CS45

I’m sorry but I really don’t see that as what the others were saying. From my point of view, you gave me some advice that I took on board, then the others gave me a second opinion, which I also took on board. It really didn’t seem to be intended as a personal attack or intended to undermine your knowledge, Wino was just asking for the part number because he wanted to do some further research on what you said.

That blanket ban seems full of issues to me, I wonder if the Mercedes plug in hybrid diesel was included? I tend to think in general blanket rules don’t tend to be that effective, but hey, I’m not a town mayor.

Thanks, I’ll give it a go. I have some money saved for maintenance on it anyway so I should hopefully be able to keep it happy for a couple of extra years.

Thanks again, When it’s in for the MOT at a local garage that I trust, I may ask if they do EGR cleaning and get a quote. Alternatively my local TerraClean place also happens to be a VAG specialist.

Thanks for your advice, do you know how to keep the EGR clean?

That’s the decision I need to make I suppose, I’ve been saving for an newer car (preferable petrol), but I’m struggling to come to terms with letting my current one go If I kept my current one I’d have to use that money to fix a couple of things and keep some aside for a new EGR, whereas if I used the money to pay a deposit on a newer car, I would probably get a 2013ish Hyundai i30 with the simple and unturbocharged 1.4 petrol. Decisions decisions!

Thanks for your advice, Ive found a fairly cheap DPF flush service at my local Halfords so that sorts that, but as you say the EGR remains the issue. Do you have any ideas on how to preserve it? Or is it just a poorly designed/located component that just wears out? I’m on 79000 miles now.

I’m looking into a company called TerraClean right now, I may do that as a preventative action. Thanks for your advice!

I was under the impression that in parts and labour replacing the DPF can be over £1000, is it really as low a couple of hundred quid? If so then I would certainly consider just keeping it. In terms of changing cars, I would be looking at used cars around the 2013/14 year with less than 60000. I like the look of the Hyundai i30 which comes in around £6000, so not too much loss in depreciation by that point, but you are right, cheaper to keep my current one if the DPF fixes are as cheap as you say.

Hello, I’ve owned my 2010 Fabia estate GL2 for almost 2 years now, and I’ve loved it. I would happily keep it for a few more years. However, while me and it used to have a 40 minute motorway commute everyday, nowadays I’m only doing shorter journeys, such as 10 minutes on a mix of country roads and town driving to the supermarket and back, and an occasional 15-20minute trip on the A6 to university. I am well aware (paranoid, in fact) of the DPF and EGR issues these small TDI’s can have, and in the past 2 weeks I have noticed it regenerating twice. I’ve tried to always let it finish, but of course this is not always possible. The MOT and insurance are due in February, and although I like the idea of sprucing up my current car and keeping it, I’m just not sure it’s going to withstand these short journeys for much longer. I just can’t bear the thought of selling it, as it is my first car and it’s always been so faithful, but at the same time I don’t fancy the huge repair bills to the EGR and DPF. Any advice? Do you think it would stand up to this usage? Or am I best saying goodbye to my beloved Fabia and getting a petrol car? Thanks

Thanks for the reply, if you don’t mind me asking, roughly how much was the chain tensioner fix?

Thanks for your replies, that has reassured me to some extent. I was a bit put off by the number of posts on this forum about how poor the rapid is, but by the sounds of it as long as I go for a 2014 or newer I should be golden. Considering how much the Rapid will save me on insurance compared to my next choice, the Avensis, it might be the right choice for me. Thanks again

Thats good to hear. Does the build quality (In terms of rattles and squeaks etc) hold up to the test of time in your experience?

Really I’m surprised by that, thanks for making me aware. I’ll look into it. I would love an Avensis, the insurance is a bit more for me though. More digging for me to do by the looks of it.

