Well the past 9 months of vRS Blackline ownership have been fairly uneventful though seems as though that tide is changing.........

Rattle has started in the rear tailgate, think one of the bolts on the third rear brake light have sheered off.

The front wipers have just started banging and it sounds as though its coming from the mechanism in the front scuttle panel, they still work but its bloody annoying.

Also i hit a pothole in it a while ago and it knocked the steering allignment out very slightly, no crazy pulling just steering wheel a degree or two off centre to the right when travelling in a straight line. Hit another this weekend and now the wheel allignment is nigh on perfect and still does not pull.

car is due a service shortly so been waiting to have a four wheel alignment done at the same time but has led me to believe the steering rack is made from chocolate rather than metal.

Its these little things that have started souring my experience with the car, up until now was chuffed as its the first VAG car ive had for a long while that had given me no issues and now they all seem to be coming at once....has made me question whether id have another.

The rattle & wiper fault should be easily rectified under warranty,the potholes problem can happen to anybody with any car,hardly skoda's fault. I wouldnt let these 2 minor faults put me off the car. 

Absolutely and yes wheel alignment one of those things....still the bumps in the road werent that bad and was surprised either had any effect on the car at all never mind knocking the alignment out and back in again. Cant say ive ever had that problem with a car over 15 years of driving.

Im kind of resolved to the fact that VAG cars arent the most reliable; had several and problems with all of them the last of which being another Skoda, was hoping this time around id gotten lucky but now starting to see some of those early life issues ive had with every other new VAG car ive owned; still think their good cars just a shame thats all.

Im kind of resolved to the fact that VAG cars arent the most reliable; 

 

Yes, they aren't as good as they used to be way back. Still fairly decent cars, but I too have been slightly disappointed with faults on my cars. As it stands my Skodas have been no more reliable than Chryslers, Renaults, and Vauxhalls I have owned in the past.   

Yes, they aren't as good as they used to be way back. Still fairly decent cars, but I too have been slightly disappointed with faults on my cars. As it stands my Skodas have been no more reliable than Chryslers, Renaults, and Vauxhalls I have owned in the past.

Glad im not alone in my thoughts. Without doubt VAG make some of the best mainstream cars going, just a shame they struggle to demonstrate that teutonic ruggedness they did in the 80's and 90's; probably had their share of issues then but just seemed a bit more bombproof; their cars werent half as complex then though

Edited 15 October, 201312 yr by pipsyp

I had one of the lugs snap on the back of the high-level brake light on my estate.

 

Fixed under warranty in a few minutes whilst I waited and been fine ever since.

 

New cars are far more complex than they used to be and will continue to suffer with occasional niggles.

 

In my opinion VAG are one of the better main stream manufacturers.

 

Sounds to me like you are looking for excuses to trade it it for a MkIII!

Well the past 9 months of vRS Blackline ownership have been fairly uneventful though seems as though that tide is changing.........

Rattle has started in the rear tailgate, think one of the bolts on the third rear brake light have sheered off.

The front wipers have just started banging and it sounds as though its coming from the mechanism in the front scuttle panel, they still work but its bloody annoying.

Also i hit a pothole in it a while ago and it knocked the steering allignment out very slightly, no crazy pulling just steering wheel a degree or two off centre to the right when travelling in a straight line. Hit another this weekend and now the wheel allignment is nigh on perfect and still does not pull.

car is due a service shortly so been waiting to have a four wheel alignment done at the same time but has led me to believe the steering rack is made from chocolate rather than metal.

Its these little things that have started souring my experience with the car, up until now was chuffed as its the first VAG car ive had for a long while that had given me no issues and now they all seem to be coming at once....has made me question whether id have another.

 

Pipsyp - I'm in shock, this post is not in your usual upbeat, positive and helpful tone which I have become accustomed to in the last year.

 

OK, lets put things in perspective:

 

1.  "past 9 months of vRS Blackline ownership have been fairly uneventful" - this is a good news item and should be expected with a new car

2.  "Rattle has started in the rear tailgate" - down to the dealer for a warranty fix, no big deal 

3.  "front wipers have just started banging" - as per 2

4.  "hit a pothole in it a while ago and it knocked the steering allignment out very slightly" - blame central/local government for shocking maintenance on highway and not a reflection on Skoda vehicles

 

A few wee niggles there but an occupational hazard with car ownership and is not exclusive to Skoda cars.  Nothing in your post which makes me have second minds about my Blackline which has given me no problems in the last 9 months, 3,500 miles and no DPF problems <runs away to touch wood>.

Oh dont misunderstand for a minute BA still love the car and its no tragedy. I was just made up that it hadnt put a foot wrong for nearly a year then a few niggles have reared their heads all at once. I was even not bothered about the steering until it became evident how easily the wheel alignment can be knocked about....though the second time has more or less corrected the original offset! :-)

As I said in my last post still think VAG make a great mainstream vehicle, far short of buying a MK3 or a 3 series/C class still cant think of much else id rather be driving right now just a shame the good run didnt continue. Nothing id bother getting sorted under warranty but have also noticed some poor paint finish on the front wings, leather on drivers seat base has gone shiny and started to bag a bit, also car is starting to rattle a bit more than i would expect for a car less than a year old.

