[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Aha.!!
Now i know why NC never revvs his RS beyond 2k rpm and drives in cruise control @ 80kmph on Mum- Pune expressway.

It uses petrol not mobil 1 pal and petrol is cheaper than mobil 1 hehe

[GTO]

We started with talk about the Skoda Diesel costs. You brought in the comparison to the Accord and Civic. Look back to the original posts. You were shown that your analysis was incorrect

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough even though I have tried my best to be (also wrote a follow-up post with a clarification). I did NOT bring up the Hondas to compare the running cost of a petrol versus a diesel. It was merely to show how cars above its class are serviced for peanuts. I mean, 700 – 2000 bucks to service an Accord? I am not going to state the obvious i.e. a diesel car will inherently be cheaper to run than a petrol. Like I said, lets do an apple for apple comparo with the petrol Octavia versus the Petrol Civic / Optra / Corolla. Or a diesel Octavia versus its direct competition ; The Optra Magnum.

We then concluded that it was far cheaper to run than any other car in its class, or above and below it.

Incorrect again. The Octavia diesel is NOT the cheapest in its class. The Magnum beats it hollow, as do a lot other diesel cars within the 8 - 10 lakh price range. Also, the Octavia Petrol is shown a very cool pair of heels by all other petrol cars in its class. And above it. Whether its service costs or spare parts.

But it took GM 5 years to bring that engine in.

Lets talk present day scenario. If we have to talk about time delays, how long did it take Skoda to finally get the Octavia again? Or wait….the Fabia launch of three years pending? Or even to get a proper service station in Mumbai. Do you know that their first Mumbai service station ran off a generator? Lets not get into yesterdays.

What matters is the situation today. Anything can change tomorrow. And with competition, it certainly will in favor of the customer. As in the case of :

Didn't Skoda offer a 3 year service holiday recently?

Most certainly. And I will give them full credit for this. I am not biased toward any car manufacturer and who does good has done good, and the bad a very clear bad.

You run a business. You price your services above that of your competition. You say you offer a far great level of quality that justifies your higher price. You could easily offer those same services for less.

Not for all, bud. My bread and butter educational services are on par / cheaper than the competition. These form 80% of my revenues. Therefore, my best selling services (which pay the bills) offer far more value because not only are we cheaper, but the only ones in the market to adopt the highest standards of discipline, a client management system, training 5 days a week etc. Our results are proven with sheer success rates in placements. The best doesn’t always have to be the more expensive.

The higher-end services for which we charge more form a far smaller percentage of the business (about 10 – 20 %).

So in this case we have the issue of oil. Which, frankly is the only issue in this entire thread.

Isn’t so. Even the spares are more expensive than its competition.

It’s just that according to one manufacturer, their engine needs the better oil to function at its best.

Correct. But that’s where pro-activeness comes in. Thanks to a Mobil 1 distributor within the family, I know that they can sell for 400 bucks (heck, maybe even lesser) if they want to. When Honda can sell an oil that is “cheaper than your Pulsar” lube, why can’t Skoda think about decreasing the cost for its customers? Simply because there goes their profit margin of 400 – 600 per liter of oil. Making 3,000 bucks per car service is cool, isnt it? That’s why.

Simple point : If you are the only one in your segment to impose a compulsory cost on your customer….a compulsory cost which inflates your *regular service* bills to 5 times that of your competition…why wouldn’t you work at pricing it better? I know I would. Oil or no oil, what matters it the total bill. And the Octavia does cost several times more than its competition to service.

Thats why the Octavia is the most expensive diesel car in its class to own. Ditto for the petrol.

How come we don't hear complaints of expensive servicing costs for the Laura?

Do we have as many Laura owners on the board? My Jiju fainted when he saw the first three service bills for his Laura.

Now i know why NC never revvs his RS beyond 2k rpm and drives in cruise control @ 80kmph on Mum- Pune expressway.

NC is a special breed. He buys an RS and then posts pictures of the fuel-efficiency that he achieved.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by GTO

NC is a special breed. He buys an RS and then posts pictures of the fuel-efficiency that he achieved.

