Skoda - From laughing stock to top dog
Discussion
I have a Superb and in many ways its a great car but its clear that cost cutting has been forced upon them by some at VAG. The Columbus Nav is a joke, being both slower and less accurate than my BMW Nav from 13 years ago.
The service department are the same as other dealerships and I had to refit my door card myself as they seemed to find it too hard and screw the wing mirror back on after it became loose.
The service department are the same as other dealerships and I had to refit my door card myself as they seemed to find it too hard and screw the wing mirror back on after it became loose.
My father owned a few 105s back in the eighties,my school mates took the pi55 but he also owned some cool bikes (gt750,kh500,rd500lc) so i got away with it..
We used to talk about how well skoda have come on since being part of VAG,he passed away a couple of years back but he did really like the latest vrs and im off to test drive a new one this week...
We used to talk about how well skoda have come on since being part of VAG,he passed away a couple of years back but he did really like the latest vrs and im off to test drive a new one this week...
My wife's old man has a Superb 3.6 4WD Wagon with every convenience known to man.
Before that he had an LS460 Lexus.
He says the Skoda is the best car he has ever owned.
As he, to our knowledge, still holds the record for the fastest ever drive from Bulawayo to Harare (done in 1973 in a V12 Jag saloon)he seems to know his onions - he has had em all - Jags, Mustangs, Alfas, several Mucking Faseratis, lotuses, every 4x4 you can think of, Legacy twin turbo,350z, 370Z(in garage at moment along with the skoda),a bentley turbo R.
His latest form of self-amusement is constantly taking the michael out of me for paying over 50 grand for an A6 wagon(BiTurbo) when he has paid 31 for what is, in effect, the same car!
does he have a point?
Before that he had an LS460 Lexus.
He says the Skoda is the best car he has ever owned.
As he, to our knowledge, still holds the record for the fastest ever drive from Bulawayo to Harare (done in 1973 in a V12 Jag saloon)he seems to know his onions - he has had em all - Jags, Mustangs, Alfas, several Mucking Faseratis, lotuses, every 4x4 you can think of, Legacy twin turbo,350z, 370Z(in garage at moment along with the skoda),a bentley turbo R.
His latest form of self-amusement is constantly taking the michael out of me for paying over 50 grand for an A6 wagon(BiTurbo) when he has paid 31 for what is, in effect, the same car!
does he have a point?
Edited by vjj on Saturday 27th April 21:54
Edited by vjj on Saturday 27th April 21:57
My Mrs is coming up to 26,000 miles in her Octavia estate we bought from new. It is my onerous duty to ensure that it is maintained.
So far it has had one service at 19,000 miles , it has the flexible service intervals the timings of which are requested by the vehicle's computer, at a cost of £160 and I would anticipate its next (second service) at approaching 40,000 miles just after its first MOT.
Its not used any oil whatsoever ( I bought a 4 litre container of Castrol Edge extended life stuff which sits unopened in the garage) and the biggest complaint is the increase tyre noise from the front wheels after I front to backed the tyres last month to even up the wear.
It was cheap to buy, its cheap to run, its cavernous and swallows holiday luggage and four adults with ease and is completely dependable. It also doesn't look half bad.
We would definitely buy another.
Cheers,
Tony
So far it has had one service at 19,000 miles , it has the flexible service intervals the timings of which are requested by the vehicle's computer, at a cost of £160 and I would anticipate its next (second service) at approaching 40,000 miles just after its first MOT.
Its not used any oil whatsoever ( I bought a 4 litre container of Castrol Edge extended life stuff which sits unopened in the garage) and the biggest complaint is the increase tyre noise from the front wheels after I front to backed the tyres last month to even up the wear.
It was cheap to buy, its cheap to run, its cavernous and swallows holiday luggage and four adults with ease and is completely dependable. It also doesn't look half bad.
We would definitely buy another.
Cheers,
Tony
We bought our 1st Skoda back in 2006 a PD170 VRS Octavia , it replaced a V5 Sport Edition Beetle , the local VW dealer was dire but the Beetle was ok , the missus loved it but it wasnt that well built , the seat trim kept falling apart and coil packs went , also the clutch jammed down , the Skoda was pretty good , couple of issues with the DPF pressure sensors and then after 6 years the ABS fault (That was done under goodwill from Skoda!) that seems to bug all the VAG range but in 80k it was a great car
My Superb CR170 Elegance was bought back in 2009, it replaced a E320 CDI Merc which was dire as many w210's were, but as bad as the car was the dealers were worse , in comparison our local Skoda dealer was fantastic , coming up for 65k now the Superb has been well Superb , its had one dpf pressure sensor failure but apart from that its been solid, its been a much better ownership experience than the Merc and imo the Columbus sat nav is much better than COMAND was in the MB and the built in bluetooth is great
I replaced the Octavia last year with a VRS Fabia as I dont do so many miles anymore and the Fabia is a lot of fun , I fully expect the engine to start using oil any minute that as there is a well known issue with them but I'm confident the dealer will sort it
The strongest asset with Skoda imo is the dealers, however good the car is if the dealer is poor you wont buy another , but my only criticism is that Skoda UK are taking their eye off the ball WRT dealers and standards have dropped and many offer really bad service now, and for this reason only I will be looking outside the brand come next purchase time.
