SouthernComfort

Whether to indicate, not indicate, brake lights, good habit, bad habit, competence questioned, it's all been uttered over 3 pages. Pushing back onto topic, the OP's opening post stated their dislike for the Lane Assist feature and asked how many others felt the same. The responses are there. Some supportive, others clearly not, some getting heated and some drifting off topic - usual stuff. No minds will be changed, individuals will stick with their opinion, that's how it works. Whether it means embracing the safety technology in these vehicles, or choosing to turn it off and avoid being annoyed by it is up to the individual. I have no interest in trying to convince others of my opinion, I only exercise the right to express it respectfully, hopefully we can all do similar. I'll continue with what makes me and my family feel safer in the car and having a friend who was actively saved from potential disaster by Lane Assist, I won't be wavering. As Briskoda has a global audience it's worth remembering that not all UK road rules and laws are shared elsewhere, obviously, so some 'give' in responses on various specifics may help to project greater tolerance. Driving conditions and climates also vary considerably between regions where rules and practices may be borne from a different context to those that may apply in the UK.

Well, thank you....not! I suggest you just get on with it and I'll get on with enjoying my car as it is.

Yep, you could do that 😩

But that's not the point. You're doing it to negate the LA resisting your change of lane. Is indicating (as a default habit) such a bad practice?

Yep, a good reason to decline a pretty pointless feature.

Ah! a lightbulb moment... Now I can see why some are irritated by LA if it's legal (and presumably common practice) in the UK to change lanes in some circumstances without indicating. The law here is pretty strict in that regard, any change of position on the road requires mandatory indication. Indicating is therefore second nature, like fastening the seat belt. Of course, there always those renegades who are predisposed to flouting the road rules in general. However, the fact that a lane change requires indication means the LA doesn't challenge your maneuver. @SteveTheElder is right, why wouldn't you flick the indicator? That way the driver is in control, possibly better than disabling the feature or getting stressed over it?

Thanks, I'll look into that more closely. Since I'm the only driver it sounds like I might have to set up for all 3 keys.

I was hesitant to query the brake lights, but glad someone did. I also assumed it to be a UK/Regional thing. I imagine it would never occur to most people in AU, and absolutely no-one would sit at the lights with hand/emergency brake on. On the other hand, driving with super-bright headlights coming at you can be a genuine hazard since you are actually moving, not stationary.

Given the wide variety of road surfaces / conditions, I like DCC. I use Comfort mostly, my only wish is that it would remember my last setting rather than defaulting to Normal every time engine is restarted.

Unless the vehicle in front suddenly slows down, the car just decelerates/accelerates to maintain set distance - as far as I know. On a sudden reduction of speed, the brake lights may do the flickering dance. I find the only downside with ACC is when the driver in front constantly changes speed, up, down, up again and so on, which pushes you into the same annoying pattern, I guess that's the time you'd want to overtake and reset. Behind the fairly constant 100kph truck, or a car on cruise it works well, distance set to medium.

Personal preferences are always subjective, so each to his/her own as to which features we find useful - or not. Some features just take some getting used to, after a while their attributes might become more apparent. About a year ago a friend of mine told me how Lane Assist on her 2019 BMW saved her life, and possibly others. Returning home late evening after a gruelling 3 day conference interstate, she foolishly (by her own admission) drove home from the airport whilst dog tired. Collected her bag, hit the freeway and then momentarily dozed. Lane Assist vibrated the wheel which stirred her, then did it's thing to keep the car in lane. It gave her a nasty fright and she has vowed to take a cab if seriously fatigued in future, but the fact remains that LA and ACC were there when needed most. Probably goes without saying that she wouldn't be without those features and based on her experience alone, nor would I. Maybe disabling LA and ACC has merit in some driving environments, but the default to ON is no bad thing IMO.

No problem with lane assist. It doesn't exactly wrench the wheel out of your hands, in fact I'd describe it as more of a gentle 'reminder nudge'. Nearly all current gen cars are full of these tech features, it would surely drive me crazy to sit there disabling everything from lane assist to auto door locking every time I get in the car! If you've paid out the money for a hi-tech 'simply clever' car, why sit there disabling everything every time you get in it? Personally I'm happy to embrace the technology. If you can't, then maybe swap for it a more basic model of something, or get an older car...

