The 220ps experiences, questions & answers thread

[old newbie2]

3 hours ago, freelunch said:

We had a successful run up to Hull "The 2017 City of Culture", our longest trip so far. I just had a look at the car computer and it says I averaged 40.8 mpg and 44 mph over the last 255 mile motorway stretch. Not bad, but I am a bit skeptical about computer readouts. I always take pump readings. My first tank averaged out at 26.5 mpg, but that included a lot of town work and experimentation with DCC and DSG settings. My second tank, which included some motorway miles, worked out at 33.1 mpg. Because of the motorway work, I am expecting my next pump reading will improve once again, but nothing like the 38 mpg the computer says I'm getting. (I always have the air set to Auto and the DCC in Normal, full auto.)

 

I had occasion to put the pedal to the metal several times on the A15 and continue to be impressed with the 220's performance. Plenty of power when you want it. On the other hand, the Sportline is a sedate and comfortable cruiser, too. I am getting quite adept at using the adaptive cruise control, increasing and dropping the speed as required, increasing and decreasing the gap between me and the car in front. I like it.

 

At one point, the traffic on the A14 came to a rather abrupt halt. I saw it coming, but let the car do the work – keeping my foot hovering just above the brake pedal, just in case. It was just like the manual said: the car came to a complete (and well controlled) stop, then set off when the traffic moved again, never once did I touch the brake or accelerator pedal – absolutely brilliant.

 

There was only one "negative" for me: I've got almost 400 Gb's of music loaded, but find it difficult to choose what I want to listen to whilst on the move. Of course now that I completely trust the car to do the driving, I'm free to take my eyes off the road and attend to my infotainment centre, right? Wrong. So, I have to train up my Luddite wife to work the computer. "Careful! It's a touch screen, not a push screen." "Don't PUSH!!!" "NO! PRESSING HARDER DOES NOT MAKE IT WORK BETTER!!!!!" So, she's starting to comprehend the basics, and the navigation, but – we had to listen to 45 minutes of Basement Jaxx. Every time I turned down the volume on the steering wheel, she turned it back up on the dash.

You should have two music SD card slots in a sportline, why not try loading a card each with his & hers music?

You might have to be a little more selective re amount of data storage, but it does keep SWMBO happy when she's on her own............

 

It works for us in our Golf, the other cars are old so we have to swap cards around, or created his 'n hers folders in the hard drive instead.

 

DC

[freelunch]

@old newbie2 We don't have his and hers. We have ours and hers. And, as she doesn't drive, she's never in the car by herself. But, you're right, I should have been much more selective with the music, instead of just loading up my whole library. In fact, that sounds like a chore for this Easter weekend.

 

Happy Easter all!

[BillyJim]

8 hours ago, freelunch said:

I've got almost 400 Gb's of music loaded,

Out of interest... How?

I have a large library too, 455 GB for about 58k songs, but my Columbus gives up after scanning the first 10,000 songs. (Tried both a USB HD and a Wi-Fi connected HD).

[freelunch]

@BillyJim First, apologies: I don't have "almost 400 Gb's" of music. I have 300 Gb's. I had 400 when I had my 128 and 256 gig SD's full. But, I had the same 10,000 file problem as you. I had to keep deleting music until I got the file count on each card down below the 10K file limit. But, a 5Mb mp3 file and a 400Mb flac file both count as one. (The trouble with huge flac compilation files: I can't pick out tracks. I can't seem to work out how to add track markers.) WAV files are lossless and big, but don't hold metadata, like album art, so I used Apple lossless m4a files, instead. They don't take up as much space, but space is not the problem on these large SD's, file count is.

 

My 128 SD card has 114 gigs on it, my 256 SD card has 132 gigs on it, I have a CD in the drive and a 32 gig USB stick in the slot. Plus, a 64 gig SD card of classical music which never seems to find a home and spends its time in a SD card wallet I bought and is now full of unused SD cards. The Columbus Jukebox is full, too.

