Do need skoda connect?

kodibliaq · Oct 11, 2018

I asked the guy on live chat if it was a subscription based service. His brains cells went into melt down but did get back with an answer after about 5 minutes to tell me its free for 1 year. Can anyone please help me with any of the following as this could take hours to learn from skoda. thanks.
1. How much is the subscription afterwards?
2. My kodiaq SE will have have apple car play anyway - whats the point or additional benefits of paying for skoda connect?
3. does it spy on you? know where you have been? how fast you got there? pester you with marketing or reminders to get car serviced?
4. is it easy to cancel at end of 1st year?
5. airial and speed notification warns me if going faster than the speed limit for the road? 5b. logs it so insurance don't pay out in an accident?
thanks

bother · Oct 11, 2018

1. Care Connect - Remote Access £54pa. Infotainment Online - £45pa
Have a look here for a full description of what each 'package' contains http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/skoda-connect

2. I've just renewed the Care Connect as it allows you to see where the car is from the app, has a psuedo tracker (online alarm) function, and activate the horn/lights remotely.

Infotainment Online is stuff like online traffic data, petrol prices and the Google maps sat nav overlay, plus the ability to sent destinations/routes from the App/PC directly the car. I haven't renewed this as I use Android Auto most of the time and therefore it doesn't give me anything I really need

3. I guess so, but there is a 'privacy mode'. You can't see where the car is when it's moving. Only once it's stopped (I assume engine off too). I haven't been pestered with anything. You can separately turn off the servicing reminders. I had it turned on and despite a service being due I never received a reminder or contact from the dealer

4. Yup. It will just lapse if you don't renew so the default is that it will stop. There's no 'subscription' at the moment. You just pay year at a time

5. I assume you're talking about the speed camera function on the car here? That's nothing to do with Skoda Connect. There are some alerting functions withing the 'Care Connect - Remote Access' functionality which allow you to set geofence and speed related alerts, but you don't have to.

5b. Don't know, however....I'd be very surprised if the insurance companies were able to access any of the data in the event of an accident but if you're worried check the Skoda Connect Privacy policy carefully before you sign up. I'd actually be surprised if they had any way of knowing you were even signed up.

FoxtrotAlpha · Oct 11, 2018

Mine expired months ago and to be honest it's made no difference to my life. I have posted this before however I didn't find the services that useful or interesting. My recommendation would be not to renew, it's not expensive but it's the principal, it should be free and the running costs are minimal.

kodibliaq · Oct 11, 2018

thank you Bother & Fox for answering for me. I guess if i can turn off service reminders thats not so bad.. I'd go *kin mental :x if i got dam sales calls to my car as well as moby/email/letterbox.. a vw dealer drove me to the point of getting a successful ICO penalty brought against them after evidencing 3 years of their refusal to stop hounding me.. including daily calls offering to service a car i'd not owned for many years. There was no talking sense to them.
I reckon I agree with Fox and probably won't find the features of much benefit. But if it costs nothing for 1 year I might try it.

Swindiaq · Oct 12, 2018

I was emailed an invite to participate in a Skoda Connect survey this week - maybe as I'm approaching the end of my first year free.
There is a question that asks if you would pay for it when the free period ends - I chose 'Definitely not' .

If others get the survey I would recommend you do the same. Looks like Skoda are considering the commercials of it all.

StevieG · Oct 13, 2018

I have just come to the end of my free year and have for the moment chosen not to renew. Infotainment Online is currently £45pa and Care Connect is £36pa. I did however email Skoda last week pointing out that in my opinion it was too expensive for what are nice to haves.
I was very pleased that I did get a call from Skoda customer services yesterday evening in response to discuss it. The very knowledgable chap told me that the prices have been reduced to what I have quoted and are being reviewed again in the light of customer feedback at the end of December.
I appreciate that to develop the app further they will have costs but I do think that if they offered for less, more customers would renew, increasing the income stream. I also pointed out that imo it would be better to offer 2 and 3 year renewals as well.
We discussed functionality, some of which is useful and I have used but in truth I can live without at £81pa. I suggested an enhancement would be the ability to lock and unlock via the app, not just see the status. He told me this is available in some markets (not UK) and they are looking to add the functionality.
I know the obvious answer is 'free' but what would anyone else sensibly be prepared to pay? I have given my own views to Skoda buts let's see what others think!

FoxtrotAlpha · Oct 13, 2018

Only time I was impressed with it was when it emailed me telling me that the internal motion detector had triggered the alarm. It was my daughter messing around but that was pretty good, apart from that I don't think it offers me much else.

Swindiaq · Oct 14, 2018

Thanks for the update StevieG.
Does anyone know what other manufacturers charge for these connected services?

iwarv · Oct 14, 2018

FoxtrotAlpha said:
Only time I was impressed with it was when it emailed me telling me that the internal motion detector had triggered the alarm. It was my daughter messing around but that was pretty good, apart from that I don't think it offers me much else.

I second that.

I like to sit in the kitchen, which conventionally is at the back of the property.
As my sig says, we have front facing dash cam. It tends to occasionally fall down as it loses suction with the windscreen. That sets off the alarm.
Not once have I heard the Kodiaq's alarm. But when those emails came in, I knew to investigate. Nice feature.

I also like(d) the status view to confirm that the car is locked. Without having to walk to the front of the property to check if the wing mirrors have folded in.

None of these nice-to-have features are worth the money I was quoted at renewal. Maybe if the price were to drop I might rejoin.
Would be nice if this community would keep each other informed of any price drops ???

On-topic question if I may:

Can I view the mileage of previous trips on the infotainment system like I could on Skoda Connect?
Not sure if that information is stored in the car or - for Skoda Connect purposes - in the cloud only.

On Friday I had to make a trip to Ashby-de-la-Zouch and back and I could have sworn that I achieved 47.5 mpg on the outward journey.
If true, that is an amazing personal best.
No such luck on the return leg. Got parked for an hour on the M1 6 miles from the M25 junction due to an accident involving a lorry. Looked pretty bad.

FoxtrotAlpha · Oct 14, 2018

iwarv said:
FoxtrotAlpha said:

Only time I was impressed with it was when it emailed me telling me that the internal motion detector had triggered the alarm. It was my daughter messing around but that was pretty good, apart from that I don't think it offers me much else.

Click to expand...

I second that.

I like to sit in the kitchen, which conventionally is at the back of the property.
As my sig says, we have front facing dash cam. It tends to occasionally fall down as it loses suction with the windscreen. That sets off the alarm.
Not once have I heard the Kodiaq's alarm. But when those emails came in, I knew to investigate. Nice feature.

I also like(d) the status view to confirm that the car is locked. Without having to walk to the front of the property to check if the wing mirrors have folded in.

None of these nice-to-have features are worth the money I was quoted at renewal. Maybe if the price were to drop I might rejoin.
Would be nice if this community would keep each other informed of any price drops ???

On-topic question if I may:

Can I view the mileage of previous trips on the infotainment system like I could on Skoda Connect?
Not sure if that information is stored in the car or - for Skoda Connect purposes - in the cloud only.

On Friday I had to make a trip to Ashby-de-la-Zouch and back and I could have sworn that I achieved 47.5 mpg on the outward journey.
If true, that is an amazing personal best.
No such luck on the return leg. Got parked for an hour on the M1 6 miles from the M25 junction due to an accident involving a lorry. Looked pretty bad.

63mpg is my personal best on a 80 mile journey.

Do need skoda connect?

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