I discovered a few more pics on my camera:

 

 

 

 

 

And this one specially taken for MarieK: Skye in the background:

Ah!  Memories of our own trip up there in May '12!  You refer to Applecross and Torridon, so you should have passed (or did you bypass?) Shieldaig - did you make the oft-recommended Brisky visit to Nanny's Tearoom? 

 

 

Or did Health & Safety force her to close?  :(

Nice pictures Johann.

 

And don't those painted steel wheels still look good?

My car has the Off-road button as standard.  On take two the button was pressed.

 

And on take two, did the left front and right rear wheels continue to spin? If so, the EDL in off-road mode was failing to do the very thing Skoda claim it will do and charge extra for: prevent two diagonally-opposite wheels from spinning.

Ah!  Memories of our own trip up there in May '12!  You refer to Applecross and Torridon, so you should have passed (or did you bypass?) Shieldaig - did you make the oft-recommended Brisky visit to Nanny's Tearoom? 

 

 

 

Or did Health & Safety force her to close?  :(

 

 

Passed Sheildaig but did not go in alas.

 

Nice pictures Johann.

 

And don't those painted steel wheels still look good?

 

Nice from far Graham, but far from nice (when you get close-up!)

 

And on take two, did the left front and right rear wheels continue to spin? If so, the EDL in off-road mode was failing to do the very thing Skoda claim it will do and charge extra for: prevent two diagonally-opposite wheels from spinning.

 

As I said in OP the only way I got out was to build up a floor under the spinning right rear wheel.  NOTHING else wanted to work.

And on take two, did the left front and right rear wheels continue to spin? If so, the EDL in off-road mode was failing to do the very thing Skoda claim it will do and charge extra for: prevent two diagonally-opposite wheels from spinning.

Are you sure you're not thinking about a RAV4?

 

Fred

As I said in OP the only way I got out was to build up a floor under the spinning right rear wheel.  NOTHING else wanted to work.

 

 

Without wishing to labour the point beyond its natural life, it would have been interesting if you had got your chum to put his weight on the wing just above the spinning left front wheel. A biggish bloke's weight, applied directly over one wheel, is almost always enough to restore some grip. That would have left only the right rear waving in the air, at which point the EDL, confronted with a simpler situation, might have been able to brake it as it is supposed to, no longer robbing the other 3 wheels of power. You might then have just driven gently out without bothering to build up the ground. Gently is the operative word, not giving it lots of welly as has been suggested. I find this approach works well.

Just had a call from Škoda Customer Care.  They were appalled by the service I got from Arnold Clark. I've asked to be reimbursed for the £80 it cost to fix a life critical element (that should not break on a 3 year old car) and the fuel for my abortive 120 mile round trip.  Both of which they accepted.  

 

I shall know for certain come Friday or so.

Not in the least surprised at A Clark Inverness attitude. 

I won't be going near them to get my car serviced.

 

Nice pics Johann   

Without wishing to labour the point beyond its natural life, it would have been interesting if you had got your chum to put his weight on the wing just above the spinning left front wheel. A biggish bloke's weight, applied directly over one wheel, is almost always enough to restore some grip. That would have left only the right rear waving in the air, at which point the EDL, confronted with a simpler situation, might have been able to brake it as it is supposed to, no longer robbing the other 3 wheels of power. You might then have just driven gently out without bothering to build up the ground. Gently is the operative word, not giving it lots of welly as has been suggested. I find this approach works well.

 

Well I am quite concerned at this failure of the yeti's 4 x 4 system to cope with that situation and want to know the facts - should it have worked properly by braking the 2 spinning wheels?

In other words, is there a fault on Johann's car or do none of them work properly?