 

So, on the drive back from Hull, "we" listened to Radio 4.

 

Women's Hour.

[BillyJim]

Ah, thought maybe you'd cracked that limit. A fistful full of SD's what I have too! Hoping stratopherix make their iOS 'MusicStreamer' CarPlay compatible as it can stream from a wi-fi HD and resolve it.

Anyway, darn gorn orf topic. Glad to hear you're still enjoying your 220.

Edited 15 April, 2017 by BillyJim

[Sagalout]

Just picked up my new 220 L&K hatch. 150TDI to 220 petrol is heaven. First impression, lovely engine that already wants to rev (no I haven't yet Daddy Rainmaker  ) and pulls nicely from low down. Gearbox obviously still ram tight so it is shifting up and down a lot in slow traffic but otherwise it is smmmmmooooth.

 

Car feels totally different on the road; I guess in part because there isn't a girt lump of weight sitting on the front?

 

One thing I noticed is some wind whistle noise from the driver side window/door. I don't think it was there in the diesel or perhaps I just couldn't hear it above the thrumm . Is it a known thing or problem that the dealer needs to sort for me? I will search later on but thought I would just ask whilst in here.

 

Will put some piccies in the picture thread soon and report back here after a few hundred miles

[Bud]

First long run today:

 

Good stats in comparison to my previous Mondeo 2.0 petrol.  

 

A little bit of fun with kick down and the paddles and the different modes. ACC very good, seemed to fighting lane assist a little so turned it off apart from in the road works.

Played with most of the nav settings, was it me or does it only show "N UP" when on 10 miles scales?  Also trying to set up the routing options so you could use fast A roads as an alternative.  Other systems also good but not sure about the ring tones and can you pull contact photos off the phone book on your phone.   

[Rainmaker]

3 hours ago, Sagalout said:

Just picked up my new 220 L&K hatch. 150TDI to 220 petrol is heaven. First impression, lovely engine that already wants to rev (no I haven't yet Daddy Rainmaker  ) and pulls nicely from low down. Gearbox obviously still ram tight so it is shifting up and down a lot in slow traffic but otherwise it is smmmmmooooth.

 

Car feels totally different on the road; I guess in part because there isn't a girt lump of weight sitting on the front?

 

One thing I noticed is some wind whistle noise from the driver side window/door. I don't think it was there in the diesel or perhaps I just couldn't hear it above the thrumm . Is it a known thing or problem that the dealer needs to sort for me? I will search later on but thought I would just ask whilst in here.

 

Will put some piccies in the picture thread soon and report back here after a few hundred miles

 

I'm made up for you mate! It's like night and day, isn't it?   Just you wait until those 600 running-in miles have gone by and you start pushing to open her up. Great fun! Not to be nosey/rude but what fuel are you running her on? The proper 99 RON stuff really does make a huge difference to driving feel (and economy), so if you're not already using it I'd really, strongly recommend it. It transforms the drive even just around town; much more willing and it pulls far, far more strongly in the mid range when you plant it. I found on 95 and 97 RON it was comparatively asthmatic at the top end, flattening significantly after 4k and just not feeling keen. Even with the extra cost per litre, V-Power tends to pay for itself (just about) over supermarket 95, such are the improvements after a couple of tanks to adjust. The manual recommends 98+ don't forget, so it does make sense.

 

The wing mirror and door wind whistle; yes I did notice that compared to my SII. Being a reformed dirty smoker I now vape, so I went and fitted wind deflectors so I wasn't filling the cabin with water vapour. Now regretted, as it's made the wind noise much worse at speed, but they're glued in! I did comment on it when we took delivery though so it was definitely a from-factory 'feature' to a lesser degree. It shouldn't be intrusive however, and do check the door seals and chrome trim to make sure yours aren't loose (that really does whistle!). If in doubt a quick word with the stealer should put your mind at rest, especially in relation to the chrome trim recall.

 

Other than that, crack on and enjoy it!

