Picked it up today and have driven around 40 miles. So far my thoughts are as follows:

POSITIVES:

Pleased with the colour choice. It's really classy/a little bit different.

The 1.2 engine is AMAZING. Incredibly quiet (almost sounds like an electric car!) and SO nippy! You really wouldn't need any more power. Much faster than my 1.9 turbo diesel injection.

The yeti really sticks to the road and handles so lightly/beautifully. The stereo has utterly superb sound quality and can be turned up REALLY load without distorting.

The general build is sturdy/good quality. The doors feel heavy and make a satisfying sound when they close!

There's plenty of room for my giant male Weimaraner dog (yey!) although it is a bit of a high jump up and then down (don't have a false boot floor or spare) so I've been assisting his back end a bit!

SLIGHT NEGATIVES:

My back ached a wee bit after a 30min drive...Not sure if it's the seat shape? The head rest is great though.

The rear view mirror TOTALLY gets in the way of my view of the road. It really is way too low (I'm 5ft 9).

SLIGHT cosmetic imperfections to rear tinted back pillars/back window....there seems to be very faint 'bubble'/white marks underneath the tint that's a bit annoying as I'm a perfectionist! Is it normal for brand new cars to be less than 100% perfect? May ask the dealer to get replacement pillars as they seem to be a 'scewed on' part...

"My back ached a wee bit after a 30min drive...Not sure if it's the seat shape? The head rest is great though."

Interesting. When I first drove the Yeti, my arms ached after a long drive and I took it to be caused by the distance between the seat and the steering wheel. Both the seat and the wheel have a very wide range of adjustment but, to get my feet right on the pedals, I need the seat two notches from its farthest back position. This means that the wheel is quite a stretch away and (compared to my old X-Trail) gives an almost straight arm position. I was quite cramped in the XT with the wheel being quite close so, I believe, the change of position caused the discomfort.

I am totally used to the new position now and the 2.2 hour trip to Manchester is no longer a problem for my arm muscles.

The mirror is another matter. I set the seat to the lowest position and I can just see under it.

Edited 28 April, 201016 yr by Terfyn

Thanks for the info. I'll persevere with the seat and see how I get on. The rear view mirror is just the worst design fault. My field of vision is constantly blocked to the left! Is it a permanent fixture or could it be moved up a bit?

Hey RetroGal.

Glad you got your new baby. I picked up mine this morning. I have to say I have not noticed the mirror issue so will have another look tonight when I next go out.

I have not gone over mine with a fine tooth comb to see if there are any cosmetic issues like you mentioned. To be honest I am not that bothered by minor faults - I'm more interested in finding somewhere to play with its off road capabilities!

Fitted the mud-flaps this afternoon (15 mins job) and loaded all my kit back into it from previous car.

Enjoy the drive!

Simon

Hi Simon. I've done 50 odd miles in mine today and I LOVE IT! Was so nervous that I may have made the wrong car choice but I just LOVE this little car. It's a pleasure to drive and everyone comments on the gorgeous colour

I apologise in advance if this sounds offensive as its not meant to be so, but niggles like seats and mirrors ?...are these not things you picked up on when you test drove the car ? I was given the Yeti for a good hour or so and took it on all sorts of roads etc and made sure I checked it over with the likes and dislikes before considering it with 4 other cars.

I would hate to take delivery of my brand new car then find out it wasn't 100% of what I thought, and hope your niggles dont detract from what a really good car it seems to be (although I haven't ordered mine yet). Must admit would be a tad worried if the paintwork didnt look right tho !

It doesn't sound offensive...Just a bit school teacher ish/narky! Just to put you in the picture, my dealer only allowed me a 10minute test drive with the yeti - I'm amazed they gave you an hour!! In 10mins it is near impossible to decide on the comfort of the seat as the aches and pains often follow a long journey. The mirror really is an issue and one that was not spotted on the test drive as I was concentrating too hard on how the engine ran and how the yeti handled etc. I also have a feeling that the mirror in the test yeti was indeed higher (in the black shaded area). I have read on here than different owners have yetis with different mirror positions.

The car is indeed a super little vehicle overall and I'm chuffed to bits with it. You will notice from my original post that I listed more positives than negatives - just think it's good to share niggles with other potential yeti buyers in case mirror position etc is high on their list of concerns!

I do however seem to have fixed my problem today by lower the seat right down hence avoiding the mirror being in line with the eye. The seat also felt more comfortable today after some tweaks and adjustments.

Retro Gal,

Your problem with the rear window / plastic trim is widespread on VW group cars and will almost certainly have also affected your paintwork if you look carefully (check the front wings in particular). The light milky spots that you may be able to see in certain light are actually paint damage caused by the brake dust from the train on which the cars are transported or from being parked close to the station or from industrial fallout from industrial areas / ports. I encountered this time after time when I sold Volkswagens and have some of it on my Yeti. It is disappointing but depending on how bad it is then you may be able to make it look a lot better.

