PoloPaul

Following update to SW 1896, like so many others, I experienced the ‘Pop-Pop- SOS’ fault and the associated loss of functions. The system seemed to struggle for internet connectivity. Mostly connection was made during a journey but not always. After two years of ownership and numerous SW updates SkodaService arranged for the ‘Onboard Communications Unit’ to be changed. I have had the car back for three days and so-far have not experienced any further ‘Pop-Pop’ SOS or loss of functions.

I first had the ‘replace battery’ alert a year ago. I replaced with Panasonic CR2032 and all was well until a month ago when I started to receive the same alert yet again. So replacing every year seems reasonable enough to me for KESSY and I replaced the battery again. But this year despite more brand new Panasonic CR2032s ….. the alert persists. I now keep a pack of spare Panasonic CR2032s in the car….just in case of total failure. Can anyone suggest anything further I can try to eradicate this niggling fault?

Amazing information. Thanks once again.👍

Wow. That is really good information. Thank you so much for taking the time and care to answer my query 👏👏👏

Yes I did mean 1896!

Varoom - well done! That is the part they have ordered and are replacing soon! I assume owing to ESIM connectivity issues…. which I guess effects the ability to connect to the Emergency SOS Service? So if you don’t mind my picking your brains further…what exactly IS the ‘Head Unit’ …. just in case the above part doesn’t correct the fault (I have SW 1886 installed and PoP Pop SOS ‘seems’ to be the single outstanding glitch)

Mine is a 2020 First Edition. It has been updated to 1866 but Pop Pop and SOS still happen regularly. A new part is being fitted soon and I was told that it is a big job as it needs to be fitted behind the driver’s dashboard (it did take 3 weeks to order the part but well beyond that for the next available fitting-appointment). The Service Department didn’t use the name ‘ Head Unit’ which I would have recognised. Can’t remember exactly but the name was the …’something? Control Unit’. I guess this is the Head Unit. Is there anything else it could be?

Hello Everyone, A new gremlin for my Octavia 4. Software update now on 1896 and most infotainment functions work ok now. But for the last month I keep on receiving this warning message on the dashboard……. ”Keyfob battery getting weak. Please replace” That last happened a year ago and when I changed the battery, all was well. But now, despite half a dozen CR2032 coin-battery changes (Philips, Panasonic, no cheap makes) the fault continues to come up every time I start the car. The ‘unused’ spare key also brings up the same fault. Has anyone else experienced this annoying fault? Is there a fix that I’m unaware of Thanks

I am on 1896.

Hello JamesK I have had all those issue also, bar none. I am surprised to learn that the ‘same’ (?) Columbus Infotainment in two different Skoda models behaves so differently. My SEL FE was registered in September 2020 and I was told that it had been manufactured 5 months earlier. It was the showroom Octavia 4. I wonder when your 2021 registered Octavia was built as I assumed that FE models would be the earliest production Octavia 4s. I guess that infotainment and modules produced in the following production year may have benefitted from further development and that could explain why the Columbus in the 72 plate Karoq works as it ought to. My Columbus Infotainment SW was updated to 1896 in May of this year and this solved most problems except Pop-Pop SOS ‘Take your Car to a Workshop’. I will also have a replacement ‘Control Module’ (?) fitted in 4 weeks which I am told will address the Pop-Pop SOS issue. I presumed that all FEs had been produced in the ‘first year’ of Octavia 4 production 2020-21 (hence ‘First Edition’) I would be interested to know if further FEs were produced in 2021-22. My navigation system is poor under voice control and it is easier to simply type in an address or postcode. I find that AppleMaps or GoogleMaps via Carplay are both far more responsive to voice input.

😂 So IT not a company strength of then.

What Software version is now showing?

I had multiple issues until major SW Upgrade 1896. The other issues were rectified but now I have all the issues you have above instead. Additionally I now have daily periods where the Infotainment just shows ‘Loading’. Restarting or rebooting the Infotainment has no effect. During these periods I have no: navigation, Smartlink (Apple Carplay in my case) Radio Stations, SOS. My car retains all basic functions accessible through dedicated switches under the infotainment. The instrument panel continues to work. I suspect a faulty eSIM module which I believe several others on this forum have had replaced. Skoda UK has promised to get back to me about my ongoing complaint in a few days. I have the same model as you Octavia (Combi) 4 SEL First Edition.

Yes.