 

[Feel free to stop reading here mate. What follows is just some extra info and observations you may wish to skip if you're not in the mood.]

 

While 99% of the loosening up is done by 2k miles (I saw a bit of a jump in economy around 2,500 miles as did some other owners), the engine will progressively loosen up further and enjoy being pushed for at least the first 10k miles. That's where I'm up to mileage wise at least, and it's still improving drive by drive. Don't get me wrong, after run in you can have at it and not think twice. It'll rev, and enjoy some hard driving, but over the next 5 to 10k you'll look back and realise just how much nicer again it's become with a bit of age. Those later improvements are mostly in the higher mid range and top end imho, which kind of makes sense as you spend less engine/drive time up there so it'll be less 'used' higher up.

 

On that subject: While the 220 is great for dribbling around at low revs - which auto mode favours - do stick it into manual mode and stretch its legs when the opportunity presents. Especially on 99 RON fuel, the economy is surprisingly stable even with manual mode and many trips to the top of the rev range. The car will thank you, it absolutely loves revving and it's like a happy dog after a hard run, positively straining at the lead begging to be spanked. A proper 'Italian tune up' really does clear the cobwebs and you'll find it even more responsive (and economical) back on your usual journeys for the next few days afterwards. Mine gets hell every chance I get, and I still see late 30s to a tank and 40-odd on a run (even a hard one, oo er). 

 

You'll probably see 400 to 450 miles to a tank at first, especially if you do a lot of short runs. Mine gradually crept up and I'm starting to see into the 600-odd range to a tank now without significantly changing journey types. As I said, it improves with age a bit like a diesel. It's a fantastic engine and box, you'll have a lot of fun with it even on mundane journeys as it's just so damn flexible. Keep us updated and don't forget the pics with your next update.

 

54 minutes ago, Bud said:

First long run today:

 

Good stats in comparison to my previous Mondeo 2.0 petrol.  

 

A little bit of fun with kick down and the paddles and the different modes. ACC very good, seemed to fighting lane assist a little so turned it off apart from in the road works.

Played with most of the nav settings, was it me or does it only show "N UP" when on 10 miles scales?  Also trying to set up the routing options so you could use fast A roads as an alternative.  Other systems also good but not sure about the ring tones and can you pull contact photos off the phone book on your phone.   

 

Sounds like you're really getting to grips with it now Bud. As I said above to Sagalout it's a nice flexible, economical engine given the power on tap. Glad you're enjoying it! I did play with the nav a fair bit (and keep it updated with speed camera locations weekly), but I have to admit I tend not to use it except in emergencies. I prefer a nav with live traffic rerouting and the bells and whistles (community reported hazards etc) you get with Waze or similar. As such I have to admit I hadn't really noticed anything with the scaling etc. Hopefully someone can answer your question soon. Keep us updated with how you get on with the car. 

[Sagalout]

@rainmaker

Thanks, all good advice. I could only get Sainsbury Super yesterday so a quick splash and dash with a trip to my local Shell for a dose of V-Power this morning. I haven't tried Tesco Momentum before but will give it a go. Local Tesco is about 15 miles away so most likely going to be V Power most of the time.

I am already surprised at the mpg. OK I have only done 100 miles so far but the maxidot is showing 33.2 mpg ! That is up and over the hills via narrow country lanes with a little bit of A road.

Thanks for the confirmation about the wind noise.

 

Time to stir the beast now and give her another little run out 

[2slo]

Running in completed now. First long run last weekend (mostly A1/ M1) with good use of the ACC gave an indicated 43MPG after 400 miles. Even if the fuel computer is about 5% optomistic as many people suggest, that's still better than 40MPG which I think is pretty good considering the performance available. I like the way the DSG works with the mode selection allowing me to cruise economically in Eco mode but when I need a burst of acceleration just a quick tap backwards on the gearlever gets into Sport mode. Finished accelerating: tap it back again and continue in Eco. This works especially well when you get used to anticipating downhill gradients and run it in coasting (the engine drops back to tickover and the average fuel consumption improves as you look at on the display in front of you).

