The space saver wheel and fitting kit arrived yesterday and I'm planning on putting it all in the boot soon.  I've had a quick glance and it all looks fairly straightforward, but wondered if there is any advice to save time or angst from other formites who have already completed the process.

 

I've noticed already that apart from removing the reversible boot liner, that the carpet liner below that seems to need detaching from under the varioflex seats.  There's are plastic torx type fixtures holding it in place under the seats.

 

There aren't any instructions with the kit but the three pieces of foam (two half-circle shaped to surround the wheel and a straight piece for behind the seats?) obviously slot into the boot space.

 

I seem to recall that when I fitted the kit in my last Yeti, that there were plastic screws that fixed the polystyrene 'boxes' to the carpet lining below the rear seats and fixtures to secure the boxes together.  This kit looks different, and there are 'prongs' on the bed that I imagine hold the foam pieces in place.

 

It looks like the raised boot floor will mean the tie-down points will be too submerged to have easy access to.  I recall that last time I attached braided loops to these to provide some form of attachment for loads.

I didn’t bother with anything other than the wheel and tool tray - just removed the gunk / pump tray, fixed the big plastic screw thingy and now use the space around the spare for a few necessaries like kneeling mat, gloves, disposable raincoat etc. 

An update and a few questions and a few observations regarding the space-saver wheel and fitting kit (4x4).

 

1.  The space saver wheel.  The tyre rim notes that the tyre should be inflated to 490 kpa.  Mine arrived with 360 kpa of inflation and so needed to be further pumped up.  Learning point: do this first, rather than mount the wheel in place, put in the new boot floor and load the car's boot with item, like, erm...I did having only realised afterwards I really ought to check the pressure ...doh!

 

Still with the spare, I see it can only be mounted with the label side down, as the securing stem and large plastic screw won't screw in place.  While I understand how having the spare this way up provides some extra storage space,  and arguably protects the vulnerable valve stem, it does however mean that if you want to regularly check the pressure of the spare, you have to remove the whole wheel in order to get to the valve (see above point!).  

 

2.  Polystyrene boxes to support the spare wheel installation.  Firstly, can anyone enlighten me on how these are supposed to be secured other than by the weight of the boot floor?  I see there are possible securing points but nothing to screw into these.  See photo:

 

Varioflex seats.  Elsewhere on this site there was some really helpful advice about the polystyrene tool box and modifying it by cutting sections away to enable access to the rear levers on the seats.  As it happened, I didn't need to cut into the boxes and a decent work around is to attach robust cable tie loops to the levers and to tug on these instead.  Works a treat.  When in situ you can either leave the top of the ties proud or tuck them in to be more discrete, or even use something bright and obvious for easy location, such as braided coloured rope. I don't know if Skoda have modified this polystyrene box, but it doesn't snag the rear of my seats, although without the cable ties it is fiddly and tight to reach for the seat releasing / tipping levers. See photos:

 

A few other questions and points.  I seem to recall that the tool kit that came with the Fabia we part exchanged and with my two previous Yetis, had a small wire-like tool for pulling out the towing eye covers on the bumpers. Nothing like that here.  Am I missing some items or aren't these supplied anymore?  We also had a Skoda screw driver in the last spare wheel kit.  Unfortunately, we left this with the Fabia as we were driving over 300 miles to collect the Karoq and had we left the spare at home, well, I know the Gods of Fate like a laugh sometimes!

 

The towing eye: Skoda and VAG enthusiasts will already know this, but I didn't.  Last year while marshalling at an equestrian event, I had the dubious honour of hitching up over 14 vehicles to a tractor and towing them off a muddy field.  One learns quickly the following: VAG towing eyes have a left hand thread (ie. turn anti-clockwise to tighten - so forget the saying 'righty tighty, lefty loosey  ).  Most folks on the day didn't know what a towing eye was (I'm making no comment about their gender least I appear on a watch-list), or indeed if they had one in their vehicle or where it was, and those that did found it deeply buried and had to scrabble under heavy loads of equine tack, water containers, and sundry kit, while waiting in queue to be towed.  Other makes of vehicle had a standard thread.  Further point: you often need a short bar, such as a heavy duty screwdriver stem to put through the eye-let of the towing eye in order to help tighten it, making sure it goes all the way home least something very unfortunate happens when the chain from the tractor is attached. Maybe that's why Skoda supplied a screw driver in their tool kits? Simply Clever.

