Martincl

I have seen a video of the Superb mk3 and you can change the Front Assist sensitivity on it. I think it had an off setting plus 3 other sensitivity levels. They have clearly decided to remove this option from the mk4 and it is downright dangerous. I don’t mind emergency braking if I am going back, but if the car does what it did last Friday, we are safer with the system turned off altogether. The safety systems were one of the main reasons behind buying this car!

We have had the car for 3 weeks and on Friday, when I took some friends to hospital to see their daughter, the following happened. I was at the junction of a roundabout in the left lane of two lanes. As I move forward to cross the roundabout the car next to me (on my right) also moved forward (slightly ahead of me) and, as he/she moved to the left to circle around the roundabout, my car slammed on the brakes. The manoeuvres on both our parts were perfectly normal for a two lane roundabout, but the Skoda seemed to think that the other car was about to collide with me. Had there been a car following me I am sure that they would have tail ended me. The whole thing was pretty disconcerting. Having looked at this forum, I can see that the sensitivity of this feature can be adjusted up or down on the Superb mk3, but I cannot see any means of doing so on the infotainment system of our 2025 mk4. Does anyone know how to do this on the mk4. Thanks

Below: The solution that should get any generic dash cam to work on the Superb mirror located usb C. I have got a £50 generic dash cam, but one that sells 3000 units/month on Amazon and gets 4.5 to 4.6 out of 5 – that is good enough for me. (Incidentally, the Viofo mini 2 is on offer at Amazon right now, around £115, which is great value for those who want one – I might be tempted.) Anyway, here is what you require and need to do, along with the “actual items” that I purchased. Depending on, whether your dash cam has a top or side usb port and where you position it, you may want a right angled adaptor and or cable. You need 1. A short cable with a male usb C connector at one end and a male usb A at the other. A usb A to usb C adapter. The A end must be female and the C end must be male. You connect the male A end of the cable to the female A end of the adapter. Both ends now have male usb C connections, but importantly, you “must” connect the end with the adapter to the usb port next to the mirror. If you connect it to the dash cam it will not work (boring explanation below). I have included photos of mine (above) and although the cable was listed as 20cm, it was longer. My camera has a side port to the right and a 15cm cable would have been adequate given where I have positioned it. (Please excuse the mess around the drive, we are clearing up and reorganising things.) Parts (all Amazon UK with the description) 1.Cable aceyoon USB C Charger Cable 90 Degree, Mini USB C Cable 0.2M Charging & Data Sync USB C Right Angle Short Cable Braided Type C Cable Compatible for iPhone 15 for Huawei for Galaxy for Pixel(Black) (The above was £3.38 and one end is right angled) 2.USB C to USB 3.0 Adapter 90 Degree (3 Pack), USB-A 3.0 Female to USB-C 3.1 Male Right Angle OTG Adapter Compatible with MacBook Pro, Laptop, Samsung Galaxy, Type-C Phones and More (The above £5.99 and right angled) 3.Seminer 90 Degree USB C to USB 3.1 OTG Adapter (2 Pack), Right Angled USBC Type C Male to USB Female Adapter, 10G Data Transfer for Smartphone,Tablet, Laptop (The above £5.99, I purchased first, but did not use because of the orientation of the adapter. It did work) Explanation: In very simple terms a dash cam wants a simple power supply. The one from the 12v connection is just that, a one directional power source. A usb C cable is two directional, not only for power but also for data transmission. Put simply, the camera does not recognise the usb C cable as a power source, hence it does not work. By adding the usb A adapter (sometimes loosely described as a type 3 on Amazon) you take away the two directional element of the cable and dumb down the data component. If Skoda had thought things through and really been “clever” they would have used a usb A rather than a usb C. Still, a simple solution once you know about it. I hope this helps others like me.

That is really helpful, thank you. I think that the mirror usb is 15w, but for some reason it still seems to be too much.

We have had our new Superb for just over a week, however a suitable dash cam that works with the mirror based usb C remains an issue – at least without having to dumb down the cable. This is down to Skoda. It does not matter where the dash cam is manufactured (e.g China), the usb C on the mirror is not suitable as a simple low wattage charger for any dash cam. I have contacted the supposedly high end brand Viofo (whose customer support certainly write like they are Chinese), and here is a brief exert from their lengthy reply ticket. Incidentally, this is with reference to the budget level Viofo A119 V3. Their dash cam will only work: “If the USB C power port on your car could provide stable 5V/2A power.” (Not the case.) They go on to tell me : “You can also kindly consider to purchase other model which has the USB C power port (For example A119 MINI2, VS1...) And use the "VIOFO USB C to USB C Charging Cable": https://www.viofo.com/products/viofo-usb-c-to-usb-c-charging-cable-for-dashcams-with-type-c-port “ Incidentally, the shortest version of the above cable is 60cm, about three times the length required. Additionally, looking at the full spec for the A119 MINI 2 versus the A119 V3, their connectivity spec appear identical. It would seem that using cable/connectors to drop from usb C to usb A and back is the only option. This is disappointing, irrespective of how much of a Skoda fan you are.

Thanks

You would hope that Skoda would anticipate the potential problems of a smart USB in the mirror. Ultimately, there is only one use for it - with a dash cam! Our car is 2 to 3 weeks away, so with a bit of luck one of you guys will have tested before I buy. I look forward to finding out the results. Rifleman, that was one of the kinder Software Developer jokes that I have encountered.

Interesting. Are all of the USB C ports, including the mirror one, smart? I have seen some youtube videos talking about a charge issue when trying to use USB C in, to USB C out, where the original cable was C to A. What you have said seems to confirm this, however what I want is a short cable to the port on the rear view mirror and this just adds extra cable debris – this defeats the object of having that port there in the first place. Although I have an MSc in Software Development, my knowledge of this stuff is poor. This weekend I will be chatting to a friend who knows a bit more about this and I am hoping that he might have a more eloquent solution. I also find it hard to understand why our motorised security cameras can store solar power in batteries (that never run out), yet a battery/solar dash cam seems a step too far. Again, I have not explored this in any detail, so no doubt there is an explanation. Again, thanks for the help and info.

Thanks to all for the advice. We still have two or three weeks to decide before the car arrives, but it is good to know what other owners use. Nothing beats a recommendation.

Thanks. I had spotted the VIOFO’s and they get great reviews, but they are pretty pricey (around the £250 - £350 mark when I looked). I was hoping for something a bit cheaper. It is a very high premium to pay for the benefit of a USB C over a 12v connection.

Hello We have just ordered a Skoda Superb (delivery in early to mid March) and would like to buy an economically priced dash cam with a USB C cable to connect via the rear view mirror port. Most dash cams have the old 12v cigarette lighter connection cable. I wondered if anyone has a recommendation for an affordable dash cam that they use with the USB C port in the mirror (i.e. not one with a conversion kit or that is hard wired). Thanks.

Thanks Philsmith and Handyandy, you have answered my questions perfectly and told me exactly what I wanted to hear. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to help me . Buying a new car is a big decision and I (we) want to get it right. Thank you. Hopefully I will be on this forum as an owner before too long.

Hello We are looking at buying a new Skoda Superb SE L. Ideally we would like the 2 litre diesel, but right now there are a lot of very good offers on “in stock” vehicles, not one of which is a diesel. My question is, what do those of you with the 1.5 TSi engine think of it. Primarily, does it feel underpowered and what is the “real” mpg like. I would also be interested to know if anyone buying on the VW PCP scheme decided to pay it off very early (i.e. in the first couple of months) and if they had any issues with VW finance allowing them to do this. Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated.