silver1011

Be aware that if you choose to get your cambelt changed at a Skoda main dealer, it now costs a whopping £780 for the 1.4 TSI. I phoned around three of my nearest dealers, they all quoted the same (or very similar), all blaming Skoda UK’s new ‘menu pricing’. It’s a long story so I won’t bore you, but I booked it in at a local VAG specialist instead (£450), but they rang me up halfway through telling me they couldn’t change it, their alignment tool wouldn’t fit. This is despite them changing more than 8 cambelts on the 1.4 TSI this year already without issue. Seems my Kodiaq timing is unique! Reluctantly I’ve booked it in at Skoda, after they offered me a whopping £40 discount. Even more galling is the fact that it’s only us in the UK that have to change it at 5 years.

As I read it, Skoda UK are unable or unwilling to provide a certificate of conformity?

Unless I've missed it, it hasn't been determined how an Australian spec Kodiaq ended up in the UK. Let's hope it wasn't Skoda UK themselves, especially now they know it's here and not legal for use on UK roads.

Don’t leave the Haldex service to the 80,000 mile interval. The previous 40,000 mile interval is too long too. Skoda UK dealers don’t remove the pump and clean the debris from off the filter gauze. Changing the oil is pointless if it can’t pass through the filter.

It’s a common issue and one Skoda are well aware of. I had mine replaced under warranty.

There is a Facebook group dedicated to UK Kodiaq owners. Something is amiss, there has been on average one or two mechatronics failures a week for the last few months.

@Bollcat, was this resolved to your satisfaction in the end?

How much fuel was in the tank before you filled it up? Could it be contaminated petrol?

But you should compare apples to apples. Fitting those same wheels and tyres from the 2WD Kodiaq to the 4x4 version would likely result in even more capability. It is also worth noting that the Haldex system has benefits beyond ice and snow i.e wet and slippery surfaces but also on dry roads, gravel, or mud / wet grass and when towing, or when on the fringes of maintaining control, in an emergency situation for example.

A DPF has a finite life. The regeneration process (passive, active or forced) creates ash. This ash is stored inside the DPF and builds up the more the vehicle is driven. As the ash level increases over time the DPF becomes less efficient, it therefore has to work harder by regenerating more frequently and for longer, creating more ash. Even a vehicle sat at a steady and constant speed on a motorway creates soot, it’s just that the regeneration is more likely to be passive than active, but the DPF will still be working and therefore filling with ash. The term ‘clog’ or blocking can be interpreted two ways. Clogging with ash as the DPF reaches end-of-life or clogging with soot as a result of repeated failed regenerations, both influenced by various factors.

How old is the car? Was it purchased used? Was it sold via a Skoda main dealer and was it on Skoda UK’s approved used scheme? If yes, then you should be able to take it to your local Skoda dealer and get them to liaise with the supplying dealer on your behalf and get it all sorted under warranty. Annoying, but this is a potential risk when buying used. Not all approved used vehicles are ex-lease, some of them are offloaded due to annoying niggles.

You need to do some maths. We all know that the manufacturers claimed fuel economy is not real world, but it does often serve its purpose of more fairly comparing one vehicle to another. Take the difference in MPG between your two considered models, your average annual mileage as well as the current cost of petrol and diesel in your area to get an approximate annual fuel cost for each. Then offset this against the two vehicle purchase prices to see how long it might take to recoup the higher purchase price (or overall cost of leasing) of the diesel. Then, be sure to drive both. I’ve had lots of VAG diesels over the years, covering big mileage and very much liked them, the Kodiaq being my first petrol. I missed some of the torque of the diesel, especially when towing, but the smoothness, quietness, lower vehicle purchase price and lower cost of petrol versus diesel swung it for me. Five years later and I’d still choose petrol. Good luck!

You have towing weights on the chassis plate, you can have a towbar retrofitted. Skoda have a long record for screwing things up and making them unnecessarily complicated. The vRS was one of the first models Skoda used to claim that a genuine towbar could not be retrofitted, but without giving a reason. Then they said all models built without towbar prep or an actual factory towbar would not have towing weights printed on the chassis plate. Don’t get bogged down with Skoda UK’s ineptness. There are plenty of aftermarket towbars available to fit the vRS. Choose a reputable brand and trusted fitter and be sure the car is coded correctly. As mentioned unless you’re dragging the full 1,750kg’s up a steep incline in blistering heat for mile after mile you won’t need the upgraded grill or fan.

