Towbar Coding UPDATE

[g6zru]

Re my previous posting about contacting SUK to try to find out a number of answers to the ongoing Towbar questions.

I got fed up with waiting for SUK to reply so I emailed Skoda Cz.

They replied that they would pass my query to SUK!

I did eventually get a reply from Will Fisher,Customer Relations Manager.

My original email requested specific details of what was included in Towbar Prep and what changes should I expect after recoding?

This reply from Will Fisher didn't exactly give me any confidence;

Thank you for your email received by our colleagues in the Czech Republic. I have investigated your concerns through our

Technical Department and am now in a position to respond.

My colleagues in the Technical Department have advised that no towing mechanism details are displayed on the screen of your

vehicle's Bolero when it is hitched up to a caravan.

When you mention "OPS", could you confirm that you are referring to parking sensors as this acronym is not known to us.

No answers to any of my other questions

As any Yeti owner (and probably many other Skoda models) will know,if you have parking sensors fitted and you select reverse the Bolero indicates "OPS Optical Parking System"!

If the SUK Technical really don't recognise this "acronym" what else are they unfamiliar with about their products?

I am now awaiting a reponse to my reply to Will Fisher........

PS I am pursuing this through SUK as I think they ought to be aware that there is a problem with their understanding of towbar recoding and few dealers seem able to do it correctly. Another thing is that I have checked the VCDS section and can't find anyone closer to me than Kent. :(

[Merlinman]

You can write what WF knows about Yetis in 48pt on the head of a pin

[tubalcain]

I too have had no repsonse from SUK to the same question. As others have stated, SUK seem unable to give detailed information about their products which, in the case of the towing setup leaves customers with many doubts about safety and security when towing. I have found exactly the same with dealers and service technicians and have reported the problem to Honest John who writes a motoring problems column in the Saturday Telegragh, I suggest others do the same. I am sure that it is not confined to Skoda or even VAG.

[900000]

I was amazed when I saw on a thread on here that someone in Bulgaria had EXACTLY the same problem with towbar coding also being done exactly half as most of ours were!!! So it is a Škoda CZ issue not sending the correct training to ALL it's importers...

When Martin did mine via VCDS there was a main menu that was not even showing. You then have to tick a totally irrelevant box somewhere to enable this menu to show up. Only THEN could you tick all the towbar options. So the poor techies in the workshop tick everything they can see that says towbar but alas never find the hidden menu. This is my theory anyway since the most basic of ticks that appeared in this hidden menu was low and behold:

1. No towbar
2. Detachable towbar
3. Fixed towbar

A very basic thing to miss and really the very FIRST thing to tick which none of them obviously do!

But good. Keep on SUK's case so we can make life easier for other people in the future who will hit their heads against this problem again, and again, and again if we do not point it out.

[tubalcain]

Hi Johann, can you remember what the the 'totally irrelevant' box was? My son is joining me in France tomorrow with his VDCS to try and sort my coding out since this is where I keep my trailer. He is fairly new to the system (though he has tweaked his Seat Leon with it) so it is unlikely that he wull have the relevant information. Grateful for any pointers. I am hoping to be able to set up the 'teardrop' wipe too - have you managed that on your Yeti?

[900000]

Hi Johann, can you remember what the the 'totally irrelevant' box was?

Send a PM to Gizmo68. He did it for me and is very helpful. Good luck.

[Gizmo]

Hi Johann, can you remember what the the 'totally irrelevant' box was? My son is joining me in France tomorrow with his VDCS to try and sort my coding out since this is where I keep my trailer. He is fairly new to the system (though he has tweaked his Seat Leon with it) so it is unlikely that he wull have the relevant information. Grateful for any pointers. I am hoping to be able to set up the 'teardrop' wipe too - have you managed that on your Yeti?

This is the Ross-Tech walk through for coding the towbar

[900000]

This is the Ross-Tech walk through for coding the towbar

Martin the Škoda saviour! Thanks for posting that Martin.

Now g6zru please forward that to SUK so they can send it as a technical bulletin to ALL their dealers pronto!

[rockhopper]

Martin the Å koda saviour! Thanks for posting that Martin.

Now g6zru please forward that to SUK so they can send it as a technical bulletin to ALL their dealers pronto!

I wish it was that easy. They use a completely different system and I understand just input a number/code, which is completely different.......VCDS 'talks' you through it, is very simple to use but Skoda won't let their dealers use it......why???????

[Allams Skoda]

I wish it was that easy. They use a completely different system and I understand just input a number/code, which is completely different.......VCDS 'talks' you through it, is very simple to use but Skoda won't let their dealers use it......why???????

You're correct Mike, the VCDS is a lot more obvious in its operation, the dealer system is very different.

[g6zru]

Martin the Škoda saviour! Thanks for posting that Martin.

