On 18/04/2018 at 14:25, shyVRS245 said:

Fresh from the Auto Express Driver Survey 2018 where 80,000 readers took part and rated their vehicles good and bad.

These are worst 10 from top 75 cars listed with most reported faults, drum roll.

BMW 5 series on sale since 2017  No.1 with 50.8% FAULTS.

Alfa Romeo Giulia on sale since 2016  No.2  40.3%.

BMW 4 series on sale since 2013  No.3  35.9%.

BMW 2 series on sale since 2014  No.4  34.6%.

Land Rover Discovery Sport on sale since 2015  No.5  30.8%.

BMW 3 series on sale since 2012  No.6  30.6%.

Toyota C-HR on sale since 2016  No.7  29.0%.

Citreon C4 Cactus on sale since 2015  No.8  28.6%.

Audi A4 on sale since 2016  No.9  27.8%.

Dacia Sandero (the cheapest new car in the U.K.) on sale since 2013  No.10  24.3%.

For comparison Skoda Octavia on sale since 2013 7.3% REPORTED FAULTS.

And finally Skoda Fabia on sale since 2014  4.1% REPORTED FAULTS.

Conclusion if you like visiting your dealer other than for routine servicing then buy a BMW!

 

Interesting - I’ve had no problems at all with my 5 since it arrived in January (well apart from the fact it arrived with a great big dint in the rear bumper so needed a brand new one!), but the forums are full of people with niggles, especially with the PHEV 530e. The thing is, reported faults can be anything from a major mechanical breakdown, so someone having an issue with steam in a headlight for example etc, and most “bad points” will come out on forums.

 

I've had 3 Skodas (1 Fabia, 2 Octavias) and all of them were great - only ever once did they have to go back in for something faulty - my FL O2 vRS developed a DRL fault where one of them was a different colour to the other!

On 18/04/2018 at 14:25, shyVRS245 said:

Fresh from the Auto Express Driver Survey 2018 where 80,000 readers took part and rated their vehicles good and bad.

These are worst 10 from top 75 cars listed with most reported faults, drum roll.

BMW 5 series on sale since 2017  No.1 with 50.8% FAULTS.

Alfa Romeo Giulia on sale since 2016  No.2  40.3%.

BMW 4 series on sale since 2013  No.3  35.9%.

BMW 2 series on sale since 2014  No.4  34.6%.

Land Rover Discovery Sport on sale since 2015  No.5  30.8%.

BMW 3 series on sale since 2012  No.6  30.6%.

Toyota C-HR on sale since 2016  No.7  29.0%.

Citreon C4 Cactus on sale since 2015  No.8  28.6%.

Audi A4 on sale since 2016  No.9  27.8%.

Dacia Sandero (the cheapest new car in the U.K.) on sale since 2013  No.10  24.3%.

For comparison Skoda Octavia on sale since 2013 7.3% REPORTED FAULTS.

And finally Skoda Fabia on sale since 2014  4.1% REPORTED FAULTS.

Conclusion if you like visiting your dealer other than for routine servicing then buy a BMW!

 

Interesting - I’ve had no problems at all with my 5 since it arrived in January (well apart from the fact it arrived with a great big dint in the rear bumper so needed a brand new one!), but the forums are full of people with niggles, especially with the PHEV 530e. The thing is, reported faults can be anything from a major mechanical breakdown, so someone having an issue with steam in a headlight for example etc, and most “bad points” will come out on forums.

 

I've had 3 Skodas (1 Fabia, 2 Octavias) and all of them were great - only ever once did they have to go back in for something faulty - my FL O2 vRS developed a DRL fault where one of them was a different colour to the other!

3 minutes ago, GoneToBeemer said:

 

Interesting - I’ve had no problems at all with my 5 since it arrived in January (well apart from the fact it arrived with a great big dint in the rear bumper so needed a brand new one!), but the forums are full of people with niggles, especially with the PHEV 530e. The thing is, reported faults can be anything from a major mechanical breakdown, so someone having an issue with steam in a headlight for example etc, and most “bad points” will come out on forums.

 

I've had 3 Skodas (1 Fabia, 2 Octavias) and all of them were great - only ever once did they have to go back in for something faulty - my FL O2 vRS developed a DRL fault where one of them was a different colour to the other!

