[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by ahmadnaik

So - this is the question - would you say after 80K kms, it was worth it?

Sorry for the great delay in response. After 80K kms, one gets to know all the quirks of one's car/vehicle. I have had a major share of problems in the car, and overtime it was the dealership support that made all the problems get sorted.

Without a good dealer, I wouldn't recommend this 1.8 TSI DSG combo still. No matter how and what they say about a lot of incremental updates to the hardware over the years, trust me when I say this, Skoda Czech, has no idea what Skoda India does when a problem occurs, and their involvement is bare minimum. They only say 'yes' or 'no' when asked questions for typical problems, they do not give additional information. Thats where my car's repairs took a long time and also wrong parts were installed in place of the correct ones.

[ahmadnaik]

Ahh. This is torturous. I've never been so conflicted about a vehicle before. I'm literally left with no other choice. I thought it would be worth giving Skoda a shot after their recent upgrades to their service schemes etc. And I certainly don't want to go for a Vento again - since I'm almost about done with Volkswagen's poor service backup. Regardless - thanks for the reply. Puts a lot more into perspective and was a real help.

[adi_petrolhead]

Update, Monsoon 'free' check up:

I had booked myself an appointment for the Pre-monsoon camp at our dealer. It's supposed to be a comprehensive check up and alerts users if there are any parts that need to be changed before monsoons such as wipers, pads, washer fluid, etc.

My additional complaints were irregular coolant levels, jerkiness at start up, suspension noise has increased, overall car felt vague to drive and squeaky ORVM. Yes, although they changed mine to the new ones from the Style plus, almost a year ago, the noise is still there while opening and closing.

After inspection, they checked and informed me that the main bush mount in the sub frame is broken and will need replacement. Along with that it was time to change the front suspension's lower arm bushes too. So in all five rubber bushes were needed to be replaced.

The Alternator belt was checked, slight wear seen on the edges and since it's not a very expensive part I approved the replacement.

The front brake pads were already squealing (it's the brake pad wear indicator rubbing the disc to make you aware it's time to change the pads) hence were approved for change along with a set of new front disc rotors.

The mechanic designated to my car was thorough in his method of removal of the front suspension and made sure all the necessary bolts that are coming off, will be replaced with new ones!

The driving experience after the replacements: huge difference in the first 50 kms. Obviously the brakes are sharper being all new, but the car feels fit! As if it's been to the gym and pumped some weights. The change of bushes, means the jerks everytime I revved the car or even on start up is completely gone. The lower arm bushes have made the car ride better over potholes and rough patches.

Don't know if the struts are due for replacement yet or not, will be checking during next service.

About the coolant levels, it was diagnosed that the water pump was leaking and indeed I was shown a white trail of coolant along the water pump housing which confirmed the issue. Since the car is still under extended warranty, water pump replacement would have to be approved and part ordered. Hence the car had to be left with them for the week. Otherwise they had completed all suspension and brakes related work on the same day.

Coolant levels as of now are constant, and I'll only know after driving some good amount of distance before I can detect any irregularities.

One thing is for sure, the vehicle is strong, neatly put together, systematic, but it's a reason for worry. You don't want your prized possession to get ruined by coolant running low or may be a worn out bush, etc. It's almost embarrassing when I was constantly checking for the coolant levels after every time I drove the car, even for short distances. I would get out, open the hood and just inspect the coolant levels, it had become a habit and will remain for a bit.

The total damage of all the parts and extensive labour, around ₹28,000/-

Of course the coolant issue was covered under warranty. This amount includes the bushes, discs, pads and alternator belt, along with all the necessary labour.

Time to hit pedal to the metal and enjoy the changes to the car. Will report if there are any unforeseen changes in drivability after the parts were changed.

[sups]

Great to know that your vehicle is back with good health.

I remember from one of your posts that you had got Octy TDI as a loaner car for some time. I am quite tempted to ask how did you find the TDI vehicle in terms of ride and handling on rough patches compared to your TSI which is equipped with multi-link suspension.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by sups

how did you find the TDI vehicle in terms of ride and handling on rough patches compared to your TSI which is equipped with multi-link suspension.

On a straight highway with some rough patches on the road, you don't notice the difference especially from the front seat. Because of the torque, the car just plugs through everything in its way. It wasn't as confidence inspiring as the Jetta, but again I was driving it quite sedately being a loaner car.

When I got my car back, it felt like I was missing something completely. The TDI had a gruff engine, stinks after every drive, smaller rev band so not as exciting to drive, and the torque coming in later than in the TSI.

