DaveFromSydney

I do

I also noticed the softness of the brakes on my 2021 VRS wagon. It was particularly noticeable compared with our 2015 Golf Alltrack which is extremely sensitive. However I find that the VRSs stopping ability is perfectly ok and after 18 months of driving I now prefer it to the VW and find the VW's brakes too grabby by comparison.

I have had several other intermittent issues with the infotainment system (such as loss of all sound) that do not recover on a normal reset but do recover if I stop and leave the car for a while before setting off again. I wish they made a switch to invoke the full restart at will - preferably while driving.

Maybe it's something to do with it being the Australian version. Even the manual now says it is unavailable, where it had details of available commands before the update. Note that although it says "not available in this language" my language setting is English (with a little British flag and no ability to change it).

With 1896 you might find, as I did, that the car can no longer accept voice commands to adjust the temperature.

The next thing will be how long it takes for the part to arrive. I had to wait 3 months for a replacement after the flap on the side of the rear headrest broke.

You're lucky. I got flashed yesterday and I was on low beam. The other driver flashed a lot, he must have got really frustrated at my lack of reaction but I could do nothing about it. Obviously the LED lights, even when dimmed, are perceived as too bright by quite a few drivers.

Unfortunately the latest software update dropped the ability to adjust the air temperature. And I find the navigation useless. "Navigate to <name of nearby town or suburb (in Australia)>" will try to take me to somewhere in Europe. And I find it useless for changing radio stations. E.g. we have stations called "ABC RN", or "ABC Classic FM", or "2UE 954". Asking it to "Play <any of those station names>" is completely ineffective. It may even think I am trying to navigate somewhere. Luckily Android Auto can handle these and much more so there is no need to use Laura at all. Just glad it came included in the package I ordered. I would be bummed if I had paid good money for it.

I agree with what you say, but sometimes after starting out I just want to feel that air on my face and hands. After a while I am happy to revert to letting the Auto maintain a comfortable temperature.

Thanks. I never knew that. It is going to be handy. I have often overridden the auto to get a bit more air circulating.

I see them. Google Pixel 3a running Android 12. Car has Columbus infotainmemt system.

Do you know what it was before? I see you have the same as me except that your display unit/control panel hardware is H45 (mine is H44) display unit/control panel software is 2092 (mine is 2088) My upgrade to 1896 seems to have cured some but not all of my Infotainment system problems.

I have something similar. Took it in for an upgrade from 1803 to1896 to fix many Infotainment system issues, but some of which related to disappearance of sound. All were usually rectified on next start. After 1896 a few weeks ago I have not driven a lot yet, and no longer trips, but I have had at least one occurrence of the loss of sound issue. So I wonder if 1896 really did fix anything. And in one way it has gone backwards since now voice control of the aircon has actually been removed.

Has anyone else noticed that after the upgrade to the 1896 software the voice commands are no longer available for the aircon? Both I and user FillNill, with 2021 Octavia VRSs, have noticed this. It now says the aircon commands are not available for this language. I can see that it might have been a problem if they had to try to make sense of the terms used above - bum, arse, blowers etc - but I would settle for a well-designed syntax like "Set fan speed high" or "Set temperature to 22"

My car was recently upgraded from 1803 to 1896. I just noticed that I can no longer control the aircon. It used to be able to accept commands like "make me warmer" or "I feel cold" or "set temperature to 22 degrees". Now it just says "My developers have not programmed that feature" or something like that. I looked at the built-in manual and now it just says that the aircon cannot be controlled "in this language". My language, of course, is English and it accepts all of the other English commands, such as "Missed calls". Has anyone else noticed this?

@adambrownb Actually I am not clear on which model you have. Others are talking about the "SE Technology" model but your signature describes you as owning a "Candy White VRS TDI Estate". It would not surprise me if some of the VRS features were missing from the SE Technology model.