 

Here's something that I'm guessing might cause some contention. Positioning the space saver spare on the car. There is nothing in the Skoda owner's manual about this, so it might just be my imagination that I've read this somewhere, but it makes sense to me albeit extra effort at a time of, usually, high stress.  Here goes! I've been told that the space saver spare wheel should ideally be placed only on the rear axle.  So, if you have a puncture on the front set of wheels, you should first use the space saver on the rear and to remove the replaced, intact rear wheel, and move that full size intact wheel to replace the punctured tyre on the front.

 

However, I can imagine that on a dark, busy roadside somewhere, and when you need to get out of there to somewhere safer in a hurry, you might just swop the front over with the space saver to get yourself moving.

 

The Jack.  For several years now I've been carrying a couple of plastic scaffold pole base plates to place under the jack  after having to change wheels in country spots such as verges or in soft grounded pull-ins and lay-by  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scaffold-Foot-Plate-Scaffolding-Footplate/dp/B09JZMGMW6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QEIM4GPFGUPQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hqOvx87vui7l6jXDfHQ_ND6ly2ZxbsO37ZCir4uquK5fBqann62ulT33nZJUGFMdiB5JJxH30HDyZ2W0dPe6h7xC5HJ8OqGRxLi7C38FkbjrNkcxmib4E84Kyi6SQ95JPxv2FXFYB9XlygJ6IZ5iE4JNImEM58qpjzSy08JCJFBfqmOQtIt4eAye1DRBcIcFrfnr9APNI8zMgsRgyJrcZT0iPSzyTuxWekF00HCI8plQw6YRC3pVoCzgF5w9t-5fDplzP1Looh2PPSW2KL8CorpzBFUgxLdgw7kN4FbubIY.rlxVNgiN1OyhGrZuvIfzJTqBBn5YFV96hYJCr8sEZbA&dib_tag=se&keywords=scaffold%2Bpole%2Bplates%2Bbase&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731684471&sprefix=scaffold%2Bpole%2Bplates%2Bba%2Caps%2C526&sr=8-1&th=1

 

and a folding plastic wheel choke saves you also from needing to hunt around for a rock or similar to lodge under the diagonally opposite wheel to the one being lifted. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leisurewize-Foldable-Chocks-Caravan-Stoppers/dp/B07BRRYR64/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2KQUGKPXAJ1AI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1XQRyYT69OQwc1PFrUD31_NE2nf3VDdrLY_9soGuT706yidF-m2N8L3X3Jf-A8utDcPIrWEzRONCBriTZUgWIoCyqGCCw31c-anvChYLzii53VBXy4bJTvPhx0m7RpPhlWbjn98g0xqhmJW9Yn9kKTSaIzBjkOa4TVcls6geXhsrFDPwoq9hs9BzCOVSviq8WizjxLH5hBCmA1C1wqwiQh5R_Hw6MROtB7xVdgfAkJi0z_i9ak1iaSIzb-UiqdJEhONCoJ0joCtHoFLOXFFaXeLcOaNArzoRsWLTqwPGFZQ.UC9u0ttyTVC_E2d8MHPqSYA6lmqgi0jJQIXYYvP78Eo&dib_tag=se&keywords=wheel+chocks+folding&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731684597&sprefix=wheel+chocks+floding%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-6

 

Really pleased with the Karoq so far - its steering is so much lighter than the Outback, and it's a pleasure to drive with the diesel engine.

 

 

 

Edited 15 November, 20241 yr by Ooopnorth

Yes you should have the wire thing and also some plastic tweezers that allow you to remove the plastic wheel nut covers. Both are only a pound or two from Skoda.

My Karoq came with the Space saver spare, it included jack, jack handle, wheel brace, plastic tweezers for wheel bolt caps, circular ring that had a leg with hook end. Don’t know what the last thing does - my previous VW had the same tool which removed the bolt covers. 

