Michaelski

I'm on my 2nd Citigop SE-L, & would have gone for a 3rd. But I AM NOT prepared to shell out £16k+ for a tiny little hybrid (with such a limited range) so I'll either buy (I'm on a PCP) my current car & run that, OR I'll go for a petrol-engine car from another manufacturer, Pity really, as I do find that the Citigo delivers all that I need from a car, but if Mr VAG is getting "green (& greedy) than they've lost what was a loyal customer. It's somewhat ironic, but as small petrol-engine cars reach their optimum, then the EU slaps a kibosh on them & decrees that "everyone" has to go electric. & does anyone ask themselves where this electricity comes from???

Hi IamGaz & thanks for that. I've sorta come round to that view myself, but it's always nice to have a 2nd opinion. Bestest Mike

Perhaps I should have added that it would appear that I'll need to pay around £4000 to buy my current car at the end of the PCP - I think??? In my heart of hearts, I'm a "Petrol Head" & don't really fancy the notion of a Hybrid or the like, & at this moment in time they seem to be exorbitantly priced. I spent a fair amount on this current car_ upgrading the headlights to something better than a pair of dim candles, & also stuck all season tyres on as soon as I got it. If daughters' Citigo is now 7+ years old & has 40+k o0n the clock, than I reckon that I should be OK for a fair while. Also, if I keep this car, my insurance should decrease, & the costs of servcicing, MOT etc should be more than compensated by not shelling out some £180 pm on the PCP? Still, would like to hear from anyone/everyone who has an opinion. Thanks again.

Hi guys & gals, I'm looking for opinions. and the more of them the better - opinions are like heads , everybody has one In 2015 I got a 75bhp Citigo SE-L - a superb decision at the time: zero interest & NO RFL. I traded that in for another SE-L ( a 60BHP after 31 months & 16k) but this time NOT such a good deal - my PCP rate doubled, & I was hammered for RFL. Also, lost the CD Player & the Sat Nav, but did get a better radio (to which I listen to but rarely) & 2piecs of string to raise the rear parcel shelf. "Shortly" I'm going to be inundated with contact from my Stealer, asking if I am ready to change again. My dilemma is, & the Citigo REALLY does suit the needs of me & my Lady wife, now there's no choice but a Hybrid (& at a premium of roughly 50% more) call me old fashioned, but I DO NOT like the idea of a Hybrid, and certainly NOT at the current price that Mr VAG is charging. So, should I opt for a Hyundai i10 or a Toyota Aygo, or should I simple buy my current Citigo- I'm tending towards buying my current vehicle? Ar 3 years old, it will have around 15k on the clock & Both this & my previous Citigo have been fault-free & my daughter has one with around 40+k on the Clock. & one of our sons the same, with about 30~k on the clock & both have been faultless also. Look forward to your input & opinions & thanks in anticipation. Mike

Hi RickW, The garage from which I bought my little Tonka Toy was (seemingly like all most garages) taking the PI DOUBLE S & charging an unbelievable £140+ - which is ridiculous, because all it really involves is an oil & filter change (+ some totally irrelevant info which probably takes them some 30 seconds to check, & which you are probably well aware of yourself). Irrespective of what impression they may like to give you, they complete the work in less than one hour, so there's no question of removing the wheels to check the brakes etc, etc. I got the first 2 Services FOC, as a sop for buying my current car,but on my previous Citigo, & after shelling out mega dinero for the 1st Service, I took it to a local garage (who carried out EXACTLY the same work) but only charged me around £70 - & this DOES NOT invalidate the Warranty PROVIDING VW-specified oil/filter are used. These Services are little more than a means of the Agent recouping some of the cost of their Showroom & Staff, so DO NOT let yourself be sucked in. Do your homework & then shop around for an acceptable price. Service No. 1 is no more than an oil & filter change (& the second Service isn't that much more involved). ENJOY your cracking little car, but DON'T be fleeced, as there simply IS NOT a paper Service record any more - it's all "computerised" now!