I dont do loads of miles but the car is knocking on for 8.5k since end of Jan, in fairness doesnt look like your car has seen half the use of mine in the same sort of time, my car didnt exhibit any of the above at 3.5k. Just saying.

Just have to say after having another Skoda recently that gave its fair share of issues (again nothing tragic but worse than the Blackline) its taken a bit of the shine off of Skoda ownership for me right now

Edited 15 October, 201312 yr by pipsyp

I do not have a Blackline but I do have a May 12 Vrs CR estate and in almost 18 months I have driven 34K miles. 

 

Good points:

It is big enough for a family of 5 plus 2 dogs.

It can run at 130KMH all day long on the continent and return 45-48 MPG. 

Sat Nav good

Stereo good.

Beadles Maidstone has been helpful,

No faults so far.

 

Bad points:

This is the most uncomfortable car I have ever owned due to the slight offset in the pedals, which forces the right seat bolster to dig into my thigh. I am 6ft 3ins, which is not the tallest in the world and I am not huge (fat) just average. Unfortunately as I bought it new I cannot afford to take the financial hit and change the car so I will be living with it for the next few years.

I'm 6'3", slightly overweight  :think: and have a year old TSI VRS. The only thing i found uncomfortable is the ride was slightly harder than what i was used to (until i got a go in a Honda Type-R and discovered what real hard suspension is!!!)

 

I considered a Focus ST2 when i was buying, however the sports seats were so tight i couldn't sit back, and my knee was permanently resting on the light switch. 

 

As for overall - i really have abused this motor and its still very solid. There are niggles, but there are always niggles.

For some perspective....

 

New clutch & DMF, DPF light & subsequent removal, 3 new tyres, ALL suspension bushings replaced at the front, new turbo and this week a reconditioned gearbox. All in the last 5 months. All totalling more than I bought the car for and all because, to be honest, it doesn't really matter what make of car you have, how new it is or how much you shelled out for it, they can all go catastrophically wrong...

 

That's why the little things are called 'niggles'; They're not really proper issues...

For some perspective....

New clutch & DMF, DPF light & subsequent removal, 3 new tyres, ALL suspension bushings replaced at the front, new turbo and this week a reconditioned gearbox. All in the last 5 months. All totalling more than I bought the car for and all because, to be honest, it doesn't really matter what make of car you have, how new it is or how much you shelled out for it, they can all go catastrophically wrong...

That's why the little things are called 'niggles'; They're not really proper issues...

yes but how old is the car? Wouldnt imagine with that amount of problems its 9 months old with 8.5k on the clock.

We're all different but as soon as a car becomes a money pit personally i sell it.

The point i was making really is that i felt it a shame to buy a 20k car and after 9 months a good few silly niggly issues start rearing up. Its not a big deal to me per se but people do go on about how Skodas are generally dead reliable and probably better than their VW counterparts but in my experience I havent seen that at all, not really been any better at all.

I'm mildly amused by the money pit comment, swiftly followed by the £20k bit...

It was £4k, it's cost me another £4k, it's 5 years old and I reckon I can keep it for another 10 years and still not run up a £20k bill. That's a phenomenal amount of money to spend (lose) in one go!

As you say, we're all different and I suppose if I'd shelled out that much for a car I'd want it to be perfect but after seeing my old feller spending considerably more than that on a Range Rover that's had issues from day one and my Uncle with his new Audi AllRoad a few years back that he does nothing but complain about, I'm quite happy fixing my 'banger'.

Sent using my Breville Sandwich Toaster...

For some 'like for like' prespective my blackline is a year old on saturday (I might have to get it a cake to celebrate but for me to eat of course ) and has spent 19 days in the garage with numerous faults - steering control module, climate control went wibble and the whole dash has been out to fix it, has had a new Amundsen+ headunit fitted, it goes on and on just look at my signature for full details so I would say that yours is a quite a good one. On the plus side I should now get some sort of discount at the garage since they have gotten so much work from me    - I estimate that SUK have spent at least 2k fixing the faults on my car so far and there is a rather attractive girl behind the service desk lol.

Copied and pasted my signature incase you are on your phone

 

Wing mirror ripped off by some yobbo, broken temp sensor for climate control, broken climate control control panel in dash, broken steering control module, broken satnav ariel, plastic foil in front of rear wheel peeling off, random alarm activations, (scratched passanger window, kerbed alloy, scratched paintwork all done by the garage), faulty Amundsen satnav (was in for this to be replaced but the garage ordered the wrong head unit and now Amundsen's are on back order) got a free upgrade to a bluetooth Amundsen - just need to get a microphone so I can speak to the person on the other end of the line, random stalling under light load, rattling from the aircon unit when going over uneven road surfaces due to it starting to fall apart, possibly a sticky brake caliper and a suspected coolant leak - no fault found apparently, I'm not so sure. Total time in garage - 19 days. All since 19th October 2012 and in 6600 miles. Thinking I should have got it in yellow so it could be a proper lemon

Edited 17 October, 201312 yr by Blackline Stu

 Thinking I should have got it in yellow so it could be a proper lemon

 

 

Oy...!!   Now't Wrong with Yellow ones    :no:

I'm mildly amused by the money pit comment, swiftly followed by the £20k bit...

