Skoda Superb 2010 Problems

Skoda Superb is a large family car; longer than the Australian family sixes, indeed more in line with the Holden Caprice and Ford LTD than the standard Commodores and Falcons. However, the Czech car is not as wide as the Aussie cars.The Superb has limousine-size rear legroom and appeals to families consisting of Mum, Dad and a couple of hulking teenage sons. Three adults in the rear work without too much shoulder rubbing, but two makes more sense.While the Superb would work beautifully as a limousine, it’s a brave driver that turns up at a client’s place with something other than a German prestige marque.The Superb sedan/hatchback arrived in Australia in May 2009, May 2010 saw the launch of the station wagon. The Superb has never been as big a seller as its should - a statement that can be applied to the entire Skoda range in this country.Push one button at the rear of a Skoda Superb and a conventional bootlid opens. Close the bootlid and push a different button and a large rear hatch opens. Great fun and guaranteed to bemuse your neighbours!There are some very clever touches; the rear passenger doors have a compartment for a folding umbrella, thus doing away with the dangerous practice of carrying an umbrella on the rear parcel shelf. There’s a detachable torch housed in the tailgate of the wagon. It not only shines into the boot, but also illuminates the area outside the back of the vehicle. The torch is battery powered and is automatically recharged when it's in it cradle.Ride and handling show typical European characteristics, with the Superb having the solid feel of all vehicles designed by the Volkswagen group.Some may find the ride is slightly too firm, particularly on roads that should be in better conditions. But keen drivers will appreciate the firmer rid and will like the relatively neutral feel of the chassis. It doesn’t really show any signs of understeer until you’re going pretty hard into corners.The most common powertrain in the Superb is the Volkswagen 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine linked to a DSG double-clutch gearbox.The DSG has the usual failing of being lumpy and awkward at low speeds on light accelerator pressure.Other engine options are a four-cylinder 1.8-litre petrol and a 3.6 litre V6 in the 4x4 model. The six-cylinder is a delight to sit behind, smooth and torquey, but not many sold so it’s hard to find on the used-car scene.There aren’t a lot of Skoda dealers in Australia and those that do exist are chiefly in the major metro areas. Then again most of the Superb’s out of sight parts are shared with Volkswagen and Audi vehicles so getting spares, servicing and repairs shouldn't be a hassle if you shop around.These are relatively complex vehicles and we don’t feel the unskilled owner should do anything other than the most basic work on the Superb. Should you wish to tackle it, it makes sense to get hold of a workshop manual. As always, leave anything related to safety to the experts.Insurance charges for this big Skoda vary more than normal from company to company, probably because the numbers are too small to have built up a steady body repair history. Shop around, but make sure you do accurate apples-with-apples comparisons.Skoda has been caught up in the dirty diesel Volkswagen Group engine scandal. Cars with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel may be defective. Get onto the Skoda website and enter the VIN, it’s visible from the outside of the windscreen on the passenger side.The DSG gearbox has had more than its fair share of problems. During your test drive check that it doesn’t jump from gear to gear unnecessarily, or even slip into neutral for no reason. Repairs can be expensive, some Superbs may have had the DSG replaced altogether, check the service books.While on the subject of service books, it makes sense to buy a Superb with that book rubber stamped by an official dealer.Look for signs of previous body repairs. The easiest to spot are ripples in the panels and tiny specs of paint on non-painted surfaces. If in doubt either skip the car or have a profession after-smash repair, preferably in a workshop.Look for excessive wear and tear in the rear seat area and the luggage compartment. The sheer usability of these big Skodas mean they are often worked hard as family transport.When considering a relatively rare used vehicle it’s smart to do homework in your local area on the availability of spare parts and servicing.

YOU'VE almost got to wonder, who buys all those cars? To say nothing of the SUVs and commercial jiggers.  Private owners and fleets bought almost 81,500 new vehicles last month. Of course, the usual suspects - Holden, Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Hyundai - do most business among the 50 or so brands on offer. But for every no-brainer buy there's an overlooked, if not unloved, model sitting on the lot.If you fancy a bit of vive la difference, we've unearthed some hidden treasures whose lack of popularity ought to compel the sales people to do a deal for you.Alfa Romeo 159Sales in April: 29Price:$49,990-$82,990THOUGH a non-starter in the premium sales stakes led by zer Chermans, Alfa's now five-year-old midsize sedan and wagon will be with us for another two years.Upgrades have seen it shed a bit of lard and get a six-speed automatic that works with it, as opposed to behaving like a transplanted organ the body's rejecting. Most 159s sold now are TI editions with lowered suspension and lustrous, but eminently kerbable, 19-inch alloys.Hardly the sharpest tool in the shed but, my, isn't she lovely? Gorgeous, actually.  Standard equipment levels are high, so put the acid on the dealer for a good driveaway deal.* Our choice: 2.4 JTDm auto sportwagonCitroen C5Sales in April: 16Price: $45,990-$72,990DESPITE its dashing appearance, the driving reality of this almost entirely diesel line-up can be considered exciting only if you accept boules as an extreme sport. It ain't sportif, but that's the point.What it does, in its Gallic shrugging way, is provide a classically wafty Citroen ride in a package that looks equally at home in Paris, Provence or Parramatta. The 3.0 twin turbo V6 oiler would convert an avowed petrolhead but, in Australia's Third World road conditions, isn't sufficiently superior to the 2.0-litre four potter to justify the price.* Our choice: 2.0 HDi ComfortFiat 500Sales in April: 25Price: $22,990-$33,990THING is, everyone who wants a mini 2+2 convertible goes for, well, a Mini. The irresistible new Bambino now comes with a rag top, in addition to its more stalwart though hardly less cute coupe siblings.Indeed, how much cute can you cope with? Given its level of kit and customisation options, the 500 is as much a bite-sized luxury car as a city-friendly commuting device.The current lack of an auto option in all versions across the range keeps sales to niche levels but, hey, this is a compact Italian job. Over there, even the most venerable nonna can handle a stick shift. Anecdotal evidence suggests the Fix-It-Again-Tony days are way behind Fiat.* Our choice: 1.4 Lounge manualHonda Civic HybridSales: 75-80 (since January)Price: $34,490WHILE Toyota's Prius is effectively a synonym for petrol-electric propulsion, the cheaper Honda not only looks like a car it drives like one, while returning a potential 4.6 litres per 100km. Sales are down a bit at the moment, as petrol prices are too, but an oil price spike is certain at some point. If you want a green car that doesn't make you look like Clover Moore, act soon.* Our choice: There is but oneSkoda SuperbSales in April: 6Price: From $39,990MAYBE the long Czech liftback and now wagon is just too close in essence and price to its VW Passat sibling. Maybe we don't yet "get'' big cars with small but highly efficient engines (though there's a diesel and a V6 petrol variant as well). Maybe it's a cold war hangover.Whatever it is, we're wrong. With a price realignment, the Superb offers better value, more kit, lots of space and lusher feel than the VW. It won Top Gear's luxury car of the year; the previous winner was a Rolls-Royce, for heaven's sake.* Our choice: Got to be the 1.8 turbo petrol wagon