Well I don't know about all Yetis, of course. What I can tell you is that on mine with the Off Road button ON you instantly know when its working, not necessarily from what the car is doing(!), but from the noise of the ABS applying and reapplying the brakes. I would say the electronics are activated as close to instantly as possible in all the situations I come across, mostly mud for me; but also off road literally i.e. when all four wheels lose traction on tarmac due to a slight hump in the road (without the Off Road button ON). In the latter case the TCS light flickers on the dash not the green off road indicator, obviously.

[Other Yetis are available]

I wonder how Skoda (or indeed any) garages test for 4x4 operation. I'd assume it would need a rolling road with 4 independent rollers, where one could lock 1 roller and see if that wheel had traction enough to creep forward?

Has ANYONE had their 4x4 system "tested"? With a test result report produced as certification of correct operation? My (cynical) guess is that if customers can't tell if it is operating correctly, all that is needed is a tick box in a form that effectively means "customer hasn't mentioned anything, system makes right noises, feels like drive is shifting to a back wheel on road test, and that's it"

I wonder how Skoda (or indeed any) garages test for 4x4 operation. I'd assume it would need a rolling road with 4 independent rollers, where one could lock 1 roller and see if that wheel had traction enough to creep forward?

Has ANYONE had their 4x4 system "tested"? With a test result report produced as certification of correct operation? My (cynical) guess is that if customers can't tell if it is operating correctly, all that is needed is a tick box in a form that effectively means "customer hasn't mentioned anything, system makes right noises, feels like drive is shifting to a back wheel on road test, and that's it"

I've never come across such a test and doubt that anyone has had their Yeti examined in any such way-they are built and sold for road use with some off road capability. It may be those   building vehicles for darien gap expeditions or military use may involve such a routine. Those Yeti owners who have used their vehicles off road report a surprisingly good degree of ability. My non cynical view is that people who want a serious off roader should look elsewhere. 60k will buy you one of those TVR engined defender based vehicles, (bobcat?) which will do anything. An Argocat or Pinzgauer or haflinger may be what you are expecting but I bought a comfortable well equipped car of Golf size with a raised seating position and the ability to make progress on poor surfaces and in poor weather.

I wonder how Skoda (or indeed any) garages test for 4x4 operation. I'd assume it would need a rolling road with 4 independent rollers, where one could lock 1 roller and see if that wheel had traction enough to creep forward?

Has ANYONE had their 4x4 system "tested"? With a test result report produced as certification of correct operation? My (cynical) guess is that if customers can't tell if it is operating correctly, all that is needed is a tick box in a form that effectively means "customer hasn't mentioned anything, system makes right noises, feels like drive is shifting to a back wheel on road test, and that's it"

 

Having been involved in the 4x4 world for more years than is good for me I've never come across a test for that. 

We did once stick a Freelander on 3 wheeled skates so only one wheel was touching the ground and drove it around a car park in Solihull though! Highly unofficial but it worked!!

I've never come across such a test and doubt that anyone has had their Yeti examined in any such way-they are built and sold for road use with some off road capability. It may be those   building vehicles for darien gap expeditions or military use may involve such a routine. Those Yeti owners who have used their vehicles off road report a surprisingly good degree of ability. My non cynical view is that people who want a serious off roader should look elsewhere. 60k will buy you one of those TVR engined defender based vehicles, (bobcat?) which will do anything. An Argocat or Pinzgauer or haflinger may be what you are expecting but I bought a comfortable well equipped car of Golf size with a raised seating position and the ability to make progress on poor surfaces and in poor weather.

 

My attitude is that a 4X4 that allows diagonal wheels to spin is really only a 2 wheel drive and not much use.  There must be the equivalent of diff locks on both axles.  The Yeti uses the brakes to achieve that and it should work otherwise it is only a 2wd.

Well on this very trip (in fact on the very day monster got stuck) I had pressed the off road button going down a steep heel to show my taxi driving, oops I mean Octavia III driving, friend how it works. And trust me it worked fine with the green light flashing like mad and the car going down the hill at a crawl. So I don't think that part of my system is broken.

But without a "test" as mentioned who knows.

