CJJE

This has also been discussed here: Road Noise - Skoda Karoq - BRISKODA But the consensus seems to be that while adding soundproofing can help, a full job requires it being fitted between the floor linings and the metal panels. However if it's mainly coming from the boot, then it is easier to add soundproofing in this area. Chris

I'm assuming your car is fitted with the new MIB3 infotainment system (with the USB-C sockets and no SD card readers), so it will be interesting to see if Customer Support have realised this yet, and that advising you to download a file of Radio Logos, load it on an SD card and plug this into the car no longer works! (Incidentally, the file you download from the Update Portal doesn't include the logos I wanted such as Classic FM, or Smooth UK etc.) The consensus seems to be that the new VAG MIB3 systems can only show logos if they are transmitted by the radio station itself in its data stream. So any missing or out of date logos have to be inserted or replaced by the broadcaster rather than Skoda/VW/SEAT etc. For instance, one of my local radio stations - Signal 2 - was bought last autumn and rebranded as Greater Hits Staffordshire. But when I tune into this station name, it still displays the Signal 2 logo, and the Amundsen in my car cannot find find an up to date replacement instead. The more complaints the better though, as it may encourage the VAG infotainment designers to update the MIB3 systems by adding back in a way of loading our own logos again as we could in the superceded MIB1 and MIB2 systems! Chris

As someone who helped implement such a system way back when it was a novel Japanese idea (which we at least called Total Quality Management (TQM) I would have hoped that the system would automatically ensure it captured all complaints! As an aside, there was a tale going round that a British company ordered 10,000 widgets from a Japanese firm and specified that that there should only be .02% defective parts. When the box arrived they found a small package on the top of the consignment with a note. "We have packed the 2 defective parts separately for your inspection." Chris

For MY21 Karoqs at least: - the eCall service is free for the life of the car. - the Proactive Service (Info Call, Breakdown Call, Automatic Accident Call, & Service Sceduling) is free for 10 years. - the Infotainment Online Service (Parking Spaces & Prices, Petrol Prices, Online Map Updates, Online Traffic Information, Online Route Calculations & Online Route Imports) is free for first year and then chargeable. - the Remote Access Service (Parking Position, Honk & Flash, Speed Notifications, Area Notifications, Driving Data & Lock/Unlock) is free for first year and then chargeable - but some of these are free via a Connect Lite dongle. The 2 Skoda phone apps have been merged into a single app - My Skoda - although some information about your car such as when it was built has been lost. I'm surprised by your comparison with Ford though as a friend of mine who wanted to update the maps in his Escort was told by his dealer that it couldn't be done, and Ford wanted him to buy a new car rather than going on using his once it was 2 or 3 years old! Chris

My letter was sent on the 22nd, so probably not received until after Christmas. I'd be hoping for a response in the next week or so, or I'll escalate to the Head of Skoda UK. My telephone contact has phoned me today to say they can't progress this remotely and asked me to take it to my dealer. But as we're now in lockdown, and it's not vital, I'm putting that off for now. I also think it's a design problem rather than an individual fault, so unless the dealer can update the software I don't expect much from them. As it's a VAG-wide issue, I wonder if journalists in Autocar, AutoExpress or What Car might be interested in taking it up? Chris

It might be helpful to add this to your profile in the 'Location' and 'Model' fields as we can give better advice if we know these things Chris

If you have LED headlights, you can buy a spare bulb and fuse kit here: Skoda Karoq Spare Bulb Set (caffynsparts.co.uk) for £19.95. It includes a range of three types of fuse and there is no mention of any price increases (yet). Chris

I'm sure they can - at a price. But... I never had them on my previous Golfs, and didn't see the need for them to be added. It's easy enough to flick the selector between drive and sport when you want to, and I've never found the need to go fully manual even driving on steep hills and mountain passes. I have them on Karoq as they were fitted as standard, but have never used them. (The two left hand stalks are confusing enough ) Chris

Mine has the film type and cleared the snow and ice last week very quickly! Not having had the luxury of a heated windscreen (and heated steering wheel) I'm very impressed! Chris

And there am I at 74, going from a Golf SV SE to a Karoq Sportline! You're as old as you feel! (But I gave up my Octavia for a Golf Plus because I found the extra height of the seats easier on my back and legs!)

