Y4YETI

Greetings from the deserter! Would agree about pricing and running costs although it is important to compare autos with autos - the Freelander diesel manuals are said do about 5mpg more than the autos. After Clarkson's silly testing of the Yeti I am persuading my local Land Rover dealer to put a horsebox plus a race horse (I own it's left back hoof) on the roof of a Freelander! Hmm even more daft publicity if we could get the horse to jump off the roof and over a fence!!! For a high mileage user obviously fuel consumption is a very important issue but the cost for a low mileage user is not really significant. Depreciation for is not such an important factor if you intend to keep the car for at least five years. Ease of driving the auto, comfort and quietness are key factors in favour of the Freelander. My Freelander was fitted with Pirelli All Season M&S tyres and not the motorway superspeed ones provided by Skoda! With pavements dangerous and uncleared roads I have been using the Freelander every day this year to take our dog a short journey to a rural area. There was a very steep incline to and from the car parking area and I trusted my Freelander completely in these conditions. When I saw a Mitsibushi 4WD skid sideways down the exit to be stopped by railings I got out to help only to find I went on my butt because the road was sheet ice. Whlst retrieve sorted out offered to take driver and dogs home. Returned an hour later with my wife to see how things were going and the Mitsibushi had been removed. Explaining the auto descent controls and need to line up with the exit and with over confidence in the Freelander I did not follow my own instructions to line up! Thought Freelander would also end up sideways. Wonderful vehicle and tyres! Corrected skid and autodescent rescued the situation. Thanks to the Landrover team at Ashford for their training day!! Best wishes to all. PS We both found the steering seemed to be oversensitive and required very little pressure We have got used to this now but at one of the Ashford days the Freelander we were using had much more feel to the steering- but it is fine for on-road use and parking. Maybe it would have been easier, on a rain drenched open day using our own Freelander, to deal with crossing a ford with narrow exit on a hill rise. Realised had to get out of deep rut to climb and failed three times. Delighted when one of the training staff took over and it took him four goes!!

I have been instructed by Freshacre to update myself on the Yeti!!! I swapped a V6 Superb TD (about 45mpg average) for a new manual Yeti TD where I experienced substantial drop in fuel economy. My new Freelander TD Auto is averaging about 30 mpg. It is quite noticeable that whilst the Superb on a motorway was ticking over and showing very low consumption at 70 mph on motorway driving the Freelander is frequently using much more fuel (particularly up hill) Possibly drag coefficient is a major cause of fuel economy differences between engines of similar power in saloon/estate versions as compared with SUV's Once one drops to 40-50 mph the fuel consumption improves dramatically!! OTH I think the DSGs fitted to the Skoda range should be more fuel efficient than the units fitted to the Freelander (loses about 5mpg in comparison with manual version) Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year From the Traitor in the Camp

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year - guess you guys have to chase up the deserters when you are so few on the ground. Are Skoda still fitting crap high speed tyres instead of decent M & S (yes the designation still seems to be used but I've seen more S&M on the internet)? Delighted with the automatic Freelander II replacing the Yeti. It came with Pirelli M&S and I have yet to experience a slip either in climb or descent. The descent control (has to be switched on manually in Freelander but not Range Rover snow and ice setting) is brilliant. Plenty of opportunity to extend experience from one day training course (discounted last minute offer) on Range Rover at Landrover Ashford followed by introductory course on Freelander offered free to both wife and self. Better stick to all round wellies rather than Yaktraks. I believe if you wear Yaktraks on a tiled surface in a shopping centre you are likely to go a over h. Was I right in thinking that a Government representative in suggesting road damage from winter tyres was confusing studded tyres with winter or M&S tyres? Don't mind using a few extra drops of diesel on the automatic Freelander to avoid all the stick waggling needed to keep a manual Yeti performing well in hilly areas Thanks again for all the fun on this forum......................................

BTW although I have no rattles on my new Freelander and I found this when searching for "Rattles and Freelander" Is it possible the article originated from an April 1st post?