[Neil201]

Well just heard back from the dealer and they tell me the car is due to be built by the end of next week, so hoping for an earlier than expected early June delivery... happy days 

 

Not that I'm impatient or anything but how long does it normally take for delivery after build date?

 

 

Edited 7 May, 2017 by Neil201

[garethowen01]

Running in done and dusted, ( cheers Rainmaker).

Bit concerning, this. I went to pass a a line of three cars on an uphill dual carriageway , just off a roundabout.

As I floored the throttle, there was a little lag and then a bang from the front of the car.

The car then accelerated as per normal, e.g very quickly.

Had a look underneath when I parked up but couldn't see anything amiss.

Driving OK now with no noises.

Strange eh?

Any ideas?

[Rainmaker]

23 hours ago, Neil201 said:

Well just heard back from the dealer and they tell me the car is due to be built by the end of next week, so hoping for an earlier than expected early June delivery... happy days 

 

Not that I'm impatient or anything but how long does it normally take for delivery after build date?

 

 

 

It varies depending on demand and your location Neil. I waited over a month from build date to delivery but it seems much quicker these days for most people. 

 

18 minutes ago, garethowen01 said:

Running in done and dusted, ( cheers Rainmaker).

Bit concerning, this. I went to pass a a line of three cars on an uphill dual carriageway , just off a roundabout.

As I floored the throttle, there was a little lag and then a bang from the front of the car.

The car then accelerated as per normal, e.g very quickly.

Had a look underneath when I parked up but couldn't see anything amiss.

Driving OK now with no noises.

Strange eh?

Any ideas?

 

Sounds like the (overly excitable) traction control kicked in mate. It's just the car slamming on the brakes very quickly for not much reason at all. I've even managed to kick it in over a pot hole in the wet under very moderate throttle. 

 

Basically you floored it too much too quickly. Alternatively (or in addition) you had too much steering lock left on after the roundabout exit and overwhelmed the tyres with too much throttle vs available grip. Either way just be a bit more moderate in your initial application of throttle,and then progressively add it on over a few seconds.

 

You'll get to speed no less quickly but you won't overwhelm the safety systems (which as I said are overly sensitive). I seemed to bump into the problem a few times a day at first but soon adapted my driving around it. Remember it's a DSG with fairly high power compared to your average family hatch. The cosseting nature of the ride can leave you feeling you're going slow or not asking much, but in reality flooring the gas on a 2.0/220 petrol motor with a turbo from almost standstill is always going to be "interesting" with FWD. 

Edited 8 May, 2017 by Rainmaker

[garethowen01]

39 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

 

It varies depending on demand and your location Neil. I waited over a month from build date to delivery but it seems much quicker these days for most people. 

 

 

Sounds like the (overly excitable) traction control kicked in mate. It's just the car slamming on the brakes very quickly for not much reason at all. I've even managed to kick it in over a pot hole in the wet under very moderate throttle. 

 

Basically you floored it too much too quickly. Alternatively (or in addition) you had too much steering lock left on after the roundabout exit and overwhelmed the tyres with too much throttle vs available grip. Either way just be a bit more moderate in your initial application of throttle,and then progressively add it on over a few seconds.

 

You'll get to speed no less quickly but you won't overwhelm the safety systems (which as I said are overly sensitive). I seemed to bump into the problem a few times a day at first but soon adapted my driving around it. Remember it's a DSG with fairly high power compared to your average family hatch. The cosseting nature of the ride can leave you feeling you're going slow or not asking much, but in reality flooring the gas on a 2.0/220 petrol motor with a turbo from almost standstill is always going to be "interesting" with FWD. 

Thanks for that Rainmaker. I see what your saying. Thought I'd broken it so I'll take your advice and not floor it so sharply.

As you say, these cars go like stink without too much right pedal anyway.

Cheers mate.

