[S.Vats]

Originally Posted by KI07

What's the deal on the MY21? I'd like to jump in too if there's a good deal available :-)

Thanks for your suggestion.
About the deal, I did not get into a detailed conversation about it but he was very open about giving discounts of around 70-80k and said it can be negotiated further during the final discussions.

Originally Posted by umairalvi

I am sharing the below points based on my experience over a 5 year period of a 2017 Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI

1. The only difference between the two is the presence of an anti theft system with interior monitoring. More details in the link:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...es-2022-a.html (Scoop! Skoda Octavia, Superb get new features for 2022)

2. Skoda's service has definitely improved and isn't horrific anymore. I have had a decent experience over my 5 years of ownership. However, I hail from Hyderabad and cannot comment on the NCR situation. The service is satisfactory largely due to the fact that Hyderabad has a lot of MkIII Octavias.

3. The service interval is 15000 kms / 1 year. Don't expect Toyota levels of service charges for the Octavia. The average service cost over a period of 5 years should come around 15-20k per year; add to it a few repairs (wear and tear ones like brake pads etc). It sets you back by a few thousands every year but in my opinion, it's more than worth it for a car that drives this well.
However, if you get unlucky and get a DSG failure, the replacement cost is around 1 lakh but it's generally covered under warranty. Skoda claims that the new DQ200 gearbox is more reliable though.

4. Currently no. Unless you want to extend your budget to 35 lakhs and get the Superb.

1. Thanks for this. I wasn’t able to find the difference anywhere.

2. I was very blunt about it with the dealer and even he said the same things as you did. They were also aware about the experiences shared on Team BHP. So it’s kinda of a relief, I must say.

3. I’m expecting this much service cost for Octavia since it’s a complex car. Skoda spares have always been expensive too, so hoping that I’m not one of the unlucky ones.

4. Nah, can’t stretch it any further.

[sunikkat]

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Originally Posted by S.Vats

2. How is Skoda's service these days? I've read so many horror stories on this forum and received mixed (more good than bad, to be honest) reviews from friends and family. Some say the service has improved too. After Sales Service can be a deal-breaker for us. Ownership experience from someone in Delhi will be very helpful too.

3. What's the average service cost?

4. Lastly, are there any better options according to you?

Thanks a lot!

2. I have 2016 Diesel and my last 6 years with Skoda Bangalore and Trivandrum have been great. Absolutely no complaints. Cannot comment on Delhi though, but I believe overall it has improved.

3. Average service cost of 15k per year, if no additional repairs. My car has been very reliable too. No breakdown or additional repairs than regular maintenance parts

4. According to me this is infact the best option under 330i

[Karvel]

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Originally Posted by S.Vats

2. How is Skoda's service these days? I've read so many horror stories on this forum and received mixed (more good than bad, to be honest) reviews from friends and family. Some say the service has improved too. After Sales Service can be a deal-breaker for us. Ownership experience from someone in Delhi will be very helpful too.

3. What's the average service cost?

4. Lastly, are there any better options according to you?

Thanks a lot!

Hi Vats,

Since 1st is already answered, giving my perspective for the 2nd and 3rd questions. I have a 2017 TDI auto.

2. Service is generally good. Done 4 yearly services and couple of in between ones for Sunroof lubrication/Battery Change/front windscreen change/AC compressor change under warranty. Did all these in Jai Skoda Gurgaon. So far so good. Quick and prompt. Other than trying to up sell windscreen wiper fluid and 3M dry cleaning, nothing unnecessary had been pushed or added to bill. Same day service - 4 to 5 hrs cycle. Was informed on extended warranty and 5/6 th year service packages and facilitated on getting these.

Have a Hyundai and had a Maruti Vehicle till now. Nothing much of a difference in service levels.

3. Cost per service is in the range of 12-15k per year, individually. Got the 4yr service pack in the beginning with a good discount and the 5/6th Yr pack at Rs 24k, which includes all consumables / labour and tax. So far, including 6th year package, cost has worked out to be around 8k per year, due to initial scheme given by Skoda. Else it would be around 11k per year.

4. Nothing much in this range, as a sedan. If budget can be stretched, then Superb or A4.

[S.Vats]

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Originally Posted by sunikkat

2. I have 2016 Diesel and my last 6 years with Skoda Bangalore and Trivandrum have been great. Absolutely no complaints. Cannot comment on Delhi though, but I believe overall it has improved.

3. Average service cost of 15k per year, if no additional repairs. My car has been very reliable too. No breakdown or additional repairs than regular maintenance parts

4. According to me this is infact the best option under 330i

Originally Posted by Karvel

Hi Vats,

Since 1st is already answered, giving my perspective for the 2nd and 3rd questions. I have a 2017 TDI auto.
======
4. Nothing much in this range, as a sedan. If budget can be stretched, then Superb or A4.