I don’t recall seeing a towing eye will have to check. I would recommend getting a wheel mounting rod off ebay. It’s a 6 inch long rod which screws into a bolt hole. Makes removing and fitting wheels much easier. Screw it  into a bolt hole at the top and the wheel can simply  be slid on and off. It takes the weight if the wheel when refitting leaving both hands free.
 

 

8 minutes ago, thamestrader said:

My Karoq came with the Space saver spare, it included jack, jack handle, wheel brace, plastic tweezers for wheel bolt caps, circular ring that had a leg with hook end. Don’t know what the last thing does - my previous VW had the same tool which removed the bolt covers. 

I don’t recall seeing a towing eye will have to check. I would recommend getting a wheel mounting rod off ebay. It’s a 6 inch long rod which screws into a bolt hole. Makes removing and fitting wheels much easier. Screw it  into a bolt hole at the top and the wheel can simply  be slid on and off. It takes the weight if the wheel when refitting leaving both hands free.
 

 

Yes, that circular ring and hook sounds like the bumper cap removers.  The towing eye is an important component and is usually standard equipment for most vehicles of all makes.  You can't mistake it, as it's heavy duty, and the sort of metal chunk you'd want to secure somewhere in the boot, but readily accessible, just in case.

 

Thanks for the advice regarding the wheel alignment pins - I ordered x2 last week  (great minds...) - one for the boot and the other for the garage    

@Ooopnorth with regard to the towing eye does it have a moulded position in the polystyrene boxes that go around the tyre? Having checked, I  don’t have a towing eye so will have to acquire one. 

On 15/11/2024 at 15:46, Ooopnorth said:

An update and a few questions and a few observations regarding the space-saver wheel and fitting kit (4x4).

 

1.  The space saver wheel.  The tyre rim notes that the tyre should be inflated to 490 kpa.  Mine arrived with 360 kpa of inflation and so needed to be further pumped up.  Learning point: do this first, rather than mount the wheel in place, put in the new boot floor and load the car's boot with item, like, erm...I did having only realised afterwards I really ought to check the pressure ...doh!

 

Still with the spare, I see it can only be mounted with the label side down, as the securing stem and large plastic screw won't screw in place.  While I understand how having the spare this way up provides some extra storage space,  and arguably protects the vulnerable valve stem, it does however mean that if you want to regularly check the pressure of the spare, you have to remove the whole wheel in order to get to the valve (see above point!).  

 

2.  Polystyrene boxes to support the spare wheel installation.  Firstly, can anyone enlighten me on how these are supposed to be secured other than by the weight of the boot floor?  I see there are possible securing points but nothing to screw into these.  See photo:

 

Varioflex seats.  Elsewhere on this site there was some really helpful advice about the polystyrene tool box and modifying it by cutting sections away to enable access to the rear levers on the seats.  As it happened, I didn't need to cut into the boxes and a decent work around is to attach robust cable tie loops to the levers and to tug on these instead.  Works a treat.  When in situ you can either leave the top of the ties proud or tuck them in to be more discrete, or even use something bright and obvious for easy location, such as braided coloured rope. I don't know if Skoda have modified this polystyrene box, but it doesn't snag the rear of my seats, although without the cable ties it is fiddly and tight to reach for the seat releasing / tipping levers. See photos:

 

A few other questions and points.  I seem to recall that the tool kit that came with the Fabia we part exchanged and with my two previous Yetis, had a small wire-like tool for pulling out the towing eye covers on the bumpers. Nothing like that here.  Am I missing some items or aren't these supplied anymore?  We also had a Skoda screw driver in the last spare wheel kit.  Unfortunately, we left this with the Fabia as we were driving over 300 miles to collect the Karoq and had we left the spare at home, well, I know the Gods of Fate like a laugh sometimes!