My last two Skoda's after 2 years and 25,000 miles have been totally reliable and not one problem, not even a rattle, but I would have been irate finding a big dent in a new £40,000 car!

Just now, shyVRS245 said:

My last two Skoda's after 2 years and 25,000 miles have been totally reliable and not one problem, not even a rattle, but I would have been irate finding a big dent in a new £40,000 car!

 

To be fair in this day and age, I don’t know why that isn’t the case across all manufactures. Wind the clock back 10 or 15 years, you wouldn’t have touched something like a Kia or a Hyundai with a barge pole, and now they’re some of the most reliable cars (and well designed). If they can do it, then so can all the major manufacturers in Europe. 

 

Yeah to say I wasn’t the happiest man is an understatement. Not BMW’s fault, it was clearly damaged in transit as the driver tried to tell me he wasn’t allowed to deliver it so it could be “investigated”. He was soon put in his place and was fixed by Lloyd BMW at a cost of £1100, directly out of the hauliers pocket!

3 minutes ago, GoneToBeemer said:

 

To be fair in this day and age, I don’t know why that isn’t the case across all manufactures. Wind the clock back 10 or 15 years, you wouldn’t have touched something like a Kia or a Hyundai with a barge pole, and now they’re some of the most reliable cars (and well designed). If they can do it, then so can all the major manufacturers in Europe. 

 

Yeah to say I wasn’t the happiest man is an understatement. Not BMW’s fault, it was clearly damaged in transit as the driver tried to tell me he wasn’t allowed to deliver it so it could be “investigated”. He was soon put in his place and was fixed by Lloyd BMW at a cost of £1100, directly out of the hauliers pocket!

How's your economy so far because Auto Express ran a 520D with the auto box and it barely averaged 40mpg which is poor for a 187bhp car. Mine has over 300bhp, is petrol and I average over 39mpg. I had 2 BMW E36's in the mid 1990's so I don't hate BMW drivers, just think there are better built, better value, better equipped cars available for far less cash, unless your car is company supplied, then I understand you probably want to impress the neighbours. One of my neighbours recently swapped his 190ps Superb Estate for a BMW 5 series Estate 190ps. I felt sorry for him because he now has a less practical less well equipped car. But it's a company car so he probably doesn't care.

2 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

How's your economy so far because Auto Express ran a 520D with the auto box and it barely averaged 40mpg which is poor for a 187bhp car. Mine has over 300bhp, is petrol and I average over 39mpg. I had 2 BMW E36's in the mid 1990's so I don't hate BMW drivers, just think there are better built, better value, better equipped cars available for far less cash, unless your car is company supplied, then I understand you probably want to impress the neighbours. One of my neighbours recently swapped his 190ps Superb Estate for a BMW 5 series Estate 190ps. I felt sorry for him because he now has a less practical less well equipped car. But it's a company car so he probably doesn't care.

 

 

I doubt Auto Express would average anywhere near 40mpg in your car either. My expectation based on a VRS 220 with a similar average to you, is that a 520d would average mid to high 40's driven the same way over the same journeys.

 

Honest John real mpg as reported by users is pretty much 45mpg for both auto/manual and 184/190ps variants of the F10 520d. For comparison the VRS 220/230 hatch/estate petrol variants are between 32-35mpg.

 

21 minutes ago, ahenners said:

 

I doubt Auto Express would average anywhere near 40mpg in your car either. My expectation based on a VRS 220 with a similar average to you, is that a 520d would average mid to high 40's driven the same way over the same journeys.

 

Honest John real mpg as reported by users is pretty much 45mpg for both auto/manual and 184/190ps variants of the F10 520d. For comparison the VRS 220/230 hatch/estate petrol variants are between 32-35mpg.

 

You can check this because it's a fact when Auto Express did a twin road test between VRS245 hatch and Ford Focus ST hatch, including performance track tests and real road driving the Ford averaged under 30mpg but the VRS245 averaged 38.9mpg, one of the reasons I went for the Skoda because it can achieve some remarkable economy figures considering it's performance potential.Honest John is my Dad's neighbour by the way!

15 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

You can check this because it's a fact when Auto Express did a twin road test between VRS245 hatch and Ford Focus ST hatch, including performance track tests and real road driving the Ford averaged under 30mpg but the VRS245 averaged 38.9mpg, one of the reasons I went for the Skoda because it can achieve some remarkable economy figures considering it's performance potential.Honest John is my Dad's neighbour by the way!

