I would consider a new Octavia RS, but will wait and see how Skoda address the build quality issues, and in particular the diesel problems mentioned in these forums.

Most satisfying car for the money I have ever owned (Octy 2 VRS)

Beano

I would consider a new Octavia RS, but will wait and see how Skoda address the build quality issues, and in particular the diesel problems mentioned in these forums.

Im sorry to say but the problems well documented with the Diesel Fabias & Superbs are described by Skoda as a phenomenum & as such the owner has to live with it. If you are not happy then sue the dealer as Skoda arent interested.

That really is a great attitude to try & build a reputation on. For those of us who bought one before it became widely known can claim we should have been told before we bought the car, Skoda knew about it & I have obtained documents on the Superb to prove that. Now I gather Skoda are telling people who buy cars with DPF's about the "phenomenum" & how to drive the car. If you happen to get caught up in a massive town traffic jam & the car stops they have warned you so you are shafted.

Im wondering if they are telling owners that a car with a DPF cant use biodiesel & that as a result of it being fitted the mpg is worse. If you drive the car gently it actualy injects more fuel to try & heat up the exhaust, so driving carefully dosent neccesarily improve the mpg.

To be fair to Skoda they arent the only manufacturer to be suffering this but others like Audi (same group) are supportive of the owners & dont hide behind the "its the dealers problem attitude" & I know of one case where they have offered an alternative car where the one purchased obviously wasnt suited to the owners circumstances.

The only statement I had from Skoda customer services was that if the car was driven in the same circumstances & in the same way it would more than likely fail again but I could be assured that during the warranty they would sort the car out, what they forgot to say is that if the DPF becomes completely clogged its classed as a service item like an oil filter etc & is not covered by the warranty & I gather they are around £600 a go. So during warranty my max bill is likely to be £600, out of warranty its £600 + Labour. Still at the 80000 service (out of warranty) I have been told the filter has to be renewed. Nice one Skoda, surely at least you should do the filters at cost.

Unfortunately I cant afford to hire lawyers, the fact I bought Skoda dictates my circumstances, so my only way of venting my frustration with Skodas "hide & hope it will go away attitude" is to keep making people aware of the facts as I see them.

Lastly if you are thinking of buying a Diesel VRS & chipping it research it very carefully, the DPF will cause problems for all but the best tuners, the car dosent smoke so the tuner wont know from the exhaust if too much diesel is being injected. I also gather to date for those who have tried bhp increase is nothing fantastic

Nice to see this thread dragging itself out of the dolldroms, it made quite depressing reading for a while. I've not witnessed any bad behaviour from my dealer, in fact, the dealer was the reason I decided to stay with Skoda. And as already articulated by me, I've never had any hassle at all with any of my Octavias, not one minor repair - nothing. And yet the dealer will call to my house and collect the car for servicing and it's dropped back when finished, never any surprise bills (oooo, sorry mate, this has broken and you need a new whatchaamacallit valve).

In my opinion, like it counts for anything in this forum (I'm not exactly what you would call a petrol head), I still think the Skoda is a thinking man's VW.

Dave.

Well said Dodgy

lets hear it for SKODAS:thumbup:

Steve

It sounds like the dealers and their attitude are the key to these issues. I read a lot about buyers travelling a hundred miles and more to a different Skoda retailer but in all honesty, people shouldn't need to do that. There should be a minimum standard of service whether you go down the road or to the back of beyond.

If everyone came up to the standard of the best I'd be much more confident in buying on Octavia.

Unfortunately No

My Octavia is my fifth Skoda in a row but they have lost the plot. The dealers are great but the product is heading back to the 1970's reputation. My Octavia is on it's 4th clutch and flywheel and is not a year old. I wanted to tow a trailer with it but honestly the clutch wouldn't survive. Someone at the factory needs to get the design and quality sorted. Probably buy Japanese next.

I dont think Skoda are any worse or better than any other dealers.

I own a Mercedes and a VW in recent times and neither has been a pleasant experience either in the purchase or maintenance.

Service bills on each have been shocking at times and extra work is always encouraged and priced up whether its needed or not.

Mercedes in particular have tried to wriggle out of warranty claims, a friend had a very bad time with his engine on his ML failing at just under the warranty limit and MB, not wanting to know, in the end his car was written off by a MB employee taking it on a test drive!!

VW quoted

So what apart from the new Mondeo do people consider the competition for the Mk2 Octy ?(plus or minus a grand or two) Mine will have to be an estate BTW.

