Problems with eco drive / Coasting

[NilsGG]

I have a KODIAQ STY TD140/2.0A7A 4WD Aut. from December 2018 and have a issue with eco-drive (coasting). The coasting function works sometimes and not other times. Sometimes when I release the gas pedal it works and sometimes not. It can be that it changes every time I take my foot of the pedal or can work for a few kilometers up to several 100 kilometers and the suddenly change to not working in a similar pattern. The road condition doesn't seems to matter. I can be driving on a highway doing around 100 km/h and one time it works and the next time not and so on.

 

I previous had and Passat 4WD aut, with a similar function but in that car you set this function up in settings for the car and when I had eco-drive activated it worked all the time until I turned it off.

I this car it is automatic and nothing that one can change a setting for.

 

Anybody that have the same experience or maybe even a soulution to it. The guys at the garage says that it's the gearbox that makes the decision if the eco-drive should kick in or not which for me sound cracy or an excuse to do nothing about it.

[silver1011]

A quote from this thread...

 

"I wondered why my car would only occasionally coast in normal drive and discovered that when if you release the  accelerator quickly, the car remains in gear, if you release slowly, the car will coast."

 

 

[NilsGG]

I have tried all different ways to release the gas pedal and it doesnt make any difference. If it is in the "off" state it will not work no matter how I release the pedal. If it is in "on" state it's the same, I can take my foot of the pedal any way I want and it goes into coast and I can see the "eco" symbol on the display.

[DaveMiller]

I’m thinking that there will be some electronic decision making, about the conditions and whether coasting is appropriate.  Basically, by determining how hard the engine is having to work to maintain the current speed.  Obviously, it won’t coast if you’re going uphill - but you can (or at least may) be able to determine that visually.  What about headwind?  That will make a significant difference, but isn’t so readily apparent to the driver.

[Kenny R]

Remember your Kodiaq has a micro hybrid/ smart alternator charging system and tries to keep the battery charged on the over run/ deceleration phase and not constantly as previously. 

Perhaps your battery requires charging and the system disables the coasting function to allow this to happen.

[NilsGG]

47 minutes ago, DaveMiller said:

I’m thinking that there will be some electronic decision making, about the conditions and whether coasting is appropriate.  Basically, by determining how hard the engine is having to work to maintain the current speed.  Obviously, it won’t coast if you’re going uphill - but you can (or at least may) be able to determine that visually.  What about headwind?  That will make a significant difference, but isn’t so readily apparent to the driver.

 When it's working the coast  will function fine in any way the road is, up, down or straight forward. When it's npt working it's the same, if I'm (for example) in a steep downhill road it still won't work.

 

48 minutes ago, Kenny R said:

Remember your Kodiaq has a micro hybrid/ smart alternator charging system and tries to keep the battery charged on the over run/ deceleration phase and not constantly as previously. 

Perhaps your battery requires charging and the system disables the coasting function to allow this to happen.

As I said before, I can drive for several 100 kilometers and it keeps going in and out of function. If I have been driving for several hours I would think that the battery is fully charged and since it's a new car the battery shouldn't be an issue.

[DaveMiller]

> I can drive for several 100 kilometers and it keeps going in and out of function. If I have been driving for several hours I would think that the battery is fully charged and since it's a new car the battery shouldn't be an issue.<

 

Think of it this way: the battery will indeed be fully charged after several hours, but only because it has received charge from the alternator.  NilsGG's point is that (because of the "smart" alternator" nowadays used), it will NOT charge all the time, like cars used to, but will concentrate on charging when you are coasting or slowing down.  It will charge when coasting, IF the battery is not currently "full" - so it will sometime charge and sometimes not, giving an intermittent drag, perhaps giving rise to the difference you find.  Being a new battery is not relevant - even a brand new battery will discharge as you drive, causing the alternator system to kick in - intermittently.

Edited 5 January, 2020 by DaveMiller

[MrTrilby]

With our May 2018 Kodiaq (190TDi SEL), in Eco mode it will *always* coast when you release the throttle and it's in 3rd gear or above. The sole exception to that is if you cancel adaptive cruise control whilst it is using engine braking and/or brakes to control speed on a downhill - in that case it continues with engine braking. Every other time in Eco mode, release the throttle pedal (quickly, slowly, it matters not) and it coasts until you either touch the brake, the throttle, or a gear shift paddle. Ours will coast irrespective of the state of charge of the battery. I think ours will also coast when doing an active regeneration of the DPF filter, albeit at higher revs. It will not coast at all in Normal or Sport mode.

