10,000 Mile Report

[Whaty]

I’ve done a little over 10,000 miles in almost exactly 9 months, so I thought this would be a good time to write a quick update.

 

It’s on a variable service schedule and nothing’s popped up to say the 1^st service is needed just yet, and so far it’s not used any oil, not a drop.!

 

Over the past couple of months, I’ve noticed that the MPG’s dropped to the high 40’s from being consistently in the low 50’s. I’ve put this down to a change in the weather… more idling time whilst defrosting, traffic moving a little slower, that sort of thing. I always check the MPG tank fill to tank fill so these reading are quite accurate, I find the on-board computer is always a couple of MPG optimistic.

 

The only issue I’ve had is with the comfort of the drivers seat, I’ve mentioned it several times on this forum but seem to be alone in having this particular problem? After approx. 20mins driving I get discomfort at the very bottom of my back, it feels like something hard pressing against me. The seats are Alcantara/Leather and the drivers seat is electric and fully adjustable. I've tried every permutation of lumber adjustment without any real success.

 

My wife has also experienced the discomfort I’ve described when driving, although it tends to take a little longer to manifest itself…. On the few occasions I’ve been a passenger I’ve found the front passenger seat to be very comfy and I have had no issues at all.

 

And that’s it. Despite the issue with the seat I really do like the car. The interior, dashboard and controls are all nicely laid out, there is plenty of room even when carrying four adults, it drives well, it’s fairly quiet and refined (you can hear the engine but it’s never intrusive, I quite like the noise it makes actually), gear changes are almost imperceptible, I’m very happy with 50mpg in mixed driving and in my opinion, it’s a very nice looking car.

 

Just need to come up with a solution for the driver seat….

 

Terry  

[penguin17]

Good to hear.  You got through 10K quick enough!

 

Winter fuel perhaps accounting for drop in MPG? 

 

How have you got on with coolant levels?  Mine has needed a top up.  I also had to top up my oil but after 13k miles, though mines a manual and I guess I'd rev a bit more than the DSG's range allows. 

 

 

 

[Whaty]

I normally do about 15k pa but my wife also got a new car last year and so we've been using hers more than we used to.

 

You might be right about the fuel, I never considered that.!

 

The car hasn't used any oil or water since day one, I've only filled the washer bottle once.! Haha...

 

Have to say, I am really pleased with the car.

[xman]

Well I hope I won't have the same problem.

 

Seat comfort is so important, we hired a new mk3 Octavia (SE spec) for a few days and both me and wife as passenger found bum/lower back pain started after about 90mins. My son has consistently complained about seat discomfort in his mk2 Octavia. On the other hand the Fabias have been reasonably comfortable.

So, partly the reason for going to Superb SEL. I have only sat in the showroom and 5 min on the road (as passenger) so not qualified to comment further, but I noted the extended length under the legs, an area some cars are too short.

 

I know it can be a personal thing, fingers crossed I've not made an expensive mistake.

[penguin17]

4 minutes ago, Whaty said:

I normally do about 15k pa but my wife also got a new car last year and so we've been using hers more than we used to.

 

You might be right about the fuel, I never considered that.!

 

The car hasn't used any oil or water since day one, I've only filled the washer bottle once.! Haha...

 

Have to say, I am really pleased with the car.

Do you have headlight washers?  Doesn't sound like it as I'll get through 5 litres of screen wash pretty quickly with the headlight washers doing R2-D2 impressions every time I clean my screen.   I had changed the frequency which they operate on my old car, via VCDS.  I should see if I can do it via OBDEleven on the Superb. 

[xman]

Never seen the point of headlamp washers on any cars. Just a waste of litres and litres of windscreen fluid. They don't do a great job of cleaning anyway. And even with thousands of winter miles of motorway (son #2) or b roads (son #1) headlights just require a quick wipe usually no more than once a week or fortnight. I pulled the fuse on our Alhambra and never missed it, apart from the fact that I went from filling the 7 litre tank every couple of weeks to several months.

[Whaty]

@xman I might be wrong but I think the SEL has different seats? Like I said, I seem to be alone in having this particular problem so please don't worry, I'm sure you'll be okay.

 

@penguin17 You are correct, no headlight washers. However, the N/S washer does a pretty good job of cleaning the car behind, I must get around to adjusting it....

[penguin17]

Just now, Whaty said:

@xman I might be wrong but I think the SEL has different seats? Like I said, I seem to be alone in having this particular problem so please don't worry, I'm sure you'll be okay.

 

@penguin17 You are correct, no headlight washers. However, the N/S washer does a pretty good job of cleaning the car behind, I must get around to adjusting it....

Ditto!  I need to sort mine too as it's actually better at cleaning the rear than the rear wiper/wash is.

 

Anyone know which way to rotate to save me some trial and error? 

[flyingpigvrs]

13 minutes ago, xman said:

Never seen the point of headlamp washers on any cars. Just a waste of litres and litres of windscreen fluid. 

