Paulius55

I am also moving away from my Octavia, picking up a Ford S-Max (Mondeo on steroids) next week. It is a 2.0 TDCi auto, just like the Octavia, but the difference in ride and noise /vibration suppression is amazing. It is hard to tell that it's a diesel at all. I have enjoyed the Skoda for 6 years and it has always had a very firm ride - unlike a previous Mk1 Superb that I had which was very comfortable indeed. The space inside has always been a very welcome feature and it cruised well enough on motorways, but road noise on rough surfaces is significant, although I have added sound-deadening materials to improve it successfully, but not enough. The suspension crashing over potholes and other similar obstructions is a little unsettling. I was considering going back to a Superb, but the Ford is so good to drive and has more than enough space.

I now have only 1 week left owning my Octavia Combi as it is being traded in for a Ford S-Max. I have enjoyed the Skoda (my second) but the Ford is so much quieter, smoother and more refined and has even more space inside. Maybe one day I will come back to Skoda. I like to keep my options open.

The older Columbus does not have a SIM and only receives TMC traffic information from FM radio stations, which it is supposed to pass to the navigation system to affect the dynamic routing. This can work well, but also can be significantly out of date and in some cases, like mine, just suddenly stops working. It is not the same as having TP enabled on FM or DAB, where traffic announcements will interrupt whatever is playing on the system. That still works.

I have a 13 plate with MIB1 Columbus and my Traffic information stopped working a couple of years ago. It worked perfectly for some time and then suddenly stopped, no idea why and I have not been able to find any explanation from other folk. I have up to date firmware and maps but it just doesn't work. I now use Waze on my phone as the traffic is always up to date and re-routes very quickly and dynamically. I have never heard of Skoda Connect. I have just checked Skoda Connect on the web and it's only available for 2017 vehicles and onwards. The older units used TMC information transmitted via FM radio.

I would bet that it is not the dashcam but the dashcam power supply. Cheap and simple power supplies just chop the voltage rapidly to get from 12v to 5v and that generates radio waves that can knock the DAB out. I found that the best power supply is an original one from TomTom for their satnavs. The power supply is more sophisticated and gives a smooth 5v which does not affect the DAB signal.

I have a 1966 T20SH Tiger Cub which I ride around to local shows and events. It is staggering to see how much better a modern bike like my F800GT is in almost every respect except one. The sound. The Tiger Cub sounds loud and fruity and you just cannot get anywhere near that sound on a modern bike.

I have fitted extra soundproofing material underneath the original pre-fitted under-bonnet pad as that is mainly for heat-proofing. I have also fitted an engine blanket from nkgroup. It had to be custom made as the Octavia has odd bits sticking out. Both of these do reduce the engine noise, especially from outside but it is calmer inside, especially when cruising, You can hold a normal conversation at 70 mph with no problem, but as the engine is only just over 2000 rpm at that speed it's not surprising. No effect on engine overheating as it's water-cooled of course. The major noise is/was road noise, but I have silent-coated the rear of the car and fitted acoustic foam under the rear compartment carpet and under the rear seat. It is now where it should have been. Interestingly, my son has bought an Audi A3 TDi and it is much quieter than the Octavia, but there is a lot of sound-deadening material and insulation built in. I will be taking a serious look at the A4 Avant for my next car.

My Columbus is MIB1 and is on version 0411, but I believe that your Columbus is MIB2 and has different firmware. In any case going from 0390 to 0411 only affects Canton operation.

Mine does this occasionally when it somehow doesn't recognise my phone network. However, when you see the phone not found message, scroll up or down with the right roller and you will get a list of contacts and can then call them. In coming calls always work perfectly and you can answer them with the steering wheel controls.

I tend to agree with you. Min Columbus worked really well for a few years, taking notice of traffic and able to show radio logos. Now it does not adjust the route to take traffic into account, always saying "No Reports Found" and I can no longer assign logos to the DAB presets. Only OTA logos, such as broadcast by BBC World Service, show up. It's running the latest firmware and the maps are up to date. It's so unreliable in traffic that I now use Waze on my phone and just have the Columbus map on so that the passengers can see where we are.

I have had the glovebox off several times and found the easiest way to get it back is to clip the damper in first and then the hinges.

