Avocet

Yes, that's the thing. "Encouraged" by Euro NCAP, but not a legal requirement in the UK. It'll be interesting to see how that works out, post-Brexit, as for the type approval tests, there is a catalogue of various EU speed limit signs that the systems HAVE to recognise. DfT is (I think) secretly hoping that the fact that Northern Ireland has the same signs as us, means we might be able to piggyback off that, because NI has to stay in regulatory alignment with the EU.

You'd need deep pockets to win that one, I think! My guess, is that it WILL work, "most" of the time. good luck proving that it sometimes doesn't!

No, not a EuroNCAP or insurance company requirement, and no, the traffic sign recognition system doesn't have to recognise British signs, because our government has decided not to adopt it. However, it does have to recognise Northern Irish signs (which are, of course, the same as ours, so the system will "probably" work OK here, but the manufacturers have no legal obligation to make it do so. I think we'll get a sort of "Poundshop" version of it as an option - and those of us wanting it, will have to pay extra, whereas they'll start getting the "full fat" version of it in the EU, whether they like it or not. https://www.daviddjward.com/the-brexit-slow-puncture-deflating-our-vehicle-safety-standards/

I wonder if "Travel Assist" is the Skoda marketing department name for a raft of measures that are going to become legal requirements in the EU from next July? One of them is "Intelligent Speed Assist" which uses cameras with traffic sign recognition software and a GPS database, to determine the speed limit and try to keep the car within it. Another requirement being rolled out, is "Driver Distraction and Attention Warning" (which in some forms, I think, will use a torque sensor on the steering column to look for regular driver inputs and try to wake the driver up in some way, if it stops detecting them). GB hasn't adopted those regulations, post-Brexit, so I guess the manufacturer will have had no reason to tune the software to recognise GB road signs in particular. Obviously, they do look similar to many EU speed limit signs, but I know the systems can sometimes get confused by the variable speed limit signs on gantries, because of the frequency with which the lights in those will pulse, and that varies between manufacturers. It could be that Skoda are charging us extra for features that will be a legal requirement on cars sold in the EU soon.

One of the rear doors doesn't always lock. I've got another door lock assembly, and was thinking of swapping it this weekend, but was just wondering if there were any particular tips before I start? Are they just "plug-and-play", or do I need to disconnect the battery first (or worse, even "code" the new one)? 2017 car with KESSY, if that makes a difference? (And the door protectors).

Personally, I've never really seen the point? Most cars with a "sport" button just alter the throttle response so you get more of it in the first few inches of pedal travel. My sister swears it makes her car go faster, but of course, it doesn't! I've never really found it too much of a chore to push the pedal another inch down the footwell? In fact, I'd go so far as to say I quite like it on really bumpy farm tracks, at low speeds, as it makes for less jerky progress.

I'm also having door lock problems! 2017 car, nearside rear door fails to lock, and now sometimes, driver's door won't unlock! Car appears to be receiving the signals from the remote fob OK (tried it with both fobs), and if the fob is close to the car, the same thing happens if you touch the driver's door (the other doors unlock but not the driver's door). Are the lock assemblies in the doors, known for being troublesome?

First of all, if you want the definitive figures for your car, ask Skoda for an EU Certificate of Conformity. Legally, they are obliged to issue ONE, free, to the first purchaser of the vehicle. They don't look like much (just a single sheet of A4 with lots of data printed on them), but they're a valuable legal document. They're unique to each vehicle, so there won't be any messing around with weight ranges, it will simply tell you exactly what your car can legally tow, braked or unbraked, including nose weight. Look around Field 18. The certificate will have your car's 17 character VIN on it. Secondly, towbar prep is, as has been said, various cooling system upgrades, plus the necessary interface for the wiring. Lots of people (me included, have NOT had towbar prep and tow things. There is no legal problem with doing so, but there may be warranty problems if you cook your engine whilst towing. Just watch the temperature. Most of the time, in the UK, unless you're towing the maximum weight in the middle of summer, up a steep hill, you'll be fine. Thirdly, we had ours done by PF Jones in Manchester and we're happy with it. Make sure you go for "coded" electrics.

The diesels are due a cam belt at 5 years, so worth checking if that's been done. Water pumps are very clever (to speed up the warmup). Unfortunately, a bit too clever for their own good, and overheating can be a problem. Cheap to change while the cam belt is being done, but £££ if not. Emergency Call problems are not unusual. Most people just live with them and reset the system. Again, very expensive for a new e-call module. If a 4x4, they use a Haldex system similar to the Freelander 2, and the dealers tend not to clean the strainer in the rear diff - just change the oil. A blocked strainer can cause big problems. If you're planning on towing, some of them from that period were not homologated to tow anything. Check the compliance plate and make sure it has a number in the second space for Gross Train Weight (It will be around 4 tonnes, if it can tow). Some of them (especially the 7 seaters), don't have a spare wheel, if such things are important to you. They have a bottle of "slime" which is supposed to be replaced at 4 years old, and is very expensive. You can buy a spacesaver retrofit kit. Brake discs appear to be of somewhat dubious quality. Other than that, ours (which is 5 years old) has been fine.

