edwards

Is there a list of mileages for the various engines can run until the belt change is needed? The above seems to cover our 2019 Karoq but would be interested in other engines. incidentally, am I reading the table above correctly that a petrol engine Karoq doesnt need a belt change in low dust countries and even in high dust places its 120000 km?

On the throttle response, I might be an outlier but I quite like the smooth gentle power delivery in normal mode for 'normal' driving - I view it more as a good tourer than a sportscar and it suits 95% of my driving. If you want to get up and go then its only one click on the stick backwards and sport is there. It might be a reflection of my normal sluggish driving style but I mostly use sport mode when towing to get up to speed promptly.

If you want it to disappear and look factory, body shop for sure. Any job you do yourself will likely look terrible but I guess if you just want to stop it corroding then slapping some 'close match' paint on will achieve that.

Dog owner, Scout leader and mountain/road cyclist. Wash down rubber for me, including boot tray. I tried carpet mats in a previous car and after a few winter months they started to smell quite ponky and I am lazy and can't be arsed to clean them constantly as they will only get dirty again!

Replaced both of mine recently with Osram 'LED equivalent colour 6K' units. Mine are the two metal ear types. I ended up taking the bumper and liners off and the headlamps out of the car to do it. was a super faffy job. Took the opportunity to replace the fogs with some Osram LED units of the same colour temp as the HIDs. really pleased with the improvement in light output and consistent colour temperatures. Incidentally in the process I discovered why my 280 has such a small washer fluid reservoir up in the scuttle panel - the place where the 'normal' one would go has some kind of cooler dangling in it. Presumably engine or gearbox oil cooler?

The wear sensor is only on that pad - its used as a proxy for all 4 pads

Tsi 280 engines only really have one common failure that is the combined thermostat and water pump housing. Mine failed at 5 years and 30k miles. Cost was £600 to put right at a decent independent garage here in the UK. Other than that they appear to be reliable if looked after. Mine is 6 years old and 36k miles now, honestly there is nothing new around at present that I would want to replace it with.

Any recommendations for an inexpensive tool that can set the electric parking brake to the service position and return it via the OBD port? I don't really need anything with a subscription or similar, a stand alone 'tool' is fine. There seem to be a number of units around on the usual suspect sites but a recommendation of one that will actually work would be nice. I already have a basic code reader but it doesn't have that functionality. I have seen a few Youtube videos where people have unplugged the motors and put power to them directly to wind the brake off but I feel like that wouldn't be ideal. Would be used on a Superb 3 and a Karoq.

Mine is 5 years old now and a little different to a 2023 model, but not much. Best car I have ever owned and I plan to keep it for a while yet. Test drive it in the wet, the grip will surprise you.

Low to mid 20s in town, mid 20s when its warmer. Mid 30s on long journeys, maybe high 30s if driven like a saint. Mid 20s towing a twin axle box trailer on journeys. I only do 5k miles a year so it doesn't bother me. But, honestly if you are buying a 280 then you aren't doing it for economy reasons - if you need that then maybe look at another engine or vehicle.

I love mine. best car I have ever owned. 5 years old now and will keep until I have to change.

I'm in the UK, my sportline has lower suspension for sure. Mine pre-dates the sportline/sportline plus models though, there was just the one model then.

Indeed. Perhaps it was the belt drive to the water pump they were talking about?

Its a super common issue on these engines (EA888 I think). Mine is in a Superb 280 but same engine and my local trusted garage did it for £800. Skoda wanted £1300. Its so common that a lot of parts suppliers do a 'kit' with all the bits for a fixed price.

Likely thermostat/water pump housing leaking on front of engine - super common on these engines. Mine was a £700 job to fix inc. parts at my trusted local garage. Skoda quote was over 1K.