ChubbsH

Hello Sultana, I'm so sorry to hear you've been having trouble with your Octavia. Besides the infotainment glitches which you mentioned, have you experienced any loud short 'crack' sounds, like a pistol shot or a small stone hitting the windscreen, just before the infotainment system crashes? Also have you had any problem with the infotainment screen or radio spontaneously switching themselves on, even if the car is parked and locked? Have you occasionally been unable to switch the radio off at all? If you have, then the problem can only be cured by changing the infotainment screen. Skoda had manufacturing faults with early screens and introduced a revised screen which cured the problem. The screens look identical but later models have a different data label on the back of the screen. JamesK's advice is sound. I followed much the same route as he did, and eventually, after three and a half years and relentless complaining, Skoda changed my infotainment screen under (extended) warranty. You'll see, from the 69 pages on this forum concerned with the Octavia Mk4 infotainment system, just how widespread and bad the problem is, right from the car's first introduction. Keep on at Skoda, be forceful and patient, don't give up, and I hope you get some satisfaction.

Hi all, Does anyone know how to get the TPMS icon back in the list of icons on the infotainment screen. I noticed it had gone when I went to switch off the stop/ start option in the settings screen.

Guys, There is plenty of coverage elsewhere in these forums about this issue to do with the early Octavia mk4 infotainment system malfunctioning in various ways, particularly in hot weather eg radio coming on spontaneously and rising to max volume, screen constantly and rapidly rebooting and multiple warning symbols and sounds. The ONLY way to effect a permanent cure is to get the infotainment screen replaced. Early mk4 Octavias were particularly prone to the problem and some screens were changed under warranty. Many still haven’t been, which is probably why there appears to be so relatively few of this particular model on UK roads today. When the infotainment problems appear, even though dealers know the probable cause, Skoda dealers are compelled go through procedure laid out by Skoda ie. Software updates, reboots, master resets etc, to exhaust all possible faults (other than the screen) before they’ll change it for a new updated one, otherwise the warranty claim, including the dealer’s labour charge involved, won’t get paid. If you’re out of warranty then it’s really up to you about how much you’re prepared spend to let dealer’s try to fix the issue ( I was told software updates are not covered under warranty by the way!) before insisting, albeit at your own expense, that a new screen is fitted. I should add that the new screen looks identical to the old one but carries a different manufacturing number on the label at the back of the screen to distinguish it from the old model. I bought extended warranty after I got the car, but still spent nearly 3 years putting up with many attempts by Skoda dealers to fix the problem before I was ‘lucky’ enough to have the car’s infotainment system go berserk whilst on their premises. That clinched it for a new screen, and after 13 months I’ve had no further problems irrespective of the weather. Sorry to have banged on at length about this, but it infuriates me and breaks my heart to hear of so many Octavia mk4 owners distressed, and still having this problem six years after the car was released. Skoda are certainly fully aware of the problem by now, and yet never had the decency to own up to it and issue a recall, and they are still making money out of people’s ignorance of the real reason why their Octavia mk4s are letting them down. It’s really shameful of Skoda. I hope at least some of you get your screen replaced and can get back to enjoying what is an otherwise excellent car. ChubbsH