I recommend a wash / leather off followed by a clay bar treatment for all affected areas. Follow this up with a polish and then a wax / gloss guard to seal the finish. I know that you shouldn't have to do all of this and it is a pity that VW / Skoda do no cover all of their cars with protective film on all exposed paintwork. I have not managed to shift all of the marks on mine, however, they are not immediately obvious at a glance and the alternative now would be to have the paintwork cut back which is far too aggressive for a new car or for partial respraying. This is a recipe for disaster because of potential colour matching issues and is one way to lose that new car feel. Unless it is really bad I would follow the above steps and then see if you can live with it. If it is only on the plastic parts then go for replacement with the dealer if it looks unsightly.

Have to say that I find the seats very comfortable in typical VW group style and have no issues. May be due to driving position rather than the seats themselves. The mirror is often commented on as being too low but I find that it is ok if you lower your seat (is that too obvious?) Trouble is that if you lower the seat right down in the Yeti you no longer get that 4x4 driving position. I used to drive a Smart which suffered from a similar problem. Many owners simply removed the mirror and mounted it higher up. Don't know whether anyone has tried that in a Yeti but it can't be too hard. Blimey I've written a lot; I'll stop now!

Shrub.

Hi Shrub and thanks so much for your informative email. I'm so glad the milky spots aren't a figment of my imagination! I have to say I haven't seen it on the paintwork anywhere (maybe I haven't looked close enough!). It seems to be under the tint on the rear window edges and the back/side tinted pillars (they are worse than the window). I can see VERY FAINT marks on the back end of the roof bars and a light covering on the back windscreen wiper but would take someone as picky as me to see them...Do Skoda offer financial compensation for these faults or is the only option replacement parts etc?

No, not a figment of your imagination by any means. There are many cars with this problem that most owners fail to notice or don't care about.

In reality the dealer would ask you to bring the car in for them to have a look at. If it has affected the paintwork their first course of action will be to try to polish the marks out. This will involve cutting the top layer of paint which I would not want them to do. If you can show them marks and say that you will be happy with it if they give you a free accessory then good luck to you. I am pretty picky like you but would rather try to sort the paint finish problem myself than some ham fisted valeter or bodyshop apprentice. As far as plastic parts go then these should be covered by warranty and replaceable.

When I was selling VW's we only replaced two cars due to paint problems and this had nothing to do with fallout. It was the dreaded sun tan lotion which will eat into the lacquer of many modern paint finishes if you're not careful with those summer hands.

It doesn't sound offensive...Just a bit school teacher ish/narky! Just to put you in the picture, my dealer only allowed me a 10minute test drive with the yeti - I'm amazed they gave you an hour!! In 10mins it is near impossible to decide on the comfort of the seat as the aches and pains often follow a long journey. The mirror really is an issue and one that was not spotted on the test drive as I was concentrating too hard on how the engine ran and how the yeti handled etc. I also have a feeling that the mirror in the test yeti was indeed higher (in the black shaded area). I have read on here than different owners have yetis with different mirror positions.

The car is indeed a super little vehicle overall and I'm chuffed to bits with it. You will notice from my original post that I listed more positives than negatives - just think it's good to share niggles with other potential yeti buyers in case mirror position etc is high on their list of concerns!

I do however seem to have fixed my problem today by lower the seat right down hence avoiding the mirror being in line with the eye. The seat also felt more comfortable today after some tweaks and adjustments.

Hi Retro,

Fair doo's - bit crap only allowing you 10 mins ?? I hate dealers that do that then expect you to part with a lot of money on the basis of a trip round the block !! When mine arrives and I find some niggles I will let you know and you can gloat in my direction lol !! Think your situation is why I am always so adamant to have the car for at least an hour and really get to know it, but I can understand how nice the car feels after even a quick drive.

Enjoy it and ignore the ramblings of someone who doesn't even own one yet lol !!!

Tee hee. I did quite enjoy your ramblings. Made me chuckle. I love how protective of the brand Skoda owners are as a whole. I can honestly say the yeti is the best car that I've owned to date. A great little package

No, not a figment of your imagination by any means. There are many cars with this problem that most owners fail to notice or don't care about.

In reality the dealer would ask you to bring the car in for them to have a look at. If it has affected the paintwork their first course of action will be to try to polish the marks out. This will involve cutting the top layer of paint which I would not want them to do. If you can show them marks and say that you will be happy with it if they give you a free accessory then good luck to you. I am pretty picky like you but would rather try to sort the paint finish problem myself than some ham fisted valeter or bodyshop apprentice. As far as plastic parts go then these should be covered by warranty and replaceable.

