SouthernComfort

Mine came from the factory with Goodyear Eagle F1's on 18". Happy with the ride, quiet enough on most surfaces and pretty much silent on new smooth asphalt. Instinctively I'd be drawn to Pirelli or Continental from past experience, but I'd also be happy sticking with the Eagles on this car. I honestly wouldn't want bigger than 18" rims, lower profiles on larger rims will always be harsher and noisier to live with.

My experience is quite different, albeit with the 2023 model. Heats up (and cools down) very quickly to my set temps, stays on auto year round. As your coolant temp is being achieved without any problem maybe the earlier clima system could be updated??

Mine have stayed dry, so far. Yours should be fixed under warranty really, also if a headlight is holding water/condensation inside the lens it would be a RWC fail. Not certain if same applies to fog lights, but it might. Anyhow, it might bolster your case if there's an argument!

A record of your purchase will exist, all purchase and servicing/warranty repair records are held electronically. Even if the dealer is no longer a Skoda franchise and therefore not interested in buying/trading your car, you still have a warranty that must be honoured and any Skoda dealer will be able to access your details.

No, that definitely isn't normal. I have the same engine and no such noise. I agree with @Ootohere, you'd have to be deaf to miss hearing it. I'd contact the dealer service manager direct and make an appointment to see them. If they try fobbing you off, go to Skoda AU, you have a legitimate concern here.

Yes, you could try we buy any car, or cash for cars, they're in all the state capitals. They are quick but desperate options, but options nevertheless. If the car wasn't a lemon to begin with, it's clearly become one after so much, shall we say, 'interference'. Given your relatively remote region, personally I'd stay away from Euro vehicles in favour of brands that are likely to have better localised servicing, support, parts availability etc. You'll know which they are. Why not try offering the car back the dealer you bought it from?

This may not be of any help, but I have a generic set of bars and the first thing I noticed is that the roof rails on Octavia Mk4 are closer together at the rear of the roof than at the front, by quite a few mm. I can get both to fit the different widths since there is enough adjustment in the slots, I don't know how the scope of that adjustment compares with the Thule brand though, same may apply to the mounts.

We don't have that engine option here, but it sounds a lot for a 1.0L. From what I've been able to find on this engine, Skoda is claiming 54.3mpg (5.2 L/100km). Manufacturers claimed figures are sometimes difficult to replicate in real life, nevertheless that's a fair gap. I suspect you'll get a more accurate picture from other 1.0 e-tec owners.

I agree that the best part of 40k pounds isn't a cheap car, certainly not by my perception. As an aside, it's always fascinated me how much more expensive Skoda's are in the UK (specifically Octavia) campared withour local pricing. But I digress.... Unfortunately, I can't rationalise why one make/model would attract more stone chips than any other similarly styled vehicle driven under the same conditions. Whilst I'm just stating my experience, your experiences with stone chipping on different vehicles is what it is, and is not something to be argued, I just can't figure why it would happen.

I'm rather mystified by some of the comments here. FWIW, I have no issues with paint chipping or the build quality of this car in general, in fact I think these things are as well screwed together as most others I've had. The standard of fit and finish is at least equal to that of my previous Golf, which was excellent. To date I've covered only 7,000km in the Octavia, including some long country runs in the company of many large trucks. To answer the OP's question I went over my bonnet area with a fine tooth comb this morning and found absolutely no sign of paint chips - maybe I've just been lucky, who knows? As time and distance goes on it's inevitable the odd chip or three will occur, as on every car I've ever owned. It helps that we don't have the curse of salted roads in this part of the world, which together with dwelling a little away from the coast means the likelihood of rust appearing anywhere on the car is virtually non-existent.

I've always assumed it to be normal as mine has done this from new. The LED flashes when the key is in close proximity to the car, it will stop flashing as you move further away.

Not sure about the action @TheWandererhas tried but the kick action sure doesn't work for me, whereas the old school fob method is perfect every time

I'd say it has everything to do with it when the VP doesn't work!

My Virtual Pedal is 'active', but the thing has worked successfully maybe twice in the entire 16 months I've had the car (from new). I gave up with it due to looking like a fool kicking away under the car to no avail. It's annoyingly temperamental in my experience, a bit like the Voice Control.

Sadly the DSG and I never got on in the past, however I don't recall any particular antics when reversing. As for the towbar, we have the same options as you describe i.e. either the ridiculously expensive OEM fitted by the dealer, or an aftermarket job which declined as I'm concerned about a less than perfect integration with the electronics. I only wanted one to mount a bike carrier and the Euro style bar isn't suitable for that anyway, so I'll live without it. If your car is a '22 build (if late '22, it will be MY23) it's the same vintage as mine, as is your software. Mine was current at the time I bought the car and I have no issues with it, although I will talk to the dealer about an update at next service. Personally I wouldn't attempt a DIY update, that sort of thing sits just outside my comfort zone I'm afraid.