[adi_petrolhead]

Latest Service update at 84456 kms

It was an oil change service and this time according to my inbuilt automobile clock I was a little late in giving the car for service. I gave it at exactly 15000 km as per the service reminder in the MID, but I usually give it within 12-13K kms.

Anyway, this time I was on the floor for the entire service and it took approximately 2 hours for the service to be completed including the oil change.

The total bill came to about 13.5K including 8K for parts and consumables, 2.3K for labour and rest was GST. Uploading the bill for reference.

I got the car back after the routine service and came home, and parked the car for the week as I was going on a trip for a week.

After I got back, I just normally set off for my home/office which is about 120 kms drive from my place in Ahmedabad. Just as I was about to reach my destination, the car started to get bogged down tremendously and even though i floored the throttle there was barely any movement. Along with this, the noise from the engine became much clunky and started to sound like a Tata Sumo Victa

The issue went away in about 10 seconds and I reached safely to office. After about 10 mins I restarted the car to find the noise back, with the hood open I got to see that the engine was shaking vertically like it isn't getting any oil or fuel although the tank was full and since it was my first 100 km after the service I did not suspect any issues with oil too. Any way, I topped up some oil but the issue persisted.

Next day the car was put on a flatbed and sent to the dealership which was again 120 kms away. They started work on the car and I gave them my observation to the best of my knowledge. Only fact I was sure off was that the noise and shake came only when engine got warm. It was completely normal on cold starts.

They could instantly see the issue and started to work on it, but could not find the reason for the noise for almost two weeks. The best part? They were using a test drive registered new Superb as a loaner for all the parts to inspect and find the fault, such as, two magnetic sensors, cam sensor, etc. was taken out of a 1.8 TSI Superb and put in my car to check if that fixed the issue. Otherwise they would have to wait 10 days every time they wanted to inspect the parts individually.

After two weeks, they installed high pressure oil control valves from the Superb in to my Octy and it worked. Hence it was diagnosed that the two valves need replacement, they were not able to allow proper oil flow at high temperatures when oil becomes thinner.

Parts were ordered and they arrived after about a week. Installation was carried out and result was that the issue had been addressed.

Now the part that pissed me off the most, was that the Extended Warranty (in this case by Cholamandalam) was rejected! The bill was 23K for the valves, gaskets and bolts, but I put my foot down and did not agree to pay. They asked Skoda head office for "Goodwill Warranty" and that took a good six hours to come through, after I spoke to a top official over the phone. He was a good chap and understood how the dealership was faltering here, and made the decision and asked to release my vehicle.

After that I have driven about 3000 kms, and the problem hasn't come back yet.

Since then I also recently went ahead and changed the HID bulbs to Osram Night Breaker Unlimited D3S, from powerbulbs.com & they cost around 10K for a pair, while delivery took only 9 or 10 days flat. Install was a simple DIY and the result is good, although not what I was hoping for. They're much brighter than the standard bulbs which I have already used for four years, and its intensity had surely diminished over time. This is much better than original used up Philips Xenstart.

Adding all necessary references below:

Service bill:


Goodwill Warranty bill:


The oil control valve (source: Google images)


HID bulbs link:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/o...mited-d3s-twin
Generally there is a 20% discount site wise, a discount code will be available on the top of the page.

One could also go for the Philips Xtremevision Gen2, but they're quite expensive and colour temperature is 4800K, hence it leans towards more bluish light.

DIY replacement video:

https://youtu.be/Vg0o2PMwyNQ

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

When I got my car back, it felt like I was missing something completely. The TDI had a gruff engine, stinks after every drive, smaller rev band so not as exciting to drive, and the torque coming in later than in the TSI.

Whatever said and done, with all the niggles that the TSI comes with, one thing is for sure, you just cannot drive any other car and get the feeling of being behind something special. I recently drove the X1, apart from all that hype of being BMW, didn't feel anything outright special about it. Probably, our Octavia has spoiled us with the way power gets delivered, or the way it handles or the way it has few simply clever things here and there which you realize as you spend time with it.

PS- Just last weekend, I came to know there is an audio pause function too and by pressing the left scroller inwards, the music pauses. All this while, I was thinking, how stupid of Skoda to give everything and not give mute or pause button.

[TorqueHP]

Hello All,

I completed nearly 25K on my Octavia TSI 1.8 couple of wks ago - so far the experience has been fantastic with the car and the service. Until now...

However, 2 wks ago I had a coolant related issue as well - in Oct I had a coolant warning and the coolant was very low. Got it topped up - however during Dec 1st wk I had the coolant warning again! This time I got worried and decided to get the car checked at Tafe. They told me that the water pump needs to be replaced (under warranty) - they wanted to keep the car for 2-3 days for the warranty approval. However it took them a full 5 days to get the approval from Cholamandalam (called the Tafe CRM who finally helped expedite it) and got my car back on Sat. Is this lead time for warranty approval normal with Skoda (as I was told this is a normal part of Skoda ownership experience)??

