theandywaite

I've been looking at some old threads about boot storage and thinking about grabbing some parts. Has anyone purchased / considered the D-shaped storage cubby shown in this exploded diagram (item 12)? I've seen on other threads most people went for the storage net (item 15). I think you get them as standard on a Yeti:

I might do that on an old banger, but wouldn't dream of doing it to either of our new-ish cars. The proper touch-up kits are £15 max and are an exact colour match.

It already comes as standard with an engine cover... it's called the bonnet

I imagine it's that, sounds the likely culpret. My advice would be either prepare for a fight or pay for an indy to do the job out of warranty.

I do around here - Sunset VW in Derby are amazing (http://www.sunset-derby.co.uk/) - but not sure that would be any use to you in Brighton! Perhaps someone else can advise of somewhere more local?

Have you tried an independent specialist? You would obviously have to pay for the privilege, but in my experience you're likely to get the problem fixed and not get fobbed off.

This sounds like a really similar experience to ours as far as warranty / dealers go. We had a problem with my wife's Rapid refusing to start in cold weather (it would eventually after many attempts). Eventually got it started, took to dealer, sent away saying there was no problem. It continued to happen and so we took it back and they tried to tell us we'd put diesel in it (we knew we hadn't and it wouldn't make sense as we drove it in to their garage) and wanted to charge thousands to replace the entire fuel system. Then took it to another Skoda dealer several times who said it wasn't diesel contamination, but said there was no fault because they couldn't see it. This is in spite of the fact we had multiple videos of it not working and we'd had Skoda Assist (the AA) out multiple times to the fault. More than one breakdown guy diagnosed it was a faulty fuel pump and we paid out of our own pocket at an independent VAG specialist, who also diagnosed it as the fuel pump. But Skoda just stood firm that there wasn't an issue. Eventually after weeks of hassle, shouting at Skoda CS and dealers, speaking to managers and recording my calls, they agreed to replace the fuel pump as a "gesture of goodwill". Surprise surprise, it's been fine since. We got the right outcome in the end, but the extreme hassle means I'd never buy a new Skoda again. I probably wouldn't buy any new car again.

In theory it sounds great, but my experience with warranties is that they'll do anything to dodge paying out. I also have very little trust in the dealer network around here. Ours is 3 in March, I think I'll just put the £300 in the bank and use it towards any potential repair with a local specialist.

Thanks!

About to replace the battery in our Spaceback. It's fitted with the RNS315 Amundsen+. I can't find a radio code in our book pack, is it needed when the power is disconnected/reconnected or is the radio coded to the car?

Residuals are not strong. We bought our nearly-new 1.2 tsi 105 Spaceback SE with 3000 miles on the clock for £8700 so the weak residuals worked in our favour! That was 18 months ago though so I don't know if they've changed since.

We have the genuine Skoda item, it's pretty good and fits well. Doesn't have very high sides though.

So do we just ignore it and get it serviced at 10k as the schedule recommends?

The service on the wife's Rapid is approaching, but the warning on the MFD seems a bit early. It's saying "Service now" at ~18,200 miles It was last serviced 9 months ago at approx 8,800 miles so shouldn't actually be due until 18,800 by my calculations (the car is on annual / 10k fixed servicing). Have I missed something, was it reset wrong last time, or is this normal?

My wife had a Fabia III on loan while her Rapid Spaceback was being fixed. I had a drive and being a car geek, the Fabia is definitely more composed on the road. Over a rough piece of road, our Spaceback seems to have a lot more flex in the body than I'd like. I suspect down to the fact it's a bit of a mongrel under the skin. My wife, who isn't a car bore, didn't find anything she preferred in the Fabia. Other things we both prefer about the Spaceback: Interior quality Interior ambiance Interior space Boot space Level of trim / features (obviously that depends on the trim level you get, but when we last looked, you generally get more stuff on a Rapid) Ride comfort Exterior design (Fabia looks a bit boxy IMO) I know it's subjective but we're very happy we chose a Rapid Spaceback over a Fabia. I don't see the poor interior trim criticism that's often levied against the Rapid. In fact, it's one of the things that drew us to the Rapid SB over its competitors. I really like clean, minimal design and IMO the Rapid is smart and functional. I also like the fact it feels open and spacious - there seems a popular trend to make cars cocoon the driver in a dashboard like a fighter pilot (Focus, Leon) which just makes me feel claustrophobic. Just my 2 cents :P

Creepy crawlies are a possibility. I once had a moth fly in to the wife's Rapid. It was night time and it was attracted by the interior light. It was late and I couldn't get it out the car so just left it. Later that night it set the alarm off twice by flapping around in the car! Ended up just disabling the alarm using the switch on the B-pillar.

Unless it's a her :p

Would be a lot of hassle, but could you get a LHD driver's side seat imported from Europe?

Congrats. I think you made the right choice. The Yeti is definitely the better car and much better for your needs (towing). I hope it gives you many happy miles of motoring!

I've known of a couple of occasions where faults that occur in the 4th year (i.e. just out of warranty) have been repaired as a "good will gesture", but on the condition the vehicle had a main dealer service history. My mum's Peugeot 207cc needed a gearbox refurb at 3.5 years old, and had only done 20k miles. They replaced for free but needed proof of servicing in the dealer network. I had a similar experience with an airbag wiring fault on my Octavia vRS a few years ago.

I think the Rapid is a bit of a step down from a Yeti, especially an SE 4x4. Is keeping your current Yeti not an option?

Save them as a destination but under a pseudonym. E.g. your home could be "Tom's house". As a side note, both our cars have nav and the Ford sync system is much better IMO for routing and traffic information. The Skoda system has got us into trouble on more than one occasion.

Yes, they know I still have strong words to say to them about the whole affair. Priority #1 was getting the car fixed, so we're having 2 weeks to road test it with the new fuel pump etc, and then going to discuss the whole affair. The thing that still irks me the most is the first dealer claiming it was diesel contamination and trying to charge £1,700 for replacing the entire fuel system!

Ok, not updated this for a while. Had the car back for exactly a week now since they replaced the fuel pump and fuel pump control unit, and no recurrence of the fault yet. Fingers crossed it's sorted!

To be honest, I think they're taking things away on purpose to make the Skoda an inferior product to VW / Audi / Seat. If you look at the Skoda range from 5-10 years ago, it was all VW stuff for less money. Not so today. I've noticed our Rapid is missing a few things that used to be more-or-less standard and I can't see any reason they've took them away other than an effort to engineer the brand downmarket and to make the other VAG brands seem better, giving people a reason to buy the more expensive brand.