I too confirm my anger was directed towards Skoda and I am sorry if anyone on this forum felt this anger was misdirected. I appreciate the understanding of those who feel there is clearly a need for "free speech" so as to ensure the forum is not just a fan club but a means of pressing Skoda to improve production and testing standards. Instructions were revised to allow snow chains to be fitted on the standard 17" wheels fitted to Elegance models (you can fit them to the rear wheels where the arch clearance is greater) My real anger and final decision to get rid of the Yeti was based on a near accident caused by a lighting failure. The headlights suddenly went off on a curved slip road off a motorway leaving the road ahead unlit and emergency braking was needed. So thanks to those who believe this forum should not just be a fan club for the Yeti but an objective feedback to ensure Skoda standards are maintained. Maybe some of the problem here is the tremendous difference in price between the basic and top of the range models. Those of us who have owned previous Skoda's have come to expect £30,000 plus standards of luxury cars at just over £20,000 and this standard seems to have been downgraded in the Yeti. Merc owner friends were jealous of the comfort, ride and quietness of the Skoda Superb and of course the economy of the diesel model. Is it possible that those purchasing the base models are indeed getting a better quality than equivalent models from other manufacturers and thus feel that they are getting value for money? Good luck Octy and remember ...... "The Esso Sign Means Happy Motoring"

We were very satisfied Skoda owners hence the reason for opting for a Yeti. Our expeience is that the Yeti does not appear to offer value for money and quality in comparison with our previous Skodas including a Superb. Our Superb compared quite favourably with the Freelander for price, quality, overall noise levels , comfort and value for money. Instead of knocking me you should be knocking Skoda to ensure the Yeti meets the expectations of long standing Skoda customers. It seems obvious to me that the lining of the wheel arches should fit accurately and neatly and not have excessive play that could give rise to problems described in this forum - are you suggesting I did not observe this correctly during my ownership of a Yeti?.

So sad for you but glad all survived with no serious injury

Strange too that you regard as "aggressive" objective input that disturbs infatuation. I was looking forward to another high quality excellent value vehicle from Skoda and for me it was sad, and a little expensive, that the Yeti failed to meet the standards set by previous Skoda vehicles Others have disagreed with my post here but I have accepted their comments as constructive, valuable and friendly input into helping Skoda become aware of customer concerns (as well as love affairs ) You may recall in one of my earlier threads I raised the issue of the shoddily fitted linings between the wheel arches and wheels. On the rear wheels the linings were loose with an obvious and moving gap between the lining and body. If I recall correctly someone suggested that the space was to ensure the body panels did not receive direct sound transmission of road debris hitting this protective layer. I would suggest that badly sized and fitted wheel linings could well give rise to some rattles. On the front wheels the arch lining was fixed slightly mismatched to the actual wheel arch. This was certainly below the standard of workmanship for other Skodas we have owned.

There was a previous thread on this forum raising this very point but unfortunately I cannot trace it and do a link. Here's a summary..... Full article Skoda spells trouble for parent company Volkswagen

... and we too agree with Worldlife

Graham three of us had a vehicle supplied with an instructor for the day. The course was organised so we were each learning both from our own experiences and watching that of others.and of course the input of the instructor to the various situations. I am not sure that your suggestion would be feasible on safety grounds or Land Rover insurance requirements. If one were to offer the use of one's own Land Rover vehicle on the course it would be important to check ones own conditions of insurance to see if they enabled one to both instructor and other participants for this off road course on private land including quarries and of course the other drivers were covered for your vehicle. In all I think the Land Rover arrangement is the best. We could not tackle the maximum angled slope because the ground surface was wet and slippery. Knowing our instructor would not want the Land Rover vehicle damaged (or risk his life!) I was happy tackling everything on the course without the worry of a potential insurance claim on my own vehicle!!! We even had fun with a simulated ice covered pond using bow waves to break up the ice! Will our neighbours in our cul de sac be pleased if I use the shunt plough technique to move snow and compact a track to the main road that may not be useable by two wheel drive vehicles? .

A possible solution is the Skoda earplug set as long as you do not mind the Skoda logo visible in your ear lobe

If you can get the whole day course at last minute price it is much better value than the morning or afternoon course. As "punishment" for using a wet grass field as a fun skid test pan I was given an extremely slippery steep slope with the the exit route to the left of a small pond set in front of the slope. Guess I won't forget the consequences of not relying on the auto systems and applying brakes on a wet slope! Thank goodness I did not have to wash the Range Rover afterwards. BTW would anyone have time to look at the full electronic instrument panel of the Range Rover when things get difficult? For the "normal" quarry work it seemed better to focus on what was happening outside and I certainly found the course useful in utilising substantial steering wheel rotations and then sensing when you were centralised again. The owner of a heavy goods firm certainly had an excellent one handed technique for turning and centralising the steering! So far so good with the Freelander II and my wife will be doing the free half day course on the Freelander (not our own one of course!)

Yea it is a bit of a step up from the Yeti ...... I f you have a tape measure it will be easy to verify that the Freelander is larger than the Yeti! Surely the substantial weight difference between the Yeti and Freelander is not due merely to the fact that the Freelander has a spare wheel ! The Freelander is so popular that the Land Rover Experience centre could not offer the free driver and guests half day session until June and I will of course be using the sat nav included with the Freelander to get there! Of course Yeti drivers don't need these freebies!! Off this weekend on a half price late booking whole day course in Kent - damn will have to make do with a Range Rover. Interesting thing is the training is orientated around automatics!! Take care.... Have fun. I'm sure you are waiting to hear about my first complaint about the Freelander! Well it is that the instrument lighting and display are not as bright and clear as the Yeti Otherwise purrfect so far.

