Avocet

Unusual! You would have thought that VAG would be on their best behaviour when it came to compliance, - after the emissions scandal!

Strictly speaking, for a mass produced car, it can over-read by 10% + 2.5 MPH, (At all practical speeds), but cannot under-read at all. Same in the EU. Paragraph 5.4 of ECE Reg 39: https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/2018/R039r2e.pdf As a result, manufacturers always set them a few % high.

Possibly not quite the same thing but our 2017, 150 diesel DSG will "coast" when you lift off the throttle, but if you touch the brake whilst off the throttle, it will engage a lower gear and provide a bit of engine braking until the throttle is re-applied.

That's interesting. We'll be driving along, happily and then all of a sudden, we'll get the warning noise and a message telling us there's a fault in the e-call system and to contact a dealer. At the same time, the e-call light in the roof console turns red and we get a yellow warning triangle on the instrument display. Often, 5 miles or so later (and without doing anything with the e-call button or even stopping the car), the e-call light goes green again, and the dashboard warning triangle disappears!

As others have said, the modern cars do a whole lot more than just lights. Perhaps the single most critical thing, is that if it detects a trailer , it runs a different Electronic Stability Control programme - which among other things, will gave you some anti-snake protection. Fr us, it simply wasn't worth the risk. Not having the parking sensors going off all the time, not having the car's foglight reflection irritating you, and the blind spot detection sensors always being activated, was just icing on the cake!

Evening all. I finally managed to get under it this weekend and get a couple of photos and a video clip... 20230930_095900.mp4

Yes, it's very common. Our 2017 car was doing exactly the same thing. The e-Call (that's the generic nae for these devices, which are a legal requirement for manufacturers to fit, these days) module was replaced, with Skoda paying parts and us paying labour. It worked for several months, but now it randomly goes off again. They're a dreadful system! I'm told you can re-set it by pressing and holding the emergency call button for 30 seconds. I haven't tried it though, as it tends to re-set itself after a while anyway.

That certainly looks like it! Many thanks. Even that's £200! Also looks suspiciously like there's one at the other end too. I'd better check that...😒 Can't understand it. That car has led an absolutely charmed life (since we bought it, just coming up to 3 years old, at least)! Mrs. Avocet drives it like a mobility scooter - and not many miles, either.

Thanks, I'll try to get some photos, but the cracks look far too irregular to be deliberate, I think! I can practically pull the annulus off with my bare hands! (Not that I've tried too hard, until I can source a replacement)!

Hi All, When I was doing the Haldex oil change the other week, I noticed that there was a large ring on the end of the propshaft, near the nose of the rear diff. It was bonded to a rubber insert (or at least, it was originally)! The rubber had seriously deteriorated. I'm guessing this is some sort of torsion damper? Do all 4x4 Kodias have them, or just the DSG ones? Bit surprised that the car has only done 44,000 mies and this is all but dead. Does anyone have a part number, please? (Or a source for them)?

2017 car with only 44,000 "light" miles on it. Haldex oil previously changed by main stealers. This is the first time I've done it myself. The oil was also pretty manky, with "bits" in it.

Well, I finally got round to it this afternoon. Bloody glad I did! Always worth paying that bit extra for a full, main dealer service history...😒

OK, thanks. Just thought I'd better check!

Sorry, yes, fair point. I do, of course, mean the Haldex oil!

Thanks for that. Do you know if a 2017 Kodiaq would be "Generation 5", as in that link, please? It doesn't seem to be on the list in the link. Also, I don't have VCDS. (Although I do have an OBDeleven dongle). I'll have to see if that can do the pump re-learn. Would I be right in thinking that the pump is continuously learning anyway, so if I don't do the re-learn, it will just do it after some driving in any case? (But just take longer).

Hi All, Last time this was done by a dealer, they didn't clean the gauze strainer. I'm keen to do it myself, this time, so that I can give it a proper clean. Any tips or recommended "how-to" videos, please? I've been slightly unnerved by one suggestion that I'll need to do a "pump re-learn"? (Seems a bit extreme after an oil change)?! 2017 150 DSG 4x4.

