Coming from a MkII Octavia I am all too aware of the annoying little cost saving measures Skoda UK had dealt us over the years, some noticeable, others far less so.

 

One of those on the Octavia was the lack of an on-dash warning that the washer fluid was getting low and in need of a top-up. There is a little sensor attached to the washer bottle, those cars with headlight washers had it, those that didn't missed out.

 

Now I must admit I never really thought about it on the Superb, I foolishly assumed that being Skoda's supposedly top-end model that even the basic models (such as mine, being an SE) would have this simple and (more so this morning) essential low cost feature.

 

Seems I was wrong. My non-xenon, therefore non-headlight washer equipped Superb does not appear to have this low washer fluid warning sensor. By the way cars I owned back in the 90's had this simple feature.

 

Crazy in my opinion. If someone at Skoda asked me that for an extra 20p would you want it I think the majority of us would say yes, stop asking stupid questions!

 

Hopefully this is fixed with the more recent facelift Superb but if on the off-chance someone from Skoda is reading this - stop being so tight, it's not like Skoda's are cheap these days!

 

Luckily there was a discarded plastic milk container in the office bin, a quick top-up will be enough to get me home tonight so that I can fill it with the correct ratio of water and screen wash.

 

Simply clever? Not today Skoda!

 

 

Edited 5 February, 201511 yr by silver1011

sad times but when you sell in volume £15 per car adds up

 

You can retrofit fit it for around £30, as I did to my Octavia. I did a guide which would be similar on yours

Mines a 2012 SE estate....has got washer warning..via LCD display "top up washer bottle"

sad times but when you sell in volume £15 per car adds up

 

You can retrofit fit it for around £30, as I did to my Octavia. I did a guide which would be similar on yours

 

Agreed, in the industry I work in we look at opportunities to take pence out of two to three hundred pound products. Like you say multiply this saving over many thousand of products sold and that is quite some saving.

 

£15 sounds a little high for a sensor, and it is worth considering the purchase price of a car is high.

 

Either way, even if the sensor added a few pounds to the list price, or even as a factory cost option then that would be better.

 

Not a deal breaker, and nothing to lose sleep over, it's just that the Superb is such a great car this little blemish came as a bit of a surprise

 

Do you have the link for the Octavia retrofit? I'll go and have a search now...

Edited 5 February, 201511 yr by silver1011

Mines a 2012 SE estate....has got washer warning..via LCD display "top up washer bottle"

 

Interesting, so yours is a pre-FL too?

 

Albeit an estate which was introduced after the Twindoor and likely benefitted from some additional features?

 

I am assuming my car doesn't have one, rather than one that is fitted has failed!

My new combi brings up a yellow icon on the dash and text on the maxidot. An audible alert would be nice too like I had on my old TT, but the visual cues are good enough on mine.

:'(

 

I feel like the odd one out!

:'(

 

I feel like the odd one out!

 

What are the bits underneath the lights then?

 

I always assumed they all had washers, but I guess they're just blanks on lower models?

You're not the odd one out, i activated this through VCDS to test, and indeed the sensor isn't present so de-activated it again as it warned me all the time that the washer needed topping up! lol. Would seriously be interested in the retro-fit if the guide can be found or linked.

 

Link found: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/263753-low-screenwash-warning-added/?hl=+washer%20+fluid%20+warning

Edited 5 February, 201511 yr by MarkTB

Yeah just blanks, was the same on my Mk1 Superb Comfort. Although my sisters Mk2 Pre-FL non-xenon Octavia has them as standard!

 

What are the bits underneath the lights then?

 

I always assumed they all had washers, but I guess they're just blanks on lower models?

Edited 5 February, 201511 yr by MarkTB

For some reason quite a few models of the MkII Octavia had the headlight washers as standard, even without xenon headlights being fitted (Elegance, 4x4 & Scout as examples).

 

The MkII Superb is different, at least here in the UK, I understand that the washers only come on models fitted with the bi-xenon headlights.

 

We paupers with halogens just get chrome coloured blanks instead!

Link found: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/263753-low-screenwash-warning-added/?hl=+washer%20+fluid%20+warning

 

Good find.

 

It'll be a no go for me though, removing instrument clusters, making wiring harnesses and cutting holes in my washer bottle is best left to those with a little more confidence than me.

 

Now I know there is no sensor I'll just make sure I top-up the bottle more often rather than relying on the warning (that clearly for me will never come  )

The MkII Superb is different, at least here in the UK, I understand that the washers only come on models fitted with the bi-xenon headlights.

My 2011 1.8 TSI 4x4 SE Estate has headlamp washers with halogen lights, which I assume are not Xenons as I have a manual headlight levelling control and no "tourist mode" in the MFD.

Did the 2011 4x4 SE models have more standard equipment than the non 4x4 SEs?

Edited 5 February, 201511 yr by DenzilDexter

My 2011 1.8 TSI 4x4 SE Estate has headlamp washers with halogen lights, which I assume are not Xenons as I have a manual headlight levelling control and no "tourist mode" in the MFD.

 

The headlight levelling is a giveaway away and at night the clear daylight type light emitted with a defined line across the beam.

 

The models with the washer system fitted (whether xenon or halogen) appear to be the only ones with the warning fitted.  I haven't seen it on the options list for the lower spec Superbs but in the Octavia (up to Mk II anyway) the washers were a separate option to the xenons so you could order washers on their own (even with halogens) but they obviously came as standard with the xenon system (as least in Ireland anyway).  I should know as I once ordered factory xenons and when the car was delivered I discovered that the dealer mistakenly ticked the option box for the washer system instead of the xenons and then tried to convince me that the halogens were actually xenons!  They had to re-order a new car for me!

Interesting, so it seems that the MkII Superb follows the pattern set with the MkII Octavia then, in that some models with halogens get the headlight wash system as standard.

 

I think the link here is the 4x4, those with all wheel drive get the headlight washers even without xenon's and therefore benefit from the low washer fluid warning.

 

The key here for early models at least is that in order to get the low fluid warning you need the headlight wash system.

 

The FL seems to get it now regardless, Skoda finally saw the error of their ways perhaps!