ClimbingPaul

Good luck! My repaired unit is still behaving itself - long may it continue 🤞

My 2016 L&K Yeti is fitted with the Amundsen infotainment system – the type with DAB radio, satnav, and two SD card slots on the front. Several months ago I noticed that a small area of the touchscreen was dead. Soon after that, the system had a temporary ‘episode’, where it started randomly changing radio stations, and not responding to touch screen commands. But soon after it seemed to return to normal, apart from the dead area of screen. Then a couple of weeks ago, the random radio station changing thing happened again. This time the entire touch screen was unresponsive, and none of the control buttons would work. All I could do was turn the unit on and off, and adjust volume, on whichever obscure radio station it had chosen. I tried holding the on/off button down to reset, and disconnecting the car battery, but these didn’t make any difference. I started looking at the owner’s forums, to assess my options to get a working system again. I didn’t fancy getting an aftermarket unit, because getting all of the original functionality sounded beyond my DIY skills. Getting a secondhand unit on ebay sounded risky and still quite expensive, with the component protection issues as well. And going to a dealer for a like-for-like replacement sounded like a total rip off - plus I’ve had a very negative experience with my local dealer! (Leaky sunroof, say no more!) On one of the forums I saw a recommendation for Satnav Systems, in Surbiton, https://www.satnavsystems.com from someone who had their unit repaired by them. I got in touch by email. I have to say, from start to finish, every aspect of their service has been extremely good. Hamid, the director, replied very quickly. I described the symptoms, and was told that this sounded like a repeat of a very common problem in VAG cars fitted with this unit built between 2015-2017. He believed repair would very likely be possible. If I could visit their premises, they could perform a FOC diagnosis and provide a no obligation quote, on the spot. The typical repair could be performed in 1- 2 hours, while I waited. I live in the midlands, but I was planning a rare visit to SW London the next week, so I booked an appointment for that day, and was sent detailed directions. I got there on schedule, and the diagnosis confirmed the expected fault. Hamid explained the problem is caused by a fault which develops in the digitiser, which is the interface between the touchscreen and the unit. The repair involves removal of the unit, and partial strip to enable replacement of the digitiser. The replacement is a genuine VAG part, being their upgraded standard to fix the susceptibility to this failure mode. The Firmware and software were upgraded to the latest standard, and the satnav map was updated to the 2023 version. I was quoted just under £475 to perform the repair, plus £75 to activate Apple Car Play. I agreed, and less than 2 hours later the repair was complete. Hamid then gave me a very useful tutorial in operating the integral satnav system, plus he showed me how to get going with Apple Car Play, which is fantastic. The repair has a 1 year warranty. It’s certainly working perfectly well now, and hopefully will continue to do so! I believe Satnav Systems can perform the repair on units posted to them, subject to postage costs, if visiting their premises is not possible. I thought this feedback might be useful to other owners faced with a similar dilemma, and I thought Hamid and Satnav Systems deserved some positive feedback for their excellent service.

I tried fitting strips of Oraguard stone chip protection film around the full perimeter (and the joint between the glass panels), to seal the sunroof, and removed fuse 27. The film got full adhesion to the roof and glass, but after 2 or 3 days of rain, the water found its way through again. It must have been due to the thickness of the film, causing small gaps at the overlaps. But a single piece wrap would probably work better.

I have been suffering with a leak into my Yeti for a couple of years now. My local dealer wasted the first year ‘trying ‘ to fix it under warranty, which ultimately failed. Back in March I followed united232’s repair, after which the tray passes the static leak test ( drain bunged, water in the tray immersing the joints). However the car still leaks after prolonged continuous rain, albeit not as badly as pre repair. I have managed to trace the current leak path. A small proportion of the water getting past the outer sunroof seal is tracking along the underside of the glass, and dripping onto the raised surface at the front corner of the frame, adjacent to the internal sunroof seal. From here the water can easily pass through the join in the frame, and drip onto the roof liner. I’ve attached photos showing where the water drips, and where I could see water seeping through the frame. I have attempted to seal this leak path with Tolleys, but I think the gaps are too wide. So I’ve used silicone mastic to form a cap over the corner of the frame. It doesn’t look very pretty, but so far it’s working. Fingers crossed!! I will report on the success in a couple of weeks, assuming monsoon season doesn’t suddenly finish.

Hi Hyeung, I realise that your post was over 5 years ago, but I would be very interested in the outcome. Did Autoglass carry out any testing, did they find any faults when they removed the screen? Did they refit the original screen? And did they cure the leak? I’m in a very similar situation, with a small intermittent leak at the same location, but with a car that has already caused me a couple of years of grief with a leaky sunroof (which I think I fixed last spring). My Yeti had the windscreen replaced by Autoglass last summer, due to a stone chip. I contacted them when I realised the car had developed another leak, and they sent someone very promptly, who removed the screen, confirmed the bead of sealant looked continuous, and refitted the newish screen. The car still has an intermittent leak onto the roof liner above the drivers seat. Thanks Paul

Thanks @United232 for the advice. Sad to report that storm Dennis caused a few drips over the weekend, so here’s hoping for some warm dry weather soon!

My car was with the dealer over Christmas for the sixth time in the last year, to attempt to fix the leak under warranty. At the previous visit they had fitted a new complete sunroof assembly, and it still leaked at the front offside position. So at the latest visit they had replaced the two front hoses with new (as an act of desperation), which made no difference. At this point I sent them a copy of united232’s report, which they agreed to follow. True to form, they didn’t follow the instructions properly. Instead they used a thicker silicone type sealant, smeared onto the surface of the outer channel, which bridges over the joint. This isn’t very neat, but it seems to have worked - so far at least. The door pillar trim is removed to make it easier to spot any drips if any water does get through. It was dry after the storm last weekend, which was a pretty tough test. So even though I doubt that the dealers repair will be long lasting, I believe it proves that the joint was the point of ingress in my case. I will carry out a better repair when the weather gets warmer and drier, and am already armed and ready with captain tolleys and syringes! I have a question for ‘232 or anyone else who has carried out the repair. Can you inject all of the sealant via the joint in inner channel only? Or do you need to also inject sealant into the joint in the outer channel, to achieve a complete fill? Access to the outer channel is much more awkward, and the muppets at my dealer have covered the surface of this area in silicon sealant , which I would need to remove... Sorry about the long ramble, but hopefully I’m getting close to the end of this saga! Thanks again for the great advice and feedback Paul

JR Personally I will never buy another car with a pano sunroof if I can possibly avoid it. To add insult to injury, mine developed an annoying clunk about 6 months into the leak saga. Plus they weigh a lot , and I never open it anyway! The trouble nowadays is that any similar replacement cars above the basic spec all seem to have them. And what I’ve learned in the last year is that a warranty gives you very little useful protection. You are at the mercy of your local main dealer, and if like mine they are fairly incompetent, you can end up driving a courtesy car for weeks/months on end, with endless hassle. Incidentally I sent them a copy of the report last week, and they are attempting the sealant repair, so possibly my personal saga might be coming to an end. But I’m trying not to build up my hopes too much. End of rant!!!

Thanks for this great report. My yeti has been suffering from a leak into the drivers footwell from the sunroof for over a year. It was still just within warranty when I discovered it, but the local main dealer, with technical support from Skoda UK, have been pretty hopeless at fixing it. I’ve just sent them a copy of the report because I think they have run out of ideas!

Hi. I bought a 2 year old Yeti in March 18. The car is great to drive and very practical- absolutely ideal for my requirements. However for the past year the car has suffered from a water leak through the sunroof mechanism, so my main reason for joining this forum is to research other owner’s experience.