SurreyJohn

If not used for a while they can become clogged up with road grime and mud and then don’t drop. But should be able to check this by making the salesman extend it and retract it. On a more general point, always worth checking a vehicle with towbar for signs of excess heavy loading (look at shoulders of rear tyres, then press down on each corner to check not bouncy due to worn shock absorbers, and car is sitting level not with duff spring etc)

Interestingly the FK-453CC are now only available in one size (per Falken website), should be quieter (although if you still have 2 noisy Turanza might not notice). If you are thinking of two more at some stage in future, I would check periodically to ensure they are not discontinued as getting them then becomes harder. https://www.falkentyre.com/en/tyres/car-tyres/product-detail/40760

When did the car last have a major service, this might be an emissions related item. Being a TDI could have high ash in the DPF and trying to keep temperature up to help burn it off. Just a hunch as a 4 year old car which has only done 8k miles per year, and has possibly been doing fairly short runs might be not fully soot and ash free.

Do you have electric door child locks, is it something to do with that ?

Depends on the company, I have just checked the one I used and I think you avoid the 19% German VAT, but pay the 17.5% UK VAT instead. Seem to have a bulk rate with a parcels carrier (from memory mine arrived by DPD) and the carriage was only €4.95 per complete wheel, which is not a significant carriage fee. It took about 2 weeks (in busy season) to make up the wheels and tyres, fully balanced etc, and about 5-6 days from dispatch to delivery. Back in November 2019 it was £1=€1.16, so not that different to current rate of 1.12 It is worth checking as some UK companies seem to be anything upto 50% more expensive which is lot more than the carriage and import fee. And if they have put an English option on the German website it is just as easy to order as a website in UK. I sensibly chose a tyre that was newly launched so knew I wouldn’t get old stock, and the tyre choice was much wider (and in stock, unlike most UK websites) I totally get your concerns about importing, but if you are saving £50+ per wheel it is hard to justify spending hundreds more just to buy a foreign made tyre from a British retailer.

Skoda handily produce a brochure with all the wheels, with pictures, and it says the tyre sizes. It has both Octavia mk 3 and mk 4 (confusingly using Roman numerals III and IV, so don’t think it is hybrid iV version) https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/639a0118-4da5-446b-a786-86e1f789b57b Always worth asking your dealer if they will either swap them to something in the brochure (and keep the factory ones with whatever tyres comes with) or if they can order rims, get internet tyres delivered to them and they will fit them for you. When I bought winter wheels (rims and tyres) got them from Reifen.com in Germany as they were much cheaper (but it was 3 years ago before Brexit, when there was no import VAT hassle). Although there is the minor inconvenience (about hour at home, twice a year) of swapping the wheels. It has the advantage of allowing regular swapping front-back so probably won’t need to buy any other new tyres until 60k+ miles. As long as there is at least 4mm tread I put the most worn on the back to even out the wear (but wouldn’t recommend it with heavily worn tyres as might get sideways tail slide). Another bonus is not using summer tyres in winter seems to stop them from cracking after 3-4 years.

Ask them to list out what extras you are getting for the £120 extra over a 3+ year old car getting the same service. I am just being nosy, but would be intrigued to hear the reply.

Try and ring the dealer and ask for an update (however bad the delay is). If you phrase it this way they shouldn’t be scared to tell you the truth. Ideally get them to email a screenshot of your current order status and estimated build date. Allow about a month for ship, delivery to dealer and PDI inspection, and work on basis will be ready to drive home one month after build. In most cases will be fairly close. The VW group tracker website is suggesting about 5-6 months for a Kamiq from order date currently https://www.marnet-mobility.de/aktuelle-lieferzeiten.html

Had a roomster for 9 years, most practical car we ever owned. also had a Yeti on a 2 year lease in the middle of the roomster ownership. The Yeti is higher up, and gives better road visibility, but the boot is lot smaller, it is also lot higher to lift things into. The front seats in Yeti were bit more comfortable, not much in it in rear seats, but the rear is lot less airy in Yeti. The Yeti is newer, but things like tyres cost more to replace, but what is coming up for servicing on each is going to determine your servicing cost for next year or two. The Yeti had more equipment (but another way to look at this, is it is more to potentially break or fail or need expensive repair).

Try the 1.0 tsi with DSG gearbox, majority of the time will be fine, assuming you are not filling all the seats and loading it up or towing. As @Cornishexpat has said sport mode can give you bit extra for overtaking (just have to flick gear level back to get sport mode) The difference between the 110 and 150 power is mainly at top end of rev range, so you won’t really notice the extra power of 1.5 unless you are kind of person who normally goes above about 4000rpm

Any dealer

If they have stopped working, and you are in warranty, then let the dealer fix them at no charge to you

No, was changed few years ago, on start up always switches to normal

But if you live in the South, and it snows, not uncommon to wait many days for a snowplough or gritter, they are sparse. In meantime summer tyres are useless.