Now g6zru please forward that to SUK so they can send it as a technical bulletin to ALL their dealers pronto!

Done that but don't hold your breath. :(

Fred

[sebast]

The guy from Skoda BG used VAS5052, thankfully he knew what he was doing, so in 2 minutes I got this (finally):

First pic of Swing with towbar installed, and coded correctly

[900000]

The guy from Skoda BG used VAS5052, thankfully he knew what he was doing, so in 2 minutes I got this (finally):

First pic of Swing with towbar installed, and coded correctly

Ah good news!!! And thanks for the pic! I've not seen the parking sensors and that pictogram on a Swing before! Neat!

[g6zru]

ALLAMS FIXED IT!

Following my UPDATE posting I was contacted by Graham from Allams. He had been asked to contact me by James who'd obviously seen my post.

Despite my reluctance to chance disappointment again he persuaded me to take it back to them as he was sure they could fix it. He thought it would take about an hour.

I took it in this morning and walked into Epsom for breakfast. He did offer us a lift into town but we were missing our daily walk so declined his offer.

55mins later we got a phone call to say it was done!

As soon as we got home I plugged the caravan in and checked it out. Nice pictogram on the Bolero and silent reversing sensors

I got the impression that they had received a software update as Graham said they had to use three programs to do it.

So for Allams but for SUK, who still haven't replied to my last message after saying it wasn't possible for the pictogram to be on the Bolero!

I still intend to pursue SUK until they admit there has been (and still is at some dealers) a problem with their instructions about towbar recoding.

Fred

[a65rocket]

One question.

Did you all have the towbar prep done at the factory.

On my car, a local towbar dealer added a relay box into the system to drive the 13 pin electrics.

How does the software on the Yeti detect that a trailer is attached ?

[rockhopper]

One question.

Did you all have the towbar prep done at the factory.

On my car, a local towbar dealer added a relay box into the system to drive the 13 pin electrics.

How does the software on the Yeti detect that a trailer is attached ?

When something is plugged into the electrics. Won't detect a caravan or a bike rack unless electrics plugged in.

[g6zru]

One question.

Did you all have the towbar prep done at the factory.

On my car, a local towbar dealer added a relay box into the system to drive the 13 pin electrics.

How does the software on the Yeti detect that a trailer is attached ?

I had towbar prep done by the factory. However I've never been able to find out what exactly is done. This is ongoing with SUK.

My towbar and 13pin electrics were fitted by Allams contractor.

I've no idea how the software detects a trailer unless it senses an increase in current from the norm.

Fred

[Allams Skoda]

Glad we managed get the towbar to be fully functional!

[rockhopper]

Glad we managed get the towbar to be fully functional!

I have mine fully functional. Hopefully Graham & the team learnt from the 'mistakes' they made with Elsie.....If it could have been sorted in a hour by the team the first time I would have been very happy.....In the end Gizmo sort out for me, but ended driving down to Folkstone to meet him.

[Gizmo]

ALLAMS FIXED IT!

Glad we managed get the towbar to be fully functional!

Nice to hear that some dealers have finally getting on top of the problem ,

James, out of curiosity have SUK issued instructions on how to code the car correctly or was it a case of trial and error with VAS?

[g6zru]

FURTHER UPDATE.

Although my towbar coding is now OK I'm still unhappy with the response I got from Skoda UK, or should I say lack of response!

As a result of this I have copied all (both!) the emails I received and stated chapter and verse in a letter to the MD of Skoda UK pointing out the shortcomings of their support to their customers.

I will post any replies if I receive any. :(

Fred

[900000]

FURTHER UPDATE.

Although my towbar coding is now OK I'm still unhappy with the response I got from Skoda UK, or should I say lack of response!

As a result of this I have copied all (both!) the emails I received and stated chapter and verse in a letter to the MD of Skoda UK pointing out the shortcomings of their support to their customers.

I will post any replies if I receive any. :(

Fred

That is good. I've only twice had to escalate something to Mr Hazelwood's level but in both instances the reply came very swiftly after doing so.

[g6zru]

That is good. I've only twice had to escalate something to Mr Hazelwood's level but in both instances the reply came very swiftly after doing so.

I didn't realise you were on personal terms with the MD Johann.

Fred

[900000]

I didn't realise you were on personal terms with the MD Johann.

Fred

Alas I'm not. But I've have used the MD finder email link posted elsewhere on this forum at some point to good effect! And not just with Škoda either. It has solved some sticky issues with Homebase as well where we got personal email and £150 vouchers from their MD!

[marcusfordus]

I went and used my 3 bike carrier today which uses the 13 pin electrics

A failure on all four of the coding parameters.I asked on Saturday when I picked up the car " It's definitley been coded ?"

"Oh yes" was the reply.

Well oh no it hasn't and I shall be having words. My problem now is the 300 mile round trip if I return to the dealer to get it done :thumbdown: