10th Sep 2019, 10:40
Yeah I heard. I guess the only advantage of petrol over diesel now is they are still ultimately quieter and smoother, and no Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) to deal with at least.
10th Sep 2019, 18:28
Uh, not... quite. New petrol cars are now coming out with particulate filters. I know new VW group cars do. But from what I have read, petrol engines run hotter than diesel so will be less vulnerable to the DPF problems. If not, it’s back to horses for us.
17th Dec 2022, 16:01
I had one of these cars a few years ago as well. Overrated I'd say. I had the injectors fail also, cost me over £600 to repair at an injector specialist. DMF and clutch failed also at high cost.
Don't get me wrong, the Octavia is a good, and generally reliable family car, but suffers from the typical expensive diesel faults as much as any. I've heard the faults are more prone to the "common rail" 1.6 TDi engine, so the later 2.0 TDi or older 1.9 TDi engines are best, avoid the 1.6 diesel if you can. You could try a petrol, they seem to be reliable enough, but they are obviously not as good on fuel.
27th Jan 2023, 14:50
I have a 2.0 TDi, a fine unit, but the car in general is still quite expensive to maintain, the only good thing about the Octavia is the genuine 50 - 60 mpg you get from most diesels, and cheaper tax. All other cars in this sector struggle a bit for 50 mpg. That's why it is most popular with taxi drivers. But the car is no better than a Mondeo or Insignia.
22nd Apr 2025, 18:44
In short, avoid diesel unless you do high mileage. The repair costs are only worth it then for the extra MPG.
I used to do 20,000 miles + a year and had Skoda Octavias for that purpose, they were OK cars and did 50 - 60 MPG on diesel.
Lately I'm retired so went back to a petrol car (an old petrol Honda Accord, great car) as I only do about 8000 miles a year, so 35 - 40 MPG is OK and affordable even at the silly fuel prices.
It's all about making the right choice for your circumstances. By the way - I still wouldn't touch electric ;) Petrol or Diesel is the way to go.
8th Sep 2019, 18:20
Many modern petrol engines now have direct injection, which has high-pressure fuel pumps and injectors. So, no escaping the repair costs of modern technology.