Hello, I had a sunroof leak on my 2013 Skoda Yeti. I paid a dealership to repair it, they ended up replacing the whole roof. That works great, the issue I am working on  is the Columbus Infotainment system and it having no sound.
On the first day, while I was driving with wet carpets, the speakers were crackling and buzzing quite loudly. I pulled over and disconnected the battery as it sounded like something was about to explode. I contacted the dealer, the car was 8 months old. He denied all liability. 6 years later the court case ended and I accepted an offer for £25,0000 compensation.  He got off cheap, the claim was for over £40,000, and he knew he'd lose, the dealer was a stubborn as a mule and tried to wear me down with all sorts tactics to drag it out.  After 6 years, I just wanted it to end so we settled. Now I am finally getting the car fixed. I sent the Columbus Infotainment off for a refurbish, because the radio has no sound, nor does anything else and the satnav thinks it's in Germany. They have just emailed and said the only thing it needs is updated software for £220.00. They say the issue of no sound could be with the external amplifier. Does anyone know where that is? Do I have to find the original part or could any compatible amplifier do the job?  Maybe it's repairable I don't know. The other thing that's not working is the self parking, Park Assist. Do you know where that unit / card is?  I think there is something under the passenger seat. I've not lifted that yet in case thats not anything I should be doing. If anyone needs any help with claiming compensation under the consumer protection act, after 6 years I've learned a lot, just ask.

2013, car only 8 months old, 6 years ago.....................

 

Something does not add up, did you buy a second hand 2013 vehicle 6 years ago and the problems occurred 8 months after your purchase?

 

It sounds like you have plenty of money to get it fixed up but have you really had to put up with the problems for 6 years before being able to tackle them?

 

It's how things happen in my country but I thought the UK legal system would resolve things quicker.

Edited 11 April, 20242 yr by J.R.

Hi J.R. Sadly yes. I had the sunroof fixed immediately to stop further damage. The car was new when purchased. I tried to sort things out with the dealer first. As a last resort, I went to court before the statue of limitations kicked in. Here in the UK the court system is slow, especially if one of the parties keeps making strike out applications and uses delaying tactics at every point. Along the way, a joint expert is instructed to inspect the car and report on all the damage and how he thinks it happened, when it happened and the likely cost of repair.  Had I fixed everything, then the expert would have found no damage to report on. Every application can add 3-4 months, every time depending on the court calendar. Costs are usually reserved (meaning paid at the end of the trial), so you have to fund barristers fees, to go to court each time to fight every application. My legal bills were about £8,000 and I did it myself, had I used a solicitor they would have been 25- £30,000 at least. Also in the UK you don't get back 100% of your legal costs, only about 80%. Yes I got 25, deducting 8,000 leaves about 15,000.  Which is more than the car is now worth but less than what it would cost if I had all the work done at a dealership with genuine parts. 

On 11/04/2024 at 17:01, orange1234 said:

Hello, I had a sunroof leak on my 2013 Skoda Yeti. I paid a dealership to repair it, they ended up replacing the whole roof. The issue I am working on is the Columbus Infotainment system and it having no sound.  On the first day, while I was driving with wet carpets, the speakers were crackling and buzzing quite loudly. I pulled over and disconnected the battery as it sounded like something was about to explode. The other thing that's not working is the self parking, Park Assist, the proximity sensors and the central locking on the back doors.  Do you know where that unit control box  is for those?  

Edit: I fixed the issue of no sound. I got a second hand amplifier and fitted it under the passenger seat. My amp was made by Panasonic  5C6 035 456 but the only place I could get a match was off ebay.com in USA but I noticed a seller was quoting a compatible number of  3T0035456, so I was able to find a few of those off ebay uk. £150 and now it's working.

Next I'm looking to fix the Park Assist and proximity sensors. If I find a fix, I'll post it for anyone else having the same issue