Decision made - skoda going

[Whitelighter]

I wanted to like the monte I really did. I hankered after a MK1 VRs when they were new and I thought the 1.6 monte would be a suitable new alternative.

Sadly, I just can't live with the build quality. To many squeaks, rattles and bits of pastic that just don't fit together well enough. It's ok, but when you spend as many hours behind the wheel as I do little things build up and really start to grate.

That's not to say the car is without its good points. Fuel economy has been superb, averaging just shy of 70mpg for the life of the car now (not updated fuelly for a while). Also the satnav, iPod, phone and maxidot integration is very good for a car of the fabias size and cost. I've also had quite avfew people comment about how good the car looks too - which I suppose is a plus.

Anyway, deal done on the replacement so it's off to auto trader to find a home for the fabia.

[Ad Lav]

What's the replacement?

Build quality is better than the mk1 so not sure what you expected from a hatch back.

[seboni121]

And the replacement is ? I agree about the build quality its not too good in the fabia my superb was awesome as was the octy , its the only issue I had with my fabias

Edited 24 February, 2013 by seboni121

[Whitelighter]

C220CDi AMG Sport+

[Whitelighter]

I don't expect miracles from a hatchback, but one where the dash rattles so loudly it can be heard even over road noise and stereo at 70mph is a bit much :(

[Ad Lav]

Skoda to mercedes should be better quality anyway lol

[Whitelighter]

That's what I'm hoping.

I went for the Fabia to be sensible - low cost and cheap to run yet still sporty and I think quite stylish. I'm just not getting on with it so back to German saloons I go

[Ootohere]

Is that a C Class from £29,950 new ? you would hope it would be good.

70mpg was quite amazing as a average for your ownership.

What was the best MPG you managed?

george

[Moist Von Lipwig]

Not exactly a like for like change.

Does sound like you had some exceptionally bad dash rattles, did you try and get the dealer to rectify them at all?. Best of luck with the replacement.

[XK140]

What's the point of coming on a Skoda forum and slagging off a Skoda and saying you've found something better BUT what you've found is DOUBLE the price.

No point whatsoever IMO.

[GeneralPurpose]

I don't think that's quite what he is doing XK. From his posts he seems pretty happy with the car overall, but pee'd off with a rattly dash and clearly has some issue going on there. I can understand how it can be annoying if one spends hours a day in your car. But it surprises me as I've yet to come across rattles or squeaks to any degree in any Fabia (and can always be fixed), but clearly some have. His fuel economy seems pretty good and in line with what many report too. My own experience is good with rattles and squeaks being virtually nil in my Fabia and no different to my bro in laws brand new Golf, which incidentally uses the same materials and quite a bit else for the dash. I have to say that I don't recognise the phrase...'Mercedes and Quality' in the same sentence! That is not something I ever experienced with Mercedes, but that was a while ago now in a £70k car (SEC500). Good luck Whitelighter with the new car and post back to tell us about it please!

[Whitelighter]

George,

Best I saw on a single journey was 83.4mpg, a trip of 81 miles at constant motorway speed. That was trip computer only, but I found that to be fairly accurate to within 1.5mpg on average.

Best tank to tank average I acheived was 74.2mpg which involved getting 727 miles from refil to refil. The refil took less than 45l and I was pretty dilligent about stopping on the first click so I am fairly happy that the expansion tank wasnt used.

XK140, I havent 'come on here' to slag of Skoda's, if you see I have made 284 posts before this one. Also, if you notice I initially didnt mention what car I was replaceing it with, that was only posted in answer to other's enquiries.

Not really sure what your issue is, green eyed monster perhaps?

[Whitelighter]

Not exactly a like for like change.

Does sound like you had some exceptionally bad dash rattles, did you try and get the dealer to rectify them at all?. Best of luck with the replacement.

No, to be honest on a like for like basis (ie small diesel car) I reckon even now its hard to beat the Fabia for value and performance etc. Its just that a small car really doesnt work for me. The car has been back several times for the rattles, sometimes they fixed a few, but quite often they either made other worse or, in the case of the main bad dash squeek this started after dealer warranty work and they refused to acknowledge that.

[biggy7]

congrats on new car mate

did you look at the ocatavia's? more bang for buck

[Whitelighter]

I did look at the Octy, especially the VRs but I have a friend who works for MB head office, and the deal he presented, with the 4.9% apr finance offer they have meant the Merc was signifiantly less than quite a few other models spec for spec - its only £90 more per month than I paid for the Fabia so its a bit of a no-brainer.

Plus spec wise the C220 comes with a lot standard so that closes the price gap.

[newbie69]

I think what's weird is the completely different target groups those two cars are aiming to, to a point where a comparison is almost impossible. The Monte is a spacey, practical and economical everyday hot hatch with some sporty touches on the look, but the Merc is a classy saloon for the businessman that does endless miles every month. Can't really see many things in common between those two so unless some dramatic changes have taken place in personal/buisiness life, it would be difficult to imagine someone driving a C220 while thinking of a Monte as the alternative and vice versa. Of course there's always the person that decides on a car based on how big a bargain it is and secondarily on whether it is the ideal choice for his driving needs. And that is also understandable.