 

The economy is definitely better on the VRS - my brother bought a Focus ST on a 14 and it's definitely noticeably worse on fuel than my VRS. Interior is not as nice either.. though I do like the Leather Recaros....

 

That's pretty cool, small world! 

'Test economy',   is that an Average,

ie all the litres used from collection to hand back and the miles covered divided.  

They seldom seen to even weigh the cars.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/100471/skoda-octavia-vrs-245-vs-ford-focus-st 

 

 

Edited 21 April, 20188 yr by Offski

On 21/04/2018 at 09:11, shyVRS245 said:

How's your economy so far because Auto Express ran a 520D with the auto box and it barely averaged 40mpg which is poor for a 187bhp car. Mine has over 300bhp, is petrol and I average over 39mpg. I had 2 BMW E36's in the mid 1990's so I don't hate BMW drivers, just think there are better built, better value, better equipped cars available for far less cash, unless your car is company supplied, then I understand you probably want to impress the neighbours. One of my neighbours recently swapped his 190ps Superb Estate for a BMW 5 series Estate 190ps. I felt sorry for him because he now has a less practical less well equipped car. But it's a company car so he probably doesn't care.

 

My long term average is 49.6, which for a car with only 6k miles is pretty good I think. My driving is mainly motorway and A-road, which helps economy a lot, and on a long run I can see MPG into the early 50’s without thinking about it. My O3 with DSG and the 150ps engine could only manage around the same, so I’m pretty happy with that. 

 

I’m not that vain really, I like cars for what they are - I’ve had 3 Skodas and loved all 3 of them, strangely enough the Mk1 Fabia vRS was my absolute fave. After taking several cars on a test drive (new E-class, Superb, A5 sportback & 5 series) I just really liked the new 5, and the standard kit on them is very generous now. Whilst I agree that you can get a better equipped car for less cash, there is something about the way the car feels to drive, the compliance of the ride and how hushed it is on a run is just amazing.I do circa 20k miles a year, so that’s all that really bothers me these days. The infotainment system & Harman Kardon sound is also a step above anything else on the market too - the sat nav is the best I have ever used. Interestingly, the 9.2” Columbus that was fitted to the Superb was better than the standard Audi system, and MILES better than the cheapy Garmin nav software you get on the E-class, which to me apart from how comfortable it is, is a vastly overrated car. I would have a Superb over one in a heartbeat. 

Enjoy your repaired company car.

Re that list and 'Skoda Fabia since 2014 and 4.1% reported faults' 

 

Someone is at it,  like Customer / Owners reporting faults and Skoda Dealerships or Skoda UK not logging them.

 

There was the 1.4TDI Coolant Service Campaign issue that was denied or ignored until more water pump failures then the need for a TPI, Service Campaign and a change of coolant.

There is the DSG Slipping Clutch Issue that was passed off as 'they all do that' then in other countries there was a better response and now a TPI in the UK, a Software Update and even clutch packs being replaced.

There has been the ribbed pipe issue and noise and the Skoda Secret Service pipe replacement that people had to come to a forum to find out about.

There was the Phone Connection issue, Mirrorlink and this might be only 4.1% if there was very large Sales or First Registrations and all the faults were reported at the same time and counted as a single fault.

 

Another thing is when Skoda / VW First Register so many vehicles that they actually own for 3-6 Months, lease or lend or hire, 

Fleet use etc, then they punt as Used / Ex Management,  then VW Group are not reporting their own cars as faulty.

Buyers of the used cars might be reporting faults, drivers of pool cars, and short lease cars might not be.

 

as it is with The Fix, VW were saying 1% of complaints in the first year, then 2%, and now who knows,

but then many of those vehicles were VW vehicles and being done first when handed back or traded in and there was nobody to complain until they are with a new Owner / Driver.

Edited 22 April, 20188 yr by Offski

On 21/04/2018 at 11:59, shyVRS245 said:

You can check this because it's a fact when Auto Express did a twin road test between VRS245 hatch and Ford Focus ST hatch, including performance track tests and real road driving the Ford averaged under 30mpg but the VRS245 averaged 38.9mpg, one of the reasons I went for the Skoda because it can achieve some remarkable economy figures considering it's performance potential.Honest John is my Dad's neighbour by the way!

