Opinions, should I get my money back

[Shacky13]

Some who have read previous threads of mine will see I bought a 2004 tdi 140 Octavia a month ago .... since then it's been a nightmare but under warranty.... engine light came on going home.... had to do an 80 mile trip back to Bristol to get egr valve replaced (back to base warranty) .. then we have a bad idle fault where it seems like it's misfiring .... back to Bristol it goes ..., guy put a injector wiring loom on it.... no difference .... I'd also had brake issues and the clutch not disengaging properly ..... so they then diagnose it as dmf, clutch and slave cylinder ... they fit the parts thursday and tell me all the issues are resolved but the guy is 'to tired' to bring my car back at the agreed time ..l. We re arrange for 5pm Friday ..... at 5pm Friday the phone rings ....he's still in Bristol!!!! Saying when he went the car in the morning .... the clutch pedal was on the floor.... they spend three hours and two broken clips replacing the master cylinder which made no difference and have now decided that the new slave they fitted is faulty ...... the guy has offered a refund .... should I take it and run or stick it out for a car that's potentially loaded with new parts if it's running right???

[kevberlin]

Refund and run

[Stubod]

Difficult one. At 12 years old I would consider your car is well passed its sell by date. I changed mine after 9 years as it was starting to get "expensive". But whatever car you buy at that age may well have problems. All things being equal, with all the problems you have has I think I would be inclined to drop it and take the money....

[Auric Goldfinger]

Refund and run

 

+ 1, make a run for it.......

[Defenderben]

Money and run- no brainier.

[Shacky13]

Difficult one. At 12 years old I would consider your car is well passed its sell by date. I changed mine after 9 years as it was starting to get "expensive". But whatever car you buy at that age may well have problems. All things being equal, with all the problems you have has I think I would be inclined to drop it and take the money....

The cars only done 95k and got full service history and I only have 2k to spend replacing my 200k miles vw bora which had no issues in tens years owning

[Defenderben]

Still say money and run

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609067499549?price-to=2000&fuel-type=Diesel&postcode=pl198rd&advertising-location=at_cars&make=SKODA&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&sort=sponsored&radius=1500&model=OCTAVIA&page=2

Probably not a 140 but there are a few out there around 100k miles with the fsh. Good luck

Edited 12 November, 2016 by Defenderben

[Stubod]

...Ok so you had a good one....I would still take the money and run

[Shacky13]

Suggestions on what to buy for the money then as Skoda it would seem are only good for 100k before self distruction takes place??

[Dr Zoidberg]

Suggestions on what to buy for the money then as Skoda it would seem are only good for 100k before self distruction takes place??

 

Any car for £2k with 100k+ is going to be a gamble with no guarantee of trouble free ownership, but there's plenty of people here had Skodas with much higher mileage and less problems than the one you bought.

[Shacky13]

So to clarify lol .... the car I bought ..... had a new cam belt and water pump upon collection, full service history, new egr, new injector loom, new dmf, new clutch, new master cylinder, new slave cylinder and peeps are 100% I should get my money and run .....and maybe even buy another Octavia ...... I know one thing for sure .... if I get my money back.... I won't buy another Skoda, put off for life I'm afraid and all the parts above seem to be an issue around 100k .... especially the dreaded dmf ...... I'm thinking Volvo next .... lots of v50s out there at reasonable prices and they seem built to last

[skinnyman]

It's a shame that you have had a bad experience with your car, but that shouldn't put you off the marque for ever.  As Dr Zoiberg said, it's a bit of a lottery when buying a second hand car.

In relation to the Volvo V50, they aren't without problems either.  My in laws had no end of trouble with theirs and it spent a lot of time in the dealership being sorted for various problems.  Someone I work with bought theirs six months ago and have sent it to auction as again, it cost them as much in repairs as it did to buy the car in the first place.  They had to replace the clutch, DMF and have a recon gearbox fitted within three months.  Both cars were diesels but the in laws was new at the time so luckily all their work was under warranty.  The work colleague was less fortunate and it all had to come out of their savings.

I'd take the money as people are suggesting, but maybe still consider another Skoda.  If you don't you're possibly writing off the whole VAG range in one fell swoop and falling into the trap of avoiding all Skodas because of one lemon.

