This sounds like a really dangerous situation to be in, not being able to be confident on what your car is going to do next. I would just reject the car at this point and go for the other one you said was a close contender. Your infotainment system on the Octavia doesn't read FLAC anyway, like you wanted.

 

Well the choice was between Octy and the Leon, which incidentally has a very similar infotainment system, however that does not make any false claims about audio formats in the brochure.

What you have to remeber as the driver, you know there is a fault with the steering but the dealer cant find what or why is causing the problem. the dealer has a duty of care and should never have allowed the car to be driven away from the garage, yes they do has the power to do that if they think its a serious and dangerous problem to other road user and get vosa involved. I would never have taken the car away if i was told the fault was not fixed, the dealer should be ashamed.

The mechanic had thought it felt better after the software upgrade, so they were happy for me to take the car to see how it went. At that point they thought they had cured the problem. I have to admit I was sceptical as to how the software could cause this problem. I realise that I may have given the impression that the car is totally uncontrollable, this is not the case, it just feels as though the steering is slightly loose and not controlling the wheels directly. Not a massive effect, but it certainly does not feel right to me and it's distracting to have to constantly correct the steering.

Like I said, the car shouldn't feel like that -It should feel rock solid and you should not be having to correct the steering all the time. It should be quite possible on a flat straight road for you to take your hands off the wheel at motorway speed (not that I'm suggesting that anyone actually do this).

try change the front tires with the rear tires, and see if that make any difference. i have heard that a lot of dealers dont check the tire pressure before delivery, so maybe that should be checked too.

At the end of the day none of us on here has driven the car so we have no idea what it feels like, and as we all know after having driven our own cars for a while we just "know" when something is not right. Forget the FLAC that's another issue but steering is a fundamental safety issue and if you are not happy then you have to leave it at the dealers and inform Skoda UK you believe the car is unsafe to drive in its current configuration. Hopefully they would supply you with a courtesy car until they had fully investigated the problem and given you their findings.

 

Its an unpleasant situation to be in, and you need to be firm with the dealers and Skoda UK if you really believe there is a safety problem. Maybe you should take legal advice on your position and then you have a start point to reject the car, and Skoda will have to take the car back and fully investigate the fault.

^^^ what he said

 

try change the front tires with the rear tires, and see if that make any difference. i have heard that a lot of dealers dont check the tire pressure before delivery, so maybe that should be checked too.

 

I did check the tyre pressures at first, they were a little on the high side so I let some air out to the correct pressure, that did not make a difference. I am certain something is loose to be honest.

 

At the end of the day none of us on here has driven the car so we have no idea what it feels like, and as we all know after having driven our own cars for a while we just "know" when something is not right. Forget the FLAC that's another issue but steering is a fundamental safety issue and if you are not happy then you have to leave it at the dealers and inform Skoda UK you believe the car is unsafe to drive in its current configuration. Hopefully they would supply you with a courtesy car until they had fully investigated the problem and given you their findings.

 

Its an unpleasant situation to be in, and you need to be firm with the dealers and Skoda UK if you really believe there is a safety problem. Maybe you should take legal advice on your position and then you have a start point to reject the car, and Skoda will have to take the car back and fully investigate the fault.

 

The car is booked in for two days this week. I have told SUK that if it's not sorted this time then I will be taking steps to reject it.

 

Like I said, the car shouldn't feel like that -It should feel rock solid and you should not be having to correct the steering all the time. It should be quite possible on a flat straight road for you to take your hands off the wheel at motorway speed (not that I'm suggesting that anyone actually do this).

 

No you don't have to let go of the wheel for mine to wander off line, if you hold it still and dead centre it will still wander off whichever way the road takes it. The slightest undulation in the road surface is enough to upset it. Another thing I've noticed is that it has a tendency to be affected when you apply or remove power and I don't mean harsh acceleration / deceleration either, just easing off can cause the car to self steer.

I know this might sound stupid but have you had the car into a tyre specialist and have the wheel balance checked ?? If they are out or your tracking not quite right then your car will drift and feel just like you describe ?

 

I hit a pothole once in a car and it buggered the steering up totally with a left bias drift.

