2yr review..!

[Jamesr021]

I have had my Kamiq SEL for about 2 and a half years and the Kamiq is now going, as admittedly i have got bored with it. Whilst it's been a brilliant car and has been very good on the economy the Time has come to change it. It has a few things which have been good but equally more things which have outright annoyed me. 

Pros

the Car is spacious and has good rear Leg room and great for kids. good boot space as well.

the 1.5 is responsive and picks up well, it ha certainly surprised a few BMW drivers. The ACT is also very good although I have no choice when it kicks in. I have got 55MPG quite regularly on the motorway. 

 

Cons

the 1.5 when cold is not very smooth when pulling away or travelling below 15mph. it can be very jumpy

the windscreen mists up very quickly in cold weather and takes ages to clear.

the Lane assist drives me crazy and can be quite dangerous and has pulled me in to on coming traffic a few times.

the infotainment system has been extremely buggy and is not totally reliable , I also find it Slow to start with using wireless CarPlay. its been to the dealer so many times over this and they have still not fixed the issues. 

 

What will it be replaced with...

 

Well I have considered another Kamiq but to get a vehicle with the engine and options I want would have been very expensive and i'm not convinced that i won't have similar issues again, so i will be replacing it with a Red Ford Puma ST.

the Puma is a similar size. it has a 1.5 engine with the ford equivalent of ACT. It has way more standard options on it such as Heated windscreen , Heated seats, Heated steering wheel, B&O sound system. it has a full digital dash. for the standard options it was a no brainer against the skoda who appear to want to charge you for everything.   

[sussamb]

I've seen none of the cons you mention except for Lane assist, but along with Stop/Start I just turn it off as a matter of routine when I start off.

[carefree]

Lane assist is standard on all new cars, so you will not escape it.  Furthermore, the lane assist in mine has never even remotely caused me to hit other cars/kerbs/trees/lampposts, so when I read this and other threads regarding lane assist I cannot relate.  Mine (and I’m pretty sure everyone’s else’s) is a gentle vibration/nudge and that’s it.  Weird to read that people have escaped near death situations because of lane assist😂

 

Anyway, I agree with the infotainment system, and sometimes the engine when it’s cold, but everything else about my MC I love.

 

Good luck with the Puma, although prepare yourself for one or two Ford related glitches/faults/quirks because you will get them👍

 

 

[skoda1982]

1 hour ago, carefree said:

Lane assist is standard on all new cars, so you will not escape it.  Furthermore, the lane assist in mine has never even remotely caused me to hit other cars/kerbs/trees/lampposts, so when I read this and other threads regarding lane assist I cannot relate.  Mine (and I’m pretty sure everyone’s else’s) is a gentle vibration/nudge and that’s it.  Weird to read that people have escaped near death situations because of lane assist😂

 

Anyway, I agree with the infotainment system, and sometimes the engine when it’s cold, but everything else about my MC I love.

 

Good luck with the Puma, although prepare yourself for one or two Ford related glitches/faults/quirks because you will get them👍

 

 

And he will wish he didn’t drop the Skoda brand🤣

[carefree]

I know, the trouble being that EVERY car brand suffers from gremlins and faults from time to time, from your Dacia to your Rolls Royce.  Jumping from one brand to another does not guarantee a faultless driving/owning experience.  Yes, you might have a car for 2/3/4 years and have nothing go wrong BUT that particular manufacturer will still have common problems…..no matter what the car.

 

Ive driven and owned enough cars now to realise that the grass is definitely not always greener……and having driven/owned cars from pretty much every manufacturer you could name the fact is that my most reliable car in over 30 years was my Skoda Fabia vRS.  I had that from new in 2004 and drove it every day for 14 years….and literally nothing went wrong/broke or failed.  So, in my experience Skoda are still number one in reliability despite the Kamiq’s little quirks👍

[Ootohere]

The Mk1 Fabia vRS, or just the Original Fabia vRS was followed by the Mk2 Fabia vRS of which in the UK more than 25% of engines failed, even replacement engines have failed.

I  love them, but you can buy them for less than a good Mk1 Fabia vRS sells for. 

 

Then there is the Mk1 Fabia issues with water getting into the interior which Skoda fail to address model after model that they introduce.

There is the DQ200 DSG issues that required a World Wide Recall which excluded europe, then a Service campaign for Europe, then a 2nd one, then issues with newer ones requiring TPI,s, software updates, and clutch updates, then some more issues.  Hopefully resolved since 2018 / 19, but time will tell.

Now it is DQ381's that owners need to be sure that they extend a warranty to have covered. 

Just snagging issues. Give them 2 decades and they might resolve them. 

[sussamb]

13 minutes ago, toot said:

The Mk1 Fabia vRS, or just the Original Fabia vRS was followed by the Mk2 Fabia vRS of which in the UK more than 25% of engines failed, even replacement engines have failed.

I  love them, but you can buy them for less than a good Mk1 Fabia vRS sells for. 

 

Then there is the Mk1 Fabia issues with water getting into the interior which Skoda fail to address model after model that they introduce.

There is the DQ200 DSG issues that required a World Wide Recall which excluded europe, then a Service campaign for Europe, then a 2nd one, then issues with newer ones requiring TPI,s, software updates, and clutch updates, then some more issues.  Hopefully resolved since 2018 / 19, but time will tell.

Now it is DQ381's that owners need to be sure that they extend a warranty to have covered. 

Just snagging issues. Give them 2 decades and they might resolve them. 

DQ381 is ??

Edited 19 February, 2023 by sussamb

[carefree]

 Mine was the mk 1 vRS and it was bulletproof from day 1.  It was driven hard for 14 years solid and it never went into a garage unless for servicing.  So, having owned Audi’s, Fords, Peugeots, Mercs, VW’s etc etc with ALL having suffered various issues I cannot class Skoda as anything less than the most reliable manufacturer.

