dutyhog

Any comments on how to deter mice from biting cables and fuel hoses on my Yeti? First time was on the night before a Christmas Eve when they ruined the cable to an injector. That cost me many £hundreds, the car being transported 200 miles, and several weeks wait. The other two included this week - they mainly bit through fuel hoses. I didn't notice until after driving several miles and back home, then finding there was a trail of diesel and a big smelly puddle. I've tried the stinking spray approach (E-Tech RatStop Rodent Repellant), and maybe that has deterred them - but not enough. I guess that they go into the engine bay when it gets dark and the engine is still warm after a journey, and maybe aren't interested when it's cold. I don't go out much nowadays, so will try respraying the stinking stuff after a journey that gets me back home in the dark. I haven't finished replacing fuel hoses - still waiting for more from ebay. One thing I'll try is hose sheathed in woven stainless steel and wonder if others use it. And what about putting lengths of wider hose or pipe over cables and fuel hoses to slow down the destruction? Or I could easily cut HEP20 hot water pipe into short lengths and slit them to squeeze over where wanted. Gordon

My 1.6TDI did the same on Christmas Eve. When reopening this week my local garage think that the problem is with Skoda's software, not the injector or its circuit. They say that only Škoda dealers can re-program this aspect. The engine has only done 24000 miles. Unfortunately it's 100 miles to the nearest Škoda (or other VAG) dealer. Can I travel that far in limp mode without ruining something? (And that's assuming the car can climb up the Rest & Be Thankful).

I wonder if my air conditioning really needs servicing every 2 years. It's not been touched yet after 4 year, and I've still only covered 22000 miles. The air conditioning hasn't been used often, it's very cold when wanted, and it doesn't smell. Will a a normal Škoda agent service show whether or not it needs any attention at all? Gordon

I don't think its particularly petty. It's annoying and distracting to keep getting false alarms. And it leads to ignoring it, even though one day it could be real. It seems that this feature varies in sensitivity, or our roads vary a lot. My alarm trips about every third journey, usually after going over a rough patch of road. For the first few months I'd check tyre pressures, but they were never unequal. After that I'd sometime look at the tyres, although I know that doesn’t show much. I've asked at each service for it to be desensitised, but they have no idea what to do, and don't know how to disable it. But last week after I'd ignored the alarm that went off within a mile of home I noticed that the car was steering to the left. Just looking at the tyres was enough - a front one was flat. That was my first puncture in 20000 miles or so. I'm glad I had the spare wheel in the boot - it's 20 miles to the nearest man who does tyres. Luckily it was just a sharp stone, still stuck in the centre of the tread, and easily repaired for £10. I'll still ignore the frequent warnings, although I'll feel for steering drift or extra pothole sensitivity, and have a look after 10 miles or so.

Probably not - all other car owners here say the same, including another Yeti, Honda Jazz etc. I get good reception once nearer to Glasgow. After 13 years my Golf's aerial did corrode, but the three years old Yeti's is still OK.

I live in an area with weak radio signals - nothing Scottish, and no digital (apart from having a satellite dish). But we can just get N Ireland BBC FM from 60 miles over the sea, although it fades out a lot and we have to swap between 94 and 96Mhz often. For our boat I've added a 12V signal booster and made a half-wave dipole arerial, and that works well with its Sony car radio. But the Yeti's Bolero is hopeless for tens of miles from home. I find when the signal fades that pressing MAN every few seconds helps a bit, but it isn't very safe to do that. Has anyone fitted a signal booster or made up a longer aerial and found that it improves things?

