thamestrader

I've now analysed the fuel consumption when using Shell V Power (E5) and Shell Fuelsave ULD (E10) fuel. Fuelsave E10 from 1144 to 2659 and 6706 to 10903 total 5682 miles 6.36 miles per litre or 28.90 mpg. May 24 to July 24 and March 25 to end October 25. V Power E5 from 2659 to 6706 total 4047 miles 6.60 mile per litre or 29.95 mpg. Mid July 24 to mid March 25. The V Power mpg is 4% better than Fuelsave unleaded and the price per litre is 25% higher. The V Power was used over winter so that may have reduced mpg slightly, also engine and transmission are now 'run in' so that may also improve mpg marginally.

I had a glitch with my satnav today where the main screen map froze but directions still appeared on screen and in the dash. By fluke it was fixed by using the menu to show map in dash, which was updating correctly and switching back to the main screen which then worked correctly again. I have had the main screen map display switch to dark mode quite big recently due to the dull overcast weather I think.

@Sanqhar I did not have the diesel fix applied to my Touran. Even so it eventually succumbed to EGR valve failures. Up to 2020 it had done around 94,000 miles, reduced use during Covid resulted in the EGR failing in Oct 2020 after 96,000 miles. It failed again at 104,000 miles 3 years later.

@Evolution13 in the 2.0TSI Karoq I initially used Shell E5, then switched to Shell E10, now back on E5. I haven’t yet analysed the mpg data. The round trip to Aberdeen was all Shell E10, the Touran always used V Power diesel. We have a 2015 1.2 TSI Fabia which is always filled with Shell V Power E5, I’m sure it makes a difference - I think I’ve commented on this in the Fabia subforum.

Your maths is correct - I was doing 2 or 3 journeys a day of about 2 to 3 miles each - why didn't I walk - I probably should have done! It never warmed up really. It was all round Milton Keynes 70 mph dual carriageways with roundabouts every 1 kilometer. On long runs the Touran would average 60 mpg easily and over the first 90,000 miles averaged 50 mpg. I think the diesel was thirsty whilst getting to a speed, and economical once there. This summer I did a 1000 mile trip to MK to Aberdeen and back towing my classic car on a two axle trailer. The KAroq averaged 30mpg the Touran did the same trip in 2019 averaged 35 mpg - both times I was travelling at 60 mph on the motorways using cruise on the Touran but Speed limiter on the Karoq which allowed it to coast quite a bit.

I get this occasionally usually a quick flick wipe clears it or a squirt from the screen washers. Must admit I'd assumed it was on the outside as it clears with the wipers,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Petrol vs Diesel - the dilemma if annual mileage changes from high (> 18,000) to low (< 5000). This may be of some interest for anyone considering between petrol and diesel. In April 2024 I replaced my 2013 2.0 TDI DSG VW Touran after 108,000 miles with a 2023 2.0 TSI DSG 4x4 Karoq. Low annual mileage, in retirement, didn't suit the diesel. Now after 18 months I can compare fuel costs, my gut feel back in 2024 was that whilst the mpg of the petrol was worse this would be offset by the lower price per litre. Analysis of the fuel purchased over 12 months compared with the diesel Touran over 12 months is as follows: Petrol Karoq 6.53 miles per litre, over approx 6,500 miles Diesel Touran 7.10 miles per litre, over approx 5,200 miles Using Shell V Power fuel in both - the diesel would cost 50p more per 1,000 miles. negligible difference. I used only V Power diesel in the Touran and use Shell E10 Unleaded in the Karoq saving £22 over 1,000 miles. I think this confirms my original thinking was valid the fuel costs of the petrol Karoq running E10 costs less than the Touran running V-Power Diesel on the type of journeys I now do. Its not a perfect comparison - the Karoq is heavier, not such a smooth shape and has the extra drag of the 4x4 transmission, comparing petrol and diesel 4x4 Karoqs would I think show a greater saving with the petrol engined one. I've not included the extra cost of Ad Blue as the 140 bhp TDI in the Touran did not use Ad Blue, this is a further cost which would need to be include and increases the overall cost per 1000 miles for the diesel. Pre retirement the Touran was doing 17,500 miles per year and averaging 11 miles per litre - its a no brainer - even using V Power the diesel is still cheaper on fuel than the best mpg the petrol could possible achieve.

Try one of the OEM retro fit companies as they seem to advertise upgrades and replacement of built in units.

If you remove one of existing alloy wheels it will have a part code identifier cast into the back of the wheel. Our Fabia has 15 inch wheels. I bought one off eBay which was sold by a car breakers, the tool kit was a separate purchase and the wheel retaining bolt was the final purchase from a Seat Ibiza.

I have the flip top storage in my June 23 build Sportline, and it was also present in the 24 plate demonstrator that I drove in April 24. So I'd hazard a guess that it changed late 24/early 25.

If you are using the Skoda App then you also have a tracker built in. That also helps with reducing the premiums, as long as you continue to pay the annual subscription after the free period runs out.

In addition to the washer pipe and sunroof drains you might what to check these two things. I found water in the spare wheel well of my Touran and in the storaae compartments in the rear wing behind the rear lights. Many VAG vehicles have vents behind the rear bumper quarters, (Golf, Touran, Karoq etc) these can let water into the boot area and it can collect in the spare wheel well. This photo is from my Touran . The VW forum suggested this could be the cause if the vent seals had gone - as it turned out this was not the cause. After a lot of investigation by a bodyshop, which entailed removing all the interior trim in the boot area they found that the rear hatch rubber seal had been fitted wrongly. The join in the rubber seal was half way up on the left hand side of the opening, it should have been in the middle at the bottom. Difficult to indiciadentify but a simple fix, fitted correctly no further problems.

