Octawia

I recently changed mine for the first time. It's generally every 65,000 km. Please keep in mind that the DSG gearboxes are equipped with filtering system as well, that means you will need to change the gearbox oil filter as well. But here's the argument. In warm climates I've heard that they don't change the gearbox oil until 100,000 km on a DSG. But as the climate gets colder, the wear ratio is higher, so they advised to change the DSG oil around 65 to 70,000 km.

I found the solution of carrying a small backup battery with me that I go from Amazon for €40. Although it didn't occur again, after reading the forums I found out that the backup battery may run out eventually if you are only driving short distances as the only way to recharge the backup battery was by braking. As I live in very cold climate, I am expecting it to happen again sometime. How to start with a backup battery: connect the backup battery to the positive terminal in the fuse box under the hood, negative terminal anywhere else on the chassis. Press down the accelerator pedal, then power on the car. As soon as the engine starts, let go of the accelerator pedal. Then all you have to do is just drive around for an hour or so for it to recharge. I know it's a dumb solution but it works apparently.

Hi, Just I started to feel things were getting better now it started to give "Error: selector lever. You can drive on. Please visit the workshop". Message. Is there any easy fix to this?

It may differ from country to country perhaps. Thanks for letting me know, I will ask Skoda about it.

After 3 days waiting, the Skoda authorized service gave the diagnosis. Apparently one of the BCM (battery control module) module firmware was out of date and it caused the 12V battery drain itself even when the car is in off mode! As I had service insurace, the towing (twice in a day), jump starting etc. was covered, but for some reason upgrading of the BCM firmware was not. As car had only been inspected by the same service only 2 weeks ago, they accepted the diagnosis cost, so I only had to pay 120 eur for the upgrade. That's a number I guess I can give with. Though I admit, I lost confidence in the car. I mean only a month ago, I drove this car 7500 km across Europe, believing that it's trustworthy. But a simple bug could have made my trip horribly wrong. I am fortunate that I drove around 750 km/day so the percupiration saved me. By the way, the service also confirmed that the only way to recharge the 12V battery is by percupiration process. As a back up solution I've decided to buy a small jump starter pack, which is the size of a VHS tape (youngsters won't know what that is !) generally a small box packed with batteries, capable of supporting 800A/1000A, just good enough to start the car up. It's quite nifty and handy. It's good to keep one charged all times in the boot. It costs around 30-50 eur for a decent one from Amazon. Anyway, I'm grateful for all of your help. Summary: Reason: BCM Fault Solution: BCM firmware upgrade and recupirate until the battery is recharged. Risk: It can happen to anyone with a PHEV or EV. Carry a small jumpstarter pack.

If I read correctly, the DC/DC charger only supplies minimal current to the 12V battery, when the vehicle is moving, but not when it's idling. PS. When we jump started it, the brain went crazy started giving messages about not recognizing the keyfob and parking brake related error messages. Had to disconnect the jumper and wait another 5 minutes before it all came online. Now it's in the tow truck heading to the Skoda Service. The positive side is, as the car was inspected merely 2 weeks ago, the repair cost + parts will be covered by the Service. Hopefully they have some kind of a permanent fix.

I placed a voltmeter to the battery and it reads 4.2V. The battery may be RIP after all. But still, this seems like a common issue on the Skoda PHEVs and the EVs as they are equipped with far too many electronic gadgets draining the battery constantly and short trips aren't good enough to recharge the 12V battery. I guess we just need to carry a small jump starter pack with me as well as all the other cables etc.

The service arrived this morning and we jump started it. It's definitely related to the 12V battery or it's related circuits. As the PHEV always starts in EV mode by default, I actually found a way of over-riding it. Press the brake and the accelerator in the same time, press the start button, then the petrol engine starts. Try not to over press the accelerator as you may fry the turbo at start. Then let it run at idle. I also found out that the only way to recharge the 12V battery is by recuperation as these cars don't have the traditional alternators anymore. So, if your battery has drained for some reason, you need to drive it around like an hour or so. That kinda sucks. I've been reading a lot other discussions regarding the battery on the Octavia 4 PHEV TSI Combi and it seems like this is a common glitch with the Skoda PHEVs. I'm calling it "Skoda PHEVs" not VW because apparently Skoda has placed in more electronic stuff compared to VW models, causing it to drain faster; I never had a problem with my T-ROC before. So, whatever you do, the 12V battery doesn't recharge enough and eventually it will drain empty until a poor soul like me gets stuck. (This also may explain why it was a bargain🤦‍♂️) I've driven it around for an hour but when I switched off the engine, boom! it all went again for the 2nd time!! 😭. So, I will now call the Skoda road assistance one more time. This time at least I can leave it at home until I get an appointment from a service (in Finland, service stations are always booked, probably give me an appointment for 10 days or more later). I found this video on Youtube, which explains the problem and less of the solution Hybrid 12v Battery Care - The Truth About The Hybrid 12V Battery Problem: What You Need to Know - YouTube

Even if I got a battery booster, I'm not sure where to connect it as the 12V battery is well concealed under the rear seats in the PHEV Combi (station wagon).

