Worth paying more for an Audi over a Skoda?

The engine codes will be printed on a build sticker that'll be in the boot and IIRC, the engine code is also on the little information sticker on the drivers door shut that tells you weight limits etc.
 
doing some further reading on the pariah vw 1.5

Cambelt Change - No Longer 5 Years ?

Cambelt Change - No Longer 5 Years ? All Skoda Karoq related discussions - Skoda Karoq Forums
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Hi. I just took my car in for it's service with Marshall Skoda. It's a 2018 1.5 TSI so was having its 5 year service and originally was due to have a cambelt change. However, I received a call yesterday saying that Skoda no longer recommend a Cambelt change at 5 years for the 1.5 TSI engine, and now it's 150,000 miles ?!

In a nutshell, Skoda UK and the dealers were in an untenable position, there was so much information around that the belt didn't need changing at 5yrs that they were forced to come into line with other regions. The fact that the procedure for the 1.5 ACT was so complicated and needed specialist equipment and trained techs probably helped make up their minds! In reality the procedure for the 1.5 ACT was really only designed to be used when the camshaft had been removed e.g head off , probably because the belt was never designed to be routinely replaced!!
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so a 5 year old car with fsh would have had cam belt done before skoda conveniently changed the rules last year.
 
FWIW, I just swapped my '03 Octavia for the equivalent A4 Avant.
Engine-wise, it's the exact same thing, bulletproof, will do moon miles if properly maintained... but the ride is totally different. Audi really overengineered the suspension on this thing, and the difference is evident even to passengers who don't drive. Everything in the Audi is smoother, quieter and more subtle, where the Škoda is more raw and rough - This isn't a bad thing as you have the tolerance to misuse and abuse it a bit, making it great as a first car or a thrashabout.

The interiors are about the same standard, although my previous was an L&K trim. The Audi cup-holders and glove box are broken, of course, and it lacks some of the finer convenience features of the Škoda.
Electrics and all that are yet to be seen, but several friends have this same era A4 B6 and have not experienced any of the issues that the Octavia was starting to show. The downside of being a thrashabout is that previous owners will likely have thrashed it about already.

Split boots, or those with opening tailgate/taildoor windows are of some use, but this seems to only become apparent once you own one.
The wife has it on her CR-V and we obviously found it worked for certain situations with the dogs, but accessing upper sections of a fully loaded boot, loading stuff for a tip trip or packing in extended loads like wood from the DIY shop, all things you can't (so easily) do with a taildoor.
 
jpaul said:
doing some further reading on the pariah vw 1.5

Cambelt Change - No Longer 5 Years ?

Cambelt Change - No Longer 5 Years ? All Skoda Karoq related discussions - Skoda Karoq Forums
www.karoqforums.co.uk


so a 5 year old car with fsh would have had cam belt done before skoda conveniently changed the rules last year.
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Hmm, this seems like another reason to avoid the 1.5ACT engine??
 
ttaskmaster said:
FWIW, I just swapped my '03 Octavia for the equivalent A4 Avant.
Engine-wise, it's the exact same thing, bulletproof, will do moon miles if properly maintained... but the ride is totally different. Audi really overengineered the suspension on this thing, and the difference is evident even to passengers who don't drive. Everything in the Audi is smoother, quieter and more subtle, where the Škoda is more raw and rough - This isn't a bad thing as you have the tolerance to misuse and abuse it a bit, making it great as a first car or a thrashabout.

The interiors are about the same standard, although my previous was an L&K trim. The Audi cup-holders and glove box are broken, of course, and it lacks some of the finer convenience features of the Škoda.
Electrics and all that are yet to be seen, but several friends have this same era A4 B6 and have not experienced any of the issues that the Octavia was starting to show. The downside of being a thrashabout is that previous owners will likely have thrashed it about already.

