Discussion
I've always had a soft spot for Skoda Yeti - ever since they were first released. I have typically for the last few years bought something as a winter 4x4 shed - the year before this was a Panda 4x4, the car before this one was a Passat 4motion and with the fuel consumption of the Passat combined with doing some extra miles becoming a bit hard to accept it was time for something different. I started perusing ebay and was surprised to see how well these hold their value - was going to have to find a moon miles example or something categoried.
We live in the sticks and it can get hairy in the winter, we have a old range rover for the winter but like to have two 4x4 type cars for the winter, first world problems i suppose!
So Long Passat 4 Motion! Great car. Smooth, reasonably fast, seriously thirsty. Ferocious heated seats.
After a few weeks searching on ebay, this one popped up in Essex:
This was a 2016 / 66 plate 2.0 TDI 4x4 "Laurin and Klement" which I had to google at the time but basically means high spec. Pano roof, brown leather, heated seats, sat nav etc. All the toys. 6 speed manual. The previous owner was a process server who had used it mainly on motorways and the mileage just shy of 160,000 at the time of purchase reflected it's use. It benefitted from having had x4 new injectors, a new turbo and a new clutch and flywheel fitted at 140k by the previous owner at a cost of £4k.
With a bit of light haggling on a cold Sunday in November, WN66 FRJ was mine for £4950. I thought pretty decent bargain..
First impressions were good on the drive home also - a smooth cruise back around the M25, torquey engine with a bit of go if you wanted it, smooth and easy gear change and an indicated 50mpg for the motorway cruise. Not at all bad for a 4x4 diesel.
Also hardly a "shed". That's okay though, good things come to those who wait, read on.
"Skody" as christened by Mrs IS was soon put to work doing important tasks like collecting Christmas paraphernalia. Far less ostentatious than strapping it to the roof of a Porsche I think. For anyone that's got one of these, the rear seat design is fantastic. Easy fold up job and a one hand release to remove them completely and turn it into a van. Come to think of it, it's strange to think why they didn't release a commercial version, think it would have been really popular, especially for country types, vets etc.
Middle of December soon approached and with 5,000 miles added to the clock already since the middle of November (don't ask!) we were en route to Zermatt for a few days of pre-xmas skiing as a treat. I was lucky enough to receive a positive response to my request for Mrs IS' hand in marriage on this trip so a very special one for us.
An impressively gritty looking Yeti after 1500 continental miles on well salted roads, always satisfying to see.
The next few months was just general life - we were lucky enough to get another skiing trip in february to France with some friends so again took Skody, and other than that some relatively trouble free miles until:
Ah. The dreaded glow plug light of doom. Given it had recently enjoyed four new injectors, a turbo etc I was a bit worried about what this could be. I took it to my trusty mobile mechanic in the barn who had a look on the computer and eventually found that the issue was related to the adblue pump not supplying the correct dose. We had a worrying moment on the way back from France around the Adblue where basically it asked to be topped up which we did so (that is a total ballache by the way, you have to empty everything from the boot and remove the boot floor carpet - not ideal when on a trip), afterwhich it decided not to update the quantity and was threatening to isolate the engine! Not ideal on the french autoroutes on the way home..
The error code did clear that time but with this one, we opted to remap the car. Likewise the DPF.
Shortly after the car was driving fantastic again, albeit with a strange burbling/bumping noise at some revs which we assumed was from the now free breathing DPF. More on that...later...
The modifications gave a 15% uplift in economy - and that's true when I check the Fuelly app, up from circa 42 combined to nearly 50 combined.
Yes, it took me nearly until May to realise the car has Carplay as long as you plug your phone in by USB. Still doesn't beat the time my Dad realised his Focus Ghia had a 6 CD changer under the front seat the day he sold it, after driving it for 9 years. I do think it's a bit tight that these modern cars don't do carplay over bluetooth when the stereo is bluetooth enabled
Otehr than that, the Spring and early summer was spent doing Yeti things. It really is a fabulous all rounder. Comfy, quick enough, economical enough, fit loads of gear in, doesn't look w
ky. Pretty ideal.
And then a good mate of mine called me up and asked me if i fancied doing the Tunisie Challenge in October (www.tunisiechallenge.com). Yeah sounds good, i said. Of course the sensible person would buy an old cruiser or a pajero (or like him, a £1500 Shogun Sport). But I thought.... hmmm why not do it in this yeti?
A few calls to the organisers and a plan was made. The route would be 1400km or so mainly off road and on sand in Tunisia. The total mileage for the trip to and from home would be in excess of 3500 miles. Essentially the requirements (at their most basic) for the trip were:
- permanent 4X4
- reinforced under engine/sump guard
- lift for low vehicles (like mine)
- nobbly high profile tyres to allow for adjustments on sand
- Reinforced recovery points at front for dune recoveries
- Modify the breathing system so as to prevent sand from entering the engine
I have a mate who is a very keen fabricator and he was game to tackle this with me, so we thought... fk it, why not.
