lamlash

Correct, it's a 2010 model. I chose it specifically because it doesn't have silly 18" (or even bigger) alloys and the torque curve on the 140 suits my driving style better than the 163 (which is much peakier). I had half of the price of the Scout on Skoda finance so I haven't got any cash burning a hole in my pocket. Now I must get round to selling my steel winter wheels off the Scout (I'll keep the tyres for the Mondeo though)

Update: I ended up getting a Mondeo Estate TDCi 140 Tit X and after 2 months I have to say that I'm delighted with it. Obviously it's not the same class of car as the Scout (not 4x4 etc.) but here is my comparison anyway: Things I like better on the Skoda (or miss on the Ford): 4x4 / ground clearance (obviously) Overall build quality / feeling of solidity Bolero radio (especially SD card reader) Turning circle Hill hold control Conventional keyed ignition Lots of cubby holes / storage pockets Things I like better on the Ford: Quiet (engine, road noise and wind noise all significantly better than the Skoda) Silky smooth clutch Pleasant gear selector Handling and ride Tailgate wider, no loading lip, easier to open and close Seats, cabin space and driving position / ergonomics Heated windscreen (not needed it yet but had a Ford with this before and it is a great feature) Glovebox bigger Pointless features on the Ford: Heated and cooled front seats Keyless (button start) ignition Cornering headlights Fuel consumption is slightly better on the Ford but its done 15K so is fully run in. I haven't tried towing yet but one of the reasons for choosing the Mondeo was the higher towball noseweight limit and higher towing capacity / kerbweight.

Doesn't sound like a DMF problem to be honest. More likely the clutch release bearing is making the noise. Unfortunately its a gearbox out job for a part which only costs a few quid. Any good garage or transmission specialist will be able to confirm it.

I think I was that other guy! In the end I sold my Scout and have a Mondeo now which I'm absolutely delighted with. Seems to be that sometimes the VAG clutches can be rough but only on some cars (I drove as many as possible before concluding this, and plenty of people said theirs was very smooth). Mine was truly horrible and spoiled my enjoyment of the car completely. Dealers won't take it seriously because they know all too well there will be no "smoking gun" when they drop the gearbox so it makes their warranty claim with Skoda problematic. I don't know the actual cause but I've been told it could be bent/distorted/broken release fingers on the clutch itself or possible misalignment of the gearbox. Ask the dealer to drive another car with the same engine and gearbox combination so you can decide if there is something "wrong" with yours. Good luck.

I suppose my post was always going to stimulate a lot of responses. To answer some of your questions: Test drive? Yes, but 15 minutes with the dealer nattering away in your left ear obviously isn't enough. Also the test drive car was a PD engine and I convinced myself the CR that I was getting would be quieter. In reality I think they are exactly the same. Depreciation? No, I didn't lose any money due to list price increase and the VAT free campaign coming to and end Other: I should have ordered the variable boot floor. Next car: I haven't really given that a lot of thought. Any ideas? Good luck to the new owner, wherever they may be.

I've just sold my 61 reg diesel Scout after only 5000 miles. Here is my summary: Good points: Fantastic turning circle considering the size of the car Very well made, feels solid, no rattles at all. Bodywork panels feel strong. Normal ignition key (no daft starter button or key in the dashboard nonsense) Conventional handbrake that holds very well with little effort Bolero stereo is really easy to use (although sound quality is only average) Lots of pockets and cubby holes Surefooted handling (but a totally uninvolving driving experience) Good compromise between comfort and handling Very good headlights (even without xenons) Nice quality load cover in boot Bad points: Far too much engine noise Clunky gearchange Pulsating feeling through clutch pedal (dealer said its completely normal) Headlamp washers waste gallons of expensive screenwash Poor fuel consumption 42mpg overall average over 5000 miles High loading lip in boot Ridge in middle of loading bay with back seats folded Front seats feel too narrow Nowhere comfortable to rest my right elbow when driving 225/50/17 tyres are expensive. Ride was better on my 205/55/16 winter steel wheels. No suitable jacking points for a trolley jack No way to properly randomise tracks when playing from SD cards Overall: A good car (but not the right car for me). The boot is huge but not very useable. Not a particularly pleasant driving experience due to the engine noise and clunky gearchange. I should have bought the petrol one!

