J.R.

Both cooling fans should come on at full speed 5-10 seconds after the AC is switched on, if the refrigerant level is low then the high side will not go above the 10 bar (example, depends on temperature) threshold to trigger the fans.

Very.

Tell them to poke it and you will wait for the new vehicle however an offer of compensation may make you reconsider.

Photo 3 appears to show the piston crown broken off at the edge exposing the top piston ring, no decent garage would ever reassemble an engine with that. I would say that it needs 4 new pistons as well.

The throttle body may be clagged solid with EGR grunge.

Engine must indeed be running for the aircon to work, that message is correct. What electrical load is on the battery and alternator when you get the message? Lights, heater blower, aircon, heated rear screen, seats etc? The latter 2 unlikely as you say 'recently'

I spend my time doing with dirty hands, not reading service manuals.

I have never seen any grease on factory fitment brake assemblies and have never ever used grease when refitting, if the pins are sticking I dismantle, clean and reassemble dry, the only sticking ones I have encountered had been greased which became contaminated by pad dust and road dirt.

I believe that the rim on mine also protrudes. Most OE fitment ones I have seen have a differing rolling diameter which is probably not an issue if they are used as intended, to drive slowly to the nearest place of safety. My needs were different, I am doing a lot of 800km + removal runs usualy in the middle of the night and wanted a wheel with a weight limit that I could use to complete any journey if need be and the same rolling diameter to avoid TPMS/ABS fault codes and disabling of those systems.

Not double skinned, you will have access with the wheel & arch protector removed, whether you can knock the dent out depends on your competence and the extent of the damage. What I can say is that it will be far easier if you remove the wing and work on a bench protected by a cushion of blankets, the wings are usually very easy to remove but I dont have experience of your model.

DMF = dual mass flywheel & not clutch.

I use an 18" space saver on the Yeti that has the exact same rolling diameter as the 16" wheels so if you do your homework there should be no ABS problems. too late and dark to measure it but from memory my Octavia 1 had a deep variofloor and I reckon this space saver would fit in there, it has a 125 width tyre so if you have less space than that then its a no go.

From the amount of blood there is no point asking how the animal fared! You should not really be contemplating driving that any further than to a position where it will not endanger other traffic. What warning lights does the dashboard show? My Yeti had a tiny front shunt by comparison to yours but it deployed the driver and passenger airbags but the engine still started and ran. As yours was running I suspect its a damaged crankshaft or camshaft position sensor and the ECU does not see that the engine is cranking and does not fuel the injectors, that or an immobiliser problem, perhaps try it with another key?

I bought a second hand kitchen (had to remove it myself) I only took the Yeti and not the trailer to give me more bargaining power which did not work at all, I loaded everything that I could in the car & took it back to base to return with the trailer for the remaining 3 units with others stacked inside them, before doing so I went through every permutation of how they could fit in without needing the trailer, it was so so close but impossible, I could have left the rear hatch open but it was pointless as the trailer was there to be used. It is a big trailer, and takes sheets of plasterboard etc laid flat, I was shocked to find that the 3 units pretty much filled it lengthwise, I kept looking at it and then the empty Yeti and it just didn't seem possible, an Octavia Estate it isn't but the space with the seats out is deceptive. Mind you in an Octavia I would have got the lot in in one go and not needed a return trip trailer or otherwise. Schtum, yes i was thinking that it would have been the only vehicle remaining on an obselete platform, mine is so similar in many ways to my previous Octavia 2, not surprising considering they are the same platform and share virtually everything, what is surprising is that to drive it feels completely different, a completely different car, I expected it to feel like an Octavia but more upright, it doesn't and actually feels far more nimble and sporty, the 4x4 probably explains a lot of that and the CR engine is a jewel compared to the PD engine. I wont get rid of mine even though being back doing major renovation works for the next few years an Octavia or Superb would be much more sensible, my pals are hectoring me to get a van but the truth is the Yeti feels like a keeper and anything else would lack its je ne sais quoi, and thats not a pun, I really cannot tell you what it is that has gripped me. The lack of space will be its saviour, I have to use one of the trailers now for any serious load so it wont get beat up like the Octavias did.

