Posting this on behalf of daughter, who presently runs a VW Touran but fancies a Kodiaq. I'm very much a Skoda advocate (Yeti) and suggested Skoda.

 

There do seem to be a lot of reports of problems with Kodiaqs though, which will doubtless be ironed out in due course, but she'll be buying a secondhand one, complete with potentially expensive teething problems.

 

Any thoughts, please?  Is a secondhand Kodiaq a realistic proposition for someone wanting reliability - or are there better options out there for a 2 or 3 year old 7-seater?  Another Touran, perhaps?  Or a Ford S-Max?

Can't post about general reliability of Kodiaqs but I have not had any reliability issues with mine - touch wood

3 hours ago, docc said:

There do seem to be a lot of reports of problems with Kodiaqs though

 

I've not read of any; do you have links to these "reports"?

1 hour ago, SkodaVRS1963 said:

 

I've not read of any; do you have links to these "reports"?

It was comments such as these that rang alarm bells - I may be worrying about nothing, though.  Just interested in getting feedback before she makes a decision:

 

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/skoda-kodiaq-owners-are-reporting-some-problems-126376.html

 

I consider the electronics on the Kodiaq to be very suspect. What with problems like yours, tailgates opening on their own (usually overnight).
Tailgate opening handle only works when it wants to although door switch has never let me down.
Key fob opening often only opens the t/gate halfway.
Let alone all the other miriad problems people have had. Door guards jamming out and getting knocked off, (Meadens have the bits for mine on order & have been so for over a week!!) problems with mud flaps,
groaning door pulls. it goes on and on. A fantastic car spoilt by stupid problems that should never have been allowed to happen. 
Etc, etc.
I think they launched it too early before all the gremlins were sorted out. I bet big money that Honda And `Subaru never have these problems.
The K will be the last new car I buy from Skoda. I am going to wait until they get their collective @rses in gear and sort out the niggles BEFORE launching it.

Edited 3 May, 20197 yr by john999boy

Never had any problems with mine and I've not seen anything on here that would put me off buying one.

3 hours ago, docc said:

It was comments such as these that rang alarm bells - I may be worrying about nothing, though.  Just interested in getting feedback before she makes a decision:

 

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/skoda-kodiaq-owners-are-reporting-some-problems-126376.html

 

I consider the electronics on the Kodiaq to be very suspect. What with problems like yours, tailgates opening on their own (usually overnight).
Tailgate opening handle only works when it wants to although door switch has never let me down.
Key fob opening often only opens the t/gate halfway.
Let alone all the other miriad problems people have had. Door guards jamming out and getting knocked off, (Meadens have the bits for mine on order & have been so for over a week!!) problems with mud flaps,
groaning door pulls. it goes on and on. A fantastic car spoilt by stupid problems that should never have been allowed to happen. 
Etc, etc.
I think they launched it too early before all the gremlins were sorted out. I bet big money that Honda And `Subaru never have these problems.
The K will be the last new car I buy from Skoda. I am going to wait until they get their collective @rses in gear and sort out the niggles BEFORE launching it.

 

I suspect you may well be worrying about nothing. The fact that the Kodiaq has just been awarded the Honest John SUV Award for the second time, back to back, speaks rather more for its inherent quality, reliability, and comfort:.

 

http://www.skodamedia.com/index.php/latest-news/honest-john-deals-up-two-top-awards-for-kodiaq-and-superb

There is nothing so special about a Kodiak to make it anymore unreliable than any other car made by Skoda, they all use the same tech.

For fear of upsetting people, a lot of reported issues are down to the owner not understanding the operation of their Kodiaq (modern cars are getting very complex), or simply down to their (or their passengers) ham-fistedness 

 

The Kodiaq isn't without its faults, but I'd bet is a damned sight better than any of its nearest competitors.

 

If reliability is your highest priority then wait a year, rob a bank, and buy a Lexus RX L...

 

 

Edited 3 May, 20197 yr by silver1011

I've just replaced a Kodiaq SE 5 seat with a 7seat SE L DSG 190.

Only problem I had over almost 2 years and 20k miles with the SE was a duff Mol battery.

I've had mine 19 months and just coming up for 19k miles and only issue was a broken internal window clip which was replaced quickly under warranty. I would highly recommend the car to anyone, and have on many occasions.

I have had many car makes in my life. The last two have been Skoda. The most reliable and solid by a country mile. Skoda is the only manufacturer I have purchased two cars from. The 2nd on the back of 10 years ownership of my previous Skoda. I have not been disappointed. Notwithstanding any new car will likely suffer a niggle or two when purchased.

1 year, 15000 miles, no issues that were the fault of the car. I did have my boot open "by itself" a couple of times. Eventually realised that the key ring the dealer had given me has a lump in exactly the right place to press against the "open boot" button on the key, so leaning against something or pressure against pocket could lead to boot opening. Change key ring, problem solved.