 

I understand that the behaviour with newer Kodiaqs changed, so that they coast even in "Normal" mode if you release the throttle pedal slowly.

[SimonAudi]

My MY20 will coast in normal - but will not coast if the ACC is engaged..

 

Why wont it stay set in the mode you put it in - Individual or Eco?

 

I even have personalisation...

 

 

[NilsGG]

3 hours ago, MrTrilby said:

With our May 2018 Kodiaq (190TDi SEL), in Eco mode it will *always* coast when you release the throttle and it's in 3rd gear or above. The sole exception to that is if you cancel adaptive cruise control whilst it is using engine braking and/or brakes to control speed on a downhill - in that case it continues with engine braking. Every other time in Eco mode, release the throttle pedal (quickly, slowly, it matters not) and it coasts until you either touch the brake, the throttle, or a gear shift paddle. Ours will coast irrespective of the state of charge of the battery. I think ours will also coast when doing an active regeneration of the DPF filter, albeit at higher revs. It will not coast at all in Normal or Sport mode.

 

I understand that the behaviour with newer Kodiaqs changed, so that they coast even in "Normal" mode if you release the throttle pedal slowly.

That's what I would think the behaviour should be, but on mine it's intermittent not working. On rare cases the car will coast when the mode is in D (Drive) but when in E the function works sometimes and not other times and I can't see any logic in it.

[NilsGG]

19 minutes ago, SimonAudi said:

My MY20 will coast in normal - but will not coast if the ACC is engaged..

 

Why wont it stay set in the mode you put it in - Individual or Eco?

 

I even have personalisation...

 

 

I guess you mean Adaptive Cruise Control when you say ACC (and not climat control). I understand that the coast funtion will not work when you have cruise control on. If I have the lever totally off or half activated (without setting a speed) makes no difference, the coast funtion keeps going on or off intermittent. I would think that if Skoda has put a function in the car it should be working as intended.

[linni]

1 hour ago, SimonAudi said:

Why wont it stay set in the mode you put it in - Individual or Eco?

 

I activated Personalisation with VCDS just for that - to keep last settings memorized. But no help.

It seems to be another WLTP issue, to keep driving mode Normal most of the time, not Sport for example.

Early Kodiaqs did memorize the settings.

Edited 5 January, 2020 by linni

[SimonAudi]

I think my Karoq (MY19) stays in individual mode.... but will not stay in Eco.... or Sport...

 

I expected Kodiaq to be same.... but no... I guess MY20 brought some changes that are hidden as well as the ones they tell you about..

 

 

[NilsGG]

2 hours ago, linni said:

 

I activated Personalisation with VCDS just for that - to keep last settings memorized. But no help.

It seems to be another WLTP issue, to keep driving mode Normal most of the time, not Sport for example.

Early Kodiaqs did memorize the settings.

 

21 minutes ago, SimonAudi said:

I think my Karoq (MY19) stays in individual mode.... but will not stay in Eco.... or Sport...

 

I expected Kodiaq to be same.... but no... I guess MY20 brought some changes that are hidden as well as the ones they tell you about..

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean by VCDS but you both are missing the point. I don't  mind (or care) that the car don't remember the setting for drive mode between every time I start it. The issue is that the eco-drive (when the gearbox is disengaged and the car is in a kind of "freewheeling") and you can see that the eco symbol lights up in the dispaly and the gearindicator shows E instead of E7, for example.

[linni]

17 minutes ago, NilsGG said:

kind of "freewheeling"

 

Coasting, it is called.

I understand your point exactly.

TBH, I don`t bother myself too much about eco driving and coasting. It seems it lives a life of it`s own. So do I.

[silver1011]

Modern cars are complex.

 

In the same way people often don't understand why their engine stop/start feature works sometimes, but not others, the coasting function will be the same.

 

There will be very many variables that determine when it operates, and when it doesn't.

 

Don't worry about it, if it is working sometimes then it is working.

 

Best to forget about it.

[NilsGG]

52 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

Modern cars are complex.

 

In the same way people often don't understand why their engine stop/start feature works sometimes, but not others, the coasting function will be the same.

 

There will be very many variables that determine when it operates, and when it doesn't.

 

Don't worry about it, if it is working sometimes then it is working.

 

Best to forget about it.

I do undestand that modern cars are komplex but that way on looking on this is not something I aren't willing to accept. If I would get a clear explanation on why it works sometimes and not sometimes, then it would be OK. But as it is now it's just a bunch of guesses both from peoples like in this forum and also from the guys at the Skoda garage.

