SouthernComfort

In the Skoda I generally top up with water only until the next service, but I rarely even need to do that (fortunately I don't have headlight washers). Other than that, I've used Trico additive for many years in heaps of cars that I've serviced myself. Never had a problem with it, available at all the large auto stores.

I can't think why they would be set up to work with headlights off, but based on what you're experiencing I'm glad I don't have them. I've had them in the past on a different make and they only worked with lights on. NZ & AU regions are usually the same spec.

There's never a shortage of opinions on 'Assist' systems, undoubtedly well meant for the most part. Since you've paid extra to have Travel Assist, it's worth taking the time to try out the different elements of it for yourself. Determining the benefits is a subjective exercise, after trialling it you'll soon decide what works for you and in which environments.

Getting back to your question, yes if you have Travel Assist you should have Adaptive Lane Assist https://www.skoda.ie/models/octavia/octavia-old/octavia-travel-assist#page-not-found-sites/enie-v2-9a5ab887-4b7c-4632-92db-7f8598170030

Try to resist hating the tech from the outset or you may never allow yourself to get accustomed to it. The Mk4 Octavia is a very sophisticated machine and if you follow the sage advice from @SteveTheElder your car will become much more pleasurable to live with. If you need to disable or change certain features quickly, the shortcut buttons along the bottom of the screen are very useful in minimising the amount of 'touches' necessary on the screen itself.

Thanks for explaining, now I can see what your options are in the UK. My apologies if I've digressed on the topic, it just interests me to learn of the variations in different markets. I've had third party extended warranties on other cars in the past, as you say, they're more like insurance polices. Certainly not comparable with manufacturer's warranties. In AU Skoda's current factory warranty is 7 years / unlimited km, which is extremely competitive and obviously designed to help accelerate their brand penetration here. They're also up against a few other 7 year warranties, such as Kia. VW is far more established, still with 5 years / unlimited, it's one of the reasons I bought an Octavia instead of a Golf.

So is that the 'all in package' @BNB90 is referring to? If claims on the warranty extension are subject to non-refundable dealer 'diagnostic' charges, it should be disclosed in the PDS before you fork out for the extended cover. Anyway, it sounds like a great milking machine for the dealer!

Ok, thanks. It explains a few posts that have confused me in this and other threads on the warranty topic. Big variations on warranty according to region it seems.

Is the Skoda factory warranty only 3 yrs in the UK?

I have to say I'd be fighting that one all the way. If the car is under warranty and you're getting a fault message, there's a fault and Skoda should rectify it without slugging you with a fake charge. A few years ago I had the same issue with my Mk7 Golf DSG and VW replaced the shifter, no costs, no arguments. It's amazing the DSG 'bug' still seems to be in existence, it must be costing VW a fortune for letting the problem go on for so many years now.

Very classy. Similar to the current E class Mercedes wheels, so you're in good company.

...for me it just looks like a bog standard Octavia now rather than a VRS. Still on the personal taste theme, the psychology is quite interesting. If I were the OP I'd be tempted to remove the vRS badge too 😜 . But I respect that the OP isn't me! In my younger days I went to considerable lengths to transform my performance cars into innocent looking 'sleepers', way more fun and it surprises more people than advertising what you're driving! Became quite a cult thing at one time, I suspect it still is...

An ailing battery will cause a variety of electronic gremlins such as those described, so a good place to start. I've had the same occur with two other cars of different brands, it's not just a Skoda thing.

That's fine for shielding UV, the more layers the better. When I'm out I use an umbrella type windscreen shade to shield the entire dash area, however it does little to quell extreme summer heat. When parked in full sun nothing will prevent the entire interior from heating up severely, so if the infotainment is going to be heat affected there's little to prevent it, short of undercover parking.

I agree, it's all a matter of taste. Not wishing to upset VRS owners I've never passed comment on this before, but IMPO the Altair wheels are the ugliest things. I think those Becruz are much more stylish and less likely to date. They appear to be in the same genre as the Perseus Anthracite which I really like on my Octavia Style.

Same, mine came with 3 keys.

