Snobbery

[tubbytommy]

If you have to keep justifying to yourself and others like most of this thread has. 

It tells you all you need to know about skodas.

I had one it was OK 

Would I buy another? I doubt that it. 

They are nothing special now they are no longer cheap. 

[S00perb]

Not cheap? Don't know about new, but an L&K spec 2 yr old Superb is one hell of a good value luxury car. You carn't compare bad treatment of a car to its quality and design.

[penguin17]

2 hours ago, tubbytommy said:

If you have to keep justifying to yourself and others like most of this thread has. 

It tells you all you need to know about skodas.

I had one it was OK 

Would I buy another? I doubt that it. 

They are nothing special now they are no longer cheap. 

I agree with this to a certain extent but you have to remember that the higher list prices aren't limited to Skoda.  Just look at price of a new Ford Fiesta, they used to be 'affordable' run arounds.  

 

I'm just looking forward to see what the Koreans will be offering in the next 3-5 years.  Based on their rate of improvement they could be toppling (but defo worrying) Ze Germans.   I've been reading some reviews on the new Hyundai i30N hot hatch.  I think the 'affordable'/'value for money' segment should be seriously worried.  

 

 

[CWARD]

I went for a Skoda Octavia after hearing how good they where. I was very disappointed to find it was built worse than the 10 year old Ford Mondeo mk3 it had replaced. I tried to look past it but the longer I had it the worse it got, every creak and rattle would annoy me more. The condensation was worse than a late 80's Mazda 626, so bad I actually had ice inside the windscreen during the winter. Dealers only treated me as a cash cow with fictitious faults that they wanted to fix for £00's but not interested in those that should be covered by warranty . Electrical faults were the last stray, I got rid and swallowed the loss rather than put it with it any longer.

At barely 7 months of ownership it was the shortest period of time I've owned a car. It will take a lot longer to get me back in a Skoda, problems I had with mine are still being reported in the various threads on this forum in the new models which just says to me that Skoda are taking their customers for mugs. Shame as our first Skoda was a Felicia and it was solid built and the dealers actually wanted your business then and looked after you. 

[tubbytommy]

3 minutes ago, CWARD said:

I went for a Skoda Octavia after hearing how good they where. I was very disappointed to find it was built worse than the 10 year old Ford Mondeo mk3 it had replaced. I tried to look past it but the longer I had it the worse it got, every creak and rattle would annoy me more. The condensation was worse than a late 80's Mazda 626, so bad I actually had ice inside the windscreen during the winter. Dealers only treated me as a cash cow with fictitious faults that they wanted to fix for £00's but not interested in those that should be covered by warranty . Electrical faults were the last stray, I got rid and swallowed the loss rather than put it with it any longer.

At barely 7 months of ownership it was the shortest period of time I've owned a car. It will take a lot longer to get me back in a Skoda, problems I had with mine are still being reported in the various threads on this forum in the new models which just says to me that Skoda are taking their customers for mugs. Shame as our first Skoda was a Felicia and it was solid built and the dealers actually wanted your business then and looked after you. 

 

Mine was absolutely faultless but just dull. 

I'd recommend one to someone who wanted a reliable cheap to run motor. 

Having driven a lot of cars through work there are now much better cars for the money that you dont have to explain the poor badge image to everyone. 

 

It's a skoda but..... 

[CWARD]

12 minutes ago, tubbytommy said:

 

Mine was absolutely faultless but just dull. 

I'd recommend one to someone who wanted a reliable cheap to run motor. 

Having driven a lot of cars through work there are now much better cars for the money that you dont have to explain the poor badge image to everyone. 

 

It's a skoda but..... 

 

I wasn't bothered by the badge, I've always bought on my needs and budget at the time hence the previous Felicia. I was really pleased with the Octavia at the time of purchase, loved the DSG gearbox, the interior was a bit bland but it was functional. The faults soon started to appear and I actually started to hate it and regretted buying the car and selling the old Mondeo which was superior in every way. I had just gotten new car blindness but that soon wore off to let me see the car for what it was.