My order of preference: 1. Corrida Red 2. Storm Blue 3. Candy White White is very popular at the moment but I suspect it is about to be trumped by those brown/chocolate colours that a lot of mini and Audi A1's are appearing in. There is also a distressing trend for grey and/or black alloys which are a taste that I don't think I could ever acquire. However, if it were me I'd forget the other options (especially heated seats which make you feel like you've pee'd your pants) and spend the money on a metallic colour instead. These are supposedly more resistant to scratching due to the additional lacquer coat and it will make the car easier to sell on later.

Always surprises me that people say they couldn't live without xenon headlights. The standard Octavia headlights are actually very good and the Scout has headlamp washers as standard (uses a lot of screenwash!) Similarly I never used the heated seats on my Volvo and certainly wouldn't want them on any future car. If you have all leather seats they can feel very cold at first but it takes so long for the heaters to warm them up that its a waste of time in my opinion.

The Scout has stiffer rear suspension than the basic Octavia 4x4 so won't sag as much when towing. The Superb has a slightly higher noseweight limit so will give you a bit more flexibility in loading your caravan. I think you can get a self levelling option on the Superb but you'd probably have to buy brand new to be able to get this option. My diesel Scout tows my 1275kg van OK but I wouldn't want to tow anything much bigger with it as it does get buffeted about by cross winds a bit.

What extras are a must have? None. Even basic Scouts are extremely well specc'd. Maxidot and multi-function steering wheel are nice to have but the standard display is perfectly adequate and you'll only miss the MFSW if you are already used to having it. Some people say that the metallic paints are more durable due to the extra (thicker?) lacquer coat so might be best to avoid a solid paint car? What are the do`s and dont`s when looking for a scout? Good service history is essential. Oil change intervals are stupidly long so you should avoid any car that has not had its servicing done on time. Look carefully under the car for signs of off-roading. Many Scouts (like mine) will never go offroad but some people need the AWD and extra ground clearance regularly for their work. Regularly off roading is going to take its toll on the suspension. Look at the alloys for delamination problems. Look at the tyres for excessive uneven wear. Actually, check out the cost of tyres, my Scout has 225/50/17 which is quite an expensive tyre due to it not being a very popular size. Don't be fooled by anecdotes about "these run forever", or high motorway miles isn't a problem. Get the lowest mileage, newest car you can afford. Check that the AWD actually works if possible. Easy in the icy weather but not so easy when its dry. Park up somewhere a bit slippery, turn off the traction control and set off quickly. You should be able to tell if the AWD isn't working as it will feel like a front wheel drive car.

XC70 isn't comparable with a Scout - check out the list prices! I drive a Scout but I used to own a V70 AWD D5 (185) and it was a really good car to drive apart from the ridiculously large turning circle - try a 3 point turn before you buy a V70!!. Admiteddly the XC70 is quite a lot higher than the V70 AWD and there is a lot of body roll but apparently you get used to that, The big downside to the Volvo is cost. It was VERY expensive to fuel (overall average 34mpg), service, and repair and was surprisingly unreliable. The things that I really miss about the Volvo are: 1. The really wide, low opening of the boot. Scout is more like a big hatchback. 2. The amazingly comfortable seats. The Skoda seats feel very narrow and, well, small by comparison. 3. The stereo. Whilst the Bolero touchscreen looks fancy the sound is poor compared to the set up in a V70. 4. Being a 185 D5 it felt pretty fast for a big car. The Scout feels decidedly sluggish by comparison. 5. Towing a caravan - the extra kerbweight and higher noseweight limit made it a better towcar. 6. The wide long roof rails with 100kg roof limit. Easy to put 4 bikes on the roof. Things I don't miss in the Volvo: 1. Turning circle. 2. The rubbish handbrake. 3. Constant niggly faults. 4. Fuel consumption. Overall, I'd take the Scout unless you need to tow a heavy trailer or regularly carry large loads.