[Sagalout]

Well I am still getting cramp in my calf muscles trying to keep the foot soft  We have been away on hols so not used the car much. Still only a few hundred miles so far. It is quite challenging not to let her run too hot but patience, they say, is a virtue.

 

However, I have question about drive train noise. I have a marked 'whine' when moving slowly/changing up/down gears between 2nd / 3rd. Sounds a bit like a turbo spooling but it obviously is a drive train noise. I am hoping it is just the newness but thought to ask here if anyone has 'previous' on this noise. 

 

Second question is looking for confirmation that the small fan, that runs for a minute or so when I switch off the ignition, is a subsidiary cooling fan for the turbo?

 

Thanks in advance

[Rainmaker]

11 minutes ago, Sagalout said:

Well I am still getting cramp in my calf muscles trying to keep the foot soft  We have been away on hols so not used the car much. Still only a few hundred miles so far. It is quite challenging not to let her run too hot but patience, they say, is a virtue.

 

However, I have question about drive train noise. I have a marked 'whine' when moving slowly/changing up/down gears between 2nd / 3rd. Sounds a bit like a turbo spooling but it obviously is a drive train noise. I am hoping it is just the newness but thought to ask here if anyone has 'previous' on this noise. 

 

Second question is looking for confirmation that the small fan, that runs for a minute or so when I switch off the ignition, is a subsidiary cooling fan for the turbo?

 

Thanks in advance

 

I honestly can't help you on the whine issue mate, sorry. I'm very hard of hearing and don't pick up higher frequency sounds so I'd be oblivious either way. The second fan is the electric water cooling for the turbo, yes. Nothing to worry about.

[Neil201]

cheers @Rainmaker here's hoping for sooner rather than later.  Although it does mean I miss out on the MY18 changes, can't say I'm too disappointed by that as I prefer the Columbus unit with good old fashioned twisty dials 

[El Dingo]

On 08/05/2017 at 15:31, Rainmaker said:

Sounds like the (overly excitable) traction control kicked in mate. It's just the car slamming on the brakes very quickly for not much reason at all. I've even managed to kick it in over a pot hole in the wet under very moderate throttle. 

 

Basically you floored it too much too quickly. Alternatively (or in addition) you had too much steering lock left on after the roundabout exit and overwhelmed the tyres with too much throttle vs available grip. Either way just be a bit more moderate in your initial application of throttle,and then progressively add it on over a few seconds.

 

You'll get to speed no less quickly but you won't overwhelm the safety systems (which as I said are overly sensitive). I seemed to bump into the problem a few times a day at first but soon adapted my driving around it. Remember it's a DSG with fairly high power compared to your average family hatch. The cosseting nature of the ride can leave you feeling you're going slow or not asking much, but in reality flooring the gas on a 2.0/220 petrol motor with a turbo from almost standstill is always going to be "interesting" with FWD. 

I've experienced this too.  There is a distinct 'Bang' when accelerating if the front wheels momentarily lose grip.  It's therefore much more likely to happen on a wet road.

I've been to the dealer about this and the theory is that the rear front suspension mount is 'knocking' under the sudden unloading.  The dealer is checking this with Skoda.

 

I've had a few 'high powered' fwd cars now (Audi A4 V6, Leon Cupra R, Ocavia VRS and a couple of diesels (don't ask)) and this is the first one that's ever made such a loud 'bang' under these circumstances.

 

Hopefully there will be a design update and a recall (well I can dream can't I?).

Edited 19 May, 2017 by El Dingo
Poor choice of words

[facet edge]

I've experienced the bang as well. Only today I put my foot down on entering a roundabout. The wheels lost grip and were spinning ( Continental tyres, no grip at all! ) After about 10 yards there was a loud bang. 

The odd thing was the wheels had already lost traction but I was able to get to about 20 mph before the bang.

It seems to me that the traction control should be able to moderate the slippage earlier which would lead to a lot less drama.

