gobiman

Interesting topic and thanks to all who contributed. Off to Costco next week to get a set of Cross Climates for my Mother's Yeti - about £125 a corner fitted with £50 off for 4 on 17s. I've put the Spitzberg alloys with the original Pirelli P Zeros on ebay and the Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes will follow once I've got them off.

Would be very interested in the conclusion of this thread. My Mother's Yeti had the heated screen option when ordered (just checked) two years ago but not fitted.Missed it at the time. However had a big chip in glass and replaced under the insurance policy. Presumably they checked what was required on a Skoda system because a heated screen turned up with the man+van. My Mother (more for convenience) had the heated screen fitted and the fitter apparently hid the wires behind dashboard. Would a competent mechanic be able to "wire it in" presumably with a switch somewhere? Any other issues? Any views/advice gratefully received.

I did my Mother's winters to summers at the weekend. Quite easy with the right kit - 1. Costco 3T trolley jack (about £80) with rubber ice hockey puck to spread load on sill(under £5 on ebay). You can get a perfectly serviceable trolley jack for £50. 2. Torque wrench from Lidl (£15.99) - TUV calibrated and tested. 3. Alignment tool to put in bolt hole for putting wheel on which makes things very easy (£7.99 on ebay). I found that the locking wheel nuts are simply not as tight as the other 4 and can't easily be tightened to 120.

Don't wish to upset anyone but everyone should be looking for at least a £3k discount on a Yeti above £20k. I managed £4k on one last year with list price around £27k with the options. Local dealer offered £300. I ordered another car today (a Ford) through drivethedeal getting 21% off list and out of curiosity put in an L&K Yeti with list of £25k and the price came back under £22k. Personally I regard it as an advantage not to have to deal with a salesman and various clumsy attempts to sell me finance, gap insurance etc. I accept people may not like selling privately but there are alternatives like BCA sure-sell.

Or try a dealer in the British Forces area of Germany. They will speak good English and be familiar with ordering RHD cars and UK specs.

My Mother (79 and 5 ft zero) was looking at a Polo. I took her to test drive a Yeti and she loved it - which was unexpected. Crucially she can get a comfortable driving position. In most cars she can't reach the pedals or has the wheel (with airbag) far too close to upper body. She also liked the height, easy access and styling/looks in white. She had come from a BMW 328i auto and we went for the 140 DSG. Our ideal would have been a 1.8 petrol 4x4 with DSG but sadly doesn't exist. The diesel is a good strong engine and no issues with DPF so far. She also likes the size and road presence. Sadly people in smaller cars do get "bullied" particularly by white van man. The Yeti is sufficient bulk and presence to avoid this without being enormous.

The vreds do come in 225/50 R17. That's what I put on the other week on dolomite alloys. I bought them from a garage in Birmingham (Longbridge Tyres). Had to be ordered (5 days) and came in at £142 per corner. Tyremen online usually stock them.

I put a set of Vredestein Wintrac Extremes on my Mother's Yeti last week (on 17s). I've been pretty impressed driving the car for a couple of days. The guy at the garage said he has a number of people who swear by them and leave them on all-year round as their summer performance is only very marginally worse but winter grip far better. They also wear well. Cost me £142 per corner all in (inc tracking and balancing). If I could only have one set of tyres (or could have specified them new), I would go with them. Depends on personal circumstances ( and particularly where you live) but I think dedicated winter are better than "all-season" if grip and safety are the priorities. I have a set on my X5 which I take skiing twice a year - no issues at all driving at fast autobahn speeds for hours.

Sorry £15.99 for torque wrench!

Personal view but I wouldn't even think of having winter tyres without a separate set of rims for them. If you look at how tyres are taken off / put on , it is similar to levers on a bike tyre but with a slightly scarey machine and simply can't be great for structural integrity doing it twice a year. As well as the risk highlighted of damage to wheels by the garage bloke (and it is usually the junior bloke there doing it!!), there is also the question of getting them rebalanced. For well under £100, you can buy a trolley jack, torque wrench (great one in Aldi for £25.99) and do it yourself. Once both sets of wheels/tyres have been set up (balanced/tracked) on initial fitment, you can mark them with chalk for the relevant axle and front/rear and then easy on/off. That's what I do twice a year for free. Takes about an hour. Added advantage is that you can inspect the tyres coming off for nails etc.

+ 1 for the weekly/fortnightly wash down. With "elf an saftey" in the ascendant, most councils will shovel out vast quantities of salt at the earliest opportunity. A simple wash down in the arches and underneath for 5 mins is, in my view, the most effective treatment (particularly if you are not on a water meter).

Just bought three 17 dolomites from Allams in Epsom. Paid £137 each with 10% discount as they are forum sponsor. Was quoted £249 by other dealers I tried.

Some interesting comments! 1. On the alloys, I actually like the Dolomites over the Spitzbergens the car came with hence wanting them for the winter rims. Been looking on ebay for a while but only managed to pick up one (for £40).If anyone is selling at these levels do please let me know!!!However that does help take the cost down and the cost at £150 each new is pretty cheap in comparison to my other cars (my x5 ones are thousands and the AMG ones on my wife's merc are astonishingly expensive - albeit very attractive). I'd say Yeti owners are lucky there. 2. Thanks for the comment (JohnYeti) on Bickertons - I'll try them in the morning. However all the research I've done suggests the list price is £249 inc VAT for a 17 Dolomite from a dealer - that's what I have been quoted by a couple in the West Midlands. If I can get them for £120 I would be delighted. That would make the comparative costings (new) of just over £200 vs £400 for steel vs alloys - in my view it's a no brainer but clearly understand others here who would rather have a spare £200. Thanks for the information for a new member.

I'm going for 4 Vredestein Wintracs 17s (£572 fitted, balanced etc) from a garage in Birmingham. Buying a set of Dolomites from Allams who were cheapest at £153.

Just had the steels vs alloys debate (with myself). Steels cost a bit over £200 for 4. I already have one dolomite alloy. To buy another 3 is £450. For me, I am prepared to spend £250 to maintain the look. I quite like the steel "utilitarian" look (like my old army LR) - but only in the snow or where it is a proper working car. It is my Mother's car and I know she will not like that look at all!