Should I buy a MkIV?

[GWoodhouse]

I'm looking to replace my 2014 SE Elegance with a MkIV SE L, any advice generally about the MkIV and this spec appreciated (1.5 TSi petrol). I am buying 12-18 months old and appreciate I will be paying a premium at the moment, but I'm due to swap and I can't see lead times coming down or used prices falling any time in the next 12 - 18 months. I'm fortunate in that I already have a private buyer for my MkIII

 

I've done my research and the spec level on the MkIV looks to be a step up, one question I have is that I understand it supports Apple and Android, but does it still come with an 'old fashioned' SD card or USB for playing music?

 

Thanks

[KenONeill]

8 minutes ago, GWoodhouse said:

replace my 2014 SE Elegance with a MkIV SE L

Just look at the number of software problems with MkIV reported in this forum!

[Greezy56]

Car has USB c for plug in.

Make sure before you buy , check the head unit code and software. Unit will be shvhsh3383839932 (D) or (C) the end letter is key, the lower the letter ie C,B the older the head unit and potentially more problems.

Ask the dealer for the most up to date software which , depending on later head units maybe 1896. I have 1803 and have a plethora of probs. Do some research and when you see the vehicle go to settings and system info to get the head unit and software version. If you S/W version 1668 or something like that , maybe well staying clear.  

[pokerking01]

No SD card in mine that I can see. Had to swap my cable for a usb-c to usb-c as there all usb-c ports. Other than the occasional issues, laggy touchscreen I'm sure it would be a very nice upgrade 👍

[SteveTheElder]

@Greezy56 makes a good point, but it’s not so clear cut. I have an early build SE L 1st Edition with a head unit with no suffix letter and system s/w of 166x - BUT the issues I had are fixed, only the odd niggle remains.

Fixed are the units (see KPH/MPH thread) and ACC preventing overtaking rather than undertaking.

I was lucky enough to get a fix applied back in September and ok since then (and am just back from a 2500 mile road trip to Tuscany via France, Germany & Switzerland).

 

Guess my point is that you need to check the vehicle thoroughly for s/ware glitches on an extended test drive before committing. Make a list of things to check.

 

More generally, the MkIV is a great to drive, a big step up from earlier models, and the 1.5TSI manual is very economical on fuel (road trip average of 59mpg).

 

Your specifics - no SD slot, but USB-C stick works fine (in the front ports, rear charging only, as is the one by the mirror).

[Sir_Ron_Norris]

Should you buy an Octavia iV? I would advise NO! Note KenONeill's remarks above. There are too many owners with too many problems caused by this over-complicated and poorly thought-out car. I will let mine run towards the end of the warranty period and then, after exactly 20 years of Octavia ownership, it will be Toyota here I come...

[GWoodhouse]

18 hours ago, Greezy56 said:

Car has USB c for plug in.

Make sure before you buy , check the head unit code and software. Unit will be shvhsh3383839932 (D) or (C) the end letter is key, the lower the letter ie C,B the older the head unit and potentially more problems.

Ask the dealer for the most up to date software which , depending on later head units maybe 1896. I have 1803 and have a plethora of probs. Do some research and when you see the vehicle go to settings and system info to get the head unit and software version. If you S/W version 1668 or something like that , maybe well staying clear.  

 

Sounds a bit of a nightmare having done some reading around, the adaptive cruise control that doesn't know what country it's in sounds like fun!

 

Is the head unit variant a hardware component, i.e. B, C, D are later versions, and can't be upgraded? Software versions are just that but certain head units can only have certain software versions?

 

The car I'm looking at is a 21 plate so might be a slightly later build. Might just take my time and try to get a later version. Shame really as there's not much else that takes my fancy, maybe an A4, I don't think they use the same head unit as VW, Seat Skoda?

[Greezy56]

Hi Gwood. It might be  registered 21 plate , but date on manufacture is key. Get in the car go to system info and see what the head unit code is , if its D plus and the software is 1803 plus ie a higher number. If this is the case the car might have a few little glitches such as pop pop SOS. Sat nav not being able to save .

The adaptive cruise issue i had that on my Superb , and have it on the Octy, I just get used to and can anticipate when it falters. Mostly overtaking on motorway. When it falters , just a quick press on the gas and it clears the fault. 

 

So if me , and it was a D or later unit with higher than 1803 i would go for it as the car drives better than my prev Superb 190 sportline. Its smooth , quiet and looks great

[SurreyJohn]

5 hours ago, Greezy56 said:

Hi Gwood. It might be  registered 21 plate , but date on manufacture is key. Get in the car go to system info and see what the head unit code is , if its D plus and the software is 1803 plus ie a higher number. If this is the case the car might have a few little glitches such as pop pop SOS. Sat nav not being able to save .

