Hi all.

As some of you know, I make regular update posts on my Octy. Being one of the older cars on here, I thought I would continue to post Bismarck's status as hopefully a guide to those who may be looking at keeping their Octy on a long (ish) term basis.

So, keeping it brief as I have posted a lot of this stuff on previous updates a bit about the car.

Cancelled order which I decided to grab to avoid silly waiting times way back then.

It was destined for the owner of the dealership but he changed his mind too late and the car was already on its way.

Spec is pretty good which of course I had no say in, see signature at the bottom of my posts for detail.

Mileage to date 25,260.

Things I have added, boot sill protector, mud flaps, sill protectors (rear), metal inserts for the seat adjustment levers, eyebrows, wheels (originals are clean, dry and safely tucked away in the garage) and of course Briskoda stickers.

Right, the not so good bits.

Noisy Fuel Pump replaced after a couple of weeks (warranty)

Leaking Power Boot Struts replaced at last service in November (warranty)

Occasionally Slow To Start issue sorted with a software upgrade earlier this year (warranty)

Outside of actual failures, my only real gripes are the road noise which can at times be a little tedious depending on the surface you are driving on. She also has a couple of trim rattles which others have covered elsewhere on the forum which only appear at certain speeds / levels of vibration.

One other thing is the marriage of TDi to DSG can on occasions leave a little to be desired, it's not a deal breaker but it does require you to adjust your driving style slightly in certain situations.

The good bits...

Err, everything else really, to date, she has been a joy.

I continue to be very pleased with her, she has proven to have more than adequate space for my needs and the performance is great too. Long Term Fuel Economy hasn't changed since my last post which I think was 46-47mpg.

Lights and brakes are excellent and the handling is pretty good for a load lugger. The ride which was a bit choppy when new has improved with age, while hardly Bentley quality, it's more supple than it was.

Early on I did have some concerns over how well the interior trim might hold up but so far it's doing fine, the seats are comfortable too even on long journeys.

I appreciate spec is a very personal thing and we might all disagree to a certain extent with what others might choose, as a cancelled order, my spec was decided for me but here's my thoughts on some of the more important bits...

Panoramic Sunroof, brilliant, love it, really makes the cabin a bright airy place.

KESSY, this one will divide the audience but I really like it, very convenient.

Power Boot, fantastic, thought it might be a bit gimmicky but once again, very convenient.

Proper Spare Wheel, essential, nuff said.

Canton Sounds, having experienced the sound in a non Canton Octy, it really is an improvement.

Sunset Glass, helps the aesthetics and makes for happier back seat passengers (and dogs)

Light Assist, lazy but I like it and it seems to work well and rarely does the wrong thing.

The remainder of the spec are to me 'nice to haves' but I doubt if I would lose too much sleep if I didn't have one or all of them.

So, that's about it, next update will be on her third birthday when I fully expect to post another positive review.

As I said at the end of my last update, if you think my posts are a little rose tinted, I call it how I see it, I'm in no way affiliated to Skoda, I'm just a happy owner!

Lastly, apologies for the pic, taken a short time ago on a first generation iPad in murky weather, say no more!

"one of the older cars here"

 

It's an MK3, how old can it be? You've only done 25k odd miles   .

"one of the older cars here"

 

It's an MK3, how old can it be? You've only done 25k odd miles   .

Ok, not my best grammar, I meant one of the older Mk3s...

Well let me warn you in advance: I needed a new EGR valve and Turbo after 80k kilometers... EGR was stuffed (in the literal sense: clogged up with soot) and the Turbo was cracked and was leaking exhaust gases. All covered under warranty as she's only 1.5 years old, but still... I just picked her back up this morning. Good thing too, I was getting tired of driving the 1.2TSI DSG loaner...

Ok, not my best grammar, I meant one of the older Mk3s...

Mine's 3 years old in 23 days time.

 

Apart from a single piece of wrong interior trim being fitted at the factory and various rattles since day one it's been perfectly reliable.

 

Do not like the DSG + Diesel combination, nothing against the gearbox...... just picked up a DSG Golf GTI as a replacement so love the gearbox just not mated well with the diesel engine!

 

Favourite toy is probably the park assist doing it's thing but also love the total closure system....watching the windows and sunroof all close when you lock the car.

 

I'll miss the space but I've now got an extra 80 horses under my right foot and won't be paying £174 a month BIK tax so that'll more than make up for it.

Where did you get the mud flaps from?

Being white mine could really do with some on the back..... Any pics?

Where did you get the mud flaps from?

Being white mine could really do with some on the back..... Any pics?

Try SuperSkoda or Skodadop

As I said at the end of my last update, if you think my posts are a little rose tinted, I call it how I see it, I'm in no way affiliated to Skoda, I'm just a happy owner!

 

Nice to hear unbiased views on an old car !!

Where did you get the mud flaps from?

Being white mine could really do with some on the back..... Any pics?

Standard mudflaps DO fit, front and back. from dealers, cheaper from Eire, Sheffield Skoda, and Superskoda - half list price or less. See posts elsewhere in the Octy section.