SockPuppet

Yep that makes sense, although 'deposit' is the wrong word, it's initial rental, which will usually be 3, 6 or 9 months up front.

UPDATE: I've spoken to Skoda customer services again. They've discovered that SmartLink was a factory option that my car doesn't have. So even if your car has a SmartLink menu option that suggests you visit a dealer for activation, it might not actually have it at all. Worth noting - give Skoda customer services a call and they'll see if your car actually has SmartLink installed. If so, the code for activation costs £135.

I have a 65-plate Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Tech, with Amundsen nav system. There's an option in my menu for SmartLink, when you click on it it tells you to visit your dealer to get it activated. SmartLink then means you can use Apple CarPlay. Sadly, the two dealers I've spoken to didn't have a clue about it - no idea whatsoever. I called Skoda customer services and asked them, but they said that it's not possible - which goes against what the car itself says. Does anybody have any experience with this?

Poor experience here. These guys are my closest dealer. Have a Rapid Spaceback SE Tech and wanted to see if I could get my Amundsen Nav's SmartLink upgraded (software update I thought) so that I could have Apple CarPlay. They did not have a clue. Rang three times and spoke to three different people. All of them promised to look into it and call me back. Nobody ever did, terrible aftersales, I was willing to spend a few hundred pounds to have this upgrade. Eventually, I spoke to Skoda directly who told me that sadly it can't be done. I'm not sure how this is true, because the SmartLink is an option on my screen and it tells me to get it activated at a Skoda dealer... hmm...

Bought my car from here in February. Got great service, beautiful showroom and a very friendly bunch of guys who were knowledgable about the products. One downside... they sold me an ex-Hertz hire car and didn't tell me. Perhaps it was my mistake for not asking about previous ownership, but would've been nice to know this information. Only found out when I went to pair my phone via Bluetooth and saw it'd been paired with about 30 phones in the past, one of which was named Hertz Sucks!

Update: at best I've seen my range hit 790 miles. That was just after filling the tank and hitting the M1 during slow traffic (bloody smart motorways...) so was averaging 54mph for about 10-15 miles before it opened up again. Just love watching the range climb and climb! Sometimes I leave Nottinghamshire at J27 to head to North Devon, and when I reach the M5 just south of Birmingham the needle is very much on full!

Hi all, just thought I'd share this. At the dealer I work for (not Skoda) there are often discussions and false statements about which is better... petrol v diesel? Obviously there's the usual blah blah about city driving vs motorway miles, etc. This isn't about the environment (call me horrible but I'm more interested in how much money I fork out for fuel rather than my impact on mother nature) it's more about actual fuel consumption. So, I bought a Rapid Spaceback 1.4 TDI which is on a 65 plate, with 12,000 miles on the clock, in February. I'm now at 19,500 miles. My driving is usually city, stop-start traffic from my home in North Nottinghamshire to my work in the centre. I rarely get above 30mph for any stretch of time. However, every 6 weeks I drive to North Devon and back (other half's family live there) which is approx 500 miles round trip. I absolutely love the car... it's nice to drive, well equipped and comfy. The engine is clattery but I turn the music up so not too fussed about that. It's a good looking car and has enough torque on the motorways to pull past people. Wanted to see what other people's fuel consumption figures are like... I easily get 60-65mpg during my stop/start city driving, just by being gentle with the throttle and letting off when I can see that traffic is slowing. Sometimes I get 70-73mpg during these journeys, which as I mentioned rarely go above 30mph. There is no petrol car on the market that I know of that can match that. My girlfriends 08 Fabia Sport (1.2 petrol) does at best 40-45mpg when I've used it for the same journey, driving in the same manner. On the motorway trips, if I set the cruise to 75mph I normally get around 60mpg. Just wondering what other people's results are like, day-to-day?

Had my Rapid Spaceback SE Tech for about 9 months now, loving it so far. Thought I'd join to connect with some likeminded people and offer/recieve advice as and when. FYI - I reguarly get 70mpg out of my DIESEL Skoda during CITY driving!

Sounds good!

Often PCH deals are the same as BCH but including the VAT, but this isn't always the case so make sure to shop around. At the dealer I work for (not a Skoda dealer, a premium manufacturer) the discounts offered by the manufacturer often differ between BCH and PCH depending on whether they want to push more fleet business. Worth comparing online, use something like Contract Hire and Leasing and compare quotes from around the UK.

I had a great experience with Skoda North Wales. Part of the Sytner Group, who I also work for at a supercar dealership. I didn't mention that I worked for the group until very late in the negotiating stage and they were excellent throughout for the purchase of my car. One thing they didn't tell me, sadly, was that it's an ex hire car. I only realised that when I went to pair my phone via bluetooth and found it had been paired with about 30 phones previously... one of the names was Hertz Sucks. Otherwise, very good experience.