SurreyJohn

Very baffling as Skoda UK have updated the brochure (dated 1st May) and Meteor Grey is available in new brochure (free of charge on vRS spec only) Regarding wheels on UK spec VRS it is now 19inch Altair anthracite as standard, or 17 inch Rotair with 205/55 R17 all season tyres as option. The 16 inch velourum seem to be standard on SE First Edition (and option on SE) only. Tow bar preparation is not available with vRS iV (and there is also a note about only available on cars with 19 inch wheels if also has rough road package) All vRS get XL (extra load) rated tyres, Diesel vRS get different tyres (not sporty) as well https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/43543ebe-b876-4be5-9692-5aa8d68b302b

You have good shortlist of 3 (I would put Goodyear third), not familiar with Yokohama, many rate Quatrac. Maybe new Pirelli SF2 (so new, there are no reviews yet) Which is better between crossclimate+ and all season contact is going to depend on driving style, type of roads etc. Both are excellent. The temperature thing is important (and often overlooked) until 3 years ago I also assumed summer would be ok (living then on Surrey & SW London border). But my commute included about 1.5 miles of winding A road and field run off (muddy rainwater) puddles were common. The summers didn’t like it on cold mornings. All seasons gripped like road was dry so was converted after trying them. Another thing to remember is that as manufacturers introduced all seasons, they have made the summers more summer like ( Wet grip on modern summer tyres falls below +10c, and is often very low by +4c. (no reviewer ever does the review in the cold so you won’t see it commented on) Also remember that a salted road is often damp, do you want to be doing 70mph at -2c in winter with little wet grip. We now run all seasons on our second car, and main car I change to winter wheels and tyres. (Now live in SouthWest Cotswolds which have few steeper hills). When we had the snow recently I glanced at speedo and shocked myself as I was doing 45mph on snow covered winding B road with 50mph limit (snow made everything quiet, and grip from the winter tyres was brilliant). For info I have Goodyear Ultragrip 9+ One thing I have found using all 3 is how tyre noise varies with temperature, having just put summers back on, noticed on cold mornings how much more rumble there is (which disappears when temperatures above about 12c). You can actually feel how hard the summers become on winter morning, it goes like one of those solid rubber tyres you see on WW1 trucks in a museum. But you can feel the others are softer in the cold

@Gaz_ I would keep going with them for a while You could swap tyres front-back, will wear slower on back. Some people will say should have more tread on back to avoid tail slides, but not a lot of sense in wearing front to 2mm whilst having deep tread at back as will get braking problems in torrential rain when road is awash. Personally I would get premium all seasons instead of summer tyres (look to order them late August or early September, as prices jump seasonally after that). They will be much better in colder months. As a general guide, summer tyres grip falls below +10c in wet (bit colder in dry), whereas the all season is more suited to -5c to +25c. Yes it will get hotter than +25c on few summer days, but there will be 100+ mornings below +10c in UK. If you want some recommendations advise your tyre size.

In addition to checking the tyre pressures, I suspect it is type of tyres, there is a trend towards fitting low rolling resistance (Eco) summer tyres These are great for cruising down the autoroute de soliel when it is 25c but very hard in colder temperatures (anything below about +11c). When hard can rumble. You will find wet grip falls off rapidly below +11c, and will be fairly poor below +5c with Eco summer tyres. They will be useless in slush, snow, and salted mel****er. If @Bouncypete can advise brand and name of tyres then will be able to confirm if they are Eco summer as I suspect. I don’t know length of your lease or mileage, but usual solution is to change to softer all season tyres (which are better suited to -5c to +25c). Store the original tyres in your garage, then have them put back on before you return the car. As we are approaching summer, might want to wait until August or early September to change tyres and wear down lease co tyres a bit (but don’t leave it until October as prices jump as seasonal demand peaks). If you live on a Southern coast, and there are no hills, you might manage with Eco tyres in winter (if you can live with rumble, and twitchy poor grip in colder weather). Always remember it is a good idea to swap tyres front-back around 13-15k miles to even out the wear. That way won’t have to buy 2 replacements if you return car around 30k miles as front tyres wear 2-3 times faster. Put note on your calendar now, it’s a lot cheaper than buying 2 new tyres.