Yes, that's possible. My wife's car did this. The most likely explanation, is that there's a bit of pad material deposited on one or both discs. This can happen when the discs get very hot and you come to a stop and leave your foot on the pedal (or hill-hold on). Each time that bit of disc passes between the pads, it "grabs" very slightly giving the illusion of a "warped" disc. The remedy, (I'm told) is to do a few very hard stops, to get the discs stinking hot, (which re-distributes the pad material more evenly round the disc) and then drive around for about 5 minutes (ideally without braking) to allow the discs to cool back down. (Or brake gently to a halt WITHOUT hill-hold on and without leaving your foot on the brakes as the car stops - i.e. coast the last few feet). I never tried it though, because my wife's car's discs needed changing anyway.

Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate the trouble you've gone to, with such a detailed answer. I'll pass that one on.

Hi All, I normally hang out on the Kodiaq board but a friend has a question about a 1.4 TSI Octavia auto, with about 110,000 on it, 2010 model. He's had it diagnosed by a dealer as having a stretched timing chain. It rattles a bit on startup, (say, for about 2 seconds). The change from 1st to 2nd isn't particularly smooth. Other than that, it drives fine. He has to go on a long trip, abroad on Tuesday, for about 3 weeks, so no time to get anyone to do the timing chain. They anticipate doing about 2500 miles before they get back here. I realise this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string?" question, but could I ask what the general feeling is, on this matter? Are these prone to sudden, catastrophic failure, or will they happily just gradually get a bit more rattly, but not do anything nasty for a long time? Can they get to a point where the engine won't run properly because the cam timing is as far out? Or go into some kind of limp mode because the engine management system sees a sensor out of range? (Basically, he's just wanting to know whether he should risk it or not...) Would, for example, something like a quick oil change for some thicker oil, help? Thanks!

You could try asking Skoda UK for a "specimen" Certificate of Conformity. They MIGHT e-mail you one. The actual "proper" Certificate of Conformity is a very unassuming bit of A4, printed on both sides, but is actually the definitive legal document that nobody can argue with. It is unique to your particular vehicle and will quote what it can and can't tow, braked and unbraked. The manufacturer is obliged to issue ONE original, free of charge, to the first owner, but if the first owner has lost it, they can charge for a duplicate. The "specimen", however, is just a scan of it, and has no legal standing, but does actually give you the data you need.

You won't find a law that says you "can't" fit one, because laws are not written that way. They usually tell you what you MUST do, and then if you're not doing those things, you're breaking the law. You will, however, find the Construction and Use regulation on braking, which will say something along the lines of the vehicle "having to comply with the relevant provisions of ECE Regulation 13 or 13H or..." (it will give various alternatives, depending on when the vehicle was type approved). If the vehicle was never homologated for towing in the first place, then as soon as you attach a trailer to it, you will be in breach of the relevant C&U regulation (because you will not be able to provide evidence that the vehicle satisfied the requirements of those regulations with a trailer attached). In a serious enough accident to get the Plod involved and go to court, that's what the prosecuting expert witness would pull out of the hat. Of course, none of this means that the vehicle wouldn't meet the requirements (it probably would, with most trailers), but what you wouldn't have, is firm evidence of compliance to show a court.

Keep it safe, some manufacturers can charge well into 3 figures for a duplicate!

In my experience, getting technical information out of a salesperson, is a hiding to nothing. Get on to Skoda Customer Services and ask for a "Certificate of Conformity" for your car. You're entitled to a free, paper one, but if one has already been issued for your car, they're allowed to charge for a duplicate, so make sure you haven't already got one. It's a single sheet of A4, with loads of technical and regulatory data on it. (See attached). Fields 18 and 19 will give you the type approval information for your actual car (the VIN will be on the front of the certificate). This is the definitive legal document. Nothing else matters. Forget what you hear on internet fora, from owners or salespeople!

I think you're right to be concerned. Frankly, it's utterly ridiculous that a manufacturer should produce a vehicle of this type and NOT expect people to want to tow with it! Ours has had an aftermarket towbar fitted (and actually seems to be a very good tow car), but was out of warranty when it was fitted.

Yes, there's no legal problem with getting a third party towbar fitted. Demand an EU "Certificate of Conformity" with the car. That will give you a load of type approval data, specific to your car, including what it can and can't tow, braked and unbraked. You might, however, run into warranty problems if anything goes wrong.