Hi, All.

New owner seeking first support. Maybe answered before but up-to-date advice always grateful.

Dealer (Marshall Honda, Peterborough) is offering 36-month extended warranty for £1100, Skoda Plus warranty is £1350. Need to see exactly what each offers in comparison. Anyone have experience with either of these warranties, or are there 3rd party or independent warranties that are better?

Karoq is fitted with 225/45/r19 Yokohama BluEarth GT (AE51) wheels/tyres. On test drive they felt firm, but didn’t push them and roads were dry. Will I get noticeable difference in ride/comfort/braking/handling in wet if I go to 18/17/16 inch wheels and fit something like Continental AllSeason Contact 2? There is no spare wheel, nor any room for any it appears. I guess I’ll have to rely on the squirty can of goo?

Thanks in advance for support.

Nibbos

Welcome.

Did you check what pressure the tyres were at before or after road testing the car?

My guess is you will enjoy more comfort with a change of wheel size and tyres & going All Season.

Re extended warranty.

Does the service history show the Haldex serviced in 2021 & 2024?

Edited 24 August, 202524 Aug by Ootohere

Thanks for the swift response.

Haldex serviced in 2021 at 11,000 miles.

It's done another 12,000 in the last 4 year.

I'm intending to get Haldex oil change and gauze clean (plus relearn) done as soon as I get the car.

Would I need to go down to 17" or 16" to get noticeable benefit on ride and pothole-absorbing abilities? Or would 18" be ok? I think the 4x4 have slightly deeper (+5mm) sidewalls than 2x4 equivalent?

Skoda specify 225 width tyres for all wheel sizes on the 4x4, with 5% profile difference between rims. So you'll be gaining just under 11mm in sidewall for each rim size you go down. Obviously the smaller the wheel, the more you gain. Worth noting the 19" rims are 8J, 18 & 17" 7J & 16" 6J.

Some say switching the 19" to all-season tyres makes a big difference, but it's an expensive gamble if it doesn't produce the result you want.

I have an SEL on 18" & considering going smaller.

But first thing to do is speak to your insurer to understand the implications of changing wheels on your premium.

& now in 2025 in the UK there should be no implication on declared wheel change to the Type Approved sizes for All Season / Winter tyres that could have Snow Chains fitted if required. In the UK or elsewhere in Europe or in the EU.

Skoda gives the size for that suitability.

Ok. So as long as I follow Skoda approved wheel/tyre size combinations, I won't be invalidating insurance? But best to inform insurers of any change I do make?

Thanks.

Declare anything not factory standard or dealer option fitment, but that need not mean the premium loaded.

The Haldex is not serviced to the Manufacturers Recommendations, Guidelines, Schedule or specification,

but many Skoda / VW Approved cars are not, and they give them a warranty.

4x4 ride is significantly better than 2wd due ti thd combination of R45 tyres and the multilink rear suspension, 2wd have a beam axle. Reducing diameter and increase sidewall height will affect the handling. My Karoq came with Bridgestone Duellers, which are. Summer tyre, I find the ride OK and road holding is excellent, I will be changing ti Michelin Cross Climates or Goodyear All Season when they wear out. I am expecting to get 20k miles out of the set. I would see how it performs with the existing wheel tyre setup at least till the current tyres wear and need replacing. Whatever warranty you decide on make sure it includes the gearbox if DSG, the Haldex, DPF and EGR. The EGR can clog up and fail with low miles/ short journeys. There is space in the boot for a space saver spare and tools which has the benefit of raising the boot floor. The factory space saver includes the tools and the polystyrene storage that fits around the spare.

Owww a spare without a subwoofer… 😇

Mine runs on 18”s, firm but comfy. The 16”s are in the shed, being almost brandnew, and staying like that. On 16”s it feels wobbly in corners, much more prone to understeer.

Thanks, thamestrader.

Did you get the space saver and kit from Skoda, or 3rd party? I have the Varioflex seating and there didn't appear to be any recess under the boot liner that works accommodate a spacesaver - am I missing something?

And those lovely cargo nets - also from Skoda or eBay? Where are they attached?

Thanks for all advice so far.

The spare wheel, tool kit and storage were from ŠKODA, it was an option package ordered when built, I bought the car when it was 6 months old. The boot floor is raised up as a result. Cargo nets are a standard Karoq feature, like the umbrella under the front passenger seat. The nets clip onto metal hoops in the floor of the boot. The net across the back at the top hooks onto the metal hoops that the seat back latch onto, the side nets also hook on there as well and to hooks under the parcel shelf

Thanks.

I'll have to investigate whether the skinny spare + accessories can be added to the car - 4x4 with Varioflex seating. When I lifted the boot liner it was completely flat underneath. No recess at all for any kind of wheel - skinny or otherwise.

I'll see if there are hooks to hold cargo nets and buy some nets from somewhere...

1 hour ago, Nibbos said:

I'll see if there are hooks to hold cargo nets and buy some nets from somewhere...

Someone on one of the Facebook groups advertised a set recently. I'll see if I can find it.
Edit
Try this link.

Edited 24 August, 202524 Aug by Rbz5416

@Nibbos i don’t think there is a recess in boot floor - the polystyrene storage creates the wheel shaped void for the spacer saver wheel. A full size 8 inch wheel and tyre would be too high and above the boot lip.

Ok. I shall investigate further.

I guess the existing boot floor then sits on top of the polystyrene inserts and the space saver, raising the whole floor by the thickness of the space saver wheel?

On 25/08/2025 at 19:26, Nibbos said:

Ok. I shall investigate further.

I guess the existing boot floor then sits on top of the polystyrene inserts and the space saver, raising the whole floor by the thickness of the space saver wheel?

Technical specification

Product code

57A093860C

Limitations

Only for 4x4 vehicles with basic luggage compartment floor and standard rear seats as standard equipment.

Spare wheel (product code)

5E3601011B (3.5Jx18 ET25.5)

Sada pro výměnu rezervního kola...

Sada pro výměnu rezervního kola 18

Určeno pro: Karoq

Edited 26 August, 202526 Aug by Carlston

Ok. So no option for this if I have Varioflex seating 😥

Thanks for the info.

Just a comment on the warranty question. My dealer has also offered a 3year extended warranty, including service and MOT tests, at a good price compared to the Skoda extended warranty. Downside, is servicing has to be done by dealer, for their offer (as it is them I have prepaid). I hope to move south, next year, so would have to bring car back to them. They are not part of a big chain, but a two branch independent dealer. Skoda warranty would allow service anywhere, as would buying dealer warranty from, say, Vertu, with branches all over. Have a good read of your dealer’s warranty conditions, before deciding, in any case.

VERTU taking over all over.

Just not North of Dunfermline yet. So they are only about 2/3rds up the UK Mainland.

We’ve run a Superb, an Octavia and I’m on my 3rd Kodiaq since 2011 and never paid a penny for Extended Warranty. It simply lines the dealer’s pocket.

Put it in a piggy bank if you’re concerned about the reliability of your trusty steed.