Black_Sheep

MFD - how very last generation Tony ;-) Digital dash is the future... have you not retrofitted yet?

OP - is this car a DSG? In all of the VAG MQB cars I have owned/driven, the mode stays the same. The only difference is on my two current cars, a MY19 Leon and MY19 A3, both of which are DSG; whilst the drive mode remains the same after switching the vehicle off, the DSG reverts to ‘D’ on start-up. So if Eco/Individual, Cupra/Sport/Dynamic etc is selected, when you switch off the car, the DSG reverts to D. In Eco/Individual, you have to reselect that mode, but all other modes, just flick the DSG box into sport mode.

Behind the glovebox on RHD cars.

OP were you after the ‘dish’ tray or mat? There are different types, hence the difference of opinions. I had the OEM rubber mat one (part number ending 160) - recently sold it and the matching rubber floor mats for £30. In in terms of it just being a mat, it has a sufficient enough lip to retain minor spills of fluids, damp from melting ice on ski boots & hiking boots, mud from football boots etc. Carpet underneath looked like new after 5 years, despite carrying a washing machine from UK to Germany for the car’s first 500 miles, two international house moves, various pushchairs/buggies, camping trips, skiing trips, holiday to southern Spain, multiple trips to the tip. Added bonus is the rubber mat insulates some of the noise from the rear.

You may be surprised to learn that “Linglong” is now the OEM space saver tyre manufacturer on my MY19 Cupra.

+1 for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on 19” rims. Replaced Conti Sport Contact 5 on the Cupra (4drive) at 3mm as ripping chunks of rubber from the tread - had these on VRS and FR previously with no issues, so perhaps not so good at 200+ ps. Blackcircles (owned by Michelin) currently have 15% off deal (c.£132 per tyre fitted) , and Costco have buy 2 £50 off, buy 4 &100 off until 21 Sep 19 (c.£127 (incl. VAT) per tyre fitted). Ran Goodyear Asymmetric 2 and 3 on 18” rim VRS - excellent, and very good rim protection. Also have Dunlop SportMaxx RT on 18” rims on our Audi - not too bad either. 2018 evo test results here: https://www.evo.co.uk/features/18309/best-car-tyres-evo-performance-tyre-test

Just ring up your local branch and order over the trade counter. It’s not really an online service, hence the poor search facility. https://tps.trade/centre-finder

TPS sell them with a few pence change out of £5. Part No is: 8W0919311

140,000 miles or 5 years (which ever comes first) for belt in UK on EA288 2.0 tdis. Mileage only in other markets. Make sure belt and tensioners are replaced (these come as a kit), but bearings collapsing on the tensioners is just as bad a damage to belt. The water pump is condition based, but as stated previously, previous modification states were prone to failure. The parts used are relatively cheap (belt kit, water pump); it’s the labour charges that are c.2/3 of the cost, hence, the economics of replacing the pump at the same time as the belt

As per other responses, depends upon your personal circumstances. From personal experience, cross climates were fine when used in cold and wet autobahn in Northern Germany; however, when I had to use them on untreated roads, especially in Southern Germany / Alps they would get you out of trouble, but will lose grip quite easily in conditions where winter tyres would navigate up slopes and around corners with no loss of traction. On steeper inclines in the Alps I had to chain-up, whereas others with winter tyres were able to drive unimpeded. The only consideration with chaining up, especially in UK, is how confident would you be exposed on the side of the road fitting them whilst other drivers not taking the same precautions are sliding about around you. My current vehicle has 19” 235mm width low profile summer tyres and 4x4 - I collected it mid-winter so didn’t bother fitting the winter tyres/wheels. It was ok in the 2-3” snow on the short sections of untreated slopes, in N.Yorks, Co. Durham, but will definitely fit my winter tyres/wheels this year. The cross climates definitely fall into the category mid-way between summers and winters; jack of all, master of none!

The stickers may have changed on WLTP cars - only list the standard and option wheel sizes, not all sizes (this is the case on MY19 Seat Leon and Audi A3). But in response to OP, the wheel sizes that can be fitted are here (this is for 2016 models, but the sizes will be broadly similar): http://www.oemepc.com/skoda/parts_lst/markt/CZ/modell/OCT/year/2016/hg/6/catalog/sk/drive_standart/753/lang/e 6,5Jx16” ET46 5/112 pcd 16” rims will fit all brake configurations less 340mm front discs (petrol VRS) which require 17” rims.

I had my timing belt replaced (on a TDI) after catastrophic water pump failure due to the fact that the coolant contamination causes the belt material to perish; I would also push for any belt tensioner to be replaced too. Obviously, above is relevant to what configuration the petrol engine actually uses.

