Hawk89

Hello, first time back on this forum in a few years as we are looking to potentially jump into a new or nearly new Superb or Octavia estate over the next few months. Long story short, we ordered a VRS TSI estate back in 2021 during a major backlogs and ultimately cancelled the order after close to a year of not even having a build date when the factory that supplied the door panels caught fire in favour of a Lexus ES. We're now looking to jump out of the ES due to the increasing difficulties with insurance (high theft rate of Lexus in the UK), the finance coming to a close and a 6 week old baby taking up our entire boot. We're going to look at a couple of curve balls on the side for some compare and contract, but we're pretty much settled on a Skoda head to head (Corolla Tourer 2.0 Hybrid / Pug 308SW / Hyundai i30 Tourer). Couple of questions about the 2.0TDI and 1.5TSI 150 engines. Am I right in thinking the TDI will have the wet clutch DSG box and the TSI will have the dry clutch? (Googles AI suggests this but, I know it can be very hit or miss). On the TDI, is it still the case to expect to use up to 1ltr of oil for roughly every 1000miles? (I remember this being a thing when we last looked). Is it typically alot better in the real world? I'm also assuming the Ad Blue should make it most of the way between service intervals if not all the way before needing a top up?

We bought the Lexus Glasgow demo and the deal worked out £3 more a month than what we would be paying if we waited for the VRS with the same deposit. We were 6 months in but with long trips into Ireland and Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria planned this year we felt we couldn't wait much longer. The Astra was a great motor but it was out of warranty and never a distance cruiser. Appreciate we were very lucky to be in the right place at the right time as the ES had only just been made available for sale. There have been a couple of VRS stock motors appearing down south, but they didn't have the options we wanted (think we saw them on the Listers website).

I'm glad we jumped when we did as we were clearly not going to see the VRS this year. In fairness to our dealer they have been honest throughout, but I suppose it is an easy situation for them to be honest as the blame lies with Skoda. The Lexus dealer we've used were also open and honest about the delays the moment we started talking about the car we wanted. It is maybe a dealer culture thing as my experience seems to have been a bit different to others on here being fed random dates. We were simply told "there is no update" on a monthly basis, the dealer was also proactive rather than needing to be chased.

Shame to read about that, people just don't realise how deep and difficult the lochs can be. Loch Doon in particular can catch alot of people out.

I drove a MY22 ES300h in F-Sport guise today, wasn't really sure what to expect but the tech has certainly came along a fair bit between the third and fourth gen. Which I think will be the same running gear underneath including the coasting facility? You are still aware of the revs rising whilst the car catches up but, it is certainly well suppressed. I ran a mixed route of around 15 miles with a decent stint on the M74 jumping between motorway speeds to get a feel of how well it picks up, followed by a run through the east end of Glasgow back to the dealer. Was impressed to get back sitting on 49.8 mpg without trying and with some pretty harsh use of the throttle. One thing I noticed was it held onto the EV running far more willingly than the third gen tech I had previously tried. I actually ended up cancelling my VRS order this evening and buying the demo as it will certainly save us a whack in petrol given about 80% of our driving will be around town now.

Wonder if this has any correlation to the recall across the group on plug ins. VW Group recall 100,000 cars

Just cancelled my order and gone for a complete change of direction. Good luck to those who have orders in, I hope the situation gets better for you soon. Seems to be a perfect storm in the industry at present and stock motors are like finding hens teeth. Had a long discussion with my wife over the weekend about not having a clue when it would even potentially be built. We've got a large service to pay in August on the Astra and her car will need serviced and taxed in the next couple of months. So we've bitten the bullet and bought an 4 month old ex demo Lexus ES300h F Sport. Not a missile like the VRS would have been but should be frugal in town where it will spend most its life. Absolutely gutted to not have one last fast motor but, it is what it is.

Would be nice of them to be honest even if the news isn't great. I.e. Yes your car is slotted for production, apologies our estimate is currently X month in 2023. People only have so much patience of how long they'll wait without a target. Even if they used pessimistic estimates to under promise, people would be delighted to get their cars a bit quicker. Yes there are issues out of their control but they can manage expectations and further tailor dates to with a "Sorry, here's the issue causing additional delays".

Agree with SurreyJohn on this, would be daft to just hand the car back in the current climate. In years gone by when things were "normal" it may have been the best option, for example people with diesel VWs following the diesel emission scandal breaking were stung over badly with cars losing a massive chunk of residual value overnight. The only time a handback makes sense is if your car is upside down which I would genuinely be astonished if it was at present. With a PCP you have the following options at the end of term. Hand the car back to the finance company - at present with residual values through the roof this is probably the worst option, you would also potentially be charged for any damage outside of fair wear and tear. Use the car as a trade in - whatever the dealer offers you is balanced off against whatever the car owes, this is the typical PCP route and can be done at any dealership regardless of where you bought the car. Pay the balloon payment to keep the car, you can normally do this as a lump sum or essentially refinance and continue to pay what you have been until your new car is ready. Most dealers should be able to assist with this option, especially as they are more than aware of the issues with delays. During the term of the PCP there is also what is known as the halves rule. These are based on the total value of the finance rather than amount payable. Once you reach half the value you can hand the car back at anytime without penalty (unless the car has damage or isn't properly maintained). But again I would personal advise against a handback in the current climate. It is well within your dealers interest to ensure you still have transport and something to trade in when the new car arrives as they are also struggling for used stock.

