Skoda vs Renault parts pricing

[indulis]

If you've read any of my other posts, you may have seen that I am a bit (okay a LOT) p1ssed off with Renault, who I have suspected of being thieving Gallic pirates of the utmost evil.

Well today, as part of my last few sales objections, I asked my VW/Skoda car salesman to follow up on some pricing for me.

Here is the result

Ignition coil (per cylinder), qty=1, part only

• Renault $400
• Skoda/VW $125

Replacement fog light, qty=1, part only

• Renault $300
• Skoda/VW $171

Accessory (air con etc) drive belt replacement inc labour

• Renault approx $1000 (includes new roller guides but dealer won't fit the belt without them)
• Skoda/VW $190 (replace belt only)

Now, while the last item is debatable, as you could put a case for replacing the tension rollers etc that go with the belt, but $800 for a couple of roller bearings mounted on a bit of metal seems pretty excessive.

Based on another part which had a cost of over $200 to get a bit of flat metal with a gasket attached, and you can't buy the gasket, there is a pattern of over-bundling spare parts at work with Renault I think! I think if I had to get a new door rubber they'd sell me the door.

So, final objection overcome, Skoda vRS diesel here I come! (trade in price and bank permitting)

PS some other prices- estimated cost to replace timing belt in engine approx $800 inc labour, additional 3 years 60,000 Km VW extended warranty $1980

[brad]

PS some other prices- estimated cost to replace timing belt in engine approx $800 inc labour, additional 3 years 60,000 Km VW extended warranty $1980

You have a timing belt? One of the reasons i targeted the 1.8TSI was timing chain.

That extended warranty can be had for about $1500 & you can wait until the last minute to buy it.

[indulis]

Well what a rude moonful chap you are

I just asked for the equivalent of the timing belt replacement in my Renault- I guess it is a timing chain then! Anyway, whatever it is, it means taking the engine apart to do it, and it is a lot cheaper on the VAG cars than on the Frog car.

[brad]

Well what a rude moonful chap you are

I just asked for the equivalent of the timing belt replacement in my Renault- I guess it is a timing chain then! Anyway, whatever it is, it means taking the engine apart to do it, and it is a lot cheaper on the VAG cars than on the Frog car.

I'm sure the diesels do have a timing belt.

What I was saying is that I chose the 1.8tsi petrol because (among other reasons) it didn't have a timing belt. The chain isn't on the maintenance schedule, so if you keep the car more than a few years it's a bit cheaper to service (apart from spark plugs).

Any particular reason you are choosing the diesel?

[indulis]

Everything about the 1.8 sounds really good, and at the price I can put in other options like Xenon and leather seats and still be under the VRS price. I am wondering if there are any 1.8 DSG Audi A3s or Skodas in stock in Perth or Melb (visit in a few weeks) that I could take for a spin? [just checked a couple of demo ones in Perth]

Thanks for the info (I did take your 1st post in good humour)!

PS how did the drive on the 1.8 compare to any other Octavias you might have test driven?

[brad]

Thanks for the info (I did take your 1st post in good humour)!

If you looked at the other forum I help run..... well....

PS how did the drive on the 1.8 compare to any other Octavias you might have test driven?

I can't remember the other Skodas. I first tried them in Oct 07 and I think I drove a 103kw diesel & the vRS around the backstreets of Croydon (semi-innercity Sydney/Parramatta Rd) and it was a totally unsuitable test track & the dealer wanted silly money because they were new on the market.

Then I decided on a Golf because they were cheaper than Skodas.
Drove a 103kw diesel with DSG comfortline & thought it was a floaty boat with excessive lag & too small a powerband.
Then a GT Sport 1.4 manual that was great but seemed very busy.
Then a 125kw GT Sport diesel which was fantastic.
Then a 147kw GTI which made me grin from ear to ear.

Was ready to buy a GT Sport diesel but they were 3-4 months wait.

Then a Skoda dealer opened near work and I looked at the vRS and I didn't like the interior. I also wasn't to sure how the 18" rims would stand up to the roads that I drive on (I go to a lot of dam sites & catchment areas & the roads are lousy). Also the price was pushing the budget.

Drove the 1.8TSI and the power was adequate & had much more grunt than my old Golf 2.0 (and heaps more than my Liberty 2.5). The rest of the package was great & the price & trade-in was way better than the Golf. I went back to the VW dealer and asked for another $4k trade-in on my Cabrio & he offered me $1k less than previous.

It took me a while to get a parallel but it's very similar in size and engine performance to my old VB Commodore with 4.2L V8.

[gregozedobe]

I test drove various Golfs and Octavias with several different engines before I bought my Octy vRS.

I really liked the Octy 1.8 TSI engine, found it was very smooth, good low down torque and a decent surge of power once you got the revs up. I preferred the seats and suspension/handling of the vRS (and the extra power didn't hurt either), so that's what I bought. I don't think you would be disappointed with the performance of the 1.8 if that is what you end up buying.

My usual advice applies - drive the contenders back to back, preferably on roads you are familiar with. I would also try to drive a car with the engine AND gearbox you are intending to buy - the VAG DSG is not for everyone, (but then again neither is the manual gearbox to everyone's taste)

Remember that the HIDs (Xenons) on the pre-facelift Octavias is Lo beam only (ie not hi beam), I don't know whether they fixed that on the face lifted version or not ?

[mrx]

Likewise, I also drove the 1.8TSI & vRS. The performance of the 1.8 felt good, but you do notice the extra when you go straight from that into the vRS. Particularly taking it up that big hill to the water tower in Doubleview. I figured by the time I upgraded the suspension, wheels & tyres I wouldn't be far off the price of the vRS anyway so might as well get that and have a more powerful engine as well.

[brad]

Likewise, I also drove the 1.8TSI & vRS. The performance of the 1.8 felt good, but you do notice the extra when you go straight from that into the vRS. Particularly taking it up that big hill to the water tower in Doubleview. I figured by the time I upgraded the suspension, wheels & tyres I wouldn't be far off the price of the vRS anyway so might as well get that and have a more powerful engine as well.

I had no intention to do mods. I can't lower it because of the previously mentioned crap roads.

About the only mod I'd consider seriously is a remap if it was < $800.

If you want the full "sporty family truckster" experience then vRS is the smart option and I'm sure the extra 30kw is a barrel of fun.

Mods I have done so far:
Changed capacitors on front tweeters
Deleted Octavia badge (when i had the boot repaired - otherwise it would have stayed)

to do: Capacitor change on rear tweeters (this weekend).

[woofy]

I was thinking about sorting out the capacitors, but I think I have a crap/broken antenna from the get go, I'm ok with the sounds via ipod or CD but radio sounds awful...so I think there was a fault when I first bought it. Need to check it with someone elses in person though yet, could just be the many tram lines around here which seem to stuff up reception a lot.