HenryNZ

It is just an extra overlay option on the reversing camera image. It does not confer additional function. I am not really sure how this overlay is helpful TBH

I just had a tow bar installed on my 2023 Octavia vrs by the dealer, and since discovered a new option with the reversing camera. After selecting this option, a new on screen overlay will superimposed on the rear camera image, being a green triangle with its apex at the tow ball. I do not think my car has trailer assist installed at factory when new, and I don’t think this is it . Short of hiring a trailer to try this, can someone please tell me what this does? Is it just a new on screen overlay? If so how is it useful? I will try to upload a photo of the new icon if I can figure out how to do this here…

For me it went away by itself. probably just the firmware needing time to sort itself out.

Just to close the loop: problem went away by itself after driving for two days, so all is well now.

The error went away after driving the car for couple of days... Not sure what the problem was but I am happy.

Navigation and voice control work normally. What is compass in VR?

Posted this in the 1985 firmware thread but figure it may not be related to the update, so starting a new thread here. Since I have updated firmware to 1985, the dashboard unit keeps throwing an U105400 error when interrogated by OBDEleven. Unlike in the past, I simply could not clear the error (with or without bonnet open and with or without engine running -- which worked in the past). The error would seem to be cleared but it would come back right away. Does it mean that I have a permanent error code now? What does this error even mean? This is a frequent error code I saw all the time in all sort of modules but I was able to clear it without issue in the past. Does it warrant a workshop visit?? The car seems to be ok though. Does anyone know if reset the control unit or unlocking SFD with OBDEleven would help clear the code? I have the OBDEleven device only without any plan so to use reset function or SFD unlock I will need to pay for a subscription. I loathe having to pay for a subscription just to clear an error code, but then the code bugs me... Thanks

Since I have updated to 1985, dashboard unit keeps throwing up a communication error (when checked with OBDEleven). It does not seem to affect function but is nonetheless annoying. I tried clearing the error but it just came right back. I cleared all errors before updating the firmware, so I presume it is not a hardware issue. Does any one know what this error mean and whether it can be cleared permanently?

Subscribed My local dealer set the tyre pressure to 32 psi on delivery. When I had one of the alloy wheels repaired after an episode of hitting the curb, the repair shop (not the dealer) also set the pressure to 32 psi in a matter of fact way ("oh, we will just inflate it back to 32 psi"). I suspect that pressure level is some generic pressure that is ok for most cars -- even though 32psi (2.2 bar) is a lot of lower than the pressure stated on the fuel cap. I have since inflated the tyres to the higher pressure specified on the fuel cap. However not being much of a petrolhead, I can't say I notice much of a difference at all in terms of handling or comfort. My motivation is really for longevity of the tyres, fuel economy and safety. I would be interested to know what others' thoughts are on this matter.

Answering my own questions after installing 1941 (not 1969 at this stage) I connected the battery charger while updating with no ill effect. It may or may not help but it makes me feel better. I performed the update without pushing on the ignition switch at all. Just turn on the unit at the screen. It worked fine. My NZ spec car came with 1900 firmware and it actually says VW in the name not SK. But the firmware downloaded here worked just fine. Voice control for climate control finally works. Not very well but at least it is available, unlike before. That was the main motivation for the update as 1900 had been pretty stable otherwise. I formatted the USB as ExFat on a windows PC just to be sure. The instruction for the map update specifically said it has to be ExFAT, so I thought there is no point trying different format. I actually tried map update before the 1941 update but it simply would not work no matter what I tried. I will try again now that I am on 1941.

