For some time now I've been thinking of buying a second hand superb, around model years 2003-2004. For sure it'll be a diesel one, as I have to commute daily to work around 140km.

1) 1.9 tdi would be the obious economic choice. But as I'm currently driving a furby rs, I reckon it might feel a bit sluggish. So I was thinking of getting it remapped. One problem though, I've heard from somewhere that the 5spd manual tranny was designed for max 285nm tourque. Will this cause problems, as a remap will take it above 300nm for sure. Or would the auto box be a better alternative?

2) As a second option, I was thinking of the 2.5tdi with either manual or preferably with auto box. But my neigbour, who works for garage that's got years of experience with racing VAG and is also running VW certified garage says the V6 diesels that VAG produces tend to be problematic. He reckons the 4-cylider ones would be a better option. He says the V6 weak points are camshafts, turbo's and they tend to leak oil. Is this something ppl in here have experienced?

3) Can anyone give me any advice on things to check especially with superbs? Sort of known problems with the car?

4) What kind of mileage have ppl got on their superbs? I was looking around to getting a elegance spec with max 90k kilometers on the clock. They seem to be reasonably priced in Germany...

5) What kind of performance are ppl getting out of the 1.9 tdi 96kw remapped? Would it be fair to say it should pretty much mach with unmodified 2.5tdi, possibly a bit faster due to lighter weight? If so, this would pretty much mach my unmodified furby rs and would be enough for my needs...

TIA,

Juha

I have a 130PS diesel Superb, model year '05 bought second hand in the UK. These are a bargain here as the British are badge snobs and big Skodas are not fashionable. I bought mine to tow a heavy trailer and to provide comfortable "taxi" transport for a bunch of big people. It does all this really well, is good on fuel and has so far been fairly but not completely reliable. The 4 cyl diesel engine is excellent - buying a Superb was the cheapest way I could find to get this engine for best condition/least money.

These cars are B 5.5 VW Passat clones and all the Passat problems apply. It's essential to check for rainwater leaks; usually the carpet in the rear will be wet if this is happening. Leaks cause very expensive damage to the electronics and the water gets in via the pollen filter housing if the plenum chamber drains are blocked. Google will provide loads of details. Other weaknesses are engine timing belts, water pumps, the entire front suspension which is the creation of a lunatic, track rod ends and dual mass flywheels. Beware the 140PS engine (Euro Cat IV) as there have been reports of blocked particulate filters and appalling service from VAG. 6 speed manual gearboxes are also suspect in other VAG models which use this transmission.

I'm pleased with mine - it will be worth nothing when I sell it, but it was bought to do a job. The handling is not good and I would not personally wish to increase the engine power - it's as good as the chassis will comfortably manage. I have driven the 6 cyl diesel and the handling is even worse due to the extra weight ahead of the front axle - I would try it for yourself. The 130PS engine (Type AWX) gives a very good compromise between performance and economy with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Remember that fuel is unlikely to get cheaper.

Good hunting.

rotodiesel.

The only thing that has happened to mine in 29,000 miles is one injector went (replaced under warranty), once you get used to the handling it is surprising just how much you can throw it about.....but I suppose with worn suspension it could be a bit of an adventure .

I believe the 1.9 pd 130 has a larger turger turbo (Ross will tell me for sure ) and with a mild remap it would be quite fast and I believe the car is able to handle 170bhp and about 280 ft/lbs with ease. It can get a bit uncomfortable at times when driving on uneven or side roads , but I have found if you turn off the asr (must turn off some form of traction or handling control as well) on the dash it seems to settle.....It tows a caravan so well it makes it a pleasure and it was born to do long trips, as I have said before the road goes past you as you sit in comfort....long trips it will average 50mpg around town and short trips about 38 mpg, mine still hasn't used any oil in the 29,000 miles it has done, and I still love driving it....parking in a tight space is a different matter .

My next car has an awful lot to live up to

These are a bargain here as the British are badge snobs and big Skodas are not fashionable.

rotodiesel.

Slightly sweeping statement there mate, I would have suggested that with another potential Superb owner posting up a 'buying advice' comment that things are changing and the recent JD Power survey backs this up....

Jlindstrom,

In response to your questions mate I can't answer all of them as I have never driven a 2.5 V6 nor have I had my 1.9 remapped but for me I am happy with the Superb in so many ways.

Obviously you will be coming from a motor with a little more power but I would not worry about the 'so called limit's' of the torque band, manufacturers design them to a limit but in reality they can achieve much more but I am sure someone else will post up their views.

I have found that with a few 'tweeks' here and their the Skoda is a lot better than my previous VW, which I had a lot of time for and spent a lot of money on.

All in all the Superb is a good buy but you have to evaluate it for what it is, a simple and effective large people carrier IMO.

Slightly sweeping statement there mate, I would have suggested that with another potential Superb owner posting up a 'buying advice' comment that things are changing and the recent JD Power survey backs this up....

Try selling a used Superb on the open market in the UK and see what you get for it, that's the acid test. He's in Finland though - they probably have more sense there.

rotodiesel.

I've got a manual 2.5 V6 diesel and like you at first I wanted the 1.9.

However I'm impressed with the 2.5. Servicing here is reasonable, performance is excellent for such a large car and economy is around 39mpg.

Any car has faults somewhere in the range. I've heard there is more trouble with the 1.9 due to premature cambelt breaks, but saying that it doesnt happen to all of them.

I've heard of cam problems on the 2.5, but only on one or two., so dont let it eat you.

Both are good value for money and offer similar fuel economy.

The V6 has an excellent and moreish noise than the 1.9 that makes you want to floor it:O where permitted!!!

I dont really think the remap will do you much justice and cost you more IMO

HTH Paul:)

Thanks for the info everyone. As a few "side remarks", yes - I do live in Finland and no, most ppl here don't have any more sense If you'd offer similarly specced Superb against a Passat, 9 out of 10 would most likely choose the passat.

As for used car value in here, well - everything's expensive! Our car tax is straight up horrible. I'm propably paying for a 4 year old superb as much as you guys would pay for a brand spanking new 2.0tdi octy. Imported from Germany (the cheap way) I'd pay around 15k pounds for a low mileage 2003 elegance 1.9tdi and around 17k pounds for a low mileage 2.5 tdi auto... And now they're thinking of changing the taxing to a more ecological way - so most likely things are getting more expensive in the future!

As for the performance and handling, I'm actually looking for a bit more settled experience than my current furby. I'm mainly looking into performance in the sense of real world oomph on overtaking. Furby is good at this and it's something I wouldn't like to compromise. As for the car being nose heayv, well I reckon the standard vrs Furby is also a prime example on this one

What I really want out of the car is reasonable performance on highway use and comfort... I can see myself sitting on the comofortable leather seats and enjoying the bi-xenons come winter time. Furby tends to be a bit too noisy and raw on finnish road surfaces. 90% of the cars here use studded tyres during winter and it really kills the tarmac...

On the economical front, I'm currently getting around 5.6l/100km from my Furby. So the superb would be around the same with the same engine. I don't really pootle around on the highways. Most likely I'd get better out of the superb as it doesn't tempt you the same way as furby does.. what can I say, I sometimes get a bit carried away.

Btw, I've always had a bit of trouble converting l/100km to mpg (uk). As I undertand it, it should be 282/5.6 = 50.4 mpg. Would this be correct?

- Juha

Figures look about right.

Reading your above comment I would certainly go for a 2.5 TDI:D