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I'm sure I've read that OBDeleven can disable headlight washers (although this is illegal if you have LED headlights and may well fail an MOT), and also disable the audible warning if you open the driver's door while the engine is running (although I find that very handy with KESSY as I forget to push the On/Off button). Disabling the stop/Start feature seems to have been outlawed now, as the previous methods don't seem to work on recent cars. Chris

As I said, I was passed on to a technical support guy, not a customer service agent who can only read answers off a computer screen in front of her. But even he had to admit he hasn't been trained up on the new MIB3 systems! But interestingly I've since discovered a webpage at www.radiodns.org that explains a bit more. This organisation is leading a development of 'Hybrid Radios' which merge FM, DAB+ and the internet, and they say it already built into connected vehicles from Audi, VW Porsche and BMW. (I'd suggest Skoda are also now on this list.) I've been chasing up why we have missing radio logos, and it appears that the new radios do rely on the broadcasters transmitting the logos either via the internet or the DAB signal for the radios to see them and store them internally. So despite Skoda's Update Portal it looks like we won't get the missing ones until the individual radio stations start providing them. In other words we need to chase Classic FM, Smooth etc and not Skoda. To update the entire European maps over the internet link would take a long time I'd think, so I can see why the radio will only update your local maps. But how will you know when it's doing that? The database ID will need to be a hybrid between the 19.11 mine is showing and the new ECE 2020/2021 ID. Chris

How odd! With mine I can set the arrows for next station to either change to the next preset, or the next station in the alphabetic list. However there is also a setting (for DAB stations at least) where if it loses signal it can change to 'a similar radio station'. However its definition of similar isn't the same as mine so I turned that option off rather than suddenly being treated to a radio station I didn't want to listen to! Chris

Welcome to the Karoq. You can set the keys so they have different settings stored for them, if you have the 'Personalisation' option. This lets each key be set up for a different driver (but they may need to have their own profile set up for the car. Full details are in the manual (I have set my keys to be the same as my wife only uses her key to open the car if she gets back to it before me!) For running in, I use the following guidance (for a petrol car): Brake pads do not brake efficiently when new as their outer surfaces have to be worn in, so drive very carefully and allow for a greater braking distance than normal during the first 125 miles. Tyres do not grip well when new either, so corner gently for the first 300 miles. The car engine’s oil consumption and performance during its life is influenced by your driving style during the first thousand miles. So for the first 650 miles, never exceed 4,500 rpm, and avoid the use of Sport mode or full throttle. These restrictions can be gradually eased over the next 350 miles. Depending on your driving style and operating conditions, the engine can consume up to half a litre of oil over the first 650 miles, and consumption can be higher than normal over the first 3,000 miles. In practice I am also using the Eco driving mode to restrict any tendency on my part to accelerate too hard. Chris

I've read somewhere that the DKZA engine requires VW508.00 oil, but can't track it down now. This is one of the changes from the earlier 2.0TSI engines, and is of course common across all VAG cars with that engine. Certainly the Castrol Oil Finder at Skoda Karoq, NU7 (2017- ) Karoq 2.0 TSI (140 kW) 4x4 | CASTROL ENGINE OIL AND FLUID RECOMMENDATION recommends this oil for my car with no suggestion that it's only needed for variable servicing. I also took the view that it would have been set up in the factory for variable servicing (even though I've had mine switched to fixed term) so it would be better not to mix it with a different oil. Chris

This is a common problem for MIB3 Infotainment systems, and has threads in the Karoq section. I have started a thread in the general Infotainment section to try to collate these problems as many MY21 models will be affected. Chris

This is a common problem for MIB3 Infotainment systems, and has threads in the Karoq section. I have been in contact with a Skoda UK tech support guy, who confirms that: 1) Logos for popular stations such as Classic FM, Smooth..., Absolute... etc are not included in the Radio Logo file that you can download. (He was suggesting it might be due to licencing problems, although I don't really follow his argument.) 2) Even if you add the missing logos to the file and try to read it through a USB-C port, there seems no way to point the software to use them. I am also wondering if the MIB3 systems rely on the radio stations broadcasting their own logos (some do, but many don't) and so hasn't provided a way of adding your own. He has reported the problem back to Skoda HQ, but it seems to be VAG-wide, and so may need to be remedied by the MIB3 experts. I have started a thread in the general Infotainment section to try to collate these problems as many MY21 models will be affected. Chris

