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Sorry to hear that your HU is stuck in demo mode A couple of suggestions : have you tried pressing the reset button next to the volume knob? Worth a try - both with the unit off and with it on. Also what software is yours running? Bear in mind that my HU is over 3 years old so newer ones may have changed. I have updated the firmware in mine a couple of times - the photo below shows the current settings. Hope this helps, Andrew

Yes, I'm still around but don't get much chance to read and post these days. Please fire away with your questions ......

Hi Hakelm, The handle does need a strong pull to remove it. Try warming the handle with a hot air gun/hair drier to make the plastic more flexible. Whilst levering it also pull at the top of the handle directly away from the door. Hope this helps ... Cheers, Andrew

I have an Atera Strada 3 bike carrier that clamps onto the ball. OK, they are expensive but built to last - mine is over 6 years old and still going strong. Have a look at The Roof Box Company - they do an extensive range of carriers: http://www.roofbox.co.uk/bike-carriers/bike-carriers-racks-range-towbar-mounting.php Cheers, Andrew

Surprisingly, I found the main dealer prices competitive. Make sure you get the right colour to match the rest of your trim - there are a number of different options. Remember to keep the original facia trim so you can refit the oem headunit when you sell the car. Cheers, Andrew

Hi, I'm intending to get a remap once Skoda decide what's happening over the diesel emissions scandal (received the letter to say a software update is required but when?) In the mean time, my Yeti's air filter is due a change so wondering if it's worth going for a K&N filter and what effect that may have on a remap, if any? It's a 2012 170CR Yeti. Most likely go for a Shark remap next time there's a GB or they have a sale .... fingers crossed Comments welcomed ..... one obvious advantage of the K&N filter is being able to clean and reuse it - and advantage with the number of miles I do and regularly using the car on dusty gravel roads. Cheers, Andrew

Yes, the Bluetooth module is separate to the HU (under driver's seat on UK spec car). I disconnected the wiring connector and tucked this into the hole in the carpet and removed the module for safe keeping (so I could fit a fire extinguisher under the driver's seat). The phone option no longer appears on the maxi-dot display and the steering wheel buttons for the phone no longer operate so I have to use the screen on my Kenwood HU for the phone. May be other HUs interface to the car better than the DNX525DAB but for the number of times I use the phone whilst driving, I'm not too bothered. Cheers, Andrew

What car is he installing them in? Generally, the speakers are set too low to get a good sound stage with co-axial units as they will the tweeters. Better to go for component speakers with the tweeters mounted higher. Requires more effort installing them but the results are worth it. I too have Infinity speakers in my Yeti but Hertz get good reviews. Cheers, Andrew

I'm in the same boat - the fuel filter is due a change on my 2012 Yeti (CFJA engine). Looking at ElsaWin, the "bleeding operation" using the VCDS runs the fuel pump for 180 seconds to purge the system. I would assume that turning the ignition on and off (without starting the engine) a good few times should achieve the same effect. The issue is that if there is air in the high pressure system, the injectors and pump will run dry leading to potential damage. Not sure whether to risk it or get a quote from the dealer to do just a filter change (and possibly the brake fluid) - did my old Octavia (1.9 TDI engine) without VCDS no problem. Cheers, Andrew

Thanks - now let's see if I can find my voucher Cheers, Andrew

Having had a Kenwood DNX525DAB for over 9 months, sound wise it's great (with the speakers upgraded) but there are various niggles with it that don't make it perfect especially considering how much it costs. I don't think I would have bought it knowing what I do now - yes, it's good but not worth the money. The Chinese Android based head units look good on paper but how reliable are they in the long run? Have you thought of keeping the Swing and upgrading the speakers as the OE ones are pretty basic to improve the sound quality? Cheers, Andrew

Did they turn out to be the pukka ones? I may go for a set if they are the genuine ones especially as I have an Amazon gift voucher. Cheers, Andrew

It's not just a case of car manufacturers stopping your fiddling with their cars, it's down to cost - rivets are quicker and cheaper to fit than nuts and bolts. Here's my post with a few pics but basically as Ryan explains above - click here Drill off the heads of the rivets using a 6mm drill and carefully prise out the OE speaker (which has an integral spacer). Using pliers, push the rivets through not letting them drop into the door (they'll rattle). You will require adaptors to fit aftermarket speakers - I used Connects2 CT25VW07 sourced via ebay. Fit these in place with M6 bolts, washers and nyloc nuts then screw the speaker in place with self-tapping screws. You will have to modify the wiring to connect to the new speakers (and cut a hole in the speaker adaptor to pass the wires through). Cheers, Andrew

