Anyone know Skodas?

[500e]

1 Roomster petrol quite thirsty but reliable, 1 can problem windows.
The auto box I hate nice when your moving.
1 4x4 Yeti diesel the DSG is better but still has quirks pulling away especially on hills if you try to hold it on the brakes
Both Must be serviced on or before recommended can be expensive if left, Yettie has done 60k no problems.
Have done cam belt and the stupid water pump, found it had partially failed.
I understand this is not just a Yettie problem, they can fail with disastrous results

 

[lotus_esprit_s1]

Yeti under consideration… Looks a bit like the new Defender.

Definitely not buying a car from nearby. The road salt ruins cars round here.

I once bought a three year old Defender that had lived in Aberdeen all its life, didn’t bother checking for corrosion as it was only three year old…. Massive mistake!! I now avoid anything with S prefix!!!

 

[Smallfry]

I once bought a three year old Defender that had lived in Aberdeen all its life, didn’t bother checking for corrosion as it was only three year old…. Massive mistake!! I now avoid anything with S prefix!!!

Will be acid from the peat, if it has been off roaded.

A guy I used to work with was a serial Estelle buyer. Noisy and rusty, dire MPG, but very reliable.

 

[lotus_esprit_s1]

Will be acid from the peat, if it has been off roaded.

A guy I used to work with was a serial Estelle buyer. Noisy and rusty, dire MPG, but very reliable.

Nope road use only, it was road salt. The rear door rusted away above the back window where road salt had sat behind the seal. Rear tub had holes in under the carpets

 

[chris pruteanu]

Get a 1.8 T engine and run away from 1.8 tfsi and 2.0 tfsi if it’s petrol you’re after. If you like diesel then you have absolutely no issues with it other than the early pd 2.0 tdi which had 170 bhp Siemens injectors, they were known to fail but are replaced under warranty!
Personally I would get the 143 bhp CR engine, it’s the most reliable out there after the good old ALH with a rotary pump !

 

[Burdekin]

We've had three Octavia VRSs, Fabia VRS and a Fabia. The Fabia VRS was fitted with the super charged and turbo charged 1.4l engine and used oil and through a valve or two. Was changed under warranty no bother. That's a while ago now. Our latest Octavia VRS has a lot of bells and whistles which I don't particularly like but my wife does and it's her car. Apart from that one engine we've never had any issues.

 

[mr_splatter]

I've got a 16MY 4x4 Superb Estate 2.0 diesel. Been happy with it for the last 4 years. Get around 60mpg.Had an Octavia 1.8 petrol from nearly new but engine didn't make it to 100k, burnt oil like you wouldn't believe so as above avoid that engine as it's a known issue. Apart from that it was a great car that gave no trouble.
Now also got a Karoq, the mid size SUV and been pleased with that too

 

[Bobupndown]

DSG transmissions are very oil change sensitive, make sure any prospective purchase has had the transmission oil changed on or before the due date/mileage.
Haldex are used by Ford, Volvo, LR & VWG and others, the most common failure is the pump, usually due to missed oil changes, again, check the service history.

We have 2 Haldex equipped 4x4s. My Freelander 2 and my wife's VW Tiguan. Have not had a pump fail but issues are caused by dirty oil and sludge which can block the pump screen which basically stops it working. Oil and filter and remove the pump to check the screen every 30000 or so miles or so. On the Landrover if there's an issue with it you get dashboard warning, on the VW nothing, first you know of it is when you get wheel spin from the front axle pulling away from a wet junction. When in 4x4 you won't. Tiguan currently has a control module fault which has put it into front wheel drive only mode. It does have 170000 miles on it though. Can get these repaired for around £150.

 

[Ubique]

That's true about the oil, there seems to be some 'flakes' in it from new, whether its this that blocks the filter or not, I have no idea. One of the variants has a separately accessible filter, could be Volvo, with a service interval for it. Whichever marque it is, I'm sure most of the failures were due to missed servicing.

 

[steve t]

I'd like a 4x4 skoda estate in the future. Be ideal for towing boat and carrying dogs

 

[Domdom]

I have a 2014 Superb estate, 2.0 diesel (170) 6 speed manual, which is now on 119k. All good at the moment. I chose the Superb over the Octavia due to the boot size. If it’s petrol you want the Superb can be had with a 3.6 V6.

 

[Guineafowl]

I'd like a 4x4 skoda estate in the future. Be ideal for towing boat and carrying dogs

As an aside, I recently sold my 18ft Icelander to a retired couple.