Hi everyone, I'm an Octavia owner but thinking of changing to a Superb. One of my dislikes about the Octavia is that the clutch pedal pulsates, most noticeably when you change from 4th to 3rd and are releasing the clutch. Dealer says its normal and is due to the Dual Mass Flywheel and I've driven several other VAG 2.0TDi cars including an Audi A6 which also did it. Whilst it may be a normal "feature" of this engine and 6 speed gearbox combination it really spoils the driving experience for me. By the way I've owned several other DMF equipped diesels including Volvo with D5 engine, 2007 Passat with PD engine, Peugeot 2.0 HDi and none of them did it. Does the Superb with the CR140 engine also do it?

I used to get a very loud creaking from my towbar even with a perfectly clean ball and a brand new Winterhoff stabliser hitch. Strangely the creaking got worse after I sprayed brake cleaner on and I found that one of those washing up scouring pads (the green Scotchbrite stuff) works better than wet and dry emery paper. Just give the ball a good scrub and dust off with a clean rag before hitching up.

I was offered a fixed trade-in value for my old car when I ordered my new Skoda. It wasn't particularly favourable and I had expected to sell privately rather than take the trade-in offer but the Skoda took about 6 months longer to arrive than the dealer had estimated and by that time the agreed figure looked pretty good so I was happy to take it to avoid the hassle of a private sale. The dealer seemed pretty relaxed about it all and mentioned that they don't get assessed on the trade-in margins for individual cars but had to just ensure that in any given sales period they didn't lose money on them as a whole.

I was the OP so I thought I'd post a quick update. In the end I decided on 16x6J steels with Vredstein Snowtrac 3's from Tyremen. Mytyres were a bit cheaper but tyremen were really good to deal with and they arrived the next day with zero fuss. Now that they are here the weather is incredibly mild so they are sitting in the corner of the living room waiting for the onset of winter. Last night the wife sent both of the children for an unscheduled shower and change of clothes because she kept getting a faint whiff of pee. There were some ugly scenes and angry protests of innocence but she was unrelenting. When I came down this morning I realised it was the tyres. Turns out Vreds stink like p*ss, so I'm going to have to clear a bit of space in the garage before she gets back tonight!

The Skoda loom is very expensive for what it is and involves ripping a lot of trims out to fit and then a visit to the dealer to have it coded which will cost yet more money. I would only consider it if I was lucky enough to have a newer caravan with trailer stability programme, and I'm not sure I'd be driving a Skoda if I did have that kind of cash. I've owned 3 cars which have had multiplexed electrics and have been fitted with a multi-function bypass relay for towing (Pugeot 406 (D9), VW Passat (MK6) and now Skoda Octavia Scout FL) and none of them had any electrical problems. Even the notoriously unstable French electrics of the Pug weren't upset by it. My last car, A Volvo V70 didn't need a bypass relay because Volvo had taken the time to work out a proper solution: you just buy a simple "trailer module" for about £60 and the appropriate (i.e. 7 or 13 pin) towing electrics socket/cable assembly and literally plug them in behind an easily accesible cover in the boot and add two new fuses. No recoding, no faffing about trying to run power feeds from the engine compartment / fuse box etc. Skoda's tagline is Simply Clever, well there's nowt clever about their dealer network or customer services department when it comes to towbars and they could do with having a look at how Volvo go about it. The only saving grace is that the Scout didn't need a bumper cut and the finished job is very tidy. When I fitted a towbar to my old 406 estate (which is sadly missed) I didn't even have to take the back bumper off.

I can't believe anyone would pay upwards of £500 for a towbar. I did my Scout towbar for £250 and felt that was too expensive! I bought a second hand Witter detachable off ebay which came with multi-relay, split charge relay and 13 pin connector all for £120. I tidied it up with a few coats of spray applied black hammerite which cost about a tenner. After this it looked better than new and I'm sure won't go rusty for quite some time. I then took the easy option and got Indespension to fit it and do the electrics which came to £120. This included a new bolt kit from Witter which Indespension said was essential for a second hand bar. Fitting the towbar evidently involves removing the crash beam. Unforunately the Indespension technician carelessly placed this in the boot of my car with the bolt flanges face down and the mastic residues stuck to my boot carpet, but otherwise they did a tidy job. As I didn't use the Skoda wiring loom there was no need to get anything recoded and the swan neck when attached doesn't interfere with the parking sensors when solo driving. I think I can live with the beeping of the parking sensors when I'm reversing with the caravan, but time will tell!

