Goodbye Skoda

[MoggyTech]

Well after 12 years of owning a Skoda I've decided to defect to Hyundai (New Ioniq 1.6 GDi Hybrid Premium.)

 

I've owned an Octavia MK3 1.4 TSi DSG for three years and it's been a great car, until the dreaded auto shifter error message started popping up ("Error workshop, only leave vehicle when in Park")

Skoda say they haven't heard of this issue, yet I have a VAG TSB document in my hand, about this very issue, and it effects VW/Audi/Skoda/SEAT models, so another clear case of VAG not giving a hoot about their customers.

I was going to replace the car this year anyway, and I do think the Octavia is an excellent family car, but the new 1.5ACT engine is a dog IMHO. All due to emission standards of course.

 

I will miss the excellent acceleration of the 1.4TSi coupled with the 7 speed DSG, but I'm getting old and tend to drive like a pensioner these days anyway. 

 

So what will I gain from the new car. Multi link rear suspension (Yay!) 70+ MPG all LED lights (except headlights which are BiXenon) and back to my favourite colour of white.

The big plus for me, is the five year warranty, battery pack is guaranteed for the life of the car or 150,000 miles. Bodywork 12 years corrosion warranty.

 

Skoda Local dealer standards have slipped over the past few years. Missing filler caps on aircon after a full service, dirt in fresh brake fluid, incorrect paperwork to name but a few.

Oh and the lead time for the new car, two weeks. I will stay in touch here, as your a great crowd, but for now Adios Amigos. 

   

[Gerrycan]

Understandable decision. 

Tempted with some sort of hybrid myself but prefer a plug chargeable.

[MoggyTech]

1 minute ago, Gerrycan said:

Understandable decision. 

Tempted with some sort of hybrid myself but prefer a plug chargeable.

The Ioniq is available in three configurations, Hybrid, Plug in Hybrid, or full EV.

It's getting great independent reviews for all three types. I also like the looks, modern without going all Picasso like Toyota did. 

[john999boy]

It would be nice to hear updates on your new car @MoggyTech. 

[MoggyTech]

Just now, john999boy said:

It would be nice to hear updates on your new car @MoggyTech. 

Oh don't worry mate, it will get the full review after the extended test drive on Sunday. 

[dunc69]

Interesting choice.

 

Also would be good to hear how you get on! 

 

Hyundai / Kia are rapidly improving.  

Edited 14 July, 2019 by dunc69

[ahenners]

As DJ Khaled would say... Another one. Seems to be a few leaving the MK3 fold for other marques and some good choices too. Enjoy the new car and update us with how it compares to the Octavia 

[DaveLees]

Looking forward to seeing your review of the new car in due course.

How did it compare price wise with a similar Octavia?

Edited 14 July, 2019 by DaveLees

[classic]

All the best, I don’t want to rain on the parade but I went from an Octavia tdi to a Toyota Auris Hybrid but ditched it to get an Octavia petrol.

The new Ioniq could well be a lot better than the Toyota but I found the following 

 

Plusses + good build quality

                  Reliable/excellent warranties

                  No turbo, no timing belt

                  Good spec/decent equipment 

 

Minuses - mpg no better than an equivalent diesel and not much better than a           modern turbo petrol

                   Poor rear leg room and boot space compared to equivalent car

                   Boring to drive (quick up to 40 in sports mode though)

                   MPG drops dramatically if you dare go over 70mph

                   

Give it a good test (a couple of days) before you sign. The Ioniq may be better than the Auris as it’s a different hybrid drive with a 6 speed box. If your driving is mainly urban then they are great and even give 70mpg on a journey around town. Anything at speeds over 40mph though and you’re driving a 1.6 petrol auto and the mpg nose dives. I got an average of 49mpg overall out of the Auris, and in the end had it permanently in Sport mode. Anyone getting 70mpg is driving like a snail and is permanently in eco mode (which feels hideously sluggish). 

I have no personal experience of the Ioniq but I’ll be going to a full ev next.

Technology as it stands I would have a plug in hybrid, or ev, but not a self charging hybrid.

 

 

[MoggyTech]

30 minutes ago, DaveLees said:

Looking forward to seeing your review of the new car in due course.

How did it compare price wise with a similar Octavia?

The ioniq prices start at just under 20K for the base spec hybrid, rising to 23K for top of the range hybrid. (Way more toys that any Octavia)

The plug in version starts at 26K and the full EV is just over 30K

Oddly the full EV has to use torsion beam rear suspension due to the battery pack size, but the lower range models all have independent multi link rear suspension.

The Octavia range is cheaper, but anything that uses Lithium Ion battery packs is going to hike the price a fair bit. 

