We are not allowed to post links to that website owned by the Murdoch's ;-) You're lucky the whole link did not go. Site rules which we all have to abide by. No problem for me if I remember when posting links.
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We are not allowed to post links to that website owned by the Murdoch's ;-)
I think you are allowed to bypass that diktat if linking via "tinyurl".
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I think you are allowed to bypass that diktat if linking via "tinyurl". negatory there good buddy, i posted the site via tinyurl and it was snipped,the mods say it comes from hj himself so you will have to email hj or the mods if you need more info
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"diktat ?"
No its site policy, breach it at your risk !
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> Wots all dem asterisks for?
>> snip
computa say no vats wy ;-)
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 09/11/2007 at 22:45
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Thanks.
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well even im shocked now :-o
does that mean it doesnt exist then?
even if it does?
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"find the steering very light for a diesel and a very pleasant drive. Honest John from the Daily Telegraph thinks its a good drive too!! I live down an unmade up dirt-track"
In reading the replies to JC's test in the "other place" one of the 39 replies from readers says the above !
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Well its arrived full write up shortly.
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First Impressions.
1. Dealer Experience - This was a non-local franchise part of a non-chain multi franchise set-up. The company has a good reputation. Arrived late on Saturday afternoon, it was pretty busy there, dressed in scruffs but driving a luxo-barge didn't expect much attention but was pleasantly surprised, given the car keys after showing an interest, wasn't offered a test drive but I didn't ask either...Skoda have a 48 hour test drive offer anyway. Anyway deal was struck, no GAP or "treatments" offered. Car would be ready in a week (today). No contact from dealer all week other than when I phoned yesterday, they seemed surprised I'd bothered car would be ready as promised. Little or no fuss when I got there today, car handed over, minimal paperwork completed, shown all the controls etc. Additionally told I was welcome to service outside the Skoda network as long as OE parts were used the warranty would be valid.
Sum up - totally laid back and honest transparent service, none of this malarkey about seeing his manager and that, no pressure almost disinterested sales technique, but a far better experience than when we bought the Golf earlier this year from a well known national chain. Perfect. When I asked the sales guy about his apparent lack of "passion" he said I'd come i knowing what I wanted and he responded to that.
2. Car Experience. - Almost unknown territory for me buying a car at this end of the market, however this car exceeded my expectations, everything has a quality feel to it, the wheel is made of the same leather as the Golf GTI's and feels a quality item at the MMI. Lots of sensible little extras. On the road the car feels well planted, slightly noisy engine (compared to a BMW six !). Light clutch, superb gearchange (again feels better than the Golf's), rattle free at all speeds, haandling is good and it drives very flatly in bends. Another thing I like is that the steering has life, far more than any of the MK2 Focus' I have driven - they feel dead around the centre. Driving postition is fine, I expected it to be too narrow,but its OK. Performance is suprisingly good gets to and cruises at the limit as fast as anything (except perhaps a bi-turbo BMW !) well you know what I mean. Ergonomically brilliant and a sound solid cab.
3. Initial Sum-up - Its a Marmite car - you either like it or you don't, I do especially with the black bodykit of the Scout which breaks up the cliff-like side profiles. MrsP has made complimentary comments (!), dog number 1 is a bit non-plussed at the moment, finally some neighbours came to see it, they never bothered whenever I got a new BMW. Sums it up,.
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Interesting. The salesman sounds like the salesman we bought our Berlingo from - "almost disinterested" and without "passion". And yet that was absolutely right. We knew what we wanted, he answered our questions, and he didn't waste our time telling us about things we were not interested in.
I was also fascinated by Clarkson's comments: "Ordinarily, there is nothing on God?s earth quite as depressing as a mini-MPV ...The only exceptions to this rule, thus far, have been the Ford S-Max and the Citroën Berlingo: two genuinely clever and appealing cars. But the Roomster is better still."
Between Pugugly and Clarkson, I could just about be tempted away from the Berlingo. Well, maybe not quite - but if I was one of the neighbours, I'd certainly come to see it :-)
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Slightly different scenario I know, but when I got my Fabia vrS there was no hard sell either. I had phoned to arrange test drive, was paying cash with no trade in, agreed a price over the phone subject to test drive.
On the trst drive the salesman invited me to be adventurous, in his words, I had done all my homework, I knew all about the car and he was confident the driving experience wouldn't let me down.
And he was right, straight after the test drive I signed for the car.
I wonder if a big part of Skoda salesmen's technique is along the lines of "skodas are a lot better than some people think they are, they are VWs without the price" and let the car sell itself?