Browny - you probably are the youngest Scout owner on here at the moment but one of the lads at the dealer I got my car from is waiting for his own 1.8TSi Scout to arrive and he was only 19.

1 - No Waiting / Storm Blue / 2.0 TDI PD / MY09 (Pre facelift) 2 - andyjl1968 / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 TDI PD / MY07 3 - Nick_H / Arctic Green / 1.8Tsi / MY11 4 - dekka48, / black magic,/ 2.0 PD, / 2008 5 - skodal, / Anthracite Grey, / 2.0 CR Diesel, / MY11 - hopefully september!!! 6 - foo / Anthracite / 1.8TSI / 2009 7 - Stuart / Arctic Green / 2.0 PD / May 2010 8 - NikNak / Anthracite Grey/ 2.0 CR / MY11 - Delivery around August 2010 9 - Constant / Brilliant Silver Metallic / 2.0 TDi / Jan 2008 10 - Gaz196 / Black Magic / 1.8 TSi / MY11 Sept '10 11 - GGG / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 PD / May 2010 12 - Pedro Pete / Anthracite / 2.0 CR / . Arriving End Sept? 13 - Inego / Brilliant Silver / 2.0 PD/ Jan 10 14 - Kumquat/ Satin Grey/ 2.0 TDi/ Nov 2009 15 - CEPi / Cappuccino / 1.8 TSi / Apr 2010 16 - sparky2 / Satin Grey / 2ltr PD TDi / July 2009 FL 17 - Normcall / Red / 1.8 TSI / 2009 18 - username taken / black / 2ltr pd / june 2010 19 - KayakJim / Brilliand Silver / 2.0 PD TDi / MY08 20 - rkenny / Satin Grey / 2.0 PD Tdi / March 08 21 - GroundHog / Satin Grey / 2.0 PD TDi / MY08 23 - Captain Kremen/Satin Grey/2.0PD TD/2007 07 24 - ralle / Cappuccino / 2.0PD / 2007 57 25 - atkinsong / Candy White / 1.8 TSI / May 2010 26 - uscouter / Cappuccino / 2.0PD TDi / March 2010 27 - Eddie Deguello / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 TDI CR / Sept 2010 28 - London Les/ Satin Grey / 2.0 TDI CR / Wk 33 Sept 2010 - Alcantara, Xenon AFSII, Spare, Silver Rails, MFSW, Maxidot, Curtain Airbags, MDI 29 - Scouter2 / Brilliant Silver / 2.0 TDi / Apr 2007 30 - harrylime / cappucino beige / 1.8 tsi / January 2010 31 - Mark999 / Dynamic Blue / 2.0PD / May2010 32 - Magicknight75 / Black Magic / 2.0 Fsi /Feb 08 standard skoda spec apart from full size spare 33 - Niall / Satin Grey / 2.0PD TDi / May 07 / 07 Octavia Scout TDi - All the Scout standard toys + Xenons, MFSW, Maxidot, Curtain Airbags, OEM Bluetooth. 34 - Jeeves / Anthracite / 2.0 TDI PD / Feb 2010 35 - Marineman / Aqua Blue / 2.0 TDI PD / March 2010 - standard skoda spec apart from full size spare 36 - Wilkopilko / Brilliant Silver/ 2.0 TDI PD / June 2007 37 - Utarg / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 CR / Just been told I can pick it up 17th July! - Alicantra,Spare,Maxidot,MDI 38 - Finbarsko / Satin grey / 2.0 PD / 57 39 - ScruffyBadger / Brilliant Silver Met / 2.0 TDi PD/ June 2008 40 - Unclelatch / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 TDI PD / June 2010 - MFSW, Maxidot 41 - BOBW / cappucino beige / 1.8TSI / May 2010 42 - Simon Cobb / Cappuccino Beige / 2.0 TDI CR - fully optioned apart from MDI and SATNAV 43 - AuScout / Satin Grey / 2.0TDI / Oct 2008 44 - royskie / Red / 2.0TDI / November 2007 45 - Bill Blake / Rosso Brunello / 2.0 TDI / Jan 2010 46 - downes martin / Rosso Brenello / 2.0 cr 140 / MY 2011 47 - Monnae / corrida red / 1.8 Tsi / my 2011 48 - silver1011 / Black Magic / 2.0 TDi / August 2008 / Xenons 49 - billycann / Candy White / 2.0 TDi / Dec 09 (facelift) Raised boot floor, spare wheel. Really wish I'd remembered xenons and Maxidot!!! 