StEdmund

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.

I fitted mud flaps to my MY19 SEL Karoq a few years ago (I posted about the experience on here at the time). There was certainly some confusion as to the exact part number, with the result that I had to return mine for replacement. I was a bit miffed at the time because the wrong ones had to be posted back to Ireland at my cost ........ the supplier was very cooperative about it all ........... but then, shortly afterwards, I noted that the description/part number had been discretely corrected on their website. Very suspicious!

My 1.5 Karoq SEL (18ins wheels) is approaching its 4yr service/2nd MoT in 2 months time, by which time it should have covered 24,000 miles. It is still shod with its original Touranzas - the fronts having some 4mm of tread, and rears 5.5mm. I can't get too excited about tyres - as long as they're round and black, they'll generally do for me - I am most definitely not a boy-racer. It would appear that Touranzas have an 'anti-kerbing' ridge which sounds good to me, and is something that I would like to retain on replacement tyres. The only real gripe that I have with the Touranzas is the amount of cracking/perishing - at just 3 years old, this was noted as an advisory on last year's MoT. With the MoT looming, I think it might be wise to replace the fronts (and transfer the new rubber to the rears?). So, a question for anyone who has changed from Touranzas - what did you move to, and are you pleased with the replacements?

Thanks for the comment. Whenever I have looked at tyre specs, I haven't yet seen a manufacturer that mentions rim protection as a plus point for a particular tyre.

Do the Michelins have an 'anti-kerbing' ridge like the Turanzas, please?

I drove on the autobahn and the autostrada in the 1970s in a signal orange 1.3L Ford Escort estate. Did I manage 90mph? The hairiest thing on the autostrada was seeing lorry drivers cooking on their camping stoves in the cab as they were driving along.

I think that what is shown on the little screen in the centre of the instrument panes describes the gears. My Karoq has a manual gearbox, and that position on my car shows 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, i.e. which gear the car is in. It appears to have no association with my selection from the centre console 'mode' button. I have never seen a 'D' or anything other than those 6 digits in that position.

I got the impression that we were talking about different things when someone mentioned "reverting to normal D mode'. I assume that 'D mode' is associated with gearboxes (Drive?). My Karoq was first registered at the very end of September 2018 and I think it had been made earlier that month i.e. after the factory August break when the model year changed to MY19. Unless the car is telling fibs, it retains its mode settings between journeys. I am not at all surprised that the wretched EU had interfered with this - they did the same thing with our NEFF dishwasher that always reverts to the 3hr eco mode when our normal requirement is for the 35min quick wash. Pah!

I've no idea about the operation of DSG, my car is a 2WD manual - and I am beginning to wonder if we are talking about the same thing.when we use the term 'mode'. I am talking about the button in the centre console that says 'MODE' - it gives me a choice of 4 'modes' - Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual. I have now fiddled about within the 'Individual' mode, arriving at: Steering: Sport Drive: Eco Dyn. cornering light*: Sport [what is a dyn. cornering light?] Aircon: Eco I'll see how I get on with that particular combination.