Is there any way to carry items in an Octavia Estate car with the rear seats folded down and not get stupid warning lights and loud beeps telling me that the rear seat belts aren’t being used? 

 

Never had this issue with my Octavia 3 Estate car, must be an Octavia 4 bonus feature!

Lift the squabs up before folding the rears down to make a level loading platform?

 

That way the seat squab sensors cannot register any weight.

 

I have never deployed the rear seats any other way, my chauffeur pal that I bought my MK1 Octavia had driven it for 188000 miles and said his only complaint was the rear seats did not fold down flat, 5 seconds of me pushing and pulling showed him the error of his ways, he was not a happy bunny!

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

Lift the squabs up before folding the rears down to make a level loading platform?

 

That way the seat squab sensors cannot register any weight.

 

I have never deployed the rear seats any other way, my chauffeur pal that I bought my MK1 Octavia had driven it for 188000 miles and said his only complaint was the rear seats did not fold down flat, 5 seconds of me pushing and pulling showed him the error of his ways, he was not a happy bunny!

I’ve carried loads of stuff over the years in various estate cars, never, ever had a car carry on like this one does!

 

With the seats down, the rear of the car is pretty flat inside. I’ve been carrying some fairly heavy and large bits of glass to my shop. With that kind of load, the rear seats are going to be as compressed as is possible. I’ve carried similar loads on multiple occasions in my two Octavia 3 Estate cars. Not once did they ever think that there might be someone sitting on the folded down rear seat who might have forgotten to put their seat belt on but this car wins numpty of the year award with its determination to point out the error of my ways!

You asked for a way to carry loads without the bong going off, I gave you a very sensible solution, up to you whether you adopt it but please don't shoot the messenger.

 

Neither my MK1 nor the MK2 Octavia had a flat loading area with the sat back folded forwards unless the squabs were first folded forwards to allow the back to drop enough.

 

Both had variofloors.

 

Maybe the MK3 is different but "pretty flat" is not flat flat which glass definitely needs and which would silence the bongs.

 

I get the same with a bag of shopping on the passenger seat.

Edited 14 February, 20233 yr by J.R.

All the Octavia cars that I’ve had have had the variable load floor. An estate car should be able to handle anything it can carry without silly warning lights and lots of noise. I was carrying some boxes in it today and this time no chimes or flashing lights. Who knows why?
 

Mind you this particular car likes warning lights for no good reason and has given me a fair few since I’ve had it. Front Assist temporarily unavailable was popular during the middle of winter virtually every journey plus a few other random ones to do with Park Assist and other random things. Plus first time I drove it there were warning chimes with my dog sitting on the back seat with his harness clipped into the seat belt holder. I think the technology in these cars is less reliable than the mark 3 models. Infotainment system is very poor. Radio took months to stabilise and stop trying to reprogram ever saved station and the phone part of it still won’t let me save favourite numbers. Such is “progress” Skoda style!

14 hours ago, AllanDJ said:

An estate car should be able to handle anything it can carry without silly warning lights and lots of noise.

 

Yours will if you raise the seat squabs before lowering the rear seat backs.

 

14 hours ago, AllanDJ said:

I was carrying some boxes in it today and this time no chimes or flashing lights. Who knows why?

 

You would if you took off your angry hat, - less weight on the sensors.

On 13/02/2023 at 19:53, J.R. said:

Lift the squabs up before folding the rears down to make a level loading platform?

 

That way the seat squab sensors cannot register any weight.

 

Yes, that makes a lot of sense, and is indeed what I did in my Mk2. However, in the Mk4, I can't tilt the seat squab forward (OK, haven't yet found a way of doing it). There is no mention of doing so in the user manual, just folding the backrest forward (after adjusting/removing the head rests).

 

So, are the seat squabs designed to tilt forward in the Mk4 estate? I suspect not.

 

 

More boxes today, seat belt warning lights flashed off and on when braking going down a hill. Meantime the Park Assist warning light came on when I started the car…

 

Obviously, sensors are way too sensitive. Nothing much I can do to control them, all anyone can do is fold rear seats down. Nothing squab related to move around in the back of the car either. Seats go up, seats go down. The end.

Thats a bummer, there was another later Skoda model that could not fold the squab forwards, the issue with that was a non flat cargo area but I expect they have yet to discover the audible joys of carrying a heavy load.

 

IIRC it was something to do with safety, perhaps Isofix mountings, whatever its made a chocolate teapot of a vehicle that had a tremendous reputation as a load lugger.

 

Just how many inconveniences are people prepared to accept in their desire for a new vehicle?

 

I would not touch anything newer with a bargepole unless it had less complicated and unreliable emissions junk all over the engine, no stop-start, no LCD tea trays sprouting out of the dashboard, proper tactile ergonomic controls for all functions, no menu driven touch controls, no electronic handbrake, no anything "assist" no systems to drive the car for me.......................................

 

And rear seats with squabs that can be folded forward or better still removed.

Could something like shown in this link help, or would they stick up too much and stop the seat back folding or damage it if it did fold?

seat belt alarm stopper clip

 

 

edit - can’t paste as a hyperlink but here is a screen shot instead, which might help..

 

Edited 17 February, 20233 yr by FatWolfie
Tried to make hyperlink (failed), added photo

I bought these and did the cut!

 

 

 

Strange that your sensors are triggered. I did drive the factory VRS 19 inch wheels with tires in the back with seats folded and 2 tires (I think one wheel + tire is over 30 kg) laying on the back rests. No warning or anything.

Do you get a flat and level loading platform with the seat backs alone folded forward on the MK4?

 

That is to say without folding forward or removing the seat squabs which some are claiming cant be done.

According to what @Jorgeminator described in the first few posts of the topic below, it doesn't look like the lower part of the back seats was designed with the purpose of being easily removed or forward-folded. He mentioned extra-care is needed with the front-clips that might brake, and also with the cable for the weight detectors that needs to be disconnected:

 

 

On 18/02/2023 at 11:43, J.R. said:

Do you get a flat and level loading platform with the seat backs alone folded forward on the MK4?

 

That is to say without folding forward or removing the seat squabs which some are claiming cant be done.

Even with the raised floor, you don't get a flat surface. Because the back seats don't fold flat. And correct, you can't fold/remove the back seat squabs.

Chocolate Teapot Estate Car.

 

On 16/02/2023 at 21:26, J.R. said:

Just how many inconveniences are people prepared to accept in their desire for a new vehicle?

 

4 hours ago, J.R. said:

Chocolate Teapot Estate Car.

 

 

 

See where you're coming from, but perhaps a little harsh. I've carried loads of stuff in mine which wouldn't have fitted in the hatchback model. A totally flat load area, with rear seat backs folding properly level would be much better, but what I have is better than the hatch.

 

How I miss my Dad's old Volvo 145...

- Or my old GM Holden Kingswood wagon - that could take a fully-assembled racing Kart.

By way of encouragement to some, but no doubt add to the frustration felt by @AllanDJ (sorry mate), today a 75 mile drive with a dismantled IKEA double bed frame & mattress in the back of my estate. No beeps or warnings from the rear seat sensors.

I have two dogs  and the male one sets off the sensor. He moves around so much, that it only ever bongs once or twice on a long drive! 

 

I have the Skoda dog hammock and utilise the upper load net in the forward position, (behind the front seat headrests). That way they can suit themselves and I've still complied with the law!