Yes I think you are right. It must be either the 12v battery or the battery system in general that cut out the power entirely. The fuses are so small that I have no way of checking which one is working or which one is blown. I'll bring a multimeter with me tomorrow. As the doors are unlocked, there's no problem getting into under the bonnet as the latch is operated by manual wire. The setbacks are that I'm in a multi-story car park so the towing car won't be able to tow it out of the car park, also even if I somehow manually managed to put it into neutral gear by the safety lever, the parking brakes are on I'm not sure if there's a method to unlock those. I also tried to remove the plastic cap that covers the keyhole, in hope to lock the doors for safety overnight, but I wasn't successful. I will contact the Skoda's service in the morning as it's covered in my service package. In a way I feel fortunate because recently I completed a 7,000 km trip across weird parts of Europe and this could have happened anywhere inconvenient (though I do wish it happened when I was in Czech Republic 😂). I will update this topic once I get some results as it can happen to anyone.

I very much agree. If the battery would be dead completely, it would still have some kind of life. I'm wondering if there's a fuse somewhere that may be controlling it all. I checked the fuse diagram but I could not find any fuse that would shut it all down at once. I mean, I agree with others about the battery dying, but sudden no sign of life, clearly points to something else. I charged the EV battery only couple of hours ago, so that cannot be the culprit. Thinking back, after charging, I disconnected the charging cable, started the EV mode normally. When reversing I did hear a weird clack sound coming somewhere, I didn't think it was from my car. Then I put it in to Drive mode and drove about 500m then stopped and parked normally. Then when I came back unlocked it with the remote, but when I sat down I saw no sign of life in the cockpit. Even the key didn't lock or unlock after that. @SurreyJohn it cannot be the key battery as I replaced it about a month ago. Hence the key lights up when I press the buttons.

Even with a battery short circuit, it would display some kind of error message on the dashboard. This is like completely dead. I'm going to try locking the doors and calling a tow service tomorrow (hopefully I can put the automatic gear into N mode somehow manually).

Yes, it did open with the remote, but now there's zero sign of life. It doesn't lock with remote. There are no sign of life at all. I just charged the EV battery 30 minutes ago and drove the car for 100m and made a stop at a shop. When I came back, it's in this state. I've been using it EV mode usually. I don't even bother with the petrol engine these days. I am certain that the battery is working properly. There must be some other reason for total loss of power in 10 minutes sleep.

I doubt it very much, because I drove it only 10 minutes ago and everything was fine. Plus I do check my battery regularly as I go on long distance trips.

After coming from shopping, the key remote opened the door normally, but when I sat down I realized that the car has lost power completely. There's no sign of electricity nor the remote is responding. What could have happened? Maybe a fuse blown? I'm stuck in a car park at the moment so any ideas would be welcome. Octavia 4 1.4 TSI PHEV SW

There are many VAG (Volkswagen/Skoda/Audi/Seat) compatible OBD2 devices available on AliExpress for less than €50. Most of them use the same chipset, with a USB-A OBD2 port cable to connect to a PC. That's what most repair shops use these days. They also supply the application with the kit. But be careful how you use it, as most of them not only read, they are capable of writing as well. So, I advise you to know what you are doing. When buying a odb2 scanner, you should look specifically for VAG compatibility.

You are aware that a standard battery renewal costs about 12,000 euros, right ? Sadly it's quite impossible to find OEM battery for VW cars. I wouldn't recommend it as they are most probably hard coded to work with original parts and usage of OEM may void warranty etc. Also installation isn't a walk in the park. As avi4tor said, it's simpler to replace the car instead. VAG Part Number: 5WA915588E

I'm wondering if when the car is regenerative braking (when you lift your foot off the accelerator it starts braking), does it mimic normal braking, such as lighting up the brake lights at the rear? Also, is it possible to turn it off? :)

Does it download the software itself? Or does it software need to be downloaded first from somewhere?

Hi, couple of weeks ago I was on a long road trip with my 1.4 TSI PHEV, I messed around with the dashboard and somehow managed to set the reserve charge level to 100%. So, now every time I charge the car, it charges to 100%. As my trip is over, I'm trying to set it back so that it only charges 90% and saves 10% to reserve, but I have forgotten where the setting was. I would be very grateful if you could guide me.

Hello, I did say that I had already deselected that option.

Retro fitting new cars with towbars is a real torture and a mess, as you, not only need to weld the towbar to the chassis, but also carve out a good bumper. Mind you, I'd advise you to get a car that is already factory fitted. It is quite popular in the Nordics as well. Hence, TSI 1.0 may be a great engine with 110 HP, as it's 3 cyl, it does lack the torque, which you could find challenging when trying to pull a caravan downhill (yes, downhill).

As I had stated, I had already deselected "Start music automatically" in the AA app on the phone (as well as in the car).

Software: 1941 Display unit/control panel Hardware: H47 Display unit/control panel Software: 2103 Navigation Database: 21.2 Media Codec: 3.1.4 Radio Database: 1.30.40 I've checked under updates, but it's empty.

I'm not sure. Is it possible to update the firmware ourselves or is it only possible at the service ?