Skoda Octavia Review, For Sale, Colours, Interior, Models & News

Skoda Octavia Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Skoda Octavia here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• Skoda Octavia 2016: Error message "reverse gear not available"

  The DSG gearbox in your car has given Skoda and other members of the Volkswagen family all sorts of grief over the years. The problem you’ve described suggests a build-up of metallic particles (from wear and tear inside the transmission) which are being attracted to the magnetic sensors inside the gearbox and leading to bogus commends being sent to the car’s on-board computer. I’ve also heard of these symptoms being the result of faulty mechatronics and even a software glitch. The mechatronic unit, by the way, is the module that acts as middle-man between the computer and the gear selectors and clutch packs contained within the gearbox itself.

  So there are three (among many) possibilities. And the VW (and Skoda) DSG transmission is no stranger to any of them. Either way, a loss of drive at any stage – whether it’s Drive or Reverse – is a potentially dangerous situation and needs to be fixed. Unfortunately, Skoda Australia only extended its factory warranty to five years on vehicles sold after January 1, 2017; after your car was sold. That said, I’d certainly be talking to the brand’s customer relations department with a view to at least finding out what’s wrong and then negotiating on whatever repairs are required.

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• Skoda Octavia 2000: Why does the engine keep stopping and won't restart?

  On the surface, it sounds like the electrical system is somehow letting you down, Todor. The no-charge light comes on because the engine has stalled and is not driving the alternator, so that’s probably not the root cause here. But only when the glow-plug light appears (which it should every time you turn the ignition on ready to crank the engine) will the engine fire. That’s the clue that whatever glitch is at work here has settled down and is allowing the electrical system to work properly. Of course, a diesel engine doesn’t have a spark (electric) ignition system, so we could be barking completely up the wrong tree here. That said, the modern diesel engine does use a series of electric fuel pumps, and a faulty pump could easily cause the problem you’ve described.

  With that in mind, the absolute best advice is to take the car to a workshop with the necessary diagnostic gear and have the car scanned to see what fault codes it coughs up. Until you do that, and can isolate the problem, you can run around in circles for months changing perfectly good components in a costly process of elimination.

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• Skoda Octavia RS245: Premium or Sports model?

  With a price premium of about $15,000 brand-new, the Sport model would seem to have the RS245 beaten for value, wouldn’t it? But it’s not that simple and even though the two are both Skoda Octavias, they are really very different vehicles in every other respect.

  While the Sport model is a sensible, practical (despite the Sport badge) sedan or wagon, the RS245 is a much more driver-focussed, sporty machine. The latter is much more firmly suspended and has performance braking hardware and big alloy wheels as well as a clever mechanical front differential to maximise its grip. The differences under the bonnet are just as obvious and with 110kW in the Sport playing 180kW in the RS245, you can guess which is the faster car to drive.

  So it really comes down to how much you value a car’s sporty nature. If you do, that $15,000 price jump might not seem so bad. If you don’t the RS245 becomes a very expensive take on the Octavia formula.

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• Holden Commodore: What's a good replacement?

  All of the cars you name meet your criteria of size, economy, performance and handling.

  You could also add the Mazda3 and 6 to the list.

  Of all of those I would nominate the Camry as the great all-rounder.

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