By the time Skoda inveigled its Superb here the carmaker was working hard to build up its position in the market. The VW offshoot had a toehold in our highly competitive market, but it had become in effect a one-car company with the Octavia the only model doing any business to speak of and was going nowhere fast.NEWThe Superb was the first of a range of new and updated models aimed at getting some movement at its dealerships. It was based on a stretched Octavia/Passat platform, but being no wider than the smaller models it looked a little like a stretched limo, too long for its width. At launch there was just the one body style available, a wagon was added to the range later.That first body style was unusual in that it could be described as a sedan or a hatch. The trick was its "TwinDoor" boot lid cum tailgate, which could be either at the flick of a switch. It could be a normal boot, but at the flick of a switch it could be a full tailgate like that you get with a hatch. Under the hatch was a large boot that could be expanded by folding the rear seats.There was also heaps of room up front with comfortable accommodation for five adults in a quiet, refined cabin. Three engines were offered. A 1.8-litre four opened the bidding with 118 kW and 250 Nm; that was followed by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel that offered 125 kW and 350 Nm of frugal motoring, with the range topped by a 191 kW/250 Nm V6, which was only available in the Elegance.The diesel engine and the V6 were hooked up to a 6-speed DSG gearbox, while the 1.8-litre petrol got a 7-speed DSG unit. Final drive was through the front wheels with the four-cylinder and turbo-diesel engines, but the V6 had all-wheel drive. All models were well equipped, particularly the Elegance, which had the lot.NOWDSG: three letters that should spell caution when looking at a Superb. Road testers raved about the innovative new gearbox when VW rolled it out across its range, but they only had to live with it for a few days, a week at most. They didn't have to live with it for years as an owner has had to. We've been inundated with reports from angry owners about the DSG gearbox in their cars.Not from Skoda owners, from VW owners, and the gearboxes are the same. There's no question that the gearbox is a great thing when it's working as it should, but too often that doesn't happen, and when it plays up it becomes a nightmare. Erratic shifting, choosing the wrong gear, finding neutral at the most inappropriate moments are a couple of the issues that have been reported to us here at Carsguide.If the transmission does give trouble it can be an expensive unit to repair, and dealers usually opt for replacing the transmission instead of repairing it, and that's an even more expensive outcome.So, the bottom line for anyone contemplating buying a Skoda Superb is to thoroughly test drive it in all types of driving conditions and put the gearbox through its paces, observing for any hard changes, and shuddering on take-off of gear shifting, any reluctance to change gears, indication it has selected the wrong gear, and certainly any time it selects neutral.If you have any doubts about checking it, have it checking by an independent mechanic experienced in picking problems with autos. Another innovation was a so-called rain braking system that dried the brake rotors by bringing the pads into contact with the rotors every three kays for three seconds. A recipe for brake wear if ever there was one, so be prepared for more frequent brake replacements.As always check your potential purchase for regular servicing, go over the body checking for dodgy panel gaps, poor paint finish etc that might be a giveaway to a crash. The Superb is packed with electrics and electronics, other areas that often give trouble in today's cars, so check all systems and make sure everything is working as it should.SMITHY SAYSGenerally a sound choice, but be wary of DSG gearbox, which is a known problem area on VW products.Skoda Superb - 2009-2010Price new: $42,990 to $56,990Engine: 1.8-litre 4-cylinder petrol, 118 kW/ 250 Nm; 2.0-litre 4-  cylinder turbo-diesel, 125 kW/350 Nm; 3.6-litre V6 petrol, 191 kW/250 Nm.Transmission: 6-speed DSG, 7-speed DSG, FWD (1.8, TD), AWD (V6)Economy: 8.4 L/100 km (1.8), 6.9 L/100 km (TD), 10.2 L/100 km (V6)Body: 4-door sedanVariants: Ambition, EleganceSafety: 5-star ANCAPCOMING UPDo you own a Ford Fiesta? If so tell us what you think of it by sending your comments to Graham Smith at grah.smith@bigpond.com or Carsguide, PO Box 4245, Sydney, NSW, 2010.