Hi STEVO, I don't know if you've had any luck yet with contacting Skoda UK re. your infotainment problems but when I had all of my 'issues' I phoned Skoda UK initially. Their number, I think, was Tel. 03330 037 504 Email:- [email protected]. I reported everything that had been going wrong for about 18 months, and emailed details of all attempted fixes by sundry Skoda dealers, together with several videos taken of the infotainment screen going berserk, and the radio blaring away uncontrollably. They were quite sympathetic and provided a case number which was intended to help with continuity if the fault recurred. They arranged for my car to be seen by my local dealer. The dealer declared it fixed after investigation, and I did get a few phone calls afterwards from Skoda UK to see how things had gone, but the problem returned in the following Spring once the hot weather started again. Further calls to Skoda UK resulted in further investigation by my local Skoda dealer culminating, eventually, in an infotainment screen change in May 2025. So far the car has been fine for over a year now. As I'd extended the warranty when I got the car, all investigations, and the new screen, were paid for by Skoda UK. Strangely though they seem to be very reluctant to provide me with any paper work regarding the screen change, and I'm still chasing that. I did get a follow up 'how did we do' request shortly after the screen change from Customer Services at Skoda UK, but with a different telephone number and email address from the earlier one, so I've included it in case the old one is defunct:- Tel. 0800 783 4909 Email:- [email protected] Good luck with everything, and I do hope you (and all the other poor devils that have been plagued with this problem) can get it properly sorted out once and for all.

Hi scotthugh3s, I can’t identify any particular set of circumstances which prevail when the ‘front assist unavailable’ pops up. The dash warning always disappears eventually, usually after just a mile or two, but never lasts for a more ten at the most. I believe it’s another of the little anomalies that Skoda are aware of but can’t, or don’t know how to fix. It’s Sod’s Law. I bought the Octavia because I just loved the look of it, and I’d read of the rock solid reliability of all previous marks of Octavia. No reason to assume the mk4 would be any different. Boy, was I wrong! It drives very well, but it’s been the least reliable car I have ever owned and I wouldn’t risk buying another without cast iron assurances from owners that 2026 models onwards are ok.

Hi Stevo, Just wondered how long you’ve owned the car. If only a short time, then it’s probable that the infotainment screen is still the original, and it’s this that’s causing the problem. If you’ve had the car a year or more, then I’m really surprised that you’ve not had these faults manifest themselves before. The faults you describe exactly mimic those that I had with my own 2020 Octavia mk4. No matter what you do in the way of reboots, resets, updates, battery disconnects etc, the fault will most likely never go away until the screen is changed for a new one. The old screens were notorious for causing all the problems you describe, and were particularly prone to playing up, (repetitive reboots, radio starting up autonomously and climbing to max volume etc.) whenever the inside of the car got hot. I bought my car in 2021, completely ignorant of this problem. I must have taken the car eight times or more to various dealers all of whom only ever did reboots and updates, and each time pronouncing the car fixed when I collected it. Sadly to no avail. The fault always came back. Eventually I discovered this forum and was horrified to find so many other owners worldwide experiencing identical problems with early mk4 Octavia infotainment systems. I was equally horrified that Skoda had not issued a recall and showed no sign at all of admitting there was any sort of problem. After two and a half years of exasperation I complained directly to Skoda UK and they raised a case for the car. I had to do this twice as the first time my local garage appeared to fix the car, and it ran well for months until a hot spring day last year when the infotainment system went berserk again. Another call to Skoda UK, and another trip to my local dealer, when the system failed yet again just as I was leaving their premises, eventually led to Skoda agreeing to replacing my screen under warranty. Since then, no more problems, even in hot weather, though ‘front assist unavailable’ comes and goes randomly for no apparent reason. My suggestion is to insist that the screen is changed. I’ve never had confirmation from anyone on this forum who has had these type of infotainment faults that they have ever had their system fixed permanently with reboots, updates or any other software change. It is these early screens which are inherently faulty from manufacture. It’s appalling that Skoda have been so bad at dealing with this. Good luck, and let us all know if you get the problem fixed.

Thanks both for the info. Sounds as if I’m good to go!

