New Roomster 6 months on

[eccleshill]

Had the Roomster 6 months now and have just short of 7,000 miles on the clock.

 

Problems?

Lets get them out of the way!

Number 1 -  light in the lower glovebox doesn't go out when it is closed.  Floor of top glovebox gets very warm!  Took the bulb out and then forgot to get it sorted when it went in for problem number 2!  Will be sorted at 1st service.

Number 2 - At around 5000 miles the engine management light came on, car was running fine but the light stayed on.  Faulty sensor in the DPF fixed under warranty.

 

Highlights?

Taking rubbish to the tip.  Took the rear seats out.  Totally embarrassed by the amount of space.  Not enough rubbish to fill it!

 

700 mile round trip to Devon one weekend to attend the christening of my great nephew.  3 adults plus luggage swallowed with ease, just slid the unused rear seat forward a smidge to allow cases to go in north-south.  After driving there (M1, M42, M5, A38) I felt so relaxed I was ready to do it again!  Same after the journey home.  Incredible comfort for long trips!

 

Grandkids love it!  Plenty of room for books and toys, great view out of the windows.  Long faces if we arrive in SWMBO's Yaris to take them out! 

 

No rattles!  This car is the first car I have ever had that is absolutely 100% free of rattles and squeaks.  Cold mornings, hot afternoons - silence!  Build quality is 2nd to none!

 

Brilliant interior!  On SWMBOs instruction went for the light interior - grey onyx seating and onyx & silver dash.  Wasn't convinced but she insisted.  She was right!  Coupled with the panoramic sunroof this makes the interior really light and airy.

 

The look on my brother's face when he saw it for the first time.  Priceless!!  (BMW man!!).  And my neighbour's face when he commiserated with me cos he thought it was a company car that had been forced on me.  When I told him it was mine and I had actually bought it...with my own money... Priceless!  (Audi man)

 

I still haven't seen another white Roomster!  Talk about exclusive!! 

 

Spec?

Definitely got it right for me.

Really glad I upgraded to the Amundsen - it is a very good unit.  Have got used to the over-verbose sat-nav instructions.

Cruise control gets enough use to warrant the cost 

Climate control is really good.  I now realise my initial thought that the fan was always set too high on Auto was down to the unusually hot summer!  It works brilliantly in auto, keeping the temperature right in winter.

ESP, TPM, HHC - not used in anger as far as I know. Except the hill hold - very good but makes you lazy and causes "moments" when you forget when driving cars that don't have it!

Maxi-dot integrates with the Amundsen - wouldn't be without it!  Just wish the "convenience" settings of the Octavia were there.

 

What do I miss?

From my 2 Octavia Elegances - just one thing!  The auto dimming rear view mirror.  That is the only thing I miss!

Heated seats? No

Headlamp washers? NO!!

Auto rain sensing wipers? - No

Dual zone climate? No.  What's the point?

Centre arm rest?  No!  I can operate the handbrake without needing a double jointed elbow!

I definitely do NOT miss - road noise, 37mpg (from the petrol one)

 

Techie stuff?

 

Oil usage - zero!  It is around 1mm off max which is exactly where it was on the day I collected it.

 

Fuel consumption - see my Fuelly!  I am delighted with it.  Thought I might do Devon and back on a single tank but the low fuel light came on (70 miles left) about 85 miles from home.  I hate driving with the low fuel light on so I filled up!

 

DPF - I have detected a few regens - tickover revs are at 1000rpm and the oil temperature climbs more quickly than normal, once on parking up in my drive the engine fan kept running for a couple of minutes after switch off and you could "smell the heat".  Surprising thing has been that after a period with no long trips, I have picked this up 3 or 4 times about 5 miles into my commute home - those 5 miles are mostly 40, 50, 60 mph A roads where traffic mostly allows driving at or near the speed limit.  When I pick it up I take a little 3 mile detour and it has always finished within that 3 miles.

 

Conclusion - Love it to bits.  Best car I have owned in 40yrs of driving.