[Martin|G|Allen]

I'll join the 'don't understand' club.

The C220CDi AMG Sport+ is always going to be better than a Fabia, with a price tag to match.

You'd have to compare that particular car with the BMW 530d and Audi A4 (and both of those [according to reviews] are better value than the Merc)

Its like me saying, I really like my 1.4 Fabia 3, but went out and bought a Lambo Gallardo as the fuel cap rattled a little bit ;-)

Enjoy the Merc, I am jealous... as I could only dream to be able to afford the insurance on it, and I wouldn't feel happy parking it on the streets where I live!

Martin

[XK140]

George,

Best I saw on a single journey was 83.4mpg, a trip of 81 miles at constant motorway speed. That was trip computer only, but I found that to be fairly accurate to within 1.5mpg on average.

Best tank to tank average I acheived was 74.2mpg which involved getting 727 miles from refil to refil. The refil took less than 45l and I was pretty dilligent about stopping on the first click so I am fairly happy that the expansion tank wasnt used.

XK140, I havent 'come on here' to slag of Skoda's, if you see I have made 284 posts before this one. Also, if you notice I initially didnt mention what car I was replaceing it with, that was only posted in answer to other's enquiries.

Not really sure what your issue is, green eyed monster perhaps?

Don't be silly.

My vRs doesn't rattle,so perhaps yours has faults the dealer should rectify.

If you are spending a lot of time and a lot of business miles in a car then ,I agree ,it probably shouldn't be a Fabia,but you should have known that when you bought it.As I see it the Fabia's interior quality is up there with similar cars in the class.If you had gone to a Ford / Vauxhall/Renault and revealed their interiors were far better then that would have contributed to our fund of knowledge,but the fact that a Merc's interior is better than a Fabia's is a statement of the bleeding obvious.

It's rather foolish to make assumptions about people on the Internet that you know nothing about .One of my best friends is a Merc specialist mechanic who used to maintain the SLK I had before I replaced it with the 350z I've got now.In point of fact before I got the Fabia I considered a used C320 Cdi but decided I wanted the back up of a 5 year warranty on the Fabia,which,by the way,I bought for cash,no finance involved.Within reason I could buy any car I wanted.I'm 63 years old and it's not long ago that I bought a TVR Tuscan for £40k.So,no,I'm not jealous of you in your rep special Merc.

The basic point is that when you leave a forum you should just leave,no need to announce your departure in a grand manner ,we are all readily dispensable.

[newbie69]

The truth is most Fabias I've been into, including mine, are rattling at some level. What is that level every time and what is the level each driver can tolerate is a combination that for some means they need a new car, while others say they barely notice it, nowhere near becoming annoying. I'm somewhere in the middle. Also, 9 out of 10 dealers will tell you: "it's just the way it's built", "it's a sport model" blah blah blah. (real excuses I've heard myself).

[XK140]

The truth is most Fabias I've been into, including mine, are rattling at some level. What is that level every time and what is the level each driver can tolerate is a combination that for some means they need a new car, while others say they barely notice it, nowhere near becoming annoying. I'm somewhere in the middle. Also, 9 out of 10 dealers will tell you: "it's just the way it's built", "it's a sport model" blah blah blah. (real excuses I've heard myself).

It's true that I always buy "sports" oriented cars,both for my first and second car,since that's what I'm into (even at my advanced age),I prefer that to silence and luxury.So it's possible that small amounts of unrefinement go unnoticed.

But surely the point is whether or not the Fabia is better or worse than its similarly priced competitors.

[newbie69]

It's true that I always buy "sports" oriented cars,both for my first and second car,since that's what I'm into (even at my advanced age),I prefer that to silence and luxury.So it's possible that small amounts of unrefinement go unnoticed.

But surely the point is whether or not the Fabia is better or worse than its similarly priced competitors.

That was one reason I would have never considered a Monte to be honest. All the bads of a sporty chassis (harder ride, rattles) but not the good ones (power/speed). I may moan sometimes after driving over a bumpy road but as soon as I'm clear to hit the gas pedal and I do, I forget all about it. But that may be slightly off-topic.

Edited 25 February, 2013 by newbie69

[Whitelighter]

XK140, its seems you are the one with a chip on his shoulder, not me

[Whitelighter]

I'll join the 'don't understand' club.

The C220CDi AMG Sport+ is always going to be better than a Fabia, with a price tag to match.

You'd have to compare that particular car with the BMW 530d and Audi A4 (and both of those [according to reviews] are better value than the Merc)

Its like me saying, I really like my 1.4 Fabia 3, but went out and bought a Lambo Gallardo as the fuel cap rattled a little bit ;-)

Enjoy the Merc, I am jealous... as I could only dream to be able to afford the insurance on it, and I wouldn't feel happy parking it on the streets where I live!

Martin

I have always liked the modern skodas, and I thought id have a go at buying a sensible cheaper car, that's all.

I tend to go for things I like, rather than things that the marketing men think I should like.

Car before the Fabia was an Alfa!