Skoda Octavia 25k Report

[karthik247]

It was way back in December 2004 when we seriously decicded to get a new car for me and my mom. The basic purpose was for use in the city with almost very little or no highway use. We did have the Accord, but that served more as a office vehicle and the Daewoo Nexia we had was too hard on fuel. So then we decicded to check out a few cars in the market which included Chevy Optra, Hyundai Elantra, Mitsubishi Lancer and the Baleno.

But we ended up only test driving 3 of the cars...

Optra - It was a nice peaceful luxurious car..but somehow didn't have the big car feel i was looking for. Didn't have a mascular feel

Elantra - It was OK from the inside, but the exteriors were a put off. It was out of the list the moment mom saw it

Octavia (1.9TDi)- It was the last one we checked out. We saw the Rider model in white, which was good from the outside, but a kinda put of inside due to the lack of some luxury touches. But we were offered a few discounts on them so it was considered.


Then at the end of a huge family discussion, it was the Skoda that would a new addition to the garage. So we booked the car with a few extras on Dec 9, 04. Ok i can't say the deliver process was very smooth. Its another story altogether, but finally took delivery of the car on Jan 13th, 05

We got the car deliverd at arnd 5pm and the first thing was to drive to the temple. The very next day, the car was in the Skoda workshop as ther "forgot" to put wider tyres that we insisted on, and a fuse of the headunit and the sunroof also blew. From there went to get the sumfilm and music sys done. And from the next day, the car was put to full use with abt 100-150kms everyday. We always filled her up with ExtraMile and got a mileage of arnd 15-16 with some enthusiastic driving, which was pretty good.

A few accidents did take place, but nothing serious. A guy rammed in frmo the front, on the 3rd day of deliver, but luckily not even a scratch was made. Then after a fw months, a drunk guy rammed the car from behind, but only a scratch was left on the bumper. No dents or anyting, but i can't say the same abt the bike. Oh and i have to say the car is very very stable under sudden braking. Like we were on this new stretch of road which was very poorly lit. We were doing arnd 80kmph and suddenly saw that the road was dug up ahead. Slammed the brakes, the tyres did lock up and the car skid for a good 7-8meters and finally stopped. I know the locking up is bad, but it stopped really quickly.

I got the K&N filter a few weeks back, and it did help to improve the high end performance of the car. It feels more rev happy and is more silent. Earlier it used to sound loud above 3000rpm, but not anymore. Didn't check the mileage yet.

Well to cut it short, it was the right car for the family. Didn't give us any probs till date. But i can't say the same abt the Skoda ***. Even routine services took more than 2days. Accident works, just repainting took a week. Once they used normal oil during service, and billed an amount for synthetic oil. But luckily the driver was watching so...I'm not saying the quality of their work is bad, but its their carelessness.

And the discounts that we got are..
Reverse sensors - Free
Floor mats - Free
Leather sears - 10k discount, got them for 17k
Spoiler - 2k discount

Well guys, if anyones looking for a strong, fast and a smooth car, the skoda is it. Feels very safe and is a very capable car too.

And ones question guys..This orange engine check light on the dash comes on and stays on at times. Any idea of it, is it due to bad fuel??

[Max]

karthik, thanks for the nice review. i was waiting for skoda reviews

[abhibh]

Hi Karthik,

Nice review. Regarding your problem. My friend also had same problem with Corsa. As soon as he starts the car the engine orange/yellow light used to glow for 10 - 15 mins. And according to the dealer it was a minor probem and the solution was "Turn off the car for 1-2 mins if you see the orange/yellow light in dash". Though this problem got fixed when he recently got his car serviced and got his injectors cleaned.

Hope this helps.

[Mpower]

Check engine light means there is an error code. Take it to the dealer and he will plug in his diagnostic unit and can read the error code for you in 2 mins.

[amit]

This orange engine check light on the dash comes on and stays on at times. Any idea of it, is it due to bad fuel??

When does the light come on? If it happens after you fill up, ensure that you tighten the fuel filler cap till it clicks 3 times.

[aadix]

hey buddy, u got an sunroof in the rider? was it from the company or an dealer installed item? how much did it cost u?

[Insane Devil]

Can someone please tell me what is the Schedule of Maintainence with the Octavia? is the Servicing due every 10k kms or 5k kms?
How much does it cost for a regular service with oil and oilfilter changes?

also, please explain about the usage of Standard Oil and Synthetic Oil.... from reading the above lines, looks like the Synthetic Oil is quiet expensive? whats the case with it?

[Max]

Originally Posted by Insane Devil

also, please explain about the usage of Standard Oil and Synthetic Oil.... from reading the above lines, looks like the Synthetic Oil is quiet expensive? whats the case with it?

use search function and search for synthetic oil

[karthik247]

Regular services are at 7500kms or 6months. They include oil change and replacement of air filter and brake pads every 22500kms

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by karthik247

And ones question guys..This orange engine check light on the dash comes on and stays on at times. Any idea of it, is it due to bad fuel??

I wonder if this has anything to do with your recent problems w.r.t the fuel pump and other assorted parts costing 1.8 lakhs...

[karthik247]

They just plug in their scanner and sort this prob in just abt a minute. This prob stopped sometime ago..

[Insane Devil]

Originally Posted by karthik247

Regular services are at 7500kms or 6months. They include oil change and replacement of air filter and brake pads every 22500kms

Hey Karthik, thanx for the info,

Can u plz tell me how much for the 7500 km servicing ? the Cost of the Servicing, (paid service). and how much are the brake pads?

someone jus told me that everytime the Octavia goes to the workshop for servicing, the min. billing for regular service is around 15,000 to 20,000!!! is that true ????
that is shockin!

[Beemer]

Originally Posted by Insane Devil

someone jus told me that everytime the Octavia goes to the workshop for servicing, the min. billing for regular service is around 15,000 to 20,000!!! is that true ????
that is shockin!

Nope , for regular service the billing is always somewhat between Rs. 4-8000(atleast thats what i used to pay around 1-2 years back) ... Now recently i heard from one of the dealerships that they 've reduced the overall cost of servicing .. But when i asked one of my friends who owns one ,he denied and replied ,its more or less the same what it used to be ...

[vRS]

Originally Posted by karthik247

And ones question guys..This orange engine check light on the dash comes on and stays on at times. Any idea of it, is it due to bad fuel??

Hi,

I had the 'Check Engine Electronics" light coming on every 700 km after taking delivery of my RS last year. They checked it 4 times and even kept it for 3 days but could not fix it. Intially they just 'reset' the light since they could not figure it out. Later, a Skoda rep came in and found out that it was a fuel problem - a changed fue filter did the trick.

As regards the servicing costs, its synthetic oil which is the costly part.

I think Skoda is a good car....as long as it does not go to the service station for repairs....because that's when you really regret not buying a Corolla !

Viky

[jazzyb]

Guys isnt the engine check light supposed to come on when the ignotion is turned on as the engine electronics are being checked.And once the car is started the Yellow engine light goes off.Well i have an Octavia and thats wat happens when i start up my car.Isnt that normal???