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My sincere apologies, guys. A more detailed inspection of the photo taken of the old filter shows that although it appeared not to have been changed, it has. Sorry to waste your time. Car maintenance is still a mystery to me, after various disastrous attempts at it. I had checked this out before posting though, and I gather that some manufacturers, possibly including VW, are only recommending filter changes every other service. Seems crazy to me, but what do I know?

I've been very happy with the dealer so far, over several years, but this time I strongly suspect that the oil filter hasn't been changed. The oil clearly has, which is the main thing, but unless Skoda have started stipulating that the filter doesn't need changing every time on low mileages (very low on this car - less than 2000 a year!) it's been missed by accident or design. I'm not sure which. How critical is it if it hasn't been changed? I appreciate that it's by no means ideal, but how big a deal is it in terms of the longevity of the engine (gently driven, low mileages but always sufficient for the engine to heat up properly!). Or have Skoda started allowing fewer filter changes on their service plans? If I do insist on a new filter, can it be changed quickly and easily, with just a top-up of the oil lost? Thanks for the assistance, as always - if only I understood car engines and their workings!!! Great car though (and all the original advice several years ago was sound and appreciated) - very surprising secondhand values too. A potential classic, I suspect.

I know this is a bit of an old chestnut, but we're talking maybe around £129 now for an air-con service and that's a LOT of money! My understanding (quite possibly wrong!) is that there's no point paying for any air-con top-ups or services unless the system's not cooling the car effectively. What's the feeling here, guys? Last done about 4 years ago, Yeti approaching its 10th anniversary.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. The only time we ever hear this though is after the engine’s switched off and the car’s stationary. It starts a couple of minutes after everything’s switched off and continues for half an hour or so. Both cars do it, and always have. Not remotely bothered about it - just curious!

Could be that, and it could indeed be something to do with the climate control system, but it continues for maybe 20 minutes or so. You wouldn't normally do that of course (and you wouldn't hear it if you had the radio on or were chatting) so most people probably wouldn't have heard it. The sound is very much like that of a bird walking on the roof.

Petrol. It’s always happened on both Yetis ever since new, some years back, and I’m confident it’s a design feature, done for some very good reason. It’s as if something somewhere quite small is oscillating. Not a mouse by the way. Unless there’s one in each car! Sounds rather like a pigeon on the roof or bonnet - but isn’t.

Just curious. After parking and switching off ignition, there's a sort of fluttering noise apparently coming from somewhere at the front of the car. Just a few seconds at a time, and intermittent. It's always puzzled me - then I thought, someone here's bound to know!

Never sure about these things because the handbooks tend to include things that aren't standard to all models, but am I correct in thinking that all models of the Yeti came with Factory Fitted Thatcham Alarm AND Immobiliser? It's a standard insurance question, and I'd always assumed it was just the alarm, but it does seem that there's a Thatcham immobiliser too (Cat 1). Am I right please?

Autotechnica’s a Hull VW group specialist with, I think, a good local reputation. The only reports here about D M Keith Hull have, I think, been positive. Have you had a bad experience with the Hull branch then?

Any thoughts on these Hull servicing options please?

I'd welcome any views on this dealership from anyone using them - not usually that keen on main dealerships, but sometimes it's unavoidable for warranty purposes!

The deal's only £3500 for factory orders, but it's structured so that the £3500 is added to the deposit paid by the purchaser, thus reducing the total purchase price by £3,500. Withdrawing from the PCP within the first 14 days (a legal entitlement) seems to make no difference. The price is fixed at the time the PCP is taken out. That's my interpretation anyway - others may have a different view.

Have you considered the possibility of taking the PCP, but cancelling within the 14 day cooling off period?

Looking to place an order for a Kodiaq, factory order. Skoda are offering £4250 towards the cost on a PCP contract, but I'm looking to pay cash. Don't want to lease - it's a long-term purchase. I gather you can end the PCP within 14 days cost-free. Is this correct still? And isn't there a risk that Skoda will claw back their £4250 if you do that? Or are there other ways to get a decent Skoda contribution over and above any dealer discount?

Looking to place an order for a Kodiaq, factory order. Skoda are offering £4250 towards the cost on a PCP contract, but I'm looking to pay cash. Don't want to lease - it's a long-term purchase. I gather you can end the PCP within 14 days cost-free. Is this correct still? And isn't there a risk that Skoda will claw back their £4250 if you do that? Or are there other ways to get a decent Skoda contribution over and above any dealer discount?

Thanks - that's the way we did it last time. Around 14% discount on a Yeti. Local dealer did match the broker price, more or less, after a little 'discussion'. Just wondered whether this approach still held good, and what the likely available discount is on a Kodiaq at the moment - I'm assuming cars are going to be difficult to shift over the coming months.

Actually I'm the happy owner of a Yeti, but daughter looking to replace her 11 year old diesel Touran (only 85,000 miles on the clock but getting to a certain age) with something big enough for a family of 4 plus friends. Another Touran perhaps? Or the Kodiaq? A Volvo? The VW or Audi Kodiaq equivalent? So many choices. Any thoughts, please? And if it is to be a Kodiaq, any tips on where to get the keenest price?

Thanks guys. I think this needs a rethink. I've managed to misinform myself about the Skoda range.

Daughter currently has a VW Touran but looking for a replacement in the shape of a Kodiaq - mainly for the 7 seats. Any thoughts on the Superb as an alternative? Or indeed any other Skoda?

Thanks. Sound advice. I do rely on the garage to pick up and deal with any problems, so the additional checks included in the £279 are probably worthwhile to me, but I entirely take your point. VW have always been experts at confusion marketing, so I suppose it was inevitable that they’d infect Skoda with it.

OK - had the chance to check what's going on now. Again, thanks for the useful help on this. March 2018 Major service cost £279 (not on a plan at that point) and included oil filter, air filter, pollen filter and spark plugs March 2019 Interim service done under Plan and included the dust and pollen filter. So under the Plan, the next service is Major - but the plugs don't get changed at that point? I'd always assumed that was just a standard part of the £279 service - and it is unless it's a service plan it seems? That seems crazy to me, but doubtless good business for Skoda not to bother.

That's very interesting, and thanks. There's a lot of confusion marketing going on here clearly, though Skoda have specifically confirmed that it includes both a major and an interim service. I'm on fixed interval servicing and currently paying the dealer the usual prices for those two services in alternate years so on the surface it looks like a saving. It may still actually produce a saving though because even paying what I do to the garage I doubt they actually change anything more than is actually required! Who knows!

Not so sure about that. The Service Plan I already have in place just involves going to the local Skoda dealer and having it serviced there in exactly the same way as I always did. Same service schedule, same services - just no bill to pay at the end because the Service Plan covers the cost. The only difference seems to be the way that payment's made and taken.

And all the more so, presumably, for a very low mileage vehicle like mine doing only around 2500 miles a year? Never, ever, sure what sort of servicing it needs with that sort of ludicrously small mileage! Obviously annual oil changes are critical, but how much more than that it needs, and how often, is arguable. I still allow it the luxury of a major service every year and an interim every other year, but that's probably overkill. It's spoiled, it knows it, but it's got to last until it's at least 10 - ideally longer! 😁

Theoretically, given that these plans do apparently include one Major and one Interim service (after checking) totalling £468, the £405 cost (inflation proofed) seems reasonable. What am I missing? Is it the fact, if that's the case, that spark plugs etc aren't changed at every major service?