Or just tap it backwards to flick it into sport, it’s very responsive then for overtaking. The 3 cylinder 1.0 tsi seems to have negligible engine braking, but maybe that’s just me

Do you have very high electric load (seat heaters, rear window heater, heated mirrors etc ?) There may be other reasons (like the ones that prevent a normal stop/start from operating (engine still cold, cabin requires heat, air conditioning required etc) that prevent it if battery not charged sufficiently. I suspect there is software that sets the EV mode threshold

měsíců is months in Czech 7-8 months wait for superb now (probably 8-9 months allowing for shipping to UK dealer), so new orders might be December or January 2022

Deleted

měsíců is months in Czech 8 months wait for Octavia Estate (probably 9 months allowing for shipping to UK dealer), so early 2022

Interior sketches released ahead of launch https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/models/fabia/the-new-fabia-reveals-its-interior-its-been-transformed/

I vaguely remember someone mentioning about the right scroll button having extra functions, if you press it (and hold it down) whilst scrolling it changes what is displayed in the central mfd between the dials. But not sure if it does same with a digital dash, but possibly you did something similar without realising

The semiconductor problem was also the car industry not watching lead times. Having not placed orders (due to Covid slowdowns) they failed to spot the semiconductor manufacturers got loads of orders for mobile devices and laptops etc. Then there was fire at a plant in Japan, and problems during the cold weather in Texas which cut semiconductor production capacity. So when they started ordering again, discovered there would be huge delays. I think other manufacturers have also had to stop production lines. I’m aware of Jaguar cutting at Halewood and another plant. The mini plant in Oxford having 3 day stoppage, probably others as well. Back to the real world, there is alternative of walking into a dealer and taking anything in stock and getting within 2-3 days, or waiting upto 3 weeks for any unallocated car at UK dockside compound, or waiting bit longer for one that is at Emden and needs to be shipped to UK. Or placing a factory order which might not be delivered by Christmas.

I wonder why the dealer decided to pre-register it and then sell it on in same month, instead of just selling it new to you. Unlikely to have part month sales bonuses so seems like they just created extra admin, and lost you the chance to buy the factory extended warranty. What am I missing that this benefitted dealer.

Massively expensive You could buy a cheap phone (or even use older one with damaged screen), keep it plugged it and just use something like android auto or google maps. Many networks will allow you to add second user for about £10 per month to your existing phone data allowance if you need data card in it. You might not even need extra data card if it can connect off another phone (wifi hotspot etc)

Rejection is easier the earlier it is done First 14 days for distance purchase (online, phone, not at dealer) by law First month for not as described (For both these you get 100% money back, beyond that a usage discount will apply) Within 6 months for faults that can’t be fixed (dealer gets one chance to fix, not multiple goes) After 6 months becomes harder unless the faults were reported but not sorted Yes, just list faults, when you reported them, and if they were not fixed Your rejection is with selling dealer, any arrangement between dealer and Skoda is part of their business (commercial) contract and franchise agreement. Your rejection is separate and isn’t dependent on waiting for dealer and Skoda to agree anything, so don’t accept that as reason for them to want time to consider. You are not required to sign any non-disclosure (gagging) clause to be able to reject.

