[ishaanranderia]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

The Octavia is a completely different ballgame than the Corolla.
We recently picked up the new corolla and I've driven the new Octy a fair amount too - some take aways:

1) Octy engine, handling, ride, and steering feel is far superior. The Octy js also feature loaded!
2) Octy 1.8TSi DSG gearbox is a little more troublesome, FE is worse, back seat a little too upright for me. With our Laura, yearly downtime was 2-3 times that of our Etios (and I'm guessing also corolla).
3) Corolla has the perfect rear seat, can seat 5 more comfortably, and the car is very easy to pilot around the city. I'd expect the Corolla to have lesser rattles and spend fewer days in the workshop as compared to the Octy. GC of corolla is also a boon!
4) corolla ride quality is a little stiff on the top end, interior ambience is so-so, and there's a fair amount of road noise in the cabin.

We got the corolla as it was going to be primarily chauffeur driven - and this car can take a fair amount of abuse (bad roads, multiple drivers, etc.) As compared to the Octy.

Booked an Octy vRS as well as my daily drive which will be a lot more babied.

A good compromise may be the Elantra - feature loaded, good interiors, average performance (compared to Octy TSi), good reliablility, soft ride, and average handling.
However it was too low for us (rear seat and GC) so out of the equation - but a fantastic car nonetheless.

My take: if you drive yourself get the vRS, if you're driven around the corolla, the 1.8TSi Octy if you have a fantastic driver who will share some of the driving duties with you, the Elantra if you don't have a fantastic driver but he will still do some sharing of the driving duties with you.

Thanks for the insight. Saw the corolla but found the interiors very underwhelming. I have an Hyundai and have not been a fan of their cars, they seem a bit lifeless. Heart is set on the Octavia, I like the interior, the power and actually even the facelift look. I guess my heart really is set on it.
But I wanted to know if the newer Octavias have as many issues as before, or if they have been able to address their gremlins.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by ishaanranderia

But I wanted to know if the newer Octavias have as many issues as before, or if they have been able to address their gremlins.

I used to HATE hyundai's! Heck my first post on TBHP included a line of my hatred towards the brand.
But, they've come a long way if I do say so myself! There are several times I would've picked up a Hyundai to be in my garage: The Elantra over the Corolla were it not for the low seating and headroom; and the Creta over the S-Cross had the S-Cross not come with the 1.6L DDIS engine (now discontinued).
Interiors are top notch, refinement is fantastic, and the ride and handling has really improved by a few notches!
No harm checking it out - it fills the gap between the Octy and Corolla quite well (not as boring as the Corolla, not as exciting as the Octavia - but reliable and feature loaded).

Regarding the Octavia - the gearbox on the TSi would still make me think twice about going for one; but you can expect some niggling issues to be sorted out (like AC, etc.) as the car is nearing the end of it's life cycle.
However, at the same time, don't expect it to be as trouble free or cheap to maintain as the Corolla.
Small niggles will keep on cropping up (not initially, but after 4-5 years).

[shahbaz63]

Originally Posted by ishaanranderia

Hi Shahbaz, I was planning on booking the 1.8 TSI AT style. Just wanted to know how you're experience has been so far with the car. I have owned an Altis for 9 years and has been totally hassle free but I am not too fond of current generation Altis and was planning on shifting to the Octavia, any advice would be helpful.

Hey Ishaan,

I have not faced any issue with car (Clocked 9500 KM so far), all I can say is it's quite powerful & I love it! Gear shifting is smooth as butter; you can barely notice it. Octavia is way contrast to Altis in terms of driving dynamics & interior.

[ishaanranderia]

Thanks Lamborghini and shahbaz63 for you're inputs. I did check out the Elentra but the Octavia so felt special, I know it won't be trouble free but I've bitten the bullet and booked the 1.8 style at. Maybe I'll be raving about the awesome engine or crying about the maintenance, maybe both, will find out once I get my delivery in Jan

[shahbaz63]

Originally Posted by ishaanranderia

Thanks Lamborghini and shahbaz63 for you're inputs. I did check out the Elentra but the Octavia so felt special, I know it won't be trouble free but I've bitten the bullet and booked the 1.8 style at. Maybe I'll be raving about the awesome engine or crying about the maintenance, maybe both, will find out once I get my delivery in Jan

There is no crying for maintenance, go for maintenance package @39999 which will cover your cars 4 regular service (Include, Engine Oil, Oil filter, pollen filter, Spark plugs & Air filter)...

