Sir_Ron_Norris

Practice, practice, practice; doing it manually and going in backwards is so much easier than faffing about with this un-necessary system and possible extra expense. I have Parking Assist but never use it. Mirrors and front/back sensors are all you need, and even the sensors are not really necessary.

Yes. Like you, several new (and premium) batteries, but the "replace keyfob battery" message remained. Until a couple of weeks ago and now it's gone away. But that doesn't alter the fact that the constant refrain in our house is "That Bloody Car!".

A paper atlas will never tell you "I can't calculate your route". Ever-reliable and provides a comprehensive graphic of geographical location - which these silly satnavs just can't do.

Jim2015 - I've never heard of the head unit (nothing in the manual). Where is it and how is it re-booted? As I noted above, if my car is idle for several days I leave the CTEK plugged in. If only overnight then I put it in the garage and pop the bonnet release so, if necessary, I can get into the engine bay with faffing about with the keybit/doorhandle thingy. The latest frustration is that the infotainment screen keeps telling me the keyfob battery needs replacing - and that in spite of the fact I have just inserted the THIRD brand new battery. I'm content to ignore the "advice", but worried that the car may think the instruction is correct and is waiting to let me down sooner or later with an inoperative key.

Mine was at the dealers last week for the 9305 recall (HV battery insulating mat) and the 12v battery control module update which, they tell me, means that now the 12v battery is charged when the HV battery is charged. We'll see... . I was surprised to be told that only 8 dealers in the UK are trained to carry out the 9205 recall. But to Dave's query - I can only draw your attention to the photos of the CTEK device above. Unless your 12v battery is completely shot, these units really do work and provide excellent peace of mind.

Going back to the first paragraph of my May 30 post, above, I thought it might be useful to some to see how I maintain the 12v battery. Of course, this only works if you have a garage with access to power. Being retired, the car can often go several days without being used so, every time after use, the car is garaged and then the CTEK device is plugged in, connected to the earth and +ve terminals, switched on and left on the ledge below the windscreen. Time left for charging is indicted and then the "Care & Maintenance" light comes on to show battery level is good and being maintained. Been using this compact and efficient system since 2010.

Should you buy an Octavia iV? I would advise NO! Note KenONeill's remarks above. There are too many owners with too many problems caused by this over-complicated and poorly thought-out car. I will let mine run towards the end of the warranty period and then, after exactly 20 years of Octavia ownership, it will be Toyota here I come...

The 12v battery and the HV battery are quite independent of each other. The Octavia iV manual says that the 12v is charged when the HV battery is charged. That is not true. I have complained about this to two dealers and Skoda Customer Services; all I get is blank looks. For 12 years I have used CTEK battery charger/conditioner on two sports cars. Now I use it on my Octavia when I know it is not going to be used over, for example, the next 2/3 days. This is what I have https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/ct5-time-to-go-uk . It gives good reassurance, but the need for this on a new car leaves me very irritated. On a related matter, did you know that 2021 Octavia iVs and Superb iVs are subject to a safety recall? From elsewhere in these pages there is this - Skoda will recall about 22,000 Superb iV and Octavia iV plug-in hybrid model year 2021. Seat plug-in hybrids are also affected. The reason behind this recall has been detected as an insufficient insulated high-voltage battery in the plug-in hybrid models. There are chances of the battery getting heated up which can lead to fire due to the inadequate insulation. Volkswagen has issued a statement clarifying the situation: “During extensive reviews, Volkswagen discovered that a fuse in the drive system of some plug-in hybrid vehicles can be defective in individual cases. In the worst case, this can mean that this fuse does not work properly in the event of an overvoltage.” The repair needed to fix the problem is the installation of an insulating material in the high voltage battery fuse box. The procedure will mean little waiting time for affected customers, who will be informed and invited to go through the official service. And, relating to your query, this "...the 27J6 service campaign, which replaces the battery control module and is meant to rectify occasions where the 12v battery is being depleted, part of this involves a firmware update. This came out on 21st March". My car is going to a dealer at the end of June for 2 days to allow this work to be carried out. But be aware that, unbelievably, only a few dealers have been trained to work on the HV battery. My nearest two dealers are not qualified, so I will have a round-trip (twice) of 64 miles to get this done - and they, who have caused this problem, want to charge me £22 for the "courtesy" car. I feel an argument coming on...

Very well said! I would add - "You want to start the car? Well, I won't let you because I have discharged the 12v battery and that means I won't even let you open the doors! HA BLOODY HA!"

We are not going to agree on this but, of course, I respect your point of view. Make the roads safer? Quite the opposite as drivers are distracted by the need to fiddle with the multi-layered menus on their Infotainment screens. As for manufacturers adding stuff for fun. Maybe not for fun but I can believe that 20-something computer-whizzkids like to show how clever they are by inventing features we never knew we needed and have been quite happy (and safe) without them so far.

Really? Were you not taught how to judge and negotiate widths when you had driving lessons? I am driven mad by the constant bleeping as I leave my garage and then pass between brick gate posts to access the road. I've been doing this for 40 years and never needed electronic assistance before. Honestly, the car seems scared stiff of obstacles and other cars. So un-necessary - as is Park Assist; much quicker to do it yourself.

Lady Norris and I use these - Faraday Pouch .They work well.