Mazda 6. The only reason I went for the Octy this time was a change and I quite fancied DSG. The Mazda 6 is simply the most underrated car on the market at the moment. You don't have to worry about dealers as they simply never go wrong.

I would love to say yes I would buy another, but I feel I have waisted my money and 1 year on with numerous niggles that I have never experienced on my last two Japanese cars, I would not. It's a shame because to me at the time of buying it, it was the perfect car for the job. I can't fault the local dealer who has bent over back wards to sort out the problems, but the problems keep on coming and I feel I am becoming a pest keep mentioning fault after fault. Sorry for negative thoughts, only the creaking suspension to sort out now !!!

Any reason, thought you liked your 2.0 TFSI

I used to but now I hate it. Seriously. The power is just sooo unreliable as in sometimes its fairly quick sometimes just slow.

Bought the wrong car want rid.

I can't answer the original question as I don't own one (yet) but having read the replies I thought I would comment anyway!

In my 22 years of driving I have concluded that the quality (or otherwise) of the dealer experience goes a along way to influencing the opinion one has of a particular vehicle. Having had 3 Skodas, 2 Vauxhalls, 4 Fords, 3 BMWs and a Nissan over the years, I do think that no particular marque has been the ultimate car - all have had problems and the dealer response has varied between superb (1 Skoda, 1 BMW, 1 Ford dealer) to mediocre (Skoda, Nissan) to shoddy (2 Vauxhall, 2 Ford, 2 BMW). If a get good service from a dealer it does affect how I feel about the brand. I would hesitate to buy a Ford again largely due to my recent dealer experiences yet remember the "can't do enough for you" attitude of Skoda dealers in the mid eighties. Rose tinted spectacles or what!

BTW, is there anything to stop Skoda owners getting their cars looked after by VW or Audi dealers? I know the costs may be a bit higher, but I guess they should know how to service/warranty repair the Skoda (as many parts are identical) and the dealer experience may be better.....Or maybe not:confused:

I get Auto Express & sometimes look at all the new cars listed for the same money as my current cars Skoda Fabia VRS & Octavia TDI Elegance. I always find very little real competition IMHO. Traded up to Fabia VRS from 1.416v which was also a good car for the money ( Didnt Fabia win numerous awards in its class ?). I agree the new Mondeo looks nice but living in Essex they will soon be 2 a penny. Believe it or not Skodas are quite "exclusive" round here !. I will probably go for Skoda no 4 in 2008. No problems with the cars or the dealer I use for servicing.

I did buy a second one about 12 months ago and I think the older 1.8 T auto I had was better than this one, a 2.0 TDi PD with DSG. The interior trim has suffered already and it's eaten its front tyres after only 15k miles. The dealer is great, coffee on demand and no arguing about the price either. I got what I wanted in p/x and scr***d them down on price of the new one. Can't ask for fairer than that. Wouldn't touch the Mundano for love nor money.

I used to but now I hate it. Seriously. The power is just sooo unreliable as in sometimes its fairly quick sometimes just slow.

Bought the wrong car want rid.

I've never had a problem with mine in that respect - but then there will always be duds!

Got my black vrs on sat and i LUV IT:D

Steve

I used to but now I hate it. Seriously. The power is just sooo unreliable as in sometimes its fairly quick sometimes just slow.

Bought the wrong car want rid.

Is it still learning too much then?

Maybe you should get that looked at at the dealer, and I am guessing that can be mapped around.

This thread is proving fascinating reading. I can't comment on whether I would buy another Skoda yet as I wont own one until the end of the month. I want to be able to buy another one and really hope my experience of car and dealer remains positive.

In the past I have been amongst the massed ranks of car snobs who can not see past the badge on the front of a car. One of my colleagues was considering a Fiat Panda but is reluctant to do so in case people 'judge them' at traffic lights. Many friends have commented positively regarding my decision to my face, yet I know they would never consider buying a Skoda. Oddly, one has poo pooed the Skoda, yet lusts after a Seat. Humans are strange in habiual behaviour and unshakable preconceptions.

The perception seems to be that badge and depreciation are key factors with any Skoda. People seem to adhere to the idea that a car is an extention of ones postion or status. Yet most will nod sagely and stroke their chins whilst telling me how much Skodas have improved and how they are brilliant cars. I must admit given my past attitude I have, as one reviewer on the 'What Car?' site remarked, lost sleep over my decision to purchase this car. I coulld have pushed to an Audi or at least a well speced second hand one for the same as a new vRS.