Probably/possibly a little late for this particular thread, but on 1 Feb, I traded in my 75PS SE-L for a 60 BHP SE-L - PURELY because I didn't want to wait for the quoted 3 months in ordering one direct from the factory (I was initially going to go for another 75 BHP,) & instead elected to take delivery of one that was already sitting on the docks in Germany, & although there was indeed a SE-L there just wasn't either the option of the stronger laggy band version, or, come to that, the colour that SWMBO had set her little heart on (Silver). Instead, we finished up with a rather pleasing shade of light Blue. Initially, I was just a leedle concerned that I may notice the distinct drop in BHP, but our motoring excursions have remained the same as they previously were, & I can honestly say that after 10+ months & 7+k, I haven't noticed any change whatsoever between the different laggy bands - & to reinforce the impression, even Mr Skoda's "hot rod" version (the Monte Caro) has the 60 BHP clockwork fitted. So, if anyone is actually deliberating between the 2 different engines, the 60 clockwork does everything that the 75 does - & possibly a tad more economically. As some Briskodians have pointed out, you have to go WELL North of 4OOO revs before you would possibly notice any difference, & when doing that, you are exceeding the maximum speed limit with a vengeance. 60 BHP rules OK!

Hi Lady E, Ha ha, & very funny (unless you're actually leaning on the jamb of that particular door), although with regard to your question, am afraid that I'm not too sure, as I haven't been down that actual road yet - although swmbo seems to be unswervingly trying to direct me onto the access road. I'll let you know (assuming that you're into "the mysteries of séances) when the time comes. Keep on truckin', & remember that (according to swmbo) the very best "Spanish appetiser" is undoubtedly Julio Iglesias

Thanks for your, & very helpful, further thoughts, Lady E, it is most appreciated, & I have taken it all onboard. . During a "slack" moment (possibly when Seann & Katya were hoofing it) in last weeks' Strictly Come Dancing, swmbo calmly announced that when I snuffed it, she intended to have me cremated, so whilst I definitely won't turn in my grave, I just may turn in my Urn. But, the bottom line seems to be heed the advice of offski & 33q & "stay alive for as long as I can", content in the knowledge that for every month that I continue to draw breath, the magical 50% of the loan agreement draws ever nearer, & I can go to my eternal rest with my last living thought being "I screwed you too, VW Finance. Hmmmmmmm.............

My heartfelt thanks to all of you (especially Lady Elanore) who have given me the advice, & even to "Offski" (who I hope was speaking "tongue in cheek) when he mainly suggested me staying alive for as long as I could, & if not, being buried in the damn thing??? But having run out of patience, I eventually succumbed to phoning Skoda's Financial Dept (DO NOT phone them, as their piped music is diabolical) & eventually (& I mean "eventually) the helpful, albeit somewhat uninformed girl - she had to put me on hold (more diabolical music) 2-3 times whilst she went off to "consult" some other person(s) who possibly did know the answer. The definitive bottom line seems to be that if, and only if, one has paid off at least 50% of the loan agreement, the car can simply be handed back. If this minimum 50% has not been paid off, then one (or at least their executors, as the PCP holder is gunna be dead) has to make up the necessary shortfall - ie if you had a PCP for £9k, then you had to have paid off £4.5k (your monthly payments DO come off this amount) before being able to return the vehicle. Whatever shortfall there may be between the lessee snuffing it & this 50%, is payable by "someone" before the car can be returned. The good Lord alone knows what happens if the PCP holder dies intestate: didn 't have equity or a surviving spouse? So, & as I suspected, the Stealer simply trotted out a pack of lies in his eagerness not to lose the sale, & simply told me what he suspected that I wanted to hear, but at least I now know where I stand. I'll just have to be swayed by Offski, and try to stay alive as long as I can, as it will be another 15 months before my repayments reach this magical 50% figure!!!

Hi everyone, Possibly a little bit out of left field this one, but if anyone has any information, I really would appreciate having the benefit of your thoughts/experience. I'm now on my 2nd PCP (taken out Feb '18) and as I'm pushing (well, more leaning on) 79 years of age, I'm wondering what would happen if I were to shuffle off this mortal coil. The PCP is in just my name, as my wife is registered disabled, and hasn't driven for some 19+ years, so if I were to snuff it, she wouldn't need the car - in fact wouldn't even be able to drive it. The current amount of the PCP loan is probably now around £7,600 & the GFMV is £3,900 - leaving a discrepancy of some £3,700. The vehicle (cost £11,330 in Feb) is possibly/probably currently worth in excess of the GFMV, and as each month passes, the gap between the balance outstanding & the GFMV decreases. I will indeed "try" to stay alive for as long as I can, but when one reaches my advanced years, I would prefer to have the definitive answer to what would happen if I did fall off my perch. I posed this exact same question to the Stealer at the time of taking out the first PCP, but he simply said that all that my wife would have to do, would be to return the car to them, as on the death of myself, the PCP agreement would be null & void. BUT I don't really believe a word that they say, as my avowed opinion is that they simply say what a customer hopes to hear, rather than the truth and possibly risk losing a sale. So, guys & gals, your input would be most welcome & thanks in anticipation

