DavidY

I came here after seeing this article which seems to confirm it. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/fabia/356399/plans-new-skoda-fabia-estate-cancelled-czech-firms-focuses-evs I did a *lot* of miles in Fabia Mk1 estates and was wondering about a newer one at some point, so it's sad to see this. 😞 SUVs are bad in that high cars are less aerodynamic (because resistance is proportional to frontal area). I also suspect people like "higher" cars, oblivious to the fact that if *every* car is an SUV, no-one is higher than other car drivers. However, the SUV style has the handy side effect for Electric Vehicle designers that they can stick a battery under the floor, which is a really good place to put a heavy weight. People are higher but they don't complain and indeed currently seem to like it. So assuming there will be a lot of EV models in future, I think we're stuck with the SUV style...

I think that if I had an EV or PHEV I wouldn't want to silence it. However it would perhaps be fun to be able to reprogram with sounds from something else... I'm thinking something like the sound of KITT from the old Knight Rider TV show.

....and it's back on the list again. But for how long will it stay on the list this time...?

As per that picture, it was added at the start of May, but then (not mentioned in the page updates) was deleted from the list by the end of May. Today - it's back on... but will it stay on the list this time...?

Sorry I've not logged on for a while, so didn't see this thread. It looks like I have one which is dated 2 Feb 2021. SKODA SE Technology Brochure 02FEB2021.pdf

Another thing I noticed on the home charge list is that the Seat Leon hybrid isn't on the list either. (I can't remember the model name but presumably it's very similar to the Octavia IV under the skin.) And if you search the UK Government Vehicle Certification Website to find the official emissions figures of a Skoda (or Seat/Audi/etc.) it says: "SKODA have yet to submit data to VCA. For information on fuel consumption and emissions on cars available in the UK, please visit the SKODA website." So I wonder if that's the problem? My theory is that VAG have stopped sending information to the government certification agency on new models (older ones seem to be there), which means the home charge scheme folk haven't got official data to check that the Octavia IV is indeed a PHEV? Although I'm not sure that explains how Enyaq is on the home charger list, but maybe pure EVs qualify in a different way? The Golf GTE is on the list too, but as the list covers older models (I think you can get the grant for second-hand cars) the older model is probably the one which qualified... but as the model name is the same I guess a new Golf GTE would be eligible too. It's curious (and unhelpful) though.

I don't know what's going on there - I downloaded the CSV when it changed on 6 May - it was definitely on the list then. :(

I assume this is controlled from the setting described in the manual as per screenshot below? There's also a mention of an automatic recuperation mode - is that linked to the "Eco Assist" which is mentioned? And is it standard on UK iV models? (I did see a video of someone testing a vRS which had it, I believe in the UK.) My current diesel MK3 Octavia has a "Coasting" feature built into the DSG which (as I don't have the beauty of North Yorkshire hills where I am) suits the rather flatter local roads quite well. It will coast for long distances without using the engine (which is the best use of energy), so I probably wouldn't want to have the regen set to maximum all the time, but I would want regen to kick in when a junction is approaching for instance.

I did find a page for it in the online manual: https://manual.skoda-auto.com/210/en-gb/Models Sadly I've not worked out how to link directly to the manual page (when I try to copy and paste the URL, I get a page in German which looks like it's asking for a user name and password), but I've tried to attach a screenshot. Note the warning that changing the desired battery level can lead to increased fuel consumption.

I don't have an Octavia iV but have been reading up on them as it's a car I might consider to replace my Mk3 Octavia. As I understand it you can request it to aim for a certain level of charge by clicking to the side of the "battery" symbol as demonstrated half way through this video here (someone driving down a hill in a non-UK spec car): https://youtu.be/C2QZD_4xHcE?t=50 However it may not be the most efficient way to use the car. Converting petrol energy to kinetic energy to battery energy so that later the battery can turn the electric motor to make kinetic energy is several steps all of which lose energy. I believe that charging the car by plugging in, then going on a journey which ends with an empty battery means you have made most use of the (cheaper) electrical energy so isn't a bad outcome. I don't think I would deliberately change the settings to charge the battery while driving unless there was some specific reason I wanted to save some battery energy for the end of the journey (eg. to drive through a town with zero emissions/ getting back home at 3am without waking the neighbours / etc.). This may be what the car is trying to do too, so it will naturally want to use up the battery, not to charge it, as this is probably the most efficient use of energy.

