Graham Butcher

It would appear that my new car will be keyless entry and start/stop system. How or what is the best and most effective way of preventing thieves scanning for the signal and cloning it to gain entry to the car? I was looking the RFI key pouches on Amazon, but many of the reviews claim that they don't always work and other claim that after a couple of months they cease to work. I was thinking about getting small metal tins and popping the key into them?

I have never changed one myself, but I would have thought that if the belt was still in one piece that it should be possible to remove it without any of the pulleys being moved, so the new belt could be slipped on, and the tensioner adjusted correctly without the need for the timing tool? That I could fully understand being a must-have if the old belt had snapped or jumped teeth?

I think maybe, the actual difference may be that you appear (at least as far as this forum is concerned) to be talking about an Octavia, the file I posted relates to a Superb, and it does state that Bulgaria and the UK are all in area A and therefore subject to the same servicing regime?😕

Have a look at the PDF file I attached a few posts up the page, it does very clearly show that the belt is 120,000 km, the engine in the Octavia is the same as the Superb I think. Yes, the water pump is also supposed to have been replaced at the same time.

According to the dealer, this car has recently had its belt replaced. Do not follow that information or it could end up in tears, the attached document clearly shows that Bulgaria is in the sales area as the UK, and it clearly shows that the mileage should be 120,000 km or 74,566 miles for a TDI engine, I think the figures quoting are for a petrol engine. Not too sure why petrol engines should have a such a long life on their belts, does anyone have any ideas? D4B80513C2A-Maintenance.pdf

According to the Skoda Service manual (official one), in the UK it is 120,000 km or 74,566 miles, it makes no mention of the time though.

Don't believe what you are being told then, that only applies in countries which ball into sales areas B and C, France is firmly in sales area A, same as the UK so that means 120,000 km or 74,566 miles with no time limit, that time limit I wouldn't trust though.

I have managed to download a service manual for the mkIII and it states every 120,000km in the UK (Sales Market Area A) but does not state a time limit at all? 120,000 km equates back to 74,566 miles. I'm not sure, I would trust the no time limit, as the belts must deteriorate over time?

That figure seems much higher than it is for the MkII model. Is there any quick way to see if the belt has been done at all?

Hi Guys, I'm going to see another Superb today with 137,000 miles on the clock. I currently have no idea if the cambelt and water pump have been done or not. Can anyone tell me what the intervals are for the cambelt and water pump changes in terms of miles / time please?

Thank you for this, these are the type of records I was shown except the ones I saw IIRC just showed Oil Change Service and the miles, never mentioned any extra work like brake fluid change etc which has to be done periodically to prevent water contamination.

When did Skoda switch over to digital service history? Today I have had a look at a second hand car that I'm considering buying and when I asked to see the service history, the seller just showed me 2 sheets of digital history which only really showed the mileage, date, and the dealer who did the service is this normal? My own car does not have digital information like that, it has traditional paper work and receipts which also detail the type of work done, i.e., oil service, brake fluid replaced, cam belt and water pump, new brake pads etc? and I have a wodge of these, about .5" thick?

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear, when I mentioned at a glance, I meant when leaving the car as a visual check that you had actually applied the parking brake. You hear cases of people not doing so and their car can then roll away on its own.

Yeah, the hire car I'm using at the moment has that system, and I'm slowly coming round to the idea. The advantage of the old manual system was that you could see at a glance if the handbrake was applied, now you are trusting a light to show when it is, and that light does not work with the engine off. Speaking of the hire car. I can't wait to get back into a superb again, everything else just seems to be a toy against them.

