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At 77,000 km the total cost of the car for fuel, insurance, maintenance and other expenses came to about 7.4L.
BHPian karvel Recently shared this with other enthusiasts
Update after a long break.
75,000 km update
Life has kept me busy, positively, changing work responsibilities and learning new things. And during this period there were a few long road trips to care for family and friends. With the end of the Covid subsiding WFH and teams returning to the office and settling into a pre-Covid routine there was its own return to normalcy, hardly a standstill period.
All this time, Octavia stood in good stead and performed the duties with ease and good composure. Silver Bull crossed 75 thousand km in 1st week of October in about 5 years and 5 months of purchase. This includes almost 7 months of covid lockdown and WFH when barely 100 km was done in a month, which was just to keep the battery charged.
Servicing done as per schedule through Joy Skoda, Gurgaon. Took 4 years service pack @13999 (special offer by Skoda in April-June 2017 quarter 2017) while buying car and then after 4th year service two more years pack @ Rs.23,999/-. 5 service was a breeze with no unnecessary stress on doing any extra work other than mentioned in the service manual. 41 points were inspected each time and came out clear other than the suggestion to change the wipers, which I did myself with Bosch Aerotwins. These cost around Rs.1800/- bought through Amazon. They come with 4 different adapters to fit different setups on the wiper arm. Service center estimate was 3k with service charges. However, I have never counted 41 on inspection, but sometimes around 25-28. I buy a few extra bottles of wiper tank fluid and add them whenever the wiper water reserve tank is full. Felt they were a good addition, maybe even a placebo effect. Apart from these not much is spent on servicing and all services are covered in the pack.
The 2.0 TDI is a gem and has aged well and sounds smoother and performs better without poor mileage. Power on tap and no strain. Goes on for hours together without complaint. Recently, in July, did a pilgrimage circuit of Gurgaon-Varanasi-Gaya-Ayodhya-Gurgaon, a 2475 km journey, over 5 days on excellent highways and crowded lanes in old cities. Mile after mile of cheer and excitement mingled effortlessly. The first leg of 930 km from Gurgaon to Varanasi was completed in about 12 hours running time, with luggage for 3 adults/5 days, and the distance to empty, on a single tank filled the night before, still showed 130 km. It was a sweet screen to watch. The seats have aged well though with no visible breaks in the leather. Flexible and well reinforced with lumbar support at the same time making long rides more comfortable.
Trip statistics of 2475 km round trip
The 6 speed DSG held up well with no looseness or jerking, all the time. However the DQ250 wetclutch 6 speed is better in terms of reliability than the DQ200 and it is providing a lot of comfort with the proof of the pudding so far. Still, touchwood. Shifts are smooth and very quick with no noticeable noise or vibration and help achieve quick acceleration. Downshifts are still a bit slow at any speed kickdown, actually taking about a second for a proper downshift to occur. Maybe it’s also due to my driving behavior which rarely involves/intends sudden acceleration. No complaints though. The transmission oil was changed once during the 4thyear/60k service as part of the service pack.
Brakes are great. Used to run stock brake pads till 75k km. Worked well and looking at the pictures still had about 5-8k km of life left on the front pads and about 10-12 k km on the rear brake pads. Since there were a few long distance family trips in the plan, I went ahead and changed the pads. The brake discs were fine with negligible groove formation and so the SA/Floor Mechanic advised that replacement was not required. And they were also surprised at the longevity of the brake pads and the good condition of the brake discs. Total cost around Rs 14k including labor charges for changing both front and rear brake pads. The Skoda service app, however, showed a lower value for the rear brake pads, which when I highlighted in SA, was told it was the old price and that it had changed and billed as per the system rate update for the parts, Skoda said.
The Pirelli P6s are doing a good job. Minimal noise, flexible, soft and very good grip in both wet and dry conditions and very quick deceleration when needed. As well as no squeaks or loss of grip during hard acceleration. Changed from stock Eagle NCT5s to P6s at about 42k km as they became stiff, noisy and frequently punctured as well, although the treads were still good for about 5k km. So about 33k km done on P6s. Happy with them and running as they are currently, will be good for at least another 18-20k kms. Maybe explore Perfinzas for next change, if P6s are not available. Most maintain 35 psi in the front and 33 psi in the rear. I found this setup to be the most suitable for my regular use, as the daily commute is around 50 km and with 80% good speed traffic flow on NH8. Mileage is best with this setup. Long family trips on the highway run at speed with the luggage bay fully packed, usually maintaining 36 psi all around. Jim Corbett helped manage and avoid scraping over speedbreakers encountered during the Moradabad – Ramnagar stretch as well as navigating bad road patches. Wheel balancing/alignment and rotation done religiously every 7.5 km.
Handling is entertaining with sharp feedback and continues to keep me engaged. While the creaking of the sunroof and door bedding is a constant companion regardless of frequent lubrication, the joy of driving outweighs these unnecessary annoyances. Just turn on the music to drown out those bugs and then it’s bliss.
Battery change – done twice so far –
- First was done under goodwill warranty with a token amount of Rs 1.5k + tax after 2nd year end when battery check came up with some low voltage and after pushing the ASS team a bit. Skoda offered Exide (Made in India) as a replacement.
- 2nd in 5th year after battery died after 20 days of no use during winter break on January 22nd. In such cold weather the batter has already started to deteriorate and is unused. Amron changed after checking with ASS. Paid about 8.4K for doorstep replacement and old battery exchange.
The PPFs on the front/rear bumpers are starting to yellow, though not too dark. Must checkout for replacement. Helpful in avoiding many scratches and paint chipping caused by road debris.
Taken during a recent trip by Jim Corbett
- Easy on the pocket, just under Rs 10 per km, consistently returning around 18+ kmpl over these 5 years.
- Fuel consumption is around Rs 4+ per km
- Around Rs.5 per km+ Servicing (Including Insurance (~2.8 per km) / Tire Change / Brake Pad Change / PPF / Ceramic Coating / 5th & 6th Year Extended Warranty / 5th & 6th Year Service Pack / Battery Change / WA&B).
- Overall the 77 thousand km run has cost around Rs 7.4 lakh so far. Hope the good run continues.
*Bills and other mentioned EMI paid and initial contribution
The cost per km is increasing, thanks to the force, even if the mileage remains constant.
Summary of major work done so far-
- The front windshield was replaced when a small stone flew from a dumper going ahead and cracked it. Changes were made under insurance in ASS. 2k+ tax contribution.
- Steering mounted scroller change – no breaking/cracking, but loose and vibrating. Changed under warranty without charge or major follow up.
- AC Compressor Change – Cooling becomes erratic and starts slowly after a long time. Refrigerant level/pressure was checked for leaks and then diagnosed as compressor failure. Changes were made under warranty. There is no charge
With NGT order applicable in NCR region, this bull can run for about 3-3.5 years and either this bull has to be sent to our place in south or released. This is going to set-off a tough search for a replacement. While 40 months is still a long way off, to start worrying now, finding one equally attractive, safe and economical at this price-point of 35-45 lakhs is going to be a tough task. Don’t want to go down a predetermined path. Maybe Skoda will bring back the diesel or a locally assembled Octavia/Superb equivalent EV. Fingers crossed though.
Anyway, many more miles to run, before the day comes.
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