andyste1

Just had the wife ring me very stressed out, as she was driving the car (30mph through town) when it decided to brake to a stop out of the blue. Luckily there were no cars behind her at the time. She continued her journey and it was fine after that. She said she could hear occasional beeps in the 5 minutes leading up to it happening, and said it sounded a bit like the parking sensors (but obviously not those as she was doing over 10mph). I guess these were related to what happened. Any theories as to what might have caused the collision avoidance to kick in? It's a bit worrying that something could have so easily fooled the radar, unless it's a fault of course. Am I right in saying this can be turned off? The thought of it happening again has us both a bit spooked now!

Having driven diesels for many years (my last car was a 2014 Octavia 2.0 dsg) I made the switch to petrol last August and treated myself to a 2019 Karoq Sportline 1.5tsi dsg. It's a really nice car to drive, and on paper the 0-60 is the same as my Octy, but I've been disappointed when needing to accelerate from anything other than standstill, eg overtaking. I guess this is where a diesel's torque really shines - the Octy would take off with relatively little throttle, even at 70+. The Karoq on the other hand can sometimes dither for what feels like 2-3 seconds as it drops down through the gears before it finally starts to take off. It can be a bit unnerving, but I've been changing my driving style such as anticipating any moves and changing into sports mode first. Anyway onto my question. Has anyone remapped their 1.5tsi? I recall reading a post elsewhere saying that the problem is that the dsg paired with this engine doesn't have much headroom for extra torque, so there's a real risk of damage. Is that correct? If so, how much extra torque could it safely take?

Having now had the Karoq for 3 weeks I can offer a bit more insight on the issue that I originally posted about. The jerkiness is most noticeable when driving at a steady speed in 2nd gear. I have found the accelerator pedal to be more sensitive than my last car (Octavia 2.0Tdi), so perhaps it's just down to me imperceptibly moving the pedal when I think I'm holding my foot steady? Seems a bit unlikely though. I've also been scaring myself by reading various articles about DG200 DSG reliability. Most seem to be several years old now though, so wondered if any such issues still exist?

Thanks for the replies so far. @e-Roottoot: yes it was a Skoda approved used car (North Wales Skoda). I'm assuming they would have taken care of any outstanding recall actions or s/w updates? Regarding software updates, is there somewhere that tells me the current version? And is the update something I can do myself or is it a dealer job? I found Skoda "update portal" website, but when I enter the VIN it only lists a number of satnav maps to download. And if I enter my VIN into the Skoda "recall actions" website, I just get a "service temporarily unavailable"!

A week or so into driving my '69 1.5Tsi Sportline DSG and I'm finding that pulling away slowly from standstill/driving <10mph can feel a little jerky/kangaroo-y at times. Admittedly it could just be me getting used to this car/engine, having driven diesels for many years (and most recently a 2.0Tdi Octavia for 6 years), always autos/DSGs though. I've seen numerous articles on "resetting" the DSG (ignition on, pedal down to the floor for 10-20 secs, ignition off), and wondered what exactly this does, as there seems to be some debate around this. From what I've read, a "reset" makes the gear changes smoother, so it's possibly not something that would help my particular issue.

I have the electronic parking brake but not that second button. I was looking around in the infotainment menus!

Good tip about wiggling the steering wheel. Tried it today and it does indeed work! Regarding comments about autohold, is that a feature avaliable to turn on & off on all models, as I don't recall seeing that on mine? It would be nice to revert to the behaviour that I'm used to, of the engine starting as I take my foot off the brake. What are the downsides of turning this off, assuming I can do so?

I've just switched from a '14 Octavia 2.0TDi to a' 69 Karoq Sportline 1.5tsi (both DSG). One difference I've noticed is with the start/stop feature. On the Octavia, it would only stop the engine if the brake was fully depressed, but the Karoq doesn't seem to be so easily fooled, and the engine stops whenever the car comes to a stop, regardless of how much force is on the brake pedal. Additionally, the Octavia would restart the engine on when I took my foot off the brake, but the Karoq only restarts when I start pressing the accelerator, which feels quite strange. It's not just me is it? Any idea why there is a difference in how the S/S operates?