 

Interesting; I have the ST and since day one my economy is showing as 38.3mpg (it drops over the winter months and then climbs again when the temperatures rise).

 

One of the gripes with my VRS diesel (if you view my historic posts) was 43mpg which I thought was feeble (especially when Skoda claim 61mpg).

 

Both cars have been driven exactly the same but I know which one provides more fun!

 

I thought my VRS was a lemon but from reading the (non-fanboy) posts here it seems low to mid 40's was as good as it got with the VRS diesel.  A shame because it was a lovely car.

Edited 22 April, 20188 yr by SkodaVRS1963

@Offski regarding the whole MirrorLink debacle with the Fabia, it wasn't really a fault per se, but more people (dealers) not understanding what the system was and wasn't capable of. The brochure never said that the early cars would be compatible with Android Auto or CarPlay, but the dealers often seemed to think that you could upgrade the systems, which you couldn't. Poor communication from Skoda to dealers was the problem, and potentially sketchy dealers if they new that the full SmartLink system would be available from MY16. 

 

Faults are an odd one. My Fabia has a squeaky accelerator pedal- they're going to look at it and presumably replace it/grease it when it goes in for its second service next week. That would technically count as a 'fault'. But it's hardly a problem. It's annoying and they're going to fix it, but it's nothing worth a separate trip to the dealer and it's not stranded me. Meanwhile a car's ECU failing catastrophically, just the once, leaving you stuck on the side of the road, would also count as a single 'fault'. But it leaves a much nastier taste in the mouth of the once-proud owner than a squeaky accelerator pedal. 

SkodaVRS1963,   where did Skoda make the 61mpg claim.

  Was that for anyplace other than in a Temperature Controlled Building with diesel in the oil and over inflated tyres, with no optional extras while on a rolling road.

http://skoda.co.uk/pages/fuel-consumption-statement.aspx 

3 minutes ago, Offski said:

SkodaVRS1963,   where did Skoda make the 61mpg claim.

  Was that for anyplace other than in a Temperature Controlled Building with diesel in the oil and over inflated tyres, with no optional extras while on a rolling road.

http://skoda.co.uk/pages/fuel-consumption-statement.aspx 

 

Probably.

 

My previous car was a Focus CC 2.0 136bhp diesel.  Ford claimed something like 53mpg was possible but I never got more than 47mpg so I assumed manufacturers could artifically inflate their claims by approximately 11% and the powers that be would turn a blind eye to their lies.

 

That's ok, palms need to be greased etc etc, I understand how the cogs of industry turn.

 

So when Skoda claimed 61mpg, I deducted 11% and thought "ok, 53/54mpg works for me, it's 7mpg more than I'm getting now plus I have another 48bhp to enjoy".

 

But the difference between 61mpg and 43mpg is embarrassing.  We all now know that the VW group were fiddling their emissions outputs, it's just a shame that the Government don't clamp down on all vehicle manufacturers and make them legally liable for their implied fuel economy figures.  There's always a tolerance but 61-43 / 61 is a 29% fiddle.

Why the discredited EU tested is a dead parrot. 

Now the new dodgy testing of vehicles not showing the possible results at Revenue Weight, ie all the allowable weight a vehicle might be on the road at being one of the tests for emissions and fuel economy. Not just near Unladen weight with a driver and some test equipment carried.

3 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

Enjoy your repaired company car.

 

On 4/13/2018 at 08:22, butchvrs said:

I'm taking to get a Hunter 4 wheel tracking done on it this morning and inspect the n/s/r tyre to see if it's been deformed, which wouldn't surprise me considering the state of Britain's roads.

Some main roads in Gloucestershire are akin to driving down farm tracks they're in such a state! But I guess it's the same Country wide .

 

Esseesse200, I had a DTUK box fitted up until a few weeks back as it was going in for a major service and I've not refitted (for sale @ £225), however I'm thinking of going for a Revo Stage 2 remap if I keep it, maybe that'll put a smile on my face!

 

I am only over in Herefordshire Gloucester roads are 100 times better than our. I come out of ledbury cross over from Herefordshire into Gloucestershire and its like another  world LOL

On 21/04/2018 at 11:59, shyVRS245 said:

Honest John is my Dad's neighbour by the way!