Now Oct 2018, & have just adjusted the clock in my Feb '18 Elegance in readiness for tomorrow, & I followed my own guidance of Oct '15, & BOY was it easy - even more so as the clock on this Citigo seems to be much more accurate than in the last little Tonka Toy - it hadn't even lost/gained one minute in 8 months: so just the hours to change. ONE word of caution, you have to be fairly quick off the mark to adjust with the RHS button, as the hours don't "flash" for very long at all, & that means that you have to go back to Square One with the LHS button, & get the hours to flash again. On the upside, changing the clock also automatically changes the time shown on the radio. My God bless HMS Skoda, & all who sink in her.

In my case, that was total rhubarb, Eltezz. When I checked into the Stealer regarding changing onto a new PCP (& therefore a brand new car sale for them) the dipstick salesman with whom I was dealing, did not even bother to look at the previous car (I could have rolled up on a pogo stick for all the interest he took - & a bent, battered & buggered one at that) - he didn't even bother to check if I'd left the PID in the car, just asked me, & took my word for it. As far as the trade-in value was concerned, there was no questions of what condition the car was in, or where or even if I'd had the Servicing etc carried out, and as for the trade-in price, he simply offered me the GFV - which I was stoopid enough to accept without challenge - I've learned a little more sense since then, which is why I won't be buying any more cars from that particular bunch of shysters . I genuinely believe that, despite their self-serving claims, "most" Stealer/Dealers are only interested in how many sales they turn over, & everything else is academic. Before they flog the car on to another member of the gullible public (& mine was offered at around £1,000 more than they offered me) they may get "some" form of a Service, & tarted up a little, to make them appear attractive. Whether the engine/clutch/brakes etc has been really abused from day 1, they have no means of telling & care less anyway - providing some "mug" somewhere buys it, that's the limit of their interest.

Well, OndrejMensik, by either good luck or skill (obviously luck) I seem to have managed to do it, so very many thanks, I've fathomed it out somewhat. All is much clearer now, so this is Radio Stalingrad signing off.

Well, thanks for that, OndrejMensik, but I'm sure that I can't carry all of that in my head - it's way too complicated (at least for me), so I'm going to have to make some notes (now there's a laugh) & then "try" to perform the necessary when I'm in the car. When you know what you're doing, it's all very straightforward, but when (like me) you haven't a bugs' clue, then it all seems to be akin to "rocket science". But as my old Granny used to say (before I swapped her toothpaste for a tube of superglue), if you can't manage to get what you want, simply pretend that you never really wanted it. In other words, if you lower your expectations to what you can achieve, then you're never disappointed. But VMT for the help, I'll get there (or perhaps not) one of these days.

Never underestimate yourself, leckman, I personally don't as I have a wife to do that for me (& Jeez, is she good at that - self taught also). I don't think that there's a fault with the radio, as there seems to be several programs already set on it (possibly by the Dealer/Stealer prior to me taking delivery) but they all seem to be ones that I would never listen to, at least not through choice. Pressing the rhs button comes up with a whole dose of stations, & I can select from those without any problem. But if I tried (as I have often done) to transfer some of those programs to the preset buttons, they just don't seem to register, and any old thing comes up. It would be "raither naice" if I could have them on presets, but as I'm only allowed to listen to the radio when I'm in the car on my own (the wife absolutely hates any form of competition to her advice/guidance/suggestions - aka nagging) on these rare occasions, I can put up with having to choose from the already built-in selection. I just had this passing fancy to be able to store some progs on the presets. But many thanks for your attempted suggestions & assistance anyway.

Well, leckman, perhaps I'm not as senile as I thought, as I've just tried your formulae, & it still don't not work. I held the preset button down until my little pinkie started to ache, but no chime: no joy & no results. What I did do, was to get the stations up with the rhs button: choose one, again with the rhs button, and then tried to get it into one of the "presets". Perhaps I need to tune the radio in to whatever frequency the various stations are set on, & then try your trick. Can't face dashing into the pouring rain again, so will try again later, but VMT for your assistance.

Thank you very much leckman, I'll give it a bash, although from memory (which is getting poorer by the day) I've already tried that. Perhaps I just didn't hold down the preset button for long enough???

