In our household there's been a Seat Ibiza, VW Tiguan, Audi S3, Skoda Fabia, and I still have my Octavia (1Z3 1.6 TDi

The Seats' ignition barrel siezed was replaced and the replacement fell to bits and so was butchered further to enable the key just turn the starter. The Tiguan 2 litre TDi Haldex

had to be replaced MEGA Money and the ugly swirl flap motor problem reared its ugly head twice and the massive fuel consumption as result of the failures never got any better.

The Audi S3 was just old but its' problems were persistent CV joint failures. The Fabia estate, well, the front brake discs and pads seemed to collect debris in an alarmlingly abnormal way resulting a complete siezure one day of the calipers on both front brakes. It had an air con condensor radiator perforate simply because it's so low to the front of the car stones could just fly straight at it past the plastic grilling. It's front passenger door wiring loom broke where it runs through the rubber boot in the hinge and the vinyl sticker trim just peeled away making the car look like a torn rag. My Octavia, ooh where do I start. 4 rear wiper motors, replacement air con condensor and compressor, two EGR valve replacements

two complete sets of injectors, 3 ABS wheel sensors ( 2 on the same wheel in less than 6 months). A failed LED light in speedometer, a failed oil level sensor on the sump, a failed drivers door window actuator / motor whatever VW wish to call it. The latest saga was the DPF system not regenerating after three thorough strip downs and cleans which took a local independent workshop with specialists to find out what VW never bothered to tell me about and that was ECU updates being required because new injectors fitted after the emissions scandal and the VW ' tweeks' meant my car was SIX ECU updates out of date which they promptly sorted for me for less than £200. The worst one for me was the problem with my Octavias heater blower motor system which I posted about on here where the dealer refused to check when I asked but therefore missed the chaffed wire shorting out on bare metal behind the dash which would have eventually resulted in a fire. That again was resolved by an independent VW specialist. All of these cars were / are properly cared for 

and were dealer serviced regularly. One expects things to go wrong occasionally but this takes the pi**. Why we persisted with VW brand cars leads me to think we need therapy.

My wife  bought a Toyota Corolla Sport estate trading the Fabia in and getting a fantastic deal. Two and a half years on NOTHING has gone wrong whereas a lot of the problems with other cars occured within 18 months of ownership.

The Octavia is currently driving with 'No faults registered' on the OBD. We're only one month on from the ECU update though and I'm not expecting to cover much mileage before the next problem. I've lost interest in really trying to look after this car now and I'll run it into the ground and then torch the bl88dy thing.

1 hour ago, StarwarsNerd said:

All of these cars were / are properly cared for 

and were dealer serviced regularly. One expects things to go wrong occasionally but this takes the pi**. Why we persisted with VW brand cars leads me to think we need therapy..

 

Might I suggest the above may be part of your problems?

 

We've been running Skodas for the last 23 years (Fabia Estate / Octavia 4x4 and now Kodiaq 4x4) and they've been very good and reliable with very few problems in a combined total of probably over 250,000 miles.  In fact I'd go so far as to say that they were far better than previous VWs and Hondas within our family history, if not quite up with the Mitsubishi's

YES I totally agree.  These dealer franchises are a law unto themselves, they are so PROFIT orientated with little real customer focus and are ruled by factory 

workshop shedules rather than actually fully investigating causes of faults.

 

With even the most reliable cars a minor problem which should be a relatively easy fix often ends up with repeated dealer visits lots of money spent and a huge frustration for the owners, if you look at the reviews from the best to the worst makes the unhappy punters are telling the same story.

 

The new cars are just a vehicle (pun intended) to sell finance and the after sales service is all that you could expect of a door to door insurance salesman.

 

There was a time when the Skoda warranty and dealerships were so good that even if you were unlucky having the problems sorted was a pleasant experience, lo,g gone now and I dont think any brands are better.

 

If you are not able to do your own repairs and servicing then I reckon the best strategy is to buy the most reliable make (Japanese or Korean) and keep your fingers crossed to minimise contact with the dealership.

 

Maybe there is something to be said in the above instance for buying on PCP or whatever its called and chopping in every 3 years, you could just poke up with the problems handing them over with the car when you lease the next one. Its probably far less stressful to accept something does not work or malfunctions than trying to have it put right by the dealers because it is your vehicle.

I'd never have anything other than a VAG brand. I've had VAGs for 40 years. Always bought 2nd hand and always used a VW independent for repairs if i cant DIY it. Parts are cheap, reliable and plentiful. Well engineered and mostly well thought out.

 

Current Octavia is now 20+ years old. A smooth and economical drive. Won't be changing anytime soon.

 

There's genuine bad luck and then there's bad luck brought on yourself. 

My last car was the same as yours but 2 years newer, pretty much the pinnacle, it was all downhill from there

 

The extra complications and inherent problems with the MK2 Octavia were probably worth putting up with for the better specification and features over the MK1, my Yeti despite being the same platform has the later EU5 engine which to me is definitely not worth the troubles it brings, it is smoother and a better engine but the EGR and DPF are the killer.

 

I would never entertain anything EU6 with Adblue etc.

I've have an 08 and a 12 plate octavia which yes I have had problems but mainly wear and tear and age related like bushes/ball joints brakes shocks etc. Electricly had one dash fault two rear wiper motors and a couple of ABS sensors which were due to failing bearings and wouldn't come out. Apart from that generally trouble free. Skoda fabia mk1 06 the same, bearing bushes ball joints and clutch. Seat Altea xl the same again, mechanicly good but electrics not so with age. I find the paintwork/rust is the main problem on the Ocatvias around sills and front wings but they are getting old and we get a lot of salt in winter. The Fabia is so far pretty rust free. Dealers are expensive and seem to find more to repair than is required. I service and repair myself and generally not too bad to work on. You need a few random extra special tools etc but most other makes of car do as well. 

Alasdair