Yes I agree with your first point and that Skoda in their promotional material do not stress the off road capability of the Yeti. Thanks for your forgiveness and tolerance. On the third point their is a reasonable certainty that my "investment" in the Freelander will result in a substantial loss through depreciation - far more than the Yeti. Maybe what I was trying to suggest was that I would not be doing this with hard earned money. However we are using gambling wins and for every winner on the stock market there are losers! The only betting I have done with William Hill was to purchase their shares before the rights issue and selling only a short time after the rights issue was completed successfully. Agree with you that the uninitiated need to do their own research as there are too many people on the internet who promote a buy share because they are already shareholders or a sell a share because they are hoping to buy it cheaper! It has been a truly gambling position with Lloyds shares I would suggest that only about one in a hundred of pundits on a day trading forum were correct in their projections. For those in the know I would suggest to some of the 99% who were wrong should light their candlesticks and stuff them somewhere quite uncomfortable!!! Certainly I do wish to suggest gambling with money you cannot afford to lose. On the other hand it may not make good sense to leave money in a low interest situation to decrease in real value, particularly internationally. I am prepared to write off money spent on some luxury items. For me (but maybe not others) the Freelander counts as a luxury item but I guess it could be an essential for someone in a remote off road situation and only able to afford one vehicle for all round use.

She does look pretty sitting on the drive on her final day with the rain gently caressing her shiny sides and forming in globules on her teflon protected roof. We can all form attachments and loyalty to whatever vehicle we purchase whether it be a Bond three wheeler (pancake landing when the front wheel assembly collapsed in front of Waterloo statton) or the older Reliant Scimitar where you had to drive by the temperature guage until extra cooling units fitted! With so many manufacturers bringing out cheap replicas of SUV designs as a fashion statement it is so unfortunate that the particular issue for us moved the vehicle into a similar category. Maybe a little unwise of Skoda to design a 4WD with so little wheel arch clearances for top of the range models. VERY OFF TOPIC!! In times of stress one can often make the wrong decisions but it is important to make decisions With a final examination for coaching table tennis coming up on Saturday it was good to clear our decision - we really wanted a reasonably powerful 4WD vehicle with auto transmission. Having obtained a Sport England grant for funding that included training of three new coaches I was seriously under pressure for the final examinations on Saturday. On misinformation that the course was easy I had encouraged two other members to join me for the course. Even fearing failure myself I had to encourage and support the other two (who were certain I would pass!) Can you imagine the champagne flowing last night when all three of us passed!! So the mind is becoming clearer this morning - so sorry for upsetting anyone in a possibly misguided campaign for what I thought was defending consumer interests!! Now to the funding of the extra cost of the Freelander (and my tip of the day) Normally it is not wise to borrow money to purchase shares but we had the option to buy Lloyds shares at 37p and were convinced these had excellent prospects of improvement. We borrowed substantial funds at zero rate interest (3% arrangement fee) to do so. To give plenty of time for funds to clear we sold just over a week ago at 65p when the price was quite static but aware there could be a surge. Damn the surge came after we sold and the price is now 68p. You bet if we had left transfers to the last moment the price would have gone down. Prudential are likely to have trouble raising funds for their massive rights issue and I suspect that many shareholders will not be able to raise money to purchase their discounted share allocation. There might be opportunities to buy at very low prices in relation to the value and potential of the expanded Prudential organisation. I will certainly be using other people's money by having more free available cash to make greater gains if the Pru ex share price after the rights issue seems a bargain. The other peoples money is of course the interest and repayments I am paying on the Freelander hire purchase agreement Any thoughts for the day from Skoda investors?

Other than financial security I am not sure what added value in terms of quality control of Land Rover has been addded by its acquisition by Tata. Maybe the Ford experience has given an influx of the stringent quality control standards similar to the standards we have come to expect for Japanese vehicle manufacturers As Graham states companies change, It has been suggested in other threads that the quality of Skoda may be dleiberately being downgraded because of the effect on Volkswagen sales in the same group. Objectively things like the linings of the roof arches were OK but badly fitted and definitely not to the standard of Skoda in the past. Is the recession over - Freelanders were selling like hotcakes in our local main dealer? Bye bye tomorrow little pet .........