Split boots, or those with opening tailgate/taildoor windows are of some use, but this seems to only become apparent once you own one.
The wife has it on her CR-V and we obviously found it worked for certain situations with the dogs, but accessing upper sections of a fully loaded boot, loading stuff for a tip trip or packing in extended loads like wood from the DIY shop, all things you can't (so easily) do with a taildoor.
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That was one of my original questions. The suspension in Audi's is very much over engineered and seems pretty solid. At 117k miles mine is just starting to feel loose enough for me to think work may be required soon. In contrast my brother bought a 2017 Octavia VRS and has already had to change lower arms / ball joints sub 50k miles. Could be due to hitting pot holes, we don't know what the previous owner did to it. Alas when I look at Audi suspension compared to Skoda's the Audi looks sturdy.

I'm not a badge snob, I'd buy anything. Being an aerospace engineer though I do look at how things are manufactured, which is why I had that question in the first place.

My glovebox is still working fine, but that's because I read about the common issue and lubed it all up! It's never been a problem for me.

I went to the local Volvo dealer today to see if I could get eyes on a V60 and V90 to compare boot space. Alas none in stock, only XC60s and I'm not sold on the boot space in those. Started to begrudgingly look at SUVs too as that's what the wife prefers. They have awful boot spaces though IMO, compared to the equivalent estate.
 
Gixer said:
Started to begrudgingly look at SUVs too as that's what the wife prefers. They have awful boot spaces though IMO, compared to the equivalent estate.
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Have the argument I had with my wife - We have the same size engine with the same horsepower, but I habitually gun it much more frequently. I also do more miles than her and more suburban driving.
Once a month, on pay day, I fill my car up. She spends the same amount to fill her SUV up, but she has to do it every week.
 
Gixer said:
That was one of my original questions. The suspension in Audi's is very much over engineered and seems pretty solid. At 117k miles mine is just starting to feel loose enough for me to think work may be required soon. In contrast my brother bought a 2017 Octavia VRS and has already had to change lower arms / ball joints sub 50k miles. Could be due to hitting pot holes, we don't know what the previous owner did to it. Alas when I look at Audi suspension compared to Skoda's the Audi looks sturdy.

I'm not a badge snob, I'd buy anything. Being an aerospace engineer though I do look at how things are manufactured, which is why I had that question in the first place.

My glovebox is still working fine, but that's because I read about the common issue and lubed it all up! It's never been a problem for me.

I went to the local Volvo dealer today to see if I could get eyes on a V60 and V90 to compare boot space. Alas none in stock, only XC60s and I'm not sold on the boot space in those. Started to begrudgingly look at SUVs too as that's what the wife prefers. They have awful boot spaces though IMO, compared to the equivalent estate.
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Even an XC60 is a hatchback raised up, they have about the same boot space as a V60.
 
ttaskmaster said:
Have the argument I had with my wife - We have the same size engine with the same horsepower, but I habitually gun it much more frequently. I also do more miles than her and more suburban driving.
Once a month, on pay day, I fill my car up. She spends the same amount to fill her SUV up, but she has to do it every week.
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This makes absolutely no sense unless her car consumes at least 4 times as much fuel as yours, which it won't do.
 
Maybe she drives a lot more miles? I know SUVs are mobile bricks and have worse economy but they can't be 4x worse. My wife likes the high, 'safe', driving position an SUV provides. I prefer the lower centre of gravity an estate provides. Personally I don't need to sit high to feel safe, I just need to be observant of all the other morons around me on the road. I prefer the boot space in an estate too, which is generally longer if not quite as high as an SUV.
 
[TW]Fox said:
This makes absolutely no sense unless her car consumes at least 4 times as much fuel as yours, which it won't do.
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According to Fuelio she gets about 18mpg, while I get an average of 56mpg. My best is 68.
I do drive with my MFD set to show fuel stats though, while she doesn't even have one, and I'm running a 1.9 TDi PD while hers is a petrol lump.
 
I thought you meant like for like engine. It's not comparing apples for apples if you don't both have the same engine. Still shocking mpg from a petrol engine though if it truly is 4x less. That'd be 18mpg average! I'd be questioning whether something was up with the engine, timing out a tooth or something? Unless all her journeys are very short and in and around town and I could understand the 18mpg then.
 