In fairness the engine and gearbox were faultless, it was everything else attached around it that wasn't up to scratch.  

Edited 27 September, 2017 by CWARD

[Super280]

2 hours ago, CWARD said:

In fairness the engine and gearbox were faultless, it was everything else attached around it that wasn't up to scratch.  

 

Yep, today the hood's opening lever fell... Two days ago the climate control menu disconnected from the infotainment system. I am starting to get worried, I have less than 5,000 km on it.

 

Driven many BMWs and Mercs, cost much more indeed, but also quality is way higher.

[lfc958]

I am on Skoda number 4,  I havent bought them for the badge, they had been bought for value ,  they have been relatively cheap considering content of toys, the customer service has also been as reviews and have all been reliable.  Badge has not been a consideration. It has ticked all the boxes for what i want to use them for. 

 

Prices and expansion of size means any future ownership will not be another Skoda, brand TBC.

 

[Superb170]

I do agree on the price comment.  They are far from cheap anymore.  I’m on Skoda no. 7 and really do rate them highly but the last few times I’ve gone to change, I’m more and more tempted towards one of the other brands.  Now it’s more of a level playing field and Skoda are coming to a crossroads IMO.  They now need to decide where the brand is going as it is becoming confused.

[Sec8200]

Which brands do you consider better value for money and image? Just curious.

Edited 28 September, 2017 by TTodorov

[CWARD]

In the same price bracket Ford and Citroen

[CheshireBumpkin]

2 hours ago, CWARD said:

In the same price bracket Ford and Citroen

 

The whole concept of 'snobbery' as per the original post is an interesting one and open to each individual's own perceptions and prejudices. 

 

For example, if I were to be snobby I'd look down my nose on Ford or Citroen long before I would at a Skoda nowadays.

 

Strange world, innit? 

 

 

Edited 28 September, 2017 by CheshireBumpkin

[CWARD]

I used to look down my nose on Ford too after having the misfortune of owning an Orion and I swore blind I'd never own another. I ended up with a Mondeo and it was the best car I owned for a long time, also the longest I've kept a car too. 

 

With Citroen I've not actually owned one but going from a clients perspective after he had owned two fleets of Octavia estates used for the service engineers so normally loaded up with tools and machines.  The first one wasn't too bad on reliability but the second fleet was terrible. He did his research and changed to Citroen's. The staff were complaining like mad over the change and looked at them as cheap french crap with some going as far as threatening to leave. They have just renewed the Citroen's again as the staff love them, not one breakdown and very little warranty work required. They also stood up to the higher ware and tear too that the Skoda's.  The operating costs have also been reduced by nearly a third mainly helped by the actual MPG is lot closer to the official figures.

 

I went to a BMW after the Skoda for no other reason than the wife has a 1 Series Coupe and has needed no work other than servicing and even after 7 years of her lack of cleaning the car it still looks stunning. On comparing the running costs it was also cheaper than the Skoda due to not having to replace the cam belts

[Sagalout]

With a huge wink to Marty Feldman and John Law.

 

I look down on him because I have an Audi.

I look up to him because he has an Audi; but I look down on him because he has a Skoda. I have a VW.

I know my place. I look up to them both. But I don't look up to him as much as I look up to him, because he has got an Audi.

I have got an Audi, but I have not got any money. So sometimes I look up to him.

I still look up to him because although I have a VW, I am bland and common. But I am not as bland and common as him so I still look down on him.

I know my place. I look up to them both; but while I drive a Skoda, I have more toys, more power and comfort. Had I the inclination, I could look down on them. But I don't.

We all know our place, but what do we get out of it?

I get a feeling of superiority over them.

I get a feeling of inferiority from him, but a feeling of superiority over him.

I get a pain in the back of my neck (or is that a PITA).

[penguin17]

Well I'm getting very excited about this Hyundai i30N.  

