Polar bear

Hi Working Webasto without a working fan can be a pain I found the following in the net - maybe it can give you some hints http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/ilkmaat/skoda/Webasto-Telestart-T90-Octavia-InstallationGuide.pdf Looking at the wiring diagram it seems that the installation of the remote does not directly affect the fan controls so it could be either a VAG program issue (see page 10) or Webasto program issue....

Most of the car manufacturers with the either original or optional aux heater (1) also provide conversion kits which turn the aux heater into a full pre-heater (3) (or parking heater - just to cofuse more ) The cost of such conversion kit is usually more affordable than a genuine pr-heater. In my understanding - please correct if mistaken - the so called aux heater is merely an additional heat source in the coolant circulation without the ability to circulate the coolant whereas the pre-heater is an independent unit able to circulate coolant and thus heat both engine and inside of the car even when the engine is not running... One thing woth mentioning, as a cheaper option for additional heating is also electrical heaters for either coolant or the engile oil sump. The cost is well below types like Webasto...but unfortunately so is the heat output...however they are still a thing to look if you wish to compare cost/effect.

If you want to have a closer look on the GTÜ statistics you can find a summary here http://autot.oikotie.fi/gtu/2011/1-3 - the text is in Finnish but the results are quite self explanatory - as long as you remember that "vikaindeksi" is fault frequency (faults per 100 cars inspected) (Ajettu keskimäärin = average mileage)

Basically any means of heating the enging on a cold morning is a positive thing - saves the engine , reduces mpg after start and reduces emissions. There are several options to choose from... Keep the car in a warm garage. Pros - car and engine are always warm. Cons - you need the space, in snowy conditions your car undergoes freeze-thaw-cycle every day and you may encounter condensate prblems when driving cold car to humid inside air. Electrical coolant heater, where the heating element is placed eiter to the motor block or to a coolant hose. Pros - Relatively cheap and maintenance free, heats the coolant thus helping also the inside warming immediately after start, normal heating time up to two hours, possibility to connect an inside heating fan Cons - need of electricity supply, coolant circulates in the system by natural convection - no forced circulation, engine oil is the sump is cold Electrical heating of the oil sump, where the heater block is glued to the sump - this is substituting the coolant heaters Pros - Relatively cheap and maintenance free, warms the oil and saves the engine at start-up, normal heating time up to two hours, possibility to connect an inside heating fan Cons - need of electricity supply, oil volume is smaller than coolant volume - the accumulatd heat amount is theoretically smaller, coolant is cold and inside heating is slower, the contact between heating element and sump is critical Gasoline/diesel heater (Webasto and like) Pros - fast - heating time usually max 30 mins, indipendent of external power, efficient - heats both engine and inside of car Cons - expensive and needs an experienced fitter, needs regular maintenace, drains battery if daily travel is short distances I installed myself a Webasto heater last summer and can't wait to see how it works - lots of snow and cold nights in anticipation

The German inspection authority GTÜhas released their latest statistics on fault frequecy for used cars again - when they inspected with1-3 years of usage the best car was found to be ...surprise surprise...Skoda Yeti. GTÜ has included 240 models in the statistics thus it can be consideredto be rather extensive. Yeti's fault frequency was 1,9 faults for 100 inspected vehicles, which according to comments in the press is said to be "sensationally low figure in the GTÜ statistics". The statistics can be found in the German magazine Auto Zeitung -Sonderheft: Gebrauchtwagen 2012 I think it is time for a standing ovation again

Hi - don´t envy you for the dilemma. We have had both cars in the family and both are nice to have and drive. My choice (being a bit prejudiced as a Yeti owner) would be depending on the usage driving for fun - definitely Yeti (incredbly fun to drive) driving round city corners - Yeti (sitting on top of the world and turning on a cent) driving mileage - Golf (fuel consumption beats Yeti) family car with sufficient boot for luggage - something else mud and grit - Yeti Surprisingly enough both TSI engines give enough umph in normal driving - have to give a big hand to VAG engineers - the low rev torque is amazing on both engines. I normal day to day driving I can not tell the difference even though the power/weight ratio should favor Golf... I really can't comment on the fittings and acessories - other than when I did my last choice between the two Skoda offered more value (all kinds of nice acessories and standard equipment) for same money

If you want to look for an option for charger you might have a look at Defas chargers - they have a range of chargers from 3 to 10 Amps with the idea of having a fixed charger in the vehicle - just add the lead beween the car and the socket in the wall. http://wup.defa.com/en/wup_products_batterychargers.html I have a Defa 1204 charger installed in my Yeti to boost the battery against Webasto consumption....next winter will show how this combination works.