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Gixer said:
Hmm, this seems like another reason to avoid the 1.5ACT engine??
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yes that was what I poorly expressed - vw no longer requires belt to be done under fsh at 5 years .... because it is so dam expensive.

I have not looked for a summary of belt change requirements across all the vag range,
but it seems this would just be a liability under any dealers 2nd hand warranty, so - you need to give the car a good workout in the first few weeks of ownership ?
 
Gixer said:
I thought you meant like for like engine. It's not comparing apples for apples if you don't both have the same engine.
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They're within 0.1L of each other, same year and generate the same horsepower. That's all the detail she cares to know about.
Obviously the heavier SUV is a factor, as is the CR i-VTEC engine compared to the PD, and hers is the SE automatic whereas mine is a 6-speed manual... but again the finer details, or lack of appreciation for them, is why she always loses the argument.

Gixer said:
Still shocking mpg from a petrol engine though if it truly is 4x less. That'd be 18mpg average!
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That's what the calculations say she averages. I could (and previously have) done better even with my Octavia (which I understand *does* have the exact same engine as my Audi), but recent speedy school runs have dragged my own averages down lately.

Gixer said:
I'd be questioning whether something was up with the engine, timing out a tooth or something? Unless all her journeys are very short and in and around town and I could understand the 18mpg then.
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Nah, the 2nd gen CR-Vs are reknowned for being crap on fuel. The CR-V was only the second SUV on the market (RAV was the first, I believe) and while it's Honda-bulletproof-reliability is celebrated, with even the previously derisive Jeremy Clarkson later agreeing that it surprised him how wrong his predictions were, it's still pretty useless if you want to save pennies. I believe most owners get about 21mpg from it.

tom_e said:
Great example of how to misrepresent data, don't work for the government do you? :D
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No, but she does.....!
The lack of caring about what the actual data says and instead pushing an agenda that subsequently fails might be symptomatic of her role. :D
 
I've put a deposit to hold this. Should get to go and see it Thursday.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...code=so198gd&price-to=16000&radius=25&fromsra

I like the Volvos but they cost so much more and they still have their issues too, both V60 and V90. Anyone know anything in particular I should check on in this model?

I've read things to check are:
DSG box is smooth and goes all the way up and down (Are DSG issues common on Skodas?)
Unreliable sat nav (not a deal breaker)
Manual child lock disengages (fun!)
Rear wheel bearing issue (Recall happened)
Slow airbag (Recall happened)

Anything else folks?
 
I have been sent the reg and run an MOT history check

2022 MOT states
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
  • Coolant leak
2023 MOT states
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
  • coolant level low
So to me that says there's a coolant leak and it hasn't been fixed and they're just topping coolant up to keep things going. Hmmm. I've emailed to ask for proof of receipts for any fixes that have taken place to resolve that issue.
 
The DSG box on a 2.0TSI will more than likely be fine and not to be confused with the dry clutch boxes fitted to lower torque engines. I can't remember off the top of my head whether that would be the 6 or 7 speed for a non-vRS car of that age, either way at 38,000 miles it won't technically have been due a DSG service yet. If it's the 6 speed, it's due at 40,000 so I would push for that to be done as part of the sale really (if it hasn't already been done). If it's the 7 speed, it'll be the 80,000 mile schedule so you'd probably not convince them to do it but for the sake of £200 it may be worth doing yourself anyway for more peace of mind. I think it's probably the 7 speed though. The most common problem with the DSG in these is the microswitch that detects if it's in park or not and generates an irritating message about only leaving the car if the gearbox is in park - it's reasonably cheap to fix if it occurs and doesn't actually affect the functionality of the car.

Sat Nav and infotainment system will be fine on a 2018 car, it'll be MIB2.5, maps can be updated for free yourself (has to be using the official SD card and you may not fit Euro maps anymore due to size, UK maps should still be fine), has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay if you'd prefer to use those.

The 2.0TSI in the vRS was prone to the thermostat/waterpump housing leaking, I doubt the 190bhp version is much different, that's probably the cause of those MOT advisories, so I'd ask them to investigate that and replace if necessary prior to a purchase.
 
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