DryAsSticks

Sorry, just spotted your reply. Yes car was out of warranty. It was over 4 years old at the time without any extension. Mileage was about 38k I think.

I had the "Gearbox in emergency mode" problem last September. It happened while we were hundreds of miles from home but would reset when the engine was turned off for a few minutes. It would come back if the engine was worked hard. Got it booked it in at the main dealer when we got home and was quoted £86 (I think) for diagnostics if they didn't find anything. When it went in, they had found fault code logged (which meant I didn't have to pay the diagnostic fee) and they had already spoken to Skoda UK before they spoke to me. It's obviously a known issue as Skoda had already offered to pay 100% of parts cost (many hundreds) and 60% labour to replace the mechatronic unit. It was a special order part and took about 3 or 4 weeks to come in but got it fixed for less than £200 cost to me.

It's not just you - I've just noticed the same thing since the clocks changed. I have the coming home lights setting turned on and don't have the ambient led pack but still sit in the dark until I open the door. Arguably I need the interior light to be on between the time I turn off the ignition and open the door, not when I'm getting out.

I also went down the independent route with my 2.0TDi 4x4 DSG. At the time I was buying the salesman mentioned 2 local independents he'd had quotes from for his own Kodiaq, one of which I had intended to use anyway. Also, when the fitter messed up the wiring on mine, the dealer servicing department fixed it in conjunction with the fitter. At no point did any of them mention any impact on any warranty.

I started using Pulmans VW for my old Golf and then continued to take my Octavia Estate to them. I stuck with them when they moved across town and was have always been happy with the servicing side of things. If anything, things got better once the Skoda side got its own place. Recently decided to upgrade the Octavia for a Kodiaq so went round the local dealers. We were considering an offer we'd had on a stock car from a dealer slightly further north but thought it only fair to see what Pulmans had to offer. Happily the sales side were just as good to deal with as the my previous experiences on the servicing and parts side and seemed more relaxed and laid back than the vibe I got elsewhere. We quickly reached a deal on a car that was sat in the yard and that they were happy for us to poke around in. The deal breaker / maker on any car we buy is if our 2 Labradors are happy in the back (they have the power of veto over me!) and everyone was very dog friendly and accommodating. Very happy with the service and delivery. After a month, I decided to get a towbar fitted by the local independent (who Pulmans tend to send people to as well) but they got something wrong and I was left with a permanent warning light. Booked in with Pulmans and when it came to it they liaised with the towbar fitters, sorted the problem between them and the invoice got settled by the fitters without any need for me to put my hand in my pocket so all in all excellent service. One of these days I will try the cafe.

I suspect that deals may be more readily available on Dealer stock rather than central factory stock so may be worth checking more than 1 dealer/group. I bought a car from dealer stock and they let us go and have a look at it in the yard round the back, still in all it's transport wrapping. Did the deal on the Tuesday, collected on the following Sunday.

Just thought I'd check the paperwork I signed recently. I'm on a PCP as well but the contract calls it Hire Purchase where the last payment is the balloon. Sounds like it's the standard VWFS form.

So after months of research and consideration I finally took the plunge. Picked up my new SEL TDI 150 4x4 DSG at the weekend and now I keep finding excuses to go for a drive. With the switch from a manual Octavia, I've got the double learning curve of a bigger, higher car along with the new experience of the DSG.

This may seem like a bit of a daft question but may help with a future spec decision. On the current generation of infotainment units (Bolero / Amundsen / Columbus), if you are using Android Auto, does it have exclusive control of the infotainment system or can you still use the built in functionality e.g. can I listen to the built in FM/DAB radio whilst getting directions from Google Maps on my phone. Is the behaviour the same across all 3 infotainment units? It seems a bit silly to spend hundreds of pounds on say an Amundsen if I can use Google Maps / Waze on a Bolero and still listen to the radio or play music of the regular SD card.

Not sure how obvious it is but this a selection of the bumps on mine:

I got hit by the same storm and I'm currently facing the same dilemma. The roof of my Octavia is peppered with little dents. I've only had it a month!

It often appears in the Steam sales for 75-80% off so you can pick it up for around a fiver - much less of a gamble if you want to try it.

I have been looking on the Skoda UK website at used Octavias and have seen a few that are listed as central stock that can be delivered to any dealer. Has anybody ever bought one of these or do you know where they come from to end up with Skoda themselves rather than a local dealer? There also seems to be a range of prices depending on where you say you are located. I saw a difference of up to £1000!

Confirmation of the new location which looks to have planning permission http://publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NG4CQ3GDJ0J00

Are you looking at "All Photos" at the top of the page on your laptop when you look at Google+. Mine defaults to "Highlights" and catches me out - makes me think new photos haven't synced.