Eric Bloodaxe

Not round my way it isn't - if anything it seems worse than before, possibly because people are avoiding public transport, partly due to conflicting government advice, partly because no-one wants to sit in a bus or train wearing a 😷! 😀

Lol me neither - I've never even looked for where the button is on this car!😀 My mpg does seem to have picked up a bit since the end of lockdown - my average over the last 2 tankfuls (using my usual "brim to brim" method) was 53.7 and 49.8. I'm only doing the same driving pattern as before, so maybe the car's getting loosened off at last!

Don't know how the used prices compare now, but in 2018 there was only about £500 in it even when new. The 100 is perfectly fine for most use, but the 125 does have that bit of extra urge and there is no particular penalty fuel consumption wise. Many members on here seem to get mid-40's from any version - the computer on my 140 is reading 50.3mpg average since I last filled up.

The gearbox seems to have been more of an issue on Mk 7.5 140 Fiestas with quite a few reports on here, though as others say, if you don't have a problem you won't post about it!😀 The Polo can seem a bit boring, the Ibiza and Audi A1 are basically the same mechanically. For a broadly equivalent engine to the Ecoboost you really need to look at the 1.4 COD (cylinder on demand) engine which gave 140ps (or 150ps in later cars) and is found in the Polo GT, Ibiza FR and A1. This has now been upped to 1.5 (but the same power) on current models but many members on various VW/Audi/Seat forums seem to rate the 1.4 more highly. I've test driven the 1.4 COD in various VW Group models and been very impressed with it. However, IMO the Polo/Ibiza/A1 don't handle as well as the Fiesta, so as ever, down to personal preference as to what matters most to you.

So, from what I've been able to deduce from today's statistics so far: A further 77 people have, sadly, died from coronavirus (by the "28 day" measure) 5,377 have been removed from the tally of coronavirus fatalities as a result of the review We are currently 5 times more likely to die from flu than coronavirus, deaths from flu having outstripped those from Covid-19 for the last 7 weeks in a row One does wonder what to make of it all.............😳

It seems there will now be not one, but three ways of recording deaths in England. The existing one will still be used for an historical comparison, then the deaths of people who were tested positive within 28 of death (as already used in the other UK nations) and a new one, those who died within 60 days of testing positive. That should give lots more numbers to bamboozle us with!😀

No problems with mine (fingers crossed as ever!😀). Can be a matter of luck/batch of faulty components with these I think. (Last problem we had with a sensor was about 15 years ago on the Mrs's Mk 1 Ka - failed shortly after she got it, no problems after replacement.)

I had an 8P generation A3, but a 2.0 TDI in my case. Not sure exactly which 1.6 petrol you've got (guessing 1.6 fsi 115ps?), but the Ecoboost will have at least another 10ps and more torque from lower rpm. If you were happy with a normally aspirated 1.6, I'm sure you'll find it copes fine.

Certainly did! The FM has been extensively reported as being less than happy (and rightly so) about the fact that it was not an accident but a deliberate flouting of the rules.

You're probably right there! I believe you already have to be able to show you can use a Sat nav in the current test? - I'd fail for sure!😃

Unfortunately that is what tends to happen - and I've cherry picked a fair few myself in my time to ensure various targets were met!😃 You could argue that the facts on testing, for example, are being cherry picked at present to justify various measures. A quick scan of the media today, for instance, shows that a further 758 people have tested positive but this seems pretty meaningless unless it is shown as a percentage of the total number tested. The question that doesn't often get asked is: if the number of cases is rising, why are we not seeing a related rise in hospital admissions and deaths? This week the ONS and others have suggested that the percentage seems to be remaining fairly flat, and that if you test more people then you will consequently see more positive tests. And of course there has been big increase in testing, particularly in areas which have seen local flare-ups, so it would make things clearer if we were told the total number of tests and the number and percentage of positive tests, to give a meaningful ongoing comparison. Bit off the topic but still statistics. Chatting the other day about the 1968 "Chinese Flu" which killed about 80,000 in the UK and yet seems to get little mention. I was trying to recall what significant events of that year stuck in my mind (apart from taking my "O"levels and getting a motorbike licence😃) and the flu didn't even register until I was reminded of it. Other world events like the Tet offensive in Vietnam seemed more significant. I wonder if attitudes to risk, etc have changed so significantly in those 50 years or so?

I wonder how sales of the Mk 8 Golf will go, now they've replaced nearly all the buttons with touchscreen functions and volume knobs with a "swipe" action? I can perhaps understand it with their new ID3 electric car, but the Golf I would have thought appealed to the more "conservative" customers and always seemed to me to have a very clear and logical layout. But I suspect despite all the hype about high-tech etc, it's probably down to cost as Mark suggests.

I think these guys relish the challenge!😃 And the Focus box will still be stronger than the Mk 8 box if you're doing some serious tuning.

So easy I've never really taken that much notice, tbh. But, iirc, yes - press pay at pump, follow the prompts which tell you to put your card in, then PIN. It is then pre authorised up to (I think) about £99. You then remove card, and just fill as normal, unless you select one of the fixed amounts using the buttons. It asks if you want a receipt so press yes or no for that. I always get one otherwise I forget what I've spent! So far my card statement has always tallied with the receipts, btw.😃 Replace the nozzle as normal and drive off.

Yes, I agree. It's a pity there are (apparently) still insufficient supplies of "medical grade" masks available to protect those who are most exposed to risk, or for those who (quite understandably) are just plain afraid. At the moment it seems to be backwards way round. Just been in my local store, 1 member of staff behind the till, and 4 in the aisles replenishing stock, among the customers - not one of them wearing a mask. Then (still wearing my mask) into the Post Office where again none of the 3 staff were using any PPE. Had to show a photo ID to collect a parcel - but how did they know it was me behind the mask?😃