Edited 10 May, 20197 yr by gojoholo
added image

On 03/05/2019 at 12:49, docc said:

Posting this on behalf of daughter, who presently runs a VW Touran but fancies a Kodiaq. I'm very much a Skoda advocate (Yeti) and suggested Skoda.

 

There do seem to be a lot of reports of problems with Kodiaqs though, which will doubtless be ironed out in due course, but she'll be buying a secondhand one, complete with potentially expensive teething problems.

 

Any thoughts, please?  Is a secondhand Kodiaq a realistic proposition for someone wanting reliability - or are there better options out there for a 2 or 3 year old 7-seater?  Another Touran, perhaps?  Or a Ford S-Max?

The Kodiaq is a good as it gets I'm afraid, you could look at the Seat Tarraco or Tiguan AllSpace but they are the same cars underneath using the same tech. If you believe the Kodiaq is unreliable don't even go near a Land Rover :)

6 hours ago, TonyTonic said:

The Kodiaq is a good as it gets I'm afraid, you could look at the Seat Tarraco or Tiguan AllSpace but they are the same cars underneath using the same tech. If you believe the Kodiaq is unreliable don't even go near a Land Rover

I’m very encouraged by the positive responses actually. Maybe there’s nothing in the reports above.

 

My Yeti’s been very reliable.  Could well be that the Kodiaq’s just as good.

The Kodiaq is quite a bit more advanced than the Yeti. That additional complexity brings an increased risk of faults.

 

But, this is no different to any modern car, and the Kodiaq is proving to be very reliable and is no doubt contributing to Skoda's continued success when it comes to it's reliability score...

 

 

The Yeti will take some beating though...

 

 

31k miles and just about 12 months in to our ownership of a Kodiaq. No problems. First rule of forums: people with an issue come and make lots of noise; the huge number of people with no issues make no noise, because they don’t have an issue to make noise about. 

I think that most unappreciated advantage of Skodas is anti-corrosion protection. Galvanization on Skodas are among the best together with VWs, Volvos and BMWs. Toytotas and other Japanese manufacturers are much worse in this regard (probably because there are no 'proper' winters in japan  ). There was recent survey in Canada which confirmed this a lot (sorry, no source).

 

I don't know how much of a problem is car corrosion in your country but basically once there is a salt thrown on a road to melt the ice then cars start to rust very fast. It's no problem to find 4 years old Mazda which is already corroding and there are still many Octavias Mk1 (15 years) which are fine. 

@Flek

Welcome. 

 

Skoda sadly had the 'Zinc Inclusion' issue with Yeti and were rather slow in accepting that was their fault in their factory.

Sadly dealers still fail to accept that Skoda accepted it was their fault.

 

Then as far as Rust / Corrosion which is a continuing issue with some cars, 

Skoda UK seem to think saying there is no record of Annual or Bi-Annual body inspections done by Main Dealers at services is fair.

Yet cars can have FULL MAIN DEALER SERVICE HISTORIES,  so Skoda / VW UK know exactly which 'Official Dealerships / Repairers are not doing the body checks that customers / owners pay to be done at Services.

 

Vorsprung durch technik / Simply clever,  never believe the spin and almost check the small print because VW Group / Skoda can be cheeky little blighters.

On 10/05/2019 at 22:39, MrTrilby said:

First rule of forums: people with an issue come and make lots of noise; the huge number of people with no issues make no noise, because they don’t have an issue to make noise about. 

 

Yes and no.

 

Every forum, including this one, has what are known as "fanboys".  These are people (quite often manufacturer employee plants) who will label everyone who dares to complain about the brand as "a troll".

 

These same people will make outrageous claims about the car they allegedly drive; e.g "my car has done 60,000 and has still got 7mm on the front tyres" or "my chipped 245bhp petrol is actually pushing out 320bhp and I still get 55mpg".

 

You soon get to spot them, they're very transparent.

 

I do wish the moderators on forums (including this one) were more proactive in removing such posts because all they do is create unrealistic expectations about the brand.

 

Please name and shame these "fanboys" we are awaiting with moist anticipation.

6 hours ago, Skoffski said:

@Flek

Welcome. 

 

Skoda sadly had the 'Zinc Inclusion' issue with Yeti and were rather slow in accepting that was their fault in their factory.

Sadly dealers still fail to accept that Skoda accepted it was their fault.

 

Then as far as Rust / Corrosion which is a continuing issue with some cars, 

Skoda UK seem to think saying there is no record of Annual or Bi-Annual body inspections done by Main Dealers at services is fair.

Yet cars can have FULL MAIN DEALER SERVICE HISTORIES,  so Skoda / VW UK know exactly which 'Official Dealerships / Repairers are not doing the body checks that customers / owners pay to be done at Services.

 

Vorsprung durch technik / Simply clever,  never believe the spin and almost check the small print because VW Group / Skoda can be cheeky little blighters.