Questions: 1. Has someone tried attaching a battery charger to the battery while attempting the upgrade to minimise the chance the battery cutting out? I have a Deltran 5A battery minder which I can use. Also eo you attach the negative to the engine block instead of the negative battery terminal for this purpose? 2. does it matter what version of infotainment my car currently has? My car is purchased in New Zealand so I presume it is Australian spec. I have downloaded both the 1941 and 1969 firmware but not sure if they are both “universal” as in applicable to the AUS/NZ spec car. 3. does the USB flash drive needs to be formatted in a certain way? FAT, FAT32 or ExFAT? As a test with something less drastic I have tried to update the sat nav map using the download I obtained from the offical site using the VIN. I have put it on a USB drive and entered the engineering mode but both USB1 and USB2 are grayed out and cannot be selected. I suspect I might have formatted the USB drive wrong. 4. I am on version 1900 and I don’t have any problem with restarting etc but voice control for climate control is not available in this version and radio control is patchy. Although I use Apple CarPlay for most things I would dearly like to control the aircon and radio by voice as the touch screen is really a distraction while driving. Does the update make these functions better? thanks

This feature gets activated at least once a week for me when I do my daily reversing down a steep and winding driveway at home. It senses the ground as an obstacle when the gradient changes and brakes for me, not all the time but often enough. I am so used to it now I just live with it.

Just another datapoint, this is from the data sheet of Autoglym Screenwash. It does contain 45-75% alcohol of various types. So if I find the VW washers too expensive may be I can switch to Autoglym

The table is lifted from the Material safety data sheet, supposedly a legal document so I guess it can be trusted. Anyway I have splashed out and bought a bottle of the "tears of angel". Lets see how long it will last. If it keeps getting depleted too quickly, may be I will then switch to cheaper third party ones but "spike" them with some isopropyl alcohol to increase the alcohol concentration.

Thank you, I have read them all...

I probably have spent way too much time researching this, but since I have I might as well share my findings. As you can see the VW washer contains >70 < 90% by weight in alcohol. This is significantly higher than all other washers in the market. On the bottle label, it clearly states that it can be used in all models but it MUST be used for fan-type jets. Based on this, My inference, I think the high alcohol content must have something to do with fan type jets. If you car does not have fan type jets, you can probably get away with using any washers on the market. But if your car has fan type jets, I think you may be rolling the dice using something with substantially less alcohol content in it. Other than this reason (to use with fan type jet), I really don't see why VW will formulate something with such a high concentration of alcohol (like 90x more). High purity Isopropyl alcohol is not exactly cheap and I think this is probably why VW can justifying charging substantially more for this. However I think on balance it is a relatively small price to pay for one's peace of mind that if the wiper system is to fault Skoda et al will not be able to blame the fluid used. Once the car is out of warranty, I may see if I can source third party washer fluid of high alcohol concentration to save some $$$.

Based on the above calculations, I have decided to pay the higher price of VW cleaner at $30/L (!!!) just in case the alcohol content is important to keep the fan type jets clear. I figure that 1L concentrate can make 5L at 1:4 dilution ratio, which is probably good for topping up the tank twice (not from completely empty but from the time the warning light lit up). By using OEM products I also do not have to worry about bleeding the residual out in the tank before topping up (which is recommended to prevent mixing of potentially incompatible ingredients from different makes), which probably reduces wastage. Based on prior usage (4 months) a 1L concentrate will last 8 months, and I can probably stretch it longer now that I know it like to drink washer fluid and will be using that feature more judiciously.

@SouthernComfortThanks for the clarification. I looked at the MSDS of Trico and compared it to one that I could find for the VW concentrate (on SCRIBD found by google, cant actually find the PDF). They both have anionic and non-ionic surfactants. The main difference is that the Trico product has 1% ethanol and 95% water whereas the VW stuff has 80% ethanol and 10% water, with the other minor ingredients make up the differences. The Trico solution calls for 50mL concentrate in a 3L tank, whereas VW stuff recommends 1:4 dilution for typical NZ/Aus climate. Therefore, if used as directed the VW stuff will be about 20% alcohol in the tank, whereas the Trico will end up with 0.02% alcohol. The surfactants are of about the same concentration.

@SouthernComfortThank you for the info. I think my Octavia does have headlight wash function, so this may be why the fluid is depleted so quickly. I will look into Trico product you suggested, as it looks like it is Australian and is available at Repco here. I will however also buy a bottle of VW stuff and compare them side by side to see if there are any differences. VAG cars have so many quirks and the more you read on internet the more paranoid one becomes... I never had to worry about wiper fluid warning light lighting up in my previous Japanese car but then it probably did not come with such a warning light anyway...

