MySkoda Heating Issue: Won't Turn Off

Introduction

Hey there! I've been wrestling with an issue in my Home Assistant setup using the MySkoda integration, and I wanted to share my experience and see if anyone else has encountered something similar. The core problem is that I can't reliably turn off the car's heating once it's been activated through Home Assistant. Even more frustrating, I'm also unable to adjust the temperature settings directly, which is a feature I'd really like to have. This article is about MySkoda, Home Assistant, and the challenges of controlling the heating in my Skoda Kodiaq 2.

Problem Description

So, here’s the deal. I can successfully turn the car's auxiliary heating on using the MySkoda integration in Home Assistant. I enter my S-PIN, and the heating starts up without a hitch. However, the trouble begins when I try to turn it off. Even though Home Assistant shows the heating as being off, the car continues to run the heater. The only way I can get it to shut down is by using the MySkoda app directly. That’s a real pain! On top of that, the integration doesn’t let me set the desired temperature before turning the heating on, nor can I change it while the heating is active. The MySkoda app allows both of these, so it's a bit disappointing. This behavior is the crux of the issue, and hopefully, we can figure out what's causing it.

I’m running Home Assistant version 2025.9.4 and using integration version 1.28.8, on a Skoda Kodiaq 2.

Troubleshooting Steps and Debug Logs

I've taken a few steps to try and pinpoint the issue. First, I enabled debug logs in Home Assistant to get a more detailed look at what's going on behind the scenes. Then, I restarted Home Assistant to ensure the logging was active. The logs provide a very detailed view of the integration's actions and communications with the car. One thing I noticed early on was that the entities related to the heating were initially in an 'unknown' state. To try to resolve this, I clicked the 'wakeup car' button within Home Assistant, hoping to refresh the connection and retrieve the correct status. This action seemed to help bring the entities online, but the core issue with turning off the heating persisted.

The logs show the following sequence of events:

• ~ 14:31:56: Home Assistant starts up and loads the MySkoda integration.
• ~ 14:32:04: The integration successfully authorizes with the MySkoda service.
• ~ 14:32:11: The integration connects to MQTT for real-time communication.
• ~ 14:34:41: I wake up the vehicle using the provided button in Home Assistant.
• ~ 14:35:00: I tried to change the target temperature to 23 degrees Celsius. This action failed.
• ~ 14:35:20: I turned the heating on successfully.
• ~ 14:35:40: I attempted to change the target temperature again, this time to 24 degrees Celsius. This also failed.
• ~ 14:36:00: I tried to turn the heating off, which Home Assistant indicated as successful, but the heater remained running.

The debug logs reveal a lot of behind-the-scenes actions, from MQTT subscriptions to service events, but they don't explicitly highlight the reason why the heating won't turn off. The logs do show attempts to set the target temperature, but they fail. The logs confirm that the 'off' command is sent, but the car doesn't respond as expected. This makes me suspect the issue lies in how the integration sends the 'off' command, or perhaps a problem with the car's response to that command.

Here are some snippets of the debug logs:

2025-10-28 14:35:24.710 INFO (MainThread) [custom_components.myskoda.climate] Starting heating [AuxiliaryConfig(target_temperature=TargetTemperature(temperature_value=20.0, unit_in_car=<TemperatureUnit.CELSIUS: 'CELSIUS'>), duration_in_seconds=None, heater_source=None, start_mode=None)]
2025-10-28 14:35:24.710 DEBUG (MainThread) [myskoda.rest_api] Starting auxiliary heating for vehicle TMBLN1231231231231
2025-10-28 14:36:01.424 INFO (MainThread) [custom_components.myskoda.climate] Auxiliary heater already OFF.
2025-10-28 14:36:01.424 INFO (MainThread) [custom_components.myskoda.climate] Auxiliary HVAC mode set to off.

Potential Causes and Possible Solutions

Given the behavior and the logs, here are some potential causes for this problem, along with some possible solutions:

1. MQTT Communication Issues: The integration relies heavily on MQTT for real-time commands. There might be a problem with the MQTT messages sent to the car to turn off the heating. Ensure that your MQTT broker (if you're using one separate from Home Assistant) is correctly configured and working. Try restarting your MQTT broker and Home Assistant to see if that resolves any connection issues.
2. API Limitations: The MySkoda API might have limitations that the integration isn’t fully accounting for. It's possible that the API doesn’t provide a straightforward “off” command for the auxiliary heater. This is a common situation with API integrations. Check the API documentation (if available) to see the exact commands supported. If the API has different methods for turning the heater on and off, the integration might not be using the correct one.
3. Car Software Glitches: It’s also possible that the car’s software is at fault. The vehicle might be misinterpreting the commands sent by the integration. Sometimes, a simple car software update can resolve these types of issues. Check with your Skoda dealer to see if any updates are available for your car’s infotainment system or the control modules related to the heating.
4. Integration Bugs: There could be a bug in the MySkoda integration itself. As the integration is custom, the developers might have overlooked something. If you're comfortable with it, review the integration's code on GitHub to look for potential issues in the heating control logic. You could even create an issue on the GitHub repository to let the developers know about the problem.
5. Authentication Problems: Although the logs show successful authorization, there might be intermittent authentication problems. Sometimes, the MySkoda service could be rejecting commands if the authentication token expires or is not renewed correctly. Ensure that the integration is configured to refresh the authentication tokens as needed. Check the logs frequently for any authentication-related errors.

Conclusion

Dealing with this heating issue has been a bit of a challenge. While the MySkoda integration works for turning the heater on, the inability to turn it off and adjust the temperature is frustrating. I hope this detailed write-up helps pinpoint the issue or provide some clues to resolve this. Troubleshooting these types of problems often involves a combination of looking at logs, checking configurations, and trying different approaches.

If you're facing a similar problem with your MySkoda integration or have any suggestions, please share them! I will keep you updated on any progress.

For more information, visit the Home Assistant Community Forum: Home Assistant Community. You may find other users facing similar issues or get valuable insights and solutions from the community.