Thanks very much for the insight, I’ve been gradually getting more and more out off the rapid the more I look at the forum, so this is reassuring. I’m starting to wonder whether I should let go of brand loyalty and instead get an Auris, as it seems the Rapid is hit and miss with a split of happy owners and unhappy ones. Thanks again

Thanks for your reply, my usage is fairly mixed nowadays, but I always try and give it a good run out and always try and make sure it finishes regenerating. My 1.2 TDI CR has had no issues with this usage, is the 1.6 worse? Either way, I am liking the idea of a 1.2TSI more and more so I think I will most likely go for one of those, seems to be less to worry about. What has your experience been with the rest of the Rapid, aside from the engine? Thanks

Thats good to know, thanks for your info

Thank you for your info, I will need to take one on a test drive to see what I think. I’m planning on getting a late 2013 or newer model anyway, but I’ll be sure to test it first. I think you’re right, the damage was already done by the time Skoda updated it. Thanks again

Yes I’ve heard it said before that the 86ps feels more torquey, unsure why that is but coming from a diesel that would be nice. I was amazed to hear the about the presence of early 2000’s Golf in the Rapid’s underpinnings, it makes me wonder if there is any original beetle in there.

As an example, I’ll look at the Irish Market, where cars that are perceived as ‘boring’ but reliable such as the Toyota Camry receive glowing reviews, whereas in the UK, reviewers generally perceive it as slightly too ‘average’. Maybe ‘backward’ was a bit strong, but I certainly don’t understand why the British market doesn’t really appreciate these sorts of cars anymore. Another example is that the Rapid is continuing to be produced for the Russian market, whereas it really wasn’t ever that popular here. I think that the UK market is gradually becoming much less conservative, which may explain why the trend is to favour cars like the A-Class and the 1-Series over a larger, but equivalently priced mainstream car. Having said that, in retrospect it may well be me that is the strange one, as after all I chose a Skoda Estate as my first car rather than the popular and more stylish options like the Corsa and Fiesta! I got plenty of ridicule about that until people started asking for lifts🤣

Part of what appeals to me is that depreciation has not been kind to them here in the uk. I guess it’s just because they weren’t really designed for the UK market and the strange, backward priorities people seem to want here. What that means is that for a used buyer like me, I can now get a fairly new, low mileage, big, solidly built and cheap to run car for ridiculously cheap. I’m amazed by the running costs as you mention. The Rapid 105 Elegance is substantially cheaper to insure than my current Fabia, despite it being larger, more expensive and more powerful. Why these weren’t more popular is beyond me.

Thanks for your advice, I always make sure my car gets a service so that should be fine. I usually service at a local garage that uses OEM Vag parts because I’ve always found the Škoda dealer awkward to deal with and overpriced for what they do, but I’ve noted down those oil specifications. Thanks again

Thanks for your reply. I think the idea of expensive chain maintenance came from reading horror stories of earlier engines that would stretch chains regularly. I’ll also look into finding out whether the TDI’s I’m looking at had the fix or not. Out of interest, do you know if there’s much of a difference between the TSI 86 and 105 models in terms of reliability?

That’s great to hear, thanks for your reply. That’s made me feel much better.

Hello, I’m planning to replace my trusty but now aging MK2 Fabia Combi 1.2 TDICR. I would quite like another Skoda because of how happy I have been with my current one and because of the value. I’ve been looking at Skoda Rapids, and they seem to tick nearly all of my boxes, except for one thing : engine reliability. Although the owners ratings of this car are strong according to Auto Trader, every time I try and research the engines, I come across some frightening ‘common’ or ‘known’ issues with them, namely the timing chain problems on the 1.2 TSI, and the Injector, EGR and DPF problems on the 1.6 TDICR. This is really putting me off as I feel as though no matter what version I buy I’ll be playing with fire. I understand that the newer 1.2 TSI’s after 2015 are belt driven rather than chains, but these are usually out of budget save for a few lucky finds. I am a little more confident about the 1.6 TDI than the TSI as I currently own a 1.2 TDI, which is pretty much the same engine minus a cylinder, and I’ve had nothing to complain about (although I shouldn’t jinx it) other than rattling fuel lines. It seems to cope with my use case just fine, which nowadays tends to be relatively short journeys, but enough for it to warm up, on fast country and A roads. I always let it finish regenerating. Should the 1.6 TDI be much the same in terms of reliability? Or is the injector problem more of an issue? Is it a given that the 1.2 TSI will have issues with the chain? Will it require expensive regular chain maintenance? Or is it the case that I’ve just spent too long looking at potential issues with these engines and it’s given me a way worse view of reliability than is actually the case? Thank you and sorry for the long post.