Has the Skoda bubble burst?

[Johnwg]

Down from 9th in 2005 to 18th in the latest What Car reliablility survey, with the worse model being the Fabia;

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-special-report.aspx?NA=222866&EL=3180707

The whole VAG group dosen't seem to come out that well in fact..... are they taking the reputation for build quality etc... for granted now as did Merc to their cost?

Not sure how decent an indicator this is though as Citroen have come in 6th this year :eek:

[skodayouth]

Down from 9th in 2005 to 18th in the latest What Car reliablility survey, with the worse model being the Fabia;

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-special-report.aspx?NA=222866&EL=3180707

The whole VAG group dosen't seem to come out that well in fact..... are they taking the reputation for build quality etc... for granted now as did Merc to their cost?

Not sure how decent an indicator this is though as Citroen have come in 6th this year :eek:

I personally think that they are very reliable, they just develop some faults as they get older. When mine was a week out of warranty (Just 6 years old) all of it's problems started. I don't blame it at all because it had a very hard life. Also bear in mind the Fabia has been going on since 1999. When the new Suzuki Swift*Cough* I mean Fabia comes along I am imagining it will be right up lexu's chuff again in reliability stakes!

[Snoopie]

Nothing to worry about. They all loved the car when it came out. So i'd imagine they've just turned bored!

"Axles and suspensions were responsible for 35%"

First i've ever heard of that!

[Chris197]

I must be very lucky because im now on my forth Skoda and ive only had two small problems taken care of by warranty. Ive read many storys on here regarding owners woes but It maybe that you hear more about the bad than the good (stuttering furbys aside).

[Decron]

Mile for mile I have had more problems with my Fabia tha any other car I have ever owned.

Even the 250,000mile+ K reg Cavalier SRI I had was more reliable and the dashboard didn't rattle.

Also given the current crappness of SUK, I doubt very much if they will be getting my money next year when I replace the VRS.

[Dr Zoidberg]

My Mk2 isn't as good as the car it replaced and the dealers aren't as good

[72degrees]

My Mk2 isn't as good as the car it replaced and the dealers aren't as good

My Octy2 PD140 replaced a Honda CRV.

Only one problem so far in 15000 miles. A wiring fault resulted in loss of reversing display and a flattened battery. Having said that the battery still seems to suffer from standing for long periods (AFAIK it had the stream radio upgrade when the wiring fault was corrected).

On the CRV the only thing requiring attention in 30000 miles was some creaking caused by loose bolts in the front suspension somewhere.

As to customer service, I wasn't overly impressed by the communication when sorting out my problem. I was spoiled by the Honda dealer I suppose, but they were expensive.

Expectations. Some might say that the new breed of Skoda owner is less inclined to overlook little problems because "it was cheap" when responding to surveys.

I will let you know in another 15000 miles time. BTW it looks as if the variable servicing is going to take me to 18000 for the first service - I will know more about dealer matters after that.

[ a bit quiet in the other place innit Dr Z]

[Dmac1969]

It depends what you mean by 'Has the bubble burst' , I think you could only say it had when their sales start to slip back , and I don't think they are just now.

[Octygone]

When the next top gear survey comes out I think you will find that Skoda have dropped more than that.......now Skodas are being used a lot more by company car drivers the ratings will take a dive

[Reece_1]

Nothing to worry about. They all loved the car when it came out. So i'd imagine they've just turned bored!

"Axles and suspensions were responsible for 35%"

First i've ever heard of that!

Not suprised about axles and suspensions given the state of the roads and those horrible 'square' road humps.

[ScoobyChris]

My Fix Or Repair Delay appears in 10th place

Chris

[Tom_vRS]

My Fix Or Repair Delay appears in 10th place

Chris

He he, I'll just sit here feeling smug in the corner with you Chris!

EDIT - says he with the knackered DMF and wheel bearing!

[cheezemonkhai]

My Mk2 isn't as good as the car it replaced and the dealers aren't as good

Can I ask then, do you now feel that the MK I is a better car than the MK II?

[Dr Zoidberg]

Can I ask then, do you now feel that the MK I is a better car than the MK II?

In every other respect the MKII is better - comfort , performance , equipment etc etc etc.

I'm just not impressed with the faults I've had on it so far.

If I'd had a choice of buying my Mk2 2.0tdi Elegance at

[KTP]

Not suprised about axles and suspensions given the state of the roads and those horrible 'square' road humps.

couldnt agree more!

[superskib]

My fabia has had new turbo, new door seals, new fuel pump and new antiroll bar all in 32K miles over 4 years. My old Astra did 170K miles in 13 years with nothing other than one cam belt, one exhaust, two sets tyres and brakes relined twice. I part exchanged it for the Fabia and still got

[HotVRs]

Skoda used to do well in surveys due to what the car league table people called the 'halo' effect. It was people who were over defensive about the car because of the price and their brand loyalty. Hence why a Fabia does so much better than a Polo for instance in the satisfaction tables. Owning both the cars there is no difference in reliability I have found, just better value for money in the Skoda.

Many current owners are more rational, like the afore mentioned company car drivers, more realistic survey results are coming through.

Though with the still rubbish dealers, useless Skoda UK, and the disgusting Roomstar and Fabia 2 (from the pictures anyway) I'd say the honeymoon period is over.

[Kentish]

I feel the drop in the surveys is inevitable. When people pay more they expect more. Skoda's pricing is now mainstream, so they must expect a more demanding customer. The dealerships are also now less switched on. The small family dealer that had been loyal and gave excellent and reasonable service is going, to be replaced by the corporate image dealer with staff whom many of which are there purely to get their money and not because they love their job..or customers.

[cheezemonkhai]

If I'd had a choice of buying my Mk2 2.0tdi Elegance at

[Octygone]

Not sure what I will get next time but Skoda or any VAG car will not be an automatic choice.

[SteVRs]

Can believe axles and suspension - mine's ready for it's second trip to the dealers having already taken it back for replacement CV joints cos they've gone again.

[lozgti]

All companies make pretty good cars now.Solely on dealer service I won't have a Ford,Vauxhall,VW (worst offenders) or Audi.

Except the RS4;)

I'm very happy with Skoda and will have another.