The windscreen wash fluid warning light is lit in my 4 month-old Octavia. This is really unexpected as I have hardly used the windscreen wash function. Anyway, I am trying to figure out what fluid I should use to replenish the reservoir. I have read on internet that VAG cars are picky about what fluid is used, because with the wrong type of wash fluid it may cause problem with the wiper motor etc. The owner manual, as expected, recommends using the VAG factory wash fluid, but alas this is not being sold in any of the big auto retail shops here in NZ (Supercheapauto and Repco). I have seen this listed in a couple of online Skoda e-shops at rather quite inflated prices, but my local Skoda dealer does not even have an e-shop and I hate to guess how much it would cost if they have to order it in. My questions are: 1. Do you use VAG / VW wash fluid or third party, if the latter, what are the types of fluid? I read that it has to be alcohol based but none of the wash fluids I see in the big retailers listed their ingredients. 2. If you are using third party fluid in NZ or Aus, which brand do you use? Any one use the SCA (Supercheap auto) home brand? 3. If you use the VW/VAG factory fluid, Where do you source them from online in NZ? 4. How often do you have to replenish the fluid? I cant believe the fluid is running low so quickly as I hardly used that function. it is either that the dealer delivered the car with little fluid in the reservoir, the reservoir is very small, or that there is a leak somewhere -- I hope it is not the latter. Thanks

Re: USB cable needed between dash cam and the USB-outlet at rearview mirror: does it need any special power delivery rating or will any cable with the right connectors work? I want the shortest possible cable (0.5 m) to minimise the wiring mess but at that length I can only get data cable without power delivery specification. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks for the explanation and the photos. So it looks like the seat is just plain fabric without any Alcantara... What about the bit next to the cockpit and below the air vent in the photo? What material is that? And what material is on the steering wheel? To be honest I am not too worried or upset that I do not get Alcantara - it was never a consideration and the seat is comfortable enough. I do agree the advertising is a bit misleading though. My main motivation to find out the material used, is so that I can apply the correct products to the interior - with the goal of making it more water and stain proof. If there is really no Alcantara at all, what products would you recommend for protection of the interior trims and upholstery?

Silly questions: When I first took procession of my vRS wagon, I have not really paid much attention about the material of the seat and upholstery. This has changed recently when I started watching YouTube videos about car detailing and general car care. Going through the spec sheet, my vRS is supposed to come with "RS Sports comfort seats with fabric / Alcantara upholstery", however I cannot for the life of me find with certainty the Alcantara, which I understand looks like suede. I am interested to know which part of the seat / upholstery is actually Alcantara -- Firstly for practical reason because I understand it has different care requirement; and secondly I would feel a bit conned if there is no Alcantara at all in the car, since it is supposed to be more luxurious and desirable and therefore helps with the resale value of the car. I have attached a photo of the spec sheet, a photo of the front seats and a photo of the steering wheel and front panels. I think it is all just fabric, but can you spot any Alcantara in there? Is it the bit of fabric next to the digital cockpit? What is the material of the steering wheel covering More important questions: - If there is Alcantara, what is the best way for care for it for longevity? - What protective product(s) would you use on the seat / upholstery you can see in the photos? MY24 Octavia Wagon Ambition Style RS specification sheet - Q2 Promo.pdf

Thanks. The dealer told me the code is LF7C, unfortunately DrColorChip does not carry this colour code. Have to find some other alternatives....

Hello I would like to find out the colour code for my Graphite Grey Octavia (4th gen, bought 2024 but VIN suggests MY2023) vRS Estate so I can buy a touch up kit from Dr Colorchip. I have looked at the usual places and can't find the colour code any where. Searching online I find some codes such as "5X LF7C D (color-'n'drive)", "9901 (ChipEx)", "F7V/U9U9 (eSkoda website)", but I am not sure which is the correct one. Can you please help? If you need the VIN I can direct message you. Thanks Henry