I totally agree they're a waste of time.  However I believe they're also a legal requirement if you have xenon lights. 

 

I'm sure I've seen some obscure legislation in relation to that. 

[Fatso]

My Superb is my 3rd diesel, and they've all had worse fuel consumption in the winter. My Superb is currently doing about 5mpg less than it did when I picked it up in September.

 

I think it's due to a combination of the colder temperature, higher loads on the engine including lights, heating and window defrosting, and winter mix diesel which has additives to stop it waxing up.

 

The washer bottle needs topping up every week at the moment. I do a lot of motorway miles and get a thick coating of road grime all over my car and use the window washers a lot, but the headlight washers seem to use even more. If I clean the windscreen washers and the headlight washers come out when the car is stationary the bonnet gets covered as well.

[freelunch]

On 1/12/2018 at 13:35, Whaty said:

Just need to come up with a solution for the driver seat….

 

I can sympathise. I've got the same seat. It took me ages of fiddling with seat positions until I finally found "the one". Everybody's back is different, but in my case, I needed a broader rather than narrower (are these real words?) lumbar support, and a more upright seat back. Finally happy.

[Whaty]

@freelunch I thought the sportline had different seats, sports seats? When you say broader do you mean 'in' rather than 'out'.... that's a rubbish way to describe it but I can't think of anything better.!  I'm guessing you mean the side-pads of the backrest? I don't really notice these move on my seat when I adjust the amount of lumbar support.

[freelunch]

@Whaty You said the seats were alcantara and leather. I thought alcantara was an option in the Sportline, only. Sorry, I didn't read your car description. Still, I think the mechanism in the electric seat would be the same?

 

The lumbar support has two aspects: it moves in an out, and it extends vertically to be a smaller or larger support. So, if it was "out" and "small", it would be a quite noticeable lump in your back. (I'm better with pictures than words, unfortunately: Fig. 69, C, page 80 in the owner's manual).

 

Anyway, this is the element that took me so much time to get right. 

[rtj70]

On 12/01/2018 at 13:35, Whaty said:

It’s on a variable service schedule and nothing’s popped up to say the 1^st service is needed just yet, and so far it’s not used any oil, not a drop.!

 

So it's possibly going to be two years or the mileage limit being reached before it needs servicing. Had my petrol SE L Exec for about 3 months and the estimate for the first service is still over 600 days. And it varies with driving - more motorways and it's longer but do a few weeks of local and the time drops.

Edited 13 January, 2018 by rtj70

[Superb170]

On 12/1/2018 at 14:37, flyingpigvrs said:

I totally agree they're a waste of time.  However I believe they're also a legal requirement if you have xenon lights. 

 

I'm sure I've seen some obscure legislation in relation to that. 

I agree, never really see the point of them either and yes, you’re correct, it is a legal requirement where there are xenon lights 

[Whaty]

@freelunch Like you say, different seats but most likely the same principle. Thanks for your explanation and I think you are spot on, it is the lumbar/backrest adjustment causing the problem.... I'm a little embarrassed to admit that after 9 months I've not found the 'right' combination. So many times I've thought "that's it, cracked it.." only to be disappointed 1/2hr later.

 

Currently my lumbar adjustment is set slightly up from it's lowest position (Pg80 Fig 69c - 5) - (I've set this by finding the position where, when pushed out, it presses into the small of my back), and I've just got a small amount of lumbar support (Pg80 Fig 69c - 6) -  (out from being fully in). I could try having the backrest a little more upright as you've suggested?

 

Thanks again...

Terry 

[Whaty]

@rtj70 I must admit, I've never checked the predicted service interval using the on board computer. I've got the car on a 2yr/30k PCH and in truth, I was hoping the 1st service would be around 15k/12 months but as I said in an earlier post, I'm actually doing a little less mileage than I used to..... I'm sure it'll go up once we start having some better weather.!

[Lol6]

@whaty, just as a trial may I suggest you unadjust the lumbar support completely but adjust the back of the seat down to reduce the weight of your torso off the base of your spine, and the height of the seat up a bit to compensate.  Might not be what you are accustomed to but who knows.  It might just suit.  Give it a try.  

 

I find my seat and the driving position alignment in this car one of the most comfortable I have ever had, especially over a distance.

[IJWS15]

Had mine nine months and the service warning came up last week at 18k - all depends on how you drive.

 

I find that it does use a little more fuel in winter (heated windscreen and seats) but I find rain has an effect as well, must be the energy used pumping all that water.  Mine is doing a little better at between 55-60 mpg, the car reading is optimistic but fill up warning this morning with 85 miles left and it has done 760 so far on the tank.

 

We find the seats comfortable, SWMBO used to complain about the last Octavia (17 reg SEL) but turns the seat heater on and goes to sleep in the Superb.  