[Robjon]

Nice report, Eccleshill 

 

Conclusion - Love it to bits.  Best car I have owned in 40yrs of driving.

 

I've held the same opinion of mine during the four years I have owned it.

 

Incidentally, I've only ever seen one white Roomster.  Stunning!

[restroom]

Hi, first post.

 

Good read that Eccleshill. You seem to have the same enthusiasm as me for my Roomster. Had mine three months and it really is the best car I have owned.

 

Quiet, smooth drive, economical with my average mileage at over 52 mpg. £105 road tax. 

 

Love it to bits.

[Robjon]

Hi Restroom and welcome to Briskoda.  You're in good company 

[paully]

Hello Eccleshill, wonder where you`d been...enjoying the Roomster of course  ..Mine has just a few thousand on the clock now, but is turning out the same as yours. A comfortable dream to drive, you should have got the heated seats..grand on days like these  :sun: ..done one long run and going down south for New year for another. Fuel consumption has dropped as the engine has got run in. V acceptable..As you say, no squeaks or rattles and holds the road very well.The road lights are excellent, once I found someone who knew how to set them  The finish is excellent and for what I paid its a bargain. My Granddaughter loves the large windows to see out off (nosy poppet) and with the high roof getting her in and out of her seat is easy and safe..

 

    Had a few silly remarks (should have got it in black then you could use it as a hearse...from a Fabia owner of all people..jealous I reckon) but I get to drive a car that suits me down to the ground...do they??...Long may the Roomster reign  :sun:

[eccleshill]

... you should have got the heated seats..grand on days like these  :sun: ...

Had 'em on the last Octavia but that had full leather which is a bit cold on the bum in winter!  Only ever used them for the 1st couple of miles after setting out - couldn't bear that "wet myself" feeling of having them on long term.

Fabric is fine without - warms up in no time.

[eccleshill]

Thought I would give an update...

I wrote the original after a trip down to Devon for the christening of my great nephew.  Just been down again for his little sister so seemed a good time.

Now had the Roomster 4 years and 41,000 miles.  Absolutely no thoughts of replacing it.  Love it just as much as I did when I did the 6 month write up.

 

Problems?  

As previously reported, an exhaust sensor failed and the glovebox light switch came adrift and needed reattachment.  Both fixed under warranty.  

I have an odd clunking sound from the rear suspension on one steep bumpy hill near home and nowhere else!  All attempts to track it down have failed, I have been assured that there is nothing loose so I just live with it.

Occasionally the air con won't start up.  If I switch off the engine after a mile or so and restart, it works fine!  Again, a problem that has defied attempts to track it down.  I live with it! 

ermm......  and that's it!

 

Things I don't like

The cigarette lighter power socket is in the most stupid place imaginable.  Should be next to the front cup holders.  I guess it is a compromise for front and rear passengers that ends up serving neither!

I am 6ft tall and have a fairly upright driving position.  I worry about the proximity of my left knee to the dashboard at the bottom corner of the radio.  In the event of a shunt I can't help feeling that my left knee is going to cop it!!

Map updates for the Amundsen are a total rip off.  From a main dealer the SD card update costs £160.  I can buy a TomTom with free lifetime map updates for less than that.  Luckily updates are available on Ebay for a price of around £60 which only seems reasonable when compared to £160!!

 

Things I like

Just about everything but in particular:

Comfort!  800 miles this weekend to Devon via Oxford, 4-up with no complaints.

Exclusivity!  In the 4 years I reckon I have only seen another 4 or 5 white Roomsters.  That was 3 or 4 until yesterday.  So if you have a white Greenline Roomster and you were leaving the Thornhill Park and Ride in Oxford at around 4:30pm yesterday (26th June), that was me just behind you at the lights :-)

The pale interior - said this before but... the interior was chosen by SWMBO and I wasn't convinced.  SO glad I gave in to her!  Coupled with the panoramic roof and large rear windows it makes the interior really light and airy.  Also, being white, where the paint shows inside it just blends in with the trim and doesn't really show.