Thanks, Sunikkat and Karvel for all the information. It has helped a lot and I feel more confident in going ahead with Octavia.

Will start searching for the best deals in Delhi and hopefully finalize it soon. If any of the Delhi folks have good contacts who can help me ease negotiations, it'll be great!

[attrip2008]

Originally Posted by rahul1407

Yes I am contemplating changing all 4s to better brand now as soon as I reach Jaipur. As itself with the repair, car is wobbling beyond 60kmph and already adding to a lot of stress.

Sorry to hear about the incident. Disheartening to learn that such incident can happen on highways between two major cities.

Glad to know that you and your wife are well. Do want to ask why you did not go for RSA after the incident?

[rahul1407]

Originally Posted by attrip2008

Sorry to hear about the incident. Disheartening to learn that such incident can happen on highways between two major cities.

Glad to know that you and your wife are well. Do want to ask why you did not go for RSA after the incident?

The primary reasons for not going for RSA were mainly to save time than being stranded on the road as initial ETA for any help to arrive was given for more than 2 hours and then it would have taken a lot more time to repair as well. Given my wife's condition and a bunch of personal reasons, I just wanted to become mobile and complete my journey as soon as possible. Although we ended up completing a 4 hour journey in 8 hours and what followed next was totally opposite than how we expected to spend some quality time.

Upon arrival to our hotel, the repair in one of the tyres gave up and we heard a thud/burst which was good enough to scare the occupants inside. Then followed was the hunt for getting new tyres. Skoda ASC quoted 10k/tyre for these goodyear which was anyway retailing for ~8800. Also as per couple of retailers in jaipur/NCR, the 205/55/R17 tyre used in octavia in not a widely used size in market and was mostly out of stock or would be arriving on order which was not feasible. Also the service center was 30+kms away from my current location which made things worse.

I am not sure whether it was the incapability of these tyres or the lower sidewall that they gave in so early both in terms of severity/age that I had no confidence left with the current spec and I got all 4 swapped to Michelin's as I had to return the very next day and leaving the car in another city was not worth the effort. (I was also able to coordinate with a store who was very cooperative and made this part as easy as possible). Just to mention, my Honda city had glided over numerous such potholes and I have never faced any such issue in my ownership with the car.

And just to sum up, the bad part hasnt ended here, I purchased new tyres hoping that insurance would cover the claim for damaged ones but since these damages are *just to the tyres* and not the vehicle and my policy doesnt have tyre coverage add-ons so I now have to bear these at my own expense. I contacted goodyear who on a goodwill gesture are giving new tyres as replacement at 70% goodwill but that wont help either as I have already purchased new tyres and there isnt a lot of scope for these sizes in open market.

One more inference I had from the space-saver tyre is that we as customers and automotive companies are giving preference to non-essentials over basic features. Why I am saying is that because a full sized spare wheel in Style variant is swapped with a puny 120/80 space saver tyre to accommodate a sub-woofer. However in adverse conditions, you dont want any music to your ears let alone that bass when you are already sweating and know that the space saver tyre wont be usable at great lengths in any unfortunate situation.

Not a very good start to my ownership to say the least

[S.Vats]

Originally Posted by rahul1407

Not a very good start to my ownership to say the least

Sorry to hear about your experience. It surely hurts to go through all of this in a brand new car.
Hopefully, you can shake off from this incident soon as you and your wife are safe and no major damage was caused to the car too.

[CircleOfLife]

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Originally Posted by rahul1407

Upon arrival to our hotel, the repair in one of the tyres gave up and we heard a thud/burst which was good enough to scare the occupants inside.
======
Not a very good start to my ownership to say the least

Good year last longer compared to Continental or Michelin. Michelin wouldn't have survived the impact. They would have been first to give away. Honda city is a much lighter car. It's not apples to apple comparison here.

In terms of side wall strength Good year > Conti > Michelin

It's a odd size tyre for the moment but you had a option to upsize them easily with no deviation. It's a missed opportunity.

Any tyre manufacturer will never compensate for cash other than good will discount or replacement (rare). It's always mentioned in those bullet points of T&C of warranty. Good year did gave you a good offer.

Few consideration one had to take while finalizing car. Understanding the insurance coverage thoroughly, dealer always try to sell vanilla version with basic coverage, it's upto you to get the add on. You also might have a good understanding on limitation of space saver during purchase. Why point out manufacturer? They are addressing the market demands. In most VAG / BMW models sub is accommodated with space saver. If one isn't up for the risk appetite involved then walk away.

One of the very reason i didn't opt of L&K variant was the space saver limitation. We travel a lot on highways & pot hole roads. In emergency situation with space saver it would have been a huge limitation. Though the heart was set at L&K but style was more practical for our run in.