If there is a function it should work. If, for example, your window wipers would work sometimes and not other times, Is that something that people would just shrug thier shoulders on and say "well next time it might work". I don't think so.

I can see that this is not unique for my car but there seems not to be anyone that have got a solution on this behaviour.

[silver1011]

Your windscreen wiper example isn't a great one. If the wipers don't work when it is raining there is a fault. A potentially dangerous one at that.

 

Just because the coasting feature isn't working when you expect or want it to, doesn't mean there is a fault. It isn't a safety feature either, more than likely a fuel saving / emissions reducing feature that Skoda (VAG) needed to be able to pass WLTP or any of the previous regulatory constraints.

 

If Skoda Sweden is anything like Skoda UK you'll never get a satisfactory answer. If you're lucky they'll talk to the technical team in the Czech Republic who won't be able or willing to get you the answer you want either.

 

This was my reason for the "best to forget it" comment. Just because the feature isn't working to a set routine, or at expected intervals doesn't make it faulty. At some point we're going to have to accept that in ever increasing instances our cars are cleverer than we are.

 

Edited 6 January, 2020 by silver1011

[DaveMiller]

Try “The coasting feature decides whether to initiate coasting, according to a complex set of variables, not all of them apparent to the driver.  Sometimes it will allow coasting; at other times it will protect some aspect of the car by not allowing it.”

 

If you think of the feature that way, you can be happy that the feature IS working 🙂

[Ootohere]

I have had a driver drive my car with me as a passenger & the car was as i had it set and they never even noticed that the car was 'Coasting' and the gear indicator was showing 'D' and not D6.

I let someone drive and said nothing and when we were stopped i changed the dash to show Average Fuel where the word 'Coasting' came up, 

they still never noticed.

 

If coasting function is available on a car i set it, never known a car with it not to function as it should when the toe is off the accelerator and no load on the engine,

but if i borrow someone elses daily drive i do not mess with their settings.

 

Same thing with going down hills and the car 'Coasting' or freewheeling or decelerating / using engine braking.

The car knows the angle of the dangle...

Edited 6 January, 2020 by Roottootemblowinootsoot

[shyVRS245]

I really like this feature on my new car and shortly after starting the engine change the DSG from normal to eco so that I can take advantage of the coasting and early gear changes. As I have 14 roundabouts to negotiate on my commute each way I lift off the throttle and watch the revs drop to just 800rpm until I pick up the throttle exiting the roundabout. The symbol on the dash typically changes from E7 to just E whilst coasting.

[BoxerBoy]

An old thread, but coasting / freewheeling won't go away.

 

Most days I flip / flop between modes as the journey evolves - usually Normal, Individual and occasionally Sport - with lots of manual over-ride as needed.

 

Whether the car coasts or not for a few moments doesn't usually bother me as I can switch quickly between Normal and Sport drive by flicking the gear leaver or going manual with the paddles.

 

But this week, the coasting did bug me, because it seems that only in Snow mode will the gearbox stay in drive all the time without coasting at all. Which is certainly what I don't want on snow.

 

So during this week's snowy days coasting was avoided using Snow mode, but this made the car quite lethargic (ignoring all the minor adjustments to traction, ABS and whatever else it tweaks in Snow mode) and I didn't want a lethargic car on the wet or dry bits of road.

 

So all in all, the coasting feature became a bit of a nuisance in all the other modes and I now wish it could be turned off just like Stop/Start.

 

It's all part of the fuel economy & emission cheat's game anyway, rather than a true driver aid.

[ZacDaMan72]

At low speeds in 1st or 2nd, my car seems to engage the clutch when I let off the gas before 2000rpm, really annoying as it’s not very smooth in doing so. It feels like it’s trying to coast at low speeds. 

Edited 11 February, 2021 by ZacDaMan72

[snala]

Presume coasting function has nothing to do with proximity of a car in front, ACC engaged or not? I.e. the car knows what's in front of it and won't coast if senses another car? Does the distance setting in the ACC determine this maybe too?

[ZacDaMan72]

2 minutes ago, snala said:

Presume coasting function has nothing to do with proximity of a car in front, ACC engaged or not? I.e. the car knows what's in front of it and won't coast if senses another car? Does the distance setting in the ACC determine this maybe too?

Coasting doesn’t work with ACC in use I don’t think, at least I’ve never seen it with my two. My RS has a mind on its own though, coasting only works a third of the time unlike my Golf R and previous Kodiaq.