BoxerBoy

I swapped 2 sets of winter wheels for summer wheels today. A good work out. So that’s my “rotation” taken care of twice a year. I honestly don’t get the “better tyres on the rear” idea when a FWD vehicle makes the front axle Do All The Work. The rear axle simply keeps the tail of the car from dragging on the road. Each to his/her own.

I have a downloaded manual that has full description. Have always downloaded from Skoda page.

Don’t ever let a SatNav control your journey. With or without a trailer. Let it guide you from A to B, but always keep the Big Picture in your head. In fact an old fashioned map makes a good reference. That little lane the SatNav is telling you to turn into may make for a shorter journey, but you should know it makes sense to stay on the big road you’re on. SatNav estimates of journey time can be fairly realistic, but I wouldn’t waste time banking on them. 40mph seems a realistic average speed for me in these speed camera times. I spent 12 hours out on my SatNav equipped bike yesterday and my 400+ miles averaged 44mph. And that was on deserted roads without being hindered by other traffic. Ignoring long motorway trips, I use 30mph as a simple calculation for most trips on 4 wheels. The days of 50 to 60 mph average speed journeys are long gone. Unless you can get away with silly speeds.

Dream on if anyone expects a factory order in a month.

Say “No Thank You” to all 3. It’s a common ploy from salespeople. GAP insurance is readily available for less in the open market. I’ve used Direct Gap in the past for £124 (just an example). The polish trick is utter, utter nonsense. Tell them where to stuff their Admin Fee. Tell them you want a simple upfront single cost for a car. Chancers all! Can you guess I don’t have car salespeople on my Xmas card list

I’ve never messed a car up as much as that, but I wouldn’t say the marks are extreme. As long as it’s just scuffs and not cracked. It’s difficult to say how the assessor might judge it. Honestly, I’d just have a go with some trim cleaner and Elbow Grease and take a chance with the BCA inspector. I doubt if VWFS would cost more than paying up front now for new parts. And he may let you off the hook with “Normal Wear & Tear”.

It’s easy to do the sums on petrol vs. diesel for your estimated annual mileage. I reckon total overall cost must always be annualised to give a true comparison. I have a 190 4x4 diesel, but would seriously question the need for 4x4 in future. I have enjoyed the grunt of 190/170 diesels for 10 years, but have also enjoyed the impressive performance of a 1.4 petrol Octavia my wife had for 3 years. All DSG. I love it. Though I cannot speak for how a petrol Kodiaq feels. I’m biased towards SEL trim as it delivers a very good package before extras.

I’m a great fan of cruise. Normal not ACC. Use it all the time. I think the minimum cruise control speed on my Bear is around 16mph. From memory. I doubt if it will work down at 5mph. I do know it works at 20 ish in these crazy new town limits.

Yes.

Sorry. You’ve foxed us all. Your problem has never been seen before. Good luck with the dealer trying to fix it - “never seen that before sir”. Or even replicating the problem. Maybe he’ll say “it’s a new feature just for you”

I took my car for a wee run yesterday as it has lain idle for nearly 3 weeks and I noticed the globe was showing red. Just a globe showing. Nothing else. I put this down to the fact that I declined the costly fee to carry on with Skoda Connect after the car reached 1 year old in March.

Tyre pressures (anyone for 45 all round?) Locking wheel bolt key Wheel bolts tightened properly Squint number plates (emblazoned with dealer name and paid for by you) Number plates screwed on by a butcher instead of being stuck on Unwanted dealer stickers on the windows Plastic tweezers and/or bent wire hook for wheel bolt caps/hubs (in boot well) Climate control SYNC that works Heated steering wheel that works Cruise control that works Mudflaps that should have been fitted Mats - rubber or fluffy to your choice - that should have been fitted Boot tray that should have been fitted Any other “extras” that you specified on the order (sorry for any duplication from above, but I didn’t read it all)

For me it’s: (a) Stop / Start always in the OFF position (what a piece of Con Shiite) Theoretically has a Rule Set, but that’s nonsense in the real world (b) when stopping, hill hold works perfectly with clutches disengaged and revs drop to tickover (unlike some cars that hold for 2 seconds then want to drag and go) (c) when stopping in traffic and/or stopping for more than a few seconds like a long light, pull parking parking brake to switch off brake lamps and disengage hail hold. (d) take off is seamless with a gentle right foot - possibly with Sport mode selected at certain junctions, especially uphill

Received my renewal notice today. I’ll be saying “No Thanks”. Again. I just have no need for it at all so money better spent elsewhere.