Having been involved in the 4x4 world for more years than is good for me I've never come across a test for that. 

I suspect in ye olde days of manual diff locks there was not much to test!

We did once stick a Freelander on 3 wheeled skates so only one wheel was touching the ground and drove it around a car park in Solihull though! Highly unofficial but it worked!!

Good to hear! I guess with respect to Yetii. Qashqaie, CR-Vs and the ilk, the term "part-time" 4WD might mean it doesn't always work how and when you expect it to!

My belief is that the Yeti (and all the other cars with the VAG Haldex system) is not four wheel drive but two axle drive! In other words if you've got one wheel on the front and one at the back spinning or in fresh air you ain't going anywhere! Think of it like this:- a two wheel drive car is only really a one axle drive car - if one wheel spins you don't move! So at at least a '4x4' Yeti is twice as good as this but I still find it very disappointing it is only two axle drive. The problem is there is no way of locking the differential.

 So at at least a '4x4' Yeti is twice as good as this but I still find it very disappointing it is only two axle drive. The problem is there is no way of locking the differential.

You don't need to lock the diff. the same result may be achieved by braking the spinning wheels and that is what I thought the Yeti system should do.

 

Is there no engineer on this forum who can tell us exactly how the Yeti system should work?

Everything I can find suggests that there is the equivalent of electronic Limited Slip Diff control.

Edited 18 January, 201412 yr by Norry

My belief is that the Yeti (and all the other cars with the VAG Haldex system) is not four wheel drive but two axle drive! In other words if you've got one wheel on the front and one at the back spinning or in fresh air you ain't going anywhere! Think of it like this:- a two wheel drive car is only really a one axle drive car - if one wheel spins you don't move! So at at least a '4x4' Yeti is twice as good as this but I still find it very disappointing it is only two axle drive. The problem is there is no way of locking the differential.

 

Yes there is!

The traction control system does it by braking the spinning wheel.

So yes, it is a form of electronic LSD.

 

This "arguement" about is it, isn't it 4 wheel drive has been going on since this section was opened, and even before that in the LR forums about the Freelander, which uses a similar drive system.

Let's put it to bed!!

The Yeti is 4 wheel drive because ALL four wheels are capable of being driven, and to a degree are permanently being driven because a small percentage of drive is going to the rear axle at all times.

I'd love to be wrong with this but it isn't the first time on this forum that a Yeti owner has experienced the lack of movement if a wheel on each axle is spinning or in fresh air. If the Yeti is four wheel drive, why can the system not produce traction in these circumstances?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-qbCYE1G1E

 

If anybody want to do more off road than in this video in their yeti then as JCP says in post 39, you have bought the wrong car.

I'd love to be wrong with this but it isn't the first time on this forum that a Yeti owner has experienced the lack of movement if a wheel on each axle is spinning or in fresh air. If the Yeti is four wheel drive, why can the system not produce traction in these circumstances?

 

Have you ever got your car into this situation? If so what happened?

I've done it in mine and it drove out. I kept my foot at a continuous point on the throttle and after a very short period it sorted itself out and I drove away.

I don't know why Johann's didn't, but mine did.

 

And why do you keep querying whether the Yeti is a 4x4?

It has drive to ALL four wheels, therefore it is a 4x4.

It doesn't matter whether it is permanent, with a lever, electronic, mechanical, magically, viscously, or even part time.

If it is capable of driving all 4 wheels at the same time then it is a 4x4!

I really don't understand what is so difficult about the concept.

 

 

That looks like fun, Kenny. I bet a few of us who go out on rallies have nearly been in situations like some of those, and certainly the Surrey Massive had similar, if drier fun a couple of years ago. (including cocking wheels well into the air!!)

 

If anybody want to do more off road than in this video in their yeti then as JCP says in post 39, you have bought the wrong car.

ive obviously bought the wrong car then. But I haven't. And it coped just fine.