The tank capacity is what it would be if sitting on the ground out of the car. You have the tank filled and then up the pipe.  You can brim it and even vent it and bribe some more and get maybe 10 litres more in.   Venting a MK2 Fabia 45itre tank easily got 7 litres more in. 

UPDATE on my my dreadful battery performance.

Took carto Skoda Northampton after a total charging failure that seemed like the 13 amp cable at fault (red light on the black box fitted to the skoda cable I use at home - normally 3 green lights.)

 

The fault was SOFTWARE not the cable - A software update was installed - cable now worked fine - I was told it was especially to fix charging problems.  

 

History of my recent charging:

5/12/20 - Est battery only range on 100% charge - 16 miles - outside temp about 4C

7/12/20 - Est range  100% charge 16 miles - temp 0C (freezing) - NO CHANGE due to temperature  - driving same as normal style 

11/12/20 - FIX by SKODA - Software update

11/12/20 - Est range now 22 miles - temp 7C - Specially selected test route - almost all dual carriage way - mainly 70 mph, faily sporty driving

-------------------------------actual distance totally battery only - 22 miles - NO regeneration used

12/12/20 - Est range now 25 miles - temp 8C - same specially selected test route - almost all dual carriage way - mainly 50 mph - gentle acceleration

------------------------------ actual distance totally battery only - 28 miles - NO regeneration used

---------------------------------------------this the best it's ever been 

 

I'll be doing the same test a few more times - HOWEVER it looks to me as though there is a KNOWN problem that has a fix - GO now and check yourselves

 

 

 

 

Hi

I recently managed to get 42 miles on electric only with a 98% charge. That's amazing. Never thought that it would be possible given my previously experience with this car (Superb IV). Since this very ECO trip, low speed and no use of any electric accessories, I've managed a few more ECO trips on electric only and I can now get an average of around of about 30 miles range without too much effort, so I'm much happier now to accept that's it's not the cold weather causing poor battery performance and that the estimated range (before staring off on a trip) is ONLY based on the last trip.

 

After my 42 mile all electric trip my fully charged battery estimated a potential range of 39 miles, which was obviously could only have been based on the previous trip.

@ERIK99

 

Mine went in the other week for an oil change and I asked them if they could do the software update and they came back that there was nothing on the system.

Do you have any more info regarding the update? I could then go in with this and get them to do it.

 

John

Hi

My software fix was done after I'd complained about poor range on the battery, AND the fact that my car had stopped charging via my home cable.

 

It seemed most likely that it was a cable fault HOWEVER, I was told that it was fixed with a software update.

 

As soon as that software was updated my battery only ranged jumped dramatically, hence MY link between the software update and range improvement.

 

There is so much software being used it's hard to know what fixes do what.

 

The dealer refused to give me a copy of the detailed fault / fix sheet that the mechanic did so I cannot give you any specifics of what was updated.

 

The software code given via the car is unlikely to be sufficient to tell you that you have ALL of the latest updates.

 

Regardless of the software and the cold weather, I managed to get 42 miles on battery only recently, using a sort of super ECO driving style, on mainly flat roads going quite slow in 3rd and 4th gears, no heating (which is the biggest drain) - so I do now believe that driving style is the KEY to getting the best range, and my car is now 3 months older than when I was only getting 16 miles on a full charge.

Looking forward to more drives in the spring to check out battery only range.

There is a software update/fix for Superb iVs suffering from a variety of charging issues.  The charging issues are:

 

P33DF00:  Rated current request too low

P33E100:  Charge socket A electrical error

P31D500:  Charging socket A recognition connector lock electrical error

P33E800:  Charge socket A, charge connector lock mechanical malfunction

P33E000:  Target/actual current deviation too large

 

Mine had P33E000 from new.  I took it back in within a couple of weeks of getting it because of the poor battery performance.  They told me there was nothing wrong, so I downloaded the DTCs myself and found this one occurring over a hundred times per charging cycle.  They submitted it to Skoda for a fix.  They never told me that a fix had been issued - which is annoying.  I found out by coincidence when chatting with a service manager at a different branch.  He looked it up while we were talking and found it.  It is not a standard update that will be applied to your car, it is only done as a fix for identified issues.  If they don't download the DTCs, they won't find the issues or fixes.  There is no indication of these issues in the dash/infotainment system.

 

After the conversation with the service manager, he emailed me the list of faults the update addresses to double check it was applicable for my car and I downloaded the DTCs again and found that several of the listed fault codes had appeared multiple times since I last downloaded the DTCs.  My car is going in for the update next week.  I don't know what the fix does.  For all I know, it could just suppress the error codes.  The service manager did seem to think it would improve battery performance though, so I'm guessing that there is some info about the update that suggests it might.