The versatile rear seating.  I have used just about every combination!  Taken 'em all out to make a small van, taken one out to fit long stuff in, taken the middle one out and moved the outers together for more shoulder room for "larger" rear seat passengers and generally slid 'em and tilted 'em to make more boot space.

600 miles plus on a tank of fuel even before the low fuel light comes on.  This may sound a bit daft but the position of the fuel filler makes it really easy to reach round when the the fuel pump is at the "wrong side".  

 

Running costs

Main dealer serviced annually.  First 3 services were covered by the plan I got as part of the deal.  I paid for No 4.  Next service will be a biggie with cambelt change and I expect disks/pads will need change (still on originals)

Had a brake fluid change at 3 yrs

2 MOTs passed with nothing but advisories on tyre wear.

Tyres - fronts  - onto my 3rd set.  They have done around 18k miles per pair,  changed when they drop below 3mm.  The rears are still the original Continentals that still have plenty of tread but are showing signs of cracking in the treads.  Advisory at the last MOT - will change them for winter.

Oil usage - zero.  I am a little ashamed to admit that I hardly ever even bother to check the oil these days.  It doesn't use a drop between services. 

Fuel consumption - my fuelly is somewhat out of date but I do record all my fuel usage in a spreadsheet.  Around town consumption is 48-52mpg, on 70mph motorway trips it is 60-65mpg.  Since I retired last year we decided that we didn't need 2 cars so now the Roomster is used for the supermarket run.  I have noticed that frequent short journeys like this have a 10% or so impact on the fuel consumption I was getting before.  Here are the overall stats:

• Miles - 41,520
• fuel used - 3,427 litres
• average fuel consumption - 55 mpg

The only other significant cost has been a complete nearside mirror replacement (£300!!!!!) after being hit by flying debris whipped up by strong wind.  Lucky it didn't do more damage!

Oh! and 2 map updates for the Amundsen at £60 each from Ebay.  Currently have the 2016 map (Ver 8) and will update again in 2018.

 

The DPF

There is a lot of crap spouted about DPFs probably spawned by initial cases where they were badly grafted onto existing engines.  The 1.6TDi was designed to have a DPF so it just works and as a result I hardly ever notice it.  Never seen the DPF light except when I switch on the ignition and the time when the sensor failed.  Occasionally note that tickover is 1000rpm and the oil temperature is high.  That accompanied by a subtle change in engine note tells me that regeneration is in progress.  Lasts 5 miles or so then all done.

 

In summary:

What a car!  I haven't looked but is this the same as I wrote in December 2013?  Wouldn't surprise me if it was!

 

 

 

[HeavyMetalRich]

Glad to see you've had a great experience with your Roomster @eccleshill! We have had a similarly great experience in the six years we've had ours until this past month where I've had to replace the EGR valve, which in doing so revealed the need to repair or replace the front section of the exhaust. You may have read it already but the tale is all laid out here:

 

It's kind of made us think about whether or not we should keep it much longer but SWMBO stated when we (she) bought it that it had to do ten years. There's no reason it shouldn't.

 

Anyway, hopefully you don't have such issues with yours and enjoy many more happy trips with it. I'm busy preparing ours for its next trip in just under two weeks time. It should soak it up with ease.

[RichardatWakefield]

Hi Eccleshill,

There's a very scruffy and basic-trim (steel wheels) solid white Roomster around Morley, am up there tomorrow, will keep an eye open for it.  It has a lot of scuffed and dinged paintwork, lets the side down a bit, but the Praktik van versions "over there" probably end up looking similarly un-loved!

 

Richard

[HeavyMetalRich]

5 hours ago, RichardatWakefield said:

Hi Eccleshill,

There's a very scruffy and basic-trim (steel wheels) solid white Roomster around Morley, am up there tomorrow, will keep an eye open for it.  It has a lot of scuffed and dinged paintwork, lets the side down a bit, but the Praktik van versions "over there" probably end up looking similarly un-loved!

 

Richard

 

Can't believe they didn't market the Praktik over here. I'm sure it would've done alright.