Hello Horatiog, after the same thing happened to me the Stirling dealer asked me to call in to have it corrected. Being a 200 mile round trip I won't go unless I need to (eg recall or next service). But they said that the facts that the oil change had actually been done, and that I should be on variable service were recorded onto Skoda's database, so there won't be any warranty bother, and any other dealer should see that and should be able to set the Maxidot correctly. Perhaps you should phone any Škoda garage that you may ever go near to see if they will do the same. I suppose your home is far away from these Škoda oases as I am. Gordon

I had this message: I have spoke with my master tech, and we think we have not re-set the service light within the maxi dot system. We apologies about this, and for any inconvenience. I know you are coming from a distance away but if you are passing at any point, please pop in and we will sort this for you.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm awaiting an email back from the "master tech". "inspection 19900mi/729days" made sense because I started with the variable service and told them that I expected to continue with it. But I would also expect the oil change to be at the same time, or earlier if the system thinks it needs fresh oil. I expected them to have used the long-life diesel spec oil. I'm willing to gamble on the engine system knowing if oil needs replacing before two years (about 11000 miles for me). I seldom do a journey of less than 40 miles (to the nearest shop, fuel, pub etc), most of it on roads than can't take more than 50mph, so the engine is nicely warmed up but not too stretched. "oli change 0mi/364days" is just inconsistent, so needs explaining or correcting. I do expect to have the brake fluid changed in 364 days at the same time as the first MOT - I'll go to a Škoda dealer then. After that the warranty expires, so maybe I'll find somewhere else nearer home. I do all the servicing on my boat's three-cylinder diesel, and used to service my cars, but I'm gettiing lazy in old age, as well as having to keep in warranty for a while.

Continuing to revive this old thread - the 1.6 Greenline had the first service yesterday after two years exactly, and I expected them to reset to the flexible sevice. After driving home 128 miles frorm the dealer (with a small diversion to the nearerst Morrisons which is only 95 miles from home), the Maxidot now says oli change 0mi/364days inspection 19900mi/729days I assume that the oil change miles and time will soon spring up to meet the inspection miles, since the dealer said it should also be changed after another two years. If it doesn't do that within a few weeks I'll phone them, but I don't want to travel 200+ miles to have it reset to minimise the risk of losing the warranty. The receipt says that I paid £41.70 for "long life oil".

It's the same in Argyll - some signal in some places, but none at home or on the roads between towns. Also when you can get a signal there are few programmes other than the standard UK BBC offerings - no local radio and crazily no Radio Scotland! And no 3G so internet radio is hopeless. We can get LW often here, and FM signals from Northern Ireland.

My 1.6tdi Greenline has just ended its first year, and I've logged all diesel filled. For the 6564 miles it averaged 66.7mpg. It would be better if I didn't have a spare wheel. It didn't change perceptibly with running in, but it certainly has been lower in winter on average, an in summer when I use the air conditioning. Although once a month or so I may do a long trip on wide roads, much of my driving is on single track roads with regular stops for cars coming the other way, sheep, deer etc - maybe more like driving in towns?

I asked my dealer about the problem and they say they've not had it before, and need the car for a few days to investigate, consult Škoda and replace the tank or whatever is needed. I also looked up diesel filler nozzles and see from http://www.tanksrus.co.uk/high-flow-automatic-nozzles-565-p.asp that the UK has 31mm and 38mm spout ODs on automatic cut out nozzles, and 38.5mm ones on even faster nozzles for big vehicles. I'll take callipers in the car to check the nozzles where I can easily go for diesel. Maybe the wording at the pump also gives a clue. I do see big trucks and lorries using the nearest petrol station's fillers that I used to fill my old TDI Golf from. 38.5 is so close the 38mm - I wouldn't expect tolerances of plastic parts in the spout to make that enough to not open the Yeti's neck.

It was bought in July as a standard Greenline 1.6 diesel. There are no others around here for me to compare, so I don't know if they've introduced anything new, like mis-fuel protection. Because petrol fillers are narrower than diesel ones (I got it wrong a few years ago) I don't see how they could protect from putting in petrol.

Sorry, Freedie, I meant to say that's the view into the diesel tank opening. I posted it in case it's not right in some way, or someone can point out a trick for inserting the pump nozzle. And to both responders, I have tried all sorts of rotations and partial withdrawals, but no luck. I can add that I filled from an old spare can I keep at home, which has a narrow plastic nozzle that screws onto it, and it worked fine.

