Which? Car Survey for 2007 has just popped through my letter box. What they say about the current Octavia isn't very pleasant reading. Based on the responses of 382 owners the car is near the bottom of the reliability ratings for "large cars" along with the Passat and in the detailed entry the diesel versions got 1 star out of a possible 5 (the best) for both breakdowns and faults. Troublespots on 2005-07 diesels are engine and non-engine electrics. Which? suggests that if you buy an Octavia you get a petrol one.

My new Scout 2.0 Tdi arrives this week, should I cancel the order?

I have of course looked up Honest John, What Car, Auto Express etc and apart from the well-known faults like the MAF sensor failing at 60K and the one about flattening the battery by not leaving a CD in the CD player, I didn't think there was anything to worry about. Also look at the ratings in the J D Power survey and similar ones.

The fact that lots of Swiss people opt for 4X4 Octavia estates with the 2.0 diesel engine speaks volumes.

So why does Which? put the diesel Octavia on a par with the Land Rover Discovery for unreliability? Any ideas?

Because they are the proverbial Jacks of All Trades, and Masters of None?

Don't forget, Which? gather their data by surveying their members, who are neither experts nor objective. So there are likely to be lots of reports of duff cars, when folk who own OK cars won't bother contributing. It's a bit like looking on here. You'd think every Skoda had leaky doors, failed MAF sensors, dodgy electric windows, etc. etc. when that's obviously not true!

I wouldn't base my purchasing decisions on a Which? report, personally...

they didnt ask me..mines been fine

Don't forget, Which? gather their data by surveying their members, who are neither experts nor objective.

But owners of the car, the same as people who respond to the JD Power Survey.... they are owners of the car, although, it makes you wonder if Which? readers all got theirs off a dodgy car dealer

Are you going to listen to feedback from 382 'Which' people or a database of over 20,000 members & owners (albeit not all are Octy diesel drivers ). The Octavia II has been a successful and reliable car throughout Europe and with one of the best diesel engines in either the PD130 or PD140 guise you cant go wrong.

382 is FAR too small a sample for a product selling in thousands. To be even close, statistically, they have to get into a sample of several thousand, chosen completely at random.

I'm glad I opted for the 2.0 fsi!

Me too - but not because of this survey. Mine is going better and better with each passing 1000 miles

I presume VW,Seat Audi and Bentley were all down the bottom as well then given the same engines/ components etc?

Having said that,I have noticed far more chuntering on this site about the Mk II Octavia than I saw with the Mk I

What I find particularly amusing, is that if the mag or 382 people said the car was fantanstic, then they'd have a point and the comments would be fair................when not so good, they don't know what they're on about.

Just my opinion of course.

I'm convinced that the Mk2 octavia isn't as reliable as the Mk1 based on my own experience and what I've seen here.

That's not to say it's a bad car at all , just that you have to have realistic expectations.

I think the top gear survey next time round will be interesting

When it is working well the MK II Octy is a great car in TDI form.

Problem is that there are many small and large problems that mean this isn't IMHO as often as it should be.

The truth is that the 140 and 170 TDi's do suffer with problems. Lots of failing turbos for a start, not to mention the infamous glow plug issue.

Stick with the good ol' 1.9TDI - this rarely seems to give any trouble!

What I find particularly amusing, is that if the mag or 382 people said the car was fantanstic, then they'd have a point and the comments would be fair................when not so good, they don't know what they're on about.

Just my opinion of course.

Believe me, I wouldn't trust a Which? review as far as I could fart it - good or bad!

Stick with the good ol' 1.9TDI - this rarely seems to give any trouble!

This is probably a load of old compost but someone told me the other day that there are 8000 Octavias in Madrid working as Taxis. In fact it seems to me that most Octavias are working as Taxis.

Do taxi drivers pick crap cars?:confused:

My MkI RS was great. My MkII 2.0TDI has been 5hite.