However the parts have still not come yet - they don't even know exactly when it would arrive. I had a long road trip planned this weekend for which I'm now renting a car as they told me strictly that since the water pump was removed and refitted for diagnosis the leakage could be even higher (and possibly catastrophic with additional parts being affected that would not be covered under warranty). I had specifically told them about my road trip and I wish they had warned me about this technical risk and lead time for approval/part.

In hindsight, I felt I should have simply paid for the part instead of now paying a higher amt for a 10-day trip using a rental car (a Brezza).

Wanted to share my experience...

[adi_petrolhead]

Service update: 95000 kms up!

The last oil change service was done at around 85000 kms. Although I had enough mileage left, there were some issues that needed sorting and hence I went for the oil change service early on this time, at around 10K kms.

The problems: Engine oil leak from the main oil chamber.
I noticed this when I removed my car from the parking at my home, after I had parked it for 3 days. Some oil on the floor, as well as on the bash plate under the engine. Checked the oil level, it was mid way. Decided to top up a little bit and drive on.

Upon inspection, it was clear that the oil was leaking from the main oil chamber. It was assumed that the oil seal gasket was torn/cracked and was causing the leak. Part was in back order and took them 4-5 days to arrange it. Meanwhile I was travelling, and got a call that the problem has been corrected and seeking permission to proceed for service. This was the first repair I had to pay for since the car is out of warranty on completion of 4 years.

The total bill along with the oil chamber gasket repair and part, came to 14K INR.

If you consider only the service part, its as low as 11.5K INR. This includes service charges, engine oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter.

A serious note to all TSI owners, please go for spark plug replacement every 30K kms as prescribed. The manuals the workshops use are not up to date as per my understanding. There are different manuals for different markets and they are using purely a European manual for our cars as well. Where as India is considered officially as a Dust Rich Country and in market area B. Hence the spark plug interval is definitely 30K Kms and not 90K kms as the service guy suggests.

I did not follow it as per earlier instructions and only got it changed at about 70K kms around a year back. My next change will be in about 5K kms, which should be end of next month.

Overall I have driven this car very sedately, not at all thrashed the car, never taken it on journeys longer than 500 kms in a day. Still I've had my share of mechanical and service issues in 4Y and 2M of ownership. To share a rough estimate of out of pocket expenses for my ownership of this period, I have shelled out approx. 80-90K INR on maintenance, 96K INR on tyres and 5.6 Lakh INR on fuel. Thats a total cost of 7.85 INR per KM of running costs.

Do let me know if there are any questions regarding long term maintenance for everyone who plans of keeping their TSI Octys for more than 4-5 years.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Service update: 95000 kms up!

A serious note to all TSI owners, please go for spark plug replacement every 30K kms as prescribed. The manuals the workshops use are not up to date as per my understanding. There are different manuals for different markets and they are using purely a European manual for our cars as well. Where as India is considered officially as a Dust Rich Country and in market area B. Hence the spark plug interval is definitely 30K Kms and not 90K kms as the service guy suggests.

I did not follow it as per earlier instructions and only got it changed at about 70K kms around a year back. My next change will be in about 5K kms, which should be end of next month.
.

Great tip, thanks Adi. I think Skoda has now updated their official guidance as my SA was categorical that they need to be changed at my second service at 27k. However, they had no stock so I've agreed to revisit them at 30k in a month's time.

Anything other specials like the plugs I should check?

My detailed post: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post4330395

[adi_petrolhead]

105000 Kms Update:

Since the last update, I've driven the car for around 10,000 Kms. Running has been good these few months, made a trip to Jaipur and back which was a 1200 Km round trip. Car performed flawlessly for the entire trip, thoroughly enjoyed beautiful roads carved between the Aravali hills. It corners at triple digit speeds with ease, minimal body roll. I am so spoilt by this car, don't know what car will hold up the same levels of driving pleasure in the segment above.

Before the trip there were some issues with the coolant levels dropping often below minimum. As soon as I open the coolant reservoir cap, the pressure and levels would normalise. This continued for 2-3 times until I decided to give the car for its routine oil change service along with coolant issue under complaint.

It was quickly diagnosed that the water pump was leaking. I was surprised because the same was replaced just 11 months ago. After getting further clarifications from the service engineer, I was convinced that the water pump was indeed leaking although a very minute amount of coolant was coming out.