[MoggyTech]

4 minutes ago, classic said:

All the best, I don’t want to rain on the parade but I went from an Octavia tdi to a Toyota Auris Hybrid but ditched it to get an Octavia petrol.

The new Ioniq could well be a lot better than the Toyota but I found the following 

 

Plusses + good build quality

                  Reliable/excellent warranties

                  No turbo, no timing belt

                  Good spec/decent equipment 

 

Minuses - mpg no better than an equivalent diesel and not much better than a           modern turbo petrol

                   Poor rear leg room and boot space compared to equivalent car

                   Boring to drive (quick up to 40 in sports mode though)

                   MPG drops dramatically if you dare go over 70mph

                   

Give it a good test (a couple of days) before you sign. The Ioniq may be better than the Auris as it’s a different hybrid drive with a 6 speed box. If your driving is mainly urban then they are great and even give 70mpg on a journey around town. Anything at speeds over 40mph though and you’re driving a 1.6 petrol auto and the mpg nose dives. I got an average of 49mpg overall out of the Auris, and in the end had it permanently in Sport mode. Anyone getting 70mpg is driving like a snail and is permanently in eco mode (which feels hideously sluggish). 

I have no personal experience of the Ioniq but I’ll be going to a full ev next.

Technology as it stands I would have a plug in hybrid, or ev, but not a self charging hybrid.

 

 

I'm doing mostly short local trips these days. I did consider the plug in version, but that's an extra £4,000 and you can buy a lot of petrol for that kind of money. I will miss that 1.4TSi petrol engine in the Octavia, it's a peach, but the VAG company has destroyed any faith i had in them. All the plus point you made about the Auris, are the main reasons I'm switching. The slight loss in performance I can live with. I never have passengers so rear leg room is not a problem, although in the ioniq it's good, it's rear headroom for six footers that's the problem due to the steep roof slope to the rear.

 

The quoted 0--62 for the Ioniq is 10.8 seconds, but 0-60 is 8.6 in sports mode, and I bet 0-40 is probably quicker than the Octavia 1.4Tsi.

I'm getting on in years (state pension started this year, so a five year warranty will see me to 70 (if I get there.) 

[vRSAnt]

Shame your leaving the car club
I bought my 2.0TSi used and I think if you had one of these would polarise your decision a lot more, than the 1.4 as it solves at least some of the things like multi link. Its also one hell of a car, mapped probably feels like twice a 1.4 !

Then again being in the dinosaur fuel club feels like it has some finite lifetime with increasing pressures for other choice.

 

That said, I can see the sense of following the masses on the fuel directions,

with my driving behaviour now could probably like with 100% ev I'm starting to think I should sell my O3 so I have the cash spare for a smarter long term decision but I'm prepared to take advice on be swayed on this
 

Be nice to have something that offered that plus some excitement before I would jump ship. There were some promises of a mg concept battery sports car next year, I can't see myself being an early adopter though. The lack of sound is a shame too though.
Hope you enjoy your new car anyway.

 

[MoggyTech]

OK guys and girls the 2 hour test drive went like this.

interior, absolutely mind blowing, the all digital (TFT) instrument cluster is really well thought out. Stick it in sport mode, and the speedo changes to a rev counter, with digital MPH in the middle. Two smaller areas either side can have tailored information you desire.

Oh before i go any further, they had a top of the range ex salesman car, 19 Plate registered mid May 2019 800 miles 4K off list price. I also got more than 1.5K above Parkers top book price for the Octavia. Thing is the new car is not Polar White, it's black, yes I know it will be a booger to keep clean, but the colour really suits the styling, way more than the white does.

 

Interior is really top quality with full heated leather and ventilated seats. The only cheap plastic is reserved for lower trim like seat bases.

 

The drive. The reviewers who stated the engine is very noisy if you rag it, are talking nonsense. It's very refined but with a very satisfying exhaust note. The reviewers who said the 6 speed DCT was slow to respond and clunky (Evo magazine) are also talking nonsense.  Urban traffic, the car just glides along, with no hint of the ICE cutting in and out. No starter motor either, so stop start is quick, smooth, spooky. 50 MPH dual carriageway, way quieter than the Octavia, also the multi-link rear suspensions soaks up bad road surfaces, and were talking Edinburgh here, and the roads are a disgrace.

 

Motorway, this is when I thought I was going to walk away from the deal, 50 to 70 MPH acceleration was dire, thing is, the kickdown switch takes a fair stomp to activate it, the thing took off like a rocket  and that was in normal mode. In sport it's even better. Is it as quick as the 1.4TSi DSG, nope not quite, but it ain't far off.

 

Test drive MPG came in at 68.2 MPG but only a proper brim to brim set of fuel ups will tell what it really is. Another thing I liked is how smoothly you can stop the car, as the ICE cuts out well before you stop. I hated dragging the 1.4TSi clutch due the various clutch pack problems that can create, or at least accelerate wear. Same goes for crawling in traffic ques, the ICE didn't cut in until we got some serious speed going. 