--
2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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had the same with wife's Jag 18 months ago......i think giving the appearance you know what you're talking about as the customer helps........and maybe dealing with a provincial dealer.
Now the same marque's dealer closeish to London was a totallly different story... both of us marched out of there saying "no chance".
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Just been out in the dark - a couple of other thoughts.
Been sitting behind Xenons for the last few years, just realized how good they are ! Although the projector type lights have a very defined cut-off on this car, the dip-beam are too low in my opinion on country roads. Main beam is obviously better. May end up adding a pair of additional lights if I keep this a long time. This one has Adaptive lighting - bizzare, one "fog" light comes on when going slowly around corners, they make one hell of a difference but know doubt raise eyebrows and blood pressure of the ill-informed. Overall, better lights than the MKV Golf ! Indicators are highly visible on the front, again superior to the Golf's glowworms and they show up well without the fancy (expensive) door mirror mounted Golf ones.
Brilliant rear lights, full length obligatorily lams, double reverse and high profile indicators.
Curses - Dashboard lights are not variable, but illuminated in classic green, which quite retro.
Brakes are very fierce by the way.
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Honeymoon period over ?
Well, I still like it. Got let out of a busy car park twice today - flat cap may have helped.
Brimmed it getting just over 50 to the gallon. Not bad as it spends most of its time on Country roads and I don't hang about. Gripes, no heated seats (£160 pound extra new), don't like the VW remote. Carp fuel locking set up. heating slower that the BMWs to kick in, some obvious corner cutting in the fittings department, but still very solid though. Oh and the front seat sensor for the seatblet warning light (passenger) being too sensitive, dog sets it off when she insists on sitting in the front - The Springers feign indifference, the Cocker hates it and howls after dark.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 24/11/2007 at 14:20
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And the most missed "gadget" of all........self dipping mirror, far more useful than auto lights and wipers.
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Hear hear to that - my Golf has a self-dipping mirror, the first I've had (wasn't on either the Audi or Mercedes that came before it). Let's hope that they're one of those extras that gradually become universal.
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I have now come to think of it as.....wait for it.....a natural evolution of the Morris 1000 Traveller. I've now gone full circle car wise !
Lengthy motorway trip the other day, no shocks its as quick as it needs to be and can keep up with the traffic. I'll have to get out of the habit of occupying lane 3 though - give Skoda drivers a bad name ! :-)
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give Skoda drivers a bad name ! :-)
Speaking as a former press-on driver of bog standard Estelles, PU, I think I can assure you that they already have one.
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Unbelievably I've now completed 10k in six months (well I've done 8000 the rest was on the car when I bought it) Spanner came up today for its first service. Its booked into a dealer in Wales (where I expect to be by Wednesday). The huge mileage due to family drama at Christmas.
However I still love it, its loosening up nicely, more economical, smoother and quicker now since the last three fills have been of Shell (as opposed to Texaco). Two dealer visits both to retrofit extras ("Dog" Guard - dunno what kind of dogs they have in the Czech Republic but not a patch on a Cocker for escape skills obviously, and a tow bar). Nothing has broken in the car, no rattles, except a little one from the Dog Guard. Had a price for the service - £100.00 on the nose.....still sitting down, nowhere near the expected hit that I used to get in BMW dealers.
The car is totally practical, the rear seats a little weighty when you take them out, otherwise fine, easy to clean out when dogs have been out shooting or swimming. Rapidly replacing the Defender as a local runabout.
Went this morning for a test drive in the XKF (write up later) dealer didn't give me or the Skoda a second glance and was attentive and let me out on my own in the Jag...(once he'd seen ID - knew the Photo Licence would come in handy)
Dealers going to fit me Nautilus horn as well - apparently.
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Nautilus horn fitted - significant difference, they charged me 1/4 hour of labour to do it.
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PU, you have the Scout, don't you? I've just ordered a Roomster 3 1.9TDi - we needed something bigger inside than our Fabia estate but no bigger externally, and that ruled out all the van based "compact" mpvs - looked at the new Berlingo - it was truly enourmous! The Roomster is quite a sizable car internally - enough to carry the folding wheelchair and walker or electric buggy!
Delivery in 4 weeks I hope!
BTW I've looked at those wind deflectors you have - do they affect mpg at all?