After the water pump was replaced, there was another error coming up which would show a bypass valve open, to release pressure build up inside the thermostat. After Skoda deployed a technical engineer from he factory, it was clearly diagnosed that the thermostat was running under pressure and first causing the leak from the water pump, and later causing the thermostat itself to leak coolant. What was the cause? unknown as of now.

Any way, all the repairs were carried out in a week's time, and I had to pay for the labour as all other parts were covered under goodwill warranty since I had a perfect service history and coolant issue was repeating within a year. Post that the technical engineer made a test drive of about 60 kms, and ensured that the problem has been resolved. I have been driving the car after that and issue hasn't cropped up.

The service was routine, charged 11.4K INR for engine oil, oil filter, air filter, cabin filter and paid service labour. I seriously think this is much more economical regular maintenance even as compared to my Verna Crdi 5 years back, which had a bill of at least 6-7K INR every 5-7000 kms.

Besides the coolant issue which is now fixed to my satisfaction, nothing eventful happened. As I drive the car every day, and my monthly running is easily 2500 Kms and the drive is thoroughly pleasurable.

Next report, after I get some much needed detailing done for the car.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

[b]I am so spoilt by this car, don't know what car will hold up the same levels of driving pleasure in the segment above.

After getting used to the multi-link suspension of the 1.8TSi, it is going to be a very difficult task indeed to find a car from the higher segment that matches the 1.8TSi (the Jetta in my case). The only car I can think of that can provide good handling is the 5 series with the adaptive suspensions. Every other car is going to disappoint you.

Or you have to get a 330i M Sport or 330iGT M Sport and upgrade the suspensions to either OE sport suspensions or Bilsteins.

EDIT: It is really great to see that in spite of the issues you have faced you have run the car for 1L+ kms. A true love-hate relationship indeed!

[Akshay89]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

The neat looking LED Tail Lights:

Attachment 1369542

Attachment 1369543

The Super Sports VRS Flat Bottom Steering Wheel with Paddle shifts and White Stitching:

Attachment 1369541

Buddy I want to get this installed to my car. Have you come across any issues as such after you got it replaced? And are these guys at Skoda capable enough in replacing it hassle free ?

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Akshay89

Buddy I want to get this installed to my car. Have you come across any issues as such after you got it replaced? And are these guys at Skoda capable enough in replacing it hassle free ?

Hey, I pretty much had to do it myself at the workshop besides they had given a technician to open and refit the tail light. There were no issues post installation, the light was installed in April 2015, still working like day one. It cost me 22K back then for the parts.

There are the part numbers for the tail light outer units:
1) 5E5945111A
2) 5E5945112A

And for the inner bulb holders that is needed along with:
3) 5E5945257A
4) 5E5945258A

After installation, the light voltage needs to be changed from halogen to LED in VCDS "09" BCM under adaptations. The coding is attached in the PDF. You can use VCDS too, but not sure if the old pass code works in the latest VCDS. Earlier it was 31347.
LED Tail light adaptation .pdf

[adi_petrolhead]

Update: 111111 kms up! No surprises below:



Recently the car breached the much anticipated mileage (for OCD reasons). Besides the usual drives, nothing eventful happened in the last 6000 odd kms. I sure drive the car a lot, and hard, but I still crave for those legendary long trips that I had planned in my mind the day I bought the Octy. Hopefully few will get knocked off the list this year as the car approaches its fifth year completion.

I wanted to get good detailing done for the car as it had obviously developed minor scratches that won't buff off easily, but just didn't find the time and opportunity. I did get a chance last week to finally get the car 'ceramic' coated or glass coated as some call it. I'm happy with the results and the pictures below don't do justice to the real thing I'm seeing last few days.



I waited 5 days before washing the car after the coating, and I'm very happy with the results. Water beads and sheets off the body work as expected, drying the car is very easy now. I need good quality thick microfibre towels though! The brand of the liquid ceramic was "Glass Coated" made in the US, honestly I didn't bother much as I knew even with C Quartz, my old car wouldn't have got the best results. Although they have managed to get rid off most of the swirl marks, there are only micro 'lines' if I may call it that, that comes on any dark paint very easily even after the coating. In all, just



If anyone has any pointers, do let me know where I can get genuine CarPro products in India? Specifically their PH neutral shampoo called RESET, and their Silicone spray called RELOAD that should be used once a month to maintain the coating.



Its getting difficult by the hour, thinking about a replacement that would be fitting in the Octy's shoes. I don't want to buy a diesel car but it makes sense for the type of mileage my car does and its only going to increase in the near future as the distance between my work and home increases. Until next time, cheers!