SteveTheElder

Had a trip to Skomer Island (Pembrokeshire) last week. Still going through some 1500 photos, mostly puffins, some in flight like this one coming in to land...

Ah yes; I must learn to read the posts properly 😜

I can't find a way of getting the car to auto reconnect to the hotspot; I'd have thought it would like most other things. As an alternative, could you use an Internet Radio app on your CarPlay phone?

You’ve probably checked this but is there something in the sunglasses holder sliding around? Or maybe the storage bin between the seats. I keep phone charging cables in there and at time the they vibrate in the sides. First time had me guessing for ages.

The sound I'm hearing seems like creaking to me; is that the one you're referring too? If so, I think it's dry suspension or steering bushes (mine made a similar but much louder noise last year, that was steering bushes).

No need to do that. Once set up with [wireless] CarPlay the car will default to that as a connection next time. If there are multiple phones (like my wife and I) CarPlay connects to the last one used, usually mine, and hers connects via bluetooth.

'Exciting' (aka scary) news of an EV fire - a few minutes walk from me... https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25150141.moment-electric-car-burst-flames-chandlers-ford/

A short press on the voice control button gets you to Škoda Laura, a long press to Siri. Easiest option is voice control, saves taking eyes off the road and I find Siri via CarPlay very good for calls, messages, navigation, music selection (either Apple Music or [previously] Spotify). You can store favourites from FM and DAB channels too. Haven't yet used Internet Radio in the car other than BBC Sounds (which is a pain!).

To activate Siri, hold the steering wheel voice control button for a few seconds; the infotainment screen will change to CarPlay with Siri listening for commands. I’d recommend using CarPlay & Siri for calls, can also use it for ‘reading’ new messages, WhatsApp etc as well as dictating a message to send, for example… “Read new WhatsApp messages” “Send a message to name…” Interesting you have got internet radio working by tethering. I gave up before I got to that point 🙄 I’ll have a fiddle…

Also, a phone can connect in ‘traditional’ Bluetooth mode OR CarPlay/AndroidAuto, not both at the same time. As others have said, I use Siri.

Yep, the 1.5 is a four cylinder engine. It’s the 1.0 e-Tec that is three cylinder (and surprisingly capable).

You’ve got plenty of facts to lay before Škoda UK exec team highlighting how bad the dealer is. Should add weight to your case with them, and hopefully pressure on a dealer to get it resolved. Going back to the dust, mine got covered in dust over last weekend; looks awful. So yes, dust coming up from the Sahara dumped in southern Britain (happens several times a year).

That is appalling service by the dealer and clearly does not meet the standards for an approved used car. The system should have been updated to the latest s/ware version, for example. If they haven’t done the the things they committed to, then they should. Do you have those commitments in writing? That will help your cause. Škoda UK Exec Office could well be your ally. From my experience they funded a loan car whilst mine was sorted (but that was a Škoda ‘factory’ issue not a dealer issue). They will (ought to) want it sorted without tarnishing the brand. I suggest phone the dealer sales manager and lay it all before them, referring to their commitments and your email. Have photos of bodywork to send if need be. Insist they remedy it and provide a loan car (insured) whilst the work is done. If neither dealer nor Škoda UK will get it sorted then reject it. You’d need to be careful with timing though, and they may play that game, procrastinating till rejection time window is up. How you balance that with the distance to the dealer, your time, and single car is not really for me to say; tricky one! Hopefully others on here with more experience of dealer issues than I can advise further. Good luck…

Welcome to Briskoda. My engine sounds very similar to your videos; can’t hear any difference. OK mine is a 1.5TSi (NOT e-Tec) manual with about 58,000 miles (~94,000km). What is it about the noise of yours that makes you worried?

Then let me enlighten you… For me, it’s about capability, confidence, trust, value and rapport. If I get enough of each of those largely subjective values then that is the workshop I will use. At this time it happens to be the dealer from which I bought my Škoda; other dealers (not only Śkoda) and many local independent workshops come up lacking in one or more of those things I look for. Could get find an independent workshop that rates more highly overall? Probably, if I took the time and risk to find out. But I’ve lived in the area for 40+ years and experience has been underwhelming to say the least. So, being content with the dealer I’m continuing with them - until, that is, I have a need to look elsewhere, such as changing brand of car.

Lots of heavy traffic and steep hills... 🤣 I'd suspect a faulty sensor. By contrast, at the last inspection the dealer reported that my pads in my car were approx 50% worn; it had done about 55k miles at that time.

What I find interesting (or perhaps that should be concerning) is that on opening the updated app the Driving Score is showing not only the current period but any change since the previous one. So, previous versions of the app were also collecting the data. Why, for example, would the App need to know if a driver was speeding to show fuel economy, location, etc.? Unless I am mistaken that is collection and storing of information, linked to an individual, without having a relevant requirement.

Thanks very much, but… Seems I can’t turn it off ‘cos all I get is this No doubt one of the ‘joys’ of an early build car ☹️

I couldn’t find the option to turn it off. Any pointers welcome

According to the FAQs...

Just seen this update myself; the App Store entry includes this... And the App Privacy is fairly vague placing User Content in the "Data Linked to You" section. Can't see anywhere to arrange car insurance so I assume the feature is not [yet] available in UK. Couldn't see anything on the Škoda website about what they do with the driving score data. Just found this... https://www.skoda-auto.com/connectivity/driving-score

Yes, turning the steering wheel will restart the engine, presumably in anticipation of a manoeuvre.

Yes, that happens in the manual ‘box cars too. It uses the radar and I guess the car assumes you’re about to move forward. As @vfr says, with a DSG and ACC enabled it uses will move forward and/or stop by itself making traffic jams much less tiring.

Fair enough, but it'd be good to know the rationale behind your decision to disable stop/start. Maybe I/we have missed something.

I now only notice the stop/start when it doesn’t activate (e.g. with cold engine or heavy electrical load). My current and previous 2 cars fitted with it so nearly 200k miles and no issues with it whatsoever (one diesel, two petrol). The cars have manual transmission, so at junctions it’s easy to keep the engine running by keeping my foot on the clutch should I feel the need. The engine always restarts quickly so I’ve never felt the stop/start interfering with my driving. In the early days I thought that the repeated restarting would use more fuel so did some internet searches; found an article on a research paper which reckons that if the engine is off for 7 seconds or more there is a fuel saving as well as reduced emissions. Sadly I have lost the link to that paper. The batteries have held up well. Current car is 4.5 yrs old with 58k miles and I know that my previous car, now 11yrs old with 125+k miles are on their original batteries. Both are petrol.