I have similar and just slapped them on, precisely lined up, of course. Just make sure the surfaces are clean and grease-free and put them on early before the sun is really high. However I see that you are from Dublin. Last time we were there it was hard to imagine that it could really be that hot.

Thanks anyway. It's not a show stopper, just annoying that I have lost full functionality.

Hi Rustynuts, I would welcome your help or any suggestions for my problem. I have a MIB1 Columbus in my 2013 Octavia. When I got it it was running 0111 firmware. Over the years I have upgraded to 0411 firmware with Andy Vaughan's help. The maps are up to date (P175). When I got the car I put the radio logos on to the DAB and FM presets with no problems and the Traffic function worked well, re-routing properly with dynamic routing. However, some time ago, the unit refused to take any DAB logos. It started when I set 1 new preset and tried to assign a logo and it failed to take it, then gradually as I have replaced the presets with new stations, that I can no longer assign logos at all in DAB, it works perfectly in FM. The only logo that works is BBC World Service, but that is OTA. The other issue is that the traffic function has stopped working, it just states "No Reports Found". This happened about 18 months ago. The FM radio is working perfectly, as I understand that the information comes via FM. I am wondering if the unit needs a proper reset, rather than the soft reset of holding the power button. All other functions are fine, DAB reception is good, and mapping is otherwise ok. Thanks.

Today I took my Tiger Cub to the inaugural East Midlands Steam & Classic Show and had a great time chugging round the arena along with several other classic bikes.

Carista really is that easy. I used it with a cheap off-the-shelf OBD adaptor and it worked perfectly. If you buy their adaptor you get subscription for a time built-in. As to what it can do depends on the vehicle. It can certainly do many things and all are reversible if you don't want to keep them. Having said that, I got the cornering fogs, fan speed on auto and nearside foglight sorted by fellow members with VCDS, but that was before I discovered Carista. I volunteered to be part of their test program and they enabled me to use it for a month for free, as long as I reported results back to them. Nothing sinister happened to my car during that time!

Mine is a 13 plate and is the MIB1 Columbus. I have updated my maps at least 8 times with no problems. You can use either SD slot on the unit.

You can use any 32Gb SD card to update the Columbus, but it must be blank to start with. You don't say whether you are using a Windows or Mac laptop. There are problems with using a Mac as it leaves spurious files on the SD card that prevents the update on the Columbus. You can also update via USB if you want with a USB stick or an external hard drive plugged into the USB port. The card should be formatted as FAT32 and should have only the following on after unpacking: metainfo2.txt WMPInfo.xml Folder Mib2 Folder Mib1 This, of course, assumes that your Columbus is an MIB1 or MIB2 version and not one of the earlier RN510 versions

I find the HBA system remarkably effective. I have the low spec camera but it works very well. It dips well in time for oncoming traffic, reacts very quickly to red lights and is not confused by house lights or reflective signs. It also works with single track vehicles, like motorbikes. The only time I may have to override it is on a dual carriageway where there is a crash barrier on the central reservation. That hides the oncoming car's lights and so the system does not dip occasionally, but it is simple to flick the switch in that case. I have lowered the operational speeds as the original speed was too high for driving fairly slowly on dark twisty roads.

OP is Original Poster

Unlike old-fashioned torque-converter auto boxes, which would, at all costs, hold onto a higher gear, the DSG will change down when it detects you coasting down a hill to aid with engine braking. The steeper the hill, the more it will go down the box.

You need to find someone near to you with VCDS as you can then change the activation speeds. I had the same issue with mine and got the speed changed to 30mph, much better. You can change the speed at which it first activates and also the speed at which it deactivates, that is the speed below which it dips automatically when going slowly, irrespective of the traffic ahead.

When the cruise control is active (the set speed in the display is white) the buttons just raise or lower the preset speed by 1mph, or 1kph. When the cruise control is inactive (set speed grey in the display), by braking or flicking the rocker switch to the right, then the bottom button will set the cruise control to the current speed and the top button will take the car to the previously set speed (the grey figure, which will now become white again as it is activated).

Sorry about the missing picture, I deleted it ages ago. However, they are very bright, a direct swap, no errors as the system does not monitor interior bulbs. I fitted 2 as that is what I have in my Combi.

The DAB aerial is in the side screen on the estate, it's the wires that you can see. That should connect to some sort of junction box underneath all the side carpets/fittings. I may be wrong, and someone will correct me if so, but the junction box may be a signal booster too.