Bagpuss, I'd be grateful if you could provide a link to that information. I'm not doubting your word, it's just that most of the recent survey-type information I have come across has tended to place the Octavia quite highly, with the A3/Leon/Toledo/Bora swapping places somewhere in the middle, and the Golf usually last, often well down the table. NB - I'm not trying to hijack this thread and turn it into a debate about car surveys, as this has already been well covered before.
Back on topic, I would be interested to know the reasons behind what seem to be significantly different performance patterns in terms of reliability/breakdowns among the various members of the VAG stable. This seems to be the case whether looking at overall trends in surveys, or looking at "soft" information such as feedback to this site. I'm talking about actual faults here - mechanical, electrical, etc. - rather than the quality of interior plastics or dealership experiences.
For example, it would appear (with the exception of the information in Bagpuss's posting above) that the Octavia is usually less troublesome to own than a Golf. As far as I know, some Skoda engines developed in-house, i.e. by Skoda rather than VW, are still in use today (although this may only be the case for the Fabia rather than the Octavia, I'm not sure). Will this continue to be the case, or is it gradually being phased out? I wonder whether Skoda's own engines/components are actually more or less rigorously designed/developed/tested than VW's, and whether they are more or less prone to faults. Does Skoda use its own components in other areas, e.g. suspension, or is it just engines?
Another example is that the suspension set-up on a Leon is reputed to be better than that of a Golf Mk IV, whose platform it shares. Does this mean that exactly the same components were used, but tuned differently, or that the Leon got (e.g.) stiffer dampers, i.e. different components?
I'd also be interested to know the reason for the variations in body weight between models on the same platform, as mentioned above - one guess is it could simply be that the heavier ones have stronger bodyshells because of using thicker metal. This could mean better crash protection in a Polo than an Ibiza.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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>>... As far as I know,some Skoda engines developed in-house, i.e. by Skoda rather than VW, are still in use today (although this may only be the case for the Fabia rather than the Octavia, I'm not sure). Will this continue to be the case, or is it gradually being phased out?...
As far as I know, the only remaining original ?koda engine was the 1.4 8v, which appeared in some Fabias, but was replaced by a 1.2 VW version earlier this year.
See the following thread for more on the subject.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=18754
especially
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=18754&...e
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As an ex TT owner (no I don't cut hair for a living) and now proud co-owner of an Octavia VRS (the girlfriend uses it mostly for the supermarket run) I can confirm that many of the parts in our Octavia are the same as my Audi, in fact some of them are actually branded Audi.
Regarding the quality of the interiors the TT's leather was miles better than the Octavias, as was the quality of the interior plastics.
I know which one is better value though the cheap Chzeck.
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This information is provided in the 2004 reliability survey compiled by the German Dekra organisation who are reponsible for performing the equivalent of the MOT test here (TÜV). The info is not freely available, you have to buy the survey from them. It's not expensive, but it is in German. As with all such surveys it is far from perfect, e.g no adjustment for mileage or servicing, but it is based on 7 million assessed vehicles per year so much more comprehensive (and probably more neutral) than consumer surveys such as from Which Magazine.
I only listed these examples as I found it interesting that 4 mechnically very similar vehicles scored so differently. I would have expected the Golf to do worse because a lot of them here are used and abused as rental pool cars for the first 6 - 12 months of their lives. The car that comes top in the list, by the way, is the Audi A2.
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The above mail was intended as the reply to andymc.
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I agree that the DEKRA survey is really good. It is published in an Auto Motor und Sport 'special edition', BTW, so it may be available in the UK.
IIRC the A2 has come out well in this survey for the last couple of years.
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I see quite a few octovia sdi being used as taxis - are they good for high mileage?
What can you expect out of a octovia sdi with 100k on the clock?
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>>octovia sdi being used as taxis - are they good for high mileage>>
I\'ve already referred to many of my local taxi drivers using Octavias earlier in the thread.
Re DEKRA:
Its website at www.dekra.de or www.dekra.com is available in both German and English.
The sitemap is at: www.dekra.de/dekra//show.php3?id=34&nodeid=34&_lan...n
Some parts are in German - google, AltaVista (world.altavista.com/) and other websites offer a quick translation service of web pages.
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I have a friend who has done 80k in her Octavia (over less than 2 years). She loves it, and has another on order.
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Cheers, thanks for that Bagpuss. I find it even more interesting that the A2 is the highest-rated car, while the A3 is the lowest placed of the VAG range. This in spite of the fact that the two wear the same badges, so would presumably be subject to identical standards for controls and processes during design and manufacture.
Good to know the Leon did reasonably well - I plan to keep mine for a while yet!
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Having owned a string of SEAT's (Ibiza, Cordoba, Leon) and then having two Audi A2's......well one Audi A2 but the first went back to the dealer because of problems, and the second wasn't much better.....I would pay my money to the SEAT dealer anyday.
But each to their own!
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Runboy!
I own A2 and han probs with it at all.
If you want to drive Seat that`s your choice and I`m sure it will be as reliable as my A2.........
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As with any range of cars, problems can arise - just ask BMW and M-B owners what they feel about more recent production models.
Re the Seat, this will be of interest to those who own one:
www.seatcupra.net/forums/
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Yes, VAG do have a problem.
I have had VAG cars for years. Would not touch another VW with a barge pole but that is due mainly to awful and arrogant service from the loacl dealership.
In the UK I have an A4 and an A6 (both last but one models, 4 and 5 years old) - no trouble at all with either and they are both as solid as the day they were bought. In Spain I have a new shape A4, it is awful in terms of driving dynamics, comfort, build quality etc. It is quite simply not of anything like the same class as the older model and feels built down to a price rather than up to a quality.
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Had a look at the Dekra web site.
Where is this league table of car faults situated. The index is enormous!
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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