Hi, Don’t know whether this topic has been covered elsewhere, but is the USB C socket near the rear-view mirror on a 2020 mk4 Octavia capable of powering a dash-cam without any further wiring. If so, can anyone recommend a current dash cam that would work ok with only this wiring configuration. Frankly, I’m not up to doing any wiring connection requiring fitting into into the car’s own 12volt electrics, nor do I want to start pulling trim about to hide any new wiring from a new dash-cam. All suggestion very welcome

Got mine in Dec.21. just a year old. Bought it from Cazoo. The car was indistinguishable from new, but the infotainment system never worked properly from the day I got it. To be fair Cazoo did everything they could to fix it via a main dealer but always with only limited success. The car was totally unreliable exhibiting all the faults so often mentioned in these forums. We had holidays spoilt, paid money to Skoda garages to update software, only for the car to fail again and again. I got Skoda UK involved twice in trying to provide a fix but, ultimately, the owner of my local Skoda franchise, stepped in after the infotainment system went berserk on their forecourt. The infotainment screen was changed last May under warranty, and after three and a half years, at last, I have a 99% reliable car (‘front assist unavailable’ still comes and goes at random times in random weather! Nobody knows why.). I appreciate that the new, ever expanding and intrusive computerisation of cars mostly brought on by safety considerations, is applicable to many marques, but some manufacturers seem to deal with it much better than others; and you’re so right about falling foul of newly introduced car software. I assumed that because of the rave reviews by owners of all previous marks of Octavia that the mk4 would be just as reliable. I never realised I was a shakedown guinea pig for an entirely new type of VAG computer system. Should have done some homework, but I just fell in love with the style of the new mk4 and jumped at the chance to get one when they were so hard to come by. Nearly a year’s waiting time was quoted when I made enquiries at my Skoda dealers in early autumn 2021. Now the car is reliable, I’ll keep it for a few years, but when the time comes to change it I’ll do a lot more research before I buy. Might even lease for the first time in my life!

Thanks SteveTheElder, I haven’t used the car in the last couple of days, but I’ll try out what you said and see what happens when I prod the North symbol. Very often, with the Octavia mk4’s infotainment system, I find that what, at first glance, appears intuitive to operate, often needs an extra non intuitive step to be carried out before the required result is achieved. I really do think that the truly awful reliability of the Octavia Mk4’s infotainment system, ever present since the car’s first introduction in 2020, must have hit sales really badly. I live quite close to a Skoda main dealer yet see very few Mk4s in the area, or indeed anywhere else. Skoda never quite seem to keep on top of the problem either. ‘Solutions’ to software issues seem permanently ongoing yet never result in a fully stable system. I love the car to drive but doubt I would ever chance buying anything else from the VAG group until reviews like Briskoda show the cars to be much more reliable .

Bingo! I get it now! I spent a great deal of time prodding the on-screen ‘buttons’ to try to make a selected destination a ‘favourite’, but all to no avail. Then I realised, from one of SteveTheElder’s earlier posts, that when you get to ‘Save’ there is a flashing cursor at the beginning of the already entered address. What you have to do then is totally and utterly counterintuitive! The cursor wants you to start overwriting the address you’ve already selected by either re-entering the address all over again, or, preferably, by renaming the address, eg ‘Bob’s place’,. When you’ve done this, then ‘Ok’ will light up. Press ‘Ok’ and your destination will be in ‘Favourites’. In the case of entering, say, ‘Bob’s place’, Bob’s actual address will appear on the line below ‘Bob’s place’ in the listings. I imagine if you didn’t do this but entered the whole address all over again (when the cursor was flashing), you’d get the re-entered address showing above the original identical address when you look at the ‘Favourites’ listings. Why on earth Skoda decided to ridiculously overcomplicate something which should be as intuitive and simple as possible is beyond me. Next thing. Is it possible to re-orientate the map display so that it is always ‘north up’?

Can’t see the logic in having to input a separate name to ‘save’ for a new destination, which I want to use in future as a ‘favourite’, if the name or location has already been input and accepted through ‘search’. Surely ‘save’ already knows the name of the destination I wish to retain as a ‘favourite’. I think I’ll just do some more fiddling with the nav system and hope I’ll hit on the correct prod sequence, but thanks for your help and advice ‘SteveTheElder’. Certainly not a case of ‘If all else fails, read the instructions’. I really do find them near useless.