It’s called a light switch, you will often find them on walls near doorways in buildings too. The car one is 3 position : off, on, and when doors open The infotainment has an option in settings, lights, to adjust the turn off delay times

The following brands have quiet ratings (not checked if available in required size), all will be fairly expensive (as need complicated compounds to be soft enough, but not wear too quickly). Also some sizes not as quiet (decibel rating) Michelin cross climate 2, Nokian seasonproof, Pirelli Cinturato all season SF2,

One of the problems with the Firestone Firehawk SZ90 is they are marketed as high performance summer tyres. So basically they are sporty and firm tyres. They are also a mid range brand (The Japanese brand Bridgestone bought Firestone 34 years ago) and if you make something to a limited budget (rather than a premium tyre budget) compromises are made. Quite simply it costs more to use compounds that are soft enough to be quieter, but tough enough not to wear quickly. As a general rule any tyre described as sport or sporty is going to be very firm, anything called Eco tends to be firm too (to minimise the flat bit in contact with the road to reduce rolling resistance). As temperatures fall they get even harder. Basically the opposite of soft which will absorb sound better. If you don’t believe me try poking the tread on one of these tyres on a cold day. So stick to a tyre suitable for cold ( it will have a 3 peak mountain with snowflake symbol), and pick an all season tyre with lower decibel rating. The same rule of needing to buy premium tyres applies if want compounds that can flex and absorb sound, but be tough to resist wear applies. You simply won’t get a quiet budget tyre that can defy laws of physics and wear slowly because cheap simple materials can’t do both.

Looking up the other European countries websites is good for knowing alternatives of current models, and the wheels catalogue includes recent models eg Octavia mk3 and Fabia mk3. If you want to know about older cars, probably best to look at used car website (their equivalent of auto trader), but it is going to be more of a trial and error exercise (unless someone knows links to archived brochures from abroad) https://www.carzone.ie/search?make=Skoda&model=Superb

A quick way of checking is to look at the specs on a Skoda website for another country, eg Skoda.de or Skoda.ie etc. They tend to have smaller wheels as standard, with the larger sizes as options. Fitting big wheels as standard seems to be a British thing. I once heard a dealer say can’t have smaller wheels as wheel bearings are different. The idea that different bearings for same weight of car are country specific baffled me. Remember many European countries have smaller rim winter wheels, but outside diameter of tyres should be about the same.

The tyre test results are done to a set of parameters. In practice you will drive at varying air temperatures, and on roads with different grades of tarmac. So the lab results will not match real world. And noise in the car is different to if car drives past you. If it was me, and wanted a quick comparison of tyres for all year use in UK, then the Auto Bild (a German motoring magazine) comparison is a good start. (Remember some tyre places have preferred manufacturers due to incentives or ownership, so might not give impartial advice). If you live in south then perhaps look for those with better wet & dry than snow etc so adjust overall ranking depending on weather where you live. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Auto-Bild-SUV-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

That is what others have discovered, if the second line on the sticker on the door pillar is zero, it is not homologated for towing, and would be illegal in UK for anyone to fit a tow bar. And if you find a bent fitter that will do it, operating a car with a void homologation means you need to declare to your insurer that you do not have a UK spec car, actually a valid spec in any country. I suspect you won’t get insurance either which would leave you with a car can’t legally drive. If you were mis sold the car because the salesperson confirmed a tow bar could be fitted then have usual remedies under consumer law (returning it for a refund as mis described and not fit for purpose)

Does it work with phone plugged in, rather than via Bluetooth? If so, it is more a compatibility problem. From memory there was a problem about 3 or 4 years ago with one version of android auto, and updating the version on the phone sorted it. So don’t assume the car is faulty, as could be faulty phone (or a bad update that has happened). You could always try and pair another phone (of a family member) to work out if problem is with car or your phone.

To be consistent with thread title The Turanza T005 is being replaced by Turanza 6 It seems that they will be available to buy in UK from about late Feb or March 2023 ready for the summer tyre season

I am going to respectfully disagree, I don’t think that anyone on these forums have ever mentioned a problem with a DSG gearbox when paired to 1.0tsi However you will find multiple references to problems with wet clutch DSG and/or 4x4 system in Karoq, Kodiaq, Superb and Octavia sections, usually because of poor or missed DSG fluid changes, and clogged filter in Haldex 4x4 system. As for the potential money pit to replace failed components, you are nowadays able to buy all-in-one servicing on 3+ year old cars which includes MOT tests, European breakdown cover and an effectively free full warranty.

Be careful about comparing new diesels with added emission equipment to euro6d to some old diesel that gave no trouble. The old ones didn’t have the complicated add ons to meet the new emissions specs. Remember what isn’t fitted isn’t going to cause trouble and breakdown. The 1.0tsi with DSG is lot more lively than most people expect. Generally regarded as sufficient (unless you carry lots of people or goods, or want it for towing). If you can’t find a Karoq to test drive with this engine, there are plenty of other Skoda, VW, Seat cars that might be available with this engine to get a feel for it. As for the 4x4, unless you live somewhere that has a narrow steep road or unmade track to it, do you really need it. Admittedly the factory eco summer tyres aren’t designed for all year use including UK winters, but changing the tyres is lot less expensive than specifying the 4x4 system (and which requires extra maintenance to the Haldex system). Finally don’t forget the Seat Ateca is virtually identical overall (specs will be different) so by changing badges will have wider choice.