Hello happy skoda drivers !

I've had the car 2 weeks and I'm liking it less and less......

Basically I can't get comfortable and it's just too noisy.

I fear I will have to sell it on If my backside does not adapt to the very hard and far too narrow seats..... -alcantara (& fake? leather) L&K seats.

The tyre noise is also awful - between 20-40 mph it is so loud - mostly from the rear - I checked and there is ZERO sound insulation in the back....

It's a pity as the car is ok otherwise.... (apart from the rubbish MP3 system - it forces you to use the touch screen a lot just to change artist/album)

Anyone got any tips about the seats and/or the tyre noise ? I'll have lost thousands in a couple of weeks if I have to change it...

Gareth.

(of course I should have gone for a much longer test drive - a hard lesson learned)

How about something like this:http://www.sheepskinshop.co.uk/productlisting.aspx?cid=40&pid=22&c=Car%20Seat%20Covers

Hello happy skoda drivers !

I've had the car 2 weeks and I'm liking it less and less......

Basically I can't get comfortable and it's just too noisy.

I fear I will have to sell it on If my backside does not adapt to the very hard and far too narrow seats..... -alcantara (& fake? leather) L&K seats.

The tyre noise is also awful - between 20-40 mph it is so loud - mostly from the rear - I checked and there is ZERO sound insulation in the back....

It's a pity as the car is ok otherwise.... (apart from the rubbish MP3 system - it forces you to use the touch screen a lot just to change artist/album)

Anyone got any tips about the seats and/or the tyre noise ? I'll have lost thousands in a couple of weeks if I have to change it...

Gareth.

(of course I should have gone for a much longer test drive - a hard lesson learned)

Sorry you hear you are having issues with noise.

To get around the problem in my hatchback, I used dynamat extreme which can be picked up for £15 a roll.

The most important areas to cover are the floor of the boot and the spare wheel well (sides and base). Once these are covered, it is also worth applying the dynamat under the carpet under the rear seat bench.

I seem to remember about £40-£60 of dynamat extreme being plenty and there are plenty of car hi-fi places that would do it for you if you wished.

This will reduce road noise a great deal and I have had people comment on just how quiet my car is at speed on motorways.

Certainly the poor UK road surfaces don't help, but it's also worth checking which tyres you have on as some are known to be particularly noisy.

This lot are not cheap, but do a whole kit to quieten your car down:

http://www.noisekiller.co.uk/vehicle_soundproofing_products.asp

I have to say I don't find the seat hard, but I do believe that hard seats are a trait of German cars.

I guess they soften up a bit once you've used them a bit, so maybe things will improve.

Sorry to hear that you are disappointed with your new car.

I think the combination of things will put you off it, both comfort and noise.

The noise can probably be helped by adding sound proofing and possibly changing tyres... extreme perhaps for a new car, but cheaper

than changing it.

The biggest problem I suspect for you will be the seat comfort. I agree that German group cars do have firm seats, but I have to say mine

are very comfortable. I tad narrow perhaps, but we did Glasgow to Southampton and back last weekend and nobody was complaining

about comfort...

I remember looking at R32's a few years ago, test drive a GTI first with cloth seats, got into the R32 with the same seats, but in leather

and felt like I was sitting on top of them.... entirely different to the cloth, but as already suggested, perhaps they would improve over time.

This lot are not cheap, but do a whole kit to quieten your car down:

http://www.noisekiller.co.uk/vehicle_soundproofing_products.asp

Did you get a quote from them? How expensive are they?

My estate was also pretty noisy on the Motorway. First I lined the spare wheel well & boot floor with the stick on sound proofer. Marginal effect. Next I purchased a big bit of 'sound deadening' carpet for about £20 from Ebay. I cut it to the size of the Estate boot mat & put it under there. I also lined under the rear seats with it. This made a vast improvement. Now it is a lot better. When the tyres are worn I will go for ones that generate less road noise, WHICH magazine did a tyre review recently & some are far better than others...