Going "somewhere else" is what I did, & what I will continue to do. Plus I am not going to return to that particular Stealer, he's totally blown it as far as I'm concerned. Still love the Citigo, but even if it means travelling some 40+-odd miles, I won't be getting my next car from that particular penny-pinching, money-grubbing, speaking-with-forke`d tongue, bunch of disreputable shysters!!! There's got to be some customer-friendly people "somewhere" out there.

I only keep my new cars for between 2-3 years, so changing the brake fluid/discs/drums/pads usw isn't likely to be an issue. And irrespective of what Skoda say "should" be attended to on the 1st Service (or what the Stealers give the impression will be done) I KNOW that on my first Service (confirmed by the Stealer), ONLY the oil & Filter were changed. But there was no need to sic "top up the screenwash (at around £1 a throw) as I always keep mine topped up. Perhaps you patronise a more-reputable Stealer - but my previous one, was anything but. Most of them are scrabbling for major profits with minimum outlay - the poor old customer seems to be always sucking on the rearmost teat.

Hi Wilbour3, Sounds to me as if it's your "Stealer" trying to rob (& rape) you with/without menaces. I'm now on my second Citigo SE-L, in 2-3 years, as I think that they're fantastic little cars, & I too shelled out mega bucks for the 1st service (which was no more than an oil & Filter change - together with perhaps 5 seconds ' worth of work that was unrelated & totally irrelevant rhubarb) & as the 2nd Service was going to be even more expensive (around £150+) I went to a garage that I trust for that service - which was basically also just another dose of new oil & the filter, and it cost me around £70. I've just exchanged my previous SE-L for another one, but this time, the Stealer (sharks to a man, in my opinion) threw in the first 2 Services as part of the deal - so I will use them, although I don't trust them. If you're only doing an annual mileage of around 6-7k (which is also what I tend to do) then having the oil & filter changed each year is all that you're likely to need. Our No. 1 son also had a new Citigo (on my recommendation) which is now coming up to 4 years old, & he has done somewhere in the region of 17+k. He too used the same garage as me at each Service (again just oil & filter) at years' 1,2 & 3, + the MOT at year 3 (which the car sailed through) & he's not needed any work to the brakes , air con or indeed anything else. Using an "independent" is not going to affect your Warranty, as Skoda only stipulate using oil & Filter (& HTF do you check the oil) to their specifications, to validate their Warranty. In any case, if you browse through Briskoda, you will see that some Dealers tend to use various types of oil, and some of the more enlightened & customer-friendly Dealers even chuck a pint of new oil in the boot when handing the car over - and this tends to be of differing brands - albeit very good quality mineral oil. My advice would be to tell the Stealer to take a running poke at a rolling doughnut: go to private garage that you trust: have just the oil & Filter renewed with perhaps a "check-over" (although it's highly unlikely that you'll need anything doing - which you probably know full well, as you're now on your 3rd Citigo, & check out all other Stealers in your vicinity for faint indications that they want to please the customer as much as they want to stick their hands (up to the elbows) in your pockets. There's some info from owners on Briskoda who have Citigo's that have done mega mileage (over 100k) in some cases, & there doesn't seem to be any of the usual horror stories about their reliability. Keep us posted though, please.

I was just "flicking" through this thread out of interest, but I have to agree that, having been in exactly the same situation as g6zru (2 October 2017), I totally support his unequivocal statement. In 2015 I bought a 75 bhp SE-L Greentech, & I had it for 2 1/2 faultless years. When I swapped it for another SE-L in Feb '18 (yeah, I was so impressed with it), I had initially intended to replace like-for-like. In the event (dictated purely by preferring to buy one that was already at the Docks in Germany, rather than hanging on for another 3 months to have one built from scratch), I accepted one of the 60 bhp. Now & after some 7 months/7k miles, I have to admit that (driven as most people do drive them) there simply ain't not, not no difference, & the 75 simply doesn't warrant the extra cost & the slight increased insurance premium. Staying South of 4000 revs (which most average drivers do) to me, there isn't any real advantage in having the 75 over the 60. Mpg is just a "leedle" better with the 60, as the 75 is slightly lower geared than the 60, but (& it ees a beeg & pertinent but) to me, if the 75 bhp was such a potent firecracker of an unit, then surely Mr Skoda (or even Mrs Skoda, or any of the little Skodas) would have fitted this engine to their "supposedly" go like S H One T-off-a-stick machine - the Monte Carlo. In the event, if you want a Monte Carlo, then you have to accept the 60 bhp engine, & that suits the car to a "T". When I change again in '20, it will still be another Citigo but I may (just "may") opt for the turbo-charged unit from the Up - assuming that it's available - which I confidently expect that it will be. The other factor that no-one seems to have yet mentioned is that unless one advises their Insurance Company (& then subsequently watch their premium go into out-of-earth orbit) if you re-map the engine & then have a bump & a claim, one could well learn that they're simply uninsured. Food for thought indeed!

