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And... I do pay a great deal of attention to what's going on in front of me and to suggest I don't is a bit rude frankly.

What rubbish. With the main lights off the drl lights are on and bright. My comment on the sunglasses was merely to demonstrate that the light level was plenty sufficient for normal vision. The constant turning off and on of the lights and the impact that has on the satnav (causing more distraction than if they dud nothing) and the impact it might have on other drivers seeing a change to the lighting most certainly could be considered distracting - especially so when the light levels are clearly not very low. The constant on/off is also a potential distraction as opposed to using some logic to leave the lights on if they are cycling too frequently. I respectfully disagree with your analysis 👎

Plenty of other things to do with ya hands when driving with ACC and Auto everything

So I went on a short holiday this weekend (first break for many many many months). There was a lot of driving up and down roads with some tree cover and my Auto lights were coming on and off more times than I can count. When going into a slightly shaded area the lights popped on and............ 1. The cars I was following must have thought I was a right tit turning my lights on and off about 20 times in a 5 mile stretch 2. Some of the road was narrow (you know - the lovely roads where the while lines in the middle just dissapear and you are supposed to realise instantly that you are about to be side swiped by a large car or white van - what ever happened to the flaming "road narrows" signs - have Devon County Council just given up on them???) I am sure on more than one occasion the oncoming car may have thought I was flashing them to go ahead and take up the middle of the road when in fact it was just the crazy Auto lights deciding to turn on at the most dangerous moment. 3. Android Auto maps was going from White to black each time and it was most irritating and distracting encoraging me to look at he "flashing" android auto screen that was having a bout of schizophrenia. Are these Auto lights meant to improve safety - for my journey on that day they did exactly the opposite. I have tweaked the settings to "Late" but it seems to have made virtually no difference whatsoever I have managed to enable the developer options in Android Auto and set the map to "Day" only. I did try "Phone Controlled" in those settings but that seems to still turn the map "black" even if it is before "lighting up time" when the lights come on - it is supposed to not do that so another "fail" from Android Auto for that non working feature. I do really like the idea of auto lights (for tunnels etc.). but to keep coming on and off when driving down a road with a few trees is crazy. I was wearing sunglasses and on the "darker" stretches it did not even feel in any way dark while wearing my shades. It's just a bit shoddy. Also, if the lights come on more than, say, twice in a 5 minute period then the system should realise this and leave them on for, say 15 minutes before taking another reading. that would make much more sense. Not turing them off and on every 10 seconds, distracting other drivers and actually making the drive less safe. I really am stuck between a rock and a hard place because I love the idea of them but I can't live with the obvious deficiencies so I guess they will remain off - thus defaeating what would otherwise be a really useful feature if implemented with a bit more care and sense. Cheers, Paul

This image in their sales blurb looks interesting. A special plastic bit under the connector - maybe to cure the smear in that position??? They get mixed reviews though - as is always the case with reviews but.... if it fixes my specific problem then maybe worth punt. The HH2618ST seems to be the right size.

Could be. I have used them for 3 months now though. I hear Heyner make some good ones. Here is a thread I was following with great interest: http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/146517-Smearing-wiper-common-issue I might get some if they do the right size. :-)

I have had some issues with the Bosch blades to be honest. The old blades were a bit rubbish (original fit) so I got a set of the 3397007864 A864S for my 2019 Karoq and the first set I noticed a bit of a smear on the return wipe on the drivers side blade. The smear is right in the line of sight in the middle (under where the connector to the arm is. I duly used some cleaners to completely and thoroughly clean the screen in case of wax but it did not improve. I returned them to the supplier (who was not happy) and then ordered a pair from another supplier (Parts in Motion). Same problem. I then went through a process of checking the blades to make sure there was not a pucker in that position - seem fine. I also then started an experiment to bend the arm slighly inwards (few mm) - no imporvement then outwards - also no improvement. I believe thee is an angle of incidence adjustment/check that can be made but also think (from the workshop manual) that this is not applicable to aero type of blades?? It also requies an £80 adjustment tool so I have not gone down that route. I just know that if I go to the dealer that they will change the blades again, then add some silicone cleaner to the blades (which may help for about 2 hours) and then say its a normal characteristic so I can't be bothered with taking it in. I was wondering if anyone else has this issue. It is very specific (centre of blade on the return wipe - drivers side only) and some googling has thrown up a common thread on a lot of other VAG cars but with not resolution that I can find. I was thinking of trying some other brands but not sure which ones may be better. thanks Paul