With lockdown reaching 12 months I’ve never followed it up with dealer. Can’t imagine wasting my time until the first service comes round - possibly later in the year, but maybe not till 2022. Car will be 1 year old later in March and will roll over a mere 5,000 miles tomorrow. This idle spell will be 12 days. Looking forward to getting out and blowing the cobwebs away.

I never, ever drill holes for my plates. Sticky pads every time. Smooth Perspex is easy to keep clean. Don’t understand why anyone would want raised characters to collect road dirt. Swapped my dealer plates for private plates after months of delay with VWFS. Minimum length of plate was 18” rather than 21”. All depends on how many characters. Our other car wears 14” plates. Bought my plates on line. Fully legal characters and a nice black border. No more dealer logos, EEC logos or anything else. ps - the tailgate comes with fitted rivnuts for screwing on plates so your rear plate must be long enough to cover the holes. Dealer simply ****s up the front apron with a couple of self-tapping screws. My original must have been fitted by an untrained apprentice as the plates holes were among the roughest I’ve ever seen.

Indeed, the IKEA run or the Tip Trip is the true measure of a car’s carrying capacity I’m not a golfer so cannot advise on bags and trolleys. When I moved house a few years ago I did see another IKEA customer sending family members to the nearest bus stop. And it was entertaining to see folk removing items from boxes to try and squeeze things in to smallish cars. At the time, my Superb estate easily gobbled up a 1/4 ton of assorted boxes. I reckon the Superb estate has more floor area than the Kodiaq, but the Bear has proved “adequate” for my current needs such as 3 builder sacks of hedge cuttings. And managed 6 internal doors one day. Self catering holidays are normally what see me brim full at departure.

In the early days with my new car one of my little grandchildren pointed out to me one night that the coloured lights on the doors were changing colour during the journey. I explored the set up later and found that “auto” setting changed the colour every time I changed driving mode during a journey. Previously I’d been using the other “fixed” options. I had a guilty feeling when I ticked the box on the order as I knew it was only a kid’s toy rather than a useful functional extra.

A trailer !!!! I also enjoy a bike, but cannot imagine riding with a trailer hanging off the back. Well done. ps - I bought my bike over the phone without a test ride and I’ve bought many, many cars without test drives. Simply ordered over the phone. Or occasionally face to face in a showroom. Never, ever, had any regrets as I do my homework and/or I’ve had something similar before.

£60 - I watched a man fix my daughter-in-law’s washing machine a few days ago in 20 minutes with new motor brushes. ps - a Samsung “they all do that sir” pps - I was disappointed as I failed to fix it and could only narrow the problem down to “a failure of drum to rotate” and suspected electronic issues

I also use a stick on Garmin all the time for “proper” navigation with far more functionality than the built in device. On 2 wheels and 4. ps - “It’s a Feature” became a standing joke in working days gone by, normally referring to software systems that didn’t behave in the way we real world users expected it to do. Still applies today to anything that doesn’t behave as it should.

I'll play ball. Not long home so still have key in pocket. If you're sitting in an unlocked car ('cos someone got out) then a boot opening will switch on all interior lights. If you're outside a locked car, then opening the boot will only switch on the boot lamps. The red alarm lamp will still be blinking on the driver's door. Only full unlock switches on all interior lamps. Common sense Skoda

A new wing is the easy option for the repair man. But it should be saveable (is that a word?) The black trim is fine. That's what it's there for. On previous car, my black rear bumper cleaned up as new when the rear panel was re=painted. As above, should be within your XS payment.

A post code alone will often land in a field rather than your intended destination. It’s a Feature. My own post code lands in a dead end street a couple of hundred yards away from my house, but half a mile to drive to the right place. In these instances, you simple adjust the target on the screen to land closer to your destination. I find typing in the whole of the normal address, with or without post code, normally gets me on target. And once you’ve arrived at your destination, save it for future use if needed.

Any child seat should be rock solid. Any movement suggests it is not fitted properly, be it Isofix or secured by OEM seatbelt. EDIT - sorry no Isofix in row 3 - ignore that bit. Please don't let a child travel in a wobbly seat. As above, removing or turning the headrests allows the taller models to sit properly.