Gald that everyone walked off the situation safe & sound. In your shoes & heat of the moment, it's hard to think straight and understand all options on table. You did well .

Do you plan to remove sub and replace with full size spare in future?

[CircleOfLife]

With summer fast approaching and no sunblind's in style variant it is getting difficult to survive the heat. Placement of the AC ducts further adds to challenge of cooling the cabin.

Though recently got sun control film done on the sides glass & back with STEK-NEX70, this aids to heat reduction to a large extent. With an aim to further reduce heat has anyone explore the option of retrofitting sunblind's from L&K to Style variant? Reached out to one of the ASC they won't do it .

Locating after market sunblind's for current gen Octavia is a challenge too. Any success here?

Anyone has got sun control film on the front glass? Please share your experience. Does it hamper visibility or increase glare at night drives?

[rahul1407]

Originally Posted by CircleOfLife

Good year last longer compared to Continental or Michelin. Michelin wouldn't have survived the impact. They would have been first to give away. Honda city is a much lighter car. It's not apples to apple comparison here.

In terms of side wall strength Good year > Conti > Michelin

It's a odd size tyre for the moment but you had a option to upsize them easily with no deviation. It's a missed opportunity.

Well that could be the case. However, what I have heard from various dealers is that goodyear is a good brand and they more reliable in terms of smaller rim-sizes but heard varying opinions for this tyre size.Though I will not disagree that they are better in terms of certain unconditional warranties for accidental damages. While for Michelin/Continental and likes, they have a separate niche in market for these cars with higher rim sizes, though the warranty plainly sticks around manufacturing defects.

I cant comment on the sidewall strength as for me I didnt expect them to give away (regardless of brand) this soon considering ~70kmph speed with sedate driving while seeing my car go over a bad pothole in the middle of a highway so it was my first experience with Goodyears so my reasons could be more impulsive.

Though tyre swap with/without upsize was not on my priority list but I did swap with Michelin's PS4 225/50/R17. Few things are bound to happen one way or the other. Also initial impressions are good, bumps are better soaked, steering has got a nice heft and braking feels more progressive. Mileage has taken a hit ~1-1.5 kmpl.

Originally Posted by CircleOfLife

Any tyre manufacturer will never compensate for cash other than good will discount or replacement (rare). It's always mentioned in those bullet points of T&C of warranty. Good year did gave you
a good offer.

Yes thats understandable and not that I expect the company to do anything out the way for warranty but it was my predicament that I need to deal with a set of tyres which are not going to be in-use for a reasonable (4-5+ years) time and dealing with sale for less adapted/wanted size is another story.

Originally Posted by CircleOfLife

Few consideration one had to take while finalizing car. Understanding the insurance coverage thoroughly, dealer always try to sell vanilla version with basic coverage, it's upto you to get the add on.

Yes initial insurance quote was *Vanilla* but I did make sure it had right essentials which I find important at the time of purchase including correct IDV (Yes corners are cut here to reduce premium) and essentials are written in nice bold text. Although I had a faint correlation about tyres being covered in one of those add-ons but didnt work that way.

On a positive note, I think I've become more wiser in a week and will be more considerate towards additional add-ons in next renewal.

Originally Posted by CircleOfLife

You also might have a good understanding on limitation of space saver during purchase. Why point out manufacturer? They are addressing the market demands. In most VAG / BMW models sub is accommodated with space saver. If one isn't up for the risk appetite involved then walk away.

Nobody is pointing out the manufacturer bud. I am just trying to highlight that due to change in demand and in order to add more-features, non-essentials are given preference which is forced by the customers and manufacturers oblige. IMO Space saver is only usable for point to point commute until one of the impacted tyre is fixed.

Risk appetite could be evaluated on an off-road expedition with a sedan, ex. foreseeing a need to deal with extremely bad roads or for certain other externalities. However when one is expected to travel between 2 major cities, they dont account for 2 tyre failures at once, they can only make sure to have all preemptive checks like maintaining tyre correct pressure on all wheels (including SS tyre), and/or having tyre inflators before starting on their journey. Ofcourse the list is not limited to tyres and there are other attributes too.

Ofcouse when the conditions are known to more unpredictable, you either change the choice of vehicle for the journey or simply switch the destination which is friendly for your vehicle

Originally Posted by CircleOfLife

Gald that everyone walked off the situation safe & sound. In your shoes & heat of the moment, it's hard to think straight and understand all options on table. You did well .

Do you plan to remove sub and replace with full size spare in future?

Thanks. I plan to use full sized wheel on highway trips atleast. In city runs, I can hopefully manage broken tyres with more ease and hopefully there wouldnt be a lot of decisions to make.

