Hurray, My Mk 3 Octavia has gone!

[dunc69]

20 minutes ago, SWBoy said:

The winter tyres on my other car (a Citroen C1) are much quieter than the summer tyres - the winters are 155/65x14s but the summers are 195/40x16s so that's not surprising given the much lower profile of the summers.

Agreed. I have always found winters quieter. Deeper sidewall and softer rubber. 

[BoxerBoy]

There’s no way an Octavia is That Bad.

 

I’m biased but the BM badge just costs far too much for a much smaller car.

 

I know. Didn’t own one but I’ve been close to one for a while and the owner had to sell it when the baby grew out of nappies.

 

We don’t really drive like racers every day who look for the Nth degree of roadholding, braking, etc.

We just tootle backwards and forwards in hellish traffic conditions that are getting worse by the day.

Anyone who thinks the Ultimate Driving Machine is a panacea for all motoring ills needs to change their medication 

 

Just turn up the music, switch on the hot bits and chill.

[Jayd]

Just moved to a vRS 230 from a 420d msport coupe, and many other years of various BMW ownership. Do I Miss the BMW, do I hell!! Do I love the vRS, hell I do!! Is the new FL Octavia bad, is it hell!! Would I buy another BMW, would I hell!! Is the BMW better than the vRS, yes in some areas, but they are small areas that don’t detract from the vRS or make the BMW cost over £10k more for a lesser spec and less power/performance.

[Jimbbobw1977]

13 hours ago, CWARD said:

I was previously a Ford guy and jumped ship for the Skoda after 10 years of problem free motoring from a Mondeo Mk3 estate. Once the initial new car ownership shine had warn off the Skoda and problems started to occur, the constant battle with warranty claims and I started to hate it wishing I'd never got rid of the Mondeo with it's huge mileage.   I was smitten with the DSG gearbox and decided the replacement for the Skoda would be an auto too. I would have gone back to Ford but their auto gearboxes weren't as good  and pretty rare too.

The wife has had a BMW E82 120D M Sport for 5 years and only problem we had was a new battery last year which is more a consumable than a fault. We had used an independent to service her car for the 1st time whilst we owned it after hearing about the dealer prices but the service wasn't very good and the computer wasn't updated correctly with what had been done. Then we found out that using the website to book the service was comparable with an independent. On her ownership experience I decided to go BMW too and as I've said it's been a painless experience.  It took a bit of getting used to with rear wheel drive again but so much more rewarding to drive. 

 

 

 

I chose a MK5 Mondeo 2.0 tdci 180 Powershift (dual clutch auto) having driven numerous VAG products. I do not regret my choice one bit the MK5 Mondeo is a very good car and also has a very good 5 piece independent rear suspension that is similar to the BMW 5 Series 

[JohnnyType2]

I've had a series of hot hatches [mostly williams and clio sports] including a clio V6 and the vRS diesel is the noisiest car [not engine noise] road noise ive ever driven. im a 'tits and teeth' man for sure so one loves a bit of bling, but the vRS handles well on slippery roundabouts for its size and the interior is above average. The sound system is cheap and the stereo inadequate but that those are the only faults i can find. Im actually starting to wonder if they pipe the fake noise into the vRS Diesel too? Im noiser on smooth motorway a sort of drone then i am over rough surfaces

 

by the way Volkswagen have been using torsion suspension since 1943...  

[jcsphoto69]

Back in 2010 I had a 320d msport hire car for 9 weeks it went well and was quiet but the ride was the worst I've ever experienced every small imperfection in the road felt like a hole, driving on a concrete dual carriageway vibrated the whole car. 

In comparison my Octavia with torsion bar suspension is pure luxury. 

[JamiePvrs]

8 hours ago, JohnnyType2 said:

I've had a series of hot hatches [mostly williams and clio sports] including a clio V6 and the vRS diesel is the noisiest car [not engine noise] road noise ive ever driven. im a 'tits and teeth' man for sure so one loves a bit of bling, but the vRS handles well on slippery roundabouts for its size and the interior is above average. The sound system is cheap and the stereo inadequate but that those are the only faults i can find. Im actually starting to wonder if they pipe the fake noise into the vRS Diesel too? Im noiser on smooth motorway a sort of drone then i am over rough surfaces

 

by the way Volkswagen have been using torsion suspension since 1943...  

The diesel VRS has the fake noise piped in. I quiet like it lol

[JohnnyType2]

33 minutes ago, JamiePvrs said:

The diesel VRS has the fake noise piped in. I quiet like it lol

 

I knew it... its been bugging the hell out of me. We have a new stretch of dual carriageway and its as smooth as ice and the noise is far more pronounced than on normal B roads. Theres no consistency to it either, it doesnt get louder the higher you rev or with speed. I'm not a fan of fake noise at all. time to break out the VCDS!

[ahenners]

1 hour ago, jcsphoto69 said:

Back in 2010 I had a 320d msport hire car for 9 weeks it went well and was quiet but the ride was the worst I've ever experienced every small imperfection in the road felt like a hole, driving on a concrete dual carriageway vibrated the whole car. 

In comparison my Octavia with torsion bar suspension is pure luxury. 

 

E90 generation had the combination of M Sport suspension and rock hard early Bridgestone run flats. My E92 had the 19" wheels in addition to those 2 and yes I agree the ride was awful. I had to actively avoid cat eyes when changing lanes on the motorway otherwise there would be a loud thud and jolt in the cabin.