Edited by b308 on 11/10/2008 at 17:04
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Yes a Scout - still like it, and it still draws attention to itself sometimes in car-parks and the such-like. The 1.9 diesel is an excellent motor in this car - it has run in well now nearly 15k up in a year. Returns 55 mpg come hell and high water. One dog hates it with a vengeance though. Don't know if the deflectors affect the consumption 'cos I haven't had them off to check. The adaptive lighting things are brilliant. I rather hope they annoy other (ignorant) drivers. The motor is as strong as a horse and has sufficient poke for most things. It was funny re-reading this nearly a year down the line, Mrs P successfully predicted the recession which is why the BMW went before it lost too much money for us. The Landy has gone now a bit sooner than expected.
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It is a non-threatening sort of motor in which one can cruise in lane 3 without fear of being stereotyped by others. :-)
Edited by Pugugly on 11/10/2008 at 19:53
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It is a non-threatening sort of motor in which one can cruise in lane 3 without fear of being stereotyped by others. :-)
If you do buy back the beemer, then maybe you should stick a ?koda badge on it to ensure that your progress continues to avoid generating hostility :)
In fact, if you glued on a ?koda radiator grille over the top of that kidney-shaped bit on the front of the beemer, it might even work ...
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Its the lights - the Skoda has big bovine eyes - I'll chuck a swede at it shortly - or old time's sake.
Edited by Pugugly on 11/10/2008 at 21:13
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Or take a headmistress for a spin............
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Don't ! Last time I saw her she had a E46 Touring.
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Estate cars are so versatile.
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Shhh ! Don't mention the "E" word in front of an owner - Its a Touring, definitely not an estate.
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Non-threatening perhaps, and stylish too in its way whatever the aesthetic mainstream may think (wake up AE!).
But when it filters quietly past them at 93 or so on the motorway, don't you find a lot of jumped-up carphounds in Beemers waking up and forming an orderly, tailgating queue to put it in its place?
Just wondered...
:o}
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Maybe so, Lud - but is there a car in the world that doesn't cause BMW 3 drivers (and, increasingly these days, those in black Audi A4s) to behave like that? (I find 5 drivers generally have less they feel they have to prove.)
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I was just trying innocently, tee hee, to stir up a repressed part of PU really. I myself don't have badge/driver stereotyping to a very marked degree. It's because what I really like is the automobile, warts and all.
No doubt if I drove a Beemer people would think of me as a blaring hobbledehoy Toad type. I am doing my best to shift the blaring hobbledehoy image to rough old Fords at the moment.
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Me too Lud. Can you give me some tips? I've tried the sunglasses on top of the head thing but they keep falling off when I brake.......
:-(
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Thanks PU... and the rest of you... I'll look out for that queue of BMs and A4s when I get it...
:)
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I,ve had my Roomster3 just 4 months, in that time the 'Power steering' has gone over a dozen times, its been in the workshop 5 times and 'Road-side Assistance' have been out 4 times. with the steering been mechanical unlike the fluid type to move the wheel is very hard and sometimes when it went I would be pulling onto a major road, it happend just the once and I had to put the car in revers and return to my parking spot. The car is back in the garage now and I,m waiting for them to tell me its ready to be picked-up, I will see how long it is before the 'Power steering' packs in AGAIN. Beleive me its getting so as I dont want to drive this car, I never know what will happen next, but I will keep you posted now I have found your site. john048
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I've had my Fabia 1.9tdi for seven and a half years! I bought it new in May 2001 and the PAS has been the only recurring problem.
If the PAS on your car is the same as mine i.e. an electrically driven pump rather than an engine driven one, you may well find the problem is not the PAS itself, but faulty power cable/s within the electrics of the car.
The symptoms I have experienced are now so familiar that I know when a PAS failure is coming! The headlights flicker when the direction indicators are used, the lights dim when applying full lock when parking and sometimes the PAS fails too, at the same time.
Oddly, if I turn off the engine & re-start it all is instantly well!
I think the low voltage sends a signal to the on-board computer which tells it that the PAS has failed - so it does until rebooted!
Replacing the faulty cable cures it until the next time. At my last service I knew that the problem was about to re-occur so I mentioned it to the receptionist and sure enough among the replaced parts left in the car was a power cable. It's only about a foot long, obviously fairly heavy duty, but why haven't the VW group sorted it out?
Blowed if I know.
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PAS - that's interesting; A week before we traded in our 2001 Fabia 1.9 TDi the power steering light came on; albeit intermittently. Steering was still working fine though. Very good car though and I still maintain it was a better car than the MINI Cooper it replaced.
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Do they do Roomsters in black? I can't think of any vehicle that looks more like a hearse apart from hearses themselves!
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