The adaptive cruise issue i had that on my Superb , and have it on the Octy, I just get used to and can anticipate when it falters. Mostly overtaking on motorway. When it falters , just a quick press on the gas and it clears the fault. 

 

So if me , and it was a D or later unit with higher than 1803 i would go for it as the car drives better than my prev Superb 190 sportline. Its smooth , quiet and looks great

And if you discover it is one of the earlier versions, be very wary.

 

To be perfectly honest, if you can’t get later version with the fixes,  you might be better sticking £2-3k in a pot, fully overhauling what you currently have using these funds, and keeping it another 2 years. Think of it as £100 per month for two years.  Hopefully will be much easier to replace in 2024

 

 

[GreenlineIIEstate]

No. Just no.

 

Mine is 13 months old now and they still haven't fixed the potentially VERY dangerous ACC issue.

Just had a few days at my static with a 40ish mile drive there and back.

Return journey it behaved faultlessly however, on the way there it was braking at EVERY overtake.

 

I really want to love this car but the faults and VAG's total inability to fix them have made sure this will be the last VW group car I ever buy. Buy something else, anything else, that has been designed and built by people not complete bloody idiots.

[SSA]

People turn to this forum when they have some problem, unless they are car enthusiasts...

My car had some minor issues, black screen during few background updates and Internet issues two times. All of that has been resolved on its own. And, I have to say that a number of Octavias is rapidly increasing on the streets of Gothenborg (Sweden)...

[JirikH]

People with issues are more visible than the ones which are happy with the car and dont writing anything. I have my Octavia for 2 moths now and I would definitely buy again! Without any doubt. As someone above me said, If you will be searching for head unit E,F,... and SW number 1889/1896 the car will be for 99% clear of all sw issues. With those SW car working flawlessly and its (in case of my vRS) pure joy to drive it. I would not change it. §

I can clearly understand, why people saying to stay away. To buy a car for this lot of money and then have so many issues... This was definitely not managed well from Škoda, but nowdays the car are really good and I think you will have hard time to find so perfectly universal car.

Edited 1 June, 2022 by JirikH

[TheWanderer]

Put it like this I have a Mk3 RS and it has been into the workshop a staggering 18 times in the 3½ years that I've had it. 

 

I decided (questionably) to order a Mk4 RS back in March, for the simple reason that I simply cannot find another car that gives me the space for load lugging (suitcases, shopping, animal feed sacks etc) and for the price, also the sporty performance, so I'm in it for the long haul, hopefully by the time it's built they'll have done further hardware and software revisions and it will have been sorted out 99.9% of the glitches, I may well get a Mk4.5! 

 

However I will only wait so long for it, I've been tentatively given an estimated arrival month of December, but if it goes much beyond that then I'll consider my options..

 

Would I buy a Mk4? Yes and I have, despite the negative comments and my reservations.

 

I've jumped off the VAG bandwagon before, tried a couple of other marques and found the they weren't anywhere near as good as Skoda for VFM and (bar this last car), reliability. 

 

I'll see what happens when I get it, if it gives me real hell in within the time I can legally reject it, then I will exercise that option. 

Edited 1 June, 2022 by TheWanderer

[Darkness22]

Just to add it's not all about hardware version. My vRS was one of the first, is still on 1668 software, and has not had any issues other than I'd like wireless Android auto to work but can't be bothered to book it in for the upgrade....

[GWoodhouse]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm aware that faults get a disproportionate amount of attention on the internet and there will be thousands of owners out there who haven't had a single issue. As someone who thinks any type of AI on a car is BS (not a luddite, I've worked in IT for 25 years and know what computers are good at, and what they're bad at) the reported ACC faults do concern me the most. To be honest, the biggest turn off for me is that the infotainment system is entirely touchscreen. Touchscreen for the air-con that I tend to fiddle with a lot, just no! Even in my mark III I've taken to using the small knob (tee hee!) on the dash rather than the touchscreen for a lot of things.

 

I am thoroughly confused tbf! Octavia is still a good value proposition but I'm also looking at 3 series or A4 for a few grand more.

[KenONeill]

3 hours ago, GWoodhouse said:

I'm aware that faults get a disproportionate amount of attention on the internet and there will be thousands of owners out there who haven't had a single issue.

Yeah; my point was that if you get a bad one you get a really bad one, and there's no way to tell until it starts going wrong.

[SteveTheElder]

5 hours ago, GWoodhouse said:

Touchscreen for the air-con that I tend to fiddle with a lot, just no!

The voice control is surprisingly good when changing the air-con, I hardly use the touch screen for it.

[TheWanderer]

5 hours ago, GWoodhouse said:

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm aware that faults get a disproportionate amount of attention on the internet and there will be thousands of owners out there who haven't had a single issue. As someone who thinks any type of AI on a car is BS (not a luddite, I've worked in IT for 25 years and know what computers are good at, and what they're bad at) the reported ACC faults do concern me the most. To be honest, the biggest turn off for me is that the infotainment system is entirely touchscreen. Touchscreen for the air-con that I tend to fiddle with a lot, just no! Even in my mark III I've taken to using the small knob (tee hee!) on the dash rather than the touchscreen for a lot of things.