50 - Lasseson / Black magic / 2.0 tdi cr / delivery dec 2010 51 - Scout60 / gray anthracite / 2.0tdi / 60 plate 52 - Essm / silver met /2.0tdi / Nov 2008 with 85,000 from new - lots of extras incl OEM bluetooth 53 - krimat t/ Cappucino beige / 2.0TDI cr / delivery dec 2010 54 - Fin69 / Anthracite grey /2.0TDi PD/ July 2010 55 - Snala / Brilliant Silver / 2.0TDI CR / NZ spec + MIDI/Hill hold/LED DRL's /Oct 2010 56 - Thorfinn / Corrida Red / 2.0 CR TDi / October 2010 57 - Badgersport / Candy White / 2.0 CR TDi / October 2010 / Polished proteus wheels - ordered early July and it finally arrived yippee!! 58 - eenymac / Anthracite / 1.8 TSI / March 2010 59 - jasper13 / 2.0 tdi CR / brilliant silver / waiting delivery extended from October to December 2010 - hope it doesn't stretch any further!! 60 - Scuderria / Cappuccino Beige Metallic / 1.8 TSI / MY11 (expected in March) 61 - Jawsnpaws / Satin Grey Metallic / 2.0 PD TDi / April 2008 62 - lard-ajc / Anthracite / 2.0 PD TDi / June 2008 63 - Carpus/ Anthracite/ 1.8 TSI/ Sept 2010 64 - egide / Satin Grey Metallic / 2.0 PD TDi / May 2008 65 - JJBS3/ Rosso Mugello?/ 2.0TDI PD / Jan 2010 (Remapped at REVO...much better!) 66 - Greenie58 / Brilliant Silver / 2.0 PD TDI / July 07 67 - Browny / Black Magic / 2.0 TDI CR / on order... 68 - Slimboyfat303: Silver / 1.8TSI Scout / 2011 69 dude! - az12d/Cappuchino Biege/TDi/59 plate, awaiting new one in feb 11 70 - 6nations / arrived June 2010 / TDI / White 71 - Scoutel / Cappuccino / 1.8 Tsi / January 2011 72 - London_Jock / Pacific Blue / 2.0 TDI CR / Ordered Dec 10, expected build May 11 73 - 27motorhead / Cappuccino / 2.0TDi / March 2008 / Bought from Marlborough Skoda in August 2008 ex-Sales Managers car 74 - Fatlip - Anthracite, 2.0 TDI 1st Feb 2011...Yipee! after 7 months wait! 75 - alannfrost / Safari / 2.0 TDI / DSG/ arriving early June 2011 76 - Speedy_Gonzales / Anthracite / 1.8TSi / Ordered 06/02/11, Delivered 15/06/11 / Extras Polished Proteus Alloys-multi function steering wheel for radio/maxidot-Space saver spare wheel 77 - Trenca / Candy White / 2.0 TDi PB / FL February 2011 / Xenon+Foldable Mirrors+Tow 78 - Scout Master / Rosso Brunello / 1.8TSI / most extras ordered except Sat Nav / Ordered Aug 10 / delivery 1st March 11 (hopefully). 79 - Cullenator / Cappucino Mettalic / 1.8TSi / Black leather interior / June 2010 80 - scousemouse / Blackmagic / 1.8 TSI / arriving June 2011 81 - m1cvt / white /2.0 TDI PD / March 2010 82 - Placey / Black Magic 2.0 TDI Mar 08 soon getting a new one the same in April... 83 - Zippy / Steel Grey / 1.8 TSI / due August 2011 84 - theptyboy / black 85 - stevo1 / Brilliant Silver /2.0 TDI PD / NOV 2007 86 - steviehg / Aqua Blue / 2.0 TD CR / Extras: sunroof VBF Multi F Maxi Dot / ordered 16/11/2010 - last update 29 weeks 87 - rosswm / Brilliant Silver / 2.0TDI / July 2007 88 - mlp / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 TDI CR / May 2011 89 - scoutabout / Storm Blue / 1.8TSi / May 2011 90 - Uncle Bulgaria / Cappuchino / 2.0 CR DSG / May 2011 91 - Anddenton / Anthracite Grey / 2.0 TDI PD 140 / May 2008 / Maxi-dot, Multi-function SW, Xenon HID's, Columbus SN, Bluetooth, MDI, headlight brows, LED DRL's, Blue LED interior lights, dechromed badgeless grill on way. 92 - Jasper13 / brilliant silver with polished alloys / 2.0 TDI CR PDF DSG / June 2011, had to wait 6 months but love it now its here!! 93 - Tonyp5a / Anthracite with polished alloys / 2.0TDi CR / July 2011 94 - sandal farm/red with polished alloys/2.0tdi/july 2011 ordered nov 2010 95 - Carabus901/ black with polished alloys/ 2.0 TDI/ Jul 11 ordered Dec 10 96 - Turboscout / Black / 1.8 TSI / July 2011 97 - biker123 / red 0 2.0TDI / 2008 98 - Octapuss / Aqua Blue / 2.0 TDI CR DSG / June 2011 99 - scoutdave / Storm Blue metallic / 1.8 TSI / 2010 (owned from Aug 2011) 100 - lamlash / satin grey / 2.0 TDI CR / Oct 2011 / no extras