The last photo of Skody before the adjustments were made
Let the fun begin
We live in the sticks and it can get hairy in the winter, we have a old range rover for the winter but like to have two 4x4 type cars for the winter, first world problems i suppose!
So Long Passat 4 Motion! Great car. Smooth, reasonably fast, seriously thirsty. Ferocious heated seats.
After a few weeks searching on ebay, this one popped up in Essex:
This was a 2016 / 66 plate 2.0 TDI 4x4 "Laurin and Klement" which I had to google at the time but basically means high spec. Pano roof, brown leather, heated seats, sat nav etc. All the toys. 6 speed manual. The previous owner was a process server who had used it mainly on motorways and the mileage just shy of 160,000 at the time of purchase reflected it's use. It benefitted from having had x4 new injectors, a new turbo and a new clutch and flywheel fitted at 140k by the previous owner at a cost of £4k.
With a bit of light haggling on a cold Sunday in November, WN66 FRJ was mine for £4950. I thought pretty decent bargain..
First impressions were good on the drive home also - a smooth cruise back around the M25, torquey engine with a bit of go if you wanted it, smooth and easy gear change and an indicated 50mpg for the motorway cruise. Not at all bad for a 4x4 diesel.
Also hardly a "shed". That's okay though, good things come to those who wait, read on.
"Skody" as christened by Mrs IS was soon put to work doing important tasks like collecting Christmas paraphernalia. Far less ostentatious than strapping it to the roof of a Porsche I think. For anyone that's got one of these, the rear seat design is fantastic. Easy fold up job and a one hand release to remove them completely and turn it into a van. Come to think of it, it's strange to think why they didn't release a commercial version, think it would have been really popular, especially for country types, vets etc.
Middle of December soon approached and with 5,000 miles added to the clock already since the middle of November (don't ask!) we were en route to Zermatt for a few days of pre-xmas skiing as a treat. I was lucky enough to receive a positive response to my request for Mrs IS' hand in marriage on this trip so a very special one for us.
An impressively gritty looking Yeti after 1500 continental miles on well salted roads, always satisfying to see.
The next few months was just general life - we were lucky enough to get another skiing trip in february to France with some friends so again took Skody, and other than that some relatively trouble free miles until:
Ah. The dreaded glow plug light of doom. Given it had recently enjoyed four new injectors, a turbo etc I was a bit worried about what this could be. I took it to my trusty mobile mechanic in the barn who had a look on the computer and eventually found that the issue was related to the adblue pump not supplying the correct dose. We had a worrying moment on the way back from France around the Adblue where basically it asked to be topped up which we did so (that is a total ballache by the way, you have to empty everything from the boot and remove the boot floor carpet - not ideal when on a trip), afterwhich it decided not to update the quantity and was threatening to isolate the engine! Not ideal on the french autoroutes on the way home..
The error code did clear that time but with this one, we opted to remap the car. Likewise the DPF.
Shortly after the car was driving fantastic again, albeit with a strange burbling/bumping noise at some revs which we assumed was from the now free breathing DPF. More on that...later...
The modifications gave a 15% uplift in economy - and that's true when I check the Fuelly app, up from circa 42 combined to nearly 50 combined.
Yes, it took me nearly until May to realise the car has Carplay as long as you plug your phone in by USB. Still doesn't beat the time my Dad realised his Focus Ghia had a 6 CD changer under the front seat the day he sold it, after driving it for 9 years. I do think it's a bit tight that these modern cars don't do carplay over bluetooth when the stereo is bluetooth enabled
Otehr than that, the Spring and early summer was spent doing Yeti things. It really is a fabulous all rounder. Comfy, quick enough, economical enough, fit loads of gear in, doesn't look w
ky. Pretty ideal.And then a good mate of mine called me up and asked me if i fancied doing the Tunisie Challenge in October (www.tunisiechallenge.com). Yeah sounds good, i said. Of course the sensible person would buy an old cruiser or a pajero (or like him, a £1500 Shogun Sport). But I thought.... hmmm why not do it in this yeti?
A few calls to the organisers and a plan was made. The route would be 1400km or so mainly off road and on sand in Tunisia. The total mileage for the trip to and from home would be in excess of 3500 miles. Essentially the requirements (at their most basic) for the trip were:
- permanent 4X4
- reinforced under engine/sump guard
- lift for low vehicles (like mine)
- nobbly high profile tyres to allow for adjustments on sand
- Reinforced recovery points at front for dune recoveries
- Modify the breathing system so as to prevent sand from entering the engine
I have a mate who is a very keen fabricator and he was game to tackle this with me, so we thought... f
k it, why not.The last photo of Skody before the adjustments were made
Let the fun begin
Have you see what Darkside did to theirs?
