I found my first annoying issue today. On the columbus, under setup, map, it gives you the option of auto-zoom so at higher speeds it zooms out and vice versa at lower speeds. However, as soon as i adjust it manually, the automatic zoom stops working until I go back into settings and reselect it.

Snet with speeling mistkaes from my phoen

The clunky crap rear suspension

Oh... Tell me more. Where does the cable run to?

I'm sure a few people have fitted sockets in the cubby hole by the drivers knee. Or he's hard wired it to fuse board as that under the side panel there

I think he means it encourages you to ride the clutch as you dont want it to incessantly turn the engine on and off

Isn't there a button for that or am I missing the point?

Does anyone else have a problem with the key opening when in your pocket?

 

I think with a KESSY system, the key should be more difficult to open.

After two weeks of Octy motoring, there's a lot to like and the quibbles I can live with.

Yes, the torsion beam rear suspension smacks of 'de-contenting' a car to stop it nicking sales off pricier VW Group products, but it's livable with if you have the standard wheel/tyre combo on the SE. Whether Skoda can get away with it on the next generation Octavia is an interesting question as the Mk 3 seems to have raised expectations significantly.

And just to give you an example, I was parked up yesterday with the driver's window down when an A6 pulled up alongside. Driver, who I know vaguely, peered in and said 'That is amazing - you don't expect that do you?'. You could take it as a put-down but there was also the sense that in appearance at least the interior's a bit close for comfort to VW/Audi. Reality is that an Audi driver isn't in the market for a Skoda, and that it would take a very non status conscious Passat driver to choose an Octavia instead...even though you're getting a car which does the job just as effectively on a basic level.

The only gripe I've got with my Octy (a 1.4 TSi DSG SE five-door) is that it doesn't have steering-wheel mounted stereo controls, which my V70 did, and has a start-stop which is a bit keen - so keen I often turn it off.

Otherwise, I'm in the wrong thread...

Edited 19 April, 201511 yr by MorrisOx

.............. has a start-stop which is a bit keen - so keen I often turn it off.

 

I turn mine off automatically every time I start the engine!  I do not like it!!

RE high beam assist....I have my suspicions the dedicated HBA diode as fitted to the Elegance models as standard is not quite so capable as the lane assist camera means of providing the functionality.

IMHO possibly goes some way to explain why many people with UK vRS cars (fitted with LA as standard and many have then coded HBA) love it where as on my Elegance whilst I do use it I find it quite dim witted and doesnt pick up vehicles and light sources quick enough....also often mistakes reflective signs (particularly where there are a number of them in sequence and the diode detects a reasonable period of light reflection) as oncoming traffic.

Oh... Tell me more. Where does the cable run to?

Down the pillar, tucked under the rubber. Into a double socket behind the drop down box by the driver's knee. This also feeds my dashcam mounted by the mirror. The socket is fed by a feed from the fusebox.

 

No wires around my dash, and the satnav doesn't intrude my line of sight. Unlike one  I saw recently, right in front of the driver's face. At night. With screen in the daylight mode.

 

Here are two threads with more info -

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/303771-getting-at-the-fusebox-octavia-3/

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/294828-fitting-a-multiway-cigy-adapter-to-a-mk3-octavia/

 

 

 

On the DSG, I love stop-start. I switchit  off frequently at junctions, roundabouts etc, when an extra second can be crucial, but I don't need to look down to switch - I know where it is by touch. No more trouble than flicking a gear. (I know, I know, I drive an auto, but I do use sport mode occasionally.)

 

Now, the absence of physical buttons to change radio stations, music tracks, etc on the Bolero - that does get on my nerves. But that's a symptom of touch screen systems, not particularly an Octavia issue.

 

 

...The only gripe I've got with my Octy (a 1.4 TSi DSG SE five-door) is that it doesn't have steering-wheel mounted stereo controls....

 

 

 

Snap! Had them on my Saab 9-5. Brilliant for adjusting the stereo. As per my post above.

I found my first annoying issue today. On the columbus, under setup, map, it gives you the option of auto-zoom so at higher speeds it zooms out and vice versa at lower speeds. However, as soon as i adjust it manually, the automatic zoom stops working until I go back into settings and reselect it.

You don't have to go into settings, just touch the auto zoom button on the touch screen.

Anyone else have issues with the com limbus not playing podcasts? It reads them, just doesn't play them.

Also, pulled up last night and the cooling fans kicked in, switched it off as I know some cars do this for a short time after the car turns off. Came back 10 mins later, and the fans are still running. I had to start the car for them to stop, then switch it off to stop them. This happened twice last night... The second time, the start off sequence didn't work.

 

 

 

the absence of physical buttons to change radio stations, music tracks, etc on the Bolero - that does get on my nerves. 

Agreed. I find sometimes, instead of going to the station I touched, everything whizzes across the screen.

Bring back buttons - Change is not necessarily progress

Also, pulled up last night and the cooling fans kicked in, switched it off as I know some cars do this for a short time after the car turns off. Came back 10 mins later, and the fans are still running. I had to start the car for them to stop, then switch it off to stop them. This happened twice last night... The second time, the start off sequence didn't work.

 

Is yours a diesel? If yes, then it was probably a regen, and it probably was smelling hot too.

