Daveinuk

Just traded my 1.4 TSI Octavia III for a 1.4 TSI Seat Ateca. First impression - the Seat rides the bumps better and there is no sign of the low frequency boom that plagued so many Octavia owners. Mine didn't really suffer the boom (which I witnessed in other people's) but it did have a slight cabin vibration when driving over minor ripples on uneven roads. This is not present in the Seat, which makes for a better driving experience. The Seat seems a little sluggish when trying to accelerate from low revs compared to the Octavia. I never disliked the Octavia, but I think the Seat might have the edge. I'll probably still sneek a look on this forum in the future, being as it's virtually the same car.

I have Columbus. 22GB download takes about 11 hours with my 4.8 MB/s connection speed. I also experienced failures when using Firefox (my default browser). Try using Chrome, it seems to work ok for me.

Me too!

Took the plunge and went for my first Skoda after many years with 13 Renaults. I've had the mk3 1.4 TSI Elegance for twenty-one months and 14000 miles. Overall, I am very happy with the car. It seems solidly built and the standard of the interior trim is very good, although the leather seats are not as good as those in my previous Renault Laguna. The 1.4 TSI engine performs very well and the fuel consumption is pretty good at 47.6 mpg. The only thing I don't like is the rough ride over even the slightest ripples in the road. It creates a slight vibration throughout the cabin, though not the low frequency resonance, which is the subject of a very large thread on this forum. Conversely, on a new surface it's very smooth and quiet. It's also very quiet at speed on the motorway, with none of the wind noise reported by some of the motoring press. So far, I have not had a single problem. No breakdowns, no kit failures, no rattles and no warranty claims. Would I buy another Skoda? My head says I should, my heart says no. Time will tell!

Had a Premier Policy with Hastings Direct for a number of years. Last years premium was £183. This years renewal premium was £351, same car, same details, no accidents or convictions. A phone call to Hastings slashed £90 off, but I still thought they were trying it on (just being polite), so shopped around and got the same policy with General Accident for £190.

We also have over 370000 cars stolen each year (more per capita than any other western European country), many of the more prestigious models turning up in countrys that drive on the right. Can you imagine how many would be stolen if we converted to LHD, not to mention if we were joined to mainland Europe?

My previous 2009 Renault Laguna Carminat System had the speed camera locations with audio warning included, something the Columbus doesn't do even when the speed camera locations are added manually via POI.

Is this a modification that requires insurance company notification?

According to the Owners Manual page 161, "The set driving mode remains stored even after switching the ignition on and off."

After two days, 106 views and no replies, I am to assume that nobody with the Columbus uses the map to set a destination?

Does anyone else have trouble setting a satnav route using the Map option on the Columbus? Whenever I try to move my destination to the crossbars, the map just seems to have a mind of its own and zooms in, preventing me from getting the destination in the right place. I've had the car a year now and still haven't managed to get it right. What am I doing wrong?

Speed cameras can be added as POIs, but there is no audio, just display. You have to download speed camera data from a website such as pocketgpsworld and then use the VW website to create the POIs. Instructions are on this forum somewhere.

Columbus doesn't add £1500, it adds £800, the difference between the cost of the Amundsen (which is not free in real terms) and the Columbus. I got the dealer to knock £100 off the upgrade, so got the Columbus for £700. It's still a little steep, but the 8" screen looks great and the added features, plus the easier updating procedures, soften the blow.

Are you in sport mode? I used to drive in normal mode but if I switched to sport mode I quite often spun the wheels because I wasn't used to the throttle sensitivity. I've decided to use sport mode permanently, so that I got used to the sensitivity. Now the wheels never spin. The fuel consumption isn't affected either. For the record mine has standard 17" wheels with Michelin Primacy HP.

The early Laguna IIs had the CD based Navteq system. The post 2005 models and the Laguna IIIs upto 2009 had the DVD based Navteq system and it was significantly better than the CD based system.