skodakid

Hey Bassa! You said it was green! I reckon I've had my grubby paws over your motor, (does your number plate have a BB in it?) Very nice....and good luck with the DSG.

Forgive me if I bore you with this essay..... I usually keep my cars for 10-12 years handing them down to kids and end up doing my own servicing after the warranty expires. After the demise of the dreadful Corsa D 1.3Ctdi :orb_mad: I really wanted a 1.4TSi DSG Octavia and after 6 weeks of pontificating, research and looking at countless new Octavias none of which was quite the right model or trim,I finally made up my mind! In the end I ditched the idea of DSG because: There are just too many horror stories floating around about Mechatronic failures on all DSGs. At £1000 - £1500+ just for the part its not even a DIY repair option. And having looked at photos of mechatronic guts, it brought back memories of solenoid operated hydraulics I once was involved in developing - the slightest bit of dirt/contamination and it just stops working right......According to one poster who works in a service department they change 3 -4 mechatronic units a month. There is a regular servicing requirement on all DSG boxes including the 7 speed box (unlike the salesman claimed) - apparently every 40,000 miles/4years an oil and filter change is required. This makes sense as the failure prone Mechatronic unit runs on hydraulic oil (and there is an oil pump of some description on the box which has to run to work the box, possibly engine driven, possibly electric). "Around £200.....", my local Skoda service manager quips. Then there is the clutch pack....having looked at 7 speed DSG drawings its obvious the dry clutch pack is designed to be changed relatively easily - which is an improvement on the old 6 speed wet box. But the horror stories continue. "Clutch life around 60,000 miles"......££££ to change the clutch pack. And what happens when the primary dry clutch develops some judder? The software is supposed to adapt.....how????? Kangaroo, lurching and mysterious gear changing seem to be synonmous with "DSG failure" Then there is the insurmountable problem of is he going to change up or down? Apparentley, if you do something against the DSG plan of action, its throw a bit of a wobbly time. Hill hold, necessary evil but do I want electronic complication? ESP as standard....I bet theres a good reason for that, why give it away for nothing when the manual version costs? Finally I had a long hard think about how I drive (an Alhambra with incredibly laid back 1.9tdi engine) :orb_duh:......thinks...... things I often do COAST, especially at slow speed in car parks and in traffic queues. I bet you cant do that with a DSG. BLOCK CHANGE up and down.... DSG?..... forget it. No, the risk of not getting to 10 years without a OH NO!....HOW MUCH???? moment is far too great. and......look at the VCA website and check out the REAL CERTIFIED CO2 figures for the 1.4Tsi Octavia manual and DSG models. (148 and 147g/km) not the Skoda brochure figures..... So I walk into the Skoda dealer, the one that last week said "at least £1000 off" for an Octavia, armed with Drivethedeal.com prices and knowledge of the "extended scrappage allowance (around £2600 with an enhanced Skoda contribution) - after all Skoda cares more about sales than scrap dont they? One Metallic Skoda Octavia 1.4Tsi Elegance Manual gearbox with a full list of options please....and make it snappy. What? They've done away with the spare wheel? How much is a full size alloy spare? £120.......Ok go on What? 1.4Tsi now on 15 -20 week lead times....WHAT?...........Ok Best price.....(much rustling of paper and visits to the manager) WHAT?????????? £500 off list....but last week you said £1000+ and drivethedeal is £1800 off..... Sorry no can do....but we will price protect it for you........and the 3 year free servicing may not apply if its not delivered on time......i.e. after end of June. (whats that about?) AT THIS POINT I STOP TRYING TO FLOG A DEAD HORSE AND POLITELY SAY, Sorry, we wasted each others time, its obvious there no way we can do business and leave....very annoyed. Very annoyed because my insurance (2nd car) is suspended until I get a new car and is bonus protected until it expires in about 12 weeks time. And I am at the limit for claims and have 2 kids on the policy. If it expires, bang goes my protected no claims (70%) I bet. Do all dealers suck?

I noticed straight away when the MkII was launched that it had been engineered to be cheaper to build. Things that put me off were The large plastic protective covers under the car main chassis had all been done away with. The 1.2 litre engine lost its engine cover (that disappeared at the end of the Mk1) No door rubbing strips as starndard (what!!!)