My dealer only looked at my Golf from the outside when he valued it, and only seemed to check for scratches and dents and mileage when I P/Xd it. But it was 6 1/2 years old so I'm pretty sure he was just shifting it on to another dealer or auction house anyway! Chris

Is that the MY21 Bolero rather than the Amundsen? As my MY21 Amundsen shows Device part number: 3V0035820B; Hardware: H22; Software: 0270. If your Info system is permanently online, then officially it should update itself online when you press 'Update software'. On mine at least that then gives you an option of three things to check for update. But having said that, the only update mine has done was chosen and installed automatically. (Don't know what it was, but it didn't take long, so wasn't the map update.) If however you have the MY20 systems (with SD card slots in the glovebox, you can update it yourself via the Skoda Update portal and an SD card. Chris

If you look at the Black Circles website (for example) they will quote the basic parameters for all the tyres on sale - fuel consumption, drive past noise levels, wet grip dry grip etc. AutoExpress and Autobild both give regular tyre tests. (My browser will auto-translate Autobild pages, usually pretty well) Chris

Don't know where you live, but I'm a huge fan of All Season Tyres for cars in the UK. Sure winter tyres are even better in the weather we've had recently in the Midlands, but I find All Seasons a good compromise, and save changing wheels over every six months. Continental All SeasonContact or Michelin CrossClimate + are both well recommended, if they come in the size you need. (I've only checked that I can buy them for my Sportline when the time comes.) Chris

I also took my Sportline 2.0TSI 4x4 out on the snow for the first time this morning. Despite my misgivings over it coming on Bridgestone Dueler summer tyres, I had no problems on the snow covered access road from my house to the gritted B road. I use Snow mode just because it was there, but don't know if it helped or not. When I returned I left it in Individual mode and it still handled and gripped OK. I'd previously enjoyed the heated steering wheel, and heated seats. But this time I used the heated windscreen as well. It cleared the ice quickly (I'd already swept the lying snow off the car yesterday when clearing my hilly drive.) You still have to de-ice the side windows of course, so my de-icing spray wasn't redundant! One thing that did alarm me was when I unlocked the doors and the mirrors unfolded. The driver's door mirror didn't move because the was packed snow blocking its movement. But clearing that, and giving the mirror a push unfolded it. I was concerned this could damage the motor, so have altered the settings for the winter so that the mirrors only fold and unfold when I tell it to with the mirror switch on the door Chris

I ordered some mudflaps from them and agree that they're very helpful. But now we've left the EU, they'll have to complete customs declarations and there's a risk deliveries will be delayed until it's proven that there's no import duties to pay. Chris

My Sportline came with three nets as standard. The one across the back seat in your pic, the one on the nearside, and the one shown across the open end of the boot but fitted on the offside of the boot. I already had one to fit across the floor of the boot (which originally came with my Skoda Octavia many years ago) and I've added that to the floor of the Karoq's boot. I also have a spacesaver spare wheel, and fixed height boot floor. But I can't advise you on the order code I'm afraid. Chris

That depends on the data allowance you've got with your phone!

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to look into how I tell it to connect to my WiFi. But I'm not sure if the system will update 'on command'. If I go into the System Information screen and press the Update Software button, it gives me three choices of what to update. (System, Radio and Other I think from memory). But none of these show any update file to download. Perhaps it will when it's connected to my WiFi? And I can't find any options to update the maps from inside the Navigation menus. Chris

Hi Eric, (for some reason 2 quotes have been picked up automatically!) I just sent my letter to: "The Head of Customer Services, Skoda UK, Brunswick Court, Yeomans Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes MK14 5LR" Chris

That wasn't the call centre... that was a guy in Multi-media support who'd been asked by my previous contact to see how I was doing. I think he's wishing he had asked more questions about the problems before phoning me now! Chris

Latest reply from Skoda UK technical support: the dataplan allowance on your built-in ESim card only supports Skoda Connect and not web radio. You will need to use your phone's data allowance to listen to web radio. When I asked how I could update my maps then he had no answer. I also pointed out that Skoda UK were advertising features (web radio and updating maps) with no mention of a data allowance problem. I've escalated the problems to the Head of Customer Services Skoda UK, to see what happens next. Chris

Just had a phone back from a new Skoda UK technical support guy (about three issues I had flagged to them - missing radio logos, no web radio, and updating the maps). They are now suggesting that the data allowance on my built-in eSim is preventing the list of web radio stations downloading. So I asked how it would cope with updating the maps. His default reply was to say we had to download it onto an SD card! So I updated him on MIB3 systems not having any, and that plugging a USB stick in had no effect. He's gone away to escalate it again. I've also written to the Head of Customer Services Skoda UK, as it would now seem that if the data allowance is stopping me seeing web radio stations or updating maps online, they are advertising features they cannot provide! Chris

And also the build date!

Now what I would like is a way for the car to remember the driving mode you last selected, rather than reverting to the default Normal mode! Chris