 

On what I though was a totally separate issue I had to contact Skoda customer services because my car lost all connectivity (the dealer told me outright they could not fix it), including the spanner button on the overhead panel.  The error message it gave me was that the license had expired.  It seems that Skoda then forced an update to restore connectivity.  Since then it has been downloading software updates like crazy.  Either Skoda have just released lots of updates in a short period, or these are overdue.  Suddenly, my electric range jumped up to 30 and with a bit more driving has crept up to 36.  There has been no change in driving style or distances.  I was getting mid 20s previously.  I considered myself lucky if it got up to 28.  I bought the car a year ago so I have had it through all seasons and never had it perform as well as it is now.  Battery performance did plummet on the coldest days though.  There are lots of good tips out there to combat this such as setting the charging cycle to finish just before you want to drive so that the battery is pre warmed.  The only other change of note is that my Skoda Connect subscriptions have expired.  I would be surprised if those services were power hungry enough to affect the range of the car.  They hardly ever worked anyway though, so I won't be renewing them.

 

 

How did you get the error codes ???

 

How would you know if the software had already been updated to your version ???  My version has not changed from 0720.

 

Given the better weather this week I did more range tests on battery only.

On mainly dual carriage way, temp about 15c,  average speed of 36 mph, mainly at a constant 45 mph, no use of a/c , managed to get 42 miles.

On the same route, temp about 23c, average speed of 41 mph, speeds of over 60mph, with a/c ON for cooling, managed 43 miles.

 

This sort of range is very good compared to where the car was on delivery in Sept 2020, when I was only getting 16 to 20 miles range.

I used VCDS, but you can buy DTC readers quite cheaply on amazon.  VCDS is expensive if all you want to do is download DTCs.

 

I don't know if you'll be able to tell if this update has been applied by checking the main software version.  It could just be an update to the relevant module.

 

The ranges you are achieving are excellent compared to the advertised performance.

I've had my Superb IV estate for about 2 months now and only done about 1200 miles. Mine is usually saying 31 miles on pure electric but occasionally saying only 28. I sometimes get more than 30 miles in traffic using the B drive mode but not often.

 

A bit off topic but does anyone know where the paint code is printed on these cars? Can't find it anywhere.

My Superb iV had the update done on Fri by the dealer and I'm very pleased with the result.  It ran one charging cycle where it seemed to increase the available mileage very quickly at the lower charge levels but delivered a pretty normal range in total, but when charged after that the range has shot up and today I've got 37 miles in it.

 

I strongly recommend anyone whose Superb iV is delivering poor range should either download the DTCs or get their dealer to do it to see if it needs this update.

2 hours ago, ChrisJ944 said:

My Superb iV had the update done on Fri by the dealer and I'm very pleased with the result.  It ran one charging cycle where it seemed to increase the available mileage very quickly at the lower charge levels but delivered a pretty normal range in total, but when charged after that the range has shot up and today I've got 37 miles in it.

 

I strongly recommend anyone whose Superb iV is delivering poor range should either download the DTCs or get their dealer to do it to see if it needs this update.

Hi Chris, I am expecting my Superb IV next week. What are th DTCs you are referring to? I mean what does DTC stand for? 

 

I have an ODBeleven I can use to read error codes. 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Chris,

Good to hear that there is an update. Which Superb and year do you have? 
I will have to wait and go to the dealer which unless something goes wrong won't be for a few months.

 

Thanks

Do these codes only come up when charging?  I’m getting 20miles despite pre heating on the cable etc and carista told me I had 

 

P33DF00:  Rated current request too low

P33E000:  Target/actual current deviation too large

 

so I took it to skoda and they said there were no error codes?!?!  Not sure what to do now, maybe take it to an independent or something, car is brand new.

Edited 16 May, 20224 yr by globalste

I now get up to 34 miles on my Superb. Maybe that's because of the warmer weather or because I often charge it a the reduced rate which takes longer but supposed to be better for the battery. I've never seen any error codes.

are you (and others) driving in hybrid or electric only?  I charge at the slow rate too..

 

edit just saw traps said electric only

Edited 16 May, 20224 yr by globalste

2 minutes ago, globalste said:

are you (and others) driving in hybrid or electric only?  I charge at the slow rate too..

Hi

This part of the forum is for the superb IV (Plugin hybrid) so not all electric.  Max charge rate is limited to 3.6 kw / hour I think.