[sawnilrules]

Completed 11 months with my Octavia 1.8 Tsi Style Plus. Decided to give it for the first service early on considering I had put in 12K plus km on the ODO. I had not taken any service/maintenance pack pre-hand during buying the car, as I was not inclined towards blocking 40K in one shot.

Detailed experience of the first service is penned here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...isorder-4.html


Just to give a snapshot, below are the details of work carried out.

• Air Filter Changed
• Pollen Filter Changed
• Oil Filter Changed
• 5.4 ltr. Oil
• Old Oil Drained
• Brake Pads serviced & brake fluids checked
• Entire underbody checked for any damage
• Suspensions checked
• Battery Health checked
• Coolant Top-up
• Drive Shaft Checked
• Overall general check-up
• Car washed and vacuumed
• ODIS updated for future service/oil change interval
• Maps Updated with voice guidance
• Wheel Balancing, Rotation and Alignment

Did I face any issues with the car in last 11 months and 12000 km, Nil I would say. With 70% driving in dense traffic and 30% driving on pure highways, on both occasions, whenever I have cranked the engine, it has ensured a wide grin on my face.


Total bill inclusive of all taxes worked out to INR 10890/- Decent enough I would say considering the car goes for servicing once a year. The only fly in the ointment was time taken to service the car. They took the car in at 11:00 and the car was ready only by 16:30. Barring this, you talk about professionalism, courteousness or customer service, it is right up there to Toyota & Honda standards. On some account, it surpasses Toyota experience too.

In my prior experience of servicing my Innova or the City, I never had a Toyota or Honda service representative offering to order a lunch FOC for me, as I was waiting for the car to get ready. Looks like Skoda is improving for good.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

• 5.4 ltr. Oil

Strange. My 1.8 TSi Laura needs 4.6 ltr oil! Why would the new 1.8 need more?

BTW, good to see smooth and satisfying service experience. My routine servicing at Viraaj Skoda Pune has also been smooth for last 2 years. I think Skoda service is improving.

[shahbaz63]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

Completed 11 months with my Octavia 1.8 Tsi Style Plus. Decided to give it for the first service early on considering I had put in 12K plus km on the ODO. I had not taken any service/maintenance pack pre-hand during buying the car, as I was not inclined towards blocking 40K in one shot.

Did I face any issues with the car in last 11 months and 12000 km, Nil I would say. With 70% driving in dense traffic and 30% driving on pure highways, on both occasions, whenever I have cranked the engine, it has ensured a wide grin on my face.


Total bill inclusive of all taxes worked out to INR 10890/- Decent enough I would say considering the car goes for servicing once a year. The only fly in the ointment was time taken to service the car. They took the car in at 11:00 and the car was ready only by 16:30. Barring this, you talk about professionalism, courteousness or customer service, it is right up there to Toyota & Honda standards. On some account, it surpasses Toyota experience too.

In my prior experience of servicing my Innova or the City, I never had a Toyota or Honda service representative offering to order a lunch FOC for me, as I was waiting for the car to get ready. Looks like Skoda is improving for good.

Good to hear your positive experience, I will be heading for first service pretty soon. Where did you service your vehicle? (JMD Andheri/ Thane)?

Also, how long you think Engine Oil will run fine in Octavia, 15000 km interval seems bit long to me. Wouldn't it be nice to change it around 7-8K km interval? I checked oil level at 7K KM & it was intact so didn't change/ replace it. I am gonna check oil level at 10,000 KM (in a day or two) to see if there is any dip in oil level.

I opt for Skoda maintenance package which covers engine oil at 15000 km interval. So pretty confused now.

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Strange. My 1.8 TSi Laura needs 4.6 ltr oil! Why would the new 1.8 need more?

Probably the answer to this would be to go back and check our engine series on the VW website.