Seems like my reputation precedes me !!

When I post a picture of my speedo console - all everyone can see is the trip computer throwing out FE figures of 10 kmpl and not the speedometer that was at ~ 200 kmph.

Can't do much can I ?

[V-16]

I know from recent experience that the Dead Axel and the door (of the RS) costs a packet
But i guess thats a small price to pay for ensured safety. I would term the Skoda as an extremely safe car. Thats a lot like the Volvo which even in older days used to spend a lot of money on safety.

[typeOnegative]

I chose 'no' because:

1. I don't have Skoda
2. I assumed that 'the rest' includes Rolls Royce

LOL

P.S. LOL

[madan80]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Siiigh! Thats real helpful madan. Thanks.

Anytime Robin, glad i could be of assistance!!

[mclaren1885]

Two moderators at it. And we have a new battle emerging here. Honda V/s Skoda . Petrol v/s diesel.

I don't know if Skoda's are indeed expensive or cheap to maintain with so many varied opinions here. All I know is if people can afford to buy them they CAN afford to maintain them as well. But what I do hate is the way Skoda dealers treat their customers. Specially Tafe Access in Bangalore. I would never buy a Skoda for this one reason. NEVER. More on that from v1p3r, ajmat & tadu.

Though, I think I have to agree with Rush on this one. I will still love to wait and see where this argument goes. So I will now step back into the shadows. Let the fight continue. Just kidding.

[shuvd]

Voted No. I don't think so. Obvious innit?

Firstly, I don't have much experience with other cars from the same segment. Did have an Elantra CRDi, but I expected it to be kind on my pockets (BTW, the 35k service bill came to 15k with 1 front suspension bit replaced). I sold my TDi with around 50K + on the ODO. I never spent anything major on the car apart from the regular consumables. Clutch was replaced for about 18k, thanks to the driver.

Secondly, frankly speaking I kind of knew what I was getting into when I bought the Octys. So till date, thankfully I've never felt that they were high on maintenance. Yes, including the engine oil part.

As so many of you have so meticulously pointed out, some cars are cheaper to maintain than these Teutonic monsters. Kudos to those manufacturers. But, will I ever regret paying "more" to keep my monsters in tip top shape? Do I feel that I'm being taken to the cleaners? The answer is a vehement NO.

Skodas are not expensive to own when you look at the complete ownership experience. Think about the build quality. Think about the solid dash. Think about the handling and the precise gear-shifts. Last but not the least, think about the performance. No car IMHO comes close to matching the Octys' strength(s) in all the fronts.

Magnum? Yes its fast. In a straight line. Don't ever think about cornering it at high speeds. Scary to say the least (it could be because of my inadequate driving though). Build quality of Magnum? Whats that?
Magnum may have a rock star of an engine and maintenance cost of a hatch, but it is nowhere close to an Octavia TDi. And, don't even get me started on the turbo petrols.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

I chose 'no' because:

1. I don't have Skoda
2. I assumed that 'the rest' includes Rolls Royce

LOL

P.S. LOL

TypeO, please help us keep the poll realistic. Such votes really dont carry weight.

Honda V/s Skoda . Petrol v/s diesel.

Not at all. I am as much for Skoda as for Honda. Heck, the one car I would love to own today is the Octavia RS. And "monkey" it after purchase.

Magnum? Yes its fast. In a straight line. Don't ever think about cornering it at high speeds. Scary to say the least (it could be because of my inadequate driving though). Build quality of Magnum? Whats that?
Magnum may have a rock star of an engine and maintenance cost of a hatch, but it is nowhere close to an Octavia TDi. And, don't even get me started on the turbo petrols.

We arent really comparing product attributes here. There is a separate Octavia versus Magnum there over at this link.

[overdose14]

annnnnnd after a little crash you are told about replacement of steering assembly and dash.
and you faint on hearing price of dash that is Rs.1.35 Lakhs only.