 

I was talking more in general. Every company has faulty batches. It's important how companies deal with these but I can't comment on these because it's different in every country (eg. Skoda UK). It's pretty good in my country.

 

My point was that for example in my country (Czech republic) everyone would be driving Toyota (me included). We are generally cheap-asses which doesn't care about fancy german soft-plastic etc. We care about reliability and longevity, that is at least for me measurement of quality. Toyotas are best in this regard by far and only thing which is holding them down in our country is that they are just more rusty (less safe) after 10 years of service if it was parked on the street. Skodas are guilty of some famous german overengineering but not so much as VW and luckily for me Skoda is at home here so we get lowest maintenance/repair costs by far (any mechanic can work your car and once your car is out of warranty you can already find any spare parts on scrap yards).

 

@SkodaVRS1963 I would be willing to consider myself as Skoda fanboy. That's why I am reading this site after all. I am not Skoda employee in any way, but I have ordered Kodiaq RS (should arrive in December). I didn't notice anybody labeling others as trolls, and I am quite surprised about requests for 'proactive removal of posts'. Can you mention posts that upset you so much that you want them removed so nobody else can read them?

@Flek VW over engineering is a bit of a laugh.  They offer lots of Plastic Chrome and bling. Even that stains.

They forget about Chains & Tensioners and longevity. When the go to belts they still get tensioners wrong.

The Brake Discs are rubbish. They got the Euro 5 TSI's badly wrong and now for the WLTP / RDE they messed up the 1.5TSI EVO.

So much so that the Hybrids will use 1.4 TSI's.

The DQ200 DSG's have been on the go a decade and 2 major Service Campaigns later there are ongoing issues.

Vorsprung Durch Technik.

 

 

Skoda are famous for Fuel Filer flaps that freeze closed.  But being simply clever they put an ice scraper in there.

Famous for the VW trait of Door & Hatch Seals that have doors full of H20 and that can freeze shut.

Famous for rubbish water pumps sourced by VW Group.

For rubbish OEM tyres on cars imported to the UK where there is no law / legislation on fitting winter tyres in winter.

 

As to maintenance cost in the UK it looks OK with Service Plans and the Fixed Price Services.

Pity that Full Main Dealer Service History and a Service plan does not mean the Brake Fluid is changed, the Haldex Serviced correctly or even serviced and the DSG might not get oil changes.

The A/C Service will be pointed out to owners though, and a suggested Fuel Additive.

Edited 12 May, 20197 yr by Skoffski

I know about TSI issues. My brother had actually whole engine replaced because it was taking too much oil. His car was out of warranty, 6 years old car, 5 years of warranty. In the end he got new engine for free from Skoda but he had to pay for work (1000£). This is exactly over-engineering I am talking about, this would not happen with Toyota. They had a lot of issues with TDI before that (TDI-PD). Sometimes they failed even before 100 000 km. They were replacing whole engines in these cases even when the cars were out of 2-year warranty for free (happened to my former colleague).

 

In our country every second car sold is Skoda or VW. Toyota has 3,63% even though it is most sold brand worldwide. Because of that we have pretty good knowledge if there is some issue  

 

I am actually very afraid about EVO engines (TDI and TSI). There is a lot of new technology which had to be done quickly because of EU. And VW isn't good at making big changes at once (eg. TSI and TDI-PD  ). That's actually why I decided to buy Kodiaq RS now even when I don't need new car right now. I think it's last breed of forged by time TDI EA288 (from cast iron instead of aluminium). These can make 1 000 000 km when maintained properly (read: not as recommended by VW). In our country quality is checked by two tests. First you go to the city and look at 5 year old cars how rusted they are. The other is to check how much clocked are these cars when sold. When someone can sell car with 400 000 km clocked to 150 000 km (this is actually happening) then the car couldn't have really bad interior/engine quality.

 

I didn't hear about frozen Fuel Filer flaps or H2O in doors. Brake discs on my Golf VII are fine after 111000km. We are using mostly manuals here so I don't know a lot about DSGs. And yes, I will probably have to buy new winter tyres as soon as I get the car.

 

I don't plan to buy a service plan. Engine oil should be really changed every 15000km instead of 30000km. Haldex and DSG should be changed more often too.

My oil was changed at 29,600km  and car has been 100% reliable. Tsi petrol and I plan to keep it at least 10 years and 192,000km. Manual gearbox to keep maintenance costs down and reliability good.

I think you should be fine. It's said that VW is generally aiming for longevity of 250 000 km with their service plans. I'd still consider changing oil more often. Your car can keep running twice that long. We have very expensive oil when bought by service station, so we usually buy the same oil on the internet and give it to the repair shop. They will write a note into the service book but there were no repercussions at any time. The whole exchange then costs (with oil, filters and all) around 67£

Edited 12 May, 20197 yr by Flek