Just got upto 1200 Kms on the Odo. Finally started opening the car up. Got in a street race with a Hyundai Accent (!!!!!!), anyway no sweat, got the car upto 205km/hr real quick and the guy was hardly a speck in the rearview. The car is real fun.

Although one bad experience was the left mirror assembly ripped off by some b----rd right from outside my house. Had to pay Rs.7500 (that's $180 for those who live outside India). This guy had taken the mirror assemblies on my honda 3 times in 5 yrs. If i catch him i'll split his head open. Needed to get the aggression out.

Also the rear doors developed some major rattles. Went to the dealer and even the security gaurd knew that I must have come for the door noise. Apparently rear doors rattling is a problem with the octavias. Has anyone experienced this?

The question the service advisor asked me that i must have hit a bump or pothole at high speed and hence the rattling. Considering that the rainy season just got over in India, there are a lot of potholes, and avoiding all of them is impossible. Even so, the ppl there adjusted the noise by moving the hinge on the car body. The noise has stopped for now but it does does not seem to be a permanent solution as i'm sure it'll move again.

Has anyone who has experienced these rattles solved the issue?

When I first got mine in 2001, another member had a creaking noise from the back door. Was caused where the rubber and metal come together, the dealer solved that problem by spraying the door rubber with a silicon spray. Have not heard of a rattling problem. Maybe its a side effect of Indian roads, even lowered and stiffened and driven across the so called "highway to hell" between germany and belgium mine still didnt rattle.

When I first got mine in 2001, another member had a creaking noise from the back door. Was caused where the rubber and metal come together, the dealer solved that problem by spraying the door rubber with a silicon spray. Have not heard of a rattling problem. Maybe its a side effect of Indian roads, even lowered and stiffened and driven across the so called "highway to hell" between germany and belgium mine still didnt rattle.

Well the rattling was pretty bad. And the adjustment to the hinge did solve the issue. The warning bells rand in my head when eveyone at the dealership basically just nodded their head and said " door rattles", which lead me to believe that this is a common problem.

The thing is that although Indian roads are not Euorpean quality, I had driven my Honda 110,000 Kms for 5 yrs without a single creak from the car. And that car had seen some hard service. So why should a car ,which at first glance looks immensely more solid than the honda, rattle 10 days out of the showroom.

It maybe the window rails in the door. Its possible that one of the screws has come loose. Nothing a quick poke inside the door won't sort out.

So why should a car ' date='which at first glance looks immensely more solid than the honda, rattle 10 days out of the showroom.[/quote']

Because sadly they are not built to anything like hondas standards! :(

IIRC one of the common Octavia rattles used to be caused by the hinges on the rear seat ?