 

I thought Honest John had retired/moved to Thailand?

On 21/04/2018 at 09:11, shyVRS245 said:

I had 2 BMW E36's in the mid 1990's so I don't hate BMW drivers, just think there are better built, better value, better equipped cars available for far less cash, unless your car is company supplied, then I understand you probably want to impress the neighbours. 

 

You're out of date. Only ever owned one BMW, a 56 plate E90, had it nearly 8 years and took it from 70K miles to 145K. Yes not as economical or as quick as my Octy (newer technology) but the build quality was superb and the car was very solid, like a tank. Supposedly I had the troublesome 2 litre petrol (crankshaft sensor, ignition coil packs, injectors etc) but the engine never missed a beat. It was also noticeably quieter car especially motorway cruising.

 

As for equipment I was fortunate as it was 2nd hand (never been able to afford a new car) and it was better equipped than my Elegance Octy is.

 

But I love my Skoda Octy and I'm very pleased with it. £30 a year tax and the torque of the 1.4TSi engine is superb. Plus the massive boot (E90 saloon boot is titchy).

2 hours ago, Lingnoi said:

 

You're out of date. Only ever owned one BMW, a 56 plate E90, had it nearly 8 years and took it from 70K miles to 145K. Yes not as economical or as quick as my Octy (newer technology) but the build quality was superb and the car was very solid, like a tank. Supposedly I had the troublesome 2 litre petrol (crankshaft sensor, ignition coil packs, injectors etc) but the engine never missed a beat. It was also noticeably quieter car especially motorway cruising.

 

As for equipment I was fortunate as it was 2nd hand (never been able to afford a new car) and it was better equipped than my Elegance Octy is.

 

But I love my Skoda Octy and I'm very pleased with it. £30 a year tax and the torque of the 1.4TSi engine is superb. Plus the massive boot (E90 saloon boot is titchy).

 

Also have fond memories of the E90 generation... Had a 60 plate E92 LCI 330D and it was the best car I've owned in terms of build quality, not a single rattle or squeak even at 100k when I sold it. Amazing engine which was quick and pretty economical for nearly 250bhp. CIC Pro nav was also excellent too. Only went as it wasn't practical enough for kids.

 

The Octy has got under my skin for it's all round capabilities despite not being perfect. It was relatively cheap to buy, doesn't cost much to run and isn't a million miles off the 330d I had performance wise.

42 minutes ago, ahenners said:

The Octy has got under my skin for it's all round capabilities despite not being perfect. It was relatively cheap to buy, doesn't cost much to run and isn't a million miles off the 330d I had performance wise.

 

http://www.zeperfs.com/en/duel2643-4742.htm

 

Very similar performance between your current and ex-car, within a margin of error, even with a very expensive equipment.

0-100 6,3 vs 6,7

0-200 26,0 vs 26,6

80-120 3,7 vs 4

7 minutes ago, nidza said:

 

http://www.zeperfs.com/en/duel2643-4742.htm

 

Very similar performance between your current and ex-car, within a margin of error, even with a very expensive equipment.

0-100 6,3 vs 6,7

0-200 26,0 vs 26,6

80-120 3,7 vs 4

 

Thanks for that, interesting stats between the 2. 0-100 (0-62 mph) was definitely better in the BMW but I guess that's more RWD Vs FWD. Power to weight wise they are similar, Octy loses 25ps but also 200kg or so. BMW subjectively felt quicker but think that was due to the massive torque it had.

 

Both very good cars in their own right

Edited 4 May, 20188 yr by ahenners

It’s amazing what torque can do, my old C30 was a fast car in any gear as it was a T5 and tuned but it really got moving at about 4000 rpm. It maxed out on a dyno at 333.7 bhp. My Mercedes is factory standard and hit 361.4 bhp on the same dyno but the torque of the mahoosive N/A V8 blows the little 5 cylinder Swede away, it doesn’t even need a kickdown, it just goes and put up an impressive fight against a modern C43 AMG with its trick 9 speed gearbox, AWD and launch control making the most of the power. I was ahead up to about 50 MPH and stuck very close behind all the way to the end of the run. That was a fresh car and ready to go, mine is a 15 year old 120k mile car.