Taxi Driver Online

Ah yes, but here in deepest Kent we've had the M20 closed for 3 days due to snow; some of the hills off the M20 blocked for more than a week...Sandgate Hill on the A259 at Folkestone is always a problem with a bit of cold weather BUT we've NEVER had a problem going up or down it with automatic gearbox cars! Careful use of gear selection and a light foot are helpful.

For those inexperienced in severe winter driving conditions, your auto boxes probably are better.
There is still nothing to beat a front wheel drive with snow tyres and a manual box, when it's in the hands of a driver used to these conditions. (Except a 4x4)

BTW, last time I saw reports of blocked roads round your way, they seemed to be blocked by cars, rather than the snow.

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My old Auto car was spot on in snow. The new one with ESP is yet to be tested.

We'll save excess of £1000 and not worry about the thing going wrong if you choose manual, and if you choose auto just proves you're a lazy driver, plus in snow you have no clutch control, how much bite in which gear etc,

you can select "1" and they have traction control now dont they?...

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Auto doesn't have a dual mass flywheel to go wrong!

going wrong aint the issue, the £900 bill is

mind you, we could do without EGR valves and £1500 injector pumps too

and high pressure injectors at £1000 for 4

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Well traction control can't replace the clutch, it just reduces engine power, but even my German (Czech assembled) skoda hasn't avoided the new diesel faits with it having to get a new EGR valve the other week fortunately through warranty, was a 5 hour operation with a lot I'd the engine having to be stripped out

Nah them DSG gearboxes are bullet proof.

Christ that didnt take long did it...how many miles?


FIVE HOURS? FKIN HELL, I can change mine in 20 minutes, when its out of warranty thats gonna cost you £500 at least

BTW, where was yours built, can you tell from the VIN plate?

Kvasiny, Czech Republic
Aurangabad, India (Škoda India)
Anting, China (Shanghai Volkswagen)
Solomonovo, Ukraine (Eurocar)
Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

its now on 29,000 miles, and yes the EML came on and suspected the egr, with the new CR engines it's a pain in the backside, the old PD units where so much easier to work with, I loved my last Octavia with that truly bulletproof 1.9 TDI pd and it never had a egr done, they could go 500,000 mile easy, best Diesel engine made hands down, but these cr units are no where near as reliable

So the consensus seems to be a diesel manual Octavia!

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"Yesterday I was clever, and I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise,and want to change myself"...Rumi

It also depends how heavy you are on the left foot if you go for a manual box! Many cabbies in my area use manual boxes and are having to replace clutches and flywheels at alarming intervals. so far I've not replaced an auto box in my cars (except my Range Rover which is a known fault on the 3 litre diesel).

I still stick by auto boxes, why make yourself more work having to keep changing gear? and the auto box is nearly always in the right gear for fuel economy. You might tend to stick in a lower gear longer with a manual.

Whatever car you get, budget for it going wrong and costing you money!

Agreed. I am kind of tilting more towards manual anyway. Just wanted to get feel of what you guys thought which is better between the Octavia and Avensis. I think the skoda is more favoured.

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"Yesterday I was clever, and I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise,and want to change myself"...Rumi

go and try some cars before making any decisions, dont rule out petrols or automatics

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most