 

I am thoroughly confused tbf! Octavia is still a good value proposition but I'm also looking at 3 series or A4 for a few grand more.

 

Just remember that you're going to be dealing with the virtually the same technology, with broadly the same hard/firmware(s) and just different software as it all comes from the same group VW/Audi Group, which shares a lot of technology within its marques.

 

So whilst you might think that your escaping it by going to Audi, you're still within the same group, just paying more for the pleasure of it.

[matrix2020]

On 03/06/2022 at 17:10, GWoodhouse said:

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm aware that faults get a disproportionate amount of attention on the internet and there will be thousands of owners out there who haven't had a single issue. As someone who thinks any type of AI on a car is BS (not a luddite, I've worked in IT for 25 years and know what computers are good at, and what they're bad at) the reported ACC faults do concern me the most. To be honest, the biggest turn off for me is that the infotainment system is entirely touchscreen. Touchscreen for the air-con that I tend to fiddle with a lot, just no! Even in my mark III I've taken to using the small knob (tee hee!) on the dash rather than the touchscreen for a lot of things.

 

I am thoroughly confused tbf! Octavia is still a good value proposition but I'm also looking at 3 series or A4 for a few grand more.

 

A month ago I would have said stay away, my car suffered really badly from the ACC issue, over 50% of the time on every journey it would suffer, but.... with the latest software fix it has been sorted, It has worked perfectly for a month or so now and now I would say yes, go for it. Its a great car, they just hadn't sorted the software out properly for all the different hardware configurations. The Mk4 is a massive step up from the Mk3/3.5. I do agree with the touchscreen but that's in every car now, so not much you can do about that, my biggest gripe with the touchscreen is the fact they couldn't be bothered swapping the Home button to the correct side for RHD cars, its a long reach.... As everyone here states, its all about getting the latest software, if you buy a car in warranty that wont be a problem. I would not touch one out of warranty with old software. 

[crisdevis]

I am very happy with my Octavia IV 1.5 TSI. The only issues were some software issues which were solved with updates. I agree that perfection means no issue but I believe there is no perfect car. So, buy it!

[JirikH]

I am positively surprised, how many satisfied ppl with O4 is here. From the other topics it seems that O4 is ****ty car, but it starts to turnaround and I am glad for it. Its a perfect car with damaged reputation from start of the production  

[CKO]

Hopefully the early teething troubles will not impact the resale value too badly.  

 

It would be interesting to see how Skoda fares in the next J D Powers or other consumer satisfaction surveys.

[Ootohere]

Sometimes Car Dealer Salespeople and Customer Service staff might have too much time on their hands to be completing 'Car owner Surveys' for cars they do not actually own but might get one as a perk of the job.

 

If people like BRISKODA members 'Skoda Drivers' from here take part in the J D Powers survey then the J D Power survey might be worth pay attention to.

 

When Skoda Models get great results in surveys like, Which, JD Powers, What Car, AutoExpress and there is a thread & a post from me or others asking how many members took part there is often nobody saying that they did. 

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/504554-what-car-top-50-reliable-cars-kamiq

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/499407-jd-power-2021-karoq

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/469440-octavia-jd-power-how-the-hell

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/413255-jd-power-survey-skoda-fabia

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/405659-skoda-tops-jd-power-reliability-rankings

 

 

Edited 8 June, 2022 by roottoot

[TheWanderer]

i don't bother with Driver Power surveys because nothing comes of them.

 

 

[Ootohere]

^^^ Very true.

People think that the survey that is not contributed to by many means something and they even pay attention to it.

 

The Media will not stop Manufacturers turning out cars with faulty Software and in some cases not fit for purpose because the manufacturers have not bothered as long as they get them sold and can maybe fix later will continue.

The resale  values will not be affected because of the media and the used car sales industry.

 

A sales person ignores faults that are common knowledge because they can not say that a car is '****e' so offer a low purchase / trade in price and then tell a buyer it is a scarce as hens teeth in this spec and in high demand and you have to pay a premium to buy it.

 

Haymarket Media Group that Lord Michael Hesletine owns has What Car / Autocar and they are not going to bad mouth the VW Group who are a major customer.

 

Then Hey Car is owned by VW & Daimler and Hey Car owns 'Honest John'. 

 

Even Sponsored  Vids should mention 'Glitches' or issues that owners might be having.

But then will a publisher risk the Goose that lays the golden eggs'. 

 

 

Independent reviewers do a good job offering their views and opinions.

 

40,000 miles on the Haldex, so you need to remember that vloggers / reviewers can talk nonsense. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 9 June, 2022 by roottoot