I must admit I have trouble with the width of the seats, and I'm not exactly a phat b.............d! But you will get use to it! As far as the noise is concerned, I've never noticed it, maybe its the choice of tyres?!

I would agree on the tyres issue and as I have posted many times the seats are rubbish in the Octy 2

Hello happy skoda drivers !

I've had the car 2 weeks and I'm liking it less and less......

Basically I can't get comfortable and it's just too noisy.

I fear I will have to sell it on If my backside does not adapt to the very hard and far too narrow seats..... -alcantara (& fake? leather) L&K seats.

The tyre noise is also awful - between 20-40 mph it is so loud - mostly from the rear - I checked and there is ZERO sound insulation in the back....

It's a pity as the car is ok otherwise.... (apart from the rubbish MP3 system - it forces you to use the touch screen a lot just to change artist/album)

Anyone got any tips about the seats and/or the tyre noise ? I'll have lost thousands in a couple of weeks if I have to change it...

Gareth.

(of course I should have gone for a much longer test drive - a hard lesson learned)

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We tried, and have had, many of the Skoda Octavia models, 6 I think, and found only the VRS seat good enough for long journeys.

Lots of people say the Dunlops are noisy. Michelins usually come out on top although we may go for Avon ZZ3 as they are cheaper and British and fair by most reviews.

Estates are noisier than the Hatch of course. In the estate, we just sold one for the VRS hatch, the variable floor in place makes a big difference and diesel, even the CR, are noisier than the petrols although the new TSI engine has an interesting tinkle as the wastegate or cam chain or something starts chiming before propelling the car though 2500 to 6500 and the exhaust note takes over. Even the fuel consumption is often in the 40s, bit worried how long the front tyres will last but then can try the Avons of something better! Sorry if this is not great news, we also learnt this the hard way.

Edited 23 April, 201016 yr by lol

What did you used to drive before the vRS and what other cars did you test drive before making a decision on the Octavia?

Maybe going back to the supplying dealer and asking to drive a Superb and seeing if you like that as they seem to have less noise and slightly bigger seats.

sorry mate if you got problems with the seats then sorry its down to you,i had a vrs for a full day to drive,so after driving it for 6 hours i knew the seats were ok,if you test drove it only on a short journey then thats were the problem lies,did you get the car for the day,as for the noise that could be down to a number of things,road,tyres,over inflation etc,iam not saying the skoda is a perfect car but for its money theres no better car on the market,i bought a vrs and have come from 5 years of problem vauxhalls and personally i wouldnt change the skoda for anything at present as it ticks all the rght boxes for me.

Got to say, I find the seats comfy. I've driven literally all day in them across Europe with minimal stops and not had a problem. Head rests could be a bit better but the seat itself is spot on. I'm 6'7" / 15.5stone. I hear the seats are uncomfortable for some short people.

I agree with you about the road noise, both my mk2 Octavia's were/are very bad in that respect. My sport, now sold, with 17" alloys and hard suspension was horrendous and even my Ambiente now with only 15" alloys and normal suspension is pretty loud.

Guess it's a characteristic.

Only time I've had a real issue with road noise was on the factory fit bridgestones my elegance came with. Horrible tyres. Been happy with Octys since on Kumho, Michelin and Vredestein.

Only time I've had a real issue with road noise was on the factory fit bridgestones my elegance came with. Horrible tyres. Been happy with Octys since on Kumho, Michelin and Vredestein.

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all of the advice.

the tyres are bridgestone - re050 or something similar - 17". I guess I should be able to swap the rears to the front once they wear and try to find out which tyres are the quietest for the rear.... any suggestions of 'quiet tyres' greatfully received !

someone in work also mentioned typical 'german' seats are on the hard side. I am currently using a thin cushion from ikea ! but it's not ideal as I tend to roll out of the seat base. pity as the seat back & lumbar support is good.

I may throw some money at the rear of the car and install sound proofing, it seems that this has worked to some extent in the past. Bank hols coming up.

this dynamat stuff does seem to be very overpriced. - I guess it's inflated for the car audio market. unfortunately the only other stuff I've found that is cheaper is sold in 6*1 metre rolls.