Hi all, my last 3-4 cars have all been 2.0tdi engines - not sure why, just set in my ways I guess. Current car is a mk3 Octavia. I'm now looking to change cars although I'm undecided on what to get. I'm leaning towards a Karoq, possibly a Kodiaq (might be a bit too big though!), or might stick with another Octavia. Whichever I go for I'd like something with the same "oomph" as my Octavia, so it looks like another 2.0tdi although the 1.5tsi seems to have a comparable 0-60. Is that correct? How do they compare in the real world? I was always under the impression that a diesel will always have plenty of power, even when accelerating on hilly roads. Is that still the case or are petrol engines just as good these days?

Since having the timing belt changed a few months ago I've been noticing a diesel fume smell in the cabin. However this only lasts half a minute, and it always coincides with when the coolant temp needle starts moving up from zero. The smell doesn't happen on every journey either, maybe only 1 in 5. Thoughts? If it was a loose gasket or pipe then I'm assuming the smell would occur more frequently?

In the last couple of weeks I've been noticing a smell while driving, like you get off an angle grinder. Someone said that sounds like burning clutch but it's a DSG (2014, 50k on clock). The smell is fairly infrequent, maybe once in a 30 minute journey to or from work, and only lasts 10-20 seconds before disappearing. I've had a sniff around the car when I get to home/work but there's no trace of anything. Any suggestions?

My dad (bless him) has bought me a pack of those FTC pellets that you stick in the fuel tank. He swears by them after using them in his own car, but I've argued that it's nothing but snake oil. He won't be swayed, and has threatened to stand over me until I've put them in the tank! We tried and failed to get them down the fuel filler due to the anti-syphon device, so the next plan is to remove the fuel sender and drop them in there. I lifted the back seat where I could see the fuel sender with a black rubber seal around it. I left it alone as I didn't want to go prodding and cause damage to the seal. It looks like it could be a bit of a ball-ache to remove the seal (and refit afterwards). Any tips?

I've been driving an Octavia Mk3 for a couple of years, but over the last few months I have developed an obsession/paranoia with where my right foot is, resulting in me becoming conscious of its position and constantly fidgeting and moving my heel. I couldn't even tell you where I used to have my foot before all this started (I suppose it had always been a subconscious/natural thing over 30 years of driving)! It started when I bought some new shoes that were unwittingly a wide fitting, and couldn't be bothered sending them back. I was finding that the top-right edge of the shoe was catching the carpet on the side of the footwell when pressing the pedal down more than halfway (this suggests that I used to place the heel more or less in line with the brake, and rotated it to reach the accelerator). I'm a size 12, which doesn't help either. Since then I've been driving with my foot further to the right, but this can cause knee pain from rotating to the left to reach the brake. I've also experienced a few occasions where this position results in me pressing the accelerator slightly while braking, which isn't good! I'm also paranoid that the left side of my "dinner plate" sometimes catches the brake pedal - I don't think it does, but the thought of this has become a factor in the fidgeting and self-consciousness. The obvious answer is to wear different shoes of course, but I thought I would write this post as I was curious to know where others position their right foot, and if anyone else has similar issues. My position isn't helped by my 6'6" frame either, so driving isn't the most comfortable at the best of times - my legs are bent to the extent that my thighs have no support, which can cause cramp and aches. Also curious to know if anyone else thinks the Octavia pedals are a bit close together (and close to the side of the footwell)?

A bit late, but just to follow up to say I had the water pump replaced and the problem has gone away. I know some people have been getting goodwill contributions to the repair cost even when out of warranty, but I didn't want to risk driving to my nearest dealer. I got it into a garage down the road a few days after the problem started and it cost me £260. Half the price Skoda were quoting so can't grumble too much (and it was a 10 day wait just for them to look at it).

I've started noticing the same problem. I've always just got out of the car and popped the flap open, but my wife rang me from the petrol station last week to say she couldn't get the flap open (oo-er missus). I managed to talk her out of trying to pry it open with the key. She just happened to press unlock on the key again and it popped open. Happened to me this morning too. I thought someone might have inadvertently changed a setting on the car, but found this thread and assumed I'm seeing the same. @BoxerBoy does the flap still close flush against the bodywork with the lug removed? I'm not due a service til next March and don't want to get caught short at a petrol station, and reluctant to have to stump up for a solenoid repair!