Thanks for this. I just downloaded the owners manual but it seems to suggest that it burns fuel, i.e. diesel, I wonder if there are 2 types depending on the year of the car? Below is the text from pages 125 - 127 from the manual, perhaps a quick way to check if there are different owners manuals might be to see what is printed on the back cover. The one I downloaded from this forum has this printed on it . Návod k obsluze Superb anglicky 05.2017 3V0012720AF  3V0012720A The blocks in the text are photos or graphics such as bar graphs etc. Auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation)  Introduction The auxiliary heating heats the vehicle interior as well as the engine. For heating, fuel is consumed from the fuel tank. The auxiliary ventilation enables fresh air to flow into the vehicle interior with the engine switched off, whereby the interior temperature is effectively decreased (e.g. with the vehicle parked in the sun). The auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation) (referred to just as auxiliary heating in the following) ensures the heating / ventilation depending on the setting of the air conditioning and the air outlet vents before switching off the ignition. WARNING ■ The auxiliary heating must never be operated in closed rooms (e.g. garages) – risk of poisoning! ■ The auxiliary heating must not be allowed to run during refuelling – risk of fire. ■ The exhaust pipe of the auxiliary heating is located on the underside of the vehicle. If you want to use the auxiliary heating, do not park the car in places where the exhaust fumes can come into contact with flammable materials such as dry grass, undergrowth, leaves, spilled fuel etc. - risk of fire. CAUTION The air inlet in front of the windscreen must be free (e.g. of ice, snow or leaves) to ensure that the auxiliary heating operates properly. Note ■ The auxiliary heating only switches the blower on, if it has achieved a coolant temperature of approx. 50 °C. ■ In the engine compartment, water vapour may form during the operation of the heater. Power on/off Fig. 173 Button for switching on / off (Climatronic / manual air conditioning) Read and observe and on page 125 first. Functional requirements of the auxiliary heating. The charge state of the vehicle battery is sufficient. The fuel supply is adequate (the warning light  is not illuminated in the instrument cluster). Manual on / off ▶ Using the  button on the control panel of the air conditioner» Fig. 173. ▶ Using the  (switch on) /  (switch off) button on the remote control operation. Automatic on / off ▶ Via an automatically programmed and activated pre-set time in Infotainment. ▶ According to the environmental conditions.    Switching off the auxiliary heating takes place automatically when there is a lack of fuel (warning light  in the instrument cluster lights up). After switching off the system, the coolant pump and the auxiliary heating will continue running a little while longer in order to burn the remaining fuel in the heating. Setting automatic on / off Climatronic: On the Climatronic, press the  button → tap the  function surface on the Infotainment screen. There will be a display of the last set operating mode with the option to change this. Individually controlled air conditioning: In the Infotainment system, in menu  /  tap the  function surface. Then follow the instructions in the Infotainment screen. When automatic switching on is activated, the warning light in the  symbol button lights up for about 10 seconds after the ignition is turned off » Fig. 173. Operation in Infotainment Fig. 174 Auxiliary heater: Main menu/set preset time Read and observe and on page 125 first. Call up the main menu › On the Climatronic, press the  button → Tap on the function surface  in the Infotainment screen. Or vehicles with manual air conditioning: › In the Infotainment system, in menu  /  tap the  function surface Function surfaces and screen display » Fig. 174 Departure time - Day and time when the vehicle is to be ready for use Setting the operating mode (heating / ventilation) List of pre-selected times, activation / deactivation of the preset time Set the preset times 1-3 and the duration (10-60 minutes) When heating the windows are shown in red / with continuous aeration, the windows are shown in blue Currently displayed preset time Activation of the currently displayed preset time Setting the departure time: Day, hour, minute Only one preset time can be active. The activated preset time will be deactivated again after it has started automatically. For the next start, activate one of the preset times. Note ■ When selecting the day in the preset time, there is an option between Sunday and Monday without the specified day. If this setting is selected, the vehicle will be ready for use at the selected time, regardless of the current day. ■ If a different time is set, the activated preset time is automatically deactivated. The preset time must be reactivated. Radio remote control Fig. 175 Radio remote control Read and observe and on page 125 first. Description of the remote control » Fig. 175 Warning light Aerial A B C D E F G H  A B Switch on the auxiliary heating Switch off the auxiliary heating To switch the remote control on or off, hold the remote control vertically, with the aerial B » Fig. 175 pointing upwards. The antenna must not be covered with the fingers or the palm of the hand. The auxiliary heating can only be switched on/off safely using the remote control if the distance between the radio remote control and the vehicle is at least 2 m. Display warning light A Meaning Lights up green for 2 seconds. The auxiliary heating has been switched on. Lights up red for 2 seconds. The auxiliary heating has been switched off. Slowly flashes green for 2 seconds. The ignition signal was not received. Quickly flashes green for 2 seconds. The auxiliary heating is blocked, e.g. because the tank is nearly empty or there is a fault in the auxiliary heating. Flashes red for 2 seconds. The switch off signal was not received. Lights up orange for 2 seconds, then green or red. The battery is weak, however the switching on or off signal was received. Lights up orange for 2 seconds, then flashes green or red. The battery is weak, however the switching on or off signal was not received. Flashes orange for 5 seconds. The battery is discharged, however the switching on or off signal was not received. Replace the battery » page 298. CAUTION ■ The remote control must be protected against moisture, severe shocks and direct sunlight - otherwise, there is a risk of damage to the remote control. ■ The range of the remote control with a charged battery is a few hundred metres (depending on obstructions between the remote control and the vehicle, weather conditions, the battery condition etc.).   Heating and ventilation 127

Exactly my thoughts, hence why I have rejected their offer, I have been told to never accept their first offer as it is the one where they will always try away to get away with the absolute minimum cost to them. That said however, while they continue to be confrontational in their approach, they are losing sight of the hidden costs which are rising all the time, such as the cost of the replacement vehicles they have to pay by the day and my increased costs as well so by trying to be cheapskates, they just add to the overall cost.

Not a problem.

Sorry, but I thought I had done so, no I haven't and cannot agree to settle while the situation still exists where I would be considerably worse off than I would be if the accident had not happened. I should be returned to a position as if that event never took place, and that also means my out-of-pocket expenses need to be covered as well. If the accident was my fault, then I could accept some financial pain, but it wasn't.

