CheersDrive

FWIW they found no faults stored in the vehicle so they replaced all batteries and re-coded all fobs, and it's been fine since.

It's now consistently behaving like only the main fob is broken and the spares are fine. So I've arranged for Skoda to sort it under warranty.

Interesting. Well today it's behaving differently. The main fob once again failed to do anything, but the spares worked fine! So it's currently looking like a faulty fob. I wonder what tomorrow brings. If the door needs replacing I need to get that proven before the warranty runs out.

The other day this happened Touching the door handle didn't unlock car Touching boot handle didn't unlock either The remote key fob buttons did nothing Swapped the fob battery for a fresh one, no change. Tried the spares, i.e. all three fobs, same problem Got the multimeter out, all batteries were full The 12V battery also fine (it was renewed/upgraded in August) So I removed the key cover for the driver's door and unlocked the door manually. The alarm sounds so I look like a car thief while fiddling around the ignition, then I was able to start engine by pressing the start button with the fob. Went for a drive - electrics seemed normal but Start/stop did not kick in when expected (with aircon off after a drive). Also the other doors were not automatically unlocked. Had to press the lock button on the console to open the boot. After a few hours it fixed itself. 3 days later it happened again. After a few hours it fixed itself again. It seems from other posts a damaged fob is often the cause, but I can't see all three fobs developing the same fault at once. Anyone had this? I've got a few months left on my 'All-in' warranty but I haven't read the smallprint on this yet.

I'd have to buy a charger as I've realised mine is old and won't work on stop-start cars. Good to know batteries can last 11 years though! Mine won't - one of my main short journeys is a battery killer - it's a school run up a steep hill when the engine is cold!

Good idea, I'll look into that. 68% doesn't feel particularly 'poor'.

Mine's meant to be 360A but I put my reg into the Halfords site and it came up with two EFBs, both 700A. And Kwik Fit site gave me just two AGMs, both 760A. Maybe it's just what they have in stock. All around the £220 mark, fitted (not sure if coded).

I've just had my 5 year old Octavia serviced - all was well except an advisory that the battery condition is 'poor' and should be replaced. When Skoda rang and said it was going to cost nearly £360 I said no thanks. So now I'm wondering how long should I leave it before replacing it? I'm told it has a life span of 5-8 years, so it's only just hit the start of that. However I do mostly short journeys these days. Apparently it's rated at 360A (which seems low based on the quick search I did for new batteries, which were all around 700A) and it's currently at 245A. So that means it's at 68%. Is that 'poor' or are they exaggerating? thanks

Hi, SmartLink/Android Auto has recently stopped working with my Pixel 7 Pro. The phone appears under 'Available devices' but then nothing happens. I'd like to try updating it as I gather it's quite old, can anyone help please?

Just had a thought - if my car develops a fault at some point and I need to make use of the Skoda 3-year warranty, I had assumed I would have to go direct to Skoda. I can imagine them refusing me because I'd used an independent garage for servicing. But one of the garages I'm thinking of using describe themselves as approved suppliers of parts and able to carry out any warranty work. Is that for real, I don't necessarily have to ever visit a Skoda site even for warranty stuff?

I've phoned a couple of local(ish) VAG specialist garages and they charge about £150 inc VAT for an oil/oil filter/pollen filter change, so that beats Skoda whether or not they include pollen filter in their £199 asking price. One of the garages said they upgrade the filter to an anti-microbial one as well. They reckon it's ok to start an annual regime now, so I could be having my 2nd service when it's over 2.5 years old. Interestingly Skoda seemed cheaper for the 2nd service but I'm not sure of the exact breakdown of what they both do.

Good point. Thanks. As it's 19 months old, I'm right in the middle of when the 1st and 2nd services are due. What would you do right now?

I'd like your thoughts on my service interval as I'm new to the minefield of Skoda servicing and don't want to get ripped off (I'm not on a service plan). Having read through some posts it looks like my VRS is set to variable, which sounds common for new cars. I took delivery in March 2019 and it's telling me the first oil service is due soon, which works out as after 574 days (about 19 months), or after 14727 miles. I'm guessing these odd numbers are down to the car deciding when the oil needs changing. Today the car is on 10600 miles. It also says when my first inspection is due - it works out as at 2yrs old or 20k miles, so next March. Since my annual mileage is low (6-7000) and I want to keep the car for a good while yet, I reckon I need to switch to a fixed annual oil & inspection service. I like the idea of the car knowing that my oil needs changing after 19 months instead of 12 - much cheaper that way - but I also do a lot of short journeys in between the occasional long journey so maybe 19 months is too long. Plus telling me to just change the oil now, and then book in for just an inspection in five months time does not seem like a good use of my time and money. Does anyone pay for just an inspection with no oil change? Also I'd rather not have more visits than necessary since there's no service centre in my town. Are there any warranty issues with getting an Oil and Inspection Service now instead, and asking them to change to fixed intervals? Or should I try to start the annual regime so it's around the car's birthday, e.g. get the oil changed now, then do the proper 2nd service in March rather than just an inspection? Seems odd to have my annual service seven months after its birthday, since Skoda base their plans on cars being x years old. And the prices! On the Skoda site I can see the Oil and Inspection Service for 3yo cars is £184 (used to be £149 didn't it?!) and I've read that dealers often price match for newer cars. But if I go to book a service it doesn't recognise my reg, maybe because I bought it through a broker I don't know. If I add details manually and say it's 1 year old they want £199 for a 1st service plus £29 for an aircon cleanse, but I think that's optional. Does that sound right? I feel like I need to barter them down to £184, and forget the aircon. How does a 1st service differ from an Oil and Inspection Service? Sorry for all the questions but I feel like I need to choose carefully in case I end up on the wrong path. ta