Ambiente 1.9TDi PD Estate

Good car but too many problems...

I purchased my Octavia from a former Skoda retailer who now only services new cars rather than selling them, but they remain a Skoda centre for used cars.

Anyway the car has 91,000 on it when I bought it in Jan 2011, although high it had a full service history and drove brilliantly.
It did 8,000 trouble free miles before the air con packed in and with it being winter I decided to leave it till the spring. It eventually cost £350 in March 2012 to get it repaired, the clutch on the compressor had snapped cleanly off!

Servicing is reasonable, I used a VW Specialist here in Manchester.

However its not all roses! Its now on 114,000 miles and I have 2 lights on the dash on, one is the airbag light from the wiring under the seat coming loose! And as of yesterday the EMISSIONS WORKSHOP! light has popped up on the onboard computer. So thats probably opened another can of worms there!

Fuel economy is dire! I get no more than 45mpg no matter how I drive it! And the engine noise inside the cabin gets very irksome on long drives. Tyre roar is far too high, and it seems to get worse as the tyres wear. I'm currently using Kumho Solus KH17s which were recommended for quietness too!

Handling is OK but could be better, especially considering that its based on the Mk5 Golf. It doesn't seem to provide enough grip when going for it on bends and body roll is noticeable too.
The ride is where the Octavia really falls down, it bangs and crashes over pot holes and you feel every ripple in the road too despite the suspension being set up on the soft side of firm. Its very very annoying on long drives too especially on motorways where you feel each and every bearing on motorway bridges!

I used to be a Skoda man, with this being my 3rd Skoda. But issues with this one and my last. Its definitely my last Skoda and VW group car! Next will be a Japanese car!

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