As a first time Skoda buyer coming up to decision time (maybe) whether to upgrade my Yeti

(to a 1.2 DSG Elegance) reliability and durability are a concern based on experience so far.

I very much like the YETI but it has had a fair amount of trips back to dealer for fixes on top of the recalls and is due back again for more.

I know this is the place to post problems so you would expect people to post any problems

but I am used to going for years with just servicing and replacing wear items on my Honda.

I am considering whether to stay with Skoda.

With Skoda/VW sharing the parts bin you would have thought most parts quality issues

would be sorted by now.

I know it is covered by warranty but waiting for the next item to fail is un-nerving and as I

might be keeping the next car more than 3 years it is a major consideration.

The possibility of a failing turbo (it failed and it's had the recall done) or DSG box (it's played up)

would leave you with an eye watering bill.

If you are buying a new Yeti you can go for an extended manufacturers warranty for a few hundred pounds, but you have to do so when placing your order. I was not told about this by my dealer and when I found out it was too late. Then you will be protected for five years.

For piece of mind I would always get a extended warranty when the manufacturers warranty is up, my mums Touran had some good offers from VW at the end of 3 years from purchase, so not paying 3 years in advance isn't the end of the world(always seems mad to me to pay so long in advance).

I'm sorry you've been disappointed with the issues you've suffered, having been looking at the forum for almost a year now It does seem the 1.2dsg has had the most problems in general, perhaps it would also be fair to assume that as your Yeti would have been an earlier model it may have suffered more of the early niggles that later examples have had rectified.

I have always seen VW car's as pretty solid and good quality, but there are still problems, I have know a few Honda owners and they seem to be 50/50 on reliability, but have always mentions that when things do go wrong they can be costly, you can buy the most reliable type of car ever built and get that one bad apple.

When it comes down to it you really need to look at the best car that suits you needs, then look at generally the owners satisfaction rating and the service you have got from various brands when you have had a problem.

Is the Yeti the car for you? do they have good customer ratings overall? and have Skoda looked after you when things have gone wrong? and go from there...

Never been a fan of extended warranties but I take your point.

Probably about £700 for a 2 yr extension which is a bit risky (had a car written off in past and I

doubt if you get your money back if not in the 3-5 yr period).

Warranty Direct which appears to have a good name generally would be about the same price if not slightly cheaper but the small print has lots of exclusions.

If circumstances warrant a change before 3 yrs also a nice gift to the next owner!!

Edited 22 June, 201214 yr by kibby

t costs about £300 to extend the full manufacturers warranty to 4 years, unlike after-market warranties which generally have many exclusions.

I have a 2012 1.2 Tsi DSG Elegance and so far it has been faultless, smooth engine with no hesitations or any of the problems I have read about on this forum, same with the DSG box. I previously had a 2.0 Tdi DSG Octavia for 7 years and had no problems at all.

I must admit I won't buy any new model car in the first 2 years after launch because despite all the testing new cars undergo before launch nothing matches the real world testing of thousands of owners! I prefer to wait until the bugs are worked out before buying and that policy has generally been successful. It was after reading many customer reports that I insisted on test driving the Yeti with both 16" as well as the 17" wheels standard on the Elegance model I wanted. No doubt, the 16" wheels provided a far better ride comfort so my new Yeti has 16" wheels - a bit of hassle getting through to the right people at Skoda(UK) to get the spec changed [thanks to The Plumber for pointing the way!] - but once I was talking to the right people there were no problems at all.

Basically do you want a new Yeti or are you really wanting a change? Skoda comes tops for reliability so anything else you buy is likely to be no better BUT if you do decide to buy another model I would choose one that has been on the market for 2+ years.

Generally to engineer fixes to substantial problems can take at least 6+ months to impliment and take

a year to show up as a problem in need of a fix, so your advice is sound.

As Yeti is coming up to 3 yrs old maybe inherent problems are fixed now.

Have just lost confidence in the car and reading further woes on here doesn't help!!!

How did you arrange to test a Yeti with 17" AND 16" tyres?

Edited 22 June, 201214 yr by kibby

Tested one in Elegance trim and one in "S" trim - the S trim has 16" wheels as standard while the Elegance has 17" wheels as standard.

Tested one in Elegance trim and one in "S" trim - the S trim has 16" wheels as standard while the Elegance has 17" wheels as standard.

I did the same and came to the same conclusion!

I thought you'd already decided to return to Honda? (from your previous comments).....

In terms of reliability, mine now has 45k on the clock and hasn't missed a single beat in that time - two years 2months - though I'm seriously looking at a px against more of the same before I hit 50k, purely for the financial benefits in doing so.