It was £4k, it's cost me another £4k, it's 5 years old and I reckon I can keep it for another 10 years and still not run up a £20k bill. That's a phenomenal amount of money to spend (lose) in one go!

As you say, we're all different and I suppose if I'd shelled out that much for a car I'd want it to be perfect but after seeing my old feller spending considerably more than that on a Range Rover that's had issues from day one and my Uncle with his new Audi AllRoad a few years back that he does nothing but complain about, I'm quite happy fixing my 'banger'.

Sent using my Breville Sandwich Toaster...

Ive not shelled out 20k to buy it technically, I dont have that much spare cash to throw at a car. Majority funded by a car allowance and is an age restriction on the car I can run. Way most PCP deals work its cheaper to fund a new rather than similar price used car as the loan interest rate is typically better.

Im paying less per month for a brand new 20k Octavia vRS than I would have been for a 16.5k used one as an example with similar mileage limit, term and deposit.

Also not insinuating your car is a banger at all, not an exact science but you could argue buying an 8k one in the first place may have been a better bet?

I cant justify chucking my hard earned disposable income at a car just to keep it running, if a car starts costing me hundreds of pounds a time for non routine maintenance then it doesnt stay on my driveway long; though I am sure you'd argue now youve spent 4k on yours putting it right that you'll spend very little on it in years to come, truely hope thats the case for you. Were all different I just resent cars going wrong big style and emptying my pockets when I could be spending the money on arguably better things.

17k on my 1 year old blackline, and apart from the paint peeling on the inside of the wheel arch then the rest has been absolutely fine.

 

i do keep cracking my head on the sunglasses holder when I get in the car and ive left it down from when i got out. It bloody stings aswell!

Oy...!!   Now't Wrong with Yellow ones    :no:

 

I wasn't saying that there is anything wrong with yellow ones. Just stating the fact that it might feel more at home being yellow so it can pretend to be a lemon

Also not insinuating your car is a banger at all, not an exact science but you could argue buying an 8k one in the first place may have been a better bet?

 

It's currently the most expensive paperweight in my garage.

 

I had deliberated as I had around £7K to play with at the time depending on what I sold the Fabia for (Mum got it for mates rates and now she's a lunatic) so I felt that £4K was worth a stab and saved me cash in the short term even if I needed to spend the rest in the mid-term. If I'd spent £7K to begin with, I could still have needed a new turbo or clutch in the first 6 months which would have seriously hacked me off and strained the budget and then I would have had the 'What else is going to cost me lots if it blows' voice in my head.

As it is, despite my misgivings about doubling my original outlay, I've got a lot more peace of mind when driving the car (or will have soon) and now feel like I'm in a better position to keep on top of it's maintenance requirements going forward.

 

Also, I tend to prefer the idea of investing in something and owning it for longer periods of time, it's a bit of a family thing really, my Grandparents still run this thing around...

 

 

 

Edited 18 October, 201312 yr by BigBadRob

 

 

i do keep cracking my head on the sunglasses holder when I get in the car and ive left it down from when i got out. It bloody stings aswell!

 

 

This confuses me, how is this possible - are you getting in the passenger side and climbing across?  If so I can help, if you check the owner's manual under 'doors', you will see that the car is fitted with them both sides for your convenience!       

Quick update.....more or less everything forgiven.....

Wipers.....seems as though a twig had managed to work its way into the drivers wiper mechanism and work its way back out again; since pulling it out the clunking has stopped.

Rattling tailgate....again has miraculously stopped. Still not 100% what it is, if it were one of the rear brake light lugs its probably found a permanent hone somewhere it can no longer move around which is all fine by me.

Even the steering allignment/tracking seems fine; tyre wear seems even from what I can see, road noise OK, tracks pretty much 100% straight on a flat piece of road and steering wheel more or less dead centre now. Still think Skodas recommended front pressures (2.1 bar) are too low and have caused premature wearing of the fronts; on verge of needing replacing @ 9k miles which is a poor show but not the cars fault. Running 2.2 bar all round now and seems better.

so only things ive really got to complain about now are having to tax the car and replace two front tyres at the cost of nearly 500 quid all in all at once! Think I must own a self healing car!

Good to hear.Must check my tire pressures! Remember to try places like camskill/blackcircles for tire prices is £500 for tyres seems a bit steep!

I read it like that too, but I think its £500 for 2x tyres and tax!

Im sure you knew about the fact you would need to tax the car and put tyres on it...