Edited 12 November, 2016 by skinnyman

[Stubod]

The OP asked for advice....we have given it, and yet the OP seems unhappy  with it?....then why ask for the advice? As has been said...any car 12 yrs old for £2000 is going to be a lottery.

 

"Modern" cars are not built to last, and are not designed for ongoing "easy" maintenance as most of the complex stuff is "sealed for life" with no serviceable parts.(Keeps manufacturing costs down).

 

All modern cars have an awful lot of electro / mechanical components that are designed (and tested), and built to last at least the warranty plus a few years for good measure, after that its a lottery.

 

So don' t take the advise you asked for, keep the car, and it may last you a few more years without any more problems....I am on my 4th Octavia and generally they have all been good, but then I have changed them before they are 8 yrs old, and the one that was "getting on" did start to cost more money each year.

Edited 12 November, 2016 by Stubod

[Redboy]

Unfortunately it's a lottery. It's not just Skoda. Any car at 12 years old is likely to have problems with electronics, moving parts, exhaust, bearings etc. They aren't built to last forever, even low mileage cars will have suffered from a lack of use or too many short journeys. My father ran several car and motorcycle businesses. One of his favourite sayings was 'Your new (secondhand) car is another person's old problem'. How many times have you seen people write on these forums or heard them say that they had sold a car on as it was becoming too expensive or troublesome to maintain?

[chrisw3205]

Take the refund. Not because the car has reached the end of it life or because skoda are crap at 100k, but because the garage don't know how to fix it. Better off going to a specialist. will cost you money, which is why I say take the refund and get a different one. You're fortunate you have a warranty and the garage seem fair.

[robt100]

It wasnt a 2.0PD L&K model in Gold by any chance? I had one from a guy from Bristol and had it 2 days before returning it due to all the issues, got a feeling the guy before me did the same when I think back to the conversation I had with the guy!
As others have said, don't let this taint your view of Skodas. I've had a mk1 fabia and a mk2 octavia (both 1.9 diesels) in the last 5 years. In that time ive covered over 150,000 miles with a single fault! Just normal service and maintainence costs apart from leaking rear calipers on my last MOT. Since I've had them so many people have liked my car that now 4 relatives and 3 friends have all bought Skodas.

So take your money and run, look for one with FSH (not every 20k services!) or one on here, found 3 on this forum so far and theyve all been good.

[wiilydog]

If all the faults are fixed why not just keep it as the dmf + clutch is around £700 worth work. £2k is not a lot and I'm sure with that age and mileage you bound to run into some issues unless you find a car from a odc Skoda owner that really pampers their car all its life.

[robthedarter]

:beer: Why not keep it all the work that has been done go and buy a diffent car and you could end up with more problems you are not going to get alot for £2000 think about the work thats been done 

[mikey vrs]

If the garage has finally repaired it & your happy with it then id keep it considering all the work its had done to it,you could buy another car & have to spend the same again fixing it. 

[Shacky13]

It wasnt a 2.0PD L&K model in Gold by any chance? I had one from a guy from Bristol and had it 2 days before returning it due to all the issues, got a feeling the guy before me did the same when I think back to the conversation I had with the guy!

As others have said, don't let this taint your view of Skodas. I've had a mk1 fabia and a mk2 octavia (both 1.9 diesels) in the last 5 years. In that time ive covered over 150,000 miles with a single fault! Just normal service and maintainence costs apart from leaking rear calipers on my last MOT. Since I've had them so many people have liked my car that now 4 relatives and 3 friends have all bought Skodas.

So take your money and run, look for one with FSH (not every 20k services!) or one on here, found 3 on this forum so far and theyve all been good.

It was a 2.0 pd ambient in beige .... company called accelerate cars ... guy called Dan .... he's giving a re fund and some compensation

[Shacky13]

The OP asked for advice....we have given it, and yet the OP seems unhappy  with it?....then why ask for the advice? As has been said...any car 12 yrs old for £2000 is going to be a lottery.

 

"Modern" cars are not built to last, and are not designed for ongoing "easy" maintenance as most of the complex stuff is "sealed for life" with no serviceable parts.(Keeps manufacturing costs down).

 

All modern cars have an awful lot of electro / mechanical components that are designed (and tested), and built to last at least the warranty plus a few years for good measure, after that its a lottery.