That is exactly how its done along with speed/distance information. Injectors, fuel pressure regulators are subject to manufacturing tolerances. More significantly errors in measuring speed/distance due to tyre rolling radius and tyre creep/slip (nb all tyres do this all the time it causes most of the error as it is a variable), hence the "inaccuracy" of this method - some trip computers can be pretty accurate, but a lot tend to be 5-10% optimistic. Brim to brim calculations are frought with problems. As mentioned, temperature, cut off points, method used, car attitude are all variables. Will only be reasonably "accurate" when averaged over several tankfuls and using a meticulous methodology.

He'll save about £50 for 4 tyres in the short term and they'll last half as long as a good quality or premium tyre.Have a look at his face when you phone in and explain about how the car slid into the ditch...... Point him to blackcircles.com then tell him to phone Kwikfit or however he uses and they will beat that price. Budget tyres are a false economy, if you value your safety, offer to make up the difference out of your own pocket - you can claim some tax back if you do that.

I presume all these posts refers to the 6 speed "wet" DSG? What happens if you right/left foot it. i.e. left foot gently on brake and right foot gently on accelerator - does the DSG just disengage or does it try to drag the car as would a conventional auto?

I've seen a few threads on other forums claiming VAG sumps are plastic or aluminium. All I know is the 1.9tdi and 1.2 petrol engines I own have steel sumps. The 1.9 Tdi has a plastic shroud over it. I would be surprised at anything other than a steel sump on an engine which has an iron block. I can see however how a monkey could cross thread and screw up something like a sump bolt. After all, it takes just the slightest bit of care.:really: i.e. Wipe the sump thread taking care not to introduce dirt from outside. Clean the sump bolt, fit a new washer (if you are so inclined) and the sump bolt should screw in by hand easily up to washer contact stage. If there is undue resistance, dont get a socket or spanner on it:rotz:, but remove and check it again. Make sure its not in crossthread! Final tightening should be ideally torque wrench at recommended setting, or just nipped up with a short spanner. Check for leaks after running the engine for several minutes. If a garage strips or crosses a thread, it really should be their responsibilty for gross negligence.

Waste of money in your car - the ECU will not recognise it and it will be metered in exactly the same way as standard 95RON fuel. In the past super unleaded would have givent the advantage of ultra low sulphur - which gives reduced emission and longer CAT life, but since the beginning of this year (IIRC), all petrol in the UK is now ultra low sulphur by law. Some fuels (Shell V-power etc) claim additional benefits due to additives usually cleaning additives. They may or not work, the jury is still out, the vast majority of discussions agree there seems no benefit.

Have to say I'm uncovering yet more discrepancies between Skoda literature and VCA website. e.g the 105bhp diesel variants - all HIGHER CO2 according to VCA e.g. basic 105bhp manual is 135g/km (VCA) v 130g/km (Skoda) i.e. a higher VED band!! I'm pretty sure VCA will be right - I think their certified info is used by Swansea....... maybe Skoda has submitted new test results on a revised batch.

70bhp version has a revised air intake/filter box compared to 64bhp version which used a combined engine cover/filter.

There is too much misinformation about petrol in diesel! The real problem engines are that CR engines that have a high pressure pump feeding the rail - these often dont like petrol in them. But PD engines are tough old boots. The lift pump is just a simple low pressure electric pump - probably basically the same unit found in a lot of VAG low tech petrol engines. The unit injectors are driven off the camshaft which is externally lubricated. Once petrol gets as far as the injector nozzle, the engine will just stop, as diesel engines just dont run on petrol. Its a question of draining the fuel system (tank and filter) refilling with fresh diesel, and get the bugger started again. It'll belch and splutter a little while the residual petrol is cleared, but I'd be surprised if theres any lasting damage. Change the filter and lob in some Millers if you are paranoid.

Are you 100% sure that 7 speed DSG comes with ESP as standard Bassa? VCA is the organisation that determines VED their figures are usually 100% correct.

