TheITGuy

As I recall, the Tesla was the cheapest of the three, at just over £1000

Whilst perusing an issue of WhatCar today, where a comparison was being made between an Audi Q4 e-tron, a Kia EV6 and a Tesla Model Y, I was struck by how much servicing was estimated to cost over 3 years. The Kia was the most expensive at £1712. Given that there is no oil or air filters, no oil, no spark plugs, I'm struggling to understand why servicing should be so expensive. I accept that there may be new brake pads (although probably not after 3 years / 30,000 miles), pollen filter, maybe brake fluid after 2 years and an inspection of key components, but almost £600 for an annual service? Perhaps those amongst you who already own an electric car can enlighten me 😁 Bemused to say the least! Glen

With my previous Superbs (plus a friend's Touran and another friend's Golf estate), we have all suffered from a metallic rattle coming from the rear of the car. In my case the dealer stripped the door down (to no avail) and refitted it but in the end, I wrapped a little electrical insulation tape round the metal loops on the bodywork that the door latches engage with and instantly, noise was gone. My friends had similar success.

Thanks everyone again for your helpful comments. I'm pleased to hear that shorter drivers are finding non-Sportline seats comfortable as my preference would be an SEL or L&K.

Hi Unclerichy Living in nearby Suffolk I understand what you mean about those Norfolk autobahns (that'll be the A11 and A47 for folks that aren't familiar with the area) So with your non-Sportline seats, do you find that you slide from side to side on the seats (pies not withstanding)? Glen

Previously I've had a MK II Octavia, 2 MKII Superbs and a MK III Octavia and in all of these cars, it wasn't too hard to find a comfortable seating position.

Hi Sasha Grace. that's very encouraging - although I'm somewhat disappointed that your OH has no issues getting comfortable as I was quite liking the extra pies suggestion

Now that sounds like a brilliant solution!

Thank you everyone for your replies. An interesting point that the standard seats lack side bolstering, so may not suit a slim frame! I'll need to see if I can arrange some extended test drives. Have a great weekend everyone Glen

That's useful to know, thank you. My next step is to visit a dealership that has an SEL or L&K and have a sit!

That's one of the reasons why I'm going for a DSG gearbox this time round - with only 2 pedals to fit into the footwell, I can't see any reason for the accelerator pedal being offset to the right. Thanks for your input DB72....

Hello DB72 When you say "Seats felt wide and very slightly offset" do you mean the seat is offset in relation to the steering wheel or the pedals? One of the issues with the A5 with a manual gearbox is the pedals are offset to the right, so the right foot is naturally in line with the brake pedal and the left has to be kept to the right to operate the accelerator. Glen

Hi everyone Elsewhere on Briskoda I posted that I'm finding the seats in my Audi A4 quite uncomfortable and am currently adjusting the (manual) seat in various ways to see if I can improve matters. Assuming I can't, I have the green light from my better half to replace the car with something more comfortable. One of the cars on my list of possible replacements is a Superb SEL or L&K with an automatic gearbox, and leather seats with electric adjustment. I will obviously do some test drives but it would be really useful to get your opinions as to seat comfort. A short test drive of a second hand car at a dealer is unlikely to prove how comfortable the seat will be on long journeys. I'm 5' 6" tall with a reasonably slim frame and wonder how Superb drivers with a similar stature find these types of seats? Thanks! Glen

And I thank you for those thoughts Skomaz The seat has been lowered a fair bit already to try to ensure I'm not bowing my head. I won't be driving the car much over the next few days, but at the weekend I will ask my wife to take another photo with me in the driver's seat and compare with the original one. I'm hoping a few day's rest from driving the car will settle down the various aches and pains so my next reasonably long drive in it will be a good test on whether there has been any improvement.

So I tried the new seating position today with a 100 mile round trip, with a break of about 5 hours between. By the time I arrived home, the very top of my right shoulder and neck was very painful and the right side of my hip was quite tender. The actual driving position didn't feel too weird, even though the seat was much more upright and the seat base more inclined than usual. I won't be needing to drive the car much over the next few days as I'm mostly in the office or driving a rented van, so I'll see if some of the aches and pains settle down before my next long trip! Although replacing the seat is an option, if some of the issue is being caused by the hugely offset pedals, it may not make much difference. Ho hum....