[BUSA]

Surely fuel plays a huge factor in that

I dont see the point comparing a petrol car to a diesel car but since your so inclined lets just read some figures.

Honda Civic - 130bhp and revvs to 7100 RPM plus the low NVH
Skoda Octavia - 90bhp and revvs to 5000 RPM

In the petrol running costs may be high buttttttttttt the fun is more, trying highrevving any Honda Vtec engine, its pure b-l-i-s-s

Comapare the Octy with the Magnum, for starters the Magnum is faster, has much more torque 31.4KGM comapared to 21KGM, has more power, more space, more features, less service cost, cheaper to buy, cheaper to maintain. Doesnot the Skoda all of a sudden look like smoking dope?

I guess most of you'll have seen it. In UK atleast Skoda seems to have done really well

The reason for it is the Skoda Laura which is a fabolous car at its price in the UK but not in India. We pay 19L for a 105bhp engine, a car costing 1/3rd gives more power then that engine and yes i am talking diesel here.

Think about the build quality. Think about the solid dash. Think about the handling and the precise gear-shifts. Last but not the least, think about the performance. No car IMHO comes close to matching the Octys' strength(s) in all the fronts.

The things is Skoda launches a car in India which is now no more sold in other countries of the world. orginally launched in the world in 1996, prices it high, the Octy should not cost more then 8Lacs and the Laura should be sold at Octy prices, and then goes ahead and prices the spares and service so high, i mean what guts Skoda has.

And Rtech you know how expensive the spare parts are after you got the airbag replaced, kathik can also vouch for the expensive spares.

I sent my Optra 1.8LT for 40k service and told them to change plugs, brake pads, engine decarb and quite a few things.

The bill came to around Rs. 4000 + Rs. 2500 for synthetic oil = 6500

The service advisor told me there was no need for engine decarb when we opened the engine, the rear brake pads are totally fine dont need replacement so we changed just the front, the spark plugs dont need replacement. Thats how it should be done, i myself told him to do all the things but he himself didnot do what was not required,. basically Skoda should not make it complusary to put synthetic and things which need not be changed should not be.

Things done at service was Engine flush + Injectors Clean + Body/Interior Wash(free) + Front Brake Pads Change + Gear Oil + Coolant + Starter Problem solved + brake oil + a few other things)no air filter change since i have KnN)

This was a main service(5th) and for the Skoda is costs around 31000/- & till 20000kms i didnot even pay a single paise for service, it was totally free in service holiday.

[grvanand]

I have voted YES after hearing various discussions here in this forum and I do agree with mcl for the fact that if you can purchase it, you can maintain it as well. I only wonder how it would be to maintain the upcoming Fabia from Skoda when compared to others in its segment.

[BUSA]

I had gone to KMD to enquire about the Fabia, he told me quite a few things and i told him service costs are high, he said Skoda is a premium brand, as if......!!

I do agree with mcl for the fact that if you can purchase it, you can maintain it as well

I dont agree at all, check the classfields, there are dozens of 2 years + Octys for sale, reason : out of warranty and people are scared of the maintainance.

Would i buy a Octavia - Never

Would i buy a Laura - Never

Would i buy a Laura vRS- hell yes and then remap the hell out of it, keep it for two years and once out of warranty tell it good bye.

[maxbhp]

Originally Posted by maxbhp

I know people who have sold Skoda after running for just 40K coz they felt the maintence is simply not worth it coz for them thats more important than the feel one experiences by owning such a well built car and there are others who swear by laura (me too) just for the sheer quality of it. They do mention that its an expensive car , but they never complain coz for them the feel is more important.

Originally Posted by shuvd

Secondly, frankly speaking I kind of knew what I was getting into when I bought the Octys.

I too love Skoda's interior fit and finish , Oct-L&K + Laura ----drool maal interiors.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by GTO

Heck, the one car I would love to own today is the Octavia RS. And "monkey" it after purchase.

There is an RS engine with wiring for sale . All you need is a conti now. Or a pick up a Octavia Tdi or something for dirt cheap.