 4X4 over 220 and finding it increasingly difficult to do so with my driving circumstances.

5.The salesman at the local Skoda agent latched on to us immediately and tried to sell us a PCP agreement. Don't trust it as I don't understand it and will stick to cash.He tried to make us sign by suggesting Superbs were hard to obtain and if we didn't we would have to wait ages. He also said that he could not give discounts. I looked on autotrader and found loads of Superbs of all varieties with a few thousand miles and some Pre Regs with delivery miles .Also using Car Wow you can get a £4.5K discount on a new L&K 220!

 

I've got beige ventilated leather with Magnetic Brown Metallic and this looks stunning, not found the beige too difficult to keep clean, I use Dr Leather Wipes, I have the L&K 280 Hatch with a few added additional options. I originally ordered the 220 but the 280 was an itch that I kept scratching and then changed my order

 

If you don't want PCP or PCH just tell them no thank you (they get commission for selling it and also don't buy GAP Insurance from them!) I have the foc Rear Wiper and cannot understand all the comments about it ruins the look, however I would agree that the positioning of the rear washer jet is rubbish, much the same as the front washer jets on MY 16 cars I'm hoping that mine is covered by a service bulletin to replace the front ones as many have already.

 

Dealers are there to sell cars, if you have the cash just walk away if they aren't willing to do a deal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eurotraveller]

The push to sell PCP loans is becoming a pet-hate of mine. I have a fairly recent experience at a VW dealership where they pushed so hard I finally had to give them a firm ultimatum: “Sell me the car for cash at the agreed price, or I’m happy to walk away.” Very grudgingly, they did. Even then, when it came to collecting the car, they tried again! Needless to say, I’d never walk into that place again.

 

There are obviously various good reasons for them to push rental so hard, the underlying one being that the car companies have become finance companies with some car assembly (mostly not even manufacture) attached to them. That’s clearly where the money is, but they’re not having it from me.

 

I bet their sales seminars these days cover little other than selling PCPs. And I’ve noticed different brands using the same seminar providers because the spiel is always so similar, down to the very same hand gestures with the keys. Give me a break!

 

PS: go for the 280; you know you want to!

[Bluefleet321]

On 28/03/2017 at 22:09, Rainmaker said:

 

In the UK the rear wiper is a free optional extra. You can tick the box or not, but the price is the same either way. I ordered my 220 hatch with the wiper, and was glad at first. It certainly clears the rear screen. Then I discovered Soft99 Ultra Glaco rain repellent (based on fluorine polymers), and wish I hadn't bothered getting it at all. The wiper spoils the rear lines of the car somewhat imho, and with Ultra Glaco the rear visibility is perfect.

 

I have just ordered a Sportline in Moon White that is already built so had a couple of extras I wouldn't have ordered. One of them is a rear wiper. Someone told me that you can remove it and fit a blanking plate. Anyone done that by chance?

 

if so, is it simple and where would I get the bits. Really don't want a wiper cluttering the rear screen. 

[david 1220]

Regarding the use/mileage , read somewhere in the makers "bumf" not to use the car for short trips. BUT having said that i am 74 --- bought a 190 L&K last year ( we tow a caravan ) i like being a snob....................

[philpix]

I thought the rear wiper was mandatory if you order the rear parking camera.

It certainly was when I ordered mine.

Also I took delivery last October and the washers have been modified and cover the screen well.

Edited 16 May, 2017 by philpix

[Bluefleet321]

5 minutes ago, philpix said:

I thought the rear wiper was mandatory if you order the rear parking camera.

It certainly was when I ordered mine.

Also I took delivery last October and the washers have been modified and cover the screen well.

Doesn't appear mandatory on the website. Each thing can be selected individually. The camera is positioned near the boot handle and nowhere near the rear screen hence no real reason to be required to have both. They will have no effect on each other. 

[philpix]

The rear screen washer also activates the water jet that clears the camera lens.

[facet edge]

12 minutes ago, Bluefleet321 said:

Doesn't appear mandatory on the website. Each thing can be selected individually. The camera is positioned near the boot handle and nowhere near the rear screen hence no real reason to be required to have both. They will have no effect on each other. 

It was mandatory when I ordered mine last October. I think it may be the washer for the camera comes with the plumbing for the wiper.

 

 

Beat me to it @philpix !

Edited 16 May, 2017 by facet edge

[philpix]

The configurator has clearly changed since I ordered my MY17 hatch. I had no choice back then.

[Bluefleet321]

12 minutes ago, philpix said:

The configurator has clearly changed since I ordered my MY17 hatch. I had no choice back then.

Indeed, I'm learning fast that the configurator is not the most trust worthy thing in the world  

[Sagalout]

I recently took a week 9/MY17 hatch with a rear view camera and NO rear wiper. Go figure 

[Robbydazzler]

After 2 months prevarication and self doubt I have finally taken the plunge and bought an L&K 280 in Moon White. 2 months old, 3K on the clock and £9K off the new price. Sunroof and 19 inch alloys as extras. Deliberated a long while over 220 against 280; SE L Exec against Sportline against L&K but finally decided that if I was going to be mad enough to buy one at my age I may as well be totally insane and buy the flagship. Hope I don't live to regret it!!!!!!