My Superb CR170 Elegance was bought back in 2009, it replaced a E320 CDI Merc which was dire as many w210's were, but as bad as the car was the dealers were worse , in comparison our local Skoda dealer was fantastic , coming up for 65k now the Superb has been well Superb , its had one dpf pressure sensor failure but apart from that its been solid, its been a much better ownership experience than the Merc and imo the Columbus sat nav is much better than COMAND was in the MB and the built in bluetooth is great
I replaced the Octavia last year with a VRS Fabia as I dont do so many miles anymore and the Fabia is a lot of fun , I fully expect the engine to start using oil any minute that as there is a well known issue with them but I'm confident the dealer will sort it
The strongest asset with Skoda imo is the dealers, however good the car is if the dealer is poor you wont buy another , but my only criticism is that Skoda UK are taking their eye off the ball WRT dealers and standards have dropped and many offer really bad service now, and for this reason only I will be looking outside the brand come next purchase time.
Cemesis said:
The Columbus Nav is a joke, being both slower and less accurate than my BMW Nav from 13 years ago.
Columbus is just a rebranded VW RNS 510, no different to what you'd get in a Golf or Passat.I think the Amundsen+ (RNS 315) is better though as whilst the screen is slightly smaller its very quick to use, supports 7-digit postcode entry and has onboard DAB and Bluetooth.
vjj said:
His latest form of self-amusement is constantly taking the michael out of me for paying over 50 grand for an A6 wagon(BiTurbo) when he has paid 31 for what is, in effect, the same car!
does he have a point?
I'd say No! As good as the Superb is (it really is an impressive car) the underpinnings are technically a stretched Golf. As such it has a transversely mounted engine along with all other cars on that platform. The A6 on the other hand sits on the Audi MLB platform (shared with the A4, A8 etc) and has a longitudinally mounted engine does he have a point?
I don't think the "oh Skoda owners don't expect as much - so are more easily impressed" argument is valid anymore. Its now common perception that Skoda make very good cars and a a good bet for sensible motoring.
It is precisely because they are good cars now that people will go out to buy them - so i would argue now that a Skoda driver in 2013 expects his/her car to be very good - thats why theyve bought a Skoda.
But WTF is going on with this new Rapid - utterly pointless car - should have kept down the road off making a very good car thats great value for what you are getting philosphy of the Mk 1 Octavia.
I wouldn't be getting too carried away if i were Skoda - their customer service dept should keep a sharp eye on what the guys at Briskoda are saying about issues on their cars - for example oil consumption issues on the Mk 2 Fabia VRS - particularly bearing in mind a lot of the guys in that site are Skoda enthusiasts.
Sir Fergie
It is precisely because they are good cars now that people will go out to buy them - so i would argue now that a Skoda driver in 2013 expects his/her car to be very good - thats why theyve bought a Skoda.
But WTF is going on with this new Rapid - utterly pointless car - should have kept down the road off making a very good car thats great value for what you are getting philosphy of the Mk 1 Octavia.
I wouldn't be getting too carried away if i were Skoda - their customer service dept should keep a sharp eye on what the guys at Briskoda are saying about issues on their cars - for example oil consumption issues on the Mk 2 Fabia VRS - particularly bearing in mind a lot of the guys in that site are Skoda enthusiasts.
Sir Fergie
Sir Fergie said:
But WTF is going on with this new Rapid - utterly pointless car - should have kept down the road off making a very good car thats great value for what you are getting philosphy of the Mk 1 Octavia.
To be fair the Rapid isn't a bad car. The practicality is seriously impressive, the 550 litre boot is colossal and two 6-footers can comfortably sit behind each other inside. Yes there has been some cost cutting but you get a lot of car for your money, its a Golf class car for Polo prices. Makes sense if you want a no nonsense and no frills family car. Its not pointless as it fills the gap left by the Octavia Mk2. The new Octavia is quite a bit bigger and more expensive than the old model so the Rapid sits neatly beneath. Some good pictures showing the two alongside each other here - http://www.auto.cz/skoda-octavia-a-rapid-na-prvni-...
Im a recent convert to skoda and I am impressed.
I was running round in a Range Rover evoque until a month ago until i got a brand new vrs estate. It all started when i got a lift off my dad in his octavia se connect which faor a 14k car i was extremely impressed with.
I then came up with the idea of selling my evoque which was worth very nearly what i paid for it at a yea rold and moving down to a skoda octavia estate. I wasnt able tto source one of the run out blackline special editions but still bought one anyway.
Paid a grant total of £18121.70p for a 13 plate, vrs estate cr manual with about a grands worth of extras and 3 years ervicing. Anyway since i have had it I have been nothing but impressed and i actually prefer it to my evoque which cost 12k more. Sure its not as luxurious some of the plastics arent as nice and im not sure if the half leather seats actually contain any leather at all however the qgeneral quality of the fit and finish is excellent, it drives great, has plety of space for 2 labradors and has a good stereo system.
I know im only a month into ownership but i can see me keeping it for a long time, It simply does everything i need from a car.
The substantial lump of cash swapping freed up came in handy too!
I was running round in a Range Rover evoque until a month ago until i got a brand new vrs estate. It all started when i got a lift off my dad in his octavia se connect which faor a 14k car i was extremely impressed with.
I then came up with the idea of selling my evoque which was worth very nearly what i paid for it at a yea rold and moving down to a skoda octavia estate. I wasnt able tto source one of the run out blackline special editions but still bought one anyway.
Paid a grant total of £18121.70p for a 13 plate, vrs estate cr manual with about a grands worth of extras and 3 years ervicing. Anyway since i have had it I have been nothing but impressed and i actually prefer it to my evoque which cost 12k more. Sure its not as luxurious some of the plastics arent as nice and im not sure if the half leather seats actually contain any leather at all however the qgeneral quality of the fit and finish is excellent, it drives great, has plety of space for 2 labradors and has a good stereo system.
I know im only a month into ownership but i can see me keeping it for a long time, It simply does everything i need from a car.
The substantial lump of cash swapping freed up came in handy too!
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