StEdmund

I'd never heard of 'the clock spring' - every day's an education on here. Thank you!

My Karoq is now in its 6th year and I've just booked it in to get the fuel-flap sorted out; I'm told that it's probably a faulty solenoid. It's most frustrating to be about to fill up and finding that the flap won't release - and the problem has been getting worse over the past year or so. I have an all-in service plan and, whilst booking the car in, I was informed that the all-in plan will cover the cost.

I am very disappointed to read all this. My Karoq is from MY19, one of the earlier 1.5tsi models, and it suffered from the kangarooing and cutting out. For a period of about 6 weeks, Skoda took it off the road and loaned me a diesel Karoq Scout while awaiting the software fix; I suspect this was under pressure from DVSA after a number of complaints from drivers. My dealer would have been willing to accept things if I had rejected the car but, in every other respect the car suited me perfectly, so I was willing to wait for the fix. The fix arrived and more or less cured the cutting-out problem; in the last 4 years or so, it has cut out a few times - the most unnerving being a couple of months ago when it died as I pulled out of a junction. I sat there in the middle of the road looking like a lemon as an Audi driver passed round me hooting and shaking his fist - that's it mate, yeah, I did that manoeuvre deliberately just to annoy you! I think, if I were living my life again, I would have rejected the car when I had the opportunity.

"The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons is still a good tyre and I used them on a Yeti a few years ago. However, when buying all-season tyres for our Karoq Sportline 1.5 last month, I decided against them for 3 reasons: 1. They are said by some people in the tyre trade to have thinner sidewalls than the competitors, making them more susceptible to pothole and kerb damage.............." Sorry, only just caught up with this thread..... my wife's B-max has been fitted with Goodyear Vector 4seasons gen 2 all round and, 2 years ago when her front tyre was flattened by a pot-hole, I remember thinking at the time how thin the side-wall looked. This is not a scientifically measured observation, just my impression at the time. Maybe when I come to replace the tyres on my Karoq, I'll go for the Bridgestone Turanza all-season 6s

I should have added that my thinking was that, at 15 years old, the cost of a cam-belt change would be more than the car was worth.

If my Karoq lives as long as 15 years, I can't see me ever changing the belt; I'll just make sure that I've got good breakdown/recovery insurance, and run the car until it drops.

A tip whilst we're on the subject of windscreen washer fluid ....... when making up washer fluid, I always use water from my dehumidifier thus avoiding limescale blockages from hard water.

I'd be grateful if you could let us know how you get on with the Turanza 6s. I would like to move to all-seasons tyres but, at the moment, the 2 front tyres are quite new, and the rears will need replacing first. There is a current mantra that says 'put the best rubber on the rears' - would that mean that I could start by putting all-seasons on the rears - or would that be a no no too?

I bought my Karoq after driving a low-down Astra estate for some 8 years. Putting aside toys, tyres and wheels - the key thing that struck me as a 69yr old with a dodgy back, was being able to get into the thing without groaning. My friend frequently gives me a lift in his Octavia estate and climbing aboard is a real pain. After a lifetime of driving various company cars, I would say that the Karoq is the most comfortable.

l wouldn't take a car off the drive without a spare wheel - either a regular size or space-saver - they've got me out of trouble on numerous occasions. Soon after getting the Karoq, 5-years ago, I saw an advert or an article mentioning the wheel-alignment tool. I thought what a brilliant idea, and bought one - touch-wood, I haven't had to use it yet. Karoq wheels are b..... heavy and I don't see how, without the alignment tool, you could lift one and put a wheel-bolt in at the same time - unless you had 3 hands. No matter how new or reliable the car, I would always recommend getting breakdown/rescue insurance. We experienced a tyre blowout in my wife's B-max on the M6 contraflow north of Coventry; it was a cold, rainy November evening as the impatient rush-hour traffic was leaving Birmingham. We pulled in and headed up the embankment as soon as the hard-shoulder could be accessed. The recovery truck duly arrived and was positioned behind the B-max with bright orange lights flashing. The guy swapped the deflated tyre for the space-saver and we were on our way after about 75 minutes. I would not have liked to have changed the wheel in the dark at the side of that road without assistance.

