Gadgets/Extra on your Car worthwhile?

[dan123]

Or dying if you then get in another car without it orit breaks and you take a corner too quickly because you are used to the computer doing the brain work for you.

ESP is not there to allow me to drive like an idiot...it is there to save my life when someone else drives like an idiot.

[ednmra]

I "treated" myself to cruise control when I bought mine.

Now wouldn't be without it. Use it the whole time.

I'd love to use mine more but I'm sure I'd end up driving up someone's vRS

[cheezemonkhai]

ESP is not there to allow me to drive like an idiot...it is there to save my life when someone else drives like an idiot.

My point was what happens when you subconciously come to rely upon it and it isn't there.

[Nick P]

Best standard fit gadget on my Elegance is the cruise control without a doubt. I actually find the auto wipers work really well too.

Best extra I've fitted is the kenwood sat nav and dvd / mp3 player. Couldn't do without it.

[skodaw]

When I ordered my last vRS, I had just about every extra available at the time, the car cost me

[Fellwalker]

I use the cruise quite a bit on longer journeys as and when traffic allows. Its easy to cancel it using a quick dab of the brakes

And by flashing your brake lights, you make the guy behind brake, and the one behind brake a little harder. All that braking ends up as a traffic jam. There have been proper studies done which prove this cause and effect.

Thanks texasjohn for creating these jams.

PLEASE DO NOT use the brakes to cancel the cruise, unless you are actually braking. The clever designers of the Skoda created a little flicky switch just on the top of the stalk, near the other cruise control buttons. If you flick it, magically the cruise control goes off!

[Fellwalker]

My "cannot do without"s are:

* DSG (wonderful, apart from setting off when its a bit hesitant)

* cruise control. It works at 30 and upwards, and saves points on the licence. Noting the comments above, I wish it had the proximity sensor that slowed you down if you came up behind someone.

* hatchback - can't get one of those on an Audi A4

* Electrically controlled memory seats, heated. It means there is no more of that

messing around when my wife and i swap over driving. One button to press and the seats and mirrors are set up.

* Electric door mirrors, as above.

* reversing sensors. Not so sure about hte implementation - mine goes continuous beep when i am still a couple of feet away. Front ones would be nice, as hte bonnet slopes down quickly and the front is hidden.

* mudflaps. Keep the car cleaner.

* kick plates on hte door sills. should be standard, and give a bit more coverage

In teh category of "like it but would not stop me from buying if missing"

* auto lights. 90% of hte time, they are fabulous. In summer, I tend to switch them off becaue of hte shadow issue.

* auto wipers. If they worked 100%, tehy'd be up in the must have. 90% of hte time, tehy are fabulous but then they wipe a dry screen and smear the bug splats. SO again, on a dry day, switch them off. Oh, and I cannot understand how htey decide what speed to wipe - sometimes its intermittent in a downpour, or fast in a light drizzle.

* auto dip mirror. Excellent, but I could manage wihtout.

* maxidot. Its fun to watch, but doesn't really add value. If the speedometer was correct, then it might be more valuable. An indicated 60 is actually 56mph. True 70 is 73 on the dial. Tracked against satnav, the odometer is out as well by about 2%, so my car shows it has travelled further than it actually has.

What have I got that adds no value?

* that daft jumbo box. OK, so it can cool things, but only while travelling. If I am on holiday and stop with my Mars bar in the box, its only a puddle when i return. THen it takes a long while to solidify, and its stuck to the wrapper. THe box fits CDs OK, but not much else.

[spencel]

I love the auto dipping door mirrors on my L&K. It's the most useful of all the gadgets on the car. Saves all that fiddling with the mirror controls when you have a tailgater with main beam on!

[London Les]

I love all the gadgets in general, except so many of them do nothing most of the time - ESP, TPM, airbags, antiwhiplash head restraints, etc. nut good to know they are there.

What's the view on foglights? I always want them but then rarely use them. The standard Octavia ones have a good wide spread but not much reach in my opinion, and don't offer much with xenons. I've also found the xenons to be not great in fog because their upper cut-off is vary sharp - any thoughts???

The VRS fogs are a different (I think 55w rather than 35w) design, and look better as a driving lamp - but I would be interested in any views from a VRS owner.

[Taxi 219]

Nice to have all the extras as my Mk1 was very basic and dated looking.

[Web Ferret]

Cruise is now essential for me, I would always have this fitted if not standard.

I'm sold on the reversing sensors and now would have them if possible.

Dimming rear view mirror is a good one.

The jumbo box is tiny and I'm glad that I didn't pay extra for it.

Auto wipers are not worth paying for, nice as standard though.