Yes I’ve got a 22 superb iv sportline, just not updated profile to add it

9 minutes ago, Traps said:

I now get up to 34 miles on my Superb. Maybe that's because of the warmer weather or because I often charge it a the reduced rate which takes longer but supposed to be better for the battery. I've never seen any error codes.

Hi Unless you have a plugin device like the carista, you will never see any of the error codes notes above by globalste.

18 minutes ago, globalste said:

Do these codes only come up when charging?  I’m getting 20miles despite pre heating on the cable etc and carista told me I had 

 

P33DF00:  Rated current request too low

P33E000:  Target/actual current deviation too large

 

so I took it to skoda and they said there were no error codes?!?!  Not sure what to do now, maybe take it to an independent or something, car is brand new.

Hi global ste

 

20 miles on electric with a full charge is poor, HOWEVER, it all depends on how you drive.

Even if you car tells you that it thinks it can go 40 miles on electric only that does not mean that it will if you switch on electric seats, a/c, and drive around in low gear for most of the time.

The electric will be used up mainly by all the things you do that switch on first.

Only way to get better range on electric only is to drive in high gears at a constant speed of about 40mph, in warm weather.

If you can test it by driving in ECO mode on a known road at a constant speed and you still only get 20 miles range then you have a fault somewhere.

I had this sort of problem when I first got my car 18 months ago and the dealer said that it was a software fix. NO idea what they really did but it increased my range to upto 42 miles on 100% charge driving in TOTAL eco mode.

Currently with normal mix of driving around home I'm getting about 26 miles range.

The coding might be different (Passat Vs superb) so take this with a pinch of salt.

I have my charging time set to finish after the departure time for preheat function. Otherwise it won't take power from the mains for preheat. Also with the low charge rate they struggle to heat and charge at the same time. This is more prevalent when using the granny cable over a wall box.

Yeah I found using the granny cable it never performed as desired.

 

I must admit an improvement of the superb over the Passat is that the guess-o-meter isn't available on the virtual cockpit. When you can't see it, you stop fretting over it!

8 hours ago, ERIK99 said:

Hi global ste

 

20 miles on electric with a full charge is poor, HOWEVER, it all depends on how you drive.

Even if you car tells you that it thinks it can go 40 miles on electric only that does not mean that it will if you switch on electric seats, a/c, and drive around in low gear for most of the time.

The electric will be used up mainly by all the things you do that switch on first.

Only way to get better range on electric only is to drive in high gears at a constant speed of about 40mph, in warm weather.

If you can test it by driving in ECO mode on a known road at a constant speed and you still only get 20 miles range then you have a fault somewhere.

I had this sort of problem when I first got my car 18 months ago and the dealer said that it was a software fix. NO idea what they really did but it increased my range to upto 42 miles on 100% charge driving in TOTAL eco mode.

Currently with normal mix of driving around home I'm getting about 26 miles range.

I average 4mi/kw on electric only (see attached from the app).  But the app and the car never show more than 24miles electric range available when fully charged.  I don’t get more than 20miles range before the battery shows solid red (having a red light on the dash annoys me), now admittedly I’m in Wiltshire which is hilly 50mph roads, but something doesn’t add up…

 

I showed all of this to the service dept at my Skoda dealer, I also showed the DTC that I had got but they claimed Carista was wrong and their diagnostics found nothing.  When I asked can they just search for any updates, they claimed there is no such update in existence.

 

id be really interested to hear which dealerships folk have been to, mine is both a Kia and a Skoda dealer and they say I should be driving it in hybrid mode to get the most out of the battery as battery only will give vastly reduced range?

Edited 16 May, 20224 yr by globalste

9 hours ago, globalste said:

I average 4mi/kw on electric only (see attached from the app).  But the app and the car never show more than 24miles electric range available when fully charged.  I don’t get more than 20miles range before the battery shows solid red (having a red light on the dash annoys me), now admittedly I’m in Wiltshire which is hilly 50mph roads, but something doesn’t add up…

 

I showed all of this to the service dept at my Skoda dealer, I also showed the DTC that I had got but they claimed Carista was wrong and their diagnostics found nothing.  When I asked can they just search for any updates, they claimed there is no such update in existence.

 

id be really interested to hear which dealerships folk have been to, mine is both a Kia and a Skoda dealer and they say I should be driving it in hybrid mode to get the most out of the battery as battery only will give vastly reduced range?