Just out of interest, does anyone know if the new recommendation only applies to the 1.5tsi/Karoq, or if it applies to any other engines/models in the Skoda range - or, indeed, to any other VAG cars?

"most references still say 5,000 miles" Sorry - just realised, in the post above, I meant to say 5 years, not 5k miles

It's no wonder that confusion reigns - if you look up "Skoda Karoq cam-belt change" on Google - most references still say 5,000 miles. My dealer is Vindis in Bury St Edmunds, and I reckon they're pretty much on the ball.

Just booked my 1.5tsi Karoq in for its 5 yr service with my local main Skoda dealer.............. and they confirmed ........... that the cam-belt change is now 15 yrs. Phew!

.......... which is why I suggested, many posts ago, that anyone with a kessy Karoq should try a dry run before the poo hit the fan.

My 2019 (MY) Karoq is the same - no warning at all when the battery is failing. I also keep a spare battery in the glovebox.

My main key has suffered two battery failures, but neither time did I have to undertake a re-setting procedure.

Difficult, because it appears that we are comparing a 2013 Octavia with a 2019 Karoq so we are probably looking at quite different locking systems. My own experience suggests that Panasonic batteries last longer than 'unbranded' ones. As I'd rather avoid the inconvenience of having to change the battery when I'm in a hurry, I'm more interested in the longevity of the battery rather than cost. For me, a Panasonic battery (as supplied in the original keys) lasted nearly 2 years while a cheapie lasted 3 months - so I'd rather pay a few pence extra for the convenience.

Good points from SurreyJohn. We bought our Karoq in 2018 and the retracting tow-bar still works fine with no particular maintenance or cleaning. I should add that tow-bar has had very little use, however, and the Karoq has only done 24k miles in 4 years. For some reason, when I demonstrated the tow-bar to female friends, they couldn't stop giggling.

Thanks for that information, I'd better get a move on. I see also, from the link, that Falken claim 'rim protection' - I can't say I had noticed that before.

So, following on from my original post, this is what actually happened .............. A fortnight before the MoT test, I asked my preferred local tyre emporium to check the tyres for me and to cast some advice on the degree of perishing of the tyres that had been noted in the previous MoT test. I wanted to avoid being pulled up for questionable tyres as I would be working to a narrow time frame. The chap checked the tread depth and confirmed the 3.5mm on fronts and 5mm on the rears. The perishing wasn't too detrimental and I should get another 6 months out of the tyres - no need to change them in preparation for the fast approaching MoT; I would have time to consider what sort of tyres to purchase, and there'd be no rush. A fortnight later, during the test, I received a call to say that the tester had failed two of the tyres for having 'cuts which revealed the metal cord' - visible when the car was up on the ramp. I could not blame my tyre-chap as he did not have the benefit of having the car on a ramp. As I needed the test to be completed asap and the only tyres immediately available were Falken Azenis FK-453CC, they're what I had to go with. I did a quick price check to make sure that I wasn't being completely ripped off - not too bad. I'll see how I get on with the Falkens - they are supposed to be quieter than the Touranzas - and I'll see if the rubber is less liable to perishing. If they are good, then I'll replace the two remaining Touranzas with Falkens when the time comes. I suppose that, in the past when I was using a car for work, my tyres never got chance to perish before they were worn out and replaced. Has anyone on here any experience or views on Falkens?

Please report back on here .......... so far, Panasonic seems to be out in front (my last ones held for 22 and 19 months). The unbranded one kindly fitted foc by my local Skoda dealer lasted 3 months.

Thanks for pointing that out, it didn’t appear as an option when I entered the regn number on the website.

I used to put Goodyear Efficientgrips on my old Astra but, according to the Blackcircles site, they aren’t available for the 18” Karok wheel.

Something is amiss somewhere - either the tracking is out (and you say that's now been cured) or you are a hard driver. My front Touranzas have done 24,000 miles at 4 years - I should get another year out of the rears.