Skoda Octavia 1.9TDi Ambiente 90bhp

Superb car - Octavia 1.9TDI estate - has now done 140,000 with no problems, except one a couple of years ago -

exactly the same as previous guy Johnhp with mass air flow meter. Same experience, different garages, no-one knew what it was, forked out a fortune, but once the mass air flow meter was changed - absolutely fine.

Would recommend - economic, nice drive, huge boot, good old VW build.

I bought my 2000 Skoda Octavia Ambiente 1.9TDI 3 years ago.

About 10 weeks ago it suddenly started to misfire so badly that the car became undriveable, but the symptoms were intermitment. I took it to a Skoda dealer but he charged me 80 and did nothing. Then I took it to a diagnostic centre who said it was a diesel problem, but did not know exactly what and charged me another 60, so I took it to another diagnostic centre who said it was the turbo and one injector and charged me another 75. So I replaced the turbo and had one injector reconditioned for a cost of 600. Unfortunately no improvement and then someone suggested that it was the mass air flow meter so I bought a patent one for 30. Result better but still not right and one of the previously mentioned diagnostic centres was shamed into tesring the MAF and told me that I needed a more expensive one and that the copy one was faulty. Replaced the cheap copy with a Bosch and end of problem. Unfortunately I am 1000 poorer.

Excellent cars smooth drive smooth gearbox bags of room really easy going and brilliant fuel economy 55-65mpg. All the benefits from a Golf or a Bora with a little bit extra... worth buying...

Worth every penny forget Vauxhalls, Mondeos etc this is the one to have with VW build and reliability go for it...

I bought a discounted Skoda Octavia TdI for under £10k five years ago.

It has done 90,000 miles of London weekday and motorway weekend travel. Its only ever service was when it was due and two sets of tyres and brake shoes but nothing else.

Not even a pint of oil.

The car is a little noisy but has been great value for the money it cost and it shows signs of lasting another 100,000.

Hi.

I have Skoda Octavia L& K 1.9 TDI Black and here are my personal reviews - Before buying this I was also a fanatic Skoda fan since I usually used to see the tank from outside & not seen grim faces of people inside. Also when one purchases top model of a car one assumes its free of defects for that matter any model. I tell you 1972 FIatfeels softer in driving to skoda

1) Space - totally crampy - Looks so big to folks outside but no space inside. We are thin people in family and we find it hard to sit comfortable. I don't know for what space Skoda has give to boot since I guess people like to travel in car and not in boot.

2) Ride -

a) Clutch are way too heavy and I my left leg has now got pain when I drive around 30 km in city & forget about highways.

b) Horn in L&K is so hard in pressing that you need to stand on it. So your finger also pains

(c) One big problem with Skoda all models is that the engine just stops (SUDDEN KILL) at low city speeds - so what they have done is to give a little more fuel at low speed which takes your car to 30kp/hr in 2nd gear (this feature is so highlighted by Skoda dealer but this is naked truth that the engine just stops at low speed then you have to turn your keys all ways back to zero and then again rotate it full (and they have covered it) On roads it takes four secs min to restart for a smart drives and can crash with a car coming from behind - good when you are birdwatching else you have to move in half heavy clutch all the time or if your leg pains then press brakes all the time to control speed.

3) Very nice in average it usually give 15 ~ 16 km/l in city with AC & half clutch driving (as told above) on high way burn the road drive like you can and it will give you 20 ~ 22 km / ltr.

4) Doors are way too heavy. Suitable for wwf folks but can be dangerous if childern operate it since they have a recoil method to close it with a bang.

Conclusion - if you want to please Skoda then only buy or you have strong pocket and legs.

I bought the Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi Ambiente from new 2 years ago. It now has 19000 miles on the clock, and it has been first class! Nothing has broken or gone wrong. It has coped effortlessly with a family of five; with its huge boot there has been no need for a roof rack. 18 months ago I bought a little black box off the internet, it boosts the engine power from 90bhp to 110bhp by adjusting the injection fuel mapping, it was easy to fit and the change in acceleration and power was very noticeable, especially when towing a caravan, and the mpg didn't change. This VW Bora in Skoda clothing is the very best in value for money. They might share the same floor plan, engine, and many other parts. The most interesting part is the boot space. Bora owners will be amazed at the size of the Skoda boot and weep at the price they paid for a car with a smaller boot.

Bought this Skoda Octavia 1.9TDi Ambiente 90bhp car in June 2003. Done 25000 miles in it since then. I've not had any real problems during ownership. Just recently the rear brakes have begun to squeak a little but nothing to complain about. It's done it's fair share of motoway and local miles, on average it does 55-60 mpg, Great for the pocket. I have had it serviced by my local Skoda garage (Chatham)and found them to be very helpful too.

So impressed with this car and make I have just ordered the new Octavia Elegance. I will review that later this year.