silver1011

Vast amounts of partially built Skoda's have spent a full winter sat on airfields across Europe and the UK due to component shortages. Two components likely to suffer from being sat out in the elements for extended periods are rubber wiper blades and unprotected bare metal brake discs. I'm not excusing VAG's variable quality on discs, but my 4 year old 30,000 mile Kodiaq is still on the original discs and pads. I'm not excusing VAG's variable quality overall, but I've only recently changed the original wiper blades, and even then they were wiping just fine. I'm also not suggesting you should have to, but some heavy braking (where safe to do so) every few months will periodically scrub and clean the underworked rear discs.

0W20 is used for the first fill in the factory, but a lot of dealers then replace it with 5W30 at the first and future services.

Even if the xenon dipped / main beam was faulty or improperly aligned, the fact you're able to drive at oncoming cars with main beam on is odd. As mentioned main beam consists of the unshuttered dipped xenon bulbs and the inner halogen bulbs. The halogen bulbs alone should be bright enough to dazzle other road users, if you're not getting flashed then I can only assume they're angled all the way down - hence the lack of forward throw you mention. The halogen portion of main beam isn't self-levelling though, so for these to be so far out of alignment suggests possible accident damage or someone has manually wound the adjusters all the way down.

Turbo's are mostly oil lubricated and cooled, using the engine oil.

It seems that some vRS owners are receiving their cars with the heated steering wheel, but without ordering the winter pack. Perhaps non-heated / red / black stitching is varying depending on availability...

Just a note to say that there are still two different headlight types for the latest facelift Kodiaq, both are LED but not all are Matrix, at least for the UK. The SE and SE Drive get 'Low Functionality' LED headlights with halogen front fog lights... SE L / SE L Executive and above gain the Matrix headlights... Presumably that then means there is still likely to be variability across the windscreen mounted cameras, radars and sensors dependant on specification.

The garage that said you could borrow theirs, did they not suggest where you might source one from, or share with you where they got theirs from? Did you grab a photo of the tool? That might make finding one via an online search easier...

The problem with trying to determine whether a set of headlights on one car is 'better' or worse' than another is very much in the eye of the beholder i.e. very subjective. My experience might suggest it can also vary depending on the conditions at the time, their performance seemingly differing in different ambient light conditions, on different roads, at different times of the year. The age of the headlights, how much use they've had, how tired I am, the type of street lights, full moon or cloudy, raining or dry, the number of other road users and their lights, the reflectiveness of the road surface. The list is almost endless.

I'd imagine the cost and effort of trying to retrofit the factory USB-C port would be offset by the professional / hardwiring of a Skoda-approved dash cam kit? If it's the warranty that is of most concern, then most franchised Skoda main dealers offer a dash cam fitting service. Unlikely to be the cheapest but an option for consideration at least...

How much of it are you wanting to replace, they're both 4-cylinder 2.0 TDI diesel engines, but I imagine that's where the similarities will end? The vRS 237bhp diesel is a twin turbo (bi-turbo) and so I'd imagine the vast majority of the engine ancillaries will be different i.e. turbo/s, injectors, cooling system (routing of the pipes, fan size), air conditioning, engine management systems and mounts, gearbox programming, SCR / DPF / exhaust system etc. The battery is also in the boot on the vRS, presumably due to space constraints under the bonnet, no doubt that will introduce unexpected complications during a new engine graft. I can't see it being a simple swap.

Our 1.4TSI 150PS manual tows like a dream...

Assuming you're based in the UK you can contact Skoda UK customer services and ask them to open a case. They'll then liaise between you and the dealer, and involve technical support if needed.

Yes, fair point, I guess you'd want / need them to operate independently. No doubt there's a reason Skoda decided not to allow the driver to disable it independently to Auto Hold.

Treat the old girl to some wheel nut caps 😂

I wonder if Hill Hold Assist is disabled at the same time as Auto Hold via the button? I know it wasn't on my older Octavia (without Auto Hold and therefore the button). I know what you mean though, Auto Hold, Hill Hold Assist and the EPB can all get in the way when I'm hitching up the caravan 😂

Thank you.

Pop the bonnet, take a picture and post it here?

Handy, thanks 👍

I guess the car is at least 6 years old, quite an old model for a franchised dealer to put on their forecourt? Either way brakes are wear and tear items. Given how recently you bought the car and the low mileage you've covered since buying it then your options are to ask Arnold Clark to replace the discs and pads for free, or given that you missed them during your pre-purchase inspection, get them replaced yourself locally.

Just out of curiosity, what is behind the need to connect your phone to the dash cam? Mine records whilst driving, and in the event I need the footage I pop out the SD card to take inside. Do some dash cams allow you to view the files directly on your phone?

Whatever our opinion on the similarity of the features they operate under different parameters and Skoda call them out as different / individual features. The reason for my earlier post was to offer some clarity, this post does a good job of demonstrating how each of the three features are often misdescribed / named, which can then make it more difficult for others to offer advice or help.

I think that's part of the problem, their tight fit plus a bit of grit or brake dust is enough to mar the paint on the wheels. At least two owners on Facebook reporting damage, with one pursuing a warranty claim.

I'd be tempted to keep the spares you've now acquired. There are multiple threads on here of the LE's Monza R alloys manufactured by Team Dynamics being made out of chocolate, might be wise keeping one or two in reserve. They can be purchased new still... https://www.lkperformance.co.uk/wheels/team-dynamics/685-monza-r-hi-power-silver

These aren't genuine Skoda wheels. They were sourced and fitted locally by Skoda's UK importer on a limited number of Octavia's.