 

The towing eye: Skoda and VAG enthusiasts will already know this, but I didn't.  Last year while marshalling at an equestrian event, I had the dubious honour of hitching up over 14 vehicles to a tractor and towing them off a muddy field.  One learns quickly the following: VAG towing eyes have a left hand thread (ie. turn anti-clockwise to tighten - so forget the saying 'righty tighty, lefty loosey  ).  Most folks on the day didn't know what a towing eye was (I'm making no comment about their gender least I appear on a watch-list), or indeed if they had one in their vehicle or where it was, and those that did found it deeply buried and had to scrabble under heavy loads of equine tack, water containers, and sundry kit, while waiting in queue to be towed.  Other makes of vehicle had a standard thread.  Further point: you often need a short bar, such as a heavy duty screwdriver stem to put through the eye-let of the towing eye in order to help tighten it, making sure it goes all the way home least something very unfortunate happens when the chain from the tractor is attached. Maybe that's why Skoda supplied a screw driver in their tool kits? Simply Clever.

 

Here's something that I'm guessing might cause some contention. Positioning the space saver spare on the car. There is nothing in the Skoda owner's manual about this, so it might just be my imagination that I've read this somewhere, but it makes sense to me albeit extra effort at a time of, usually, high stress.  Here goes! I've been told that the space saver spare wheel should ideally be placed only on the rear axle.  So, if you have a puncture on the front set of wheels, you should first use the space saver on the rear and to remove the replaced, intact rear wheel, and move that full size intact wheel to replace the punctured tyre on the front.

 

However, I can imagine that on a dark, busy roadside somewhere, and when you need to get out of there to somewhere safer in a hurry, you might just swop the front over with the space saver to get yourself moving.

 

The Jack.  For several years now I've been carrying a couple of plastic scaffold pole base plates to place under the jack  after having to change wheels in country spots such as verges or in soft grounded pull-ins and lay-by  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scaffold-Foot-Plate-Scaffolding-Footplate/dp/B09JZMGMW6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QEIM4GPFGUPQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hqOvx87vui7l6jXDfHQ_ND6ly2ZxbsO37ZCir4uquK5fBqann62ulT33nZJUGFMdiB5JJxH30HDyZ2W0dPe6h7xC5HJ8OqGRxLi7C38FkbjrNkcxmib4E84Kyi6SQ95JPxv2FXFYB9XlygJ6IZ5iE4JNImEM58qpjzSy08JCJFBfqmOQtIt4eAye1DRBcIcFrfnr9APNI8zMgsRgyJrcZT0iPSzyTuxWekF00HCI8plQw6YRC3pVoCzgF5w9t-5fDplzP1Looh2PPSW2KL8CorpzBFUgxLdgw7kN4FbubIY.rlxVNgiN1OyhGrZuvIfzJTqBBn5YFV96hYJCr8sEZbA&dib_tag=se&keywords=scaffold%2Bpole%2Bplates%2Bbase&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731684471&sprefix=scaffold%2Bpole%2Bplates%2Bba%2Caps%2C526&sr=8-1&th=1

 

and a folding plastic wheel choke saves you also from needing to hunt around for a rock or similar to lodge under the diagonally opposite wheel to the one being lifted. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leisurewize-Foldable-Chocks-Caravan-Stoppers/dp/B07BRRYR64/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2KQUGKPXAJ1AI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1XQRyYT69OQwc1PFrUD31_NE2nf3VDdrLY_9soGuT706yidF-m2N8L3X3Jf-A8utDcPIrWEzRONCBriTZUgWIoCyqGCCw31c-anvChYLzii53VBXy4bJTvPhx0m7RpPhlWbjn98g0xqhmJW9Yn9kKTSaIzBjkOa4TVcls6geXhsrFDPwoq9hs9BzCOVSviq8WizjxLH5hBCmA1C1wqwiQh5R_Hw6MROtB7xVdgfAkJi0z_i9ak1iaSIzb-UiqdJEhONCoJ0joCtHoFLOXFFaXeLcOaNArzoRsWLTqwPGFZQ.UC9u0ttyTVC_E2d8MHPqSYA6lmqgi0jJQIXYYvP78Eo&dib_tag=se&keywords=wheel+chocks+folding&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731684597&sprefix=wheel+chocks+floding%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-6

 

Really pleased with the Karoq so far - its steering is so much lighter than the Outback, and it's a pleasure to drive with the diesel engine.

 

 

 

In answer to point 2 - there is a strap with friction buckle that threads through the wheel, that secures the styrene insert.