Doubtless a totally stupid question, & a dead easy one for anyone more technical than me to answer, but I really REALLY would appreciate whatever help that anyone in the know can give me on this - but just HOW do I store station on my February 2018 SE-L Citigo with the new Swing radio? I've tried all the usual permutations, but so far, I'm not having any success. Obviously what I've done so many times on so many previous cars (including my 2015 Citigo) doesn't work on this one, but there's got to be some dead-easy explanation. I know that I could pop in to the Stealer/Dealer who flogged me the car, but I simply don't want to see any of them, as I wouldn't trust a word that they said - even to the extent if they told me that today was Thursday I wouldn't believe them (which just shows how well founded my mistrust is, as it's actually Friday). I've managed without being able to program my favourite stations in for some 7 months now, but I would like to know exactly what it is that I'm doing wrong/exactly what it is that I'm not doing right. So thanks in anticipation, guys & gals.

Well, RickW, I too believe that my new set of wheels sounds more quiet than the '15 plater that I had last. It "could be" that dropping down from a 75 BHP to a 60 laggy band has made all the difference - I reckon that the car was originally designed to be fitted with the smaller engine. New car sounds more quite like No.1 sons' 2015 SE (with 60 BHP) than the last car - that sounded quite noticeably more "gruff" & coarse than this one. Deliberated over whether to go down the 75 BHP route again, but unless one goes well north of 4000 revs, I'd swear that there isn't any difference, and so far (with just a couple of relatively-lengthy motorway runs under its' belt) I don't miss, or even realise that there's any difference. Even at 70 mph all one has to do is to twitch the toes on their right foot, & you're up around the 85 mph mark - which is enough to keep up with any traffic flow (& risk getting zapped by a stray mobile cash dispenser or losing your licence in the process). I've had "head down, arse up" drivers belting past me , but I've invariably been sitting behind them again before too long, which prompts one to ask "what's the point?"

So RickW, all's well that ends well (at least "wellish"). Enjoy your new little Tonka Toy - I'm now into 1600 miles of mine, & it's still going like a "good 'un". Mpg isn't anywhere near what I had from the previous one (by some 10-15%) but I'm telling myself that the engine has yet to loosen up, as my type of usage is still the same - I can tell myself anything & actually believe it!. What I have done, was to go totally mad & off piste, & treated myself to a set of new Nokian Weatherproof tyres, to replace the Continental Ecocontact 5's that were fitted by Mr Skoda. I could tell that the Tyre Dealer pocketing my cash thought that I was in need of being certified for binning what he called "buggy good tyres" at only 1600 miles, but I felt happier in mind (although much lighter in wallet) for having changed what were purely "Summer" tyres for ones that would be much reassuring in both the wet & the snow that we get from time to time. It was bucketing down both for all of the day, but I swear that the car felt more assured & "grippy" on the way back from the Tyre Dealer than it did on the way there - although again, it could just have been "me" justifying the fact that I was £360 worse off. However, on the last "Dodgem", I replaced the Continental Mark 111's at 4.5k for Goodyear 4 Seasons, & again (apart from being totally skint) I didn't regret it. There's no pockets in shrouds as my old Granny used to say (before I replaced her toothpaste with a tube of superglue) & if "it" makes you feel safer, then it's dinero well spent. Now all I have to do is to convince SWMBO of this!!!

Thanks for that Jonny118118, & on reflection (so grovelling apologies to our reader) it was all of the more-than-wafer-thin Satnavs that the Cradle couldn't cope with - hence me having to buy a tailor-made mounting. From memory, it was the built-in bulge of the mounting point of the satnav that made the thickness far too large for the Cradle to accommodate. As I do not "do" (literally DO NOT "do") modern technology, & can only cope with the Mobile that I own (the Mark 1 wind-driven version), going down the satnav route was the only available solution for me - either that, or take a concentrated crash course in what every child over the age of 3 years seems to know instinctively.