 

Other extras that were thrown into the deal. Full detail with ceramic coating, and interior protection, plus a £250 voucher for something I haven't figured out yet. 

 

Would I recommend this car to someone looking for warm hatch  performance? Never, this car is not for boy racers, or even old duffers like me who enjoys the odd burst of speed on a quiet road.

would I recommend it to someone who wants refinement with excellent MPG definitely. The level of kit is amazing, adaptive CC, lane departure, auto emergency braking, blind spot mirror icons, reversing camera,  

Sat Nav with lifetime free map updates and tom tom speed camera database free for life.

 

Score

Styling 9/10 modern enough without looking bizarre.

Interior 9/10 rear seat shape looks a bit weird but you can't see them when your driving.

Handling 10/10 it really feels planted and the steering weight is spot on.

Economy 10/10 just above a turbo diesel but with cheaper petrol

Driving 8/10 Torque off the line is insane if you plant your foot.

 

Negatives Rear spoiler restricts rear view a bit

No rear wash wipe

Foot operated parking brake (Obviously aimed at the American market.) 

 

I pick it up tomorrow at noon, and will be happy to answer any questions, well once I figure out how all the toys work. 

 

 

[logiclee]

A lot doing the same it seems.

 

My Mk3 was my first disappointing Skoda after two decades of VAG and owning 13 Skoda's previously.

 

Loads of niggles on my Mk3, a few trim rattles and the disappointing ride, refinement and build quality.  

 

Then I had three DSG gear selectors, a mechatronic and two clutch packs. About £7000 repairs there.  The heater matrix failed and dumped the coolant in the passenger footwell and when I got it back from the dealers the aircon didn't work.

I had a whine all the time when I pressed the throttle (Lots of vids on youtube on the 1.6TDi) and was told "They all do that sir" even though some VW and Audi owners have had a solenoid behind the dash replaced.

 

Was I prepared to own this car out of warranty? No chance. So at only 30k miles I sold it.

 

I've since tried many MQB cars from VAG and I just don't like the way they feel and I've lost confidence in the DSG. I've owned Five DQ200 DSG's and only one on an early Golf was trouble free, the Fabia, two Yeti's and the Octavia all required warranty work.

 

My Father in Law still owns my B7 Passat, the one before MQB. It's now over 100k miles and near 9 years old and still drives like new, it's refined and feels solid.

And to be honest our Mk2 Octavia is 7 years old and feels perfect.

 

I'm not sure if VAG have undergone some major cost cutting because of diesel gate and the £50 Billion investment in EV and batteries but the current cars and customer service have definitely moved in the wrong direction.

 

[MoggyTech]

18 minutes ago, logiclee said:

A lot doing the same it seems.

 

My Mk3 was my first disappointing Skoda after two decades of VAG and owning 13 Skoda's previously.

 

Loads of niggles on my Mk3, a few trim rattles and the disappointing ride, refinement and build quality.  

 

Then I had three DSG gear selectors, a mechatronic and two clutch packs. About £7000 repairs there.  The heater matrix failed and dumped the coolant in the passenger footwell and when I got it back from the dealers the aircon didn't work.

I had a whine all the time when I pressed the throttle (Lots of vids on youtube on the 1.6TDi) and was told "They all do that sir" even though some VW and Audi owners have had a solenoid behind the dash replaced.

 

Was I prepared to own this car out of warranty? No chance. So at only 30k miles I sold it.

 

I've since tried many MQB cars from VAG and I just don't like the way they feel and I've lost confidence in the DSG. I've owned Five DQ200 DSG's and only one on an early Golf was trouble free, the Fabia, two Yeti's and the Octavia all required warranty work.

 

My Father in Law still owns my B7 Passat, the one before MQB. It's now over 100k miles and near 9 years old and still drives like new, it's refined and feels solid.

And to be honest our Mk2 Octavia is 7 years old and feels perfect.

 

I'm not sure if VAG have undergone some major cost cutting because of diesel gate and the £50 Billion investment in EV and batteries but the current cars and customer service have definitely moved in the wrong direction.

 

Looking back at my VAG/Skoda history of cars, I now realise that the VW reliability was more myth than substance. First VW was a 1986 golf 1.6 slush box auto. The front diff bearing broke up, and wrecked the auto box. Replaced it with a Polo MK3 and it suffered from chocolate camshaft and wrecked lifters. Another Polo MK3 that needed two carburettors due to spindle shaft bearing wear. Long company car ownership for several years. Then like a fool back to VW when I started my own business. Polo Mk5 two failed timing belts under warranty, then ignition barrel. Polo Mk6 noisy timing belt replaced twice under warranty. Fabia VRS 1.9 PD two throttle control modules under warranty, one broken rear spring.. Octavia 2.0 CR VRS, gearbox and clutch issues. Then finally the Octavia 1.4TSi throwing up the parking selector error, and spurious driver door warnings, 

[MoggyTech]

Some pics.

