chrisgreen

OK @Satta - so we can help you, we need you to answer any questions we ask. Again. Has the AC ever been serviced? And if so, how long ago was the last AC service (not your car service, unless they serviced and regassed the AC at the same time). Does your Rapid have manual air conditioning or climate control? Have you checked and replaced the fuse for the AC system (correct fuses for your year of Rapid is fuse 9 (AC Compressor) and fuse 39 (fan blower) the locations are listed in your manual and the fuse box is located under the steering column rather than in the supplementary fuse pack on top of the battery. If it’s not the fuses or no AC gas, then you’ve burnt out one or more relays. The parts are cheap but difficult to install. Get an auto electrician pro to do it or a main dealer.

Alas, you've discovered one of the problems with the Rapid. For all its good points (of which it has many), comfort is not one of them. The seats are not good (the biggest contributor to leg pain in the car), and if you are tall you will find it hard work to get a good compromise between legroom, pedal reach and steering column position. If you have the headroom, try jacking the seat up a bit, as it will help with legroom and pedal positioning.

A little update, it didn't take too long for the car to find a new home. It was bought at auction by a dealer called LDSM Cars in Sydenham, South East London. Assuming they got the sticker price, they sold it for about £2,000 more than I traded it in for, which is fair enough. But the car is taxed again and on the road. Maybe its new owner will find their way here eventually.

Cheers. I’ll still be on the forum for the foreseeable as we still have the two Fabias in the family, no sign of either of those being replaced any time soon.

Good morning everyone After just over seven and a half years of Rapid Spaceback ownership, last weekend I traded her in for something new (I bought a brand new MG ZS 1.0 Exclusive Auto in Red). For those of you who haven’t been here since the early days, my Spaceback was one of the very first to arrive in the UK. An ex-demonstrator, it came to me nine months after it was first registered. I made many genuine accessory improvements to it (Curry Hooks, Umbrella Holders under Front Seats, Variable Boot Floor, Sill Trims, Factory Sat Nav retrofit to name a few) and even managed to work out how to get to grips with the temperamental MDI Audio Interface. But, after 52,000+ of motoring it was time for a change. I wanted something more comfortable with a much higher riding position and more creature comforts. Alas, Skoda could not supply anything used or new that fitted the bill and was affordable, so after a 6 month wait, I opted for a brand new MG ZS (Petrol, not EV). This will be my last petrol car, whatever comes next will be either all-electric or at least a hybrid. I will be listing a range of mint condition accessories for sale in the next few days, including the variable bolt floor, so keep an eye out and have yourself a bargain! To conclude, here’s my final report on the Spaceback after all those years of ownership: Good Points * Very reliable - never cost me a penny mechanically other than scheduled servicing. One electrical fault (see below) and never failed to start or broke down. * Pretty well put together - while it eventually developed some dashboard rattles and had the Spaceback signature clanky front axle, the interior and exterior always felt solid and well put together. * Plenty of power - the 1.2 TSI is a great little engine. Just as happy bombing along the motorway as it was creeping around town, and never struggled to keep pace with fast moving motorway traffic. * Economical - I averaged 42MPG over the time I had the car and on a few occasions (including my last ever fill-up) broke 50MPG. The trick is to cruise at 67MPH, 2,100RPM in 6th Gear. * Big boot - can’t fault the storage space. * Rear Legroom - definitely the party trick of the Spaceback is the insane amount of rear legroom in the car. Even more than the long wheelbase Rover 75 I once had. Easy upgrades - Very easy to replace the Swing radio with the Amundsen sat nav, the essential upgrade you can do on this car. * Most people thought it was an Audi A3 until they saw the badge :) Bad Points * The seats (OMG the Spaceback is still the most uncomfortable car I’ve ever owned, and I once had a Peugeot 106, itself a contender for most uncomfortable place for a car driver, but the Spaceback is worse). I know the seats were improved for the facelift model, and boy was that needed. The uncomfortable seats were my main motivation for making a change. * Rattles - after a couple of years it started to develop a few trim rattles, all dashboard related. The clanking suspension and front axle. A known trait of the car, the clanking noises when you go over a bump are disconcerting (even though everything is nailed together properly down there). * Tailgate wiring - the loom to the tailgate snapped after 6 years of opening and closing due to being too tight. Could not open the boot as a result. It broke about 18 months ago and cost nearly £500 to fix (Skoda main dealer). The only major repair expense the car suffered though. * Armrest - broke the catch three times and had to replace the hinges soft top once. Easy and cheap to do given this entire part is lifted from an old Polo. * Headlights - terrible, even after upgrading the bulbs they don’t put out enough light. Thanks Chris

You don’t need a multimeter. We already know that the two fuses I mentioned are 12v feeds. You just need to decide if you want the dash cam to turn on & off with the car ignition (this is the recommended option for a dash cam, in which case use the rear wiper fuse) or if you want the dash cam to stay on 24 hours a day (not recommended given the drain on your battery, in which case use the 12v accessory socket fuse, which also remains on even when the ignition is off and the car is locked).

For a switched 12v, piggy back off the rear wiper fuse if you want permanent live (still on after the ignition goes off), piggy back off the fuse for the 12v accessory socket. Exact fuse locations are listed in the fuse diagram in your manual.

The car battery is just a battery. Does not require coding.

Use FAT32, EXFAT is not actually supported by any of the Mk1 or Mk2 MDI or head units in the Rapid.