Surprisingly capable!
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_nHs7o9ueVG...
Surprisingly capable!
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_nHs7o9ueVG...
Dave. said:
Have you see what Darkside did to theirs?
Surprisingly capable!
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_nHs7o9ueVG...
Yes i have and Darkside were very helpful with the prep for mine - supplying lift kit, wheel spacers, stud bolts etc.Surprisingly capable!
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_nHs7o9ueVG...
I can confirm the haldex is extremely impressive considering its an e-diff, and the car is relatively light which helps.
Nice idea with the Yeti, and kudos for your choice of B5.5 - I had a PD130 4motion estate for a while, superb car. Did 40k miles in it, on the 'all season' tyres I never got it stuck anywhere. I used to use it to travel to race circuits across the country in all weathers, places like Anglesey and Cadwell Park it was great to access parts of the circuit other road cars didn't dare try to go in wet/blizzard conditions. Only got rid because some kind person flew out of a side road and tried removing the front end of it 
Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the Yeti!
Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the Yeti!Brilliant motors; always liked these
Brother in law had one and only 'sold' it as he was offered a superb trade-in deal when he went into Skoda to see what could tempt him, he's in a Kodiaq L&K now; it's a lovely motor with the 2.0 petrol DSG etc
He's literally just had winters fitted on Thursday; bloody lucky as they were in Kendal at the weekend with some brass band competition! Got home in one piece late Sat night
Brother in law had one and only 'sold' it as he was offered a superb trade-in deal when he went into Skoda to see what could tempt him, he's in a Kodiaq L&K now; it's a lovely motor with the 2.0 petrol DSG etc
He's literally just had winters fitted on Thursday; bloody lucky as they were in Kendal at the weekend with some brass band competition! Got home in one piece late Sat night
CKY said:
Nice idea with the Yeti, and kudos for your choice of B5.5 - I had a PD130 4motion estate for a while, superb car. Did 40k miles in it, on the 'all season' tyres I never got it stuck anywhere.
Yes it was a cracking runabout, but that 2.8 engine was thirsty. So smooth though. Lovely to drive, built properly.d_a_n1979 said:
Kodiaq L&K
Still not entirely sure why Skoda were so insistent on discontinuing the Yeti, think it was pretty charming in a kind of ugly way...!!So with a shopping list organised, and with thanks to Darkside who gave me some great advice on tyres, offsets, rims to buy etc, I had a flurry of deliveries:
- Insa Risko Turbo knobblies
- Steelies off a caddy
- 25mm rear / 20mm front spacers
- 30mm lift kit
- 3mm alu plate under tray
- heavy duty recovery hoops from a 4x4 supplier
- Couple of Lazer Sentinel 9" Spotlights from marketplace
215 / 65 / 16 Insa Turbo Risko tyres (remoulds) - circa £80 a piece from the ebay. Impressive knobbliness!
This was a 3mm alu bash plate from a supplier off ebay in Romania. About 200 euros.
All of the bits and bobs locked and loaded and ready to go to Toby my mate and excellent fabricator, with some very vague instructions / ideas.
I'd basically been under the car and realised the only place we were going to be able mount any kind of recovery points with any modicum of usefulness would be onto / through the crash bar which was attached by 5 heavy bolts either side. Toby agreed that bracing up each crash strut, and then drilling through and welding these hoops through would give a pretty solid and robust recovery platform for strap recoveries we were anticipating in the desert.
Toby's work was as always tidy, precise and very confidence inspiring.
Even his dremel skills are quite something to admire, and the end result was exactly what I had thoguht we might achieve, a nice job indeed.
The next step was the breathing system. When I first thought of taking the Yeti I simply hadn't considered it at all, but a scare story from one of the organisers about a Subaru with sand blasted bores on last years event made me re-think that straight away.
I had suggested to Toby we could possibly copy Darkside's snorkel assembly and he agreed it was a good idea. We bought the air box from Darkside and Toby fabbed up the rest. He wasn't a fan of Darkside drilling directly into the panel above the passenger window so came up with another solution which utilised the screw mounting point for the forward left roof bar, really neat.
80MM alu - not drain pipe I'll have you know! Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the talking, the end result was fantastic to say the least:
lovely bit of fabrication for a breather pipe ahead of the MAF, the stock skoda airbox is a typical modern thing with loads of plastic boxes, tunnels and flexi hoses and various pipes coming off it, so as not to throw engine faults we wanted to keep the breathing as stock as possible - albeit raising it by three feet.
