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Like you I understand that UK law does not require you to carry a warning triangle, high-viz jacket, or first aid kit in your car, unlike European countries and regardless of the fact that it is obviously sensible to have them in your car. However there are several apparently respectable UK websites saying that they ARE legally required! For example: Briteangle Warning Triangle review: breakdown safety 2.0 | Parkers "All cars registered from the 1st July 2006 are required to carry a warning triangle by law," And: Compulsory Equipment For Driving In The UK | PowerBulbs UK "This won't come as a surprise to drivers from other European nations, but in the UK, drivers are required to have certain safety equipment in their vehicle at all times. Drivers must have a spare set of headlight bulbs, ensuring you can easily replace any unexpected burn-outs. Vehicles on the road in the UK must also contain a first-aid kit, warning triangle, and fire extinguisher." And: Emergency Car Breakdown | Highway Code Warning Triangle (theukrules.co.uk) "Is a warning triangle a legal requirement in the United Kingdom? All motor cars first registered from the 1st of July 2006 must carry at least one emergency reflective warning triangle by law." And most worryingly a solicitor's website: https://www.bannerjones.co.uk/resources/winter-driving-tips-for-motorists-in-sheffield "By law, all cars first registered from the 1st of July 2006, must carry an emergency warning triangle." I have emailed Banner-Jones to ask them to provide me with details of the UK regulations to back up their statement, but have not yet had a reply. And I have searched government websites for any regulations confirming their statement, but without success. Clearly if warning triangles WERE legally required, there would be many drivers immediately breaking the law as they drive their new cars off a forecourt. And I would also expect the MOT test to check that they are present (it doesn't of course). (When I emailed Parkers, they merely gave the links to two of the websites above as their source.) I'm not sure where this statement has come from, and other websites like the AA and RAC etc still state that warning triangles are recommended but not compulsory, but be aware that there are some people out there trying to mislead drivers about warning triangles etc being legally required!! Chris

Skoda have coincidentally published an article today at This is your car, can you hear me? - ŠKODA Storyboard (skoda-storyboard.com) about radio reception which may be of interest. Chris

Sounds like a problem connecting to the aerial - which I think is part of the rear window? Have you added a rear dashcam as these can interfere with the radio reception?

There's a menu setting that will adjust how quickly the ACC will accelerate the car, which think will override the Eco drive mode.

The latter fault also affects Karoqs with the MIB3 infotainment system. I was getting speed limits displayed in KPH intermittently until my first service, and twice my headlights were reset for driving on the right (I very seldom use cruise control so haven;t seen the undertaking error). But after commenting on it my car was updated to 0276 software, and the fault hasn't reappeared to date. Chris

Or if it's just to overtake safely (if temporarily illegally) flick the control stalk several times as that lifts the speed set by 5 mph for each flick.

I agree there's no way to have the speed limiter set by default rather than the cruise control - unless there's a way of reprogramming the software somehow. As I find it very convenient to use the speed control rather than the cruise control on most roads I just have a routine of leaving the cruise control / speed limiter enabled, then selecting the speed limiter on the assist menu as soon as I start the engine, and set the required speed as soon as I reach 30 mph. On my car, I have a second lefthand stalk below the indicator stalk to control the CC/SL, but at times I still flick the indicators by mistake when I'm changing the speed limit.

If you're an Apple family then my comments may not be appropriate. but with my Samsung Galaxy S8 Android phone I have a 'Data Sharing' function that lets other connections use the data allowance on my phone. Chris

I did it with mine around a year ago, but haven't tried it since. Have you set your phone to share data as well as act as a mobile hotspot? Chris

All I've ever seen is a brief summary on the car's infotainment screen when it's installed an online update. But it's hardly informative, just 'Bug fixes and online shop changes' typically. Chris

