Is that your wife in the pic of your old skoda

Out of intereste what was done to the car and any reason why is was it just the crazy french rioters being nuts.

Yes, that's my wife!

She parked it - as it was getting on, I thought it'd be better if she had it, as she does less mileage than I do, so I got the 'younger' Break - in a none-too-clever place just across the way from work, in a car park you can't see from the road, on the edge of a forest. Nuff sed. Left it there at 8am, and came back at 4pm to find it like that. Local yobbos just having a cabbie.

My dealer said he could fix it up - there actually wasn't so much wrong with it except the bonnet and glass - for €2800, while the insurance estimated about €4200. As they valued the car at only €3200, that was that. They didn't want to know about the sort of shady package my dealer was proposing. I gave them a bit of stick, as they offered standard list value for a French-owned car, and I maintained that mine was in better condition than the equivalent French-owned one. It was, too - I'd had the distribution done two days before! So I got a couple of hundred euros more than their initial offer, but nowhere near what it would cost to replace the thing.

Looking back, I should have kept the wreck for parts - I could do with them now on the SLX!

And my wife's got the break now - I decided I don't like breaks.

Tell your misses to be careful where she is leaning when a pic is taken

If I did that, it'd be a shame! She's decent enough, just stop using your imagination too much, mate!

Imagination, nope just an escapee in the pic,

For some reason i notice these things, i did it in another pic i saw at work picked up on an interesting background activity :S

Anyway hope your new octy is as good as the old one soon enough

Got it lined up for the garage next Weds, so it should be OK soon, thanks!

45k miles from new on an 02 plate SDI classic.

last month I had a part in the gearbox go, costing £450 to put right, and a temperamental display on the cassette player, costing nowt because i ignore it, lol. i have a cd player sitting waiting to go in.

Also, the passenger door doesn't obey the central locking. still works with key, and it can still lock or unock other doors with key in it, but use the other door, and the passenger door stays however it was...

The only major problem was the gearbox. i got a new clutch included in the £450, so at least i know that thats good for the next few years.

compared with my last car, which hadabout that many problems EVERY year, i cant complain.

and its only just now about to get its 2nd pair of tyres. So suspension geometry and tracking etc must have been good as i've averaged 35-40k miles lifespan out of the tyres. never seen my tyres last that long before.

Update on my last comment; I've had no issues with reliability since the alternator failure.

Mine is 110 TDi Elegance Estate with (at the time) all the extras they could muster. I went into the showroom wanting to order a TDi Elegance in silver. They had one on order (but with all the extras) so I bagged it.

I'm pleased to tell you that despite the extra kit, nothing much

has gone wrong electrically. It did have an alternator problem (fixed under warranty) but that was the only breakdown. ATM, I have a problem with sluggishness, so that is my second problem. Only other niggle is glovebox that does not switch the light off. It's a tiny problem, but it really gets on my t*ts!!

The armrest lid is broken, but can't blame that on the car. It's my 3 boys, who use it as a step to get from the front to the back.....

Other than the above, it has been my most reliable car ever. Plus, it saves me money all round.

I get more MPG than my old Xantia 1,9TDi per tankful, plus it costs less to fill up.

My insurance group is one less than the Xantia. My RFL is cheaper, as it's CO2 related.

The servicing has cost me less than £300 quid so far. It's only had two services since new. The Xantia had a service every 6K, minimum cost £150, maximum cost £400.....

And that's the bottom line, to me. It costs shed-loads less to run than my old car and it has been ultra-reliable.

Mine is 110 TDi Elegance Estate with (at the time) all the extras they could muster. I went into the showroom wanting to order a TDi Elegance in silver. They had one on order (but with all the extras) so I bagged it.

ATM, I have a problem with sluggishness, so that is my second problem. Only other niggle is glovebox that does not switch the light off. It's a tiny problem, but it really gets on my t*ts!!

Sounds like the notorious sticky variable geometry actuator problem?

suppose i'd better add this to my little list i've just been to have tracking done and my drivers side lower arm is knackered thought it was rattling a bit lately

Sounds like the notorious sticky variable geometry actuator problem?

Is this a mickey-take??

Summer sports have denied me time to access Briskoda - so am catching up again ..... fascinating thread .....

Octy 4*4 Combi ....( saw loads in Norway recently but all diesels . )

owned from new June 2001 - 85000 mls .

As with previous posts , you really have to own one of these class cars to appreciate that this is probably the most complete multipurpose car made in the last 10 years , at least for someone who lives in Snowdonia .

Problems , yes but all sorted by competent dealers .

Coilpacks replaced under warranty - but they were a VAG / Bosch problem in reality .

Replaced bushes and dampers at 4 years ..... every car should have this done if they are driven and used well . Brake discs replaced recently because of MOT warnings - never had to replace pads until then . Antiroll bar bushes replace at 3 years .

Lateral sensor (?) replaced at 2 years . Routine cambelt and water pump change at 60000 mls .