What is DSG slipping clutch? That's a new one for me. Thanks Paul

I wasn't suggesting you were a kid by the way - I meant your kids or the kids - not you personally 🙂

For me personally - I just don't get the point of a tent on the roof of the car but then I am a "grumpy middle aged g*t". For me I would feel that I was taking a risk by doing anyting near the ultra expensive panoramic roof and creating a solution to a problem where none exists. I guess if you are kids though it might be fun. I can just imagine a nice heavy metal CREE torch being dropped onto the pana roof from 3 or 4 feet and having it shatter into a thousand million pieces or needing a "comfort break" in the night and having to fumble with the ladder (if its taken up like a drawbridge) and scratching the lovely chrome rails!!

Hi, Just a word of slight caution - I know nothing about these however I know "Kids" and I know the the roof on the Karoq (and Fabia) is paper thin and very flexible/prone to dings from even a tiny pine cone falling from 5 feet. Be careful if you care about dents in the roof - they are expensive to get pulled out due to the location and size of the panel. My wife parked under a tree in her new Fabia a few days after taking delivery and a tiny (really tiny) pine cone caused a dent that I notice every day from the upstairs window. 🙂 Not worth getting fixed for us as she is sometimes forced to park under trees at work. Cheers, Paul

Thanks for that. Glad to know some people are. I was beginning to wonder 🙂

If you check out the "maintenance manuals" here: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/files/category/11-skoda-karoq/ you can find the maintenance manual for your specific engine and in there it will tell you 🙂 e.g. Skoda Karoq - Maintenance Workshop Manual should help. Look at pages 46-48 From my very limited understanding VW 508 has been introduced to reduce emissions in order that VW can comply to new tighter regulations with their older and potentially "non-compliant" tech. The oil used makes a difference to the emissions values however this is at the expense of engine wear so as others here may have mentioned you may prefer to use VW 504 and to hell with the emissions (if you plan on keeping your car or care about engine and component wear). The poor person who gets a VW 508 filled engine after 5 to 10 years of runing with VW 508 may well have some big bills for worn out parts but by then the original owner will have moved on and will not care. I tend to keep my cars for 10 years so I and happy with VW 504. VW have to "Specify" VW 508 at the factory and put that in the end user manual (or make the manual so abigous that you just don't know) or they would be breaking the emissions laws. They would never knowingly do that (of course - ahem (mutters dieselgate under his breath... 😮) so they specify it, fill it up with VW 508, comply with the regulations and then let the franchised dealership workshops decide whether to use VW 508 or VW504 or "Spry Crisp and Dry". It's all desingned (IMHO) to confuse and obfuscate. Paul

I feel your pain..... I found those little push rivets very fiddly and rather tiresome - I have other words to describe fitting them to the flaps but they would be banned from the site 🙂

As for Castrol Magnatec Professional I don't think its on the list as being VW 504 00. It is however VW 502 00/ 505 00. See here from a bigish supplier of oils in the UK https://www.buycarparts.co.uk/motor-oil-search?release[0]=vw-504-00 I am no expert though so will defer to people with more knowlege. And... in fairness to you the manual is very badly laid out indeed. My manual is not like the image from e-Roottoot - Even though he is perfectly right about what he says. The standard manual is unecessarily vague in my opinion. It makes no mention at all in any other parts of the 328 page manual about the use of VW 508 or VW 504. That is why it is leading to the same old question being asked again and again by (quite rightly) confused owners - I was the same 🙂 Paul

"VW xxx xx" oils are a specification of Oil type and viscosity for the cars in the VAG group (iuncluding Skoda, Audi, Seat, VW and proably others. They are not any different to any other oils of the same specification e.g. "VW 504 00" is 5W30 fully Synthetic oil. When you search for 5W30 oil at your choosen supplier look at the pack and make sure it says compliant to "VW 504 00". Your user manual for your car will tell you what VW specification you should be using. You may have 2 choices and the oil used will depend upon your service regime (i.e. Fixed Interval" or "Extended Life". 🙂

I was filled up with 5W30 aka VW504 at my service at the main dealer earlier this month in the UK and my car is on a fixed time (annual) service regime. I triple checked with them and its on the invoice too.