I too find DAB coverage around parts of Birmingham hit and miss. The sound quality on FM is better for music as a lot of the DAB radio stations use lower bit rates while speech sounds fine e.g. sports commentary on 5live.Cheers, Andrew

Hi Morry, The tweeter wiring is "piggy-backed" off the woofer speaker so if you do take the door card off, it's worth checking that connector too. The tweeter is heat staked onto the back of the door card so if you can get a replacement, you'll need to cut the old one out and glue the new one in place. Part number is 1U0 035 411E (confirm before you order). Cheers, Andrew

Hi folks, Please see the first half of my post (with photos) in the 'In Car Entertainment (ICE) and Security' section - see here. Cheers, Andrew

# # # Including how to remove the door cards and the window regulator carrier # # # In order to get the best out of my speaker upgrade, I decided to apply sound deadening material to the door skins. This entailed removing the door card and window carrier to gain access to the internals so whilst stripping down the doors, I took photos to create this step by step guide. This guide shows the driver’s door but the front passenger door is the same expect for removing the grab handle (to be covered in a later post). To remove the driver’s door card: 1 – To remove the door card, prise off door grab handle cover with a flat blade screwdriver inserted into the slot as shown below. 2 – Remove the door mirror control/tweeter cover with a trim removal tool (I used a 6” steel rule) then disconnect the electrical connector. 3 – Release the electric window switch pack by inserting a flat blade screwdriver under the lip as shown below and gently pushing inwards to release the tab before lifting then disconnecting the electrical connector. 4 – Prise the red door open warning light out of the door card and release the electrical connector. 5 – Unscrew the various fixings: two T-30 screws in the grab handle, two T-15 torx screws along the lower edge of the door, one T-15 screw next to the tweeter. The positions are shown below: 6 – Pull/lever the door card off starting at the lower corner next to the speaker. The card is secured by three plastic clips along each side. Before lifting the door card off the window sealing strip, reach behind and release the alarm flashing LED in line connector (covered by a foam sleeve). 7 - Lift the door card off the window strip, then reach behind to release the tweeter speaker connector (covered by a foam sleeve) and unclip the door opening cable by releasing the locking tab before sliding off. To remove the window regulator carrier: 1 – To remove the door electronic control module, push the top fixing tab vertically down and unclip the unit off of the door then remove the two rubber covers. 2 – Reconnect the window switch pack, turn the ignition on and lower the window until the clamp screws are visible as shown: 3 – Unscrew the T-30 torx screws approximately 5 turns and raise the window to the closed position. Holding the glass, press the lower window switch to release the glass from the clamps and fully lower the regulator then turn the ignition off. 4 – Either wedge or tape the glass in position so it does not fall. 5 – Disconnect the window motor connector and unscrew the six T-30 torx screws around the edge of the carrier then withdraw the carrier by pushing it inwards, rotating through 90 degrees and feeding it out through the aperture. Sound deadening: To reduce door panel vibrations, I opted for Silent Coat 2mm thick damping mat and to absorb reflections from door panel behind the woofer speaker, I fitted Skinz Sound Wave Diffuser acoustic foam. The advantage of the Skinz product is that it is a water resistant closed cell foam recommended for door cavities. As shown in the photo above, the two diagonal metal sections are the side impact bars which are bonded to the outer door panel. It is necessary to work around these when applying the sound deadening mat and acoustic foam. As I was installing new speakers, to make access easier for installing the damping mat, I removed the existing OEM speakers. 1 - Disconnect the electrical connector then drill out the pop rivets heads using a 5mm drill as shown and remove the speaker with its integral spacer (you may need to prise it off the rivet stubs). 2 – Use large pliers to squeeze the deformed rivets back to cylindrical and remove from the door frame. 3 – I made cardboard templates as cutting guides for the damping mat as the passenger door mats would be a mirror image. Before installing the mats, ensure the panels are clean and dry – degrease with methylated spirits. Once cut to size, gently warm both the door panel and adhesive side of the mat with a hot air gun (or hair drier) to improve adhesion. Peel a short section of backing sheet from the mat, position and stick down. Gently peel the backing sheet off whilst pushing the mat down to prevent air bubbles. If available, use a wall paper edge roller to ensure good contact with the panel. 4 – To absorb sound reflected back off the door panel behind the woofer speaker, fix a sheet of acoustic foam to the outer panel directly behind the speaker. The Skinz Sound Wave Diffuser is a self adhesive 250mm square sheet but as the side impact bar crosses behind the speaker, I cut the foam into sections and slotted it either side of the bar and in the profiling. 5 – As shown in the photo above, I also applied the damping mat on the inner panel around the speaker. The photo also shows the Connects2 CT25VW07 speaker adaptors (lined with sound deadening material to improve rigidity) which are fixed to the door panel using 6mm screws and nyloc nuts through the existing mounting holes. Fitting the adaptors before refitting the carrier is easier with improved access to the nuts. Remember to cut a hole in the side of the adaptor for the speaker cable to pass through. 6 – For completeness I also applied sound deadening mat (a different material) to the inside surface of the window regulator carrier. 7 – Initially, I’m replacing the OEM speakers with a set of Infinity 6500cs components which have seen service in my previous cars. The 165mm diameter woofer fixes into the speaker adaptors with self tapping screws and connected to the existing wiring with butt crimp sleeves after cutting off the OEM speaker connector. I’m planning to install the Infinity tweeters (and cross-overs) in a different location to the OEM ones but more on that in a later post. After refitting the carrier and door card by reversing the above instructions, the doors now close with a reassuring dull thud. Even running the OEM tweeters without the cross-over, the sound is clearer with stronger bass. I can turn the volume up much higher without distortion or the doors vibrating. It can only improve when I add the Infinity tweeters and cross-overs. Cheers, Andrew