 

[MaddicIrl]

Wasn't Fords increase in quality/reliability attributed to the recruitment of VW/Audi design engineers?

Wasn't Kia's increase in quality attributed to an Ex- Audi designer?

Isn't the Skoda essentially made from the same parts bin as VW, Audi, Seat

Hasn't Audi recruited the SIII designer from Skoda?

 

The point being, its a much smaller industry than it may appear, many of the electrical systems, etc are bought in so are shared amongst many different makes, of course there is the quality of finishing and manufacturing but they can all get it wrong!! For me on the design, Skoda has got it so right with the Superb, time will tell on the durability and reliability but for me it was the best package out there for the money I had to play with at the time, I suspect it maybe a different model/make when its time to change. Don't trust Skoda not to make a mess of a facelift (don't like the changes to the Octy, personal preference of course) and especially now if Audi took the designer.

 

Anyone remember when Merc decided their cars were over engineered (lasted too long) and had a torrid couple of years of poorly built vehicles until they found a balance?

[Gross9661]

When i first  passed my driving test in the late seventies  I had a test drive in a Moskvitch. Never will I ever complain about  any car after that. It was a total bag of sh** e. Im no snob..... but I just couldn't  buy it. Simply horrific. (Sorry to anyone who may have owned one)

[CWARD]

1 hour ago, MaddicIrl said:

Wasn't Fords increase in quality/reliability attributed to the recruitment of VW/Audi design engineers?

Wasn't Kia's increase in quality attributed to an Ex- Audi designer?

Isn't the Skoda essentially made from the same parts bin as VW, Audi, Seat

Hasn't Audi recruited the SIII designer from Skoda?

 

The point being, its a much smaller industry than it may appear, many of the electrical systems, etc are bought in so are shared amongst many different makes, of course there is the quality of finishing and manufacturing but they can all get it wrong!! For me on the design, Skoda has got it so right with the Superb, time will tell on the durability and reliability but for me it was the best package out there for the money I had to play with at the time, I suspect it maybe a different model/make when its time to change. Don't trust Skoda not to make a mess of a facelift (don't like the changes to the Octy, personal preference of course) and especially now if Audi took the designer.

 

Anyone remember when Merc decided their cars were over engineered (lasted too long) and had a torrid couple of years of poorly built vehicles until they found a balance?

 

Easy to put it into that context but using the same parts doesn't create the same build. You only need to look at the people on this forum building a project car that will swap out parts from VW and Audi's into their own cars to get a better part such as suspension. The interiors where you can cut down on the amount of fixings required which makes the cars quicker to build but then squeaks and rattles develop later. Heating elements not in Skoda's that are found in VW's so they warm up quicker. Sound insulation removed to cut costs or even stupid things like not updating the fuse layout card so that the actual fuse layout is different from the card insert. 

I agree a lot of parts are common across the group but it tends to the be the major components but everything else is up for grabs.

 

 

[MaddicIrl]

3 hours ago, CWARD said:

 

Easy to put it into that context but using the same parts doesn't create the same build. You only need to look at the people on this forum building a project car that will swap out parts from VW and Audi's into their own cars to get a better part such as suspension. The interiors where you can cut down on the amount of fixings required which makes the cars quicker to build but then squeaks and rattles develop later. Heating elements not in Skoda's that are found in VW's so they warm up quicker. Sound insulation removed to cut costs or even stupid things like not updating the fuse layout card so that the actual fuse layout is different from the card insert. 

I agree a lot of parts are common across the group but it tends to the be the major components but everything else is up for grabs.

 

 

I agree hence the reason I mentioned finishing and manufacturing quality. You pay less you expect cheaper quality materials/functions, etc but in this day and age you don't expect them to be badly put together. I can appreciate that you had a particularly bad experience with a Skoda, the surveys suggest that this is not the wider trend compared to other brands:

 

http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2017-uk-vehicle-dependability-study

 

The main brands the Superb has been compared to here are at the bottom of that list despite sharing major components with one of them.