There are a number of threads in the Karoq section detailing the problems owners are experiencing with the MIB3 Amundsen and Columbus Infotainment systems. Basically, the Skoda Update Portal assumes that you still have a SD card slot for updates when it has been replaced by USB-C ports in MIB3 Karoqs, and the software doesn't recognise updated maps or radio logos on a USB memory stick. Typical threads are at: MY21 Amundsen Map update procedure - Skoda Karoq - BRISKODA MY21/Infotainment/Skoda Connect issues - Skoda Karoq - BRISKODA and MY 21 Amundsen Infotainment system - Skoda Karoq - BRISKODA. Presumably owners of MY21 Kamiqs, Scalas and Octavias will also be experiencing these problems? I have certainly seen similar complaints in VW Passat and SEAT Ateca forums. Could you add links to any other similar threads below, and if you are suffering consider making a complaint to Skoda UK via the Contact Form on the Skoda UK website at Contact Us form | ŠKODA UK (skoda.co.uk) Chris

I have sympathy with much of your post, but for MY21 cars (at least for the first year) there is no user charge for the data connection to the inbuilt e-Sim. And the only charge I can see to renew the Infotainment Online service after the first year seems to be €70 per annum (or €49 when it is on a special offer.) Chris

Sure, but the new generation 2.0TSI is designed to use that oil and not the more viscous ones. And to think Duckhams 20/50 used to be the Go-to oil! Chris

Don't be too dismissive! I've had two phone calls from a Skoda UK technical support guy about the missing radio logos, from the radio and update file, and about how you can persuade the MIB3 Amundsen to read the file. But even he had to admit defeat and say all he could do was to refer the problem back to Skoda HQ!

My 2.0TSI needs the 0W-20 VW508.00 oil as stated above - though I'd prefer the owner's manual to tell me this rather than refer me to a dealer! So as I like to keep a litre bottle in the boot, especially with a new engine that's likely to need top ups for its first thousand miles or so, I went off to Halfords to find some. There's a Mobil 1 oil that meets the specs, and I thought Halfords were selling it for £16.80, but it turned out not to be the right one. So I called in at my local VW dealer (Skoda's are further away) to find they had a Shell Helix VW508.00 oil at just £16 for the litre! Chris

Thanks for that. So they're confirming that the new ECE 2020/2021 file is the current mapping data, but since the online updates only apply to your locality the car's maps are likely to be a mix of the old and new? I certainly have auto updates turned on in my car since it told me it was downloading a small update a few weeks back. But the System Information says my navigation database is till 19.11. And I don't see why Skoda would provide a downloadable file for us if we can't install it! At least she's accepted that the Update Portal doesn't make sense, so hopefully it will get reported back and corrected. (I'm pretty sure it is a Skoda Czechia page, that it translated in the appropriate languages, as when you click on the small 'i' it gives you a note in Czech!) I presume you were chatting with Skoda UK over the webpage chat link? I had a similar protracted chat with Skoda UK's Twitter DM feed about radio logos, and came away with the suspicion that the customer services people can only follow a script on their computer screen, because after a while they gave up trying to provide answers and just transferred my query off to technical support. (Who also then found they didn't have any answers and could only promise to chase Skoda Czechia for answers!) Chris

Hope you're not a parcel courier! The Staffordshire Police have seen a spate of courier's cars being stolen when they pop out to deliver a parcel without switching the engine off!