[Robjon]

I loved my first Roomster (Scout).  Best car I've ever owned.  But the return of an old knee injury meant I had to swap it for an auto.

 

I really liked my Roomster SE DSG, but the softer seats crippled me.  I searched for some Scout seats, but they were as rare as rocking horse poo.

 

I love my (present) Yeti DSG.  It's a brilliant car that I intend to hold on to for the foreseeable future - even if it does lack the character and practicality of the Roomster.

 

But if Skoda were to re-introduce the Roomster... in Scout form... with DSG... and that wonderful pano roof...

 

 

[edbostan]

Took mine on a 2600 mile around trip to Switzerland via France, Germany and Belgium. Fully loaded and 4 up it performed faultlessly going up the alpine roads. It was so comfortable that when my co-driver took over I slept like a baby in the back.

[oscarl]

Hi Eccleshill,

I have just added another Roomster to Guiseley! Surprised I have never seen yours... there is a turquoise one living nearby and now my silver one. I tried to buy a diffient colour but there were so few!

I had a much loved Fabia before but the Roomster is delightful. Why didn't I buy one earlier?!

Very glad to hear that they continue to delight.

[eccleshill]

Hi oscarl

 

Shock horror... Roomsters take over Guiseley!!  There was one next door to me but she sold up and went home to France - it's in Esholt now.  

 

Mine now has 53,000 on the clock.  Just did 1000+ miles in a dozen days picking up my wife's US cousins from Heathrow, family reunion in Northolt, family reunion in Oxford, home to Guiseley, family reunion in Consett, home to Guiseley, family reunion in Liverpool, and finally farewell at Manchester Airport.  Much running about in between.

 

It swallowed up 4 adults with luggage.  I removed the centre seat and moved the remaining 2 together for more elbow room and slid them forward a smidgin so the big suitcases would fit north/south.  Even managed to keep the parcel shelf.

 

Cruised happily on the motorways at 70mph (herhum!!!) and still returned high 50's mpg.

 

If you're as happy with yours as I am with mine you'll be keeping it for a LONG time.

[edbostan]

Saw a 15 plate white one last month. Stunning!

[eccleshill]

3 hours ago, edbostan said:

Saw a 15 plate white one last month. Stunning!

Despite jibes from workmates that it looks like the Popemobile or an Ice Cream van, I agree, Candy White is the best (and rarest?) colour for a Roomster.

Regarding the Ice Cream Van... see attached Jowett Bradford van in the Bradford Industrial Museum... looks familiar? :-)

 

[edbostan]

I have the Brilliant Silver but it did not stop an ex-girlfriend of my son who mentioned that it looked like a hearse.  Would be in black!

[eccleshill]

4 hours ago, edbostan said:

I have the Brilliant Silver but it did not stop an ex-girlfriend of my son who mentioned that it looked like a hearse.  Would be in black!

And the red ones look like Postman Pat vans...

[Robjon]

When I owned a Roomster, the "Postman Pat / Ice Cream / Pope / Hearse" jibes would stop whenever a newly-discovered "mate" wanted a bulky item moved without the cost of hiring a van!

[edbostan]

It was the natural successor to my much-loved Fiat Multipla. The Roomie is cavernous when all of the rear seats are taken out. I do miss the 6th seat though which the Multi offered.

[edbostan]

I think the glove box light is constantly on as there is no switch as far as I can see. I posted the observation today as my upper glove box is warm. I have had mine since new so it must have been on for the last 5 years.

[eccleshill]

It is the switch that comes adrift but it is buried behind the dash.  To confirm whether it is staying on use your smartphone.  Start taking a movie, put the smartphone in the glovebox camera lens up, shut the glovebox, wait a few seconds, take out the phone and view the movie.  You can use the same method to confirm that the light does go out when you lock the doors so no danger of flattening the battery

A temporary fix is to remove the bulb.

[edbostan]

There is no switch and the light is on constantly while the car is unlocked. Lock the doors and the glove box lamp turns off. Found that out last night in the dark! May be the same with other models as someone mentioned it with his Octavia.

Edited 1 October, 2018 by edbostan