Paul R T

Hi Fletchbenji, I did have a similar problem with my 2010 CR 170 when it had done about 60k miles. The glow light came on on a few occasions when I was towing and applying significant power, eg to climb a dual carriageway incline. When it goes into limp mode while towing, the effect is rather dramatic in reduction of performance! I found on most occasions that a temporary solution was to stop, switch off and restart engine and the fault then cleared. When I took it to my dealer, they diagnosed a faulty potentiometer that is part of the EGR circuit. They replaced that and it has been fine since then. I understand that the glow light can indicate a number of different faults, but your dealer really ought to be able to diagnose it using the VCDS system. Hope you get it sorted - may have to try a different dealer. Cheers Paul R T

Hi All, My 2010 Superb 170 Estate has done 67k miles. It does a mixture of local runs, with a 20 mile or so motorway run most weeks. It also tows our caravan quite quickly for 100/200 miles on motorways and dual carriageways about once a month. Last November I inadvertently interrupted a DPF regen one evening. The following day we were towing the caravan up the A1, when after about 20 miles the glow plug light came on and the engine went into limp mode (dangerously slow when towing!), followed by the exhaust control light. After two stops to switch off and restart the engine, the fault cleared and I had no further problems on a 400mile trip. Last week we were towing to Norfolk. After about 60 miles – and after climbing a dual carriageway incline quite quickly - the glow plug light came on and engine went into limp mode A stop-start cleared the fault. On this occasion I am certain a DPF regen was fully completed a few days previously. Again there has been no recurrence in the rest of the trip or since. I guess I better get it checked. Any ideas? In particular, will a VCDS check by my (normally reliable) dealer be able to identify the cause of such an intermittent fault? Thanks in advance for help and suggestions. Cheers Paul R T

Hi, I use Milenco Grand Aeros (convex) mirrors with the longer arm. They have always stayed fimly attached with no vibration and give a full view from road level to the top of the caravan. They are not the cheapest, but well worth the investment. Cheers Paul R T

Hi Kevin, I would strongly recommend that you get your towbar fitted by a towbar specialist, rather than the Skoda dealer. They know what they are doing, which, in my expereince and often reflected on this forum, is not always the case with a Skoda dealer. You will need to make sure that: You specify the connection of a charging circuit to the 13 pin socket to provide both for charging the leisure battery when you are driving and also to power the fridge 12v when you are driving. When the electrics are properly installed, the car rear foglight should not be alight when the rear foglights are switched on and the caravan is connected. When the caravan is connnected and reverse gear is engaged, the car computer screen should show a picture of the car and caravan combination. There is no bleep to indicate that the caravan indicators are working, but the speed of 'winking' will increase if you have a failed bulb or connection, just as it would for the car alone. Best of luck. Cheers Paul R T

Hi Kevin, There really is not a problem. I have towed our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 (MPTLM of 1420kg) with my 2010 Superb SE 170CR Estate ever since i bought it in December 2011. We typically tow 5k+ miles a year - including long tours of France and a trip to the south of Spain and return, as well as many UK excursions. I have never been concerned about any rear end sag. As others have said, I am careful to keep the noseweight to 75kg, but I also take a lot of stuff on the rear seats and seat wells (the dog has the boot area!). I put the tye pressures up to 36psi front and 40psi rear. The car is by far the best towcar I have ever owned - plenty of torque and power in reserve when required and absolutely stable on the road, even in some pretty vicious side winds. Cheers Paul R T

Hi, I have had a Superb Estate SE CR170 (2010) for the last 3 years and 44k miles, quite a lot of those towing both in the Uk and in France and Spain. We tow our Coachman Pastiche 460/2, which has a MPTLM of 1420kg, but its usual towing mass is around 1380kg. It has been an excellent towcar with plenty of torque and power. Also very stable even in some quite challenging sidewinds. Winter tyres help in getting on and off wet grass on CLs. Cheers Paul R T

Hi Parkview Skoda is at 145 Bath Road, Reading, RG30 2BD. I bought my 170 SE Estate second hand from them 2 years ago and it has been excellent. Friendly, professional service from the sales team - and a very reasonable trade in price for my old Mondeo. Cheers Paul R T

Hi HaggettG, Have you checked whether this is the air conditioning system? I had a similar noise when the engine was lightly loaded and/or on tickover and found it disappeared when I switched off the aircon. Regassing the aircon (at a similar milleage as yours) eradicated the problem. Just a thought. Cheers Paul R T

Hi I have a 2010 Estate SE 170, which I bought second hand from a main dealer, which already had a detachable towbar fitted, and I use it to tow our Coachman Pastiche 460/2. To answer the three questions in your post at 1836 hrs: The reversing sensors should not detect the swan neck when fitted alone. When the caravan is attached with reverse gear selected you should see an image of the caravan on the Bolero/Columbus. You will not get an audible warning of the indicators working; if a direction indicator on the caravan is not working you will get a warning in the same way as if one of the car indicators is faulty. The way to check if the charging system is working on a caravan with a 13 pin connection is to check if the refrigerator is live on 12v with the engine running - they use the same pin and the connection is split in the caravan wiring. Also check that with the caravan connected, when you switch on the rear fog lights, that the fog lights on the car do not come on, just those on the caravan. Hope you get it sorted OK. It will be a great towcar, once you do. You may need to resort to a towbar specialist. In Hertfordshire i would recommend GT Towing near Hatfield, but that is some way from you. Cheers Paul R T