I'm baffled by filling this 1.6 litre diesel Yeti. So far I've had to fill up 4 times. Each time at a different supplier. I've tried both running it into the red, and filling up sooner. Every time it clicks off every second or so and I spend ages at the pump. Usually I have to hold the filler out from the tank to get anything to move at all, and then it spills at the end. Is there a trick I can't find in the book or this forum? Or does it have to go back to the dealer (100 miles in a direction I don't usually go).

Thanks sdenny and Rog, that seems quite likely. I'll keep the card slightly pulled out when I don't want it, see how that goes, and report back to the forum. Gordon

The Bolero radio comes on by itself quite often when the car is parked at home or elsewhere, at random times of the day. It happened twice yesterday - each time I came back to the car it was playing music from the SD card. And it seems to turn up the volume as well. Is there anything I can do to stop this? Maybe removing the SD card when I leave the car? I don't see anything in the book about it nor any setting that seems the deal with it. Gordon

I used an Indespension in Glasgow years ago on my Golf estate, who were fine, but I don't knpw if they're still around.

Here’s how I decided that even with me doing only 7000 miles a year a diesel Yeti should cost me less overall than a petrol one. The figures were true in April when I did the sum. I bought from savings, and do treat capital and running costs equally nowadays. The 1.6 Greenline diesel should do 61.4mpg (mine actually is at 66mpg so far). so fuel costs £720 a year (at £1.389/litre) The car costs £19605 (without discount) and annual tax is £30. The 1.2 petrol should do 44.8mpg so fuel costs £840 a year (at £1.324/litre) The car costs £18110 and annual tax is £145. Interest rates are trivial nowadays, so soon after 4 years the diesel starts to be cheaper. I tend to keep a car for donkeys years - far more than 10 if possible. I have no idea if the cost of maintaining and repairing a diesel Yeti is more or less than a petrol. My diesel Golf needed repairs only on parts that are common.

My TPS went off again today at the same spot on the road as the only previous time, a week ago (the car has only done 450 miles so far). Each time I couldn't detect any pressure loss. I just assume that the very uneven and wet road made one side slip a bit, and fooled the sensor.

... if the warning light comes on: "the vehicle should be driven at an even speed of at least 60 km/h at engine speeds of 1 800 - 2 500 rpm for at least 15 minutes or until the warning light goes out with the 4th or 5th gear engaged". Most of my driving is on roads where that speed for 15 minutes would be dangerous, but I shouldn't be far from a faster road if I ever need it. Does anyone know the gearing ratios of the 1.6 litre Greenline II ? Then I can work out what the minimum rpm would be for my particular car. I assume it's best to go at least at whatever rpm that is, and then be also at least at 60km/h (or 38mph), although I suspect these are quite approximate guidelines. I do drive with a light foot. I've only been 400 miles since collecting the car on 7th July, and have used exactly half a tank of Sainsbury's best diesel (6 gallons) making consumption 67mpg. The MFD says 66.8mpg. The extra urban is quoted as 67mpg. So I'm happy with this, especially since still running in. Half my milage has been the 100 mile collection trip from Glasgow plus a 100 mile round shopping trip to Oban (the nearest big supermarket). Otherwise I'm on single track roads with passing places, lots of blind bends, sheep (some black), cattle, deer and tourists, but few snow monsters.

Thanks for making that clear. I'll put both numbers in my phone list, and hope to need neither.

Can someone clarify the number to phone if I need the free Škoda Ensurance service in an emergency? I signed up for it on line today, and they say phone 0845 900 3650. My new car last week came with a booklet on "Skoda Roadside Assistance'. It says ring 0800 526 526, or 0333 202 1869 from a mobile. Is this the same service - if so why different phone numbers - if not what is it?

Škoda gave me week 25 to build, and it was. It arrived in Glasgow early in week 27, and I collected it yesterday. All faster than the original estimates. The evening drive home (100 miles to my part of Argyll) was very peaceful, and indicated a very respectable 63mpg. If Škoda or anyone else ask me I'll strongly recommend Henrys the dealer and their Jamie Hay. The whole transaction was pleasant and faultless.