Hilsen till Norge GDY, I was originally thinking of getting the factory fitted Webasto but it would have postponed the delivery of my Yeti for at least 3 months (said my dealer) thus decided to retrofit one.I consulted some of my more experienced friends about how to install Webasto and the only advise was "do not try it yourself" - it is not impossible however but requires a certain amount of enthusiasm, kmowledge, tools, good place to work.... I think the best way to start would be to go to http://motorvarmer.webastonorge.no/ and look for either a seller or a fitter depending on which route you decide to choose. I found it rewarding to call several sellers - the total gain was a couple of hundred euros as difference in price. We had two Webastos installed at the same time a 4kW Thermotop Evo for my wifes 1.2 TSI and a 5 kW Thermotop Evo for my 140 HP TDI - the TDI has a bigger coolant volume which is compensated by using a more effective heater. The prices for these installments were EUR 1.550 for the 4kW and 1650 for the 5 kW version. The price includes remote Telestart T100 HTM for both units. According to the info from the dealer the retro Webasto does not fully understand Skoda's air conditioning systems like Climatic or Climatronic - the fan speed, blowing direction and temperature settings have to be adjusted manually a you park the car (fan speed to 3/7, direction max to window and temp to max) - this (I have been told) will give you the best result. This all is still theory...we have not (un)fortunately yet have had below zero temperatures here so I can not tell how well Webasto operates in winter conditions. The trial runs have been succesful - just to test that the thing works - and it did : ) If you install Webasto to you car you might also need to be prepared to charge your battery during winter - especially if your daily trips are short. A rule of thumb is that if your travel time is shorter than webasto runtime you should charge your battery regularly to avoid starting problems. I installed Defa battery chargers to both cars - http://www.defa.com/doc/23000.1262677728.GBxDEFAxMultiChargerx1204.pdf - to overcome this. There will be more Webastory as soon as the weathers turn towards winter...hope this helps

We just had Webasto retrofits installed into both of our Yetis. My wife's 1.2 TSI got a Thermo Top EVO 4kW and my 2.0 TDI a Thermo Top EVO 5 kW, both with remote control T100. I hate to say but I'm kind of waiting for colder weathers to see how well they will perform... We had similar experiences of freezing to the bone last winter - last winter we both had in our previous cars only electric oil sump heaters and that was not sufficient to warm the cars up - especially when the temperatures went down to -35 degrees... The next thing is to install retro battery chargers (DEFA 1204) to both cars as we mainly drive fairly short distances daily. Wife's car has already been dealt with and mine will be done next weekend - if the weather permits. Unfortunately there is not yet too much to tell about how the Webasto tin can works but I'll be putting more info coming as Mr. Jack Frost starts biting us. One thing worth mentioning is that the fitter who installed out heaters did not have access to VCDS and I need to visit my dealer to see if he can help me make the heater and Climatronic to communicate in a more civilized manner. Currently the advise for a good heating result from the fitter is to leave Clima to manual with heating at MAX and fan at 3/7 when stopping the car - this works but I would imagine that should be a more elegant solution with all the modern electronics in the car

Here's another link to Skoda acessories - unfortunately it is in Finnish and for Superb - but still shows that the bent bar hanger is available at Skoda - hope your dealer can assist you http://skoda.fi/files/esitteet/lisavarusteet/Skoda_Superb-Lisavaruste-esite.html

It seems that when winter tyre manufacturers are pushin out new models they place a green label to the ads stating that their tyres have a small ecological footprint. One of the most aggressive is - please do not shoot me for nepotism - the Finnis tyre manufacturer Nokian Tyres which promises their tyre to have a ultra low rolling resistance (http://www.nokiantyres.com/tyre?id=10924176&group=1.01&name=Nokian+Hakkapeliitta+R) - Unfortunately...I am afraid that the when you try to optimize the fuel consumption during winter the main thing is to take a look in the mirror...I try to do it every morning although it gives me the creeps Things like preheating the engine, avoiding free spin of weels during acceleration etc. will most likely have a more drastic effect on the consumption.

I got my Yeti with a factory installed, Westfalia detachable towbar. The decision for taking the factory installed version was made after comparing the price to a retrofit version - at least here the retrofit version was considerably more expensive. The fitter told the reason to be the extensive wiring work which is easier to do while the car is still "naked" at the factory. If you need closer info on the said hook you can follof this link - http://www.westfalia-automotive.de/index.php?id=54&L=1 - that should giove you a good view of the work amount involved. Unfortunately that link does not seem to work as supposed - you can also go to Westfalia product finder and look for order number 317105600001

Thanks to you all for a warm welcome - especially you Mat who have a good taste in picking girls friends It's nice to be here and hopefully I can bring something into the conversation - at any rate I'm currently on the reciving side for Skoda info. By the way - my som was just here and showed his new toy - he received his long waited Fabia today - Now there are two Yetis and one Fabia in the family...

Hi All, greetings from a new Skoda owner from misty Helsinki. I got my Yeti in late June and now the odo shows a little over 5000 km .... I have to say I am impressed. I've been a VAG fan from my first car which was a 1965 Beetle 1200 cc but have to admit that I never thought to meet a car like the beast. It was love at first seating.... My Yeti is a 4x4 with 140 hp diesel DSG, with most of the extras ticked in. The last purchase was a retrofit Webasto in anticipation of next winter - if it follows the pattern of the last two ones, all extra heat is going to be needed. The only negative thing I have encountered with my new friend was the unexpectedly lond delivery time - from beginning of February to end of June - the delivery time was even extended by 9 weeks during the process... However, compared to my previous car which was Golf Mk V with 122 hp TSI and DSG, the beast is a step forward and definately upwards (even literally) : )