Hi MLJ, I tow our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 with a Superb Estate 170. I would strongly recommend the Milenco Grand Aero mirrors with convex lenses. They fit well to the topside of the door mirrors and are rock solid. They give you a better breadth of vision than other mirrors I have used previously, in particular you can see from the kerb up to the top of the caravan - very useful, if after a motorway run you are negotiating narrow lanes to a CL. We have been to the South of Spain and back, round France and many excursions in the UK. Although more expensive than others, they have been well worth it. Enjoy your new towcar. Cheers Paul R T

Hi, I cannot comment specifically on the 4x4, but I have been towing our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 (1420kg MPTLM) with a Superb Estate SE 170CR for the past 18 months. This has included trips in the UK and to the South of Spain and a long 'Tour de France'. I have found it the best towcar I have ever had - plenty of torque and power from the engine with good gear ratios for towing, and completely stable in all situations, including some pretty severe crosswinds. It has always got me (and the van) out of sticky fields, but I am sure the 4x4 will give even more confidence for this. Towing mpg always depends on wind direction and towing speeds and I tend not to hang around. The towing mpg shown on the trip computer has varied between 26 and 31, and this is about 5% optimistic when checked by brimming. Solo mpg is 42-45 locally and 50+ on long trips. The other great advantage of the Superb for caravanning is the sheer space in the estate. As we are two plus the dog, most of the caravanning clutter fits into plastic boxes placed in the enormous rear seat wells (weight central and low down) leaving the boot for the dog. If you open the ski hatch, you can also keep the occasional eye on the dog through the mirror! Cheers Paul R T

Hi, I don't think this is normal. Certainly my Combi SE dimists the back window pretty quickly - even with the dog panting in the boot! I suspect you have some water/damp somewhere at the back of the car. Have you checked the spare wheel compartment? I have a towbar fitted to my car and I found ealier this year that the spare wheel compartment had a considerable amount of water in it. It was being forced in from underneath, in the area between the spare wheel compartment and the bumper, through an ill-fitted grommet around wiring for the towbar. Cured with ducktape and now dry. Might be worth checking there. Cheers Paul R T

Hi Not a direct answer to your question - but... I caught part of the undertray on a vicious speed hump at the entrance to a French campsite in August. This had torn the undertray fixing from the lug and thus damaged the fixing, although the lug was still in position. I pushed the undertray back over the lug and secured it with a jubilee clip around the protuding part of the lug. This 'temporary' solution has held for 3 months and 4k miles. Will sort it properly at the next service! Hope this might help in your case! Cheers Paul R T

Hi All, I am aware that there have been previous posts on this topic, which seems to be a common problem on the Superbs, but none which seem to answer directly my question below. I have had my 2010 SE Estate since last December and I have been delighted with its performance in all respects. However, with the onset of colder weather this annoying rattle has reappeared with a vengeance. It seems to fade away, once the engine and car are fully warmed up, but this can take some time. It appears to come from the far lefthand side of the glove box (or is it on the ouside of the facia?). My simple question is - what causes the rattle and how can you cure it? Hoping to hear from those who have solved it. Thanks in advance. Cheers Paul R T

Hi All I have a 2010 SE Estate and I am delighted with the driving experience, both solo and towing our caravan. However, I have one annoying issue. If I am working on the car with the doors or tailgate open, eg cleaning or loading up for a caravan trip, after an indeterminate time I am bombarded with a sound of 'bongs' emanating from the driver's door. These can be stopped if I switch the ignition on and off again, but they start again after a further period of time. Is there any way of switching off this unnecessary and annoying signal that I have left doors open when stationary? Cheers Paul R T

Hi I regret I cannot help you with your specific query, but just to say it is well worth getting a 13pin socket fitted, rather than simply using a converter lead. When I bought a new caravan last year, my then Mondeo estate had twin sockets and I initially used a converter lead. It was a bit of a pain, needing to be held in place with a bungee to stop it dragging etc. Once I got the car converted to a 13 pin socket, it was so much better - easy connection and everything worked every time - as opposed to many years' experience of problems with twin socket connections! Cheers Paul R T

Hi again G Bain (et al), Thanks for your update. Both our experiences confirm that there can be sqeaks/creaks coming from the towbar, quite separate from any noises coming from the friction pads in the stabiliser hitch. In the course of this saga I think I am now able to clearly distinguish the different noises involved. I was interested to hear the theory from your fitter that the waxoyl on the 'chassis' members may have contributed to the towbar not seating properly. I hope you have solved it and have a quiet trip to France. We had a further outing to Norfolk last week, and the tow was silent. Hope to follow you to France in late August. Cheers Paul R T