Originally Posted by S.Vats

Sorry to hear about your experience. It surely hurts to go through all of this in a brand new car.
Hopefully, you can shake off from this incident soon as you and your wife are safe and no major damage was caused to the car too.

Yes buddy, I also got my car inspected and luckily other parts of the car are unscathed.

Originally Posted by amansanc

Hello Rahul,
I have bought tyres from a few shops in Jaipur and can recommend these 2:
1) Tires N Trims - https://goo.gl/maps/RMc1svCAGqD43ZL9A (Michelin shop)
2) The Spare Mart - https://goo.gl/maps/KFHru31PFoNQs462A (Multi brand)

Would be best if you call them in advance to check availability of the specific size you need. Hope it works out well!

Couldn't thank you before but these outlets as well as staff at Fairmont helped us immensely in this ordeal. People were not unwelcoming when I was calling them at late hours and responded to a lot of my queries. I ended up going to Shyam Enterprises and for the replacement.

[Piyushjaiswal]

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Originally Posted by S.Vats

Hey guys! I'm a proud owner of the 2008 Corolla Altis and the car has been an absolute delight to drive around. But sadly it's approaching its EOL and I was looking for a worthy upgrade to the outgoing sedan.
=====
Thanks a lot!

Hey, S.Vats! I'm currently a happy owner of a 2018 Octavia TDI L&K and I will base my answers on my experience with the brand so far.

2. Skoda's ASS has come leaps and bounds from its earlier horror times. I have never faced any issue with my ASC here in Chandigarh and have always received prompt service. I have a good relation here with my SA and he's always just a phone call away. Having said that, make sure you opt for EW as it gives you much needed peace of mind during the initial 6 yrs of ownership

3. My average service cost over a total of past 3 paid services has been around 14-15k but it's going to increase substantially over the 4th & 5th paid service as certain parts get due for replacement along with wear & tear items

4. Given that your family is all for driver's car, unfortunately there aren't many options apart from Octavia in your specified budget. But you could still check out Slavia (although not as spacious and not as luxurious as the Octavia) as it has a killer 1.5 TSI engine with a 7-speed DSG which is an absolute hoot to drive as mentioned in the Team BHP review as well.

Hope this helps!

[yatesh.92]

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Originally Posted by S.Vats

Hey guys! I'm a proud owner of the 2008 Corolla Altis and the car has been an absolute delight to drive around. But sadly it's approaching its EOL and I was looking for a worthy upgrade to the outgoing sedan.
============
Thanks a lot!

If your budget permits, Octavia would be a great replacement to your aging Corolla. For added peace of mind, please ensure you purchase extended warranty and service package. As far as I know Elantra is the only rival in this particular segment but it's no match for the driving dynamics of the Octavia.

[S.Vats]

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Originally Posted by Piyushjaiswal

Hey, S.Vats! I'm currently a happy owner of a 2018 Octavia TDI L&K and I will base my answers on my experience with the brand so far.
==========
Hope this helps!

Thanks, Piyush! After reading so much about Skoda and its ASS, I've realized that the EW, the 4yr SP, and treating the SA like our most favorite person is a MUST!

Slavia is also being kept an option if negotiations for Octavia don't go well (I think it's very overpriced) and will TD 1.5 TSI when it's available.

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by S.Vats

Hence, the search began with a 20-25L budget. For the lack of good sedan options in this range, we shortlisted Creta and Seltos.
So we're considering Octavia L&K now and had a few questions:

1. Is there a difference between the 2021 and 2022 models? The dealer offered the 2021 model to us, in case we were interested.

2. How is Skoda's service these days? I've read so many horror stories on this forum and received mixed (more good than bad, to be honest) reviews from friends and family. Some say the service has improved too. After Sales Service can be a deal-breaker for us. Ownership experience from someone in Delhi will be very helpful too.

3. What's the average service cost?

4. Lastly, are there any better options according to you?

Thanks a lot!

We were exactly in the same boat, had booked Elantra and waited endlessly to see it discontinued. I originally had kept Octavia out of the equation, btu ended up loving it, when we test drove it.
We ended up getting the Style variant. I'm sure you will find the Style variant meet all your needs. Please check the difference once. And we also ended yup buying a 21 Manufactured car.

There is no change from a 21 manufactured car to a 22 manufactured car. They both are the same. You might find a couple of 21 December Models lying in stock that you could get readily. Usually there won't be colour options. Also, you wait any longer, those would be gone too. We wanted a white, and that was the only colour available readily. Others colours had a 1.5 month wait.

I cannot comment on the service yet, but having been used to VW for the past 7 years, I am guessing that they both would be the same.

Hopefully my reply didn't come too late.

[attrip2008]

We ended up getting the Style variant.

Can you share the details of the discount on 2021 model? I would want to evaluate it over Slavia if there are good discounts applicable.

This is of course contingent to 2021 stock availability.