[ahenners]

49 minutes ago, JohnnyType2 said:

 

I knew it... its been bugging the hell out of me. We have a new stretch of dual carriageway and its as smooth as ice and the noise is far more pronounced than on normal B roads. Theres no consistency to it either, it doesnt get louder the higher you rev or with speed. I'm not a fan of fake noise at all. time to break out the VCDS!

 

It will have the soundaktor sound generator, which if you're in Sport mode, sounds silly at motorway cruising speeds on part throttle - particularly if there's a slight incline. I turned mine down to about 35% which makes it much more tolerable.

[Auric Goldfinger]

My 230 runs around in Indivual mode now, everything sport apart fronm Air Con, ( normal ) engine noise ( Eco )  sounds a lot better

[Tim1631]

2 hours ago, JamiePvrs said:

The diesel VRS has the fake noise piped in. I quiet like it lol

 

Don’t say that!!

 

it goes against the “In thing” on the forum. 

 

That is to slate fake noise and turn it off with VCDS

[Auric Goldfinger]

2 hours ago, JamiePvrs said:

The diesel VRS has the fake noise piped in. I quiet like it lol

 

33 minutes ago, Tim1631 said:

 

Don’t say that!!

 

it goes against the “In thing” on the forum. 

 

That is to slate fake noise and turn it off with VCDS

 

Fake Noise, Fake exaust   

[Jayd]

It’s not like we’ve spent £60k on a M car, and they still do that with exhaust note anyway!! I quite like having the sound in vRS mode and enjoying myself in the car while not sounding like a chav driving down the road 

[Tim1631]

50 minutes ago, Auric Goldfinger said:

 

 

Fake Noise, Fake exaust   

 

Indeed

[JohnnyType2]

2 hours ago, Auric Goldfinger said:

My 230 runs around in Indivual mode now, everything sport apart fronm Air Con, ( normal ) engine noise ( Eco )  sounds a lot better

 

that makes sense

 

the fake noise is just another can of worms...

 

If the noise actually sounded sporty i would mind but its a resonant drone thats sits in the back ground. For a month there i thought i had a bearing on the way out. 

Edited 2 December, 2017 by JohnnyType2

[JamiePvrs]

Can you turn it up even louder? 

[Matt Pez]

As mentioned earlier in this thread by TMWNA, Elegance spec with its Torture Beam rear end was enough for me to part with Skoda after 73k in a 2013 Mk3, 88k in a 2009 Superb, 44k in a 2009 Mk2 Octy and 44k in a 2001 Mk1 Octy 4x4, so I have plenty of Skoda experience.  SWMBO changed to 2013 Leon FR with the proper rear suspension before I sold the Mk3 but it was still too harsh to keep me with the brand.   My 2014 5 Series has M Sport springs, 19" alloys and run flats and the ride is sublime compared to the O3.  I know it was £20k more when new than the O3 but I only paid £2k more than for the O3 so for me a used BMW, less than 2yr old, for half original list price makes more sense than a new Skoda and I will do the same next time.   I've also been in 3 Series and the ride is much more harsh than the 5 series,  so I'm only comparing with the 5 series.

[MorrisOx]

I’d never have bought an Octy Mark II because it simply wasn’t big enough in the back. In no position to judge on the ride quality versus the current model but I’m among those who thinks Skoda won’t be able to get away with the torsion beam on mainstream Octys for much longer: it’s crashy, noisy and off-the-pace.

 

We all have to bear in mind that Skoda is a product of its position in the VW portfolio: it can have the engines, gearboxes, electronics found across the group, but it can’t have much in the way of visual flourish or performance flair. It is what it is.

Edited 3 December, 2017 by MorrisOx

[Isocrem]

On 01/12/2017 at 19:08, dunc69 said:

Agreed. I have always found winters quieter. Deeper sidewall and softer rubber. 

 

+1 for me. Tyre noise from my Nokian Winter tyres is lower than the Bridgestones. I reckon it rides a bit better on them also. 

[181ce]

I've had 4 BMW's

They are generally very nice cars.

In reality the equivalent mainstream alternatives are 90% of the car for as little as 50% of the price.

 

[Suuntobob]

As a percentage, how much more did you pay for the 320d?

[gregoir]

17 hours ago, MorrisOx said:

I’d never have bought an Octy Mark II because it simply wasn’t big enough in the back. In no position to judge on the ride quality versus the current model but I’m among those who thinks Skoda won’t be able to get away with the torsion beam on mainstream Octys for much longer: it’s crashy, noisy 

Well my passengers have all said my Mk 2 and Mk3 were spacious and accceptably smooth and quiet. And the indicators work.

Only crash is if I hit pot holes or rough surfaces. A test drive is essential though. I like mine.

[nidza]

Don't bite, typical troll. 

 

You can't beat Octavia for this money, let's get real. Very decent ride, mine even has a bit of performance.

 

[MorrisOx]

These things are all so subjective and the bottom line is that if you like it and it works for you that’s all that matters.

 

Doesn’t mean it works for others, though, and as it stands another Octy won’t be top of my list when the current PCP ends. Family have complained consistently about a crashy/noisy ride in the back, and when I had a current gen Mondeo for a few weeks its ride/handling compromise was far superior. It doesn’t have a torsion beam back axle, of course.

 

I can see the logic in a used prestige car over a new Skoda. I’d be less inclined to see it if they sorted the suspension.