We may have perhaps stayed with our Yeti but the two key issues for us were the need for frequent gear changes and the fact that an automatic (whether DSG or otherwise) was not available for the more powerful diesel models. I think we will all agree that the Superb was and still is a landmark car in the Skoda range for comfort and quietness. Before making a decision on the Freelander we looked up the VCA fuel data for the comparative CR TDI engines with auto transmission, Although not all these models are yet available in the UK for 12,000 miles the costs are £1,331 for the Yeti, £1398 for the new Superb and £1,722 for the Freelander. The moving noise levels in dBA show the Yeti to be the noisiest at 73, the Superb next at 72 but the quietest by far was the Freelander at only 68. The human perception of, for example, sound or light, is, roughly speaking, such that a doubling of actual intensity causes perceived intensity to always increase by the same amount, irrespective of the original level. The decibel's logarithmic scale, in which a doubling of power or intensity always causes an increase of approximately 3 dB, corresponds to this perception. These are quite significant differences.

This seems to be a long standing problem running across numerous brands within the same group and also different models. As a long standing a loyal Skoda customer it seems reasonable to set out reasons for both selling the Yeti and not purchasing a replacement Skoda. My impression is that over the years I have been fortunate to enjoy most aspects of Volkswagen quality and much reduced prices but now this could be changing. There is a thread about the concerns of VW about Skoda's market targets affecting sales of their higher priced vehicles thus affecting overall group turnover.

My original link was dated August 2009 and it is now April 2010 http://www.autoinsane.com/2009/08/31/news/recalls-tsbs/vw-dsg-reader-stories-round-3-flash-of-death-woes-lead-to-brand-new-recall/ It refers to this as a known issue in 2007!

It is possible that the problem has now been resolved but what seems at issue here is failure to take prompt action to properly inform and advise owners and rectify a potentially serious defect. The lighting l fault was not just a minor intermittent and false warning light malfunction. There was a possiblity of losing normal main and dipped beam and it was only through local knowledge I was able to avoid a serious incident when I only illumination to three to four car lengths ahead. I did not have DSG on the Yeti but the auto transmission on my older Superb was perfect. The failure to address the DSG problems as set out in the link seemed to follow the failure to deal with known potentially dangerous lighting faults promptly. As you say it is important to sort out exactly what models were and could still be affected

[Exit with tears in eyes singing] "Tata, tata I wish you all a last tata" Reckon we will be able to make it to the local take away curry whatever the weather and whatever the location?

Out of the frying pan into the fire Well at least they have had since 2007 to sort that one out!! Why so much grief for Toyota when life threatening issues are dealt with so complacently by other manufacturers too? I did look up recall information for Freelander and your link (unlike the DSG VW one) has no mention of recall.

I was torn between trading my Yeti in for a Superb with DSG and no 4WD or a nearly new Freelander HSE Auto. Here is a copy of our letter to Skoda Czech Republic concerning the lighting issue and letting them know our reasons for changing our brand loyalty. Dear Pavel Volf, Thank you for this update. Unfortunately Crawley Down Garage from whom we purchased our Yeti have not replied to a letter and they were aware we were were not receiving emails that they said they had sent us. We have not received printed copies of the emails, said to be sent, or the requested information about the properties of the lost emails so we can check with our ISP what has gone wrong. We would thank Paul Cox of Birchwood Skoda Limited, Worthing for trying to recover our long standing loyalty as Skoda customers but unfortunately he was unable to supply a suitable replacement vehicle i.e a 4WD Automatic TD Superb or Yeti or a goodwill contribution from Skoda for accepting the alternatives he had to offer. A non-Skoda dealer has recognised our potential brand loyalty and offered us £1000 more in part exchange value than Paul was able to put forward for a new Skoda Superb without 4WD. We researched the dealer comments concerning DSG for the Superb and found there seemed to be the same complacency about sensor problems here as we found with with sensor warnings for the malfunction of the Xenon headlights on our new Yeti. The following article and other postings on the internet have led us to decide to opt out of a Skoda with DSG http://www.autoinsane.com/2009/08/31/news/recalls-tsbs/vw-dsg-reader-stories-round-3-flash-of-death-woes-lead-to-brand-new-recall/ We have today ordered a nearly new Land Rover Freelander HSE Auto and hope that this provides us with the comfort, quietnesss , smoothness of ride and ease of use of our previous automatic Superb. It will of course have the 4WD ability for those days when added traction is needed and off road performance when needed. Yours sincerely Finally thanks to all on the Yeti forum who have provided useful comment and advice on our sometimes contentious threads and we have been on a steep learning curve here. Wishing all Yeti owners here every happiness with their choice of vehicle. Blame our unhappiness on the superb quality of the Superb that the Yeti replaced