I agree that would be disappointing, although probably itemized in the brochure current at the time of your purchase. Like you, I bought the VRS as the top of the line model that contained pretty much all of the features except (in this country, in 2021) those included in the optional Premium, which I also bought. And I have both of the features you mention. From my brochure: KESSY - keyless unlocking/locking and starting and Safe system is present in the Style and VRS models. Electrically adjustable, heated and foldable door mirrors with auto dimming (driver) function is present in the VRS model. In the Premium pack the mirrors are upgraded to: Electrically adjustable, heated and foldable door mirrors with memory and auto dimming (driver) function So both of the features you lack were present in the April 2021 VRS models here in Australia. I wonder if the features were mentioned as included in your brochure. If they were dropped subsequently due to the ongoing component shortages surely you should have been offered some sort of compensation.

Me too. It is there in small characters at the top of the virtual cockpit, at least on most screens. It also doesn't always contrast well with the background/ The time in the Infotainment unit is much bigger and clearer. .

From opening the car door and pressing the Start button, it can take 15, 30 or even 60 seconds for my press on the Set button to result in the screen being displayed that allows me to turn off Auto Start/stop. Ditto for the Mode button to set the mode to Comfort. Ditto for the Clima button. Ditto for the music to start playing. Although, of course, once one of them responds, so will the rest. It is never fast, but it can vary depending on whether the doors were locked, how long I waited after opening the door, or how long since the car was last used, etc. Whereas in our 2015 VW Golf Alltrack the Auto Start/Stop and Mode and Clima are all physical buttons with immediate effect. I , and the dealer, do not consider this a warranty fault. It is just one of the poorly implemented features of this model.

Not sure that I follow. I wish the system was faster to start up but I do not think there is a solution for that. Nor to having it always revert to Normal mode on startup I am on 1896 by the way. Perhaps you mean that the car, having started up in Normal mode, is quieter, due to the mods you hope to make. In my case there are other obligatory changes, preferably before moving off, so what difference does one more make. Auto start/stop off Lane assist off As far as the mode goes, I am happy with any setting except Eco, so long as the fake engine noise is gone, so I set it to Comfort for tootling around town and Sport when out, which is far rarer, for a more spirited drive in the country. There is no less power in Comfort mode but the throttle response is slower so it takes a bigger stab on the pedal to get it moving. And even that can be eliminated without using the touchscreen by using the gear lever to move from D to S.

Or you can switch to Comfort mode. Or you can program the Individual mode to have the settings that you like (Sport?) but without the sound. But in either case you will have to switch to the new mode each time you start the car (after waiting 30+ seconds for the Infotainment system to fire up).

For an alternative point of view: Yes, I too like to have the aircon on auto most of the time, but on a really hot day I want a blast of as much cool air as I can get, right on my face, until the car gets to my 21 degree preferred temp at which point the auto setting can maintain it. Same in winter, on a very cold morning, I want max warm air blasted to my face and feet, until the car gets to my preferred temp. Left to its own devices in auto mode the car starts with relatively low fan speeds and does not direct all air to the facial vents.

Here in Australia it was possible to buy an extended warranty any time up to the expiry of the first one. I did that at 3 years on my 2015 VW and bought an extra 5 years for $2424 in 2018. I have had only 1 claim since then - a replacement starter switch that would otherwise have cost, with labour, $379.

Here in Australia, where that story originated, it is true that longer and longer warranties are being offered. My 2021 Skoda had 5 with possibility to extend to 7. My 2015 VW had 3 but I was able to buy an extension to 8 for $2000. I can remember that in my first few decades of car ownership, i.e. the 70s, 80s and 90s, the norm was 1 year. I think the move to longer warranties came when Korean entrants such as Kia and Hyundai offered them, over 20 years ago, to overcome their lack of brand recognition. Over time this has led to virtually all companies doing the same to remain competitive, with the notable exception of luxury brands such as Porsche, which are still stuck at 3 years, Then there is the extreme of Mitsubishi who now offer 10 years: https://www.drive.com.au/news/mitsubishi-launches-10-year-warranty-but-there-s-a-catch/, https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/owners/diamond-advantage/warranty.html

I have a 2021 vRS Wagon and I damaged my left front S005 and Bridgestone here could not supply another. They recommended a Turanza T005 as being a) suitable and b) available without a long wait, so I went with that. Since I did not want to have mismatched tyres on the front wheels, both in age and in type, I also replaced the undamaged right front tyre which only had 5000 kms on it. I have been quite happy with the Turanzas.