There are a few older, higher mileage owners on here also reporting negligible hassles, like LG, Agerbundsen, to name but two.

I am in the mode of taking a long look at what is available as an alternative.

Not found anything approaching the Yeti package but ours has been a real pain in issues.

You experience is just the opposite. Will not rush into making the next decision.

Of what is available not wanting a diesel automatic limits choice. Most alternatives come with

2 litre diesel auto's and also a fair bit bigger than the Yeti with extra cost implications.

Although our current and past Honda's have been brilliant reliability wise, the current range

is a bit over the top style wise and I don't want another 4x4.

I like conservative, classy styling and Skoda/VW fits that description.

Looked at Golf Plus but other half did not like seating.

Hyundui/KIA unsure about refinement and residual values especially as they are not cheap

anymore.

I am in the mode of taking a long look at what is available as an alternative.

Not found anything approaching the Yeti package but ours has been a real pain in issues.

You experience is just the opposite. Will not rush into making the next decision.

Of what is available not wanting a diesel automatic limits choice. Most alternatives come with

2 litre diesel auto's and also a fair bit bigger than the Yeti with extra cost implications.

Although our current and past Honda's have been brilliant reliability wise, the current range

is a bit over the top style wise and I don't want another 4x4.

I like conservative, classy styling and Skoda/VW fits that description.

Looked at Golf Plus but other half did not like seating.

Hyundui/KIA unsure about refinement and residual values especially as they are not cheap

anymore.

2wd Mazda CX-5 diesel gets good reviews in manual or automatic. Worth trying both small and large wheel variants to find which suits best.

CX5 no petrol automatic??

Oops, I missed your earlier point regarding your preference towards petrol.

I had the same quandary, I wanted a petrol automatic so the only practical option was the Yeti 1.2 Tsi DSG. I have now done almost 3,000 miles and have been pleasantly surprised by the general performance, quiet and comfort. Having previously had a 2.0 Tdi DSG Octavia Estate I was a bit worried about the power of the small petrol engine but I am averaging a real 40 MPG (MPG seems to be improving as the mileage increases) and have not felt the need for more power, of course, at higher speeds it doesn't have the 'grunt' of a diesel but it will easily cruise at 75-80 MPH and can keep maintain that speed up hill and down dale! A good test is the M5 just South of Bristol, a long drag up hill which the Yeti took at the cruise control speed of 75 MPH without any problems at all. I think it changed down to 5 at one point but it was all so seamless and quiet that I really didn't notice. Car was well laden as well.

So if you want a well sorted (3 years on the market now) Yeti like car then I can recommend the 1.2 DSG, I have the Elegance trim with 16" wheels (a must) in Lava Blue with Gobi leather and a few extras - spare wheel, park assist, TPM etc. The only mod I have made is to change the silver dashboard trim for wood grain effect (from Allams), easy to do and certainly looks much better in my opinion (lots of photos on this Forum if you Search).

The Mazda CX-5 looks nice - but too new to have the bugs out and I don't think there is a petrol auto. It all depends on whether you want another Yeti or are secretly hankering after something different.

I thought you'd already decided to return to Honda? (from your previous comments).....

In terms of reliability, mine now has 45k on the clock and hasn't missed a single beat in that time - two years 2months - though I'm seriously looking at a px against more of the same before I hit 50k, purely for the financial benefits in doing so.

There are a few older, higher mileage owners on here also reporting negligible hassles, like LG, Agerbundsen, to name but two.

Mine's a Jan 2010 140Tdi. 28,000 miles and only been back to the dealer once (not counting the fuel line recall). It's never missed a beat and has done 3 European trips with the 4th coming up next month.

On this basis I have a 140 Tdi SE DSG on order for delivery in October.

I wouldn't hesitate.

I would also say that the service from my dealer (Simpsons in Colne) is exemplary - up to BMW standards which I thought were the ebst and ceratinly better than the local M-B dealer.

John

Mine's a Jan 2010 140Tdi. 28,000 miles and only been back to the dealer once (not counting the fuel line recall). It's never missed a beat and has done 3 European trips with the 4th coming up next month.

On this basis I have a 140 Tdi SE DSG on order for delivery in October.

I wouldn't hesitate.

I would also say that the service from my dealer (Simpsons in Colne) is exemplary - up to BMW standards which I thought were the ebst and ceratinly better than the local M-B dealer.

John

And I think, following a visit to Sinclair Skoda in Swansea today, that provided the figures match up, I will be ordering a replacement for delivery in December.

Cannot fault the car, nor the service, nor the sales "patter" which has always been honest and real. And my previous cars have been VW (loads) and Audi [a great many] from an excellent dealership in Hereford. BUT - the Skoda experience has eclipsed them all