The saving grace in the online updates is that I'm pretty sure it only downloads the updates for the region you are travelling in. So your local roads will be up to date, but not all roads across Europe. But that does beg the question about what happens when you go off for a summer touring holiday (covid permitting!). If I tell my satnav to plan a route to Zell am See in Austria (as I did with my Golf two years ago) when will it pick up the changes on German Autobahns etc?? Chris

Correction to above post. Having extracted the files on my PC, I find there are only 26.5 GB of files. So am presently copying to a USB stick which I've formatted as exFat with 4096 bytes set as the Allocation Size. I suspect the default Allocation Size setting caused my previous attempt to report back there wasn't enough space on the USB stick! Chris

I used the Contact Form on the Skoda UK website... at Contact Us form | ŠKODA UK (skoda.co.uk) Chris

The older MIB1 and MIB2 systems needed you to find the postcode button, and then enter a postcode. For the MIB3s, I believe you just enter the postcode in the generic input field, and the software will recognise it as a postcode rather than an address. Chris

It's not just Skoda as the same MIB3 systems are also being fitted in SEATs and VWs, with the same complaints being made in their forums too! So it's a VAG-wide problem - they've launched a new product without training their support staff or dealers, and with inadequate documentation! Perhaps a flood of complaints from customers will help them to prioritise remedial action? Chris

I agree with you, but I think the official advice from tyre experts is to have the best tyres on the back!

As I did on my previous Golf SV. But my new Karoq is wearing Bridgestone Duelers and I'm still waiting to find out just how much I'll miss them this winter! Chris

Not sure who you were aiming that comment at? I agree the Skoda Update Portal hasn't been updated to reflect the MIB3 Amundsen, and the video shows an SD card being inserted into a non-existent SD card slot! The VW Discover Media Gen 3 is I believe the VW version of the MIB3 Amundsen, and uses the USB-C slots instead. Chris

Michelin CrossClimate+ were my choice a few years ago, but from recent tyre testing reports they've now fallen behind the Goodyear and Continentals mentioned above. But there's apparently a 3rd generation Michelin on the way, so that may take the crown again. You have to watch the test conditions being used by the magazines, as the German ones in particular place a lot of weight on their performance in snow, which is less of a problem for me in the Midlands and so I place a greater priority on their performance in rain. Chris

I've been looking at the VW update portal - since the latest T-Roc also has a MIB3 satnav system, and owners are reporting the the same problems getting radio logos and updating maps. That leads me to : https://webspecial.volkswagen.de/vwinfotainment/dam/jcr:be0a282e-76bc-4f98-bf3c-bdd9d5294591/Discover Media Gen.3 June_2020_EN.pdf which is the download manual for their version of the updated maps. Interestingly, VW use the 7z compression format rather than Skoda's zip, but the actual files look remarkably similar. However their file covers Western Europe and only needs a 32GB USB stick. I'll have to go back to my downloaded Skoda file and see why the extracted files wouldn't fit on my USB stick tomorrow. Chris

I've read the update portal information, and it also says there's an update for my MIB3 Amundsen (to ECE 2020/2021). But it ignores the fact that MIB3 systems don't have access to the SD card, and would presumably have to update via the USB-C ports down by the gear selector. I've downloaded the 25Gb zipped update file, which seems to then contain 207GB of files! I haven't got a 256GB USB memory stick so can't get any further at the moment. The update webpage does imply this file covers the whole world, so I wonder if the Windows downloader program it fleetingly mentions only extracts the Western European maps or something? But I can find no further mention about this software. For online updates, I believe you just need a MY21 car with the Infotainment Online service active. (This is free for the first year for MY21 cars.) This is working on mine as I can see the petrol prices at nearby petrol stations, but it hasn't attempted to download a map update to my knowledge. (My Amundsen's System Information still shows the navigation database as 19.11.) As I've experienced elsewhere while trying to get radio logos for my presets, the factory seem to have started fitting the MIB3 Infotainment systems before telling the dealers or Skoda technical support how to answer these basic queries! Interesting days! And I've also seen a report on another Karoq forum that an owner has tried to update his maps and crashed the whole satnav system! So I think I'll hold off until I have clear instructions from Skoda on how we're supposed to do it Chris