Ooopnorth

Apologies to mods. in advance, but I can't find a section for independent VAG/Skoda specialists on the forum. Anyway, I'm looking for an alternative to the Skoda specialists I've been using for years (change of management) and wondered if anyone had experience of : Vasstech Garage ServicesVW & Audi Group Garages In North Yorkshire | VAG SpecialistsFind your nearest Vasstech garage, specialised in VW models, for expert servicing, MOTs & repairs across Durham, Darlington, Teesside & Knaresborough.

Karoq TDi - 2024 4x4 My partner has just returned with her Karoq having completed its second annual service (17,000 miles). I've just compared the current with the previous invoice and noted that last July it was filled with "HUXIL3 0 W30 Longlife oil VW Shell Helix 5 litres", while this year it's 'HUXIL4 Longlife 4 0-20". Any ideas why a service might have used 0-20W this year rather than 0-30W as previously? Why the thinner oil?

I've just had the bad luck of getting a puncture that was not safely repairable in my Subaru's winter tyres, which as it's permanently in 4x4 means I had to replace all four tyres. Fortunately, I had the summers to put on, it's the end of March, and the winters were ageing anyway (a bit like me!). Got me thinking. My wife has a Karoq 4x4. Obviously, a Haldex system isn't permanently in 4x4 drive. But, If she was unfortunate enough to be in the same position, with a puncture in one tyre that wasn't repairable, would she have to replace all four tyres too, or just the two on the effected axles? I've tried to find reference to this in the owner's manual, but couldn't find any information. I seem to recall that when I had both of my two Yets, over 10 years ago now, there had been something similar then. Maybe the haldex system is more advanced now?

Yes, we had that too with the car and yes it did seem 'low-rent' :). I've managed to download a manual now and that will suffice. Thank you.

Excellent find. Thank you.

First up, I know I'm going to sound like a silly old fossil, but here goes and I'll do my best not to descend into a rant. Last October my partner took ownership of a nearly new Karoq - Diesel 4x4 SE L. We've had a string of Skodas over the last 25 years or so. I happened to ask her yesterday if the service reminder had flagged up (as I recalled the car was first registered in June 2024). No, she said, but the adblue now chimes 1400 miles to go. I went out to the car and delved into the 'car' menu and found that the stated service is reading "inspection in 12100 miles or 463 days, oil change service in 15000 miles or 98 days". I've/we've always had our cars serviced once every 12 months or every 10,000 miles, whichever came sooner. There appeared to be no way, on screen, to change the service interval to our own preference. Of course, there's no hard copy manual. So I logged on to the digital manual (cue mad deranged cackle of descent into insanity) and searched for service interval changing. A bewildering number of options appeared, none of which matched the simple 'how to reset he service interval' came up. The closest I found told me how to do what I'd already done to read the service setting in-car, but with dire warnings about changing this (with no indications of how I could change then anyway) Urrrgh,. Anyway, we've just booked the car into our favourite, long-time supporting, independent Skoda Specialist and they're going to sort it the week after next. But, I'm still interested in asking whether anyone knows how to reset the service interval to avoid the dreaded variable interval set-up? Better still, does anyone know how to lay our hands on a proper hard-copy manual? I'm guessing not as it'll form one of those banned sacred text hidden in a deep bunker in the Czech Republic. Thank you for your patience. PS, we've asked if the garage can also have a wax treatment of the underside as our last Fabia (80,000 miles) was showing premature aging due to the high level of salting on our very rural northern lanes. Good idea or not?

The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 have proven to be effective over this winter, albeit we've not had such sustained low temperatures this year and minimum snow fall.

I've tried searching this forum and also searching online but I can't seem to find a way of putting the key fob to sleep. Maybe that's not an option with Skoda. What do I mean? On my Subaru, there is the facility to switch the key off, so its presence near the car door handle will not open the car keylessly. Instead the 'open' button has to be pressed to 'wake the key up'. This sleep mode is achieved by holding the 'open' button on the fob while simultaneously pressing the lock button twice in quick succession. So the key stops emitting a signal. I follow this procedure whenever I arrive home and hang the keys up in the key store near the front door. Obviously, it's an extra security feature. Can I do something similar with the Karoq?

Yes, I've increasingly physically acquired lots of creaks and clunks, especially when stepping out of bed first thing in the morning . I like the idea of a velcro type cover, and I'm wondering if also some soft plastic wrapped gently 'stuffed' into the space might discourage some detritus accumulation, but also be sufficiently malleable to not impede the movement of the towball should one forget to remove it when pressing the release button.

Ah, to grease or not to grease! There's so much debate around this. To the best of my knowledge (and it's not great to be honest) it depends on the type of hitch you have. Some absolutely require greasing, while others absolutely do not. Here's a taste https://foldingcamperworld.com/should-i-grease-my-towball/ All I can say from experience is that everyone I know who tows, about a dozen or so horsey folk (and these tend to be horse trailers,) don't grease. But that may be out of their ignorance, given that some of them seem to have not a great clue about towing weights, etc.. I guess the best source of knowledge would be direct from the manufacturers of the trailer/caravan. I like the idea of regular WD40-ing the retractable towball. I was a bit surprised when we collected the Karoq and checked out the mechanism to not see some sort of hatch cover as it's an obvious muck collecting pocket. although this would interfere with the easy operation of the electric mechanism and require another step in the operation process.

