Dave,

How did it go in Edinburgh? Are you now an owner of an Octavia with standard springs?

Also you mentioned in an earlier reply "I usually go to a Volks Centre (independent & ultra-reliable) near me so would probably get any work done by those guys" I wondered where this was as I'm undecided if I'll get a main dealer to look after my car or an independent

Dougall

Hi Dougall,

Been away for a week but back now. I visited the dealership last Saturday to look at the car (incidentally there was no hint of damage on the driver's side door trim on the inside after all). That said it seemed to be a bit on the 'abused' side for it's age (my guess is that it had been a business vehicle given the bluetooth and mobile phone fittings). The car had apparently had 'a lot of interest' (i.e. = standard sales patter). After a 5 minute look around the car we were whisked straight inside to 'talk money' before even having driven the car. I was a little surprised by this, but we sat down to discuss options. In the event we were offered substantially less for our current car than I had paid (which was no surprise) such that any exchange deal would cost well in excess of 4 figures (my ball park was about £700 i.e. probably near the top end of the money to change dampers on the current car - although I haven't sought quotes for that yet) - clearly not worth it. I wasn't too impressed by the whole thing, nor the general approach of the dealership, and since we were a long way from a deal there seemed to be little point in test-driving the car. Nevertheless I did push a test drive as far as I thought feasible as it would have helped us to know the difference in ride (even if we didn't buy that particular car), but it was clear we were getting nowhere so we headed up the road. On the way out of the door the salesman did suggest that prices do generally drop at the end of the month (these guys have to meet sales targets after all - useful to know when buying the next motor), and that if he though he could get closer to a deal he would give me a call. Usual stuff.

We reflected on all this in the car on the way back home. Neither of us were that impressed! It wasn't altogether a wasted journey as we did combine it with visiting family, but we didn't achieve the the ultimate goal of finding out whether or not a standard suspension felt any different. In any case we wouldn't have bought that car due to it's condition. I think this means we'll stick with what we have got for a while and see how it goes. It really is a beautiful car to drive and is immaculate inside and out. If only she was a little smoother she'd be perfect!

As for the Volks Centre - try these guys: http://www.aberdeenvolkscentre.com/ based in Kingswells. I've been going there for services and MOTs regularly for about 5 years and would thoroughly recommend them. The whole experience is so much better than the Skoda dealership in Aberdeen (Specialist Cars Skoda in Craigshaw Drive). If you'd prefer a main dealer - I hear good things about Victoria Garage in Maud. It's a bit out of the way for us, although might not be for you?

Cheers,

Dave

That's extremely poor that you went through all of that and didn't even get a test drive out of them!

Personally, I would have refused to go through any of that with them until a drive had taken place.

Steve

Dave,

Sorry to hear the trip didn't go as planned, sounds like your best option may be to switch over the dampers if you can't live with it..........I guess swapping out your current car with a warranty still on it as well is always going to feel like you'll get shafted i.e. you paid dealer price and they are offering part-ex.

Thanks for the details of the Volkscentre, I didn't realise they are in Kingswells. For my next service I'll have to decide whether or not I'll use the Skoda dealer at Maud or a local independant called DSM in OldMeldrum. The Volkscentre now gives a third option!

The service history on my car is mostly Skoda main dealer but one service was done by an independant before I owned it. Due to this I don't feel like I have to use Skoda as I don't have the full Skoda service history but on one hand I think to myself they are the experts for the car but most likely most expensive

Car is standard straight from the showroom. It's not modified. Apart from a towbar, a few scratches ,new front tyres etc...

You could drop down to 16inch wheels, with higher sidewalls they will soften the ride quite a bit.

You can often pick up a set of ex-AUDI 16 wheels on Ebay for reasonable price with usable tyres and keep for when you resell the motor - or sell to cover cost.

Much cheaper option than changing suspension and if the 16s do not give a soft enough ride then you can resell them on Ebay

I'll happily swap wheels with ya, mine are 16's Vega Alloys in good nick.