BadgerUK

I'm guessing that, as you suspect, it's general advice. Perhaps an over-dramatic warning that without the engine running, the battery will eventually go flat.

For what it’s worth, they changed my Octavia due to a different issue and I feel the braking is far more consistent on the new car. Seems a lot smoother. I’m not sure I entirely buy the original dealer’s insistence that this was normal.

It's a strange one. After a cluster of failures to start across a couple of weeks, the car then behaved itself for a few months - although, it has to be said, I was using it a lot less than usual to keep the mileage down while I worked on a resolution with the dealership. They didn't respond to my complaint at all initially and repeatedly fobbed off Skoda customer services with delaying tactics. I set a deadline to refer the dealership to the Motor Ombudsman, which finally prompted some movement. Ultimately, Skoda agreed to reimburse the dealer and, I understand, cover depreciation costs until they come up with a fix. Consequently, I was able to return the car and receive a full refund. I believe a lot of the same consumer rights apply, even after a year. The difference is that, beyond the first 6 months, the onus falls on the customer to prove the fault existed when the car was purchased. If the issue was diagnosed by a Skoda franchise and deemed unresolvable early in your ownership, perhaps you still might get somewhere. It would probably be a reduced refund adjusted for mileage with an older car, but that should still be substantially more than the sale/part exchange value. It's quite a lot of hassle, frankly, but I didn't want to keep a car that might continue to let me down in the long term.

It happened to me again a couple of weeks back but resolved itself fairly quickly. However, the fact remains that this '24 plate car has failed to start more times in 4 months than all of my previous cars added together over the last 25 years or so. The retailer has not responded to me once in the almost 8 weeks since I reported that the problem had been identified by my local dealership. Skoda Customer Service have found it similarly impossible to get any sense out of them. The retailer has just come back with the same excuse they used to Skoda more than 6 weeks ago - that they're waiting for information which the other dealership located in 1 hour. They clearly have no interest in repairing or replacing the vehicle. My theory is the retailer is trying to run down the clock, knowing my statutory right reduced from 6 months of ownership onwards. Totally ignoring the Consumer Rights Act. For that reason alone, I'm taking it to the Motor Ombudsman. Not hopeful it will make any difference but it should at least force the seller to engage.

Thanks. That’s interesting. Mine is a 2024 Facelift model. I assumed it was all cars, but perhaps not. The local dealer described it as a ‘feature’ which was mildly amusing. I’m currently pursuing the sporadic ‘failure to start’ problem for which there’s no fix, so may end up pushing for a different vehicle anyway. Sounds like leaning hard on Skoda hard as well as the dealership will be the best approach.

Thanks. That’s an interesting read. Unfortunately, I just can’t have a car that’s unreliable so probably won’t be as patient as many people who’ve suffered the same issue. It seems I’ve been sold something that was known to be faulty by the seller and so am legally entitled to a full refund in the first 6 months. Reluctantly will probably have to go down that route rather than wait for a fix that may never materialise. Appreciate your post.

I have this weird braking too on my 1.5 TSI e-tec. Seems to be worse on some journeys than others. I'm not concerned about the slowing and regenerative braking as such - quite like it in a way - but there is a disconcerting and dangerous effect as the car downshifts when approaching roundabouts and junctions. Generally around 25mph and 15mph. One second you're braking normally, then suddenly there's a big decrease in braking force and it feels like the pedal is doing very little. Front Assist actually saved me a couple of times. I'm getting used to braking harder from the off, which seems to help. The dealership say the brakes are functioning normally and it's caused by the latest ABS systems. Something about the software controlling the braking force but dropping out when it thinks you are trying to over-ride the system. If that's true, can't see how it's progress. Very lumpy and it does feel like a surge forward sometimes at just the wrong moment.

My First Edition 1.5 TSI etec (2024) has randomly been refusing to start. The AA and dealership have found nothing but it transpires there is a TPI in place covering this as a known fault. There's no fix and no date for when it will be fixed. The only advice is to switch the car off for 15 minutes and try again. When it does start, I now disable Start/Stop as it'd be really dangerous if the car failed to restart in traffic on a motorway, for instance. With no fix in sight I may have to push the dealership for a refund or replacement so I'm interested to know how widespread the problem is. Anyone else here experienced it? I have found an online reference to what sounds like the same issue, which would suggest Skoda have known about it since at least November. Shame as there's a lot to like about the car otherwise (and a couple of irritations I can live with).