Vrstdi estate

I have been patronising Simpsons Skoda since 2007 when I bought a new vehicle from them. I chose Simpsons because a) they gave me the demo car keys and let me really try the car out on a long drive to truly evaluate the car and there was no high pressure sales tactics afterwards. I'd always had courteous reliable treatment each time I went for any service work to be done. Then, when myself and my partner decided to change both our cars for new Skodas we went to see what they could offer us. Instead of being made to feel like a valued customer, the salesman treated us to a humiliating session where he his ego ran riot which lost him and them a 2 car sale. I wrote to the MD who apologised and asked if we would consider them again for any servicing needs. Fast forward on 5 years and my Yeti is still as great as it ever was however this time standards at Simpsons have slipped significantly. I live a good 30 minutes drive from the Colne branch and in the past they have either offered to collect my car or offered a courtesy vehicle, neither was offered this time. There are a number of Skoda dealers now that are much closer to where I live & work however having always trusted the professionalism of Simpsons I booked a day off and the car in for its annual service. I was disappointed to be told to come back at the end of the day so advised them that it was booked well in advance and that I was stranded there without transport. They managed to move things around eventually but it still meant hanging around for half a day. The basic service was £400 which admittedly included changing the DSG gearbox oil however they wanted another £600 for changing the cam belt; it would have been far more helpful if I'd been pre-warned that this work would have been required at that mileage. I'd left my service book on the passenger seat for stamping however that didn't get done but it was only when the car almost spun out of control in heavy rain when I realised their worst mistake; they'd taken my front wheels off to check brakes etc but put them back on the wrong side and the directional treads were now back to front! I called the service manager as soon as I'd noticed - she was in a meeting but she'd call me back. Weeks went by without even an apologetic email so I emailed Neil Simpson the MD as I was sure he'd be disappointed with the service I was given. Weeks have passed and I'm still waiting for a simple acknowledgement. Sadly they're now too big to give the excellent service that won my custom 10 years ago so I shall be giving a more local dealer a try next time.

What if I want a Q car? A car that is fun to hustle along when alone, but it will fit the family, bikes and dogs in and tow the caravan? Surely this is more appealing than a pure performance machine? Lets face it there are better hot hatches for similar money.

Thanks Shark. Are they up & running now? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the feedback - looks like Sharks the way to go! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm the OP and it was an error generated by a low battery; the ECU shut down all non essential functions to save power. The dealer reset everything and all has been fine since.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sadly rock hoppers mods were done well before an OBD solution was available. Has anyone had a more recent remap via the port? Bluefin are quoting £499; my local Shark outfit are not contactable so no idea of their pricing. Awesome Gti quote prices but not results on their website so not very confident in giving them the work and CRD still want to open up my ECU for £350. ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tried calling GNJ but they don't answer their phone either....! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BTW the GNJ site seems to be under development

Thanks Shark. I don't suppose you could provide stats and costs could you?