I've just had an email from Skoda, linked to my Skoda Connect subscription. It appears that Skoda will be adding a free Digital Certificate service to the Remote Access package, and the email gave me a link to follow to learn more about it. Unfortunately the link didn't work, but as the service has been trialled in Finland a search told me: "Whether you want to sell your vehicle and eliminate the distrust of the potential buyer or you just want to access detailed information about your vehicle, the Digital Certificate is the ideal solution for you. With the Digital Certificate you can display an overview of selected vehicle information through the Skoda Connect Portal (e.g. vehicle identification, technical specification, mileage). This overview can then be generated into a form of PDF certificate and shared with potential used car buyers." Elsewhere, you can see that the mileage is displayed in the form of a graph over the vehicle's life, and I have also read that the certificate will state the vehicle's original equipment when it left the factory, and service records (if authorised service partners have been used) showing warranty repairs, non-warranty repairs and regular maintenance. Chris

That is interesting, as my car was only lifted to 0276 by my dealer to (hopefully) cure the SOS Error message fault. I'd received that for the first time just a few days before they were due to replace the faulty steering wheel and controller that were apparently responsible for generating occasional 'Traffic Assist Not Available' and other error messages. My dealer had previously told me that there was no software update available for my car, but then offered the 0276 update when I'd reported the SOS Error message, and there was no suggestion that the car could receive this update online. Chris

I've read that VW will be making major changes to the MIB3 systems in their cars this spring, with new processing hardware for new cars. The software updates will be reportedly be offered to existing VWs, Skodas, and SEATs later in the year. As the system is designed by VAG, Skoda can only fit what they are given - although this doesn't excuse their refusal to accept and handle customer complaints better! See 2022 VW Golf gets major infotainment upgrade to fix speed issues (motor1.com) for more details. Chris

The maps generally just update in the background as and when the system finds a relevant update. I'm pretty sure it only updates local maps even from the USB memory stick, and not the entire database. (Yes you need to copy the contents of all the folders and subfolders from the zipped file to the memory stick.) I left the memory stick for a while without seeing any updates so removed it. But since then the database has been updated to v 21.9. My dealer did update the system software to 0276 recently, so I'm not sure if it was part of his software update or an online update. Chris

Model Year 20 cars and onwards are designed to update their maps online, and after some concerns, I am now happy that my MY20 is indeed doing that. If you look on the MENU / Settings / System Information screen you will see the version number for the navigation database. My car updated itself to v 21.9 last month, and even shows a new road in Stafford that only opened last month. If yours is a brand-new car, then I would expect the factory to have installed v 21.2 or later at the very least. Because our cars do not have a plug-in SD memory card, we cannot update the maps using one of these. It has been reported that we can load the updated maps from the Skoda website onto a USB memory stick and then leave that plugged into the car until the maps have been updated but I had no success doing that myself. (It may depend on the software version in your car. When I tried it my car was using the 0270 software although my dealer has since updated it to 0276 to cure some problems I was having.) The system software version is also shown on the MENU / Settings / System Information screen. Chris

The FM/DAB button will play and show both FM and DAB stations if that is the choice you have made on the Radio Settings (cog wheel) screen. Again depending on the chosen settings, it will then switch between a station's DAB and FM signal if the DAB signal disappears. If I press on the bottom left-hand FM/DAB button, then I get a choice of sources: FM/DAB, I net Radio, My Media and Bluetooth. Selecting the I.net Radio source in my car switches to Web Radio stations, and it will then download all available stations (if you have bought a dataplan for the eSIM or have connected the system to a phone as discussed earlier). Once the list is downloaded, you can then choose a station and save it as a favourite. If your Octavia is not doing this, then I can only suggest you post in the Octavia forum and ask Octavia owners how to get Web Radio as it would seem your infotainment system is different to mine in a Karoq. Chris PS: In the UK the Octavia SE with Bolero does not mention having Web Radio... are you sure it is shown as a feature in your car??