Hi, It's the same for the 2 ltr engine too - 30 Nm. Probably better to ask these type of questions in the "General Maintenance" or "Skoda Yeti" sections for a quicker answer. Cheers, Andrew

Hi folks, After replacing the standard Bolero head unit with a Kenwood DNX525DAB unit, I've updated the start up screen with something more suitable for my Yeti. There are a number of videos online demonstrating how to do it for other Kenwood models but nothing for the DNX525 so here goes: 1 – before you start, you’ll need your new image scaled to 800 x 480 pixels and saved in the 16 bit r5g6b5 .bmp format on a USB memory stick. 2 – turn the unit on as normal then whilst holding down both the MENU and TEL buttons, momentarily press the RESET button (just below the AUDIO button) with the point of a biro or pencil. You have to do this fairly quickly otherwise the unit turns off as the MENU button also sets it in standby. 3 – the unit will power off but still hold down the MENU and TEL buttons and wait until it turns back on (the normal Kenwood start up screen will be displayed). You can now release the MENU and TEL buttons. 4 – after powering up, the “Opening Image Change” screen is displayed. 5 – Plug in your USB memory stick containing the required bitmap image and select ‘OEM Image’. 6 – as the unit can't display bitmaps in this format, the images you can select from are shown as blank boxes – select one and its file name will be displayed (“yeti.bmp” in my case). If it’s the wrong one, assuming there are more than one on the memory stick, press ‘Cancel’ and pick another. Don’t worry that “No Image” is displayed. 7 – once you’ve select the required image, press ‘Enter’ and wait until it finishes writing the image. 8 – press the MENU button until the unit powers off, wait a few seconds and press MENU again to turn it back on. Your new image should now be displayed instead of the original Kenwood one. This is my image - something a little different to the standard Skoda "Welcome aboard" one. I'm assuming the same method would apply for updating the DNX521 head unit. Cheers, Andrew

Sounds like a case of penny pinching on Skoda's part

I bought one last February from a Skoda dealer - cost £9.20 all in. Part number for black stowage box is 5L2 863 383 B9B9 which includes the rubber mat insert. Cheers, Andrew

Here's a couple of photos of the covered ashtray as fitted to the Octy 2 with the cover in the closed position. As you can see, it's quite bulky. Cheers, Andrew

Yes, the Yeti's uncovered tray fits in the Octy 2 (which is what I did just before part x-ing my Octy for a Yeti). It's the opening/closing mechanism on the back side of the covered tray that makes it wider than the open one - the space between the air ducts is too narrow on the Yeti. When I get chance I'll take a photo of the rear of the covered one to show the difference. Cheers, Andrew

I too missed the covered ashtray so I tried swapping the one from my old Octy II into the Yeti but it doesn't fit - the ventilation ducts to the rear central air vents in the arm rest foul onto the opening mechanism. There may be sufficient clearance with the models without the centre armrest/rear passenger vents. Cheers, Andrew

That's good to know it's quick. Probably no worst than removing Ford Galaxy seats That's one thing I had in mind - I too usually use an Altera rack (well worth the money) but also looking at whipping the rear seats out to make room to sleep. I've used my Octy a few times at bike race weekends instead of pitching the tent - a little more weather proof especially when it's peeing down and with the false floor in place plus a couple of roll mats, it's quite cosy and comfortable. I know the Yeti is shorter than an Octy but reckon I’ll fit diagonally. Cheers, Andrew