Ordered a Skoda today!!

[maddog]

Thats me defecting from MB , fed up of the hopeless dealers and poorly made products

Going to of all things a Skoda. My wife has had an Octavia VRS for a couple of years now , totally trouble free less than £300 to service it every 18,000 miles , a dealer who always has a loaner, no admin charge, no having to sort your own insurance or having to accept the first £5k of any claim

The Skoda Superb is going to cost around 1/2 of what my E class estate did and even standard its far better equipped with some great options and has a lot bigger cabin, its bigger than a S class in the back

It seems to be getting some good reviews and i had a 48hr test drive in one and was very impressed only downside is its not the prettiest of cars but then neither is the W210 E Class estate

Truth is i like my E class i've had it almost 8 years and its been a great car I'll be really sorry to see it go , its never really let me down and doesnt cost the world to run but i dont see the value in a new one.

The dealers are awful they havent been able to maintain my W210 properly i have doubts of them being able to look after a new one and whilst people like Olly at PCS are a god send i think you'd be mad to take a new car out of the dealer network for servicing especially with the issues that the W210 had.

Well thats its, 10 weeks to wait , i'll be selling my E Class in the near future so if you know anyone who wants a low mileage s210 with lots of options pm me

 

[Nibbo]

A friend of mine is doing exactly the same.
Getting rid of his W210 for a Skoda and his sentiments were almost identical to yours.

He went to MB first and said they all but ignored him and then could not supply him with a test drive in the car that he was interested in.
He also said that at Skoda they could not do enough for him.

Good luck and I hope there are no regrets.

 

[wemorgan]

Skoda looks like a fine car.

If I had an 8 year old Merc I'd be going to an independent garage for better quality and cheaper service.....removing the need for a new car.

But if you wanted a new car anyway I can appreciate your sentiments.

 

[ringway]

I'm sure Crockers looked at a Skoda last week.
Seems to catching

 

[maddog]

Skoda looks like a fine car.

If I had an 8 year old Merc I'd be going to an independent garage for better quality and cheaper service.....removing the need for a new car.

But if you wanted a new car anyway I can appreciate your sentiments.

You cant with a W210 because of the rust issues ive had thousands of pounds worth of body repairs on my car and a new crossmember just back in October if you go out of the dealer network you lose any warranty

I dont have a problem with the cost of MB servicing i get Olly to do any other work anyhow keeping costs down , its the fact they make you jump through hoops to get a loan car and they cant seem to do the job properly the first time, every visit i have seems to generate another visit to get them to do the job properly

Plus i want a new car 8 years is plently long enough to keep a car

 

[wemorgan]

I'm new to MB cars and have been very surprised how many stories of rust I am hearing. Quite shocking for a premium brand.

So what engined Skoda are you getting?

 

[verytalldave]

Whilst I can fully sympathise with all the reasons you list to want to change from Mercedes, I somehow doubt whether your new car will give you lasting satisfaction.
It may very well boast cheaper running costs on a day-by-day basis and the dealer may be far keener than others.
But................
What I cant believe is that your new car will give you quite the same feeling as driving a Mercedes does.
Every time I get in mine and drive it up the road, I feel special and a small step up from 99% of other road users. A little certain something that is almost impossible to define.
However, I wish you well and many miles of happy trouble free motoring.

But many return as posts on here testify. There must be something in owning an MB that gets into the blood.
When that time comes, dont fight it ! ! ! ! !

 

[ringway]

You cant with a W210 because of the rust issues ive had thousands of pounds worth of body repairs on my car and a new crossmember just back in October if you go out of the dealer network you lose any warranty

I dont have a problem with the cost of MB servicing i get Olly to do any other work anyhow keeping costs down , its the fact they make you jump through hoops to get a loan car and they cant seem to do the job properly the first time, every visit i have seems to generate another visit to get them to do the job properly

Plus i want a new car 8 years is plently long enough to keep a car

Maddog, I think I know what you mean about the return visits to get things done properly... I think a season ticket may be the solution with
the main dealer I use....

Best of luck with the new car -for what it's worth, I don't think it is a bad looking car at all and you may well look back on this move as a very good idea.

 

[verytalldave]

I'm new to MB cars and have been very surprised how many stories of rust I am hearing. Quite shocking for a premium brand.

So what engined Skoda are you getting?

There was a period of time when MB QA lost the plot and cars were being made that simply were not worthy of the badge.
However, I think most will agree that time has come to an end and new cars are as good as they can practically get. Full galvanising and paint finishes hopefully mean a long rust free life for all new cars.

 

[maddog]

What I cant believe is that your new car will give you quite the same feeling as driving a Mercedes does.
Every time I get in mine and drive it up the road, I feel special and a small step up from 99% of other road users. A little certain something that is almost impossible to define.
However, I wish you well and many miles of happy trouble free motoring.

