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-   -   A close look: The 2017 Skoda Octavia Facelift with hands-free parking (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/188824-close-look-2017-skoda-octavia-facelift-hands-free-parking-28.html)

When is the first service for the Octavia TDI? The manual and myskoda app say it is one year or 15k kms. Is there an inspection service at the end of one month/2.5/5K of buying the car? The SA says, you can bring the car at 7500kms once. But there is no such mention in the manual.

I am seeking help in determining which variant to purchase 1.4 TSI Style or 1.8 TSI Auto Style, more in terms of reliability (DQ200)/driving pleasure

I have been driving a Vento 1.6 TDI Highline in the past and looking for an upgrade.

Similar dilemma considering the big price difference. The biggest question - does it make sense to plonk 20+ with negligible discounts when the model change is round the corner ?

This is a difficult comparison to make, since the 1.4 is a Manual vs the Auto DSG of 1.8.

While the 1.8 is simply amazing to drive, it also comes with the downside of the potential risks associated with the DSG and its mechatronic module.

The 1.4 on the other hand has the same brilliant drive (at 140 bhp instead of the 184 offered by the 1.8), and plus the added "fun-to-drive" element that only a manual transmission can give you. Also no concerns around the gearbox failing!

You might first wish to decide if you'd like to have a Manual or an Auto, and then proceed to the comparison - might make it easier to decide.

Also a note of caution : If you want to purchase the 1.4, you'll have to either contact an existing owner, or get very lucky, because none of the authorised Skoda dealers keep a 1.4 for test drive purposes. I confirmed this with Skoda India also.

All the best for whichever you decide to buy!

Cheers,
R_S

I feel there are a couple of things that make the current car(petrol) a logical purchase even in light of the upcoming model refresh:

• The new car would definitely be more expensive at-least by 50k. The car being sold now has risen by 2 Lakh in the last two years. They have added features to compensate but that doesn't make up for the fact that you could by the vRS for just a lakh more than the current petrol top end variant when it initially launched.
• The current car is presumably at the end of its production life-cycle and therefore would have all major bugs ironed out. I personally would not be comfortable purchasing the new car for at-least 6 months from launch.
• The 1.8 TSI engine might be discontinued. The engine has already been discontinued from all major markets in lieu of the newer 1L, 1.5L and 2.0L power-plants. I'd wager that VW would bring the 1.5 TSI as a replacement here as that would make sense for many offerings below the Octavia's price range and would still be competitive in the segment as the other cars like Civic are equivalent to the 1.4 TSI in terms of power.
• If the above point holds true, the car would continue to have a DQ200 gearbox. If you look at the specifications from international sites where the 1.5 TSI can be ordered, all cars carry a 250NM torque limit. Its logical to assume that it would be the same gearbox but this can of course be validated if we research a bit more.
• You may not like the look of the new car. This is obviously very subjective but i feel the pre-facelift versions of the Octavia, Passat fare better when it comes to looks. And for me, the Scala design is something that i "want" to like but not sure if i really do.

I feel like i am advertising for the company but i'll end by saying that the Octavia vRS for 24.8 Lakh was an awesome deal. Reminds me of the Katy Perry song "The One That Got Away". :deadhorse

I wanted to know why you haven't considered the TDI as I feel it addresses both of your needs mentioned here, reliability and driving pleasure. I am in a similar situation, upgrading from Vento 1.6 TDI Highline MT. Have booked TDI Style and awaiting delivery. I felt the extra 2L for Style over Ambition is justified due to the additional features (not the exhaustive list). When you are anyway spending 20L+ I thought it's better to get these. L&K is also good but there is no MT option!!

I am right now in Akoya Skoda Baner because of a problem which has started coming up recently. On starting ignition, i get an error message which says 'maneuvering brakes not functioning'. The manual says it's relating to auto breaking and to get it checked. In the workshop we tested it out with Cartons and the rear auto breaking works perfectly but the front one doesn't. As per my service advisor, this problem has occurred in a few other cars as well. No obvious errors in the scan so far. Still testing. Anybody else facing this error?

Hi All,

This is my first post on team-bhp so forgive me if this query I am posting is in the wrong forum or thread.
Some background before I ask my questions:

I am from Bangalore and currently own a Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI manual. It is a 2012 model and I have been happily using it since almost 7 years now. I have had my share of bad experiences with the service personnel but over the years I have learnt to deal with them and get the job done. And to be honest, the last few visits to service center has been a good experience. I am not sure if its because they have really improved or because I know many people there.

Because of the notorious Bangalore traffic, I am finding it increasingly difficult to drive a manual and hence have started searching for an automatic and while I am at it, also thought of treating myself with an upgrade to next segment.

Skoda Octavia was an obvious choice for me to consider and I did the test drive of both diesel and petrol automatics. I liked both but since the diesel Style variant is almost 3L more than the petrol Style variant and since my usage is not very high, I am more leaning towards the petrol variant.

During my last visit to the Skoda service center, I took some general opinion about Octavia from the service personnel. As per them, most issues that people were facing have been resolved in the new models. They did admit to some issues that are still there like sun roof noise, door beading noise, etc but told that all of them can be fixed. Also asked about the famous DSG failure and was told that the failures were only in the old models and they have not seen any failures off late.