[mattsv]

My 230 (with the e-diff) bangs as well with cold tyres if I gun it

 

[Gizmo]

With reference to the loud bang, mine used to do this I put it down to a violent engine rock as the DSG changed gear (only did it around once a fortnight and not even when giving it WOT) 

 

I researched it a bit and went for an aluminium dogbone mount insert (Version 2) and it has cured the banging with very little if any extra vibration (even with a TDi)

[Rainmaker]

37 minutes ago, Gizmo68 said:

With reference to the loud bang, mine used to do this I put it down to a violent engine rock as the DSG changed gear (only did it around once a fortnight and not even when giving it WOT) 

 

I researched it a bit and went for an aluminium dogbone mount insert (Version 2) and it has cured the banging with very little if any extra vibration (even with a TDi)

 

How is this fitted mate? Is it a DIY or garage job? I'd be interested to try this out. I've found disabling the TC helps a lot with smoothing out standing starts also. 

[Gizmo]

It is simply one bolt to undo and the insert slots into the void, then replace the bolt, I didn’t even jack the car up (drove one wheel onto a block of wood so I could just about get under the car, you could park with one wheel on a curb I guess and still get to it.)

[Rainmaker]

15 minutes ago, Gizmo68 said:

It is simply one bolt to undo and the insert slots into the void, then replace the bolt, I didn’t even jack the car up (drove one wheel onto a block of wood so I could just about get under the car, you could park with one wheel on a curb I guess and still get to it.)

 

That sounds like a plan... 

[Sagalout]

So the magic 1000 kms have passed and I have been able to loosen the reins a bit today. 

 

A quick update on a few things I have noticed that are different on this MY17 from my MY15.

1. The KESSY, inc the virtual foot for the boot, is much more sensitive. It works first time, every time whereas the MY15 was a bit hit and miss.

2. I have a rear view camera with this one and I find it annoying that it doesn't switch off as soon as you move from reverse gear, you have to reach about 10mph before it switches off. Also when moving forward there is no forward projected path markers which were there on the MY15. Maybe it's in the settings somewhere?

3. Linking settings to individual keys is good. Very handy as both SWMBO and myself drive the car and use wildly different settings.

4. 'Traffic' info is just as useless in the MY17. I get info about roads hundreds of miles away and nothing about local roads ??

 

Driving the 220ps.

1. Very smooth at all speeds and quiet except for the little problem that I have with wind noise (now , now ) See the wind noise thread for detail.

2. The DSG box doesn't seem that capable of keeping up with strong, progressive driving. Use the paddes and the car 'sings' and sits on the road far better. In that mode it is very quick, responsive and feels planted for most of the time. I get plenty of notice that it is getting annoyed with me and might throw a fit and break out on bends if I push too hard. 

3. Likes to rev on very little throttle. The difference between a push to accelerate and kick down is minor in my limited experience and the DSG box will race towards that red line far too readily in my view. The car has loads of low down performance so it shouldn't need all that drama.  Maybe that is why I am driving on the paddles when progressing.

4. Haven't experienced the 'throttle lag' that is the subject of the other threads. Probably because I am driving on the paddles if moving along. Otherwise I am driving in old fart mode so wouldn't notice.

4. I have a noticeable whine at 1500-1750 revs especially when in 2nd or 3rd. I think it is drivetrain but I guess it might be the turbo. Seeing the tech on Friday to get him to come out for a short drive to confirm what it is and whether it is within tolerances etc. Anyone else notice this noise? 

5. Consumption is almost unbelievable for a car this size with this level of performance. I am averaging between 35 and 40 mpg poodling about the country lanes and today I noticed 47mpg on the maxidot after a run on mostly motorway for 70 miles.  That is not far off what my 150 TDI was getting!  p.s. I am using superunleaded (Shell V power for example)

 

So, overall I am a very happy Teddy at the moment. It cost me a bit to switch from the 150TDI to this but worth every penny.

Hopefully the little niggles will get sorted quickly by the dealer.