When I was selling VW's we only replaced two cars due to paint problems and this had nothing to do with fallout. It was the dreaded sun tan lotion which will eat into the lacquer of many modern paint finishes if you're not careful with those summer hands.

I'm pretty sure the paintwork is fine - just the tinted areas. Will it get worse with time or cause any problems etc or are the issues merely aesthetic? Thanks

Retro gal thanks for posting your thoughts... hope the niggles get sorted.

As for dealers and their test drives, it really gets on my wick when they try and do that. I wouldn't consider a car these days without being able to test drive it for a good hour or two WITHOUT a salesman in the back

For my test drive the dealer rove all the way down from Oswestry for the afternoon. Let me drive for a s far as I wanted, but unfortuanately not off-road, and didn't seem to mind at all.............

but then they had pee'ed me off by not having the car available when I drove all the way up there for an prebooked appointment to test drive it!!

The rear view mirror is just the worst design fault. My field of vision is constantly blocked to the left! Is it a permanent fixture or could it be moved up a bit?

Actually, I don't think it is a "mirror-positioning" fault at all. I think it is more to do with the depth of the windscreen top to bottom, and the initial positionng of the seat.

I was one who commented initially - and having grounded my seat into the lowest position, the mirror is not a problem. However - I cant see over the hedges any more.

So - I have raised my perch, and do the ducking and diving.

If the whole screen height were greater, the mirror would be higher, and out of my bluddy way!!

It is a factor of many variables.

I know that you shouldn't have to do all of this and it is a pity that VW / Skoda do no cover all of their cars with protective film on all exposed paintwork.

Shrub.

Funny that, Shrub, cos when I was at the dealer in Swansea (great people BTW) they'd a STACK of blue and white Skoda cars in their recently arrived compound.

It was only when I looked a bit closer that I saw they were all clad in clingfilm.

Funny that, Shrub, cos when I was at the dealer in Swansea (great people BTW) they'd a STACK of blue and white Skoda cars in their recently arrived compound.

It was only when I looked a bit closer that I saw they were all clad in clingfilm.

The cars are partially covered in protective film but not all of the body (This was the case with VW's and so I am assuming the same for Skoda. The fallout marks would not be on the paint otherwise). My front wings are affected but the roof panel is not; or so it seems.

I'm pretty sure the paintwork is fine - just the tinted areas. Will it get worse with time or cause any problems etc or are the issues merely aesthetic? Thanks

The marks should not get worse unless there are metal particles left in the paint. You should be able to see these if you look carefully. Small specks of metal brake dust will embed themselves in the paint and rust. You can remove some of these with a clay bar unless they are really heavily embedded. Once you have washed and dried your car run the palm of your hand over the paint and if it feels rough or gritty then use a clay bar to remove the contaminants. Follow this up with a light polish.

Don't lose any sleep over this, the panel below the paint is galvanised and so should not rot. If you cannot see anything wrong without really staring at the car then it won't be noticed by other people. As for the tinted plastic, I don't think that these will get worse unless you add to the contamination by parking at railway stations or near a factory. Having said that I have not looked closely at the plastic parts and so it may be that they have an outer layer or laminate that could bubble if the contamination has compromised the surface and water gets in. As for the rear screen, I have had similar marks on the rear window of a VW and these did not get worse over four years.

The marks should not get worse unless there are metal particles left in the paint. You should be able to see these if you look carefully. Small specks of metal brake dust will embed themselves in the paint and rust. You can remove some of these with a clay bar unless they are really heavily embedded. Once you have washed and dried your car run the palm of your hand over the paint and if it feels rough or gritty then use a clay bar to remove the contaminants. Follow this up with a light polish.

Don't lose any sleep over this, the panel below the paint is galvanised and so should not rot. If you cannot see anything wrong without really staring at the car then it won't be noticed by other people. As for the tinted plastic, I don't think that these will get worse unless you add to the contamination by parking at railway stations or near a factory. Having said that I have not looked closely at the plastic parts and so it may be that they have an outer layer or laminate that could bubble if the contamination has compromised the surface and water gets in. As for the rear screen, I have had similar marks on the rear window of a VW and these did not get worse over four years.

Well I'm pleased to say that I can't see any damage to the paintwork - just the tinted pillars and I'm pretty sure a normal person wouldn't notice them. Have emailed my dealer asking for a set of replacement pillars so will wait and see the outcome...

My Yeti is red , being a Demo the paintwork had prepared to look tremendous, when I collected it was in the showroom looking great under the showroom lights and was getting a lot of attention being a Saturday, I so chuffed to say that is MY Yeti .

Funny that, Shrub, cos when I was at the dealer in Swansea (great people BTW) they'd a STACK of blue and white Skoda cars in their recently arrived compound.

It was only when I looked a bit closer that I saw they were all clad in clingfilm.

You mean something like that?

Click here to see it

;-)

Edited 20 May, 201016 yr by medi@wiz