We're on the same page in real terms. In our region, along with certain others, 0 weight is unnecessarily low for winter and 30 is more realistic for summer IMO. There is a reasonable argument for regional variations to the globally prescribed 0W 20, but the VW Group doesn't seem too interested in finessing that.

I still feel slightly uncomfortable with 0W 20 as well, especially for year round use, but I'm sticking with it at least for duration of the warranty. Having said that, I can't see that 5W 30 would be in any way harmful, in fact logically better in summer. The Castrol oil selector will state Edge LL IV 0W 20 since they will only comply with manufacturer's specs rather than risk liability for suggesting anything different. The so called variable viscosities of modern FS oils intentionally replaces the traditional thinking of using heavier oil in summer temps and lighter in winter. For now, I'm prepared to go with it in favour of not compromising the warranty, but I remain sceptical about VW/SKODA motives which are probably more about delivering regulated emissions and claimed efficiencies, as you say. FWIW I did use Edge 5W 30 in my Mk7 Golf with no issues, same engine as in my Octavia which specifies 0W 20.

Glad it's working well for you. When you've been used to it for a while, try setting it back to zero (i.e. restore the car's 'normal' acceleration), it reminds you just how sluggish throttle lag really is. What I really like is the sharper pick-up anywhere in the rev band, especially for overtaking. With these cars being FWD and light at the front end, I found the excessive torque of higher settings (5 and above) felt like the devil taking over. I never fitted the EVC to my previous Mk7 Golf, but I did put one on our Grand Cherokee V6 diesel 4WD, which we used mainly for caravan towing. Being a heavy car and well planted on the road, it was fine on high settings, but even then U6 was about my comfort limit. The fun part was, it made my 0-100kph time (with EVC) equal to that of a friend's GC with a Hemi 5.7 litre V8 (sans EVC). No one would believe it, until witnessing my V6 and the Hemi running neck and neck for the test 😲

No, mine is a Style 1.4TSI. It doesn't matter which engine variant you have, the electronic throttle lag will be the same - a split second delay in the 'communication' between the pedal sensor and the throttle body. It can't / won't change the engine's hp output, but it provides all the available power to the pedal instantly, the zero delay makes for very sharp acceleration. You have to play around with the settings, I find U2 is the sweet spot for mine, enough to take the edge off. U9 for example would be a 'back to the future' experience, way too fierce! BTW if you decide to give one a go, shop around, no need to pay full RRP.

I've had it twice recently, occurring about 4 weeks apart. Same result, no actual faults, message disappears on restarting. I'm putting it down to a glitch. BTW, that warning is intended to indicate a fault with any of the lighting not just headlights, check all the lighting to be certain. I've had a similar 'false' message concerning lighting on another car in the past (not a Skoda).

This Superb had an even worse case of throttle lag which the EVC sorted out. Mk 4 Octavia isn't as bad, but the results are still remarkable. BTW, I have absolutely nothing to do with this company, just a fan of the difference the EVC makes...

And yet you bought the Mk4... Seems many people have one grumble or another with the Mk4, notwithstanding some infotainment / electronic teething troubles in the early incarnations. Frankly I have nothing to pick fault with in my MY23 (except perhaps voice control, which I never use anyway) so I'm happy to speak up for it, this car is a perfect fit for my current needs. I find it very comfortable, quiet and a more than powerful enough performer across the board, although the recent addition of a EVC throttle controller has given it the sting that electronic throttle lag denies all modern cars. Heck, I even get on fine with the infotainment, once you get used to the menus & locations for various controls, it really isn't a problem. Overall it's a great little car IMO. Tick - V.G.

I've just fitted this throttle controller to my Mk4. I had one on a previous vehicle with the same transforming result I'm now getting with the Octavia, knife sharp acceleration right through the band. It's a real game changer. https://www.ultimate9.co/news/blog-what-is-the-evc/

It wins for me. Of course, linear dimensions are different to cubic capacity, but everything I've needed to carry has fitted: Various size boxes/containers, appliances, large suitcases/assorted luggage, camping gear etc. I haven't needed to cart wardrobes, large chairs or mountain bikes etc. My bike is a hybrid tourer and goes on the roof, in true Škoda tradition! For many of us the Mk4's load capability is more than adequate, others may find it not so. But what else in it's class is better for overall load space?