I used a Kia/Skoda dealer in Wiltshire (Westover) for a while until we had a falling out over them doing work that was not required to my car.  They tried to tell me it was in the service schedule.  I printed the service schedule from erWin which clearly showed they were wrong.  They said 'that's not what Skoda told us when we did the training'.  When I pressed them to show me anything authoritative from Skoda, it turned out they were maintaining the cars based on their notes from training sessions and didn't have access to workshop manuals.

 

That same workshop also told me they could not find a trouble code I had identified.  They showed me OTIS, their diagnostic tool, when I insisted.  I showed them where the trouble codes were on OTIS - they were not hard to find.  The trouble code I had told them about was at the top of the list in bold and red on the DTC list on OTIS.  I made the service manager look at it too.  I'm afraid if your dealer is either too incompetent to read trouble codes, or too dishonest to admit they are there, then I recommend you find a new dealer.  I have not used that dealer again, and the franchise has since changed hands to Hendy.  I don't know if they have done anything about the service team though.

Hi globalste

I think that you are being fooled by the miles per kwh figure of 4.4 in your example.

When using the app you can toggle between mi/kwh and mpg for each journey.

I believe that if you toggle to mph on your example trip (21 miles) that you will find that the figure will be less than 313 mpg, maybe around180 to 200 mpg.

If I'm right that will prove that the journey was not all electric and that you car switched to petrol for a small part of the trip.

If the trip had been all electric (and there was still electric power left then the mpg would have to be 313pmg because that it the mac range that the computer will set when it is ONLY an electric powered trip.

With a REAL mi/kwh figure of 4.4 you would have been able to complete a trip of at least 30miles may a bit more without going on to petrol.

The best way that you can tell how well you are driving, in terms of max range on electric, is to watch part of digital cockpit display that show current and cumulative info about mi/kwh whilst driving the the (not Hybrid mode).

If you cannot see this info then you can get a good idea by looking at the estimated range after you have fully charged (before you set off).

This figure will show you what that car has calculated you will get on your next trip IF YOU DRIVE EXACTLY the same way as you did on your last trip.

It is NOT an actual range, it is a GUESS by the car. If you drive differently (eg. use more electric accessories in the car, and a lot of low gear, rapid acceleration etc, or go ultra ECO mode on an open road) you will get more or less than the estimate.

Any technician that tells you that you must use Hybrid mode obviously has never driven a PHEV.

The main thing about PHEV it that you can always do shortish journeys totally petrol free, which is great.

If you are planning along trip then Hybrid is OK because you know that you will need the petrol engine so its best to let the car decide the best way to use the electric power (Hybrid with auto selected).

Personal examples:

Best ever electric only journey: Actual distance travelled was 40 miles with 2 miles left in the battery. This was TOTAL ECO running mode in warm weather

Worst: 16 miles driving in winter, with heated seats on for a short while, and a/c running - this was before my FIX at Northampton Skoda (see below).

Best Hybrid trip: 150 miles in total in Hybrid auto mode from the start - the car journey info showed that my mpg was 85mpg, with 48 miles by electric 

   - this trip was mainly motorway doing between 55 - 60 mph almost all the way, no electric accessories running.

 

Skoda fix by Northampton (Marshall).

My car stop charging with red light on the cable used for connecting to my 13amp supply at home. I thought it was the cable.

Local Milton Keynes skoda dealer (also Marshall) told me to take it to Northampton where they had more trained staff.

A different cable was connected and gave the same fault. Left the car for 6 hours. On return the technician told me that it was a software fault which had been installed, and it fixed the problem. Prior to this I hade made a number of complaint to the dealer and to skoda UK (back in Nov/ Dec 2020). It was very clear that SKODA UK had no idea about faults on what was a new car (PHEV), and that virtually nobody knew about any known problems, or about the error codes.

After the "FIX", as if by magic, my car started doing over 25 miles on a full charge, which got better in warm weather.

 

It is my belief that my car was NEVER getting a full charge even though the car thought is was 100%, OR the car failed to use all of the battery power that it had been charged with.

 

I also suspect that the software in the car can control which part of the physical battery it will use since I know that none of the batteries are 100% used because the cells fail over time and the software makes changes to which parts of the battery are in use (spare cells), however over a long period maybe 8 to 10 years the amount of cell failures gets so high that the usable amount of battery runs down when the spares are used up.

 

 

@globalste

 

I had the SW update done on mine quite a while back, just went in with the fault code printouts to Hendy at Old Sarum.

If you want to send me a PM, I can run a VCDS test and give you the printout. I have just come back from a run to Salisbury and back (35miles) all on battery and the dash shows 4.1 M/Kw. No ICE used

Though it is warm today and did have the A/C on.

 

John