I went from a MkII Superb to the Kodiaq. As with the Octavia the Superb is softly sprung at the rear. You’ll struggle to scrape the Kodiaq’s rear mudflaps on anything so don’t let your experience with the Superb put you off. I have the genuine Skoda running boards, they’re not cheap but brilliant. Accessing the roof box, washing the roof, stone chip protection and great for the kids getting in and out. They look smart too. If you’re far enough off-road to catch them on the terrain then the running boards will be the least of your worries. My only other must haves would be the heated windscreen and rear seats and spare wheel, but I think these are already standard on the L&K?

It wasn’t the fact that the camera needed calibrating that prevented the dealer from issuing the All-In warranty, it was due to there being a fault code logged on the vehicle. As long as there is a pre-existing fault they won’t authorise the warranty until it is fixed / cleared. I think this is pretty standard with warranties, but Skoda are quite clever by insisting on putting the vehicle through an eligibility check, otherwise no one (including me) would even know the fault existed. As it happens, I already had a Skoda extended warranty on the vehicle prior to applying for the All-In warranty, unfortunately any type of ‘calibration’ was specifically excluded.

Some of the engine covers do have noise suppression foam on them.

Have you tried cleaning the magnetic catch? They are susceptible to getting covered in dirt, a good hot soapy water wash might just do the trick…

Good spot! Does anyone want my third row carpet mats, so I can justify buying these!? 😂

So their delay at properly diagnosing the oil leak has resulted in a failed DSG gearbox? Surely the car should be at the dealer whilst they put you in a courtesy car?

I've only ever towed with my Kodiaq so maybe not the best person to compare diesel versus petrol, but as the guys have suggested, my little 150PS 1.4 TSI 4x4 manual with a miserly 250Nm of torque copes really well. It pulls our Bailey Jive (Pursuit) with an MTPLM of just under 1,400kg. There was one occasion on a long motorway incline with a strong headwind where I had to drop from 6th to 5th. Here it is with four passengers, a full boot and full roof box... I can't remember the exact calculations I made, but if I remember correctly I wasn't too far off the 85% car to trailer weight ratio recommendation... I would image with the 2.0 TSI and the benefit of DSG you will be absolutely fine.

It is worth noting that not all of those are relevant to the Kodiaq. The versions of Lane Assist fitted to the Kodiaq are all able to affect steering input, seemingly one of the main requisites of the legislation. The reality is, even though we're no longer in the EU, we'll still likely benefit, or suffer from (whichever side of the fence you're on) from EU legislation on our imported vehicles for quite some time yet. The now standard Lane Assist being an example, and additionally the more recent need to now turn it off after each cycle of the ignition. UK led legislation has had it's successes over the years, dim-dip headlights were a good one (in my opinion) especially when you consider where we are currently with DRL's without tail lights. I'm sure there are more examples too. As you say, interesting times ahead!

Switches off until you turn it back on, or does it turn back on ahead of the next cycle of the ignition? The legislation seems to kick-in during 2022 for existing models and 2024 for all-new models so you might have just got in before things changed.

But both adjust the steering, so regardless of which version you have, one or the other is needed to meet the legislation. Hence the reason 'Lane Assist' now initiates for each journey by default.

The UK still implements EU legislation on harmonised vehicle standards. ELKS as the European Commision refer to it is described as... "The emergency lane-keeping system is a driver assisting system that should provide warning to the driver and correct the trajectory only when the driver is unintentionally leaving the lane." The use of the term of "correcting trajectory" would seemingly therefore apply to Skoda's Lane Assist.

Did you get this sorted? The first port of call is to read the fault codes logged and stored inbthe car's brain, this is usually what any independent garage or main dealer would do. These codes are unlikely to fully diagnose the fault, but they will at least give you an idea where to start. Unfortuantely the loss of gears on the DSG is rarely a good thing, often hinting at a faulty mechatronics unit (the electronic brain of the complex DSG gearbox), which invariably means a big bill. But that's worst case, it might also be something much simpler and less expensive - this is why reading the fault codes is important rather than trying to guess. The 'stop start error' might be related, quite often the failure of one system will result in the unavailability of others, but again the fault codes will help to link or separate the issues. Any reputable garage should quote your their initial diagnostic rates or hourly labour rates as their minimum charge, and not replace parts or incur any additional costs to you without first gaining your permission to proceed, this is even more likely at a franchised main dealer, although their rates will be higher. There are numerous recalls, service bulletins and TPI's associated with the DSG and mechatronics, if you did decide to take it to a Skoda dealer, even though your vehicle is out of warranty, you maybe eligible for an offer of goodwill towards the repair costs.