 

So don' t take the advise you asked for, keep the car, and it may last you a few more years without any more problems....I am on my 4th Octavia and generally they have all been good, but then I have changed them before they are 8 yrs old, and the one that was "getting on" did start to cost more money each year.

I'm perfectly happy with the advice thank you and a full refund is being issued and as so many point out .... 100k is the life of a Skoda .... I shall look for a brand that goes beyond 100k as I'm not in a position like many to replace cars before they are 8 years old .... my last car I've owned 10 yrs and put 200k on the clock with only 3 air mass meters in that time as repairs .... but this was a pre 2006 vw built to last .... maybe I will go for an older, less electronic better built car that's got less miles than mine .... actually when looking at passats ...a friend who works at vw advised getting pre 2006 as they were the great cars and there does seem quite a few mk1 Skoda out there in great order

[Shacky13]

UPDATE ..... I am perfectly happy with the advice thank you .... the garage put a new slave on the car... put it back together and said it's worse .... can hardly select first or reverse and idle issue is back .... a full refund is going to be given and my 200k bora back on the road for the time being until I can find another car ..... will it be Skoda ..... I doubt it as most seem to want to point out that 100k is the life span of a Skoda and with my limited funds it's pointless .... so maybe another pre 2005 vw but with lower miles than mine is the only option .... they are less complicated and more reliable in my opinion

[skomaz]

we sold our 1.9TDI Fabia at 13 years old with 135000 on the clock and according to the DVLA it is still going stong at 16 years old with 155,000 miles on the clock!!

 

Sounds to me like the garage don't know what they are doing...

[Shacky13]

What are you talking about with your statement that Skodas seem to self destruct at 100k miles???? There are hundreds or thousands of taxi drivers running Octavias and Superbs  that would wholeheartedly disagree, with their work vehicles having covered 400, 500 and 600 thousand miles. The brand is well known for achieving inter-galactic mileages, provided they are properly looked after

 

 

 

To be honest with you, I find that statement quite offensive. I have recently sold a 54 plate Octy with less than 70k miles on the clock, and it was mint. Mechanically it had been looked after and wanted for nothing. I had no worries about selling it knowing it was still well within it's "sell-by" date. If fact, look at robt100's reply in post 16 -  it was one of the relatives here mentioned that bought it. You say that any car OF THAT AGE may have problems - believe me, a vehicle does not have to be anywhere NEAR that age to have its issues. EVERY car on the road will have it's "typical" problems, The Octavia's main one is the DMF (an issue across the vast majority of marques, not just in the VAG stable) and if that has been replaced, it should be fine for a fair few more miles. You want an unreliable car? Then take a close look at something like the Vauxhall Insignia with a few miles on it - my next door neighbour works as a salesman for Vauxhall, and drives a Passat -- he wouldn't touch Vauxhalls with a bargepole

 

My older Octavia is now 8 years old, and we are looking at keeping this one to the same age too.

 

12 year old car that has been looked after vs a 4 year old car that hasn't? I know which I would trust - and having had 440. S40 and V40  in the past, I certainly won't be returning to Volvo after the last 8 years of nothing but Skoda. That's for certain.

 

Give them a chance - the car might well serve you faultlessly for years

 

Mike

....

Reading through many posts on here I've seen many many times people pointing out modern cars have a life span of the warranty and maybe a couple of years ...ie 100k .... I've never owned a Skoda before but do know that my 2002 vw bora has had less wrong with it in 10 years and 200k than the Skoda had in three weeks! I'm sorry but it does not fill me with confidence

[Shacky13]

One further point - how can you say that the life span of a Skoda is 100k, then in the next sentence state that you are putting your 200k VW Bora back on the road??? 

Surprisingly enough, VW's and Skoda are mechanically identical, with the same engines and gearboxes used across the range of VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat. What you're suggesting here is that a Skoda badge on the car is making it less reliable than one with a VW badge - come on - they are they same car!

 

Mike

The 2002 vw bora is not the same as a mk11 Octavia ..... vw themselves advised against buying the newer generation vw's with the money I had available as so many components need replacing around the 100k mark .... ie dmf/clutch ....700 quid ...not a cheap repair ....the older generation cars were built to last a lot longer .if I thought the Skoda badge was a cheaper less reliable car ......why the bloody hell would I have bought one .... I bought one because I heard they were good