I've never had a Superb, but from a rough road point of view, the Kodiaq appears to have a very slightly shorter wheelbase - which helps prevent grounding in the middle, when laden. Also, as you might expect, a couple of inches more ground clearance, so you should see a reasonable improvement. Our youngest has piano lessons on a farm with a rough track about half a mile long, leading to it. We don't travel it fully-laden, but I could JUST get my 5008 to kiss the odd bump, whereas the Kodiaq doesn't. I'd definitely go for smaller rims and taller profile tyres though - they're heavy cars, and if you're going to be going over poor surfaces, you need the extra sidewall depth to protect your rims! Can't really comment on the option. Haven't tried Skoda massage seats, but the Peugeot ones were a bit of a gimmick - more like being kicked in the back sporadically, by a bored toddler, but without the "are we there, yet?", every 5 minutes...

Washers OR automatic levelling, I think.

Certainly, none of them are anything that I worry about. First few hundred yards and they'll be cleaned up again on the friction surfaces. To be fair to modern car manufacturers, I think discs and calipers have always done this, but with modern wheel designs, the wheels are so big, and the spoke pattern so open, that you get to see a lot more of the disc and caliper than you would have done on a car 20 or 30 years ago.

No! I've had something telling me the collision avoidance radar is impaired (when there's snow on it), but never anything for headlights. (Ours does have the headlamp washers though).

I think standard fit is probably "recycled old manhole covers"!

How rusty is rusty? A quick tour of our drive this morning, revealed the following: A 2 month old BMW which was driven yesterday afternoon: a 12 year old Mazda 2 (Brake discs are cheap aftermarket about 3 years old), last driven on Sunday morning: a 5 year old Kodiaq rear (Mintex "uncoated" disc fitted about 9 months ago, last driven on Saturday afternoon: 5 year old Kodiaq front disc, Mintex "coated", also fitted about 9 months ago, last driven on Saturday afternoon.

Funny enough, my "Sunday car" has dim-dip! However, simply "importing" cars built to EU legislation might not be straightforward. Another of the regulations in the EU's "General Safety Regulation 2" is Intelligent Speed Assist. The UK was heavily involved at the start, but we left before the regulations were finalised and one of the things the manufacturer has to ensure, is that the system can recognise any of the signs from a catalogue of signs collected from around all EU Member States. The UK's signs are, of course, missing from that catalogue. I think we'll start to see small divergences like that, which will gradually make it harder to simply piggyback off the EU regs.

No. I think it's unlikely. Legislation is rarely applied retrospectively. Even if it was, the system on your car, might not comply with all the requirements of the regulation at the point in the future where it becomes mandatory for new cars. Lots of manufacturers have introduced some variations of LDWS, LKA or ELKA prior to it being a legal requirement and those systems will be "close to" but not necessarily actually "compliant". (And yes, on our 2017 car, on rural roads, it's more trouble than it's worth). As an aside, by the way, has anyone tried letting it "do its thing" on an empty motorway? I did, a while back, and it corrects the first lane departure very effectively, but tends to over-correct. A few seconds after that, the car will then try to drift into the lane on the other side, so it corrects that too. After a couple of these, it starts beeping at you to "take back control". However, (and I didn't know this), if you continue to ignore it for a couple more corrections, it dabs the brakes pretty hard! It doesn't do it for more than a fraction of a second, so causing a pile-up is unlikely, but presumably, it does it with the intention of waking the driver up!

