HenPen

This afternoon (5 June) my iPhone updated the MyKpoda app to version 8.3.0 and the Driving Score function has been removed without explanation. I checked my Android tablet and, yep! It's gone from there as well. On the Skoda website (skoda-auto-com) the page that used to esplain about the Driving Score function (https://www.skoda-auto.com/connectivity/driving-score) no longer exists, giving a 404-error. This can mean one of two things. 1) That, after criticism, the car's monitoring function has been removed; 2) Simply that I can no longer see what score Skoda is still recording about me. I am afraid that the "spy in the passenger seat" has just gone hidden. This might be the worst of the possible outcomes: me in the dark and Skoda selling my data to insurance companies? Has anybody had any solid information about the Driving Score's withdrawal?

There's also (and perhaps for people in the UK most important) the Information Commissioner's Office which has the legal clout to enforce data misuse. Their complaints page is at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/data-protection-complaints/ They say, In order to use this you will need: an email address for the organisation; a copy of the complaint you made to the organisation about how they have handled your personal information; and (if you are complaining for someone else) a letter of consent from the person the complaint is about. It's helpful if you can also provide: the organisation's address; a timeline of key events related to your complaint; any supporting information you have about the mishandling of your personal information eg a copy of an email where your information was shared, a copy of records with inaccurate information, an apology letter from the organisation, or other email exchanges.

The VG Group uses the ABAX system for driver monitoring. It is an integral part of the electronic system. According to the ABAX site, "The ABAX unit in each vehicle uses extensively tested algorithms and robust set of parameters to detect driving behaviour events for each of the 5 key driving behaviour factors. Rapid acceleration, harsh braking and sharp cornering are measured using an accelerometer inside the unit that measures g-force. Idling is measured using a combination of a motion-sensor and GPS." What is done with the data in private cars is not at all clear. With fleet monitoring, things are clearer: "Each factor score can be viewed at the individual driver level or as a summary of your entire fleet. You can also compare driving trends over time internally or against the national average. Driving scores will affect vehicle-related costs, your environmental impact, safety, your company image, the likelihood of an incident and insurance premiums – so work to keep them as high as possible! An admin can monitor driving behaviour from the Driving behaviour menu, Reports, or directly in the Map." So it IS clearly a tool for monitoring individual drivers. Its use in Skoda cars is probably meant to be benign, but it is an always-on "spy in the cab" as much as an HGV's tachometer. I think that its use is a perversion of GDPR rights and that the data the VW/Skoda group hold on drivers' behavoiur is almost cvertainly grossly excessive and disproportionate.

It's the car that keeps the data (and reports to the Skoda server), not the app. The app updates once a day (or so the Skoda website says).

According to Google's AI turning on the "Private Mode" in a car will disable most of the Infotainment System's functions, but it is the only way to turn off the data feed for the Driving Score. In other words, there's LESS info available that the Ford Cortina had! Gemini (Google's AI) says, In a Škoda vehicle, "Private Mode" temporarily disables online services in the infotainment system. This includes features like online navigation, traffic information, and some online services related to ŠKODA Connect. While "Private Mode" is active, the emergency call service (eCall) and Info Call/Breakdown Call remain functional, including data transfer. How to Activate Private Mode: Access Settings: Press the "Menu" button on the navigation system. Navigate to Connect: Go to "Settings" and then "Connect". Manage Online Services: Navigate to "Online Services" or a similar option to manage online services. Activate Private Mode: Select "Private Mode" to enable it. What happens when Private Mode is active: Online Services Disabled: Infotainment online services are temporarily switched off, as indicated by an icon on the navigation bar, Emergency Services Remain Active: The eCall service and Info Call/Breakdown Call remain active and functional, including data transfer, No Data Transfer for Online Services: While Private Mode is active, data transfer for online services is deactivated, No Position Data Shared: The car's position is not shared with the customer portal or the app in Private Mode,