 

Ian 

[ljhoward64]

Slightly disappointed with my 10k milestone. Only had the car 4 months and already the slight niggles are starting to cause me issues.  I have the Superb Sportline Estate 150ps with the DSG 7 in. I will list issues below:

• Fumes coming into the car (Exhaust Manifold Clamp faulty and replaced).
• Wireless charging stopped working altogether (Have been told by dealer that it is kaput and there isn't a unit in the country for the next 6-8 weeks but its on backorder)
• Suspension on front left makes intermittent knocking (Guess what they can't find nothing)
• Has had to be reprogrammed twice for variable servicing as it reverted back to every 10k which is no good to me doing 40-50k a year.
• Wind noise is terrible in the car. Don't know if anyone else is experiencing the same.

However the car is not all bad. It does drive nice and is comfortable, when it isn't in the garage and i am getting around the 50mpg mark most of the time. I am hoping this is just teething problems and when it is in for its service in around 6-8 weeks that we will have it all sorted until the next service. The biggest problem i have is the closest dealership to me is 28 miles away which is a pain when i have to keep going there for these silly little problems.

[Whaty]

@ljhoward64 You obviously do a lot more miles than I do but never-the-less, I think you've been unlucky to have these faults in such a short time... I really do like my car, in fact, given the problems with the drivers seat, I'd have probably tried to change it had I not been so happy with everything else.!

 

I have seen mention of wind noise, often associated with the trims (I think?). Perhaps a search on this forum might help... I have the hatch and therefore it isn't a fair comparison but, I find the cabin noise generally to be very muted and certainly not intrusive, even when cruising at illegal figures. The tyres (P7's) can be a little noisy on certain road surfaces, but no more so than other cars I've owned.

 

Just harping back to the drivers seat comfort.... Yesterday I drove into work in complete comfort, it was an absolute joy. If I was to score the seat comfort out of 10 it would have got at least a 9. Within 10 minutes of my drive home I simply HAD to adjust the lumbar support, there was no way I could have completed my 50 minute commute home without being in serious discomfort.! A few tweaks to the lumbar adjustment and it was okay, not perfect, but okay.

 

It is very hard to explain but, when I get the discomfort it is as if the lumbar support isn't spread evenly across the width of the seat, it's like there's a hard bit in the middle pressing into my back. After playing with the adjustment (up/down/in/out) it is as if it evens out for a while and you get that nice even spread of support across the width of your back again. While it lasts the seat it very comfy, it just doesn't last....

 

I just don't understand. I've been driving for almost 40 years, I've driven quite literally hundreds of cars, and I can honestly say, I've never experienced anything like this before.  

 

[jonesinamillion]

ref seat comfort, its more than just the seat / lumbar support / position that can affect comfort; ergonomics and position relkative to the wheel & pedals can have a huge effect... worth a quick read up on. One thing that works for me (in any car) is to have as much of the thighs supported as possible and ensure that your legs aren't over stretched.

[dg360]

I think a common seat myth is that you should sit upright like you are at a victorian dinner party or something.  By reclining a bit you take weight off your lower back.

I find the seats great.  The only thing can throw me is if I forget to take my wallet out of my back pocket.  Must be be all of the IOUs in there.

[RickTT]

On 27/01/2018 at 13:29, ljhoward64 said:

 

• Suspension on front left makes intermittent knocking (Guess what they can't find nothing)

 

 

Check out my thread regarding the front left knocking.. Theres a tech bulletin to regressed the wishboness. 

 

So far its fixed my issue.. But as you will see in my thread its been back 3 times for it so far.

 

 

 

Edited 1 February, 2018 by RickTT

[Conor the Bold]

On 12/01/2018 at 13:35, Whaty said:

I’ve done a little over 10,000 miles in almost exactly 9 months, so I thought this would be a good time to write a quick update.

 

It’s on a variable service schedule and nothing’s popped up to say the 1^st service is needed just yet, and so far it’s not used any oil, not a drop.!

 

Over the past couple of months, I’ve noticed that the MPG’s dropped to the high 40’s from being consistently in the low 50’s. I’ve put this down to a change in the weather… more idling time whilst defrosting, traffic moving a little slower, that sort of thing. I always check the MPG tank fill to tank fill so these reading are quite accurate, I find the on-board computer is always a couple of MPG optimistic.

 

The only issue I’ve had is with the comfort of the drivers seat, I’ve mentioned it several times on this forum but seem to be alone in having this particular problem? After approx. 20mins driving I get discomfort at the very bottom of my back, it feels like something hard pressing against me. The seats are Alcantara/Leather and the drivers seat is electric and fully adjustable. I've tried every permutation of lumber adjustment without any real success.

   

 

I found that getting the right setup on the driver's set can be very time consuming especially as you say, it can take at least 20 minutes to manifest itself. Just keep at it and you should find something suitable.

 

Could the Diesel consumption be down in part to the change in winter and summer diesel?

 

And 10'000 miles in 9 months?

 

Edited 1 February, 2018 by Conor the Bold