Skoda Octavia @ 87000Kms

[Denom]

Had the pleasure of driving/got driven around a 87K covered 'skoda octavia rider' vehicle today for a distance of 104 kms today as my friend wanted to show me his recently acquired piece of land on the outskirts of navi mumbai.

To start off i sat in the co-drivers seat & experienced the ride towards the location & then took over the wheel. Here are my observations:-

1) Vehicle has aged well in the 3 yrs that it has been owned
2) Interiors boring & dulled, felt the quality of plastics quite out of place for the price one pays for this vehicle.
3) Few squeaks & rattles, which is good @ the mileage mentioned.
4) Vehicle has to be driven at snails pace on rough/'kachha' roads for fear of suspension bottoming out/underbody & components taking a beating.
5) Speed breakers (the kind that India is famous for) are truly the worst enemy of this vehicle.

All said & done, cruising at 140 kmph on expressways is so hasslefree, relaxing & addictive that you just want the road to continue for ever.

End of the journey i was tired by the Knees up position that i was faced with, maybe a problem all 6 plus footers face with this vehicle, dunno about the rear seats as i was seated in the front seats only, so could not comment of rear seats. We had 5 people on board & found that the 3 seated in the rear, all well built were not so comfortably seated, especially the centre guy who was mainly filling the space between the front seats!

Would like to hear about what the Octavia owners have to say about their vehicles.....

 

[amit]

so denom do you agree skodas are expensive to maintain.

 

[Zinam]

Yes amit !

Skoda is really high maintenance package car :-)

The spares are priced really high, but travelled quite few times in 22K kms Skoda.

I find it bit good than what denom said, may be the car still hasn't worn out

 

[vijay]

good report denom, yes skoda is built tough like tank for long term reliability but there's nothing wow factor in it for me.Very expensive to maintain,service and spare parts along with some very bad dealers across nation which is why Japs are more ahead then them in all department and mainly customer satisfaction which i believe skoda lacks, any feedback from your friend about his overall experience with skoda so far.That would give more better idea about product as well as ownership of that particular brand.

 

[Denom]

As for maintenance costs, they are on the higher side, spares ridiculously priced & some not stocked by all dealers leading to parts pilferages taking place from other owner's vehicles which arrive for service. Actually parent company VW to be blamed for this, since even VW & Sister Audi group vehicle owners facing similar probs. To be also told off by the company that any problems faced by a customer is to be dealt directly between vehicle owner & dealer is really bad & shows the company in poor light.

As for my friends Octavia Rider, he is so far not very affected by any untoward incident as he is part of the Auto Industry, hence he is spared!

But yes, given the choice, I would personally not go in for either of VW group Vehicles, as to start with the Vehicles you pay your Hard Earned Money for are treated very badly before they are handed over to you(In case of VW & Audi) have seen brand new vehicles lying in aweful open storage areas/partly unprotected/exposed to harsh weather & some times parked in area with standing water level nearing the door sills!

 

[vijay]

As for my friends Octavia Rider, he is so far not very affected by any untoward incident as he is part of the Auto Industry, hence he is spared!
not many are lucky to be a part of that industry and do face some serious issues whch are still not resolved.Have heard of all new superb strangeled on highway within a week of delivery and still issues are pending.

absolutely me neither, though i love their cars and built quality but overall service quality, spares pricing and customer satisfaction, japs are much ahead and better in most parameters.

 

[torque.addict]

We have used Octavia 1.9 TDi Ambiente for 3.5 years, 174000kms. Ground clearence problems I agree, but on speed breakers, only front bumper bottoms up and not the middle part of car. We have taken our car to the worst parts where only a SUV can dare to go. But sadly, our Octavia was the worst maintain car among all our cars till date and at 1,65,000kms, the engine just gave up and piston was broken. It was fixed up for Rs.1.75 lakhs and at 1,74,000kms it was old off at Rs.6.5 Lakhs.

Pros
1. Gearbox of this of Octy is the best I hav experienced.
2. Handling is too good. Steering behaves like speed-sensitive and gives perfect feedback.
3. Interiors though black and dull, very well built.
4. Fuel effieciency never fails to impress.
5. Maxed it at 180kmph and its rock stable.
6. Overall Build Quality: One of the best.

Cons:
1. Noisy engine (acceptable at the time it was launched)
2. Bottoming of front bumper.
3. Poor leg room at rear.
4. High cost of spares and service is no more a secret.

 

[Zinam]

Well said Abhi,

I agree to the same as i have driven Octy many times.

This is a real superb car & is VFM.

But Skoda should really concentrate on Pricing of Spares & Maintenance

 

[Denom]

NEWS FLASH: received from a friend of mine was that he saw a couple of Jetta's, Passats & A4's lying parked & covered with flimsy covers just off the shoulder of the highway on the out skirts of Panvel. Nothing special here but what was darned funny was that the area used for parking was the parking lot of a 'Once Upon a Time' famous Dance Bar! Unfortunately he was just zipping by & did not react quickly to take some pics :)

 

[malluguy79]

did my 4th service for octavia from authorised dealer..a bill of 11000.

 

[rahulgupta3101]

We have used Octavia 1.9 TDi Ambiente for 3.5 years, 174000kms. Ground clearence problems I agree, but on speed breakers, only front bumper bottoms up and not the middle part of car. We have taken our car to the worst parts where only a SUV can dare to go. But sadly, our Octavia was the worst maintain car among all our cars till date and at 1,65,000kms, the engine just gave up and piston was broken. It was fixed up for Rs.1.75 lakhs and at 1,74,000kms it was old off at Rs.6.5 Lakhs.

Pros
1. Gearbox of this of Octy is the best I hav experienced.
2. Handling is too good. Steering behaves like speed-sensitive and gives perfect feedback.
3. Interiors though black and dull, very well built.
4. Fuel effieciency never fails to impress.
5. Maxed it at 180kmph and its rock stable.
6. Overall Build Quality: One of the best.

Cons:
1. Noisy engine (acceptable at the time it was launched)
2. Bottoming of front bumper.
3. Poor leg room at rear.
4. High cost of spares and service is no more a secret.

Hey friend,

You must have had some good nice time with your Octy as it clocked that high mileage figure.

It must be treated badly because one do not get to hear problems like a broken piston too often!! I am just curious to ask the reason for the same and who paid the hefty bill (I mean you/insurance)?

did my 4th service for octavia from authorised dealer..a bill of 11000.

That bill figure looks fine for Octavia's fourth service.It seems dealers at your place are better of the lot!

 

[Octy_Vin]

Service costs for my Octy @ 70k - 8.8k (that includes some other small works) and @80k - 8.4k, used synthetic oil both times. Did not do water wash. I did service in a independent garage and not Skoda ASS.