Monthly update from our dealer yesterday, still no information or build date. He used the wording "heavy delays on new cars" which I'm maybe reading too much into but, sound like they are suffering across the board. Actually really feel for the guys as their commission is based on needing to sell x number of used, x number of new, x number of products etc. It is then scaled up depending on what they hit, but they need to hit all of them to move up the bands, with no new cars coming through it must be pretty stressful.

Most the experiences on here are either people having ordered last year with no communication since or multiple delivery dates being pushed back. There has only been a couple of very lucky posters so far with relatively quick deliveries.

Out of interest what brakes does it apply, front or rear? Reason I'm asking is because I had a Mk2 Clubman which ran through rear pads much quicker than the front as the ACC only applied the rear brakes for most adjustments or controlling speed coming down hills. Brake lights should come on for anything that slows a vehicle down other than taking your foot off the throttle to engine braking. I.e Braking, regen mode or a retarder in an HGV.

The car park at ballast bank (head down past Scotts towards the Wee Hurrie and turn left just at the gates to the harbour) is a nice place to park up as well, easy to walk round for a chippy and sit up on the grass bank. (Mind the seagulls!) When heading South we used to always cut down through Sanqhuar onto the Leadhills / Mennock road which comes out at the 74, think it is junction 14 if memory serves. Always a fantastic drive avoiding the sheep and pheasants. Nice wee place to sit out next to the burn / camp overnight as well. Last time I was through there it was full of motorhomes sadly. Ayrshire is just blessed with great backroads, we probably shouldn't be advertising them or others will come clog them up 😅

Am I correct in thinking the wiring harness issue with the Ukrainian supplier is an ENYAQ problem rather than any other model? Found an article this morning saying the supplier had managed to resume production a couple of days ago, but Skoda are also trying to bring a second supplier onboard which should be up and running within 3 to 4 weeks.

Have spent alot of time on the roads down that way (grew up in Troon), the drive can be equally spectacular on a clear night as you get into the dark skies zone in the Galloway forest park. Really is a hidden gem as most tourists stay on the M74 and head straight for the A9 or over to Edinburgh. A few months before the original lockdown we had an overnight booked down by Gatehouse of Fleet, we decided to go the more direct rather than scenic route (via Stranraer) which meant turning off the A77 just after Minishant, after a few miles of twisty backroads eventually we ended up on the dusty forest tracks which are like being on your own rally stage. Just beware of the lorries coming the other way in the narrower parts. Purely from a driving point of view they are an absolute hoot.

With the panel factory back up and running earlier than expected we will hopefully start hearing some good news soon. The salesman originally put in a random date in April which is 2 weeks away on Friday, even back in October he was highly skeptical that we would see it by the 8th but needed something for their system. The only benefit of the wait is that hopefully by the time it eventually comes to re-propose my finance the used values will still by high, my wives car has gone from owing 2k to being 1500 in credit whereas mine continues to roughly standstill value wise with the settlement dropping monthly.

Have been reading a few posts on a Mk4 Facebook page with people saying since the update around a fortnight ago their issues seem to have been resolved with the ACC and popping SOS system. Fingers crossed they are mostly there now with the software.

Looks like across the board VAG are keeping delivery times locked up tighter than a state secret, no mention of the Octavia under Skoda. Have also noticed in the past few days whilst having a look around that leasing companies are claiming delivery in Jan 2023 for the VRS TSI and March 2023 for the TDI. Auto Express - 11th March

I am looking forwards to getting the facelift model as well 😆

I would check with your local Ford dealer. I was told last week when I asked the question about lead times on the ST that the Focus and Fiesta are currently unavailable for order.

Fwiw it sounds like things are getting worse across the board again. I was in with my dad picking up his Kuga yesterday, asked the dealer principal about Focus ST lead times. Factory has told the dealers there is a pause on all new Fiesta and Focus orders for atleast the next month. Which is huge given they are two of the biggest sellers in the UK. He was asking how I was getting on with the VRS order and said he'd heard from a number of customers and colleagues about issues with basically all the manufacturers becoming worse since Christmas. Volvo seemingly being the worst for promising the world and messing people around. Sadly as customers we just need to ride it out as the issue is out of our and the dealer networks control, on this experience I will be looking to place an order to change in year 2 when it finally arrives. Very much going to be a long term issue. The odd cathartic scream or late night B Road blast does help with the blood pressure.

To be fair the Land Cruiser is a very low volume seller, for the European market in total you are talking about 300-500 units a month. I would be far more worried if that was for the Yaris or Corolla.

Vauxhall are currently quoting 15 weeks on an Astra, which feels roughly pre-pandemic as well. I think it tended to be 12 weeks for most of their factory models that weren't stacked high stock motors. I had a bit of a grump at Skoda UK, basically laid out the fact it was ridiculous to be 4 months in and still not have a sniff of a production date with others on here quoting substantially longer waits. Not that it is much use as they just responded with the stock "supply chain disruption" lines. But, it felt therapeutic atleast.

As I'm still in the queue I don't know what the Octavia uses but my assumption is front assist is camera based? Similar to what Toyota / Vauxhall use. If it is, it isn't uncommon in poor weather for these systems to throw up a message saving they are unavailable. Happens alot in my Astra when driving through that sort of foggy rain that just hangs in the air. It simply can't handle it. The Toyota's I have had in the past also had similar issues. So rather than a software issue it is more of a tech limitation.

There were a few who had said Jan / Feb iirc? Usual update of no update. Dealer are aware of the door factory fire but doesn't sound like Skoda told them that......