Hi Skomaz In the photo I took the seat was already at its highest position, but as you can see, I'm looking down slightly to see through the windscreen. I have since lowered the seat slightly to try and keep my neck level, I've got a 50 mile drive tomorrow morning, so that will be a good test of the new driving position. Glen

Wow, thank you all for your replies. I downloaded a guide from Physiomed and sat in the car earlier and worked through the various adjustments. I identified the following challenges: I'm a short a*** - I'm 5 feet 6 inches tall so need the seat quite near to the pedals for my legs to reach. I also wanted to raise the manual seat higher that it would go The seat base can be inclined and previously I had wound it down until it was flat. The Physiomed guide advises against inclining the front of the seat, if anything it is preferable to decline it, which is not possible with my seat. I did realise however, that with the seat base flat I my upper legs were not in fact making contact with the seat base at its front edge and that may be the cause of the under leg pain. I have inclined the front of the seat base so that my upper legs are better supported Offset pedals. Being a manual gearbox and with the transmission tunnel being more intrusive into the right footwell then the left, one's right foot is in line with the clutch, not the accelerator. Not much I can do about this one.... I did move the steering wheel nearer, raise the seat back to be less inclined and lowered the seat belt mounting. Here's the result so far: Looking at this photo, I feel the seat does actually need to lower slightly as my head is declined to see through the windscreen - ideally it needs to be level. Generally I can suffer from lower back issues (hence the original concern that the seat had no lumbar support) but was not expecting aches and pains in the upper back, never mind the buttock! Thanks for all your input. Glen

So 2 years on and my findings? Not great..... The first hour's drive in the car the day it was delivered gave me aching upper back muscles. I then spent a long time adjusting the seat position to mitigate this, with only partial success. Like most drivers, the past 12 months has seen a dramatic reduction in mileage. In the past 2 -3 weeks, normal business trips have resumed, with the result that I'm currently suffering a painful right buttock, pain in the tendons that are on the underside of the right upper leg, a painful neck and aching upper back muscles again. I'll have a look at the seating position tomorrow and make some adjustments.... Glen

Also, check the door latches (the metal loops that the door latches onto). On my previous MKII Superbs both had metallic clonking noises easily solved by wrapping a strip of electrical tape around them. I don't have a MKIII Superb, so please accept my apologies if the design of your door latch is different 🙂

Except if you have a 200 mile journey to collect them 😁

I have a set of genuine skoda rubber mats FOC if you are willing to collect from suffolk?

I think you will find that the 1.4tsi engine in the Octavia is not ACT....

I had exactly the same issue with my Octavia with this engine - from new (purchased November 17) it would over-rev especially when reversing off the drive. After an ECU update, this was fixed but the hesitation and the kangarooing in first gear was a lot, lot worse.

@shyVRS245: I made a grand total of £250 from the trade in of the Octavia, as there was still the outstanding PCP finance to settle. The Audi was £16.5K and an Audi Approved Used vehicle. Having driven about 400 miles since getting the Audi on Thursday, what a difference! It's very quiet, copes with poor road surfaces brilliantly and is returning over 50 mpg. Very happy :-) @Oldmansomerset : certainly being the standard Sport model is isn't brimming with toys (most of the owner's handbook doesn't apply to my model) but to be honest a lot of the toys in the Octavia just irritated me! The HBA would turn off high beam when reflected from some traffic signs and it seemed reluctant to drop to dipped beam when following other vehicles; the AEB system activated twice, both times when a vehicle was coming towards me on their side of the road, so there was no "emergency"; the traffic system would generally only alert me to a serious delay AFTER I had been sat stationery in said delay for at least 20 minutes and one time it took me off the M6 toll road, sent me parallel to the toll road for a few miles, before making me re-join - for no apparent reason and incurring extra toll charges. I'm happy to forsake some equipment for a car that is solidly built and feels "engineered".

After 16 months with my Octavia III 1.5TSI SEL, I have replaced it with a second-hand Audi A4. Whilst being a long term Skoda fan (2 Estelles, 1 Favorit, 2 Octavias and 2 Superbs), this most recent Skoda purchase has been a disappointment. My previous Skoda was a MKII Superb Estate and perhaps I was expecting too much with the Octavia - it was surely just going to be a smaller, better handling version of a Superb? er, no. The build quality has been very disappointing, with the slightest bump in the road setting off a cacophony of interior rattles creaks and taps, a constant tap from the driver's door, rattles from the sunroof, etc. Then, there is the ride - crashy and sometimes darn uncomfortable! Road noise isn't brilliant (although this may be partly down to the Bridgestone Turanzas still on the rear). Then there is the well documented kangarooing in first gear and hesitation when using a light throttle. Don't misunderstand me, it had its good points - styling, the interior design, equipment and fuel economy have all been spot on. But I found myself on long journeys having to mentally try and list the good points to offset the bad. In most of my previous cars I have actively looked forward to the journey, knowing I would enjoy the drive. Not so in the Octavia. I do feel that engineering design and build quality is a step down from the MKII Octavia, even down to the way the doors shut. So, Octavia traded in for a 66 plate 1.4 petrol A4 sport saloon which is quiet, comfortable, rattle free and is beautifully built. My interest in the Skoda brand will continue and perhaps I will return to the marque at some point in the future. If anyone would like a set of rubber floor mats FOC and are able to pick them up from me (Suffolk), just send me a PM. The IT Guy