Here is the link for independent garages/fleet users with own garages for access to erWin digital service records: https://erwin.audi.com/erwin/downloadStaticFile/dsp/audi/EN_DigitalServiceSchedule.pdf Obviously, you could create you own login to view. Skoda’s access is here: https://erwin.skoda-auto.cz/erwin/showDSP.do

Apologies in advance... I no longer own a Skoda, so not 100% current. However, most of the VAG marques have access to this information via an smartphone app or erWin. My’enter marque’ app, should allow you to see the service history online. Try downloading the ‘myskoda’ app and see what information is there. Audi also allows owners to view service history for free via erWin, and independent garages can update the service history to the erWin system via the portal - again, not sure if Skoda have followed this yet, but probably not far away.

I had my Cupra wheels (gloss black, diamond cut 19”) coated with C5 when less than 24 hours old - to be honest, I’ve been really disappointed - it was professionally applied, but has never been great at repelling brake dust, which quickly bonds to the surface. I clean my car at least once per week, and use bilberry (I wish that I could get Dr Wack P21S in the uk at a price that isn’t ridiculous - amazing stuff). I’ve had much better results just sealing/waxing every 6 months.

And some wheel nuts??? I purchased the 17” Dezent TD / ET 40, with 225/45/R17 tyres whilst living in Germany - this was in late 2013 when 18” low profile winter tyres were hard to obtain and cost £££! Spigot rings 66.6 mm to 57.1 mm, and M14 x 1,5 28mm 60 deg taper/cone bolts (including locking nuts) These are a tight tight squeeze over the 340mm front brake set up - just have to be careful that the less competent tyre fitters don’t place low-profile balance weights on top of each other! Now that 18” tyres are more widely available, if I was to purchase now, I would opt for the larger size.

Press and hold the power button on infotainment for 30 seconds. This will reboot and the issue will go away. Common gremlin on all of the MQB platform cars that I’ve owned with mode switch.

TRW are the OEM for the VRS brake discs/pads/callipers. The OEM parts can be purchased under the ‘trade club’ at TPS relatively cheaply c.£65 for the front pads IIRC - significantly less than the dealers.

There are a number of reasons: With your VIN and registration number visible to a single car (i.e. linked via your user name) it makes your car far easier to clone. Ok, a vehicle on the forecourt of a garage is equally able to provide the same information as the VIN can be viewed via the front screen, but why make it easy for unscrupulous people? There are a number of readily available websites where your VIN number can be used to access various data about the vehicle and it’s ownership. Photos of your vehicle on forums may provide geo-tagging data giving its whereabouts. Your insurance company will be able to complete a forensic search of this data on the web if the vehicle is ever involved in an serious accident, linking to the fact that you are potentially modifying a vehicle without declaration.

Top tip: when you post the scans from a vehicle, I would recommend removing the chassis number (VIN).

As per my advice on an other thread recently, when you replace the battery, once you have removed the old battery, you need to press one of the buttons on the fob prior to inserting the new battery. This resets the fob and allows the key to recognise a new battery. This should resolve a number of the key related issues. The gearbox changes down when on an incline when coasting (same sensor as hill hold) - this is to provide optimal control of the car using engine braking (there are a number of speed / inclination sensors that detect this). The auto-headlights can be adjusted in the vehicle settings menu; if they are coming on too late for you, then change from late/medium to early - this will make them more sensitive. If trying to start a diesel on a cold morning, you need to turn ignition on and wait for the glow plug symbol to extinguish before trying to crank the engine - if you try to crank immediately the car will only start when this is achieved hence the delay. Error message - have you applied handbrake and left vehicle in P before switching off? If not an error screen appears. This may sort a few of the issues on your list.

Like Matt the OP, I too have said farewell to the VRS; unfortunately, due to WLTP, it was 3 months later than originally planned! Again, like a number of other Briskoda members, I too have defected to another VAG brand, opting for a Leon Cupra ST (hint to Skoda - Octavia with 4WD and Petrol!). 500 miles in, I'm very pleased with my purchase, and hope that I do not miss the heated front screen and enormous boot too much. Whilst I'm spending a lot more time on the SeatCupra.net forum, I'll still be lurking on here from time to time. Any how, thanks for all of your advice, and I hope that I was able to assist others just as much.

As per the title, has anyone upgraded their old VCDS cable to one of the newer variants? It states that its c.$149 to upgrade to Hex-V2 Enthusiast (10 Vin) on the Ross-Tech website; however, has anyone form the UK/EU done this yet? I can only see the price for new cables on the UK sites.

Ok, the new wheels have finally arrived 3 months late due to WLTP. Will try to catch up with you guys in the new year! If only the Octavia was available as a 4WD petrol...

No LED signifies that the battery has been discharged and requires replacement; however, once you have removed the battery you are required to press one of the buttons on the fob to reset fob prior to inserting the new battery.