Hi G Bain, Following my last post on this when I thought I had cracked the problem, the creak returned after a further two trips. I was then able to replicate the creak by vigorous upwards pressure on the towbar. I took the car into my local garage, who I have dealt with for many years, and asked them to investigate. They removed the bumper and retorqued all the towbar assembly securing bolts. They said that one bolt, which is partially hidden, was not fully torqued up, allowing a slight movement on the offside, which was producing the creak. I have just completed a long trip to the south of Spain - 3,600 miles, of which 2,500 were towing and it now seems all OK. Cheers Paul R T

Hi Stuart, I recently bought a 2010 SE Estate and at first had my Tom-Tom on one of those 'heavy pads' on the top of the dashboard, as I had on my previous Mondeo. However, I have just bought a vent mount for it from Halfords and that is much better. The central vent near to the driver provides a solid mount and it is easily visible and close enough to use the touch screen simply. Cheers Paul R T

Hi Guys A very useful thread as I think I have the same rattle coming apparently from the front of the nearside door (and only when the outside and the car is cold). So I would like to remove the trim on the outer edge of the glove compartment area where the door closes and apply bluetack as described in a previous post. However, I am not clear how to remove this piece of trim - does it just prise off, or is there a special trick to get it off? Thanks in advance. Cheers Paul R T

Hi to the previous post, I also reckon you will be OK with this combination. Published figures for the kerbweights of Skodas do not include the usual allowance of 75kg for a driver. The handbook for my 2010 Superb gives the figures for all models of the "Unloaden weight ready for work". For the 2.0 CR 170 4x4 Manual, this gives 1647kg for the car and 1669kg for the estate. This work out at 91% for the car and 90% for the estate, if you were towing your 1500kg caravan fully laden. Given the stability and good towing reputation of the Superb, which I can now vouch for, and your many years' experience of towing, that should be fine, even tho it is over the 85% guideline. Cheers Paul R T

Hi I can't comment on a 4x4, but I purchased a June 2010 Superb Estate SE 170 at the beginning of December, primarily for towing our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 caravan (1420kg MPTLM). I previously had a 2005 Mondeo estate (TDi 155). I have been very pleased with the Superb, both driving solo and towing. There is plenty of torque and power and the gear ratios enable towing in 6th gear in favourable conditions. I tend not to hang around when towing on dual carriageways and motorways and I am getting 25-28mpg towing. The vast space between the front and rear seats is ideal for plastic boxes with caravan sundries, leaving the massive boot mainly for the dog and a tool bag, with pleanty of space in the boot pockets for wheel locks/chocks etc. We also mainly use CLs all the year around. I found that with care the Mondeo would wind the van off most wet grass etc. It feels as if the Superb will do the same, even if not 4X4, altho I have not yet tested it in anger. Anyway it was great last week on an expedition to the Cotswolds (minus 8C overnight and snow!!). I paid 17,450 for it with 11,700 on the clock, from a Skoda main dealer and got a reasonable P/Ex for the Mondeo. Hope this might help with your decision. Cheers Paul R T

Hi All Thanks for all the helpful replies to my original post. I thought an update might just be useful to other Skoda caravanners. Like many engineering problems, there was more than one issue. Prior to posting I had emeried off all the residual paint on the towball and had cleaned both it and the hitch stabiliser pads with brake cleaner. However, following the various posts here, I 'polished' the towball with wet and dry and recleaned it and the pads. This eliminated part of the noise, but there was still a definite 'creak' from the rear of the car when towing over undulations. When I discovered I could reproduce this creak when I initially connected the caravan to the towbar (and then re-lowered the jockey wheel to check for positive engagement), I decided there must be some minor movement between the towbar and subframe on the offside. My local towbar specialist checked it out and was able to torque up the bolts somewhat on the offending side. When tested ealier this week, I had a completely silent tow. Hurray! Cheers Paul R T

Hi I don't know where you and/or your parents live, but I have found my local towing/caravan specialist very helpful and knowledgeable on all towbar issues. They have also fitted several towbars to Skodas as there is a Skoda specialist local to them. They are GT Towing at Welham Green, on the A1000 just south of Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Their phone number is 01707 262526. It would be worth giving them a call. Cheers Paul R T

Hi, I think you need to investigate changing definitions of 'kerbweight'. I recently changed my ageing Mondeo estate for a 2010 Superb II estate with the 170bhp diesel engine to tow my caravan. When I was then checking comparative 'kerbweights' I realised that the Ford figures seemed to include a driver, whereas the published Skoda figures did not. The handbook for my Superb quotes an 'Unladen weight ready for work' of 1577kg for this model. I am responding to this from the caravan on our first real outing. The car seemed to tow very comfortably with no stability problems, altho' my van is lighter than yours (Coachman Pastiche 460/2 with a MPTLM 0f 1420kg). I would think if you are OK with your current car, then the new one will also be OK. You may, however, want to enter the details into either or both 'whattowcar.com' or the Caravan Club oufit matching programme (available on their website for members) to check their verdicts. Happy towing. Cheers Paul R T