It has me bemused too. So many things happening to this Skoda from theft to malfunctions and near miss lightening strikes, new details keep coming to light. I also fail to understand how Skoda could quote $10k for repairs whilst the insurer's preferred repairer charges $22k and seemingly gets away with it? Many would know (but I can also tell you first hand), that major insurers have repairers under eye-watering price controls whereas dealers are the pricing mavericks, something doesn't quite compute.

The AliExpress listing states suitable for Left Hand Drive only.

When I'm fully loaded I honestly sense no difference in performance to when it's just me in the car. The car is comfortable doing whatever I ask of it. However, fully loaded for me is usually 2 adults plus dog and load area full of holiday gear. My out of town driving terrain is as variable as yours, as you've described it. My 8sp performs much happier than the 7sp DSG did in hilly areas, and I live in an extremely hilly region, as I said previously I find it a more 'settled' gearbox. If you want the ultimate answer I guess you'd have to do another test drive, but with 5 adults on board. To acknowledge a couple of points that @Gerrycan made: The lower ground clearance is something to consider depending on the grade of country roads you travel on, and I too wonder if the Octavia is the best size for 5 pax, dog and all the gear you will be carrying. I regard it as a small/medium car, but not big. There are still larger wagons available if like me you don't want to go down the SUV route.

Interesting, seems several things regarding the option packs have either changed in the last 12 months, or it may be just that the specs are different in NZ models. In AU in '23, you could option the Style with tech and lux packs, or a combination of both which gave you the 'burger with the lot'. Pan roof was an option on its own, as it still is.

They're very good points. I stand corrected on the rims, I mistakenly thought 19's were standard on vRS. Probably a plus that they're not. With all the other options you've mentioned (HUD, heated F&R seats, adaptive chassis/suspension, pan sunroof), all those are among the A$9300 worth of options on my Style. If those options need to be added to the standard vRS, then the price gap is widened even further. The AU drive-away price comparisons I mentioned above were based on the Style being fully optioned, against the standard vRS which is why I said that my Style had features not on the vRS. @HenryNZ, it could be worth doing the comparison in your territory on the basis of both models being fully optioned and having a close look at what you get in the option packs, they're pretty extensive.

A couple of thoughts spring to mind. Pro's and con's will always have you torn, the heart vs. the head is a tricky conundrum. All I can say is, as far as power goes (mid range overtaking power particularly), don't underestimate the Style's 1.4 turbo, it has seriously surprised me (in both the Octavia and previous Golf) on the occasions I've needed it most, stick your foot down and it shifts even in D, I rarely use Sport. The RS may launch you into space, but the 1.4 (1.9 secs longer 0-100kph) will keep you as safe as you need to be on earth. 19in wheels are standard on the RS, but 18in is regarded by many as the sweet spot. The lower profile tyres on the 19's will give you a harsher ride on anything other than super smooth highways. So your typical driving environment will be relevant. NZ pricing must must different to ours in AU. When I bought my Style in Jan '23 with all it's factory options, including many of the things you've listed for the RS, it was offered at A$53k. The RS with all its gear (but still without some of my options) was offered at A$64k. I did some negotiating and ended up paying A$49k drive away i.e. A$15k less than the RS. Made the decision easy for me, but I can see your point if you've narrowed that difference and feel it's worth the outlay. Best wishes with whatever decision you make, have fun and keep us posted!

....a couple of points I should add: I didn't take the service plan and I've never done so in the past. The individual dealer services cost slightly more than they would on the plan and are also subject to increase year on year, but I'm not one to lock myself into fixed plans. I have a good independent VW/Audi/Skoda mechanic who I may turn to even before the 7yrs warranty is up, so I'm reserving that option. My consumption is around 5L/100km on long highway runs, 6-7 urban on 98RON

Welcome to the forum. Not NZ, but close enough! You get the same models in NZ as we have here in AU. I have a fully optioned Style (1.4L with Aisin 8sp) and I have to say it's a fabulous car. The motor is very punchy, the pickup on overtaking is amazing. I came from a 1.4L 7sp DSG Golf so I was used to (the same) engine, plenty powerful enough everywhere you want to go. The 8sp is a great cruiser on long distances. Personally I wouldn't go back to a DSG, I find the Aisin box is smoother, especially at low speeds and it seems to know it's own mind (so to speak) whereas I felt the DSG was twitchy in deciding which gear it needed to be in. Even though I have every factory option (tech & lux packs, pan sunroof etc etc.) the equivalent vRS would have cost me $15k more at the time of purchase. For me, the Style was a no-brainer. I can't comment on your dealer situation in NZ however I've had no issues here, although only the first service completed so far.

Well if you're already armed with that info, good luck with the claim.

Ok, now we know it was an error by a factory operative? Details certainly matter.