SteveTheElder

These are whom I emailed… [email protected] [email protected] as yet, no response from the DPO ☹️

Totally agree, especially for private use vehicles, and is the gist of my email to the Škoda DPO.

I’ve given feedback to the Support team and expressed my frustration that whilst I pay the subscription for what I consider useful services (which includes the likes of mpg, distance, etc) disabling the driving score (which I don’t ask for) also disables stuff I pay for. Also asked them to pass the feedback as a requirement to the development teams (which they agreed to do). And yes, have emailed to the DPO too.

Yes, somewhere in there I think; probably the Individual Mode settings.

Yes, the slightly odd feeling under braking is a ‘feature’ of the mild hybrid technology; the regenerative braking. It’s a while since I drove an e-Tec model but IIRC there are some configuration settings to tweak the regen behaviours. Sounds like you have a nice spec car - enjoy!

Had an email response from Škoda Support - I had queried how to opt out. The original FAQs said through the App... I couldn't find anywhere in the App to do so. Today's email told me it was in the car Infotainment System 🤷‍♂️. And guess what, the FAQ has in 36 hours been updated to this... What it doesn't say is what else is lost by activating Private Mode 🙄. That's the topic of my reply.

There is/was loads of weird $%@! going on with the infotainment system in the early builds of the mk4 Octavias. In my 2020 build the satnav, smart link (CarPlay and AA) and cruise control worked fine (except left- / right- hand drive confusion) on Infotainment version 16xx. Currently on 1941 all updates by the dealer under warranty - but no OTA updates beyond that 🤷‍♂️ But yes, if it's an approved used car from Škoda, the dealer should have updated ALL s/ware to the latest versions before sale.

How did you fix it?

Just over four years ago I moved from a 2014 1.4TSI Mk2 Superb hatch/twindoor to a 2020 Octavia Estate Mk4 1.5TSI. Both manual 'box cars. For space & size, the rear legroom is notably less in the Octavia whereas the rear headroom is better. Having said that, there is still room for a 6 footer behind me and I'm 6' 4" tall. The boot is a similar size, perhaps a tad smaller in the Octavia but the difference is not significant (to me, and I usually end up with a full boot on long trips!). Comfort is a very subjective thing. The ride in the Superb I reckon was a tad better, the longer wheelbase reducing the impact of bumps and undulations in the road. The recommeded tyre pressures are notably higher for the Octavia (presumably for fuel efficiency and WLTP reasons) so it is a little harsh at times but never feels an issue. Are there better ride and handling cars out there? Yes! Is the Octavia good enough? Yes! As always, larger wheels, lower profile tyres equals a more harsh ride; mine is on 17" wheels with 205/55 tyres; it is fine. Reliability. Mechanically, faultless. The car is now a tad shy of 60k miles (bought it at 2.5k) and it's been absolutely fine. Infotainment System is a different story. Mine being a 2020 build suffered pretty much all of the early faults. The good news is that mine is working very well now, just the very occasional niggle but the last was so long ago I can't remember what or when it was - and I'm not even on the latest s/w version for the pre-facelift models. Current, FaceLift, models have a different Infotainment System to that fitted in pre-FL cars; alas, I can't comment on its reliability. Sorry, but I have no idea what type of timing belt the 1.5TSI has; and I understand there has been a revision to it since mine was built anyway. Performance. Again, a subjective topic, but for me it is more than adequate. Take it beyond about 2800RPM and it comes alive, but to be honest I rarely need to take it above 3500RPM anyway. At lower revs. (1500-2000) its doesn't pull as well as my old 1.4 Superb (non ACT, 125PS version - NOT the 150PS ACT version) but again, most of the time it is adequate. I just don't bother with 5th or 6th at 30mph. Fuel Economy. I'm one of those folk who records fuel and mileage in a spreadsheet 🙄 but it does come in handy from time to time 👌. The Octavia is about 14% more fuel efficient. Over 55k miles the Superb averaged 48.9mpg compared to similar distance in the Octavia at 55.2mpg. On long motorway journeys at the legal limit and a full load I often get 63+mpg out of the Octavia. I understand that the 1.5 e-Tec (MHEV) DSG versions are slightly better than my version.

How cold is cold? Seems an odd question for me to ask but bear with me... I usually leave my Clima settings on Auto. This will blow warm air to warm the cabin as required but then after a short time, when the cabin has warmed up) the air flow reduces and the air coming from the vents does feel cool. But not cold. Any air at ambient temperature flowing over our skin will feel cool because of moisture evaporation and I reckon is normal with the Clima on Auto which heats or cools the fresh external air as necessary to maintain the internal temperature. Another thought, with several bodies in the car and/or driving in to strong sunlight the air inside the cabin will naturally warm up so the Clima system will likely move from a heating phase to a cooling phase to maintain the set temperature.

I’d assume that too. That assumption based on the fact that as soon as I opened the new version of the app, the driving score was shown; the data must have been there on the Škoda servers for the app to read.

AIUI all Mk4 Octavia’s have SmartLink capability (for CarPlay, Android Auto). I think some early builds needed a cable connection for Android Auto). Which spec level is yours (SE, SEL, …) not that is should make any difference.

Thanks @HenPen , but frustrating! I wonder if (or when) there will be a class action to force Śkoda to make changes and/of compensate owners 🤔

Just a thought, have you tried using voice control? I have my music in a USB drive in folders by artist then album; and then ask Laura something like “play artist name”. Works fine for me.

The speeding element of the driving score is completely unreliable as it is based on the speed limit information in the built in satnav - in my case anyway. The car does not have road sign recognition; the satnav database is always out of date (as is any published mapping, TomTom, Google or whoever). Temporary speed limits are not going to be in there either. As for privacy, I gave up with Customer Services and am in email dialogue with the data manager. Under GDPR they are not allowed to store personally identifiable data that is not relevant, and any data that is, only with specific permission. My main complaint is that I can’t even get to the Vehicle Data Access permissions screen to turn it off. Apparently it’s not applicable to my vehicle.

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