In the North of England. Driving yesterday. Pop-pop then ‘Emergency Call Unavailable. Contact Workshop’. So as usual I tried to clear the message by switching ignition on and off but this time to no effect. Eventually first Google Maps, then Apple Maps and finally Skoda Navigation started randomly re-routing and finding new routes every few seconds. I re-booted the Infotainment and the Infotainment went blank then started ‘searching’ for ages. Eventually on more re-boots it said ‘ You need to re-enter your SPIN’, but since the infotainment was non-functioning, I couldn’t. The tiny ‘World Map’ symbol showing data-connection was missing So wondered id the e-SIM had given up the ghost and started regretting buying this car……….yet-again. Left the car on the driveway till early evening and everything was back to normal. So the only unusual factor yesterday was that I was driving in 30 degrees of heat and it was clearly cooler in the evening. Has anyone else had anything similar happen in the heat. This is the UK and 30 degrees is (was) highly unusual. Has this ever happened to anyone living in a hotter European Country?

I have precisely the same issue. I also wonder if it is due to the internal eSIM making network contact. I didn’t ever have this until my SW was updated to 1896 2 months ago. I had a mass of other issues that were completely addressed by 1896 but now I have the same issue as you 🤷‍♂️

Hi Allan7690 Yes I have precisely these same issues as you have. My car DID have a major upgrade to 1896 in May. All the very many previously existing faults were corrected by the 1896 upgrade but now I also get ‘Pop-Pop’ then “SOS not available call your service partner”…….which resets next time I stop and start the car. I will ‘accept’ this (for now🤷‍♂️) because it is so nice of Skoda to at last give me ‘most’ of what I paid for in good faith 18 months ago - and my first extended service is due soon so I’ll raise that with the garage at the same time. Disappointed isn’t it?

Sorry Joss 1733 I see you were quoting above.

Joss1733 - are you saying that despite being on 1896 - you continue to have to take your car into your Dealership for further updates? Meaning that further updates do not happen automatically through the eSIM? Please confirm Thanks

Extremely welcome good news varoom! As we know small tweaks have been coming through on eSIM for a while. Guess its just a case of wait-and-see to know if every future update now happens this way. Neither my Service-Partner nor SkodaUK who prompted them on my behalf have mentioned this. If it does as you mention and incorporate all future updates I will be delighted. My local Service-Partner always seemed to view their role in software updates with reluctance and as an unwelcome chore. Hopefully now I wont need them when my warranty expires. Thanks once again for the ‘heads-up’ on this.

My Octavia had a ‘major’ update from 1668 to 1896 about 10 weeks ago and everything is now working to my satisfaction. I also get the loud “Pop-Pop” sound but have no accompanying issues. The only other regular issue I experience is that, especially on first start-up of the day, I occasionally get a notification ‘SOS Call Unavailable’ but this corrects itself after a restart with the notification ‘SOS Call Available’. I optimistically (?) put this down to the eSIM connecting which is never instantaneous. Interesting about the references to ‘on-line’ updates. These do occur in my car but only for minor tweaks. I was under the impression that eSIM updates for all software upgrades were initially planned but never rolled out, hence the frustration of lost days to dealership-updates. Can anyone confirm if major on-line updates are now also becoming available via e-SIM as opposed to dealership only?

Since the fix, my software is working as it ought to (hurray)but has two additional ‘safety’ features. I now regularly head two loud ‘Pops’ from the infotainment and this is great for keeping me awake at the wheel. As well as that I have regular warnings that ‘SOS’ is not available (until I restart then its ok again) and this really concentrates the mind on ‘defensive driving’. Does anyone else have these add-ons 🤣

Might that depend upon what what the Ts & Cs of your lease? It seems that a licence needs to be paid for, or your Service Partner can do it at additional cost, in order to continue Map Updates after Year 1.

Thanks matrix2020 So it seems that a Data Plan isn’t the sole way to continue receiving online updates after year 1 and that an Infotainment Online licences delivers map updates as well. For the first 20 months of ownership the Navigation, Voice Control etc did not work effective on my car. Following the recent large SW updates most issues are now resolved and I have good functionality. Shame though that my Maps Data base is no longer up to date. So for the first 20 months I used AppleMaps and (better still in my opinion) GoogleMaps via CarPlay (when Bluetooth connected which it often didn’t until recently). So despite at last having a functioning Navigation System and Voice Assistant, it looks as though I may soon revert to GoogleMaps. Thing is, with Bluetooth at last connecting reliably so I can use my phone in the car, I am nervous about switching over to CarPlay (which uses wifi) …. Just in case.