 

If you have a look you will find issues with literally every car manufacturer in the world, so Skoda aren’t in an exclusive club for rubbish reliability issues.

 

I could sell my MC tomorrow and get a Vauxhall, a Ford or a VW, but all I’ll be doing is jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

 

Better the devil you know👍

[Ootohere]

DQ381 the 7 Speed Wet Clutch DSG used for FWD or AWD with engines more than 250 Nm unless a PHEV, and that have a 80,000 mile service interval.

 

Skoda is 'simply clever' they manage to carry some faults on from one generation of model to the next and even introduce new issues, 

most recently Software ones. 

Vorprung Durch Technik,   No matter people have short memories, if they get a crap one they move on or say, they all can have issues.

 

Better the Devil you know right enough.  Forums and Social media are catching out the manufacturers that say issues are overblown on forums and social media.  Vorsprung Durch Technik.  VW Group never learn about technology. 

Edited 19 February, 2023 by toot

[Jamesr021]

8 hours ago, skoda1982 said:

And he will wish he didn’t drop the Skoda brand🤣

 

I have not totally dropped it, Our family car is a 71 plate L&K Kodiaq TSI ! which is a loverly car to drive and my wife loves it.  I have had numerous Skodas over the years,

Mk1 Fabia VRS with a tuning box, Great Fun 

MK2 Fabia VRS drank oil and fuel like an alcoholic but great fun 

Mk2 Octavia TDI VRS masses of space,

Mk2 Superb TDI even more space than the Octavia.

 

my wife has also had 2 Fabias and 3 Kodiaqs.

Out of all the skodas we have had the Kamiq has had the most faults. I specced up a Monte Carlo Kamiq and it was more expensive than the Puma. It's nearly 45minutes drive to my closest skoda dealer and as for ford I have one 5 minutes walk away.  

 

The Infotainment issues have been the most annoying, the sat nav would show me travelling 30 miles away from where i was, the emergency call would activate at random for no reason, the CarPlay would stop working for no reason. It would not let me register me as a user for several months.   

[sandal farm]

23 hours ago, Jamesr021 said:

I have had my Kamiq SEL for about 2 and a half years and the Kamiq is now going, as admittedly i have got bored with it. Whilst it's been a brilliant car and has been very good on the economy the Time has come to change it. It has a few things which have been good but equally more things which have outright annoyed me. 

Pros

the Car is spacious and has good rear Leg room and great for kids. good boot space as well.

the 1.5 is responsive and picks up well, it ha certainly surprised a few BMW drivers. The ACT is also very good although I have no choice when it kicks in. I have got 55MPG quite regularly on the motorway. 

 

Cons

the 1.5 when cold is not very smooth when pulling away or travelling below 15mph. it can be very jumpy

the windscreen mists up very quickly in cold weather and takes ages to clear.

the Lane assist drives me crazy and can be quite dangerous and has pulled me in to on coming traffic a few times.

the infotainment system has been extremely buggy and is not totally reliable , I also find it Slow to start with using wireless CarPlay. its been to the dealer so many times over this and they have still not fixed the issues. 

 

What will it be replaced with...

 

Well I have considered another Kamiq but to get a vehicle with the engine and options I want would have been very expensive and i'm not convinced that i won't have similar issues again, so i will be replacing it with a Red Ford Puma ST.

the Puma is a similar size. it has a 1.5 engine with the ford equivalent of ACT. It has way more standard options on it such as Heated windscreen , Heated seats, Heated steering wheel, B&O sound system. it has a full digital dash. for the standard options it was a no brainer against the skoda who appear to want to charge you for everything.   

Doesn't ford stand for "fix or repair daily ". Perhaps like fiat" fix it again tomorrow "

[Ootohere]

Ford in the UK used to have almost as many just Fiesta first registered in a years than all the Skoda models combined.

They were and still are on a different level of volume sales.  Even though they do register lots of them to their selves, as Skoda, VW, Audi & SEAT do. 

 

During Covid.

http://www.best-selling-cars.com/britain--uk/2021-full-year-britain-best-selling-car-brands-in-the-uk

 

 

 

Edited 19 February, 2023 by toot

[Jamesr021]

I'm not going to knock them, Many years ago Skodas were known a skips. I have had Fiats as well and they were quite solid and never had any issues. I have had almost as many BWM Minis as I have had skodas and i have had just as many issues with them. I had a brand new Mini cooper and the Gearbox went after 9 months so No brand is perfect. I'm partly fed up with paying for options on a car which other manufactures put in as standard. I wanted a heated windscreen as i have cars previously with them, 90% of the second hand Kamiq's don't have it fitted as an option and then its a colour or model, engine that I don't want. I really like listening to music in the car as i spend a lot of time commuting. Most Skoda models don't have the option to upgrade the standard stereo. I just think that Skoda are going to far over towards Audi and VW and charging people for options that a Ford, Kia or Hyundai would have as standard.   

[sussamb]

I moved to a Kamiq from a Ford Focus as my wife bought a Karoq 4 years ago and it's been faultless.  My Focus was over 10 years old, had done 76,000 miles and apart from replacing front wheel bearings it only needed normal servicing. Problem is most folks who don't have issues don't come on forums to complain so they are skewed towards issues that most won't have. My Kamiq is now 3 months old and while I'm still adjusting from my Focus I have no complaints about my Kamiq.  I do though tend to buy the lowest spec models that have what I want rather than models with every possible gizmo as logic says there is more to go wrong. My Focus was a Titanium model, my Kamiq is the SE model.

 

[EJB]

FWIW.

I found the Puma much more expensive than the equivalent Kamiq when purchasing 14 months ago.

About £2000?