Hi my yeti will be 4 years old in May. I've done just 35k from new and it's in great condition so I think it's a keeper as it ticks most of my boxes ( I have a 1200cc bike for thrills) and it tows our caravan very well. We took the combo down to the Dordogne last summer and I noticed that the flat bits in France are in fact very hilly and the mpg suffered getting down into the high 20's with bikes on the roof and stiff headwinds. The car pulls well from low down but runs out of steam at motorway speeds and a little more grunt would be nice. There are a few tuning shops around the North west but I'm not so keen on someone breaking open my ECU however I believe there are non invasive solutions now available (bluefin, superchips, shark?) Has anyone remapped their DSG TDi vehicle successfully and are there any recommendations of tuners in my area please? One more question - how did it affect your insurance premium? Thanks Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Embarrassed more powerful machines with a 140tdi DSG Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Some companies don't make allowances for snow. No work no pay. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wonder if the greater volume of traffic packing the snow down makes it more treacherous here? My Yeti was one of the few cars to traverse the narrow lane the other day - summer tyres took me up but massive amounts of anticipation were required to slow us down Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I just about kept up with a 170 Vrs on a track day in my 140dsg yeti. The 4x4 helped a lot even in the dry but high COG conspired against me.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Last year was mild and wet so no need, however this winter is shaping up to be a cold one. I live in the north west and I still have sheet ice in places. We had a series of cold winters about 5 years ago where I had winter boots on the Octy Vrs otherwise I'd have been stuck at home. They're not just for snow and ice but for Improved traction and braking generally. I agree that it's a balancing act between cost and real necessity as you really need a spare set of wheels to swap out each season. My partner has a RWD van and without her winter boots she'd be unable to earn a living being self employedSent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What's even more amazing is that mine is the DSG - that off road button really makes hill starts on snow a possibility. The issue is the expense for the limited use and hassle swapping over as its my job to do my partners Vito van tyres twice a year as she won't get paid if she can't get out to see her customers. I only have a 5 mile commute so is it justifiable? If I crashed then the answer is clear....... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Standard summer tyres aren't great on snow but the Yeti's clever gadgets compensate massively. Yesterday we had fresh snow on top of ice. I approached a narrow steep right hand bend to see 2x cars (fwd hatches) stuck. Coming down slowly but out of control was a fiat panda, squirming around trying to avoid clipping the high stone wall. Eventually it stopped and the hatch drivers got out and gestured for me to turn back. I selected the off road button and squeezed through slowly and whilst there was was some sliding as the haldex chose which wheels to drive, I made great progress and didn't see any other vehicles up that route. Stopping is a different matter however and you have to think far ahead. Would love to see how effective it would be with decent winter rubber Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My drive to work is like a b-road rally stage - narrow, twisty, bumpy. undulating and always wet! The Yeti can cover this terrain as quick as anything due to its confidence inspiring levels of grip and good balance. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think the lack of scare stories on here proves that it's a really intelligent and reliable system so as the man says just drive it and enjoy it! I love the way you can floor it at a junction and get instant drama free drive where 2wd cars would be scrabbling around for grip Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not sure if some of the posts are addressing the OP or not but the car has been faultless ever since. The haldex system is sophisticated enough to sense slip before you do so you shouldn't experience FWD scrabble unless the conditions are extreme. I live on an unmade road and I never experience this apart from when the battery had been drained. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Rubbish in snow though! The car will get you moving but jeez it's scary trying to stop with that radial concentric tread pattern Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The reason I was concerned was from seeing horror stories on here of £1k - 2.5k costs of putting Haldex problems right and the car's warranty ended 4 months ago...... What surprised me if there was a failure was that the car has only done 31k miles with full dealer service history. I use my Triumph Explorer most of the time so the car can sit for days without being used and even then it may only get a short run to pick the kids up. Anyway, I thought I would share this with you in case you experience similar issues that could just be down to a low battery.

During a normal drive recently, I pulled out of a junction to find that my 2.0- Tdi Yeti 4x4 was scrabbling for front grip, normally it would shift drive to the rear without creating any fuss or drama which concerned me.The road where I live is a loose unadopted lane with a steep approach so I tried a hill start and again the FWD struggled for grip. I saw that there was a chap locally whio had the diagnostics cable and he very kindly showed me that there was a fault with the Haldex amongst one or two other alerts however no warning lights were showing. I checked all fuses and tested again and still no rear drive was apparent. I checked in with Simpsons in Colne and they put the car on the rollers however the rear drive was working so they hooked it up and sure enough there were a catalogue of faults; what transpired was that the battery had become quite drained through lack of longer journeys of late and what the car had done was to halt all non-essential processes to ensure that the engine management and brakes were given priority. They reset the system and all is fine - No charge! When I was contemplating a monstrous bill for a failed 4x4 system, I am a very happy man and very grateful for the superb service at Simpsons.

Been snowing steadily in upper Ramsbottom since 6..... Yeti goes but won't stop! My partners just fitted Nankang winter tyres to her Vito van (rwd) and its much better than the so-called snow monster!

After DSG I wouldn't go back to a manual..... Quicker shifting and more relaxed too....