I'm of the opinion that VW have not been too pleased with Skoda eating into premium VW/Audi sales and so made sure that facelifts (Fabia and Octavia) are sufficiently ugly to put off those people with plenty of money. To the same end VW is prepping the new Polo (very nice looking motor) for a hot version. I don't think they'll allow Skoda and Seat to compete directly with it. So I don't think there will be a new VRS Fabia for the foeseeable future (it would have been officially leaked by now). Anyway the logical engine to use in a Fabia VRS would the cheapest/most compact which is probably a 1.4Tsi variant. I don't think it'll happen. I do think however when the 1.2Tsi gets put into the Fabia range eventually (2-3 years), there will be a proper GT/sport version.

The way I read the offer its 09 model year ordered before 30th June I'm told lead time is approx 10 weeks. No registration stipulation.

The Skoda brochure 1st Jan - 31st Mar 2009, and the Skoda Website give the CO2 emission level of the 1.4Tsi manual variant as 154g/km. The VCA website however gives it at 148g/km. A significant difference..... (All rate the 1.4Tsi/DSG combination at 147g/km) So can any techs or dealers who can give a definitive answer? I'm on the verge of ordering but hesitating regarding the DSG option on grounds on possible reliability/future repair/servicing cost issues, the CO2 and inbuilt ESP (according to Bassa) sway it toward DSG. Does the new 7 speed DSG require any scheduled maintainence, e.g. fluid change at some point?

Did you manage to get any handle on the fuel consumption (through fuel computer readings)?

Overheard the service manager moaning in the local Skoda dealership this morning that a customer complained about his tyres wearing on the outside edge. His moan was that warranty does not cover "adjustments" and so the dealer would be out of pocket by at least £90 for a tracking and camber check. Is it true that Skodawouldn't cover this under warranty?

From what I've read, the seventh gear aka 1st gear is a "creep" gear. Very high ratio. This minimises wear for normal starts and gives the ability to creep like an automatic aiding parking. However, because its a dry clutch unlike the wet clutches of the 6 speed box, it probably cannot stand a long period of stalled operation without overheating. Solution: give them hill hold (brakes applied until accelerator pressed) I may be wrong though...

:orb_no_no Shame on you.......this can happen to anyone - even you. I would say you owe her a lot than a bunch of flowers! I think this petrol in diesel thing is vastly overhyped. Yes, CR is more prone to disaster - but VW have only just introduced CR - CR is the realm of Vauxhall, Ford etc. They are a disaster with or without petrol. PD is pretty robust. I would have done this...... Siphoned (if thats possible nowadays?) sufficient from the tank, and filled up with fresh diesel to make it less than 5% petrol. Lobbed in quad dose of millers. Drained fuel filter,refilled and refit. Restart - and drive gently until you can get another half tank or more back in. I would put the drained fuel back into the tank but make sure not to exceed about 2%, and keep using the millers (at normal dose) Too many £££ made out of fear.

Even large rats can squeeze through gaps less than 1/2" - their skeletons are incredibly flexible.

I note Wikipedia claim fuel injection pressure is "up to" 150 bar Just finished looking at this pdf about 2.0Tsi and this pdf about 6 speed DSG I know these are not the same as the newer 1.4tsi and 7 speed DSG, however the complexity (particularly of the DSG box) is frightening. MAF sensors scare me, but this may be too much for me to worry about!! Slightly confused.......only to be expected at my age!

:tipspecs:I noticed that too, but it was too late last night and I was too tired to check. Today I notice the revised price list now says "Recommended OTR exc VAT" - I could have sworn it said basic yesterday - I did check it several times before posting. Yes you are right dingledangle - its a £374 increase...... Sorry......

> 50 mpg Stratified mode.

Edit: PLEASE NOTE Information posted here was incorrect - see below......

Most likely a rat. Do you park anywhere near a farm or somewhere there is rubbish stored? In the winter, some rats like to climb into car engine bays etc to keep warm. They have a natural instict to knaw anything. Usually plastic/fabric/rubber - fuel pipes are common as is electrical wires/looms and air (pollen) filters (excellent bedding material) Once they learn your parking habits, they'll be a nuisance until warm weather comes or you kill them. You may do well to inspect the car thoroughly, often wiring looms are chewed and could be fire hazard.