The two mounting parts - the first bracket is for a direct screwpoint into the n/s wing and the last photo demonstrates the neat connection to the roof rack mounting point
The full assembly before and after having been painted. Yes quite a bit bigger than a typical snorkel you might find on a normal overland type car, but that's just the reality of accessing the air box - punching through the wing wouldn't have been possible and definitely not enough room under the bonnet to negotiate through the rear of the bay forward.
Next up was working how best to fit these mega 14,500 Lumens (each) spotlights to the front of the car. Of course, Toby had an idea to make a bracket and attach to the crash bar through the front grille, with the entire bracket being held together by the mounting screws for the lights themselves, neat.
First up was to cut a couple of the fins from the radiator grille to allow the bracket to protrude
Then assemble the various pieces of flat steel
And then bring it all together using the lights themselves. We used Lazers own loom (each light requires it's own) for this, and cut into the N/S headlamp full beam circuit so there was no unnecessary switches etc
After this it was to my other mate who's got a few lifts in a barn to do the lift, tyre swap and engine protection fitment, and the end result:
We were all really really happy with how this turned out. Initial driving impressions:
- Lot of induction noise above the passenger. Amusing to the point of hilarious on boost. We were planning to use the old hosiery trick for Tunisia - cable tying socks / tights over the inlet so as not to behave like a giant hoover for sand.
- Dynamics somewhat....for want of a better word - ruined? Jokes aside, not too bad, but as to be expected with knobblies like this - very loud and unrefined on tarmac, higher revs to carry speed etc, 65mph the new cruise in this car...
- Tyre scrub on a full lock - solution - don't use a full lock
Some size comparison against recently restored Renault 5 and our land rover - it really does look and feel a lot bigger now. 30mm lift + the tyres gives almost SUV style ground clearance and driving feel.
The final touch was some amber lens covers from Lazer Light for the sentinels a) for Euro cool b) to prevent smashage of the sentinels from road stones, add to that a paper map of Tunisie "just in case" and with just a few weeks to go we had transformed the Yeti from M25 warrior to (hopefully) sand warrior.....
The car was bought in November 2022 for £4950 with just under 160k miles on it. At the point of the modifications in September the car was just shy of 180k miles, and we left for Tunisia on the 9th October. I will collate together photos etc from the trip, as it was the most epic driving experience / road trip i have ever had - and i've had a few! I will write up a trip report, there are plenty of bumps and BANGS along the way.
IS
Well done. Looks like you're going to have fun!
Big fan of the Yeti, I have a pair, 170 4x4 Elegance for pulling the cacavan and a 1.2 DSG for everything else.
Definitely a car with character! The 1.2 was supposed to replace the diesel and I was going to buy another tow car.
That was three years ago.
Big fan of the Yeti, I have a pair, 170 4x4 Elegance for pulling the cacavan and a 1.2 DSG for everything else.
Definitely a car with character! The 1.2 was supposed to replace the diesel and I was going to buy another tow car.
That was three years ago.
Bill said:
Good effort! Although I'd be a bit concerned about the bottom of the snorkel being vulnerable in a minor knock.
I've been eyeing up (small!) driving lights for my Yeti but have been out of by internet chat about messing up the canbus. Was it simply a case of splicing them in?
As you'll read when I get round to uploading the report from Tunisie, that was the least of our worries!! I've been eyeing up (small!) driving lights for my Yeti but have been out of by internet chat about messing up the canbus. Was it simply a case of splicing them in?
Had no issues splicing directly into the full beam circuit.
Easternlight said:
Yeti, I have a pair]
Absolutely love this. People used to think I was mental for having two Mondeospoppopbangbang said:
Absolutely excellent work OP! I'm a very big fan of this and the Tunisie - please post lots of details about how it goes, I'm very keen to do it in my Cayenne.
Will do in the coming days. There was a NA 4.5 Cayenne on last yearts Tunisie. They said it was very capable but electrical gremlins caused issues (sand in the fuse boxes)keeling54 said:
Guess you've at least doubled the values of your Yeti.
I do like them though. Top work.
Got them for £450 for the pair from Marketplace. I've had a T-16 lazer bar i bought in 2015 on 5 cars now so the quality is worth the premium, buy once mentality. These Sentinels really are overkill though, on the autoroute at night you light it up like its day timeI do like them though. Top work.
That looks absolutely fantastic! Was there absolutely nothing you could do to aid clearance of the tyres?
A part of me is a little sad this isn't being tackled in the 4motion
Those 2.8s aren't too bad on fuel when you maintain speed. I daily one and as long as you stay out of stop start traffic it returns pretty good consumption. But yes, you can plough through a tank in 150 miles if you wanted to.
A part of me is a little sad this isn't being tackled in the 4motion
Those 2.8s aren't too bad on fuel when you maintain speed. I daily one and as long as you stay out of stop start traffic it returns pretty good consumption. But yes, you can plough through a tank in 150 miles if you wanted to. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff