I'm one fed up Octavia owner!

I bought my (ex Euro Fleet) TDi from a main dealer in Feb 2004, it was year old and had just over 12k miles on it. The idea being it would be a car for many years to come and bought with the belief that it was a car that was well made and always highly ranked in owner survey's it was also purchased for it's size and safety to be used to safely transport our (at the time) unborn nipper around in.

Now in the relatively short time since it I have had it it has had it's fair share of issues the worst being the failure of the Turbo which was eventually replaced while it was still within warranty after the dealer had swapped out N75, MAF and ECU in an attempt to cure a problem. This all took about 3 months of going to / from the dealer to get sorted and thankfully all at no cost to me other than my time. this all happened in 2005 up until then I'd had no real problems with the car other than it needed a service shortly after i bought it even though the service book stated it had been serviced the a couple of months before I got it.

Anyway last year about 4 months out of warranty I get the common ARB/Bush failure on the front, this, to Skoda UK's credit was resolved and my only expense was the labour to fit the new parts. Then in August last year the battery died and had to be replaced (I thought it was normal for batteries to have at least a 5 year lifespan?) Anyway it died on the Aug bank holiday weekend and I was in Devon so had no choice but to purchase a new one.

Then this year on Aug I took it in for a 20k variable service and ended up being over a £1k lighter in the pocket as it also had to have a new cam belt and water pump (water pump was my choice after reading other posts about them on here), new disks all round and new pads all round. Within 2 days of collecting it from the dealer the starter motor packs up and needs to be replaced and despite a discount still cost another £200.00 to replace.

So I am now thinking that it will probably be OK and that should be the end of my problems, not so. A few weeks back I noticed a distinct graunching noise from the nearside rear wheel when going over speed humps or turning into my driveway which I think is rear bushes so I call my dealer to ask them to check this for me and quote me a price to fix it, it's going in this Thursday but over the weekend it decides to develop another problem, one that I cannot diagnose but is worrying nonetheless as it is a very noticeable though infrequent clonk/knocking noise from the offside front wheel it happens as I reverse with the steering wheel hard right off my drive, I sometimes notice/feel it as I turn and it is probably at it's most noticeable when I am driving over a road surface that dips and rises in short succession. At first I feared it was the compressor clutch rattling about but my climate control is still OK so it can't be that I am now fearing it may be steering related but hopeful that it may be something simple like a wheel bearing although from previous experience of wheel bearing failures I am not getting any rumbling sounds or noticeable vibrations through the steering wheel.

I'm sorry if this appears to be a long winded rant but I do feel that if I had the money right now I wouldn't have my Skoda anymore. I feel that I am either very unlucky or the car is jinxed in some way.

If it were 8 or 9 years old with over a 100K on the clock I may be more understanding but it's not even 5 years old yet and has not even reached 55K on the clock. I have it serviced regularly and give it a lot of TLC yet it still seems to go wrong.

I drive it carefully and do not throw it about I did have it remapped but not with the intention of thrashing it about.

I hoped that a car from a manufacturer with such an excellent reputation would last at least 5 years before the things I've had go wrong and are now starting to go wrong would happen.

Sorry for the length of this post I'm just feeling more than a little fed up with the car at the moment made worse by the fact that I am stuck with it as I can't afford to replace it with anything else yet I am still facing yet more expense to get it all ship shape and bristol fashion and to add insult to injury I have my insurance renewal coming up on the 12th December too Happy Bloody Christmas Eh! .

Thanks for taking the time to read my sob story

Sorry to hear you having all these problems mate, I have a Vectra 2003 model and am i the same boat as you, I thought a car like that would be solid, I brought it with 29K miles and so far I have had to replace the steering rack, replace all of the air conditioning unit, it was loosing coolant, had an engine management light come up on it, and had to get it all fixed which cost various sums of money. Just when I thought it was smooth running the coolant AGAIN is dissappearing and ive got the engine light on again too so gotta start again. I feel the same as you with that car, reasons for buying etc! I spoke to mate who owns a garage and he reckons its possibly done more miles than recorded! which I can believe to be honest, all this problems! its a loverly car but god the aggro with it is a put off, I dont reckon I would buy anohter vauxhall now because of it. Did you get it from a decent garage etc??? I did and still all these problems.

I share your grief mate!

Sounds like we got these cars from the bad apple tree..............needs cutting down I reckon!

you get the chainsaw I'll get the axe!

Sorry to hear you having all these problems mate, I have a Vectra 2003 model and am i the same boat as you, I thought a car like that would be solid, I brought it with 29K miles and so far I have had to replace the steering rack, replace all of the air conditioning unit, it was loosing coolant, had an engine management light come up on it, and had to get it all fixed which cost various sums of money. Just when I thought it was smooth running the coolant AGAIN is dissappearing and ive got the engine light on again too so gotta start again. I feel the same as you with that car, reasons for buying etc! I spoke to mate who owns a garage and he reckons its possibly done more miles than recorded! which I can believe to be honest, all this problems! its a loverly car but god the aggro with it is a put off, I dont reckon I would buy anohter vauxhall now because of it. Did you get it from a decent garage etc??? I did and still all these problems.

I share your grief mate!

Sounds like we got these cars from the bad apple tree..............needs cutting down I reckon!

you get the chainsaw I'll get the axe!

I'll get the herbicide to treat the stump once you've felled it to ensure it doesn't coppice!

Sorry to hear all this. I've only had mine a month and seem to be having some issues with it, although until it's fully diagnosed this week I shouldn't be moaning.It may just be a valve & a sensor. Hope that your luck changes and things even out for both of you. Lots of bits that go wrong are just 'bits' and can go on any vehicle, ie bearings, sensors, discs etc which are 'consumables'. Shame they never seem to be cheap to sort out.

Sorry to hear you having all these problems mate, I have a Vectra 2003 model and am i the same boat as you, I thought a car like that would be solid, I brought it with 29K miles and so far I have had to replace the steering rack, replace all of the air conditioning unit, it was loosing coolant, had an engine management light come up on it, and had to get it all fixed which cost various sums of money. Just when I thought it was smooth running the coolant AGAIN is dissappearing and ive got the engine light on again too so gotta start again. I feel the same as you with that car, reasons for buying etc! I spoke to mate who owns a garage and he reckons its possibly done more miles than recorded! which I can believe to be honest, all this problems! its a loverly car but god the aggro with it is a put off, I dont reckon I would buy anohter vauxhall now because of it. Did you get it from a decent garage etc??? I did and still all these problems.

I share your grief mate!

Sounds like we got these cars from the bad apple tree..............needs cutting down I reckon!

you get the chainsaw I'll get the axe!

Chainsaw is ready, where's the sodding tree?

It's re-assuring to know I'm not the only one with problems although I do not wish them on any one. Unfortunately I am the sort of person that takes problems to heart even mores so when I've shelled the best part of £2k this year on it and the problems just keep on coming. I am tempted to call Skoda UK to have a moan but I need to wait to see what the diagnosis is, the rear bushes could be ok to leave for now but with an MOT looming in January I need to be sure they are not going ot fail it. But the noise at the front is what bothers me most I have a tendancy to look at the worst case scenario at least then if it's a lesser problem I am not ion for any more shocks.

I did buy the car from a Skoda dealer and have no reason to doubt it's previous history I don;t think main dealers could afford to risk doing anything dodgy like clocking a car they sell on I am 100% convinced my dealer is trustworthy they have always provided me with excellent service, it's the prices for the work they do that hurt the most.

Found that tree yet?

I'll get the herbicide to treat the stump once you've felled it to ensure it doesn't coppice!

Sorry to hear all this. I've only had mine a month and seem to be having some issues with it, although until it's fully diagnosed this week I shouldn't be moaning.It may just be a valve & a sensor. Hope that your luck changes and things even out for both of you. Lots of bits that go wrong are just 'bits' and can go on any vehicle, ie bearings, sensors, discs etc which are 'consumables'. Shame they never seem to be cheap to sort out.

You are right it is just wear and tear bits and pieces I know that but what annoys me so much is that they have all conspired with each other and obviously held a vote and decided unanimously to all fail within a few months of each other. I just dont understand how a car from a manufacturer with such a good reputation for making cars that are reliable and sturdy can suffer such failures when it is not even 5 years old.

If I rallied it off road or drove it over speed humps at high speeds then yes maybe I should expect things like bushes and whatever the problem at the front is to happen but I don't drive it like that, I look after it in the hope that in doing so I can look after my wallet aswell.

I am hoping that whatever the noise at the front is can be easily located as is is so intermittent and that it transpires to be something easy and cheap to fix. If it is a new steering rack then i hate think how much that would be.

Just have to wait until Thursday to find out I guess.

Thank you for your replies.

Please don't think I hate Skoda, I don't I love the car it's a pleasure to drive and it is everything I was looking for in a car when I brought it I just wish it would live up to the reputation the people who make it have built for themselves and just do what I need it to do.

Will post outcome of dealers inspection on Thursday as long as I am not crying too much.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Nothing any of us say will make you feel better or even convince you to keep within the Skoda fraternity. Having owned similar cars in the past - not Skoda I must say - I got the feeling that no matter what I did, how much money was thrown at the car, it was never going to be right. In the end, I've cut my losses, bought again and had trouble free motoring.

It all depends where your cut off point is. How much more time and effort are you willing to put into a car that could be replaced tomorrow with another of the same spec etc? It's not like you're dealing with a rare classic is it? My threshold is quite low I must admit. I'd trade the bugger in and start again, but there again I'm just a bloke sat at his laptop in Yorkshire ranting as if I know what I'm on about.

Disregard everything I've just said and do what you want.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Nothing any of us say will make you feel better or even convince you to keep within the Skoda fraternity. Having owned similar cars in the past - not Skoda I must say - I got the feeling that no matter what I did, how much money was thrown at the car, it was never going to be right. In the end, I've cut my losses, bought again and had trouble free motoring.

It all depends where your cut off point is. How much more time and effort are you willing to put into a car that could be replaced tomorrow with another of the same spec etc? It's not like you're dealing with a rare classic is it? My threshold is quite low I must admit. I'd trade the bugger in and start again, but there again I'm just a bloke sat at his laptop in Yorkshire ranting as if I know what I'm on about.

Disregard everything I've just said and do what you want.

I am between a rock and a hard place with my car. I really like the car and I said earlier it's everything I want from a car at the moment. However I am starting to wonder what I could have exchanged it for with all the money I've blown on it this year already.

Cash flow is the only reason I've not chopped it out. I love the new Mondeo and the S-Max but both are beyond my budget at the moment. I like the ST220 Mondeo as well but I have read that they are an expensive car to keep maintained so I'd be no better off there.

I like Skoda's a lot and thought that when I got mine back in 2004 I'd stick with the brand but I am not too keen on the new shape Octavia and the Fabia or Superb aren't for me really.

I'm feeling mighty frustrated with the car and do feel that this is going to be the way forward now, I'll get all the problems put right then something else will go wrong and before I know it I will have spent more on keeping it running than it is worth.

I am still hopeful that come Thursday my dealer will diagnose the problem at the front as a minor problem (if they can find it at all) the rear bushes are going to be expensive but that's because they are a labour intensive job to replace and I've been told that by independents and main dealers so it must be true.

I'll post the outcome of my dealers inspection on Thursday and buy some hankies to cry into.

Hi Bakie,

I too am sorry to hear of your troubles. I had similar problems but on a Vauxhall Signum DTI.

Within 10 months almost 2 grand in repair bills. I major failure in the brake system that resulted in a total loss of braking and scared the **** out of me.

Other posters are right. You just need to say enough is enough. Buy again and move on. Hopefully your problems haven't made you a dis-believer in Skoda. Every manufacturer has the odd bad car. Like me, you were probably just unlucky.

Now an owner of an Octavia VRS and couldn't be happier. Ok so i don't get 50 to the gallon like i did when i had a DTI but i get my fun from looking at the open mouths of the 'boy-racer' Citreon Saxo owners thinking oh my god i just got my A*S whooped by a Skoda.

Hi Bakie,

I too am sorry to hear of your troubles. I had similar problems but on a Vauxhall Signum DTI.

Within 10 months almost 2 grand in repair bills. I major failure in the brake system that resulted in a total loss of braking and scared the **** out of me.

Other posters are right. You just need to say enough is enough. Buy again and move on. Hopefully your problems haven't made you a dis-believer in Skoda. Every manufacturer has the odd bad car. Like me, you were probably just unlucky.

Now an owner of an Octavia VRS and couldn't be happier. Ok so i don't get 50 to the gallon like i did when i had a DTI but i get my fun from looking at the open mouths of the 'boy-racer' Citreon Saxo owners thinking oh my god i just got my A*S whooped by a Skoda.

Thanks for your reply, I'm glad you're still here to tell us of your braking system failure on your Vauxhall that must have been terrifying. I've also seen on watchdog the problem that they have with handbrakes not staying on too, not good at all. I used to have a Vauxhall Astra GTE (mkII) and I have to say that was the worse car I ever had for reliability it used to eat water pumps the sump was twisted so constantly leaked oil it had a habit of chewing up inlet and outlet manifold gaskets it was constantly blowing the LCD dash bulbs and numerous other faults I vowed then never to get another Vauxhall.

I have to confess to be a bit of a Ford fan, I had a Focus before I traded it in for the Octavia and I wish I'd kept it in a way as it was a really good car but the boot was far to small and with the impending arrival of sprog number one we needed a car with a boot that was big enough to take our own stuff as well as all the gear you have to cart about for a new born baby. Maybe with hindsight I should have gone for a Mondeo but I don't regret getting the Octavia it's just over the last few months it has become a money pit and I have become very fed up with it.

If the diagnosis from the dealer is bad then I may discuss with she who must be obeyed about getting rid of it but I dunno what she will say as she wants to move house next year and we need to save as much cash for that as we can so a replacement car is not high on our list of priorities although I guess we could be having our decision made for us in a way.

Still not 100% happy having had my car checked out yesterday at Impossible Performance for the power loss problem and today at my dealer for squeaking Bushes and a mysterious knocking sound from the drivers front wheel.

Mike at Impossible hooked up VAG.COM yesterday to see what fault the ECU recorded for the power loss problem and nothing was recorded so this could mean that there is nothing to worry about and I hope that proves to be the case but in a way I would have preferred there to have been a fault recorded so at least I knew what caused it.

This morning my Dealer (Withams) checked the rear bushes and declared them to be OK and funnily enough they have stopped squeaking since it's been so wet however they could not find out what was causing the knocking noise coming from the front offside wheel area. Despite driving it about for ages with a technician in the car no luck. Then as I am driving home it happens again - typical.

They said that with such an intermittent noise like that all I could do was wait until it got worse and could be heard at all times and then take it back.

I also asked the sales guys for a valuation while I was there and I was not too impressed, I had hoped it would be worth about £5k as it is such low mileage etc but they estimated it at less than that so that kind of throws a huge spanner in my plans to sell it on and replace it.

But for now I am none the wiser about the problems or what they are but I have to accept that for the moment there is nothing wrong and it is OK.