Gareth.

P.S. Can't help thinking that the solution will actually be to dump the car for something better. I don't think there is anything the dealer can/will do to help me, other than thank me for making them money. - I guess you live and learn !

So did you actually have a test drive before you bought?

Why 17" wheels ? I thought the FL Octy 2 Estate have 18" as standard, and generally come with Dunlops or Contis.

I do have a dislike of Bridgestones, after a rear tyre blow out on a good tyre on the M62 on a CBR1000 Honda - totally shredded, as were my leathers.

Don't know about the very latest, but my 59 plate Octy2 Estate has 16 inch as standard fitted with Bridgestone tyres.

Tyres are fine....as are the Bridgestones on my motorcycle.

if you think the seats in an octavia are hard, you should try a kia ceed :p

as for the sound issue, yes, the octavia is loud, there deff isn't enough sound proofing but you can make it a lot better without having to spend major money. i have the spare wheel well base and sides lagged with rubber carpet underlay that i had lying about spare. I put the rubber side (the bit that normally faces up) down as i suspect it may help to diffuse the road noise a bit better. I also lifted the rear bench out, and lined it with more carpet underlay, which i cut to size and fitted below the carpets. Finally, i took a peice of high density felt underlay, used for wooden floors, cut it to the shape of the boot mat and put it below the mat, which has to be the thinnest peice of carpet i have ever seen. The result is surprising. The car still obviously makes noise over rough surfaces, but it's a lot more muted over most roads. I may buy some dynamat or phatmat at some stage, but i'm actually quite pleased with the result from some old crap i had in the shed.

So did you actually have a test drive before you bought?

Read the last line of the opening post.

What car would you buy to replace it?

Hi

If its any help, when I was trying out vRS (half leather / alcantra seats) I thought the showroom fresh model prodded me a bit and wasnt wide enough.

Test drove 3 or 4 dealer cars, and the seats do give a lot. I was the same when I actually got my car. It was brand new, once the leather broke in, I was golden.

Also, I found it ESSENTIAL to take a lot of time to really properly adjust the seat in all directions, and the steering wheel ,to get the perfect comfort.

I found even on short journeys id get cramps in my right leg. Once seated in the right position, I was golden.

As for road noise, my car has Continentals from the factory and its not offensive. Plus I always have the stereo going.

If you really cant get on with it then I guess you will just have to bite the bullet and change cars. Its not really the dealers nor the cars fault that its not for you. Cant say either of my skoda have been either overly noise or have seats which are not great to sit in.

I will say that the Octavia is not as quiet as I would have though it would have been, but I think like others have said its the tyres as the demo I tried was not as noisey.

It is a learning curve but we have mostly like all done that at some stage...................I tend to research, test and look for about 6 months before I buy a car.

No problems with seats here, and my weight is 120 kgs... ...altho I must say that I have to lambskins on both front seats, which I would not do in case my car sported leather seats - would spoil the looks.

As for the tires, people say that Hankook Evo V12's are particualrly quiet on Octys....maybe it would be worth a try.

Edited 29 April, 201016 yr by Octavia1Z

I just posted a message about ride comfort on my Scout, as i had issues with road noise also. For many weeks after collecting my car I was convinced that i'd made a huge mistake. Now, the ride has settled down. i find the seats very supportive, at least the seat base is long enough, unlike some so called quality cars. Skoda have definitely cut corners with sound insulation and i hope they monitor these forums and learn from them. One lost sale due to lack of refinement would pay for a lot of insulation material. i have insulated my Scout estate with 1/2 " thick insulation bought from a car trimmer, used as underlay i think. I have only done the luggage bay and plan to do the rest when I can be bothered to lift carpets. i may not actually bother as i find the car is definitely more refined already. i would suggest that some effort and a little expense in soundproofing the car would make a big difference. i would not have given the main stealer the satisfaction and probable hefty profit from my returning a car so soon.