I know this might sound stupid but have you had the car into a tyre specialist and have the wheel balance checked ?? If they are out or your tracking not quite right then your car will drift and feel just like you describe ?

 

I hit a pothole once in a car and it buggered the steering up totally with a left bias drift.

 

It's a brand new car and it's had the problem since new. Really the dealer should be the only place one should go in this situation. Since the problem has already been acknowledged by the dealer, one assumes that they will get all this checked, before allowing the car to be rejected. 

 

It's a brand new car and it's had the problem since new. Really the dealer should be the only place one should go in this situation. Since the problem has already been acknowledged by the dealer, one assumes that they will get all this checked, before allowing the car to be rejected. 

 

To be honest I had thought about getting the geometry checked at a specialist, but then came to the conclusion that if the dealer can't find the problem then they can have it back, after all my contract is with them.

   

To be honest I had thought about getting the geometry checked at a specialist, but then came to the conclusion that if the dealer can't find the problem then they can have it back, after all my contract is with them.

Exactly and if anything gets altered by a third party it can open a right can of worms and give the dealer wriggle room. The dealer can send it to a specialist if need be.

have you tried it with the Lane assist disabled?

Just on the FLAC files point...

I bought an Octavia 2012 plate, ex-demonstrator from a main dealer and was verbally assured my phone would connect to the car via Bluetooth during the test drive..

The day I collected the car, 15 mins after I drove off the forecourt I was back. Asked them to connect the phone ....only to be told the radio did not support Bluetooth, I handed the keys back and asked them to sort out a full refund. No Bluetooth was a deal breaker for me!

So I understand how you feel when you have been mislead with the FLAC and with written brochure proof! Mind you think the brochures have small print on them about details and accuracy.

My outcome was they upgraded my system to a full Kenwood system... FOC.

Stamp your feet with both things, I personally would leave them the keys and demand/insist they provide another vehicle until the steering is sorted.

Let's hope they get it sorted at the next visit.

Regards

He says he does not have lane assist.

We could go around the houses all night with this one - his only course of action is to leave it at the dealers and tell them he wants a courtesy car until a full investigation (documented) is undertaken by Skoda Specialists not necessarily dealers own mechanics, or reject the car outright. We could go on all night saying what if this what if that and at the end of the day the problem will still be there.

 

So I understand how you feel when you have been mislead with the FLAC and with written brochure proof! Mind you think the brochures have small print on them about details and accuracy.

Regards

 

The brochure may not be binding, however it does advise you to check specifications with the Skoda dealer prior to delivery. That I did, and discussed in depth the FLAC capability during the test drive. When I returned with car to query this the dealer still believed it to have this feature as they were also working on the information contained in the brochure. SUK also had to do some digging before coming to the conclusion that the unit is not FLAC compatible.

TBH mate the FLAC sounds like the least of your worries ??

Following on from redandwhitepauly with another 'daft' question, are the tyres fitted the correct way round? ie - tread pattern facing wrong way.

The tyres are Dunlop and are facing the correct way, i.e, outside marking to the outside. They do not appear to be directional.

 

TBH mate the FLAC sounds like the least of your worries ??

 

Yes true, but it's a useful tool should I need to reject the car.

We could go around the houses all night with this one - his only course of action is to leave it at the dealers and tell them he wants a courtesy car until a full investigation (documented) is undertaken by Skoda Specialists not necessarily dealers own mechanics, or reject the car outright. We could go on all night saying what if this what if that and at the end of the day the problem will still be there.

Very true and I agree, but if a problem like this is posted on a forum for the said vehicle you are going to get a response, regardless if its any help or not!!

OT

Does anyone know of a decent converter to RIP FLAC to MP3 -I've yet to find one that isn't full of mallware or doesn't destroy all the tags. VLC is supposed to be able to do it but I cannot work it out.

Try dBPowerAmp. I use it for all my CD ripping to both FLAC and mp3 and it's great - fully featured, and preserves all tags etc. In future you can use it to rip your CDs into FLAC and mp3 simultaneously. It's reputable software, well supported and widely used. And there's a free version! (Btw, I have no connection with it other than as a very satisfied user of 4 years standing ).

Hope that helps on your minor problem - the steering issue is another matter!