silver1011

And who could blame you, now the vRS is available with a petrol engine I'd argue you've now got the best of both worlds 👍

It's a difficult one, it really depends on what as an individual you deem acceptable. There are plenty of 2.0 190PS TDI and TSI owners that would like more power, and they're the type of drivers who would almost certainly find the 1.4 or 1.5 TSI lacking, even without towing. Admittedly when we bought the Kodiaq I had no intention of towing, let alone a caravan, the factory towbar was simply for a bike rack. But, it tows really well. The only time it noticeably struggles is on longer motorway inclines, more so with a strong headwind, quite often a downchange to 5th is required. Other than that it performs well. I'm sure the torque of a diesel and the effortlessness of DSG would make for a better combination, but we probabaly cover less than 3,000 miles a year towing, so (at least for us) the advantages of diesel don't offset the many advantages of petrol. I've always been a fan of VAG's 1.4 150PS TSI, it's a peach of an engine and proven itself to be pretty robust too. But it definately won't suit everyone. I am a more sedate driver, no point hooning around with the kids in the car or a caravan on the back. Skoda UK promoted the Scout as having increased ride height ahead of the Kodiaq's launch, but I'm not convinced it is. If it is the difference is tiny.

I tow a caravan with our Kodiaq and so increase the pressures to the maximum according to the data inside the fuel flap. Whilst towing it's fine, but when I return home and remove the caravan I'm very quickly reminded to reduce the pressures again. The car is noticeably harder on the suspension, banging in and out of the potholes and over the poor road surfaces where we live. Softening the tyres back down to normal makes a very noticeable difference to ride comfort.

"Thermal overload" 😂 I can hear the conversation at Skoda, "no one mention the F word!".

Unless of course you're like the OP and buying an older model, at which point annual servicing potentially becomes a very real advantage. I love driving DSG's but wouldn't want to run one without a suitable warranty.

Unfortunately whether it's servicing or maintenence, if the Haldex pump fails on a sub 3 year old vehicle that's exceeded 40,000 miles without having a Haldex oil change they're more likely to reject a genuine warranty claim than approve it. But then Skoda's unwillingness to include the cleaning of the filter gauze is more likely to result in failure than ignoring the oil change.

No tools needed, there is a rotating knurled knob that allows you to micro-adjust the fitment of the carrier to the towball, so that once the lever is down the fitment is nice and tight. Once you have it right you lever down the bar and pop the lock in and job done.

Unfortunately another classic case of a Skoda dealer not knowing their stuff and trying to bluff their way through. The 'A' version superseded the original (non-A) version due to a design fault that damaged the wheelarch trim over time. All Kodiaq's are identical around the area the front flaps are fitted to, unless the factory / dealer fit running boards are fitted.

If you're planning to fit the front flaps using all fixing points then you'll need a drill. The lower inner fixing uses a push fit clip (provided with the flaps) after drilling through the inner wheel arch liner.

I've always thought that 'unfold with ignition' rather than 'unfold with unlock' would have been better. My other car does the latter which for me works more intuitively. There have been a few times where I've been in and out of the car two or three times in quick succession (I'm getting old and forgetful!) and thought that the three unfolds and folds were uneccessary. A few times in the winter months where it's rained and then frozen overnight, having to listen to the ice cracking and the motors straining.

Some dealers are better than others, too many don't even bother to search on the system. Dealers are under strict instruction from Skoda UK not to share the details of TPI's, the dealer that found it for me was Des Winks in Scarborough. The 'special grease' was probably just regular lithium grease in a 'special' VAG-branded tube 😂

There is a TPI (service action issued by Skoda) for the sticky towbar. I had the same issue, took it to my dealer and they let me know of the TPI, they had to order in some parts, including some 'special grease'.

The issues with the panoramic sunroof are almost always related to blocked sunroof drains, which presumably is more likely to occur on vehicles that spend a lot of time parked near to or under trees.

