FenlandPete

Yes- we live in Ramsey St. Mary's, so we are familiar with the roads you are talking about - we regularly travel to Peterborough via Pondersbridge, and to Newmarket via Chatteris, Ely etc. Other cars we have owned have suffered on these roads - we have had cracked springs and worn suspension arms sometimes after only 30,000 miles or so (our Yeti only has 28,000 on the clock). According to our village garage, no car is immune - they are used to replacing these parts on BMW, Audis etc., sometimes after only 20,000 miles if the cars are driven hard (which these German makes usually are, in my opinion). I have phoned round a few motor factors and Skoda dealers in East Anglia - no one has a spare spring in stock, and will probably only be able to get it in later in the week, after the New Year's day holiday. So, I think we are off to Wales in the back-up car (a trusty old Rover 75) whilst Yeti sits on the drive at home. Our local garage will order the spring this week, and fit it when we get back next weekend. Thanks for the feedback Pete

Been out this morning investigating a metallic clang from the rear OS wheel area that has been annoying us over the last week or so - jacked up that corner and removed the wheel to discover part of the coil spring broken off (the bottom bit this wraps round the rubber bush inside the spring pan), and rattling around in the spring pan. Just outside 3 year warranty as well !! Anyone else had this problem, and what is cost implication ?? Presumably it is not safe to drive for any distance with car in this condition -we were planning to head off to Wales this weekend, and local garage is closed up until New Year. Happy Xmas !! Pete

A few months ago, on one of our trips to North Wales we set out to go up Snowdon by the Watkins Path - one of the quieter tougher routes to the top. We had parked our Yeti in the car park at the bottom of the path, and were getting kitted out with our boots, rucksacks, map, food/drink/waterproofs etc - all the gear we are told we should take for such a trek, when a brand new Evoque pulled up alongside, and two desperately cool young couples got out - all designer jeans/sunglasses, but only wearing designer t-shorts and plimsolls/baseball boots -no evidence of a rucksack, waterproofs, proper walking boots etc. They had a leaflet they had obviously picked up from tourist information office (no map), and set out alongside us up the Watkins Path - no problem for the first mile or so - a well made path and the weather was OK. As we clmbed up, the path got steeper and rougher, with loose scree to contend with, and also the hill fog had come down, and it was starting to drizzle. We trudged on in our boots and waterproofs. We noticed our Evoque friends dropping back, struggling to stay upright on the tricky terrain in their plimsolls, and the girls in particular starting to look very cold, wet and bedraggled - after a while we did not see them again - I assume they turned back (if they had any sense). Perhaps this little story illustrates that Evoques appeal to those who value style over substance/practicality. We yeti owners are perhaps very uncool and boring by comparison, but we just like honest practicality and lack of pretense. I am sure the Evoque is a fine car, and since it is made in the UK, I am pleased it is doing well - it is just not for me. I think for quite a few people the car they drive is a fashion statement - we looked at the mini countryman AWD before we bought our Yeti, and the BMW salesman had me reaching for the bucket when he told me 'buying a mini is not buying a car, it is buying into a lifestyle'. - enough said. I agree that no car is perfect - I think the Yeti could do with a much more user-friendly radio (the Bolero drives us mad, and the reception is often poor) and I find the lack of back support in the front seats a problem, but otherwise it is great, and an extremely practical package that is also fun to drive and economical (also quite competent in the snow, as we found out last winter in North Wales). Pete

Looks like the new Cambridgeshire Police Yetis have been released into the wild - saw two this morning on the A1M near Sawtry - even got a smile and a wave from the driver of one as we came off the A1 at the roundabout near Sawtry - he looked happy in his new vehicle ! Pete

I had my first outbreak of Yeti smugness on Friday afternoon, driving between Betws-y-Coed and Blaneau Ffestiniog on the A470 in North Wales - over the Crimea Pass. It was raining as we left Betws, but turned to heavy snow as we came up the hill out of Dolwyddelan, and saw a line of stationary brake lights ahead on the steep hill. There was a lorry off the road in the ditch on the otehr side - a power company Land Rover went past the queue, so I decided to follow him - just as I started to pull out, the Ford Focus at the back of the queue in front of me decided he was going too, but did not get very far, spinning wildy on his slick summer tyres. I got out and offered to help get him back onto the side, but was rebuffed with a ' No problem, I'll get through fine'. Eventually he slithered back into the back of the queue, so I pressed the off road button and edged out past the queue up the hill - the Hankook W310s did their stuff and we sailed up past the queue to astonished looks from the drivers of the numerous BMWs, Audis, Fords etc, stranded on the hill. No slipping at all -very impressive. There was no traffic getting up the other side up the steep hill from Blaenau - saw several stranded vehicles, and got a wave from a Jaguar driving putting on snow chains. The descent into Blaneau was treacherous, but I used the hill.descent mode to good effect, only one very slight slip on the steepest part of the descent. We got back to our cottage near Porthmadog, and heard on the local news that Police had closed the Crimea Pass to all but large 4x4s (would they have let a Yeti through ?? - interesting point for dicsussion, perhaps). This was my first experience of the Yeti on winter tyres in testing winter conditions - very impressive !! Pete

