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.

No. The Renault Carminat partnership with TomTom did not start until 2009. My 2009 Laguna had the Navteq version and in my opinion, overall, it was better than the Columbus, though I'm not too disappointed with Columbus either.

I have found the Columbus satnav to be pretty good, including TMC and dynamic routing. It hasn't done anything ridiculous so far, using all types of routing. Having said that, it's not as good as the Carminat system in my previous Renault Laguna.

Problem Solved. Thanks to Andyvee, I tried Chrome for the download. Pleased to say it worked where Firefox, IE and Safari for Windows all failed.

Somebody help please! Can anyone advise how I can get past Andy's screenshot 5. I seem to be doing everything right upto there (even using the same files from PGPSW) and the same naming convention, but when I click the "Jetzt Laden" button, the fields go blank and I get a message advising the session has timed out and that I should start a new session. Tried several times without success. Someone on the Golf forum stated that a "requester" button appears at the bottom left of screenshot 5 to save the your selections to a waiting list, but I haven't seen this (has anyone?). I have tried the Skoda my-destinations route and it does produce the files but, like Andy said, it shows an error when updating the Columbus.

I have the same issue with my 1.4 TSI manual following SS. I managed to stall it several times before I learnt to give it a bit more throttle following SS.

I have the 1.4 TSI Elegance Hatchback manual version. Had it six months and driven about 5000 miles, including a 2000 mile round trip to Munich, Germany. Average MPG is 47.5 over the 5000 miles. Average urban is 40.6 MPG. As for the performance, the 1.4 TSI is very lively for its small size and is quicker from a standing start than most cars of a similar size with larger capacity engines. I find its not left wanting at the top end either, with good acceleration 70-90 MPH (German Autobahn, of course), even with a full load. For me, the engine is very quiet and only becomes noticable when under acceleration from 70-90, but quietens down again when it reaches cruising speed at 90. Some of the motoring press have reported excessive wind noise at 70 on motorways (all versions) but I disagree completely. I think the car is comfortable, quiet and good to drive. It's let down by the firm ride over even the smallest of ripples in the road surface and such ripples cause a light vibration thoughout the car body, though it's not intrusive enough to detract from how good a car this is. As for the 2.0 Diesel, I test drove one before I decided to go for the 1.4 petrol. True it was on 19" wheels, but I found the ride very harsh and it suffered very badly from the "low frequency boom", which is the subject of a topic on this forum. I don't think it's any quicker than the 1.4 TSI, but I know which is quieter. Downside of the petrol will be the MPG, but at 10000 miles per annum the cheaper cost of petrol, together with the cheaper purchase cost of the car will probably negate any savings from the diesel MPG. Can't comment on the estate versus hatchback comparison, other than that the hatchback boot is cavernous. The choice is yours!

While we are on the subject of stop-start has anyone else noticed that you have to give the throttle a little bit more power after stop-start? I have managed to stall my 1.4 TSI several times because there appears to be a slight hesitancy after stop-start when "normal" throttle pressure is applied.

Thankfully, my Octavia doesn't do this, but after I read a previous thread on this forum I checked it out on an Octavia in my dealers showroom. I opened the passenger door, pulled the seal away at the drain hole and a bucket full of water poured out onto the showroom floor. I asked the dealer if this was common on the Octavia. He said they had had a number of complaints on the Rapid, but not on the Octavia. After taking delivery of mine, I'm paranoid about water collecting in the doors, so everytime I wash it I pull away the seals. Todate, very little water has come out. It would appear that it's random whether or not you get one that does it, but it's ridiculous to suggest that it is normal for a car deisgned in 2012 to retain gallons of water in the doors.

I asked for "GB" plates because I travel abroad. The dealer was happy to fit them but said they didn't have any GB plates left with their logo on the bottom. I don't have a problem with this, but there are quite a few people out there that think the lack of the original dealer logo on the plate must mean the car has had a prang. Apart from the tax disc holder, there were no other stickers fitted.

I have a 1.4 TSI manual. Average MPG in the first 3000 miles was 40.6, mostly local short trips with a few 100 mile round trips. I have just driven 950 miles to Munich, Germany. MPG to Dover from Lancashire was 50.4 at 80 mph on motorways. It went down to 47.6 after travelling a bit faster on the German autobahns. The car was fully loaded, with the back seats down and piled to the roof with stuff. Don't know the exact weight but it was a lot. I was wondering how the car would cope with the extra weight, but I have to say I didn't notice any difference in terms of acceleration from a standing start or at the higher end. The 1.4 TSI is remarkably quick in all gears. For me, it's equal to my previous 175 bhp 2.0 dci Renault Laguna in terms of performance, and better on fuel.