On reviewer summed matters up nicely however in their last paragraph: Skoda OCTAVIA 2.0T vRS : CRAZY GOLF - Yahoo! Cars

I realise that the above has little to do with answering the question. All I am saying is that for 'converts' to the Skoda brand it isn't always an easy ride. I don't care what other people's perceptions of me are for driving a Skoda, in fact I will go further.......you are a wan**r if you are driven by the badge of a car. The skoda is perfect for me, so I'm buying one, however and this is where any car company must take note, imagine the damage it is going to to to this brand if there are others like me out there, who are defecting under the watchful gaze of their BMW driving peers. If I don't buy another one it will be because my dealer has let me down, failing to meet my needs, or I have had a duff product in the first place that can not be made good inspite of an attentive dealer.

Skoda UK and the dealer network can not afford to get it wrong now. They are at a 'tipping point' where their cars threaten to break into the mass market, potentially offering the quality, reliability and a better standard of care offered by thier established competitors. The very exsitance of a thread like this and the numerous negative comments threaten to tip perceptions and sales back the wrong way. Anyone thinking about spending their hard earned on a Skoda, may have already read enough to put them off.

Me, I'm gonna give Skoda and my dealer a try. I'm gonna trust them. I like to see the good in people and the car meets my needs for pace and practicallity.

They better not betray my faith!

M

Well said Marwood and you wont be dissapointed:thumbup:

Steve

this is my 3rd Skoda

In my 22 years of driving I have concluded that the quality (or otherwise) of the dealer experience goes a along way to influencing the opinion one has of a particular vehicle.

I agree that dealer experience is paramount, and it is celarly a lucky dip despite brand. The point remains that many car brands have far fewer inherent design, quality or assembly faults which will reduce the chance of a bad dealer experience.

I have yet to get my Skoda sericed (it'll be next week, and I'll let you know how it went, in case it's either a recommend/avoid scenario); no major problems to report I'm glad to say (AFAIK).

To set the record straight, my previous complaints about dealers and Skoda are just my reaction to other owner's disappointments and frustrations as set down in this forum.

I feel very negative about such inconsistency; it just goes to show how cynical all the manufacturers are about maintaining a standard. I suspect a dealer has to cause a lot of problems before they get a slap on the wrist.

I'm on my second. First TDi Elegance estate went back with 115K on it and never broke down once, the second MKII PDi Elegance hatch has 77K on it now and I expect about 100K in September when it's due to change, again no breakdowns, ever, yet!

I'm going to consider the Scout next but may well change brands as I find the seats not as good as they could be and also the engine noise is relatively high compared with Honda and others.

My local dealer (Wings-Peterborough) have been excellent through the last 6 years.

Thanks Steve, appreciate that.

M

I am not sure yet. My MkII Octy TDi PD140 Estate has been all that I wanted in most respects. The grunt/economy combination is great. Comfort OK for long autoroute trips (cruise control a must on next car what ever it is). Long enough to crash out in overnight in hill climb paddocks. Cabin noise level seems to be actually better at continental legal speeds than UK.

But, the battery has started to go flat again and the reversing sensor display has packed up. These may, or may not be connected. They happened together last time which was traced to a bad multipin connector in the loom under the back somewhere.

If there is one thing that puts me off a car it is niggling electrical faults of the type that take ages to diagnose.

Going in for its first (variable) service (will be at about 18000) in a couple of weeks. If it does the next 18000 with no more faults than the first I may stick with Skoda.

I'm more than happy with our with our latest tavia RS - great family car.

We have had a few little niggles allong the way, but from the last few premium cars we have bought - the same has applied!

Just wish some of the dealers service departments had a stock of parts instead of having to wait weeks.

I never had this problem with BMW - they alway sourced parts within the day or two.

I don't care what other people's perceptions of me are for driving a Skoda, in fact I will go further.......you are a wan**r if you are driven by the badge of a car.

Nevertheless there is a valid argument that takes into account TCO. A premium badge may well result in higher resale values if you choose carefully, which could mean you pay no more in the end for the badge. In this case you'd probably not be classed as a w***er.

Thing is, if the rest of the world over-values something for silly reasons, you just have to go with the flow. For example, that £10 note in your pocket is strictly speaking inherently worthless - it's just that because people believe it has value, they accept it; a triumph of faith and perception!

As it happens, I'm just plain cheap and have a 2.0 TDi - it does the job, I don't care about the badge, but it won't be worth that much in 60K miles time.