Team-BHP - Review: Skoda Octavia (3rd-gen)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayek (Post 3280727)

As I understood it, Skoda Shield extended warranty is bundled with insurance, and sourced from the insurance company. It is not sold separately. So if you want the extended warranty provided by the insurance company, you have to buy insurance from them. One way of looking at it is to assume that the extended warranty costs Rs. 40 k per year. Is it still worth it? Not sure - the biggest ticket item that can go wrong is mechatronics, and Skoda has been replacing it free of cost even after the warranty expires.

They have created a lot of confusion about this extended warranty thing. When I bought my Skoda, 'Skoda shield' was the term given to the bundled package which included 2 years extended warranty and first year vehicle insurance. Extended warranty was not available as a single item of purchase. So if you opted to buy insurance outside, you could not buy extended warranty.

If you go through the extended warranty booklet you will find that the entire document has no mention of the insurer and the warranty is provided by Skoda India. Second year onwards you are free to get your own insurance, but the extended warranty holds good.

I get a feeling Skoda has tied up with the insurer for the extended warranty and part of the deal with the insurer may be that for every car that they cover for warranty, they will pay xxx amount to the company + get them one insurance policy. Since the insurance policy is charged at much higher than the prevailing market rates, every one (including the dealer) get his share of the pie and the customer feels he is paying just 15k for the extended warranty, whereas in reality it may be close to 40K as you have pointed out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat (Post 3281767)

They have created a lot of confusion about this extended warranty thing.

Well, for the 1st year even I went for the Skoda Insurance and also for the 2+2 year extended warranty. But in the 2nd year I did not get the Insurance done from them and opted for my own. But that does not make my extended warranty lapse and they will have to honor it in case of a breakdown.

From what I gather, the component of insurance that is bundled up with Bajaj Allianz is called the "Drive Assure", vide these links:

A BS article making a mention of Drive Assure offered by Bajaj Allianz

Skoda India official webpage mentioning key features of Skoda Motor Insurance (Note that Drive Assure and Skoda Shield are listed as two different components)

Skoda Shield, as I understand, is an independent extended warranty package offered by Skoda India (refer this link) and nowhere it is mentioned to be a part of Skoda Insurance. The link too doesn't seem to mention any clause specifying this. The link also gives a subtle impression that Skoda India has given a greater autonomy to the dealerships with regard to Skoda Shield (the price and the eligibility left to the judgement of dealerships). Therefore it makes me believe that it is just a typical 'Skoda-ish' gimmick played by the dealerships. Otherwise, there is no reason whatsoever why they should refuse to provide Skoda Shield if one opts out of Skoda Insurance.

Just my opinion formed by limited research and a bit of logic :D. Experts please correct me if I am wrong.

First report: Octavia 1.8 TSI Elegance
Wow! I never knew petrols would be this silent! There barely a sound at idle and I am stoked by it! What a feeling of refinement after my Laura TDI. Once you revv it past 4k RPM, your lips make a wiiiide grin and you want to keep revving and revving harder. Braking is superb! Gearshifts are absolutely seamless. By far the slickest DSG I have driven, even slicker than an Audi A6. (Personal opinion, pls dont kill me) Steering feel is although 'meh' its not something to crib about, it is responsive and keeps you in a straight line without you having to constantly adjust the steering like I had to in the Laura. A maiden run on the highway combined with 15% city driving with AC of course, returned good FE in my opinion and I hope it improves(see picture) I was cruising at almost 85-95 kph when I could. Cruise control is freaking awesome! Once you set the speed at say 90km/h, you see and open stretch and you are doing 40 kph, just press the 'RES' (resume) button and the car swiftly reaches your set speed without any Accelerator input. The AC even in 'Light' profile set at 25 degrees temp, kept me cool when it was 32 degrees outside. The annoying auto recirculation mode can be switched off! Another thing I noticed is that if a vehicle or a pedestrian is about to make impact with the car, the park-pilot powers on automatically! It was making me look at the screen and in turn I could have hit something else in panic, I would rather keep it off! Electric seats with memory helped me find the prefect position and keep it that way after my friends took it on a spin all I had to do is push a button and voila! Next, the MFD, offers loads of info about the car. Bluetooth works amazingly well and a small notice pops up on the screen to remind the driver, not to forget the cell phone in the car, after you turn the ignition off. Would have loved push start-stop though. All in all, I am having fun and hope this ownership remains as trouble free as it is right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead (Post 3282762)

Nice. After reading this report, Octavia is back again in my wish list for the replacement of laura. Please keep us updated more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead (Post 3283332)

Loving it, amazed every time I turn on the car, how refined and silent it is. I decided to go on a short sortie ;) tip tronic mode, 80% accelerator, the sound from the engine is just intoxicating!!!! Before I knew it i was doing 130 in third and pulled back! What a beast.

Congratulations! Black looks fantastic on this car. The car is very loaded compared I must say. :thumbs up

The 1.8 TSI engine is extremely silent. And thats' not just at idle and low revs. Close to the red line there is a very sporty roar, albeit a bit mild for enthusiasts. But I love the quite nature of the engine. At expressway speeds the cabin is so quiet that one enjoy soft music!

You can redline her all day and she'll not make a sound in protest. Just keep an eye on oil levels. I'd recommend carrying a one litre can in the boot at all times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat (Post 3283344)

Congratulations! Black looks fantastic on this car. The car is very loaded compared I must say. :thumbs up The 1.8 TSI engine is extremely silent. And thats' not just at idle and low revs. Close to the red line there is a very sporty roar, albeit a bit mild for enthusiasts. But I love the quite nature of the engine. At expressway speeds the cabin is so quiet that one enjoy soft music! You can redline her all day and she'll not make a sound in protest. Just keep an eye on oil levels. I'd recommend carrying a one litre can in the boot at all times.

Thanks!! Carry the oil with me? Is the engine that thirsty? Yesterday as I was driving along, the oil temperature was 111 degrees. Is it normal?

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead (Post 3283346)

Thanks!! Carry the oil with me? Is the engine that thirsty? Yesterday as I was driving along, the oil temperature was 111 degrees. Is it normal?

Yes always keep a litre of oil in your boot. The TSIs are notorious for drinking oil. It will sip some oil till the engine is run in, and then depending on the traffic conditions. In bumper to bumper traffic my car seems to need a litre of oil every 2.5-3k kms. The only upside is that its like my car has already had an oil change by the time the next service is due:uncontrol.

Buttttt, they may have found a way to improve this since this is a newer version of the TSI.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead (Post 3283332)

Hello mate, beautiful looking car.

I saw a black Octavia near Judges Bungalow Road I think last night or the night before, looked very nice, was it you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by nipcarlover (Post 3283392)

Hello mate, beautiful looking car. I saw a black Octavia near Judges Bungalow Road I think last night or the night before, looked very nice, was it you?

Hi,
No it wasn't me. I live in Sidhpur about 120 kms from ahmedabad. Coincidentally while I was taking the delivery of my car, there was another Black TDI Elegance being delivered right next to me. Must be them :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels (Post 3283359)

Congrats ! PS: These pics don't do justice at all, waiting for a full fledged initial ownership report from your end. Please don't keep us waiting too long. :)

I am very keen on writing an ownership thread, after I complete about 5000 kms, which will be very soon given my running. I can post better pics but the thread has awesome pics and I can't better them :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234 (Post 3283356)

Buttttt, they may have found a way to improve this since this is a newer version of the TSI.

will I get a Warning in the MID if oil level is lower than usual? I should just open the Oil cap and top it up?

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