On my car, pressing the main RADIO button on the infotainment screen gives me: Pressing on the FM/DAB button then lets me choose the 'source' with a choice of FM/DAB, I.net Radio, and two more options I can't recall just now. There is no AM tuner on my Amundsen. Chris

I think the Bolero is normally like an Amundsen but without the satnav. So hopefully your Octavia's Bolero will have similar software to my Karoq's Amundsen even if the hardware looks different. Chris

OK... but this is applicable to a Karoq's Amundsen system and so may need adapting for an Octavia and/or Columbus system I needed to set my phone up as a Mobile Hotspot, with Data Sharing. The car then had to be set up to connect to my phone rather than its built-in eSIM card. For a Karoq Amundsen I did this via the Menu / System Settings / Data Connection screen. This normally has a tick against the eSIM, so untick this and find your phone's data connection instead. Remember this will now be using your phone's data allowance! Then on the Radio screen set the radio source as I.net Radio and wait for it to download the list of web radio stations available to you. You can then save the ones you like best as favourites. Chris

It's an insurance policy that gives you peace of mind. Compare prices between Skoda and third parties (but the latter might have small print restricting the parts covered) and consider whether you can afford the cost of replacing engine parts, gearbox (DSG presumably) transmission etc. Personally I've been buying a 5 year factory warranty on my last three new cars because of concerns over rumoured DSG reliability faults, and then taking out an extension if I keep the car longer. But in practice I've never had to claim on them. But to say I've wasted my money is like saying I've also wasted the money I've spent and home and contents insurance all these years! It all depends on whether you want to stand the risk yourself or pay out relatively small sums to have not take the risk. Are cars more reliable than they used to be? Yes. But they still develop faults (especially with all the new software assist systems!) and if yours has been 'temperamental' then it could be well worth the cost of an extended warranty. But again, when comparing prices also compare the small print in the policies about what is covered and what is excludes. Chris

For cars bought in the UK: "A three year, European-wide, unlimited mileage ŠKODA Assistance policy comes free of charge with every new ŠKODA. There’s a team of specially trained technicians who carry the right diagnostic equipment and parts to get you back on the road as quickly as possible in the unfortunate event of a breakdown. Provided in partnership with the AA. Exclusions and terms and conditions apply. For details please speak to your local ŠKODA Retailer." Note that recently it has been renewed for free after 3 years if you have your car serviced at a Skoda dealer. (Normally it costs £99 for another year's cover.) Chris PS: if the handbook was missing from your car (like mine was) you can download a copy from d40f0b46-613f-45c8-bf97-385a5f4186ee (skoda.co.uk) or ask your dealer to provide one.

I bought a stand-alone CD player to plug into my laptop a few years ago, but it needed two USB connections and drivers for the laptop. I'd doubt it would work in a Karoq, or sit safely on the sliding cover or under the armrest. I'll not mention the make as it didn't work for long anyway. Chris

Fair points, but it doesn't seem directly related to when I'm using the heated steering wheel. I've been using the heated steering wheel most drives in the last few weeks, but the TA message only appeared twice and towards the ends of my journey. And it also came in the summer when I wasn't heating the steering wheel. Chris

Glad to hear that they've cured yours... but if the first new steering wheel was still faulty for you as well does that mean they've a quality control problem with the chips in the steering wheels I wonder, or a tolerance problem?? If mine persists I'll contact my dealer in the New Year and see what they say. Chris

Had my new steering wheel/controller fitted, but the 'Travel Assist not available' message has appeared again twice since then. It's intermittent, and as I never actually use the feature I can live with it, but I wonder if changing the steering wheel is a 'poke and hope' solution? The car software was also updated to 0276 (from 0270) at the same time to cute the SOS Error message that had just appeared. My previous 2014 Golf also had some intermittent assist problems - while overtaking lorries on cruise control it would occasionally get frit and try to apply the brakes (with no obvious problems like being too close or the lorry veering into my lane), and when driving in a straight line for a long time (typically up the top of M6 with no other traffic) it would complain I'd taken my hands off the steering wheel as its sensor relied on seeing small movements of the steering rather than having capacitive sensors. I learned to deal with those, so perhaps will have to learn to ignore the Traffic Assist not available warning as well 😞 Chris