On 16/11/2024 at 17:34, thamestrader said:

My Karoq came with the Space saver spare, it included jack, jack handle, wheel brace, plastic tweezers for wheel bolt caps, circular ring that had a leg with hook end. Don’t know what the last thing does - my previous VW had the same tool which removed the bolt covers.

 

 

I think the tool is just that - the VW bolt cover remover.  They use the same spare wheel kit across mulitple models and it sems to always have that tool.  Our Ateca has similar bolt covers to Karoq and that came with the wire tool too, but didn't have the tweezers, so I just bought some off eBay.

7 hours ago, Warrior193 said:

In answer to point 2 - there is a strap with friction buckle that threads through the wheel, that secures the styrene insert.

I initially thought so too, but apparently (according to skodaparts) for the 4x4 there is no insert - despite the photo of the kit showing the insert, etc.

16 hours ago, Ooopnorth said:

I initially thought so too, but apparently (according to skodaparts) for the 4x4 there is no insert - despite the photo of the kit showing the insert, etc.

My 4x4 Sportline doesnot have a styrene insert in the space saver spare, the styrene 'bits' fit either side of the spare wheel and have mouldings to hold the jack etc. Ive just ordered a towing eye off ebay, I'll check to see if my inserts are fixed down. According to the Digital Certificate the space saver and tool set was a factory fitted item.

The Karoq's Owner's Manual P126 "Starting and Driving: Tow eye and towing, reads...Removing the protective grille - Insert the clamp for removing the full wheel trims in tghe recess of the protective grille and pull the protective grille out".

 

Does anyone have a parts number of link to acquiring one of these 'clamps'?

 

I've done the usual online search but all I'm getting are references to the towing eye covers or the eyes themselves.  I guess I could fashion one myself out of a paper clip or similar, but while it's a small, cheap, almost seemingly irrelevant piece of equipment, I imagine that when you're in a fix, possibly in the wind, cold, rain and on a dark night, you don't want to be messing on fashioning a tool, or finding the one you've pre-fashioned in the comfort of your home decides to be non co-operative!

 

It looks like the rear cap is a push and pull (no tool required)?

15 hours ago, Ooopnorth said:

The Karoq's Owner's Manual P126 "Starting and Driving: Tow eye and towing, reads...Removing the protective grille - Insert the clamp for removing the full wheel trims in tghe recess of the protective grille and pull the protective grille out".

 

Does anyone have a parts number of link to acquiring one of these 'clamps'?

 

I've done the usual online search but all I'm getting are references to the towing eye covers or the eyes themselves.  I guess I could fashion one myself out of a paper clip or similar, but while it's a small, cheap, almost seemingly irrelevant piece of equipment, I imagine that when you're in a fix, possibly in the wind, cold, rain and on a dark night, you don't want to be messing on fashioning a tool, or finding the one you've pre-fashioned in the comfort of your home decides to be non co-operative!

 

It looks like the rear cap is a push and pull (no tool required)?

Surely it’s just the ‘P’ shaped bent wire that’s been VWG standard kit for 20 years at least?

 

 

2 minutes ago, Berisford said:

Surely it’s just the ‘P’ shaped bent wire that’s been VWG standard kit for 20 years at least?

 

 

Yes, I think you're right.  I need to source one.

 

@Ooopnorth I looked into my boot today. This was a factory build option, but I bought it 6 months old from a Skoda dealer, it was an ex-Skoda UK employee car. The net set were in an unopened plastic bag,  tools as previous post; Jack, wheel wrench, plastic tweezers and P shaped wire tool to remove something (porbably towing eye covers). There was no towing eye or screw driver - I probably should have checked my carefully on handover before I drove away - water under bridge now.

 

I have been able to store away quite a few extra items.

 

 

I only discovered this today ! the plastic baffles with Velcro to hold stuff in place in the boot have molded stowage spaces.

 

Towing eye from Ebay and screwdriver that I already had for some reason stowed in the molded spaces.

 

 

 

I suspect some of the other molded spaces are for a 12v pump and bottle of trye sealing 'goo;.

 

 

And it has to be said that is actually clever, and so easy to do - allowing access to tools without having to empty the boot,