SteveTheElder

Likewise, Autoglym here too; and yes, never wash when the car bodywork is hot, nor in full sun. I usually try for an overcast day and early on in the day.

Absolutely! Living in Hampshire with very hard water I end up with limescale type marks all over my dark coloured car after a wash. Very frustrating as I hardly noticed it with the previous silver coloured car. Given that my kettle still suffers with limescale build up even though I use a water filter I'd suggest they wouldn't be any good for the car either. Instead I use a silicone squeegee blade (loads on amazon) to wipe off the worst then a microfibre cloth to remove the final few drips. Works a treat; alas more work ☹️ The price we pay for tasty hard water (or where we choose/have to live).

In which case, call the dealer and ask them, or drop in and they should be able to provide a printout (for hopefully less than £36 😉). Likely as not their system hasn't been updated and is working on an annual service interval rather than variable.

In the app, the service record should be in the digital certificate: Inspect --> Car Details and scroll to the bottom

There are also different hardware versions; mine was swapped out as part of the investigations/diagnosis of the MPH/KPH issue nigh on four years ago. Later the s/w update for flickering gauges. All under warranty. AFAIK it’s a dealer/specialist job like @WaveyDavey mentioned.

Pointing towards the centre of the car does close the vent, but a very fine movement can slow down the flow rate without shutting off completely. Still aimed towards the centre though. Take a look in the Clima section on the Infotainment screen and have a fiddle. There are a few options to override the default/auto settings such directing more to feet or screen. Might find an acceptable solution in there. I just leave mine on and let it do its own thing for 99% of the time; if the cold (or warm) flow from the centre vents are too much I point it upwards and a tad more central. Very occasionally I'll use the voice control and tell it "my feet are cold" and for about a minute or so it blows warmer air through the appropriate vents.

Can see where you’re coming from, and I never drive like he does on a circuit. I do, however, drive on wet twisty roads from time to time and knowing about the differences in wet braking distances can be very useful, for example.

This internet can be such a pain at times!!! Anyway, on the subject of tyres, I usually have a watch of a few of this guys videos to help inform my decision. As always, reviews are subjective but at least he discusses the differences. The website is quite informative too. https://youtube.com/@tyrereviews?feature=shared

If you haven’t done this already, I suggest you force a restart of the infotainment system. With the car ignition on (engine doesn’t need to be running) and the infotainment loaded, tap and hold the on/off button for about 10 - 15 seconds. The system should restart. Hopefully that will clear the problem.

TBH I don't think such a storage box is available in the UK for Mk4 Octavias; used to have one on my Mk2 some 12 years ago, was quite handy. Perhaps message the team at @East_Yorkshire_Retrofits (forum sponsors), they may be able to find a part number

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.