I would have gone for the maxi dot as I like displays but the dealer didn't show me it and I didnt' know what it was. Maybe they should change the name.

Head up MPH is what I really want... Oh and those infra red headlights with the screen, maybe a rocket launcher and oil slick button, turbo boost and internet access...

[Organist]

The VRS fogs are a different (I think 55w rather than 35w) design, and look better as a driving lamp - but I would be interested in any views from a VRS owner.

The newer cars (mine is 2008) have different fog lights, without the metal 'cap' shielding the lamp. I think that they are better than the ones on my older (2006) car. BTW They are all 55w.

Worthwile Gadgets:

Xenons - Fantastic - Far better than the uprated (nightbreakers) on the last car.

Maxidot - Really good. You can tell which radio station you are tuned to when wearing polarised sunglasses - you can't read the LCD on the radio!

Multi-function wheel: Good as far as it goes - but you can't switch audio modes though, although you do get a better wheel.

Tyre pressure thingy: Utterly useless.

Sunset Glass: excellent.

Light Assist: Good, but doesn't always come on in rain - lights need to be switched on manually and then the control returned to the tunnel position.

Puddle lights - Most handy when getting out of car in dinner suit, and NOT stepping in puddle/mud/horse poo !

Climate Control Last 5 cars have had it. Wouldn't be without it.

Coming Home/Leaving Home Lights Really good - and dead cool, and you can adjust them with the maxi-dot.

Parking Sensors Really good.

False Floor in boot Excellent for storing wine on booze cruises!

[London Les]

Organist - I'm not sure about the 55w foglights. The Elegance ones are H8, which are 35w unless upgraded.

However - I like your style - wine connoisseur, dinner jackets, sophisticated meals out, this is a new generation of Skoda owners!

[fluffmeister]

I love my OEM Bluetooth kit and MFD2, and in the new motor it's going to be painfull not having that integration into maxidot.

A good remap is worth every penny as well

[InexEng]

Rain Sensing Wipers if they work are ok

BUT DO ANYBODYS EVER WORK CORRECTLY 100% - I DOUBT IT :thumbdwn:

[madfiddler]

...just get a L&K. discussion over

[PSM]

I found the jumbo box is big enough to hold a couple of cans and on a warm day with the air con on cools them quite effectively (with a nice cold drink available at the end of your journey).

I too never got the maxidot as did not know what it was and also not told about it (looking in brochure I though it was some microdot security thing!!). Can not say I miss it although in the demo car I drove recently it did look nice.

The dual zone is invaluable because my wife is constantly either too hot or cold so it allows her to fiddle with the temp while I stay the same (if it works or not is another matter but psycologically it seems to work for her!!)

The rear parking sensors are invaluable in my eyes and has now made me a very lasy reverser (keep going until I here the beeps- dangerous when in the wifes car without sensors!!!)

I love the 3 indicator flash function and use it all the time and like others wonder why it does not work when in other cars!!

I love the look of the fog lights on the front but have never actually used them since never been foggy enough to put them on. Also I think the switch should be the other way around so you turn the back on first and then the front (would stop these idiots who put them on all the time and dazzle people coming the other way!).

I also like the mp3 connection it is just a shame it does not allow control of my ipod from the head unit like with other makes.

I too would not buy a heated front screen as the thin wires really annoy me when driving.

[surfdude]

I find Cruise Control essential when driving through camera laden 30mph zones. Means i can concentrate on what;s going on around me rather than worrying whether I'm going to set the next camera off.

Also find ClimateControl an essential, dual or single zone. I never got on with standard aircon - found myself adjusting the temperature every few minutes. Climate Control does it all for you.

Parking Sensors are something I never really wanted, I'm pretty good at parking without any help. But I ended up with some as standard, and now when I switch to a car without them, I find myself in all sorts of trouble - seems they've made me lazy!

As for things I just like having, I love my Maxidot and steering wheel audio controls.

Agree completely with what;s been said about the autowipers and autolights.

I had auto wipers on a volvo a few years ago - they worked superbly. The Skoda ones do seem hit and miss - I'm always adjusting the sensitivity.

The autolights can be dangerous in my opinion. The other day I left my house in fog and it was dull enough for the lights to come on. I saw the lights were on and didn't think any more about it. A few miles into the journey and the fog still thick, I had a few cars flashing me. Eventually I realised my lights had gone off. Marvellous. I don't use light assist anymore.

I'm not keen on the auto-dipping mirror either. Whenever my dogs stand up in the boot, they cast a shadow on the sensor so the mirror goes back to full brightness and I get blinded by the car behind - wish there was a manual override.

As for the earlier ESP question, personally I'd avoid it. Got it on the wife's Beetle - it's constantly going wrong - so many sensors!