I didnt quite get such a good feeling driving my Mercedes when the wheel arches rusted after only 5 years

 

[Rory]

Skoda dealers do have a good reputation but I've twice been bitten by other VAG marques and have vowed "never again". I'm extremely umimpressed by daughter's SEAT Ibiza (Skoda Fabia / VW Polo) failing MOT at 4 years /34K miles on multiple points and both the dealership and SEAT thinking that that's OK.

One of my neighbours switched from many years of Mercedes ownership to a Lexus GS300 and he says his only regret is that he didn't do it sooner. Interestingly the Lexus and Skoda dealer around here is the same company.

 

[maddog]

I'm new to MB cars and have been very surprised how many stories of rust I am hearing. Quite shocking for a premium brand.

So what engined Skoda are you getting?

I'm getting the 2.0 TDI 170hp Common rail with the standard 6 speed manual (didnt fancy DSG)

Its not just the rust there are heaps of other issues valeo for example but most of all the dealers are so poor

My E class was over £40k new in 8 years its lost around £34k , if the Superb lasts 5 years i'll be ££££'s in

 

[trapperjohn]

This is so sad, I drive my Mercs with pride. True they are at the other end of the buying scale and have lost all the value they had, excelpt to me. They run well, are comfy as hell, heaters like blast furnaces and gain much admiration when others see their condition and marvel at the milage they have on them. They keep IBW busy too! BMCs, Fords, VWs, Seats, Rover 75s had them all. There is nothing, nothing, that beats the feel of running and owning a Mercedes. Hopefully you will be back to the marque. Enjoy the Skoda.

 

[pauldmaynard]

I can fully understand your move to Skoda I hope it gives you good service I am not going to say how bad my 8 month old E-Class is I think members dont want to here it but Mercedes cars are now NOT worth the money

 

[wobbly]

I'm new to MB cars and have been very surprised how many stories of rust I am hearing. Quite shocking for a premium brand.

Three year old ML has gone in today, for rust repairs, Im not very happy.

 

[wobbly]

You cant with a W210 because of the rust issues ive had thousands of pounds worth of body repairs on my car and a new crossmember just back in October if you go out of the dealer network you lose any warranty

I dont have a problem with the cost of MB servicing i get Olly to do any other work anyhow keeping costs down , its the fact they make you jump through hoops to get a loan car and they cant seem to do the job properly the first time, every visit i have seems to generate another visit to get them to do the job properly

Plus i want a new car 8 years is plently long enough to keep a car

ML gone in today, for the third time in three weeks to fix the rear tailgate lock, and then its going straight to the body shop for rust repairs.

 

[maddog]

Skoda dealers do have a good reputation but I've twice been bitten by other VAG marques and have vowed "never again". I'm extremely umimpressed by daughter's SEAT Ibiza (Skoda Fabia / VW Polo) failing MOT at 4 years /34K miles on multiple points and both the dealership and SEAT thinking that that's OK.

One of my neighbours switched from many years of Mercedes ownership to a Lexus GS300 and he says his only regret is that he didn't do it sooner. Interestingly the Lexus and Skoda dealer around here is the same company.

I know how you feel before my wife had the Octavia she had a Beetle and after EVERY service the VW dealer tried to have our pants down for imaginary work

Crowning glory was telling me it was dangerous and needed £800's worth of work to get through the mot , I asked my local mot place to check and mot the car and they ended up charging me for 30 minutes work to correct a broken exhaust bracket total cost was around £80 inc the mot

They have tried this with other people i know but i dont think just VAG are guilty of this

 

[mattc]

Have you thought about buying an older merc for high days and holidays? A convertible or coupe perhaps. Might remind you what you are missing whilst in the Eurobox .

Personally I have heard nothing but good reports about Skodas - hope you enjoy it.

 

[crockers]

I'm sure Crockers looked at a Skoda last week.
Seems to catching

Interestingly the Lexus and Skoda dealer around here is the same company.

Yes I was tempted .......... but I prefered my current car (albeit I haven't driven the Skoda)..It is a well made car (well it appeared so in the showroom) and is fantastic value for money (as much as any car can be).

Interesting that in Swindon Lexus and Skoda are owned by Fish Brothers - but then so are Renault, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Honda......BUT...BMW, Porsche, Mini, Maserati, Ferrari are all owned by **** Lovett...(Mercedes used to be but they lost the franchise)

 

[Smarties]

I briefly had a 'new generation MB' a 230 SLK, but rust, warrenty and dealer issues prompted me to ditch it pronto. I will always drive behind the 3 pointed star, but have stuck to models of a period when they knew how to make cars, W107, W201, W124.