I don’t have the off road button on my 73 plate Sportline 4x4 there is an Ice/snow setting in the Mode selection though.

@mistac I'm not entirely sure how dirt gets in - my working assumption is that the any moisture that gets through the seals probably contains microscopic particles of dust. The moisture either runs away or evaporates leaving a sediment in the gutters around the roof - over time this builds up and gets washed down the drain tubes. I guess dust also blow in when the roof is open, ironically or paradoxically (whichever it is) I only open my roof to clean the gutters and drains! I think using the special Krytox fluid that VW sell to lubricate the seal to prevent leaks is significant. It was recommended to EOS owners to stop leaks in the convertible roof seals. My Sportline was about 18 months old when I first applied the liquid (its 26 months old now) and the neoprene seals were quite dirty i had to wipe them many times with a cleaning cloth until it was clean. My car sits outside all the time so any dust that settles on the pan roof would be picked up by rain and could wash through the neoprene seal.

@Sanqhar yes, there are loads on eBay etc, some have a small nylon brush on the end that’s pushed down the drain. I think some will say there’s a risk the brush could come off and get stuck in the drain.

The rear drains come down the C pillar, and exit the body behind the bumper at the rear corners of the car.. This is the righthand side (looking at the back of the car) I was able to use my nylon cable to push up into the drain pipework. I'm not sure if there should be a plastic panel in front of this area - but my car does'nt have one. If it should have one it might have been left off when the towbar was fitted. The left hand drain outlet is not visible, but its behind the plastic trim panel with the orange sticker. see next photo. This not very helpful photo was best I good do - the plastic trim panel can be partially released by removing the screw in the metal clip shown to the right of the thumb, its then possible to move the panel just enough to get a hand up into the cavity behind the panel and feel for the drain outlet - if you have previously poured water into the pan roof gutters it may feel wet or be released as a result of touching the outlet. If you have an assistant who can pour water into the gutter you should get a wet hand if its draining OK. I'm relying on keeping the 2 front and the right rear drains clear and hoping that the left one won't cause a problem. Along withe 'moisturising' the neoprene seal with the VW liquid to stop it drying out and shrinking. That will reduce the amount of water that can get past the seal. Keeping water out reduces the amount of dirt that can enter and be washed down the drains.

I, like many owners, use a thin nylon cable to push down the drain tubes to keep them clean. Front drains are visible in each corner and easily accessed, rears are not accessible as they are covered by the fixed glass panel. They are accessible from underneath, one side is more accessible than the other. I don’t think there is any sort of flap over the outlet now. I park my car so it slopes to the rear and then pour water carefully into the gutter around the open roof, it’s possible to feel the water coming out the rear drains under the rear bumper. I also discovered that the pan roof is an optional service item, if you ask for it. There is a special fluid (liquid gold by the price!) in the small bottle, that keeps the neoprene seal flexible and thus it seals better. I clean the drains, clean the seals and wiped with the fluid every 6 months.

@mumpsim i think your Italian tuneup effect is interesting. I wonder if that indicates that usage pattern may be a factor; short journeys low mileage cars suffering more than the high mileage with predominantly longer journeys.

I think these two points from @checkmate are significant. If you get an engine that is spot on the specification (i.e. virtually blue-printed) it no doubt runs perfectly, BUT get one where a specific combination of components are close to the lower and upper tolerance limits and the engine misbehaves. Although no one has previously mentioned this it could also be related to battery voltage as the electronics in these vehicles are very susceptible to minute variations in voltage causing malfunctions.

It has been reported that using the 'old school' technique of changing down through the gears as you slow down is beneficial. This is what the DSG does and hence why many people suggest the DSG is better suited to the 1.5 TSI than the manual. Of course we all have our specific needs and preferences.

It’s possible that the camera is the higher spec one that supports TSR, my 73 plate has this camera. Unfortunately the coding is protected and TSR cannot be made functional. Mine is June 23 build, if yours is an earlier build date without protected coding, if might be possible.

It had its first service in April 25, software update to fix the Kessy issue (which I'd not experienced) of locking the keys in the car . The change in behaviour only started a few weeks ago, so difficult to link to the update. My impression is that it does it mostly when its just me in the car, with a passenger it doesn't seem to do it but maybe i drive slightly differently? Its a sort of 'predicitve stop/start'. I'll monitor for a few more weeks and then speak to the dealer.

I grew up driving the type of car that would cut out when slowing down, if heel and toeing wasn’t possible then pulling the choke out abit would generally keep it running. Often the choke would be pulled out again as a precaution approaching a junction. None of which works in DSG Karoq🤔

Whilst many drivers dislike Stop/Start and wish it to be permanently de-activated - this post is to those owners, who like myself, who have it on and attempt to work with it. I'm interested yo known if any other owners have noticed a change in the way S/S operates. Let me explain. When I got my 6 month old Karoq in April 2024 with a mileage of 1100 miles on the odometer, the S/S only switched the engine off when I had come to a complete stop, and during the summer months running A/C and doing mainly short journeys it generally didn't stop the engine unless I'd recently done a longer journey. I was quite happy with this. This mode of operation continued until late August this year and then it changed. The mileage is now 10,500 still predominately short journeys so no real change to the usage pattern. What seems to be happening now are two distinctly different things. Firstly the S/S is switching the engine off virtually every time I come to a stop and secondly if I am slowing down to make a turn, braking very lightly at the point where I'm at walking pace the engine stops and the revs drop to zero, when I take my foot off the brake pedal to complete the turn the engine restarts instantly before I've even touched the throttle. Its this latter behaviour that I find odd and I wondered if any other 2.0 TSI owners had noticed this.

My 2023 4x4 Sportline was supplied from the factory with the 125/70 R18 space saver. See photo below - the 135/80 might be too big to fit in the polystyrene storage that goes around the spare wheel.