It doesn't help that the terminology differs. LDWS (Lane Departure Warning System), is the one that beeps or vibrates the wheel if you drift out of lane without indicating. "LKA" Lane Keep Assist" is the one that actively provides a steering input when you drift out of lane. This is further complicated by ELKA (Emergency Lane Keep Assist), which will intervene much more vigorously. It needs to work in conjunction with the blind spot detection system, so if you're drifting into a lane that already has a car in it, in your blind spot, it will steer you much more aggressively, away from the car you're about to hit. However, manufacturers are free to "gold plate" the minimum legal requirements and provide systems that actually steer the car and keep you roughly in the middle of your lane (like Tesla). It's further complicated by manufacturers making up their own acronyms rather than using the terms in the regulations. As has been said, the new EU "General Safety Regulation 2" will demand LKA on "new types" of vehicle introduced from last July, and for "all registrations" from July 2024. What this means, is that if (say) Skoda were to face-lift the Kodiaq tomorrow, then unless they change their type approval "type designation", it would not be a "new type". It will be an existing type, first introduced in 2017. That means new Kodiaqs rolling off the production line, don't need some of those systems yet, but will do, if registered after July 2024. If, however, Skoda introduced a completely "new type" of vehicle tomorrow, it would have to comply right now. Also as has been said, the UK no longer follows EU regulations. As of 1st of July this year, a "new type" of car being introduced in GB, will need a GB National Type Approval. (Funny enough, the scheme became "optional" on the 1st of this month)! The "GB" scheme, is, of course, only a "photocopy" of the EU scheme, as it was on 31/12/2020, so it doesn't include any requirements for LKA / ELKA. It will be for the British government to decide which (if any) of these requirements to adopt in the future. However, that becomes a very hot political and economic issue, as well as a very complex one. As GB falls further behind the EU on safety and environmental regulations, safety campaigners will, no doubt, stark kicking up a fuss about it. On the other hand, having lost our seat at the negotiating table where these decisions are taken, if we accept these new regulations, it will be without having had a say in their content. (Which is a pity as it was our very own TRL that was paid by the EU Commission, to do the research into the benefits and costs of these new systems)! But there's more... The EU regulations are in fact, a mixture of United Nations regulations (which the UK is still signed-up to) and EU regulations, (which we are not). So if any of the United Nations content changes, we're bound to implement those anyway! The other problem, of course, is who pays for it. Since the early 1990s, car manufacturers have saved costs by having just one common set of regulations allowing unlimited numbers of sales in any EU Member State. Over the next few months, they're going to be doing much of the same job twice for GB, maintaining two, near-identical sets of approval documents - one for their EU sales, and one for their GB sales. Naturally, the GB consumers will be picking up the tab for that. And here's the rub. If GB diverges from the EU regulations, it won't just be two sets of paperwork, it will be two different specs of vehicle. If the change is a simple one (like building the car with the appropriate hardware for LKS / ELKS and then simply toggling it off in the software for GB spec cars), that's clearly not going to cost much extra. We'll just be paying for some extra hardware that we don't need. But if the regulations diverge significantly in the future, it could start costing significantly more. The most likely effect, (I believe) is that vehicles that don't sell in significant numbers in GB (and are high CO2 emitters), will simply just end up getting dropped from the GB model range because the number of cars doesn't justify the cost of the extra paperwork. Interesting times!

Yes, it's a common fault, and yes, it sounds like water pump shroud. They may as well put a new cam belt on it while it's off. It has to come off to do the water pump. The belt is not expensive and that then re-sets the clock for 5 years. Whereabouts in the country is the OP? In my experience, Skoda dealers vary enormously in competence and cost. I prefer to drive 100 miles than use my local one!

Had to get 5 people plus luggage, from Cumbria to Oban on Friday night. The A82 was blocked with snow, so we tried the A85. Ended up getting stuck for a few hours near Crianlarich because of a lorry that had slid down a hill and jackknifed. Didn't get to Oban until the "wee small hours" but the car did magnificently! 4x4 with winter tyres. No problem with traction whatsoever - even on the bits that hadn't been ploughed. However, it did do something odd... I noticed the lights weren't great, and assumed the lenses were covered in snow but one of them was switching off periodically. Now earlier this year, I bought an OBDeleven dongle and downloaded the fault codes (which could have been in there for a few years, for all I know) and one of them was something to do with a light (transformer, I think?) overheating. I didn't pay much attention at the time, because the lights seemed to work fine, but I'm wondering if the two are related? I'll plug it back in when I get a minute and see if the code has come back. Does anyone have any experience of overheating lights? (Or light transformers). Only other sour note, was a lorry throwing up a stone and cracking the windscreen, but c'est la vie!

I've recently given back a Peugeot 5008 as a company car, after a coupe of years. I thought that was a worthy car. 30,000 miles and nothing went wrong. Similar size and internal space to the Kodiaq, more space in the Row 3 seats. Flat floor. Mine was only the 130 horse manual diesel, so it was slower than our 150 horse DSG 4x4 Kodiaq, but it was also better on fuel and lighter. It handled really nicely, in my opinion. An indecently agile car for its size. They do a good auto version. However, the Kodiaq was more refined than the 5008 and although the 5008 had more "toys", the same toys on the Kodiaq worked better. Maybe worth a look?

Usually a small amount of noise reduction. Maybe a bit of splash protection if going off-road.

Quicker to just give it a couple of licks with a file! I'd have thought that was easier (and more accurate) than trying to wedge coins in each side between the jaws?

I've recently done discs and pads at both ends on ours. Because of the lip, you either need to take the lip off locally, with a file and put verniers on there, or you need to use a micrometer that can reach over the lip. My fronts weren't near minimum thickness (2017 car with 35,000 on it), but there was a slight vibration, so I changed them anyway.

Do you know how it utilises the pressure?