PetrolDave

Seems that Smartlink provides the underlying framework for the app to access the cellular connection in the MIB to connect to the Skoda servers (hence the need for a MIB2 fitted with a SIM and a £100 annual subscription for access to the Skoda servers). You could, logically IMHO, argue that since the phone has a cellular connection a better app design would use that to connect to the Skoda servers.

Smartlink IS required to use Skoda Connect, the connectivity it provides is needed for the Skoda Connect app to work.

I have the same issue (my 2015 Octavia doesn't support Smartlink) so I've purchased a Skoda Data Plug and am trying the Skoda Connect Lite app. First impressions aren't great as it doesn't seem to offer access to the digital service history but I suppose it's better than nothing.

Over the years I've had 3 points a couple of times, and never had a premium increase - both times my premium went DOWN at the next renewal?

The screen is a totally separate item, and it's usually just this that goes faulty so the head unit (in the glovebox) doesn't need replacing.The screen doesn't need any coding when replaced.

SWMBO and I both have Bose QC headphones that we use when on flights to/from the US visiting family. The noise cancellation is good enough for SWMBO to even get to sleep on the return flight - something she has never done before having the Bose QCs.

I always unzip the downloaded file onto my hard disk, and then copy it onto the SD card. Doing this I have a backup of all the map files (one every 6 months since I bought my Octavia) on my hard drive - which is also backed up onto my NAS drive.

Probably better if you ask in the Fabia forum not the Octavia forum

I think they have two problems - firstly much of the software isn't written by Skoda but their suppliers so they have to persuade the suppliers there is a problem and how to recreate it so they can fix it; and secondly most software is written by teams of engineers so it's very likely that the engineer who wrote it won't be the person asked to correct it and some software engineers seem to have an amazing ability to write unintelligible code!

Well said - 100% agree, concerns about lack of infrastructure mean that what we need is range to make EVs attractive to more buyers/leasers.

You can get some better Halogen bulbs that are Road Legal - look for Osram NightBreaker and similar.

You only need to browse the Octavia IV forum to see that software problems are widespread on the Golf 8 platform (which includes the Octavia IV).

I'm guessing you have Halogen headlamps not HID (Xenon)? If that's true then fitting LED or aftermarket HID kits will be an MOT fail (if the tester follows the Guidelines), because you are only allowed to fit bulbs of a type that the headlamp is Type Approved for and on the Octavia that's Halogen only.

... and less weight

For me this paragraph neatly how illustrates the "official" emissions and fuel consumption figures will be meaningless for the majority of owners:

Please let us know what the Skoda dealer tells you after the diagnostic.

I'm going to call BS on that "excuse" as the vast majority of cars for the last 10+ years have electric fans. ... which fits with what most of us are suspecting which is that a previous owner has disabled/covered/removed the EML light to disguise the fact there is a problem.

I've been a regular contributor on the Ross-Tech forum for around 15 years and have been fortunate enough to be invited to help with some of their pre-release testing (under NDA so don't ask me about it!).

I also have a 1.4TSI and find the HHA a PITA. Why? After stopping on a slope if you pull on the handbrake to what appears to be sufficient then a few seconds later HHA releases and the car can start rolling so I sometimes need to pull the handbrake further on - without HHA I would have got the handbrake sufficiently applied in one move not two.

I fitted the ones from Superskoda - SWMBO commented that she needs sunglasses!

There is a later update to 20.12.0.1 which includes both the new and classic versions of the Long Coding Helper.

2018 Superb - reading the Octavia IV forum will reveal many owners having software problems that Skoda seem unable to fix at the moment. Maybe the Octavia IV will be a good idea in a year or two, but at the moment I wouldn't spend my pennies on one.

So cold this morning after a wet night that I couldn't open either door on the drivers side as they were iced shut - so I had to open the passenger front door and climb over the centre console to get into the drivers seat and start the engine - 5 year old battery started the engine easily (just had to spend 5 minutes scarping the ice off the windows before the drivers side door were defrosted enough to be able to force them open from the inside!

During the summer heatwave in 2019 I adjusted my tyre pressures to be correct as the hear had made them all increase. When the heatwave came to an end we got about 8 miles from home when the TPMS warning came on so we pulled over and on checking the pressures ALL FOUR tyres were between 2 and 2.5PSI low, so I pumped them up and reset the TPMS. Passive TPMS software has come a long way from just comparing rotational speed only, it also takes into account underlying frequency patterns by doing a Fourier analysis of the patterns from the wheel speed sensors.