The other parts I referred to are not group specific, many of the electrical systems are sourced from third parties such as Kostel.

 

At the end of the day, I went to a Skoda dealer, test drove a Skoda, ordered a Skoda and paid for a Skoda, I was not expecting to receive an Audi.

[CWARD]

I was sold on the information from other people saying how good their Skodas were compared to other makes such as Ford. I'd heard this over and over again so coming from a Ford Mondeo I expected more. The reality was the build quality was less than the Mondeo was 10 years ago. The problems I had with it in only 7 months of ownership were in excess of those that I had encountered with the Mondeo in 10 years. 

I totally agree that the quality difference between an Audi and a Skoda isn't reflected in the price premium. Certainly you get a better quality interior and paints but then the rest is down to cost cutting or using an inferior component to ensure to give the more expensive brand an edge. 

[U241170]

i don't know what were your problems with Skoda and I am sorry if you had a really bad experience .

I am at 4-th Skoda. Octavia MK1, MK2 FL, MK3 RS TDI and now Superb. I only have the Superb for 2 months and drove it something like 3000 miles. I can say I am totally enjoying it and have no issues, no rattles no squeaks.

Two of my colleagues have VW Passat, I sat in that car and came to the conclusion that Superb is better for me. I some ways I think Superb is better built than Passat,: for example center console... 

 

And to be ON topic. My colleagues bought the Passat because it's a VW. One of them now is searching for a new car and asked me to send him my configuration of Superb.

[rtj70]

CWARD, you must have got a very poor example of a SKODA then because they use so many common components even in the cabin as other VW group cars. Take the air-con controls for example - straight out of the Passat.

 

Compared to my Audi A3 the inside of the Superb stands up well. With options the car I have (A3 Saloon S-Line S-Tronic) and the one due in a few weeks (Superb SE L Executive) are both about the same list price. Except the A3 price I am using for comparison is from 3 years ago and has many fewer options: no DCC, park assist, reverse camera, memory seats.

 

The quality of the inside is comparable.  I cannot comment on build quality for mine or reliability.

 

And because of dated designs, I went for the A3 saloon in 2014 because the inside was more modern than the dated inside of the A4 saloon and even the A6. I had an A6 as a courtesy car with the 190PS diesel engine and I didn't like it to my surprise.

Edited 28 September, 2017 by rtj70

[CWARD]

I would like to say I had a bad example but you search the threads on this forum and the problems keep cropping up regardless of model and year. Excessive condensation, door drains, ceasing rear wipers, poor door seals, ceased calipers, parking sensors that give false readings when it rains.

One model having a problem would be a design fault. The same fault in different models and subsequent updates is a quality problem. 

I could buy another but once bitten, twice shy. 

[Sagalout]

^^^^^^
OK I can see that a bad experience will put anyone off and you do seem to have had a few bad experiences across several marques over the years. BMW seem to be your current favourite to own and yet they rarely score very highly in any of the owner surveys such as JD Power or Driver Power. So perhaps you have been amongst the luckier BMW owners?

If I read your post correctly you are sharing your experience with an Octavia and Fabia??  The Superb 3 is a completely different generation car to those; so maybe Skoda has improved significantly since your experiences? Plenty of journo articles / owner experience/owner formal surveys suggest they may have done just that?

[Baverhanne]

Is it really possible to base the overall build quality of Skoda on posts in this forum? No - amongst all of the hundred of thousands owners only a minority uses these forums. When do they use them? - when they experience a problem... On the other hand there is some of us who uses forums just for fun and knowledge. Browsing through Swedish forums for Volvo, BMW, Audi etc you get a result that is very similar to the result at briskoda. Every manufacturer has their lemons. Some say Volvo's build quality is horrible - especially when browsing through forums. Yet most of the Swedish Taxi cars (in Stockholm) actually was/is V70 because of the higher reliability compared to Mercedes E (based on my own experience and other contractors). 

Not saying that Skoda is top notch - just that a forum doesn't give you the complete picture.