JohnK

Not as ugly as scratched paintwork.

That actually looks really interesting, and a very affordable option. Thank you!

Something like that, yes. This is the site I found before. The only have the front right door part it seems, and didn't respond to my query. Maybe I'll drop them another line.

Well, one wall doesn't belong to me for a start And then I don't get protection for the door in other places.

You're right in that those aren't what I'm looking for It's specifically door edge protectors. I can find generic ones at Halfords, and there's one site that sells something only for the driver side front door. Surely there must be something out there.

Took delivery of my new Karoq SE L last week. I park on a relatively narrow driveway with walls on either side, and I'd like to get some decent door edge protectors just in case. Can anyone recommend a good supplier of such in the UK? I'm struggling to find anything other than the generic ones Halfords do. Many thanks :)

That does help, thank you Sounds like for a lot of the driving I do, the MPG of my 1.5tsi manual estate would be at least as good as the 1.0 e-TEC.

Yes, thanks. I'm aware the e-TECs are DSG only, that there is no Karoq e-TEC, and that retaining my car for the moment is an option to consider. I'm just interested in getting MPG data and opinions from e-TEC Octavia drivers for these two alternative engine sizes.

I currently drive an SE L 1.5l manual estate, on a PCP deal ending in March. I don't need an estate any more, and I was looking at the Karoq as an option as it drives very nicely and has a great driving position. However, the MPG isn't all that great, and I've been given the option of test driving a 1.0l and 1.5l Octavia hatch soon. What I like about my 1.5l is the economy and comfort. Most of my driving is short to mid-range A road trips, with the occasional longer drive. I easily get 45mpg (measured), and on longer hauls I can easily clear 52mpg. It also has a bit of extra power when needed, for example when joining a dual carriageway or motorway from a slip road. I did find that a 1.0l petrol Karoq didn't really have that power when I test drove one back in 2019. So I'm interested to know whether the 1.0l e-TEC performs better in that regard in real world conditions, or would I be better off with the 1.5l? And what measured MPG figures are people getting from both of these engines? Thanks in advance

But sadly, no longer. Gary has left, and with him seems to be any real interest in retaining customers. My PCP deal comes to an end this May, so they called me a couple of months ago to talk about changing. Since then, I've been singularly unimpressed with their ability to keep scheduled appointments, to call me back when promised, or give me the correct quotes. E.g. I sat in front of a salesman and talked through what I wanted. He found three cars matching the spec on their way over to the UK, and mailed me a quote including all the finance extras, explaining that he was made to do it this way by the management. However, he promised me he'd call back first thing Monday with a revised quote. The mailed quote was for a different spec, and he didn't call. When I finally got them to talk to me again, he said there was only one car, and that had been claimed by the Bury St Edmunds dealership already. Long story short, I'm taking my business elsewhere.

Well, that was interesting. Basically, I'm being offered an SE L 1.5l estate for £18.6k after the deposit contribution, and with a Winter pack and spare wheel. So still more than the lowest Carwow offer, but with free extras. And the offer is good past this weekend, it seems. My instinct says that it's a pretty good deal, but I'm going to think about it.

Excellent points both. Thanks

Back again I've been pretty happy with my decision to stick with my SE+, but then I had a text notification of a Black Friday Cost Price event at the dealership. I've done a bit of homework, but I'm not sure what savings to expect or what other things I should be looking out for. Any advice? As before, I'll be starting from the position that my current car is perfectly fine, so they'll have to have something *really* good if I'm going to change.

I decided against trying the Auris, but I have just driven the Kia Niro. Really nice car and very comfortable, but a bit small for my needs. I'll be recommending it to my parents who are after an automatic with a good driving position. Also, my partner - who has recently learned to drive in a little Fiesta - has come to really like driving my car. She was nervous to begin with, but is now doing tricky solo trips around the area. Seeing as we have a car that suits both of us, why change?

I have to say, having this space to share my thoughts, gather opinions, and make up my mind has really helped. So thanks again everyone I know it's not a Skoda, but I'll share my thoughts here on the Niro later. The only other car I briefly considered was the Toyota Auris estate hybrid, especially as it's on 0% PCP right now, but I don't think it's right for me.