 

The last one was a major purchase a month back, John Petrucci music man majesty polar noir. Just threw it in for no good reason.

[themanwithnoaim]

Sorry to see you go @MoggyTech but, I'm really glad your happy with your new car & guitar 

[Item]

On 14/07/2019 at 10:38, MoggyTech said:

 

 

I've owned an Octavia MK3 1.4 TSi DSG for three years and it's been a great car, until the dreaded auto shifter error message started popping up ("Error workshop, only leave vehicle when in Park")

Skoda say they haven't heard of this issue, yet I have a VAG TSB document in my hand, about this very issue, and it effects VW/Audi/Skoda/SEAT models, so another clear case of VAG not giving a hoot about their customers.

 

 

The inconsistency here is infuriating! I had no problem in NZ getting my dealer to agree/arrange a free repair for this very issue - car is 6 months out of warranty as well.

Weird...

[MoggyTech]

5 hours ago, themanwithnoaim said:

Sorry to see you go @MoggyTech but, I'm really glad your happy with your new car & guitar 

I will be hanging around on here mate, some great people and a fun place.

1 hour ago, Item said:

 

The inconsistency here is infuriating! I had no problem in NZ getting my dealer to agree/arrange a free repair for this very issue - car is 6 months out of warranty as well.

Weird...

Nail on the head, inconsistency being the key word. For some people, the dealer will bend over backwards to help, while some just stone wall customers until the customer gives in and walks away.

The classic case on here, was the obvious clutch defect a member had. The clutch plate was so out of true from the machining at manufacture, any tech with a straight edge and dial gauge could see it was a faulty clutch from new.

Poor guy had to fight tooth and nail, and it took months to resolve. Skoda need to take a long hard look in the mirror and smell what they are shovelling.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, MoggyTech said:

Poor guy had to fight tooth and nail, and it took months to resolve. Skoda need to take a long hard look in the mirror and smell what they are shovelling.

 

You can say that against every car manufacturer. Well in truth, not the manufacturer but the garage. Loads of inconsistancies within same franchise!  Luck of the draw I'm afraid.

[logiclee]

47 minutes ago, Scot5 said:

 

You can say that against every car manufacturer. Well in truth, not the manufacturer but the garage. Loads of inconsistancies within same franchise!  Luck of the draw I'm afraid.

 

Although things have changed with Skoda VAG.

 

I've used the same dealership for Skoda's since the 80's and 13 vehicles. I know most of the staff and they know me by name.

 

I've never had any issues with repairs but the last two vehicles that have required warranty work my dealership have had to fight Skoda for authorisation.  The feedback I have from the dealership is VAG are trying to reduce warranty claim costs.

 

 

[shyVRS245]

2 minutes ago, logiclee said:

 

Although things have changed with Skoda VAG.

 

I've used the same dealership for Skoda's since the 80's and 13 vehicles. I know most of the staff and they know me by name.

 

I've never had any issues with repairs but the last two vehicles that have required warranty work my dealership have had to fight Skoda for authorisation.  The feedback I have from the dealership is VAG are trying to reduce warranty claim costs.

 

 

Perhaps VW Group R & D should build better quality more reliable vehicles if they want fewer warranty claims like Lexus for example (but not as Lexus prices however).

[logiclee]

2 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

Perhaps VW Group R & D should build better quality more reliable vehicles if they want fewer warranty claims

 

That's certainly the issue when you look at the threads on the MQB models.

[wyx087]

The Ioniq is a wonderful car. I almost ordered a brand new one in Jan 2017, wanting to get the car before April and never pay road taxes.

 

BUT, when I test drove it, twice, the engine never stopped. The electric system seems very weak. I admit I've not driven Toyota hybrid for comparison. But I would have expected the car to at very least stop its engine when stopped at traffic light and operate in EV mode for short distances.

 

So instead I put money into savings and bought current second hand Octavia to tide me over until I can afford a Tesla.

 

 

The full EV version of the Ioniq is probably the best EV this side of Tesla Model 3. Unlike "electron gazzlers" I-Pace and E-Tron, the Ioniq EV actually have the best electric drivetrain only second to Tesla Model 3, better than more expensive S and X. It's currently the only car I'd consider to replace our Nissan Leaf.

[shyVRS245]

Geely the Chinese company behind the success of Volvo and new owner of Lotus are using their experience with the all electric Polestar models to launch their version of Tesla with a new company called Geometry.