I can certainly see it from both sides. All too often (at least in my experience) genuine warranty claims are refused unfairly. I don't believe whether the vehicle is owned, financed or leased should make a difference to the outcome of a warranty claim, but it invariably seems to. Ultimately I appreciate nine out of ten drivers wouldn't even notice a manufacturing defect on a wiper spindle let alone press their dealer for a warranty submission, but at the same time I'd support someone pressing for a favorable outcome, as it's likley something I would choose to do too.

For the sake of £200, I'd have the dealer perform the DSG oil change prior to collection, simply for my own piece of mind. If they're not willing to replace it as part of the purchase (which appears to be justified if the interval is indeed distance-only) then hopefully they may at least offer you a small discount to ensure everyone leaves happy?

But the leasee did want it resolved, as would I if I was in their position. The lease company knows that they can shirk their responsibility without recourse, and are doing just that. That doesn't make it right. You asked "what is the issue?". The issue is that the corrosion is not normal and is seemingly detrimental to the OP's enjoyment of the product.

What?

The issue is the corrosion isn't "normal". Their customer is paying them for the use of a vehicle of substandard quality. Why wouldn't the leasee want it resolved?

Most VAG specialists or automotive electrical outlets will be equipped to fit it for you.

If the corrosion was due to the component being exposed to the environment, then why has only one of the two adjacent spindles suffered? If their response is to be deemed accurate then a quick walk around a few dealers checking the condition of the spindles on other Skoda's of a similar age and mileage should demonstrate that their conclusion is flawed.

Manually calculated over several tanks across the year or are you relying on the onboard computer? It is almost impossible to accurately compare fuel economy from one day to the next let alone one car to another. To do that you need to drive the exact same journey with the exact same traffic conditions, accelerate and brake at exactly the same point and for the same duration, on the same roads in the same weather conditions (wind strength, wind direction, wet or dry roads and ambient temperatures) with the same amount of fuel in the tank. Same brand of tyres, tread depths and equivalent pressures, same number of passengers and boot contents. Branded or supermarket fuel, octane levels. Then there are electrical loads and emissions related systems all of which differ and all of which can have an impact on fuel economy. Then there is E5 versus E10 petrol. The list is endless. Take the manufacturers combined fuel economy figures and half them to avoid disappointment.

1.5 petrol, 2.0 diesel, 30mpg or 40mpg, it's all largely irrelevant. The cost of putting fuel in the car and therefore the cost to run a petrol or diesel car is expensive, and is only going to get more expensive. If when financing or outright purchasing a brand new car and the affordability of running it becomes a concern, then it isn't fuel economy that's the issue, it is often the price of the car purchased. Spend less on buying the car and put the rest into running it. Most of the fuel economy concerns come from owners who have determined affordability by the monthly payment alone, and forget a modern, flat fronted, 1.5 ton, small engined, petrol SUV on short runs in the winter months is never going to achieve more than 25mpg. I have a 1.4 TSI (after several VAG diesels) and love it. The 25% increase in fuel costs are worth it for me. The car was cheaper to purchase, is more reliable, is more refined, is near silent, warms up faster and (in my opinion) nicer to drive. It also does a sterling job of towing our 1.5 ton caravan. Diesel is dead for me. Petrol isn't far off either. My other car is a 3.5 V6 two-ton petrol people carrier, imported from Japan. Probably my last chance to own a proper engine. It is currently averaging 16mpg and requires the use of super unleaded. But, I bought it with my eyes wide open. Expensive to run, but cheap to buy. The manufacturers quoted fuel economy doesn't help either. I appreciate they're created for a fair comparison between different manufacturers, but they are often a long way off reality, and trip-up a lot of potential purchasers.

The electrical socket on the factory fitted towbar is quite clever, there may not be power there if there doesn't need to be. An electrical socket tester (depending on which one they used) is not always indicative of a fault. Have you tried plugging an actual trailer or trailer lighting board into it and seeing if it works? The car will only provide power if it thinks it needs to.

Skoda still seem unable to get the system to operate reliably and consistently. The Kodiaq is 5 years old now, Skoda Connect was flaky at launch, it doesn't appear much better now either...

Wiping a dry cloth over a dry plastic lens results in one thing, lots of small scratches... As LED headlights get brighter, then the chances of dazzling other roads users with poor condition lenses is also likely to increase.