Totally unacceptable. Stick it out for a FOC loan car, or if they still resist gently let them know that 'A Current Affair' might be interested in your story. I suspect your dealer is the same one my car came from and is going to for its first service next week. Oh, how I hate dealers....

Having trouble with this also. Does your foot need to be dead centre of the bumper, or a little to one particular side? It's a very hit and miss maneuver for sure!

Yes, for some bizarre reason that feature isn't available in our region. Doesn't bother me though!

The number of apparently ongoing problems being listed here is mind boggling. Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, but I've had no such problems with infotainment in my MY23 (Sept 22 build). My one annoyance is with voice control not understanding a command first time. I've never really got on with VC in any car I've had, rarely use it. Otherwise I'm happy with the infotainment....so far!

So the stick has changed (window dressing), but the underlying problem clearly still exists...

I had that same warning in my 2015 DSG Golf....back in 2016! Gear selector had to be replaced. So, one wonders if Skoda is using 'old stock' VAG gear selectors. This issue should be in the distant past by now, resolved long ago.

My 2 cents worth is that the MY23 Octavia is a great machine. Mine's not a VRS, rather the 'Style' fully optioned with lux & tech packs and sunroof. Thankfully it also has the 8sp torque converter trans. That got me away from the 7sp DSG which I hated for its lag in my previous Golf. Don't know why they're persisting with DSG in the VRS & GTI, but if you're used to it then your proposed upgrade should be a joy!

I've done the same, one in each door seems more complete to me. The generic ones sold online are exactly the same size and almost identical to Skoda OEM, except for the embossed logo on the handle tip, one size fits several makes and models. I doubt any of them would survive a decent storm though.

Best method is to copy all your music to a USB-C stick. The infotainment system will resume where you left off each time you switch on. It will also recognise voice control. commands

My consumption is just about identical to the old 7sp DSG Golf across the board, even though the mk4 Octavia is slightly larger and heavier (both being wagons). I almost went for the Golf again, and yes they share the same 1.4tsi engines and 8sp trans. Octavia has the larger load space and is a better looking car imho, though local pricing now is right up there with Golf. Certainly seems to be few issues in the UK/Europe region judging by this forum, but theirs is a much larger market, larger sample of vehicles. I have noticed many of the 'problems' cited by owners in here relate to earlier mk4's ('20-'21), not seeing as many issues reported with '22-'23 models. Problems often get ironed out after the first year or two production runs, one reason I resist buying a newly released model in its first year...

Plastic engine covers may look pretty but they also trap heat. In very hot weather it's wise to discard the cover and allow greater airflow to the engine. Excessive trapped heat can/will also shorten the life of many sensitive electronic components. Yep, it may be more of a region or seasonal thing, but some of these cosmetics aren't always beneficial.

Thank you. Had no idea that 'feature' existed. If anything it adds one more niggle to my modest list i.e. so much information seems hidden!

I like pretty much everything about this car and can't find much to complain about after 7 months of ownership. Performance and fuel economy from the 1.4TSI petrol is on par with my previous 2015 Golf mk7, ample power and very frugal depending on driving conditions. I've had as good as 4.9l/100km (57mpg) on the open highway. The 8sp single clutch auto is also much smoother and more responsive at lower speeds than the pervious jerky 7sp DSG - tick! Minor niggles for me: 1. The perennial annoyance with VAG making certain functions default to a standard 'factory setting' rather than remembering your last chosen setting each time the engine is switched off e.g. ride/drive and stop/start. At least ride settings are accessible through the Mode shortcut button. 2. I'd like to be able to fully lift the wipers without opening the bonnet (who designed that??!) 3. Stop/start is about the only thing I miss having as a console button. 4. The thumb shifter is novel but gimmicky. I'm a bit over it really, give me a stick please.... Other than that, rock on! Thumbs up for this Skoda...