Few more details released The new ŠKODA FABIA will be presented to the world in May. As the most recently published sketch of its exterior shows, the popular compact car’s overall looks are much more emotive, featuring ŠKODA’s typical crystalline design. The MQB-A0 platform the new FABIA is based on allows it to be 48 millimetres wider and 110 millimetres longer. Even so, the fourth-generation model clearly remains a compact car in appearance. The FABIA’s expressive looks are enhanced by the traditional ŠKODA crystalline design. The key features are the combination of pronounced edges and generous volumes and the distinct contrast between the body’s sharp lines and convex surfaces. On the side of the door there is a line inspired by the Czech flag and its distinctive triangular section. The chiselled front headlights with LED technology are now complemented by two-part rear lights. The window silhouette is elegantly highlighted by a chrome outline; and the wide rear diffusor enhances the car’s sporty and dynamic appearance. On the new FABIA, customers will again be able to choose a combination of roof colours. https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/design/the-new-skoda-fabia-is-a-modern-take-on-tradition/

The gearbox oil is sealed for life, however a car than has done say 80k miles in a city and gearbox is getting bit jerky will probably benefit from gearbox fluid change. But for 18k of normal driving completely not needed. Pollen filter, if anyone in your household suffers from allergies or hay fever then their comfort probably should come first, but it could wait. Cambelt is 5 years (not 4 years), and that is more advisory so not yet. The UK is not in the desert, we get rain, so will get rust on brake discs, which soon clears off. Pads unlikely to need doing. Personally I wouldn’t trust a garage that is suggesting so many extras, and would take my business elsewhere

I will chip in as well. The latest generation petrols are a league apart from few years ago, would definitely go petrol now unless you do something like 25k+ miles per year The DSG is so much nicer to drive, it keeps the engine in the sweet spot, no worrying about is it in best gear for speed and gradient. It works brilliantly with the petrol engine. Regarding 4x4 it depends where you live, the factory summer tyres won’t get you very far in snow. I tried winter tyres this year (with 2wd) and was passing 4x4s that were stuck when it snowed. Seriously consider seasonal tyres as alternative to 4x4

Where is your dealer, I think I would prefer to have the tow bar prep on my next car. And if my local dealer doesn’t have any cars with it, then everyone will know where there is a dealer that does

You are in a strong legal situation, as the dealer has done an non-legal modification. They are the trade expert and legally should have known better. In theory you could threaten to involve the vehicle inspectorate, and advise them that an MOT registered garage is making non-legal modifications to cars and would they be happy for inspectors to inspect yours. Then say would your garage like to do the right thing and you won’t write to inspectors (at which point hopefully garage will realise they have lot to lose if they don’t take hit for their mistake).

I would be very wary of any lead time of 25 weeks. 25 weeks is nearly half a year, and usually translates as currently unable to place an order for a definite build slot, but not going to quote longer even if possibly going to be nearer 30+ weeks. The tyre noise might be due to cold weather, the sporty summer tyres can be hard and rumble when cold. The solution is to change to good all season tyres, swap them front-back about 13k miles, then get the originals put back on (having stored them in your garage) before your contract expires and you return the car. Personally I would go for Superb for refinement.

I wonder if dealers will now start to order a proportion of their stock with tow bar prep. Did a very unscientific check recently in our local town car park and about 20-30% of cars had visible tow bars. Not sure if it is typical nationally though. I guess actual proportion will be higher as I was not looking for retracted ones.

The Kodiaq is bigger, taller. But I don't know what size wheels you get in India, so unable to comment on ride, it is likely (and again I don't know India specs) that a 2 litre petrol has a better rear suspension so will ride better in fast corners than the lower powered car. Being a taller car the suspension may be a bit firmer to stop body roll in corners. As both have DSG gearboxes you probably wont notice the difference between diesel and petrol (except of course petrol will be quieter), as the latest gearboxes tend to keep engine in optimum power range. The petrol will probably go up through the gears quicker, and will change down more when you reach a hill.

It was done across range by Skoda, Seat, VW from about 9 months ago From memory, also replaced USB-A sockets by USB-C (interestingly we have just bought a new IPad and that has USB-C instead of old Apple lightning connector), so appears everything is going that way

I think from week 39/2020 is when changes were made to specification Because it is engine type specific, I am guessing the engine was changed to a new emissions rating, and it has not been tested and certified. I don’t really know, but my guesses include needs upgraded cooling, the extra 25kg of kit increase emission rating.