After 5.4 years of ownership have no wish to change it except that I might be tempted by the forthcoming pd130/140 4*4 estate in the New Year .... but in many ways I would be a fool judging by the reports here thus far .

Tyres last about 23K using Michelin Pilots , chosen mainly for their lateral wall resistance to control a raised suspension car which does roll a bit ..... but is so comfortable .

Oh , and I bought my son one .... they love it ...... who doesn't ?

Steve W

The thing that connects the clutch pedal with the cylinder snapped on my TDi 110 today. It's lasted 124k miles. :( The AA man has put it back together with a bolt for the time being

J

To my list of previous faults, my air conditioning failed and as with other people it was that something had fallen off the compressor.

51 plate vRS, 80k, owned since new, remapped since 30k.

Things replaced...

All 4 wheels bearings, 4 shocks, 3 sets of front discs/pads (2nd set warped after 5k). ARB bushes (twice), coilpacks (never failed but replaced on recall), front wishbones/bushes/ball joints, coolant temp sensor, nearside CV joint and that middle exhaust bracket needs welded up every few months.

Never failed to start or get me home safe, all my miles are A & B road commuting so I see the above items as general wear and tear.

Touch woood no major faults yet!!!

03 VRS Mk1 Octavia.

47,000 miles.

Three sets of anti roll bar bushes.

One set of Radiator Mounts.

Two new CD Changers

One new head unit.

Been to dealers seven times for water leaking into front footwells.

Rear number plate light packed in, requiring replacement of whole boot lock and handle assembly due to it having shorted out and burnt all wiring.

Dealer ( Lightcliffe - Huddersfield did both above, never stopped water ingress, and never re-fitted interior boot cover properly, had to keep re-clipping it every couple of weeks )

Odd wandering characteristic and violent pulling to nearside under accelleration ( not 4WA, torque steer or dampers, does it all the time to a certain degree, Skoda dealer response "Yes we've test driven it, know what you mean, no idea what it is though " )

Was always happier going round left handers than right.

Coolant sender failed.

Odd noise from engine when starting from cold ( bit like noise that playing cards made when you put them in your bike spokes as a kid, and went really fast )

Plethora of creaks and squeaks - dependant on ambient temperature.

Very occasionally the cruise control will ignore me.

Ability to ground front spoiler at every opportunity, making some ramps at work simply impassable.

That said, it has swallowed evrything from garden waste to a six foot fridge freezer ( even with bracing struts in place ), has averaged 37mpg, used almost no oil, still draws admiring looks and comments at work, and has never failed to start, stop or do whatever I have asked of it.

Still enjoyed it though, and picking up brand new blue VRS Octy MkII tomorrow.

Three years free servicing and warranty sealed the deal.

Having been a little dissapointed by the reliability and supposed "fantastic dealer service" I had expected from Skoda, I did consider a Golf or passat, but having read the reader reviews for the Passat on the what car site :-

http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-readers.aspx?RT=726

Decided to stick with what I knew, the Golf owners reviews make for similarly appaling reading.

Makes you wonder why Top gear and mags like that still go on about faultless build quality etc.

Decided against the ST Focus, too Chavvy and more to run.

Didn't fancy a VXR, used to drive Astras and Zafiras as Police cars, handled well but bits constantly falling off.

Ironically enough two most reliable cars I 've owned have been a MkI Renault Laguna and a MkI Peugeot 306 D-Turbo.

Although we did use to use the 306's in the Police, they also had issues with trim falling off, but mechanically you couldn't break them, and they could corner with the best of the stolen XR2's !

1999 1.8T Estate.

101000 miles.

Ex Skoda UK car, bought @ 6mths old with 8000miles.

Apart from the fact that this car EATS Tyres (average 10K),

Brake Discs & Pads (Front: 4x Pads & 2x Discs),

(Rear: 6x Pads & 3x Discs),:confused:

Now using Black Diamond Drilled & Grooved -Extraordinary:D Last a lot longer too.

Failures so far:-

Front wiper linkage - siezed. (within warranty)

Rear wiper motor - siezed. (within warranty)

Chipped to 205BHP immediately warranty expired.

No other problems until last 12 months, as follows

Front suspension bushes collapsed

Intermittant Central Locking and immobiliser problems.

Has developed missfire over the last 6mths, but now undrivable.

Other comments:

Suspension too soft, damping non existent, poor ground clearance.

Chaffed leather when rear seats folded - crap design.

Lights are VERY poor - fitted 100/160's, still not all that good - crap design? so added 100w spot lights behind grille - thats better.

Rating: 9/10

Missfire sorted...

It was a coil pack, replaced all four.

It would appear that they have done well to reach 101,600 miles.

September 2002 Octavia 110bhp Elegance Estate

53,000 miles to date.

No repairs or adjustments ever.

Previous Octavia 110bhp Estate covered 48,000 miles in 4 years with two minor faults.

1.9 4x4 on order