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

BTW, good to see smooth and satisfying service experience. My routine servicing at Viraaj Skoda Pune has also been smooth for last 2 years. I think Skoda service is improving.

True that.

Originally Posted by shahbaz63

Good to hear your positive experience, I will be heading for the first service pretty soon. Where did you service your vehicle? (JMD Andheri/ Thane)?

I went to their outlet in Kandivali West Hindustan Naka.

Originally Posted by shahbaz63

Also, how long you think Engine Oil will run fine in Octavia, 15000 km interval seems a bit long to me. Wouldn't it be nice to change it around 7-8K km interval? I checked oil level at 7K KM & it was intact so didn't change/ replace it. I am gonna check oil level at 10,000 KM (in a day or two) to see if there is any dip in oil level.

At 7000 km I got the oil top-up done. 15000 is extreme I feel in our Mumbai driving conditions of continuous stop and go. If you have already crossed 10k mark, I would recommend taking an appointment for service and getting the service done. If you see the video that I have added to my thread, you will notice that the oil had completely blackened. And I was only at 12400 on the ODO during service.

Originally Posted by shahbaz63

I opt for Skoda maintenance package which covers engine oil at 15000 km interval. So pretty confused now.

So that's ok, it is not mandatory to go for service only and only if the car has reached 15K. You can go anytime you want for service within that period also.

[sharktale]

The weirdest thing happened with my 1.5 year old Octy yesterday.

I thought the battery on the key fob battery had died, as the light on the keyfob was not glowing upon pressing any of the buttons. I immediately changed the battery on the remote, but to no avail. Even with the new battery, the remote is not working.
I am currently using my spare key to use the functions of remote locking/unlocking.

Does anybody else face a similar issue? Any resolutions for the same?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sharktale

The weirdest thing happened with my 1.5 year old Octy yesterday.

I thought the battery on the key fob battery had died, as the light on the keyfob was not glowing upon pressing any of the buttons. I immediately changed the battery on the remote, but to no avail. Even with the new battery, the remote is not working.
I am currently using my spare key to use the functions of remote locking/unlocking.

Does anybody else face a similar issue? Any resolutions for the same?

Swap with another few batteries and check. Swap the working remote's battery with the non-working one and check. Sometimes these CR batteries are notoriously weak even when 'new' or simply fake.

[sharktale]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Swap with another few batteries and check. Swap the working remote's battery with the non-working one and check. Sometimes these CR batteries are notoriously weak even when 'new' or simply fake.

Thanks. The batteries I tried replacing on the remote work on the remote of a LED Strip Light. Interestingly, the ones provided originally on the Skoda (Panasonic CR 2025 batteries) are also working fine on the LED Strip Remote.

Are you sure it is a case of weakness? Cause I honestly don't want to jeopardise my second remote due to any wrongdoing...

[itwasntme]

Unsure if keys are covered under warranty. Check with the workshop? They cost a bomb!

Have you coincidentally dropped it recently? I dropped mine twice, panicked and then bought a nice rubberised cover from Amazon.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by sharktale

Thanks.

Are you sure it is a case of weakness? Cause I honestly don't want to jeopardise my second remote due to any wrongdoing...

It doesn't look like battery issue. Most likely to do with the remote. Taking it to workshop seems to be the logical thing, but still what level of support they can provide other than simply suggesting to replace the remote is unsure unless they have faced similar issue in the past.

But yeah, better to have the aftermarket silicone key covers to protect them from accidental drop and damage.

[Mtv]

Originally Posted by sharktale

The weirdest thing happened with my 1.5 year old Octy yesterday.

I thought the battery on the key fob battery had died, as the light on the keyfob was not glowing upon pressing any of the buttons. I immediately changed the battery on the remote, but to no avail. Even with the new battery, the remote is not working.
I am currently using my spare key to use the functions of remote locking/unlocking.

Does anybody else face a similar issue? Any resolutions for the same?

I've faced a similar issue with mine. Even after multiple battery changes, one of the keys refuses to start the car.

All the buttons work, but the immobiliser won't let the car start for some reason.

I'm told I'll need a brand new key to fix this issue.