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MY PROBLEMS WITH A SKODA OCTAVIA |
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BAD LUCK, BAD DESIGN OR BAD MANUFACTURING QUALITY? |
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The latest problems were added on 2nd August 2008. |
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MY PROBLEMS WITH A SKODA OCTAVIA |
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BAD LUCK, BAD DESIGN OR BAD MANUFACTURING QUALITY? |
|
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The latest problems were added on 2nd August 2008. |
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Not a lot of people know that... Well, that's what it says in Wikipedia (click here) so it must be true. How appropriate! My wife bought an ex-demonstrator Skoda Octavia 1.6 Petrol in February 2006 from Loders Skoda in Yeovil - please click here for their website. It had been first registered in May 2005 and had about 5,000 miles on the clock. Below are the problems experienced so far - new ones will be added as they arise. Please click where shown to read that particular horror story.
Our first concern was to find that the page numbers in the index of the User Manual were all wrong! OK - a trivial matter perhaps but a sign of the slapdash attitude that was to plague us with our Skoda car. Later we wondered whether the person who showed such a casual attitude to editorial accuracy was on the production line when our car went along! Scarcely had my wife started to use the car than the radio stopped working and the car had to be returned for the warranty repair. It had 6,011 miles on the clock. Unfortunately, although the Loders Volkswagen dealership in nearby Dorchester can carry out servicing work, warranty repairs have to be carried out in Yeovil. This means a round trip of about sixty miles and a day off work. Having got the radio working again, I was driving the car through busy Weymouth streets when the gear stick came out in my hand. Now that was scary - I mean, really scary! Luckily I didn’t panic and managed to wriggle the gear lever back into a slot and got the car slowly home. So, it was another day off work for my wife and a slow worrying trip to Yeovil and back to be told that a retaining pin had been left out on the assembly line. What else has been left out at the factory? ANYONE FOR INEDIBLE MAYONNAISE?
The next problem, which was discovered soon after taking delivery of the car at around 5,000 miles, was a mass of mayonnaise-like muck, containing a lot of water droplets, that thickly coated the inside of the oil filler cap. My immediate thought was that water was seeping into the engine - possibly from a leaking head gasket. A call to the main dealer only slightly reassured me when I was told that this was normal for some Skoda models. Really? This lasted until the car was given an annual service in May 2008. The service was carried out by Loders at Dorchester and not Loders Yeovil. The thick revolting muck has not reappeared since this service as seen above. So, why did two oil changes at Loders Yeovil produce thick wet gunge in the top of the engine but an oil change at Loders Dorchester did not produce this muck? Was different oil being use at Yeovil and, if so, why the difference? A CATASTROPHIC WATER PUMP LEAK We move
on to March 2007 and with the car showing just under 16,000 miles on the
clock. My wife called me on her way home from work to say that the water temperature warning light was flashing. I suggested she drive slowly to the Dorchester Loders dealer. They diagnosed that the water pump was leaking rapidly so the car was taken to Loders at Yeovil by the AA on a breakdown truck. The water pump, cambelt and tensioner were replaced. Another day off work for her to go and collect the car once repaired. Suspiciously, the thick watery mayonnaise disappeared from inside the oil filler cap after this repair but the cap later reverted to the way it was - see picture above. So, was water seeping into the engine oil previous to the water pump being replaced? If so, what long-term damage may have been done? CENTRAL LOCKING...UNLOCKING...LOCKING...UNLOCKING...LOCKING... At about 18,000 miles the central locking system starting randomly locking and unlocking
whilst the car was in motion. Sometimes my wife
or I would be driving along when three doors would lock.
Half an hour later they would unlock. Shutting the front passenger door frequently caused the other three doors to lock - very irritating when trying to get in or out! On other occasions opening the front passenger door from the inside caused the other three doors to lock. Yet another option was the boot locking when the front passenger door was opened or closed and the boot lock lever would stay up. Yet another day off work and a sixty mile round trip to Yeovil! This time the Yeovil Loders Skoda dealership could not find the fault so, as of now with 21,000 miles on the clock, we endure doors - and boot - locking and unlocking at random whilst stationary and whilst in motion. However, we persisted with Loders Yeovil and eventually the problem was solved months later - and another round trip to Yeovil and a day off work. Oh yes, I nearly forgot! The suspension is now squeaking! This was supposedly addressed at the dealer service in March 2008. Although it was claimed that the squeak had been cured - it was still there! On Thursday 6th March 2008 the car went in for it's final service before the warranty ran out. A new electronic mechanism was fitted in an attempt to try to stop the door locks randomly locking and unlocking and the squeaking was tracked down to an area near the radiator - but not solved. The front tyres needed replacing so two new tyres were fitted on 13th March and my wife drove home from Yeovil. She noted that the steering characteristic was different but thought this was due to the new tyres.
I noticed that the car was still loudly squeaking! The next morning we jumped into the car to drive to London on family business - and found that one of the new tyres was flat! Having
changed to the spare we drove to Loders at Dorchester - not best pleased
that a new tyre had gone flat after only thirty miles! We were loaned a spare wheel so that we could continue the journey. On taking the car back to Loders at Dorchester to get the wheel, my wife was told that a faulty valve had been fitted by Loders at Yeovil. That was not good news. Had that front tyre suddenly deflated whilst travelling at speed there could have been a fatal accident. Indeed, it had probably been dangerously low in pressure on the drive home from the service. A new valve was fitted by Loders at Dorchester but no offer was made to refit the wheel on the car so that was an unwelcome and dirty job for me. THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY EXPIRES The manufacturer's warranty expired at the end of May 2008. The car got through its first MOT - to my amazement - but yet another day off work and a sixty mile round trip to Yeovil for my wife was made to try to resolve the squeaking suspension which had defeated the dealer previously. This was identified as a loose mounting bolt under the bonnet. A loose mounting bolt! At least the engine didn't fall out so it couldn't have been too dangerous a defect I suppose. DOES A GRIM FUTURE AWAIT US? So far, all these faults have been covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. That does not, of course, reimburse my wife for all the days taken off work and the cost of the sixty-mile round trips to Yeovil. Now that the warranty has run out we wonder what horrific repair bills we will be facing if we hang on to this rogue car. The Loders Skoda dealership in Yeovil have worked hard to resolve the appalling list of problems - not always successfully on the first attempt. The car is comfortable, nice to drive (when working!) quiet and economical delivering about 42 mpg on long journeys. This fuel economy is offset by a certain flat spot during acceleration which can be unnerving when overtaking. I personally find the gear change insensitive and often find myself in third gear when expecting to pull away in first. The gear change does not have the firm and unambiguous feel that I like with my old Micra. However, my wife has no problem with the gear change. Not everyone thinks Skodas are the best thing since sliced bread. For example, click here to read the experiences of another Octavia owner ("My car has been a disaster...") - and there are many more stories on the Internet. A GOOD RELIABLE CAR
My own car is a Nissan Micra which I have owned for nine years. It has never let me down and has cost less than £180 in repairs and consequent labour charges over all those years. It has a frisky performance which impresses owners of much more expensive and newer cars when I overtake. Now,
THAT'S what I call a good car! OK! So it's a Micra - we've all heard the jokes! However I don't wear a hat when I drive and don't pay for petrol by counting out piles of coins from a purse.
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Keywords: Skoda Octavia Trouble Problems failures Loders Yeovil GJK01305
...'Skoda' in Czech means 'Damage'!