Which grant are you referring to? My understanding (doing research on potential next car purchase) is there are 2 grants in the UK: there is a grant of £2,500 for a new car purchase, where I believe the criteria may have tightened over time, so the grant essentially only applies to pure EVs like an Enyaq. This is the one where the car has to be able to travel 70 miles with no emissions. The only exceptions where there can be petrol power would in theory be a "Range extender" like the BMW i3 range extender which also has a big battery, except they stopped making those. Also the criteria changed recently so the retail price must be less than £35,000 including VAT, although my understanding is that doesn't include optional extras. there is a grant of up to £350/ up to75% of the cost, for installing a car charger at home so you don't need to use a 3 pin plug and can charge a bit faster. I guess it would also mean some people wouldn't need to dangle cables out of a window, and perhaps safer in the rain too. The criteria for this second grant seem to be wider and the list of eligible vehicles includes the Octavia iV (as well as for example the Superb iV). However ... the Octavia iV only got added on 6 May 2021, so if a chargepoint installer checked the list before then, they wouldn't have seen it on there. Not sure why it took so long - apparently it's Skoda's responsibility to get cars added to the list.

Does that mean you can't zoom downhill into a dip to build up momentum to go up the other side... that's no fun!

My Mk3 Octavia also coasts - in the case of mine it only happens in "Eco" mode but it sounds like the principle is similar. I think whether it's a benefit depends a bit on what roads you're on - in busy urban traffic it doesn't feel so helpful but on country roads/ A roads you can use momentum to coast for ages which does feel like it's more economical. And as per the quote above it seems like some of the Mk4s can switch off the engine altogether when coasting which must also get good value out of any momentum. But also I assume VAG must have done the maths and found the fuel savings were worth the cost of having this extra feature even with mine which leaves the engine idling while coasting. The rules for when the car will use/ not use coasting in my Mk3 (who knows if they're all the same in a Mk4 ?) seem to be: coasts In "D" (for my Mk3) only in Eco mode - looks like for the Mk4 it's enough just to be in "D" coasting begins (if other conditions are met) as soon as I release the accelerator coasting ends as soon as I touch the brake. Once I've touched the brake, even very gently, it keeps engine braking engaged until next time I use and release the accelerator again. it doesn't coast if cruise control is active it doesn't coast if I've selected a gear manually. (For the Mk3 I just move the old-fashioned gear lever across from D into this mode - not sure if there's a Mk4 "flappy paddle" equivalent?) . If I move the lever back into D again it starts coasting again. there is a lower speed range below which it won't coast, probably the same as the quoted speed above but I'm not sure - although confusingly there is also a narrow speed range when it will always coast (15-20mph ish?) For me I will often briefly tickle the brake some way before a junction, to allow engine braking to kick in. Sometimes I move the gear lever across to manual mode but this has the risk I forget it's in manual mode and rev the engine loudly in 1st gear once I set off again... leaving me scrambling to go up a few gears... But having got used to it, I do like it, and am sold on the idea that it can be more economical.

I was looking for PDF downloads of the Octavia Mk4 owners manuals and found it harder than I'd expected. The Skoda UK website now seems to link an online version of any manual as a series of web pages (which I find slower to use than a PDF) here: https://manual.skoda-auto.com/210/en-gb/Models But the PDF versions seem harder to find. Perhaps more by luck than judgement I found these (which seem to be relatively recent UK owners' manuals for regular Octavia and the iV) https://ws.skoda-auto.com/OwnersManualService/Data/en/Octavia_NX/11-2020/Manual/Octavia/A8_Octavia_OwnersManual.pdf https://ws.skoda-auto.com/OwnersManualService/Data/en/Octavia_IV_NX/11-2020/Manual/Octavia/A8_Octavia_OwnersManual.pdf But it's not clear whether these will continue to be maintained... has Skoda given up on producing PDFs? Or are they there on the website and I'm just looking in the wrong place?

Many Thanks for that. I've cleared the fault but then tried the wipers and it came back straight away. I'm struggling to get a picture good enough to post here but it *seems* to be pressed in place. However the swift return of the fault code suggests it's going to need a dealer's attention in any case?

I have a Mk3 Octavia Elegance which has automatic wipers. However the automatic wipers have recently stopped working - they just do ordinary intermittent wipe in that stalk position. This seems to coincide with a trip to the dealer a couple of weeks ago where the battery was changed. I've run a scan in VCDS, which reports this, and I'm assuming relates to the problem: 934149 - Rain/Light Recognition Sensor B1366 76 [008] - Wrong mounting position Intermittent - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear Freeze Frame: Fault Status: 00000001 Fault Priority: 2 Fault Frequency: 5 Reset counter: 238 Mileage: xxxxx km Date: 2020.08.26 Time: 14:10:25 I'm not aware of anything happening which would disturb the sensor position, so I'm wondering if it could be something caused by the battery change which has upset the sensor? Is there anything I can do with VCDS to try to fix it - for instance is it worth trying to clear the fault code? (I've never really used VCDS to try to change anything before so I don't know how best to use it.) Or maybe something has indeed moved the sensor - in which case is there anything I can do to try to put it back? Thanks in advance.