They have the done the same with me, the problem is that the figure they have given me is something in the realms of 30% lower than I could buy the same type of L&K Superb, the same age (63 plate) but with many more miles on the clock and all have incomplete service history, mine has FSH and very low miles. The others on offer it is not possible to glean from the service information if they have had the cam belt and water pump changed as failure to do at the prescribed miles or time which ever comes first, would risk complete destruction of the engine. Therefore that would need to be done with some urgency which is going to add another £600 to £700 on top of the purchase price, plus a routine service and maybe even new tyres (mine were done 18 months ago (about 7,000 miles) and a new battery was fitted last Nov. All of these things might be needed on any new car.

I would think that you are still the legal owner of the vehicle right up to the point where you accept the valuation, then it becomes theirs. You still have to inform the DVLA though that the car is write-off and who the new owner is, which I guess is either the insurance or the salvage company. But of course, if you "buy" it back then you are the legal owner again.

Wow, so much really useful advice being offered up by everybody, I'm overwhelmed by it all, give yourselves a huge pat on the back, especially @skomaz, @J.R. and @EnterName . Over the years I have had a few accidents and have been with many different insurance companies and IIRC they have all operated similarly, i.e., sent a hire/loan car and then a transporter from the appointed body shop to collect the damaged vehicle and I cannot recall a single time when the assessor came to me to inspect the car. I assumed that was because to be certain that there was no structural damage that they would require to inspect beneath the vehicle, so needed either a pit or a lift to do so. In all but three of those accidents, I was driving company vehicles, so I never thought twice when the same approach was used on this occasion, after all the only thing that had altered was that I now owned the vehicle and the insurance policy was in my name. In fact since I purchased the vehicle upon my retirement, I had my first accident in this car, again not my fault, a lorry pulled out from the slow lane to avoid a stationary car and sideswiped me, the second in this car was when I stopped at a roundabout to allow vehicles already on it to continue, another rammed me in the rear, (again not my fault). On both of those occasions I was asked to drive to the body shop, and then they gave me a courtesy car. So as you can see, there was no reason for me to react in any other fashion, it just seemed to flow naturally along the same line as the other had done before. I have a different insurance company this time around, though. Perhaps the whole culture has changed for the worse now with all these accident chasers trying to get in on the action for a quick buck? For instance, after the other driver and I changed details like, names, phone numbers and registration numbers etc and taken photos of both cars, we went on our way. Later that evening I got a text message from the AA about the accident saying that they would take care of the accident, pick up my car and get it repaired FOC. This I thought was the because the other person was insured by them. I never acted on the message straight away and in the morning I received an email from Tesco Bank who were claiming to be the insurers for the other party and after a quick phone call the other party confirmed that Tesco was the insurer and AA were they were with the AA for breakdown cover. So it was confusing at the start of it. All of my accidents have been not my fault though and none as far as I can remember have resulted in either the loss of NCD or a hike in premiums, this one being the exception.

Thank you for the list, so essentially basically almost the same as my current model but with the following improvements:- New version of the Columbus sat nav with (wired) android auto and bluetooth. Adaptive cruise control with follow to stop. Auto hold. Electric handbrake, (not sure if that is necessarily a good thing). High beam assist. Auxillary heater (electric to warm cabin up quicker when engine running not a pre heater). How does that work then? You mention the climate control has a rest function, what is that then? I have dual zone climate control already. The rest I have got in my 2013 L&K and a lot more, my hire car has adaptive cruise control to stop as well, I don't know if I have the guts to trust it bring me to a stop from a high speed cruise. I did pluck courage to try it the other day in town traffic and it was fine though. 😲

Well, firstly I was informed that the other parties' insurance had accepted full responsibility for the accident and that they would repair my car free of all charges, this I have in writing. Secondly I informed my insurers who told me to speak to their claims dept and send them the dashcam footage which showed how the accident unfolded. Their claims dept (company) spoke to the other driver and got him to admit verbally that the accident was his fault entirely and this call was recorded. They then arranged a hire car for me and said that the other insurance company is footing the bill for everything. The hire car turned up within a couple of hours and the repairer was arranged by the claims dept to take it the car away for repairs, never in a million years did I dream that it be classed as a write-off with in a few days. I have been to the repairers premises and retrieved my stuff from the car and told them that, I was arranging for an independent accident assessor to look at the car. The other insurance company appointed an assessor from up the north to assess the damages and contact me telling what the settlement was to be. I have told them I was getting my own assessment done and that I would be in contact with them in due course and not do anything until they get an agreement from me. This I put in writing to them so they should not do anything until I agree. I have also asked for further clarification as to why it is deemed to be a write-off and they have told me to deal with my own insurers claims company, which I emailed today and waiting for their reply

Fair point, so I have gone back to the brochure and perhaps this might be the difference, the car in my photos is a SE L Executive and one of the extra standard fitments that car has over other lower models is "Sunset Glass" so may be that glass is different as they all have privacy glass in the back. I just did search for Sunset Glass and there are many threads running on the topic in this forum, we won't know either way until I get in front of this car at the weekend.

Just scanning through the new listing of cars for sale and I came across this one with 394,000 miles on the clock already and they want £5,995 for it. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/248908927592207/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A73271521-7612-48cf-a18e-5e6f2b9c9c6d