Llanigraham

As numerous rally car owners in the UK have found, fitting a hand brake system that relies totally on hydraulic power is illegal. (*) The Law states that it has to be mechanical, so even the electrical systems, such as on my Niro, the relay only pulls a mechanical linkage. One of the main reasons is that hydraulic systems can "leak back" so slightly releasing the brakes and letting the car roll. And having done a grass autotest, you can hand brake turn a Yeti, but it doesn't feel very stable doing so. (*) To get around it many now fit 2 hand brake levers, one connected to the mechanical system, and one to the hydraulic.

Well you did ask!

No it provides no notification, other than a noticeable increase in revs on idle.

You have highlighted one of the problems here: you haven't mentioned the age of your car, so you are getting advice for both type of DRLs.

The only wiring inside the light unit is the wiring to the plugs for the bulbs. Have you considered that the bulb itself might be faulty?

Not quite. Adblue is an additive that is injected into the exhaust system from a tank, that in the Yeti is below the boot floor, and that needs to be filled about every 5k miles. The engine tells the system how much to inject. I ran a 140 for 6 years and a 150 for 5 years, and the 150 was a far nicer car. It was easily averaging 50mpg+ and was much more responsive. I had no Zinc inclusions and no rust. I only got rid as we were no longer doing the type of journeys suited to a diesel and this caused the N0x sensor to fail. We've now gone down the Kia Niro self charging hybrid route, but if Skoda had made a suitable hybrid I would not have changed manufacturers.

Then your dealer was talking through his anal orifice! I had a 150 with Adblue and it was excellent, and yes it replaced the 140 and 170.

Have you checked the wiring where it bends between the body and hatch?

Correct, so it is pointless moaning about it.

Still got a spare beam in my garage.

The couple of times I used mine at the front I managed to fit my strap through the eye.

Get some balance! In the 11 years I have been involved with Yeti's I have never seen that fault reported, so how the hell can it be a "known fault"?

Useful to note that the OP is not in the UK,(gleaned from another forum) where his proposals would be illegal, and would fail the MoT test.

There was a link earlier to the Powerbulbs website, and they certainly seem to be a reputable company, so I would be looking there. Funnily enough I've got a similar "problem" with the Niro, but no-one seems to know how to get the light unit out of the rear bumper or whether the bulbs can even be changed!

What wattage are the standard reverse bulbs? A quick Google search shows they are 21w, so that won't work. I would suggest taking one out, seeing if the Bulb Failure comes on, and if it doesn't fit some LED ones.

Is the reverse light covered by the Bulb Failure System? Might be worth checking.

I think you will find that the 140 and 170 are in the same class.

Yet my 2015 car DID require it, since my the car was fitted with the Stop/Start system. And I note that the OP has stated he is using Halfrauds for this work. That makes me shudder!! I would suggest that you find a better place; I am sure that there will be a VAG expert in that area, (Fareham)

Haynes have not produced a manual for the Yeti, and in the past someone asked them if they were going to do so and got a negative response.

How old is your battery?

Yes they are the same wheels

Those winter tyres will be fine.

Can't answer any of the queries, but if it is any help the grey/silver bit of the rear bumper is removeable (carefully). It is held on by lots of push clips and 2 screws at the bottom edges/corners.

Nothing wrong with France. They produce excellent wine, some fine cheeses and have bloody excellent roads. And as for removeable tow bars; no-one makes one for my car, so tough luck sunshine!

North West Tow Bars have come highly recommended in the past and even used a Yeti in one of their videos, also PF Jones, a nationwide mobile company, have a good reputation and have been used by many members. And go for the dedicated wiring loom and NOT the by-pass system. That is much better and allows full integration with the car's electronics.