I have the same problems with "Rush Hour/Night Driving" even though rural Dorset doesn't have a "rush hour" and I haven't driven the car after 8:00pm. I also suspect that "speed" is measured through an accelerometer, rather than a check against satnav data. This would mean that a sharp corner at 25 counts as "speeding", whereas 95 on a straight road would not. It would seem that the only way to turn off the data collection is NOT in the app, but in the car itself, through the permissions in the car's infotainment centre. This would, of course, vastly limit the usefulness of all sorts of things, taking the technology back to the technological level, say, of a Ford Cortina. This is the official Skoda position about the data: "You can opt out by activating Private Mode in your vehicle’s infotainment system. Once Private Mode is enabled and you have received a confirmation email at your registered email address (in MyŠkoda App), data collection and the calculation of your Driving Score will stop from that moment onward. Please note: Any Driving Score already calculated based on previously collected data will remain visible in the MyŠkoda App, but no new data will be collected or processed while Private Mode is active."

This week the MySkoda App added a "Driving Score" category, recording my driving with regard to acceleration, braking, speeding, night driving, etc. The Driving Score App looks suspiciously like the apps that Insurance Companies require young drivers to have, reporting back to the company and determining the amount of insurance premium that will have to be paid. I can't find anything in the documentation of the app that reassures me that information about my driving won't be put on some central reqister and will be used to rate me when it comes time for insurance renewal. Does anyone know the ins and outs of what this "feature" can do? Will anyone with the app be monitored on every trip? The app has been getting better recently, but might it be time to keep Big Brother out of my passenger seat?

I have a 2023 Octavia with the Columbus system. The software update has made just about everything work better than it ever has, but the Online Manual is next to useless: if I ever search for a topic (as opposed to using the index) it simply says "Something Went Wrong" and leaves it at that. Is this a common experience?

The Skoda Connect app IS gone, replaced by the MySkoda app (which, imho, doesn't work as well). I'm intrigued by the steady climb in ratings on the Apple and GoogleApp Stores, though. with Apple it started at a (justified) 2.8/5, but has been rising since then (at the moment an unbelievable 4.6), BUT the words in the customer reviews seem to show that nothing has really changed. It's slow, often inaccurate and sometimes completely useless. The disturbing thing is that Skoda almost always reply with the "cut 'n paste", "Dear user, sorry to hear that you're having issues with our app. Please contact our local support team at [email protected] to get personalized assistance in resolving this problem. Your MyŠKODA app team." If you DO contact the Support Team, the response is pretty useless.

It IS possible to update the SatNav maps with the Amundsen and Columbus systems for free (but without any bells and whistles) using the Skoda Update Portal on a computer and entering your VIN. However, the update is 29 Gb and has to be loaded on to a blank USB drive before putting the drive into one of the car's USB sockets. After putting in the drive, it takes the better part of 10 hours' driving to update (during which the SatNav doesn't seem to work). This doesn't give access to any of the other services, just the maps. After one go, I decided to pay my £60.00 and get the package.

Yet another month, yet another 1,500 miles and not a single bong! I am more convinced than ever that the faulty sensors were to blame. (Thank you Steve Dixon of Hendy Skoda Poole!)

It costs £80.00 for both services if you wait until renewal, but there is a discount to £60.00 if you renew more than two months early. (They don't publicise this as far as I can see.)

Yet another 2,000 miles and no repeat of the warning. I am now SURE that the sensors were faulty and that the replacement completely solved the problem.

Ask them the check the sensors as well. There was no doubt, according to Bournemouth Skoda, that the sensors were faulty and sending false error messages

Oh, dear! Sorry to hear that. Hendy Skoda of Bournemouth managed to replace the sensors on my 2.0 DSG diesel Octavia and in the past 3,500 miles I haven't heard the dreaded "bong!" once. If it would be any help, your Skoda dealer in Wellington might get in touch with the Service Manager at Hendy Bournemouth, Steve Dixon. He supervised the service and knows all the details of the problem: 01202 069004