silver1011

Yes, that’s what I meant. They won’t do it, but that’s the point…

Not strictly true, there is still a time limit, but it’s now 15 years.

I like the MkII, I also like the MkI facelift, but I still prefer the MkI. It looks dated, but then so it should, it pre dates two other iterations, but in the case of the Kodiaq the MkI still looks very fresh and most importantly to me, much more distinctive and bolder than all other SUV’s of the same era. My Kodiaq is not just my last Kodiaq but my last Skoda. The competition have caught up, and in quite a few cases overtaken Skoda.

Play devils advocate and tell them to put the bolts back in at the same torque levels that they were removed. Bolts don’t come loose unless they were installed incorrectly, are defective or of a poor design, all of which are arguably genuine warranty claims.

The activation of ACT on my 1.4 TSI is noticeable to me, but not my wife. Sometimes it’ll very briefly hesitate when the cylinders restart. The most obvious indication is the fact the engine note alters, turning two cylinders off cannot be done without the engine sounding different. I guess those that notice it might just be more observant, or have the radio turned off…

Skoda UK increased the cambelt time and distance intervals on the 1st July this year. Sounds like your dealer is as poor at the basics as Skoda themselves. Don’t wait for the proper intervals on the Haldex. Get it done now, but Skoda also decided to omit a very important part of the Haldex service, the removal and cleaning of the pump filter. Be sure to request this is done too. I’d post a picture for you, but it seems this is no longer possible to members that aren’t paid-up Freedom members.

Skoda wanted their cake, and to eat it. Needing long life (variable) service intervals to appeal to company, hire and fleet buyers, but also needing to ensure they were seen to be doing as much as possible to get customers through the doors of their franchised retailers more often than once every two years. Skoda… “how are we going to do that then?”. “Let’s invent an alert on the dashboard, asking our customers to take their vehicle to their dealers for nothing more than a visual check over!”. The ‘inspection’ warning was born. So too was a whole load of confusion and unnecessary charging by (some) dealers.

Again, in English?

How much was a new master cylinder?

It was the OP that mentioned rusty calipers. The disc surface and hub are well documented for corrosion, but if the calipers are also rusty then this is normally a sign of overly aggressive wheel cleaners.

Just fit a proper system. One that turns off the rear fog light on the car to prevent dazzle / reflection from off the front of the trailer, that deactivates the reverse parking sensors, that triggers the alarm if the electrical plug is pulled whilst the car is locked, that tells the cars braking system that it’s towing, shows the status of the trailers indicators on the dash, facilitates the use of LED trailer lights and enables additional features in the sat nav. The days of splicing into the rear lights are long gone.

If the calipers are rusty too then this is usually a sign of aggressive acidic wheel cleaners.

Yep, mine does it when reversing with our caravan. There have been a few reports of premature clutch failure on manuals used to tow.

The car was running when you dropped the vehicle off. Now it isn’t. They broke it, they fix it. If they believe damage was caused previously then ask them to liaise with the other Skoda retailer directly and sort it out between themselves. Presumably you’ve also already spoken to Skoda Germany? What have they advised?

Mine has started doing this, but only when in reverse and pushing our caravan. Light revs on a flat surface and very little slipping of the clutch often results in smoke, smell and a spongy pedal. A little research suggests quite a few other 1.4 TSI manual gearbox owners have suffered with clutch issues. The problem being, it’s very difficult to prove a manufacturing defect on something like a clutch, it’s far easier to blame the operator.

I’m no expert, more cynical towards Skoda’s change to a lower viscosity oil. They’ve proven time and time again that their priority is reducing servicing costs for their own benefit, not maximising engine and turbo longevity for owners like me that run their vehicles well out of warranty. 5W30 has served me well over my time. It’s unlikely 0W20 will make that much of a difference to durability but I’m not convinced it’s worth the change. Either way I’d ensure you stick to the VAG approved oils.

5W30 and 0W20 are well documented to be better suited to colder climates such as the UK, with 5W30 been the viscosity of choice for most manufacturers for a long time. The more recent move to 0W20 is all about meeting stricter emissions targets, not engine longevity. Whilst 0W20 works better in really cold weather 5W30 is better at maintaining strength and oil pressure at higher temperatures and loads, which for me offers better benefits.

It’s exactly the same as Quantum Longlife III, I flit between the two depending on which I can source cheapest 👍

@Warrior193, my 1.4 TSI Kodiaq definitely has ACT 👍

My 2018 1.4 TSI ACT 150PS came from the factory with 0W20 VW508.00 / VW509.00. At it’s first service the main dealer replaced it with 5W30 VW507.00. the 0W20 is all about achieving strict emissions targets. 5W30 is (in my opinion) is better suited for engine longevity. I use the genuine VAG oil called Quantum (manufactured by Fuchs). It’s called Longlife III and is around £35 for a 5 litre cube.

I don’t think so, the hidden external slot for the key blade is only on the driver’s side door…

I’ve had lots of interactions with Skoda UK customer services since 2008, all of them mainly positive, until the last few years. They really are absolutely rubbish.

The headlight and front foglight are one piece.

That was me, I had the genuine Skoda high line reverse camera retrofitted by a Skoda dealer, a calibration fault code during the All-In warranty eligibility check cost me several dealer visits and £85. Luckily Skoda have dropped the eligibility checks now.

Whilst it isn’t unusual for a dealer to farm out some work to third parties i.e. non Skoda tow bars etc. for a reverse camera, that was available as a factory fitted option and that Skoda have specifically created retrofitting kits for, then there is no excuse for what your dealer has done. Lazy, doing stuff on the cheap, thinking they’ve got away with it before, whatever their excuse I know what I’d be asking for. A fully retrofitted factory kit, or, they can have the car back. The dealers want their cake and to eat it, don’t fit a towbar or peddle box, it might invalidate your warranty, but we’ll quite happily advocate the fitting of non-approved parts of unknown origin that integrate directly into the cars systems, as long as it saves us money. Time to ditch the emails and get on the phone, or go visit them in person.