Fredrik - sorry to hear this. If they are fed up having your car then they need to get it fixed! I do not like the implication that it is somehow your fault when the responsibility so clearly lies with Skoda. And given that they have three others, I hope they are feeding all this back to Skoda. I've had to put a camera in the garage so I can monitor the car lights and to make sure the small security light continues to flash. When you hear the fix is available, PLEASE let us know. "Errand" = "case". I think. Your case is still open.

'Since start', 'since refuel' and 'long-term' are "improvements" and like many such so-called improvements in the digital world (cars, dishwashers, washing machines) the twenty-somethings who design these systems just make matters worse. They have no idea how simple and effective analogue and manual systems were just a few years ago. I still puzzle as to why my car needs to welcome me when I get in and to say goodbye when I switch off. Not to mention the constant pinging from sensors all over the car as I exit the garage and drive out on to the road between brick gate pillars. I've been doing this for 40+ years and never needed sensors before. Ignore it? Easier said than done. The only suggestion I have RichardB53 is to keep a notebook in the door pocket and note your mileage out and back. Paper - it's been around for centuries and remains a reliable and permanent source of recording. I've been driving Octavias since seeing them on display at Prague airport in 1998. Always impressed, but not any more. Pity we can't get Ladas and 2CVs these days. Dacia Duster next time...

Reversing parallel park assist? It's quicker to do it yourself.

Did mine yesterday via my iMac. The Skoda Connect site is a bit clunky but I got there in the end and I received an order acknowledgement and an invoice. Infotainment Online - £36.67 (discounted from £59 for early payment) Care Connect - £30 (discounted from £63 for early payment) Traffication - £7.42 I was a bit surprised by the price of £179 for headlight full beam automatic on/off, so I declined that. Never had it; don't want it.

My point precisely. The fact that the ICE stops simply means electric drive has taken over and remains active until I press Stop. And while we're at it, I think we should stop calling these cars "Mk4". The correct designation is "iV". "i" as we know from many other devices = digital/electronic, and "V" = vehicle. Makes sense, no?

It doesn't have Stop/Start.

Thank you. EFB which, as I understand it, is a sub-set of lead-acid technology. So a CTEK MXS 5.0 should do the job.

Before I but a CTEK battery conditioner (for when the car lies idle for extended periods), can anyone tell me what type of 12v batteries are fitted in these Octavia iVs? I asked two dealers but neither of them know. One of them thinks it is a gel battery. The manual tells me the 12v battery should not be accessed by me (the owner of the car!) so I can't even look at it.

I think this might be the answer. 1964 model on sale in Bristol for £19,750.

Jim, Like you I have been with Skoda a long time - since 2002 - but this one may be my last, unless there are big improvements to updates and reliability in the next two years. BUT it seems all cars are over-engineered these days. I've looked at the forums of Mercedes, Ford and Nissan recently - all with similar problems. And get this from the Hyundai forum - " I looked out of my window to find my boot/ tailgate wide open of my 2021 Tucson! The alarm was never triggered! Both keys were stored away from my persons and when I went outside, all doors were locked and windows wound up! I also checked the hyundai blue link for any alerts but nothing, the status of the car was showing that tailgate and doors were closed! No alert of car alarm triggered 'check vehicle'. This is not the first time I've had electrical faults with this car even though its brand new! The sound system went, I couldn't open the rear doors from the inside or outside to get my children out during the second week of having the car and the car lock was disengaged! I also could not access the boot space as the tailgate refused to open and I had just done a huge grocery shop. I have taken the car back to hyundsi in Chingford and received an update via USB but since then problems keeps occurring of the same/similar nature...and now the tailgate spontaneously opening. I am so done with this car and I look forward to the day I get a TOTALLY new different vehicle!!!!!!" Sounds familiar, no?

I notice the same noise when I charge mine, although I wouldn't say it is loud. I just assumed it is cooling the orange bits whilst charging, so I walk away and let it get on with it. As to your Dealer response, it seems fairly typical. They don't seem to know very much and expect us to take the car in each time. I am considering buying a battery charger/conditioner and would like to know what type of 12v battery is fitted. So I called this morning. Dealer rep No.1 - "No idea". Dealer rep No.2 - "The cost of a new battery is £185, so it has to be gel". 🙄

Your original post sounds a nightmare; it is putting you (and others) at significant risk. So here's the work-around - switch off ACC! You're the boss, drive the car don't let it drive you.

A number of us feel like that. My opinion is that these cars are not fully ready for sale yet, but in the meantime we owners are beta-testing them for Skoda. Do I take it that you can't get your car near enough to a domestic 3-pin socket to charge it? If so, how did you charge it 2 weeks ago? Like others here mine gets charged several times a week and then I drive in Hybrid mode and S-drive. So far I have found that this keeps the car lively and braking regeneration in S-drive is very impressive - just a lift off the accelerator, rather than full braking, shows the HV battery charging. However, I still don't fully trust the car. Latest problem was reported on the dash was "headlight range fault" and the headlights were constantly on whilst driving. Turns out there was nothing wrong with the range settings, but the 3-button light switch had gone U/S and needed replacing. That having been done, now - at switch-on and switch-off - I get a pinging warning that the first oil change service is due. That's nonsense as the car is only 8 months old and is not due that service until next March. Looks like I will have to live with that irritation until then when I hope the dealer can re-set it - unless anyone on here can tell me how to do it? I recently bought a security camera for the garage so at least I can check that the light on the driver's door is flashing, indicating that the car is still alive.