 

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/301020-my-new-diesel-smells-like-burning-rubber-andor-the-fan-stays-on-after-engine-is-turned-off/

Edited 20 April, 201511 yr by Miz

Ahh.. My only experience with dpf regens were with Chrysler products. They go to limp mode if you turn the car off when the engine light comes on for dpf... Meant towing back to the dealer to perform the regen. Only other way to do it was to take it on a good highway run to burn it off.

Now I know.. I'm not so worried. Thanks guys.

Another gripe, no auto dipping passenger mirror...

Edited 21 April, 201511 yr by Oze30

50l fuel tank! Admittedly I'm a high mileage driver and regularly get 55-60 mpg sometimes more but as the low fuel warning comes on with maybe 10 - 12 litres left makes it feel smaller

I do not know what brand Octavia III you are driving, but I have filled in 44L and the light was not yet on.

TBH I had never even noticed the handbrake until it was mentioned here, so a non issue for me.

I get the occasional "pressure effect noise" on certain road surfaces at certain speeds, it isn't a huge issue as the rest of the car does everything else well IMO, and I have yet to try adjustment which might well help.

TBH its infrequent enough not to annoy me.

The bonnet pull seems an oversight, but you get used to it, and never had an issue with the bonnet stay either TBH.

What does nag at me, is the flat bit on the rear bumper below the hatch, if they sloped it downward it would not get dirty so much !

Adjusting the rear washer nozzles is a PITA to get right too.

Aesthetically, the rear wheels tucked so far inboard, no idea why they couldn't have made that better from the factory.

But in the grand scheme of things, these are relatively minor points, no car is perfect

Edited 21 April, 201511 yr by Mr Grump

The bonnet stay reminds me of one of my previous Octavias, I think it was the 2.0 FSi. I had made up a funnel for that one, with a small metal clip that secured it to the stay while filling the screenwash (I seem to recall it was on the driver's side of the car though - so is the Mk. 3 one another LHD feature?)

 

Anyway, with my "custom funnel" clipped in place again it works fine.

You don't need to go into settings to go back to auto, just touch the icon again and it returns to auto, or sometime a second touch does it.

I found my first annoying issue today. On the columbus, under setup, map, it gives you the option of auto-zoom so at higher speeds it zooms out and vice versa at lower speeds. However, as soon as i adjust it manually, the automatic zoom stops working until I go back into settings and reselect it.

Snet with speeling mistkaes from my phoen

I do not know what brand Octavia III you are driving, but I have filled in 44L and the light was not yet on.

I think the diesels specifically underestimate the range as so to prevent issues from running low/out of fuel. Diesels are considerably more sensitive to fuel contamination (dragging carp from bottom of tank), also can be a mare to get started again if they run bone dry.

I have my suspicions the petrols are a little different but may be wrong.

I reckon when the range gets to zero miles on a TDI there is likely still a good 5-7 litres of fuel left in the tank....probably good for 80-100 miles of very sensible driving Id wager but I wouldnt want to find out myself!

Edited 21 April, 201511 yr by pipsyp

Personal best 780 in a day for a 30 min appointment - thankfully I got the order !

 

That's a crazy day! I try to put several visits together and make it a 2 day tour if I'm going far from home, but once when the missus was very pregnant and I'd decided to rule out staying away I did a 560 mile round trip for a 90 minute meeting, and when I got home I declared "Never again!".

 

Turned out when she did drop that 4 hours to get home wouldn't have got me back in time anyway!

My biggest complaints so far,

The wide sills. Not because I'm concerned for pants (though I probably would be if I lived in a snowy region), but because my wife's shoes leave scuffs and scratches on the paint.

 

I have a massive scratch (more like several parallel ones actually) on the driver's side sill, and I have no idea how it got there. My only theory so far is that after I sat one of the kids in there one day they stood on the sill and slid off to get out, with 3 stones stuck under their shoe. I'm not convinced, but I've no idea what else it could be.

RE high beam assist....I have my suspicions the dedicated HBA diode as fitted to the Elegance models as standard is not quite so capable as the lane assist camera means of providing the functionality.

IMHO possibly goes some way to explain why many people with UK vRS cars (fitted with LA as standard and many have then coded HBA) love it where as on my Elegance whilst I do use it I find it quite dim witted and doesnt pick up vehicles and light sources quick enough....also often mistakes reflective signs (particularly where there are a number of them in sequence and the diode detects a reasonable period of light reflection) as oncoming traffic.

 

I find HBA in my Elegance sufficiently dim witted that I disabled it. Job done, I have fingers that reach the stalk and my brain is only a fraction as dim witted as HBA...maybe...

Interesting thread! Lot's of stuff that I agree with, but not sufficiently to actually bother me. For me only two significant issues:

1) Ride quality - Having recently swapped my 16" winters back to 17" summers I think the noise from the rear is worse with the 17's, as well as the ride.

2) Manual gear ratios - Top gear is stupidly low for a engine such as the 1.4TSi, and 4,5 and 6 are too close together.

 

All told, however, whilst it doesn't really excel in any one area it is an excellent all rounder and probably as good a family car as you can find, certainly for the money.

Diesels are considerably more sensitive to fuel contamination (dragging carp from bottom of tank),

+1 Diesels do not like running on carp from the bottom of the tank.