Skoda Octavia Scout (2007 - 2012) 2.0 TDI PD Scout 4x4 5d (2007/07) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Cost effectiveness and appreciation for build quality.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Thought it was great until the catastrophic problems began.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Was tempted but have just lost faith in Skoda brand - they weren't issued in questions raised about faults that mine developed, despite going regularly to Skoda dealership for servicing. Their view was complete disinterest as the car had done over 80,000 miles. 2nd hand buyers beware. I was signed up to be a life Skoda customer, was initially really impressed, but my latest experience has made me very wary of buying Skoda again. The word is that they're churning out poorer models yet relying on earlier reliability stats to maintain sales.

What are you likely to buy next?

Got a CRV. Will try Honda this time for reliability as I have lost faith in Skoda brand.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£10,495

When did you buy the car?

April 2010

Did you get a good deal and why?

The deal seemed very good. The car had 70,000 miles and had been used for some agricultural use, so interior condition wasn't mint. However Octavias had a reputation for being long-lasting (especially the engines) which made it a confident buy.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Seemed to be recommended by public agencies for reliability and responsive driving.

What was the dealer like?

Helpful. I was sold on the idea of an Octavia Scout before he'd said anything to me, and at that point they were quite difficult to come by on the second-hand market.

What's it like to drive?

I occasionally need to do response driving and the turbo performed really well for this. Smooth ride, not as clunky as an elevated 4x4. However once my 2.0 TDI engine problems began, it was quickly undriveable.

What's it like to park?

Good rear parking sensors. Fairly easy.

Have you had any problems with the car?

In the beginning it was reliable. I did ensure that the car was regularly and fully serviced, as my job requires good reliability. Since hitting 100,000 miles everything seems to have gone wrong. Here's the faults... Dual mass flywheel - just a week after servicing the car (cost £1000) the DMF disintegrated. Cost £1300. Newer models use a solid-mass flywheel. Diesel particulate filter - located too far away from the engine heat. Rural folk, look elsewhere (would be £1000 to replace). 2.0 TDI - people are buying based on reliability of 1.9 TDI... but loads of issues appearing now. Mine developed rapid oil starvation. New camshaft & camshaft toppers, then oil pump. (£1500). New crankshaft was required (£1900) so I sold it at loss.

What's most practical about your car?

4x4 was excellent in the snow. Boot space huge. Aircon effective. Nice drive (when the engine works).

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Only supplied in one spec - and fairly highly. Automatic windscreen wipers and headlights were great. Cruise control good. Heated wing mirrors were a novelty.