I would like to take some feedback from the existing Octavia owners especially from the ones who have bought the recent models, like 2018 and after, and here are my questions:
1) How is the build quality of the car? I have to admit that I have OCD and small rattling sounds here and there drives me crazy.
2) I intend to keep the car for a long time, like 7 years at least so would like to know about the long term reliability of the car.
3) Have any recent owners faced any DSG issues ?
4) Is the battery getting drained out while parked for long time issue still there in the recent models ? Sometimes my car will be parked without use for weeks together.
5) My choice of petrol over diesel is based on the calculation I did considering the average city mileage of 8 kmpl for petrol and 11 kmpl for diesel. Is this more or less appropriate? Please suggest otherwise.
6) If at all I decide to buy, I am planning to upgrade the tyre from 205/55 to 205/60 or 65. Any advise if this is a safe upgrade or will it have any negative impact ?
7) I read on some threads here that a new model will be launched soon but did not get any more information on the web or even from the dealer. Does anyone has any more information on this ?
8) Any comments on the ground clearance? Is it manageable on our city roads with tall humps ?

Finally, any recommendation of an alternate to Octavia. My budget is strictly less than 30L.
I have already test driven the Civic and dint like it.
I also test drove the Tucson. It was a good experience but dint like the interiors. Waiting for the new facelift with better interiors is also an option but I am not sure how long is the wait. Also, I enjoy driving a sedan more than a crossover.

Looking forward to getting all your help in making the decision. Thanks in advance.

Welcome aboard....!!!

Here are my answers to your questions: -

1. The build quality is the best in the segment but the things you have mentioned exist and will need to be taken care of, either by yourself or at the ASC.

2. The newer Octavias should be reliable for 7ish years with routine maintenance and upkeep, I still see a lot of 8-10 old Lauras chugging along well.

3. Very few incidents of DSG failures have been reported on the new Octy.

4. Yes, the battery is a sore point and people have had more than their share of batteries replaced prematurely.

5. You are correct.

6. 1 size upsize wont have any impact. But why do you want to upgrade?

7. Not in the near future.

8. Bangalore speedbreakers are world class and hence you will face GC issues when fully loaded, but that is something any sedan faces. It is not as bad as the older Civic though.

Thanks n.devdath for your feedback.
Regarding rattling and other niggles - can they be fixed for good or they keep reappearing and I have to live with it ?

Welcome Sachin. I have only had my octavia for 13k odd km, but it has been a pleasant experience overall. I believe that for the price you can't find a better combination of drivability, features and comfort. As for your questions, I think devdath has answered them comprehensively, but I'll attempt to augment based on my experience below:

1) Build quality is indeed excellent, but rattles exist, and in my case, the service centre has not been able to fix them. My 2011 Civic and my friend's Verna fare better in this department

2) I can't answer this based on my own experience

3) Empirical evidence from my side would suggest no DSG issues anymore, I know 2 people with the pre facelift model as well that are happy with their experience

4) Haven't faced this yet, only been through 2 instances of the car being left parked for > 3weeks

5) My experience has been much better, I get 10-12 in the city and 14+ on highways

6) Tyre upgrade shouldn't be a problem, but think about what purpose it would achieve. I changed my tyres to Michelin Primacy ST on day 1, but got them in the same size. Adequate grip/road comfort to be had there

7) I've seen a couple of articles saying that the new model will have its global launch in 2020, but not much info beyond that

8) I live in Mumbai and have faced no issues myself

Hi Devnath, would you be able to elaborate on how exactly they can be fixed please? The rattles drive me crazy.

Thanks

There are basically 3 kinds of rattles in the Octavia: -

1. Sunroof - These can be fixed by aligning the roof rails and keeping them lubricated, but will come back because the roof slides upwards when opened and does not go into its frame, yet they are easy to fix and maintain. Ensuring you dont drive with the sunroof open on bad roads generally keeps them at bay.

2. Door beadings - They tend to get hard due to dust and heat in our conditions and regular application of Gummi Pflege like rubber care products will keep them in good shape - easy DIY.

3. Dashboard - Some cars experience these and they are a factor of our bad roads. It is generally around the glovebox area, easy to fix at the ASC if/when happens.

Thanks Stevie for your feedback. Can I know what rattles you are facing in specific. Is it one among the three mentioned by devdath or something different ?

When I was taking some general feedback from service personnel, they did mention about the sound from the beading and had told that they will be able to fix it.

Mine showed rattles in both front doors/B pillar within a week of delivery last month. It is there only on rough roads. I have not had time to get it checked yet,so dont know exactly where it is coming from. From the posts here, I could probably infer it is from the door beading.

Superbly captured. The dratted car is so silent which is the reason for all this OCD :D

I am currently suffering from a seemingly incurable sunroof rattle, which I have been told needs complete removal and re-installation under warranty and requiring 5 days in the workshop. Just haven't been able to find the time but will have to soon!

Adding another related point is that the huge boot resonates and amplifies road noise if kept totally empty. I solved it with buying an OEM 'boot dish' to keep the boot clean and also ensure it contains my cleaning materials in a couple of bags. That I find cuts down the 'booming' effect a lot.