Hello A bit of feedback. After many years of using Chris Knott for my car insurance, today I sadly decided to switch to a different provider: 1) This year's renewal quote for my 2014 Skoda Rapid Spaceback was a £35 increase year-on-year and saw my excess double to £200 (nothing has changed with me or the car, no claims made etc). 2) After going through all the comparison sites, my best quote elsewhere came in at £65 less than the renewal quote, and with a lower excess than the renewal quote. 3) When I called to discuss and to give Chris Knott an opportunity - as in previous years - to price match, the rep on the phone made it very clear there was no interest in improving the quote to a competitive figure or keeping my business. This was disappointing as, prior to this call, I've always found the customer service at Chris Knott to be consistently excellent (which is why we currently have all the cars in the house insured through CK, as well as our house insurance). Today was a bit rude and very disinterested. Certainly not worth paying a premium for. Will be insuring with 1st Central instead. Hopefully Chris Knott will get its act and customer service together the next time I look for a quote.

The DPF will connect to the engine near the glovebox on a right hand drive Rapid. it could well be a sensor, but the scratching noise you mentioned could just as easily be damage to the internals of the DPF flapping around as soon as exhaust starts going through it. How many miles has it done?

Have you taken it to independent garages or to an actual Skoda (or Seat, Audi or VW) main dealer who can run proper diagnostics on it? if the former, you need to do the latter. Even with VCDS, indi garages will struggle with doing diagnostics on the latest variants of the range.

Nicely done and a great price. You will need to order the facia surround from your local Skoda dealer. It’s not expensive (£10 or £20 IIRC).

Another owner has recently gone down the same route (you should find their thread in the more recent topics in the Rapid section). In a 2014, the best option is to source a RNS-315, also known as an Amundsen. This is the factory Nav unit for that year of car and it adds navigation, vastly improved audio quality (without having to upgrade the speakers), better Bluetooth control and more Bluetooth options among other things. Does your car have Bluetooth fitted? If so, I would recommend this route. If it doesn’t, then it’s worth considering the RCD330, which is the factory radio fitted in some overseas markets. It has no CD drive and no Nav, but it has a big touchscreen and adds both Apple Car Play and Android Auto support, allowing you to mirror your phone and it’s apps to the dashboard. It also has integrated Bluetooth. And it’s surprisingly cheap! I do not recommend Xtrons. I’ve tried three of their head units, each one was garbage and I ended sending each one back for a refund. One actually started smoking!

Thankfully, the RNS315 model number was not reused on the equivalent facelift headunit, a different nav unit was used with a new model number. So as long as the OP does indeed have a 2014 model, should be safe shopping for a 315. that said @Rikki1qCan you Post a pic of your current centre console, just so be can be 100% sure what you are starting with.

Ask the seller if the unit has integrated bluetooth or not. Yes, the cheap aftermarket GPS antennas (which is what people usually bundle with the head units) are absolutely fine. It is what I use in mine and have been for the last 6 years without issue.

Yes, there are two models of the RNS315 - one with an integrated bluetooth module and one without. If your car already has factory fitted bluetooth, make sure you get a 315 without built-in Buletooth. It will then just automatically play nicely with the module already in your car.

Yes, the RNS-315 nav unit is a drop-in replacement for the Swing radio. Just a case of pulling off the facia, undo the bolts holding the Swing in, pull it out, unplug the wiring harness and the aerial, and then resemble everything with the 315 instead of the Swing. You will need to add a GPS antenna. These are usually supplied with the 315 and are a magnetic rectangle receiver. There is a piece of metal frame that sits just below the dashboard that you can stick the GPS antenna on and it works perfectly. Search for my 315 fitting thread for details. The 315 also produces far better quality audio output and enables more Bluetooth features.

Its a very interesting radio option. I've been toying with upgrading from y Amundsen to a Columbus, but TBH this is much more aligned with what someone wants in a car today (namely, smartphone integration). Shame it has integrated bluetooth as that would likely cause issues with the bluetooth module already on my car. But either way, I think you have made a very smart decision replacing your Swing with that.

Watched the video, could not hear anything out of the ordinary.

BTW @CS45 Would be interested to see more of that stereo you fitted. I'm intrigued as to how it stacks up against the RNS315+

Nice job. I keep meaning to put some soundproofing in the boot, but never get round to it. Very interested in the TPMS you've added. This really is something I should retrofit to mine.

“It’s quite normal for the boot to explode at motorway speeds sir, it’s just the car settling as you run it in”.

Jesus, that really is a Friday car. Sorry to hear that. Nobody needs grief like that. As the owner of one of the first Spacebacks in the UK, I’ve experienced a couple of issues with mine: Doors filling up with water - I had this and eventually had it fixed under warranty, but only after taking initial legal action against Skoda UK which tried to get out of covering it. The terrible seats - a part of the car (and addressed in the facelift). I also had to have the seat covering on the lower drivers seat replaced after the retaining metal failed and it came loose. The car does have a lot of natural rattles and clunks, especially from the front axle. There is nothing mechanically wrong, just a quirk of the car. I had to spend over £500 last year having the wiring to the boot replaced after it snapped in half, rendering the boot lock inoperable. My extended warranty would not cover it because it was a wiring fault. I’ve not had any of the other issues you report. I really hope you can get them sorted. Personally, even if they do get fixed I would flip that car as soon as possible, it sounds like a lemon.

Unlikely to be a dash cam. That would just be a USB cable. If it’s a 2-pin automotive/electrical connector, it’s almost certainly wiring in place for a feature you don’t have. The location would suggest auto-dipping rear view mirror, or it could just be a cable that fell out of the roof light cluster. Is everything switching on OK up there?