I think the stickers are a bit "Off the mark" really. To my mind the first figure (on my car where it is the 2.1Bar on the R18) I think it ought to say "MIN" for "Minimum Pressures" The ECO figure should be renamed to "NORM" for "NORMAL DRIVING / LOAD" and the "heavy load" figures should be left as-is. I'm still not really convinced that the lower 2.1Bar figure is even right when indicated as a "Normal Pressure". I wonder how they arrived at that figure. I have my suspicions that they might have made a mistake or there is some other reason at play but I am not the expert here and I have known to be wrong on many occasion 🙂. There are so many articles on the internet about people running around with under inflated tyres in the UK. Surely if its okay to run them all the time at what they call "ECO" then that is what should be stated as "Normal". I bet its because they can then squeeze another 1-2mpg out of the car and get slightly lower emissions on the stricter emissions and economy tests if its on the official label. If that were the case though it would be a "never to be used" figure under normal loads but we all here are running at the higher figures. There must be a reason we are all running at the higher figures. The reason I started this thread was to see how many people are running at the lower (1st row) of figures and so far the answer is "no-one". I was hoping a few people would have come back to say "I run at 2.1Bar" becasue it gives me xx% extra grip when I throw it around the corners" or "I run at 2.1Bar because it stops so much quicker in the wet at the lower pressure" but so far everyone is running at the ECO or above pressures. That's what's a bit confusing.

Im thinking (from my research) that there is actualy quite a bit of flexibility in the pressures that you set for your own circumstances, driving style and wishes for safety, grip, even/uneven wear and fuel economy. There is a lower and an upper limit which one should not exceed for normal "on-road" use but within that (which for my tyres are 2.1Bar to 2.5Bar) its up to the individual to decide and adjust to fit the circumstances. I have settled on 35psi (around 2.45Bar) for now. I also checked my insurance and it states that the pressures must be to the manufacturers specifications or it could invalidate a claim so......... for anyone running at above the ECO / Fully laden figure please do check your insurance as should the worst happen they could screw you over. Quite why all of the websites state a different figure to any of the figures on my fuel flap label is beyond me but I am guessing that they are going over the minimum figure (as tyres can lose pressure a bit over the course of a month and also, on a cold UK winter morning, they could be a bit lower than the minimum and on a hot day they would not go over the ECO figure if kept at the mid point thus keeping you "legal" as far as insurance goes. Just my guess. cheers Paul

For my 215/50 R18 92 W Skoda suggest on the flap 2.1/2/1 normal and 2.5/2.5 ECO Kwik-fit suggest 2.3/2.3 F/R Tyrepressures.com = 2.3/2.3 Michelin website specify a most precise 34.824psi ( both F/R) = a shade over 2.4Bar No-one but no-one specifies 2.1Bar or for that matter 2.5Bar. It's a mess 🙂

... But better stopping distances in teh wet maybe??? There must be a reason for them to suggest it if it is not a typo.

It does make you wonder why they suggest 2.1Bar for the 18's at normal load at all - period. Do you think it might me a typo?? If anyone runs at that they are going to get exessive outer tread wear, poorer MPG and a ride so wallowy on the standard Karoq suspension that they will get sea sick - surely.

I think the 6ap figure is δap (or Δap) i.e. Delta- ap and I interpret that to mean "In the case of a change in atmospheric pressure" (or a quite poor translation to "High Altitude" conditions) but I might be wrong....

I think I might just up mine to the "full fat" 2.5Bar (36.2psi) figure, leave it there and live with any occasional wheelspin (which is rare now I know how to treat the DSG - i.e. like a "bull in a china shop" at junctions in the wet when I'm turning left or right or if I'm starting off "uphill" in the the wet. If its un uphill junction turning left/right in the wet and I need to make rapid progress then I will be taking it very easy - no nipping in to a "gap" in the traffic in that scenario (with a 2wd and lively DSG 🙂. I might try "Eco" mode in those situations and see if it makes any difference.

The reason I'm a bit paranoid is because I ran my old Tiguan at 32psi which was the figure in the fuel flap for unladen and I was told I ruined my tyres (the rubber was starting to crack in the treads) and the edges were wearing a little more than the centres. Two seperate garages told me to "up the pressures to 37Psi" after confirming that the Tracking and balance was "spot on" (the Tig) and I did so because the evidence was pretty clear. It made the ride as firm as a ballet dancers bottom though and I was always a bit unhappy at teh higher pressures because of that. I was always also skeptical because the label in the flap said 32psi and I trusted teh manufacturer to tell me the right figure (it was mostly driven by just me for commuting with no load) and now I get the Karoq - the label in the flap is saying 30.5psi for "normal" with up to "3 people and up to 3 suitcases" (or what I assume is their pictorial for "normal load"). I just don't trust it. 🙂