What I find particularly amusing, is that if the mag or 382 people said the car was fantanstic, then they'd have a point and the comments would be fair................when not so good, they don't know what they're on about.

Just my opinion of course.

If the mag or the 382 people said the car was fantastic then they'd be consistent with other reviews of the MkII Octavia. The fact that they appear to slate it seems a little inconsistent with other reviews and surveys, i.e. AutoExpress driver power #1 car.

This is probably a load of old compost but someone told me the other day that there are 8000 Octavias in Madrid working as Taxis. In fact it seems to me that most Octavias are working as Taxis.

Do taxi drivers pick crap cars?:confused:

When my local Saltdean (Citygates) group was in business they had very special deals for cabbies. Perhaps that's why they went broke!

Because they are the proverbial Jacks of All Trades, and Masters of None?

Don't forget, Which? gather their data by surveying their members, who are neither experts nor objective. So there are likely to be lots of reports of duff cars, when folk who own OK cars won't bother contributing. It's a bit like looking on here. You'd think every Skoda had leaky doors, failed MAF sensors, dodgy electric windows, etc. etc. when that's obviously not true!

I wouldn't base my purchasing decisions on a Which? report, personally...

I'm sure its the same for all brands i.e. disgruntled owners giving feedback

I remember when reading reviews about the Octy II, the difference between What Car? and Top Gear was quite astounding.

I'm sure its the same for all brands i.e. disgruntled owners giving feedback

True. Bad news is news, good news you take for granted.

Thanks for your comments so far - so I can expect some problems but how I react probably depends on how good the dealer is.

I suppose if I look critically at 8 years and 110,000 miles with a 1.9Tdi Mk 1 I can say I have been pretty happy overall but there have been problems: permanent rattles from the doors and latterly dashboard rattles; an ABS sensor defect that activated the ABS at all times, worse at slow speed; warped brake discs; air-con gas leaking away (replaced 3 times); air mass sensor at 65K; door release cables coming off (2); hot starting problem 85K - 105K solved by new battery after much hassle; crankcase oil leak (currently). It has never completely broken down or failed to start but I have had some close shaves. The hot starting problem is what prompted me to look at a replacement car.

Yes, taxi drivers love them although the Mk 1 is not ideal with lack of legroom in the back, presumably because of the lower purchase price, reliability and low running costs. Though a lot of taxis had to have replacement gearboxes at 100K under warranty. The taxi drivers have moved on to Mk 2 Octy's and Superbs.

Talking about Superbs, Which? gives them a better write-up than the Octy Mk 2 and says they are "worth considering". I had a 1.9 Tdi Superb for a 24-hour test drive and didn't like it at all - harsh ride and impossible to drive and stop smoothly. Fine on a motorway but poor on ordinary roads.

I think all this comes down to expectations - when the Mk 1 came out owners like me didn't really know what to expect over the life of the car although first impressions were very good. Compared with other cars they turned out to meet our expectations. 8 years later we expect more. Also there are many more electrical items including sensors all over the place to go wrong. A reliability rating of 82% in Which? is now considered very poor (the max being about 95%) whereas 8 years ago it would have been excellent.

When it comes to other VW group cars in Which? only the Passat has diesels shown separately to petrol cars, all the others have petrol & diesel lumped together and generally attain 3 stars for breakdowns and faults.

I prefer the surveys done in mags like Auto Express which are more likley to attract car fans rather than Which magazine which I think appeals to the grey haired middle classes. I think Honda has done well before on their surveys !

I have owned both Mark 1 and Mark 2 octavia diesels. The first was a 1.9 TDI 110 bhp and I did have the turbo go on that, thankfully within warranty and a few more minor issues with broken electic window unit and flasher relay, but otherwise a brillant car which worked well for 90000 miles till I traded it in for my current 2.0 tdi Mark 2. So far so good on that ( 5K so far ). I think though a few years ago , people like myself who bought Skoda were pleasantly surprised, now we expect more.