Searching this question more widely (e.g on Money Saving Expert, and elsewhere), it seems that Admiral, for one, are an insurance company that asks you to list the optional extras too, that came with the car from new, as well as after- market modifications. One post, on another forum, also quoted AXA as voiding their insurance as the car had "paint protection film" added to it. I do remember some 15 - 20 years ago when winter tyres were becoming more wide spread in their adoption, that some insurance companies required notification of this, and one or two increased the premium as a consequence, which seems counter-intuitive. Hey ho.

Just read an article in the Daily Telegraph about a couple who had, initially, their insurance cancelled and not paid out following an accident when the company. Flow, found out they had a tow-bar fitted, even though this had no bearing on the accident. Here's the link: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/six-figure-claim-rejected-crashed-mercedes/ It's probably behind a paywall so here's the gist. ‘My six-figure claim was rejected after I crashed my Mercedes’ "Katie Morley Investigates: our reader faces a monumental bill – thanks to a tow bar" ...the Ombudsman’s final decision went in favour of Flow. It said we were careless for not declaring the tow bar. He referenced the Consumer Insurance Disclosure and Representations Act, which states that the information the consumer provides to the insurer can be described as “misrepresentation” where it is “incomplete or misleading, either carelessly, deliberately or recklessly.” It all ended happily for the couple after the 'consumer champion' intervened, but: "While I’m pleased for you I’m left feeling deeply curious as to why Flow had a sudden change of heart when I started demanding to see evidence. It’s rare for companies to overrule the FOS in such cases, as they really don’t have to. Meanwhile, drivers with tow bars and roof racks and the like may well be ringing up their insurers pronto. And they’d be right to be cautious." Raises some questions, such as if you have a factory prep towbar option, does this count as a 'modification' or indeed any of the other option packages such as the 'performance pack'? When taking out insurance, I'd thought most usually don't see factory fitted options as modifications, and to most insurance companies a Karoq or other model, after taking into account the engine size, fuel type, etc. presumedly would be considered the same. So, does anyone on here list their factory options as 'modifications'?

My understanding, is that if your vehicle is a permanent 4x4, then you need to ensure that the tread depths, tyre make and models, are very closely aligned on all four tyres, or it can cause all sorts of problems with the transmission eventually (according to Subaru, for example). For a part-time/on demand 4x4, such as with the Skoda haldex system, I also think Skoda recommend this too, if I recall from my old Yeti's handbook. However, I haven't read that section yet in my partner's newish Karoq 4x4. Certainly at least having the same/closely matched tread depth on the tyres on the same axle (and presumedly the same tyre brand and model) would seem prudent. Of course sometimes after several years, a particular brand/model of tyre may not be available as a replacement to match the originals On a 2x4, this is less of an issue. But, from what I've read, I've seen mixed advice on whether the 'best' tyres, depth wise, should be on the front axle or the rear, for a front wheel drive vehicle. In the case of a 2x4 I think it's less essential that all tyres match as there less chance of transmission issues. Years ago, before I knew better, my partner's Fabia had to have a new tyre fitted (Offside Front) and we simply put a new tyre on. Several thousand miles down the road we had all sorts of problems with the braking system on that side, which I think might have been attributed to the ABS and other electronic gizmos not liking the asymmetry across the axle, with different rotating speeds/tyre diameters. However, I think this is one of those topic where there's a considerable variance of opinion (watch this space ).

Ooops! Yes, you’re correct and it’s M+S ( mud and snow) not M&S. Obviously I was subconsciously thinking of the well known high street retailer, although I’m sure that if they did decide to manufacture and sell tyres they’d not just be tyres but premium designed, lavishly bespoke, handcrafted tyres 😀

It would be interesting (but I suspect not practical, given the vast number of variables) to see how, or if, these quoted tyre performance dynamics vary, and by how much, over the lifespan of these tyres, both compared to when they're 'just off the mould, so to speak, but also comparing across different brands for consistency. Which retain their performance, and which do not (if any)? Perhaps there's a gradual and linear deterioration, but I suspect not! Back in 2008/9, when we had weeks of snow and ice in my region and plummeting temps., I had no end of trouble on a set of Michelin Alpins on my Octy 1.8T 4x4 estate. These tyres were about 3 winters old, but still had what appeared to be a decent tread depth remaining. I've bought Michelin winter tyres since without issue, although I suspect winter tyres performance and research have improved markedly since then. Similarly, I'd be interested to see how these tyres perform regarding the M (mud) side of their 3 peaks M&S endorsements. I've got a particular interest in this as while I fit the Subaru with full winter tyres, come April the summers are back on. Yet Spring is often the time I'm driving on and off fields as I start to visit agricultural shows and sundry horsey events. Not enough of an issue for me to want to invest in a set of specific mud/off road tyres, albeit that I'm tempted, but enough for me to want to reduce the chance of getting bogged down (and embarrassed) in some event's entry/exit gateway . It'll also be informative to see how the Karoq's all-season tyres fair in this respect - potentially better than the Subaru on its current summer Bridgestone Duelers, I'm sure.