Its the anti-stall device and most modern vehicles will do the same if they have sufficient torque. By doing it though you are destroying what sounds to be an already weak and failing DMF.

Given that there seems to be no comparable vehicle now and peoples fondness for them its surprising they stopped production.

The load carrying capacity volume wise is the only thing that dissapoints me in the Yeti, although coming from Octavia Estates it never had a chance and I do realise its comparative shortness, realise and appreciate because when it is loaded it does not sink like the Octavias and is 10 times better as a towcar when massively exceeding the towing limits. I do appreciate also the flexibility and ease of removal of the rear seating, I have them out permanently at present and its a lot better but still lacking in height and length compared to the Octavias and I never once had need to remove the rear seats in them.

What a beautiful car!

I had a similar noise at low speeds only, I was convinced that it was a wheel bearing except it did not change amplitude when I threw the weight of the car from one side to the other. I checked everything and could not find any play anywhere then I realised that it was only doing it in the UK on the rotten roads around my property in Sussex and only when I drove on a rare badly surfaced road in France, that gave me the clue that it was the anti-roll bar drop links, no visible play but some wear and the noise dissapeared when I changed them. They are cheap and easy to replace so it wont do you any harm to change yours to eliminate the possibility. If the rumbling noise is very regular like your description of the rumble strips and proportional to your speed then ignore my suggestion.

If its any comfort you ain't alone!!!!

In the situation that I was, away from my home workshop and my decent tools, trolley jack etc replacing only the regulator pack from above definitely saved me time and aggravation but were I fully equipped and working inside it would have been no great shakes for me to remove and replace the alternator. As it was when the warning light came on on the A20 going to Dover I had to make a decision, carry on with my journey or return, I chose the former and reduced the electrical load to the minimum and did a further 140 miles and a couple of non avoidable starts at the customs shed and on the ferry. Working from above I was able to remove the regulator pack and tease a bit more wear out of the brushes while waiting for the new one to be delivered, then and now in France you simply cannot buy most repair items. I think you have nothing to lose by removing the regulator pack and you may even find and resolve the problem, a dodgy connector or sticking brushes, the rest of the unit is likely to go on for ever which you definitely cannot say about an aftermarket replacement unit.

A premium means paying over the odds usually for the promise of a better (premium) product or service, examples being premium fuels, premium oils, premium warranty plans etc, my question and subsequent comment was nothing to do with your spelling nor how much you earn but a misunderstanding from believing what you wrote to be what you meant to express. I don't earn £100K a year either, in fact I have earned zero since the Covid lockdown. I hope you get the noise resolved to your satisfaction, the lumbar support lever will just pop back on, both those and the seat rake adjustment knobs have repeatedly fallen off every Skoda and VAG vehicle I have ever owned, they are cliipped on and once they are knocked off the first time, usually by me loading long stuff they never retain again with the same force, eventually they fall off by just looking at them & I then glue them on if they havn't already gone walkies. As has been said you have zero chance of getting a new car out of your leasing company, to them it is you that is reponsable for dealing with Skoda over any warranty issues.

The regulator and brush pack can usually be removed and replaced if the aftermarket has started manufacturing them, a hell of a lot cheaper than a new alternator and on many vehicles a lot easier to fit, on my MK1 Octavia it could be done from above (just) without removing the alternator and power steering pump involving grovelling underneath. For an 09 vehicle I would be confident that the regulator/brush pack will be available.

So a standard leasing rate & no premium then?

What diligence, I cannot even begin to imagine the sheer amount of manpower & brainpower that was needed to arrive at that definitive conclusion, whatever they discovered must have been a state secret though.