They should do, although they will not click into place like they do over the other four nuts. I fitted mine last week - they needed a bit of persuasion to fit on some of the nuts. They do not feel that sturdy - I wonder if they will crack when I try to prise them off next Spring. Pete

Thanks for the prompt replies - very helpful, and apologies if I am going over old ground - I am only an occasional visitor to the forum, and not familiar with all the old thresds and how to search. I am also slightly dyslexic on the computer, hence the incorrect spelling of my Yeti's colour ! Best regards Pete

Has anyone here bought a spare wheel kit for their Yeti (I.e.: as an accessory, not factory fit) ?. What difference does it make to the boot space - how much higher is the boot floor after fitting one of these kits ? Also, is there any probelm using the skinny space saver spare when running on 16 inch steel wheels with 215/60 winter tyres ? Any information will be most welcome. Apologies if this has been covered before, but I could not find a thread on this. Thanks Pete

Apologies for any hijacking, but I thought my question was pretty closely related to the title of the thread. I have ordered the centre caps from skoda parts (thanks ejstubbs). I think the O/P has found a source of the indiividual nut covers, so hopefully everyone is happy ! Thanks Pete

Thanks Expatman, but the link does not seem to work. Regards Pete

I realise that I may be in the minority wanting DAB in the car, but it is the only way to listen to test match cricket commentary, and some of the olympic coverage was only available on Radio 5 live sportsextra (DAB only). From our regular trips to our place in North Wales we find that FM/AM reception on hte Bolero starts to get very poor once we cross the border near Oswestry, but with a pocket DAB plugged into the auxillary socket, we still get clear reception past Bala, but we do eventually lose it once we get into the proper Snowdonia mountains. It is not a big deal - we could carry on using the pocket DAB, or there are after-market units that can be installed into OEM unit for about 150 pounds, but i was just wanted to know when it might become a factory-fitted option . Thanks Pete

Can anyone please clarify what the situation currently is regarding getting a Yeti with DAB radio fitted. I thought I had seen somewhere on here that it was to be an option with the Colombus system (a very expensive way of getting a DAB radio) for 2013. I called a local Skoda dealer, who just told me that DAB was available in the Yeti Urban, but that was a limted production run, and not available on 4x4 models. He did not know anything about DAB being an option for 2013. We are thinking about trading up our 2010 140hp 4x4 Elegance for a later, better spec. model, but would like DAB if possible. We realy miss DAB in the Yeti, after being used to it in our Jaguar, even after allowing for poor coverage in some areas. Thanks Pete

I know this has probably been covered before, but can TP or someone else suitably knowledgable possibly supply a link to the plastic centre hub caps/wheel nut covers that can be used with the steel wheels on Yetis fitted with winter rubber. I have looked on e-bay, but come away fairly confused as to what might fit my steel wheels when I switch over to winter tyres in the next couple of weeks Many thanks Pete

Just back from 10 days in North Wales - plenty of Yetis in evidence there - they must like playing in the mountains ! Got a cheery wave from a Muscky Yeti on the A4212 north of Bala about a week back, saw a pale blue Yeti (PE59 ***) in the car park at Croesor last weekend, a white local 11 plate Yeti at Shell Island last Sunday, and a 12 plate white Yeti parked on the A5 near Llangollen on our way home yesterday - amongst others. I think somebody posted here a few weeks back that Yetis were rare in Wales - certainly not in the North ! Pete

I am not a great fan of the Dunlops on Yetis - as Kibby says, they are fine as a summer/fair weather tyre, but once you get on a muddy track or on snow/ice, they are not much use. Considering the Yeti is designed to have good off-road ability, it seems a silly tyre to fit as standard. I ran Hankook winter tyres on my 140 4x4 Yeti last wnter, and they coped really well on the few days of snow that we had here in East Anglia. I made the mistake of swtiching back to the Dunlops before we headed off to Snowdonia in the week before Easter, only to get caught out by a blizzard on the Llanberis pass - the Yeti got through OK (unlike various BMWs, Audis etc. on their supercool low profile wheels that slithered to a halt in front of us- we had to help push a couple of them back onto the road), but the Dunlop were struggling for grip a few times, when I am sure the Hankooks would have sailed through the slush and snow. I think when the Dunlops are worn down (not much wear on them yet after 10,000 miles), I wil put Goodyear 4 seasons on the 17 inch alloys, as a good all-round compromise Pete