Probably about 1.5 tonne all in. They hooked it up to their BMW X5, I waved goodbye, they moved about 5m and slammed the brakes on.

’Have you left the trailer brake on?’ No.

Tried again. Same result. And again. I wondered if the TC was activating, due to the weight of the boat altering rear wheel travel. Finally found the ‘TC off’ button, and off they went. I’ve always thought BMWs are too clever for their own good.

 

[More Amps]

Had two Octavias, both diesel and no complaints. First one written off after some bint in a minibus was too busy on her phone to notice me indicating to turn right off the main road and ploughed straight into the back. Second one, the ex left it parked on a mild slope outside the house - handbrake only, not in gear (I may have mentioned it to her more than several times...) car rolled back, through a border and a fence followed by 100 yards down a steep bank and took out a dyke at the bottom. Would I like another, yes. Would I buy another? Well bad things come in threes!

 

[Onthespotwelding]

I own a 2000 reg Skoda Octavia estate 1.9 Tdi 116k miles. 65 mpg on a run.

Oldie but a goodie. I use it like a van wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

[Guineafowl]

I’m now looking at a 2018 Volvo V40 ‘Cross Country’ (not sure what that means; it doesn’t have 4wd or locking diffs).

It’s with Arnold Clark further down South (cars up here are all rusty). I’ve never bought from a dealership before, so would appreciate some advice from someone like @ajlelectronics on the best way to buy safely. The car would be shipped up to a local dealer.

For example, is it worth partially paying by CC, to get protection, or is a simple bank transfer ok?

 

[Ubique]

Don't buy from Arnold Shark - their prep. standards are appalling and have been known to use second hand parts for repairs, they've been caught out fabricating service histories too. A lot of their stock comes from their own lease business and also from motability, which can be something to avoid if you're not keen on the seats eminating the smell of body fluids in hot weather.... For balance, not all motab beneficiaries leak.

 

[Guineafowl]

Don't buy from Arnold Shark - their prep. standards are appalling and have been known to use second hand parts for repairs, they've been caught out fabricating service histories too. A lot of their stock comes from their own lease business and also from motability, which can be something to avoid if you're not keen on the seats eminating the smell of body fluids in hot weather.... For balance, not all motab beneficiaries leak.

Gawd.

Apparently no Volvos on Motability. I’ve never bought from dealership before, always from a driveway, kicking tyres and handing over cash. I have to buy remotely to avoid the rusty wrecks up here. Don’t all dealerships have their ups and downs?

^^^ I do bang on about road salt, but there was a nice 2018 V40 in Dumbarton AC. Looked up the MoT records - all four brake discs rusted/failed on its second MoT ever.

Phoned the dealership. “Where’s it from?”
”Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire”.
Three/four years for a set of OEM discs to rust out, from brand new.

 

[Ubique]

There are/were plenty of motab Volvos when I worked for a dealer in 2018, I know some manufacturers have been ceasing to supply Motab cars for various reasons - discounts on supply, servicing & repair plus unusually high warranty repairs being some of the concerns. I don't deal with sales but here is a good summary of your rights & protections - all motor dealers & traders are aware of their responsibilities, if someone tries to sell you a 'trade car', walk away. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/conten...er-rights-act-protect-you-when-you-buy-a-car?

BTW, brake discs generally only last two sets of brake pads - whatever the vehicle, corroded discs are often caused by low usage or being parked where the rain can be blown into the wheelarches

 

[KemppiFrog]

Skoda? Don't they have an engine in the back and swing axle rear suspension? Plus a funny side opening bonnet to store your bags?

Heated rear screens to keep your hands warm while you push them?

OK, it is a while since I saw one...

 

[Guineafowl]

There are/were plenty of motab Volvos when I worked for a dealer in 2018, I know some manufacturers have been ceasing to supply Motab cars for various reasons - discounts on supply, servicing & repair plus unusually high warranty repairs being some of the concerns. I don't deal with sales but here is a good summary of your rights & protections - all motor dealers & traders are aware of their responsibilities, if someone tries to sell you a 'trade car', walk away. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/conten...er-rights-act-protect-you-when-you-buy-a-car?

BTW, brake discs generally only last two sets of brake pads - whatever the vehicle, corroded discs are often caused by low usage or being parked where the rain can be blown into the wheelarches

Thanks for the advice.

I fitted a set of non-fancy discs to my Defender in 2011, and they’re still reasonable, hence the surprise at the Volvo.