It doesn't look very safe to me. I suppose your 4 bikes plus the hefty looking carrier must weigh close to the 75kg noseweight limit of the Octavia and as the weight acts well behind the back of the car they represent a huge levering action on the rear suspension of the car - hence the excessive droop. I don't know what the implications are of exceeding the max towball noseweight with a static load - no doubt someone here will be able to advise. What to do? Well the Scout has a slightly higher ground clearance than the 4x4 so you can't use Scout springs (unless you fit them on the front as well to keep things level). Alternatively you can get custom springs fabricated (i.e. same length but stiffer) but they will probably spoil the ride when you're not loaded up as the cars dampers will be matched to the spring rate of the existing springs. You'd have to tell your insurance company about either of these modifications so they are far from ideal solutions. Spring assisters have got to be worth a try (e.g. Grayston) as they are relatively cheap and can be re-sold on ebay if they aren't successful. Lots of caravanners have used them very successfully to solve their drooping problems. Another approach would be to take less stuff on holiday with you and get a narrower roof box and put two of the bikes on the roof. If all else fails swap to a car with self levelling suspension like the Volvo XC70 and prepare for open wallet surgery when it goes wrong.

Apologies for yet another winter wheel/tyre thread. I've been pricing up winter wheels and tyres for my long awaited Scout which I'll hopefully be taking delivery of within the next few weeks (ordered Dec 2010!). Tyremen are listing Alutec 16 inch "Grip Silver" alloys for £300 for a set of 4 which is not much more than a set of Skoda steel wheels and wheel trims would cost. They are 6.5 wide so I wouldn't be able to use snow chains with them but I don't mind about that. Otherwise I think they look OK and have a TUV certificate to confirm they are suitable for the Octavia. Does anyone have any opinions on the durability of aftermarket alloys and the insurance and/or warranty implications of deviating from Skoda's recommended setup of 6J steel wheel and 205/55/16 winter tyres? I can't help thinking that plastic wheel trims on black steel wheels will make the car look wrong. It would be great if someone could post a photo of their Scout with either 16" steels or 16" alloy winter wheels on. Thanks

13 pin electrics is well worth the extra. I will never go back to the 7 pin rubbish.

My dealer said that Aqua Blue IS still available on the Scout, just not other Octavias so I don't need to pick another colour. My build week is now showing as 29 but not confirmed (ordered early December). I've told the dealer I want it registering for 1st September now and he seemed to think this wouldn't be a problem.

Interesting. My Aqua Blue Scout was ordered early December and have been told Build Week 32 but not confirmed. What's going to happen about the colour then if its been discontinued? My dealer hasn't mentioned anything about the colour not being available any longer.