Well, I turned down the test drive in the 1.0l Karoq, and have asked the dealer to call me once they have an Octavia I can test. But to be honest, having thought about it, I don't really see the point in changing. My car has all the features I need and has never given me any trouble. I might extend the warranty in November when it comes to an end, but it depends on what deals are available. Out of curiosity I checked Carwow for Superb 1.4TSi offers, and was amazed to get a £17.3k offer for the SE trim. I am slightly tempted, but to be honest, I don't need it so I'll let it pass. Oh, and I will be test driving the Kia Niro just out of curiosity. I've never driven a hybrid, and besides, my Dad is interested in buying one so I can give him a report. Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated

My experiences today have made me think this is probably the better option. After all, a roofbox and bars aren't that expensive Not too late at all, and something I should have mentioned above. Thanks for bringing it up My old Estate was a 56 plate Ambiente. I could either flip the rear seat cushions forwards or even remove them completely to get a lovely flat loading space. When I bought the hatch and found I couldn't do that, I assumed it was an Estate-only feature. I rummaged around in an estate today to find that this isn't a standard feature any more, as you say.

That sounds incredibly good value. What's the spec and other details of the deal, if you don't mind my asking?

I think there's been a misunderstanding: the entire point is that I won't be pushed into buying anything :) I went in today, and to be honest, I wasn't that impressed. The salesman I was supposed to meet with was busy with other people, so a new chap dealt with me. He was perfectly pleasant and very professional, but stock levels aren't that high and they didn't have a 1.0TSi I could test drive. They are getting a Karoq with that engine in tomorrow for me to test, but I don't think it'll be a good reflection of how the engine is in an Octavia Estate body. Also, they can't get a car with the extra options I have in my current vehicle; at least, not without ordering it. There is a 1.0TSi SE Estate in stock, but it being a new car, I can't test it. So a bit disappointing really. I popped into the Kia dealership next door and had a much more positive experience. I'll be trying a couple of their vehicles later in the week, and I'll see what I think. But the reality is it looks increasingly like I'll stick with my current car and just buy a roofbox for those occasional journeys where I need to fill the car up. Thanks for the replies so far. More advice gratefully received :)

Highly likely. I popped in at lunch a few days ago, and they were talking up a black L&K Estate that I believe was pre-registered. I'm not interested at all, but I don't think they realised that

I haven't test driven anything yet. I'll make sure to ask about the new filters. The reality is that I'm not a fast driver, so I may do well with the 1.0l engine. However, I will definitely take the advice about its limitations into account when I'm test driving the cars. I'm certainly not buying a 1.0l estate without test driving one first.

Morning In 2015 I had some great advice on here about swapping my aging Octavia 1.9TDi estate for a 1.4TSi Hatchback on a 0% finance deal. I made the switch, and haven't regretted it. My SE hatch came with some nice additional features for free (e.g. auto lights and heated seats), and returns a real MPG almost as good and in some cases better than my old car. My sole regret was not getting an estate instead, as a few times a year I have to load the car to the gills and could really have done with flat-folding seats and the extra height at the back. The PCP finishes next May, but the dealership has asked me if I want to change early. I'm due to go in tomorrow for a chat about what deals they can offer. My choices boil down to this: - Changing to an estate. I'm thinking the 1.0 TSi SE manual, as I hear really good things about the engine and I've found some very good deals on Carwow and elsewhere I can use for bargaining. Additionally, I've only put 23k on the clock, which is 7k less than my allowance for three years, so there's a good residual value in the car. - Keeping the 1.4TSi and planning to buy it next May, solving the space issue with roof bars and a box. The final payment is only just over £6k, and I can find that without a problem. Thoughts? I was disappointed to see the SE Technology wasn't available with a £2.5k deposit contribution, but beggars and choosers

This. This is why I got a load of extras and the Plus pack for what was just under a standard OTR price. I only had the choice of two colours, black or silver, but to be honest as long as it wasn't beige or red I didn't really care.

Ah! Now that makes sense Small print licencing issues between companies can drag out for months or even years. As the upgrade pack option is on the Skoda system I reckon either they thought it was okay then had to stop offering it at the last minute pending renegotiations, or they hope to have an agreement signed soon. That said, corporate solicitors are famously slow. My solicitor friend tells me that people who can't deal with deadlines go into corporate law...

I've just bought a new Octavia from Vindis Skoda. I popped over one day, largely out of curiosity. I was considering changing my old Octavia diesel, and wanted to see what the options were. I got chatting with Gary on the forecourt, and over the course of the next few weeks we discussed my options. I made it clear from the start that I didn't need to buy a car; I was simply in a position where I could if they had the right deal for me. I wasn't put under any undue pressure, and all my options were explained clearly. I ended up settling on a nice 1.4TSi with the plus pack and a bundle of other extras, and for what I considered to be a pretty good price. I was given some good advice on how to best arrange the PCP, and once I decided the service plan option wasn't for me, they didn't try to persuade me otherwise. I was also offered a fair trade-in price for my car, considering it required a cam belt change. At the last minute, a friend offered to buy it off me for a little more, and Gary simply adjusted the paperwork accordingly. So, thumbs up from me!