http://www.car4play.com/forum Car4play forum en-gb Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:36:36 +0100 Copyright: Car4play webmaster@car4play.com (Technical) 5 car4play691979 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:36:36 +0100 >> Im surprised Seat are down there, I thought they had VAG engineering. An equally historical myth as the Japanese cars thing, pinned in placeby the days of the unbreakable Mk1 and Mk2 golf. The VAG group have over the last 15 years built some real problem cars. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691979&v=e car4play691977 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 20:29:53 +0100 Im surprised Seat are down there, I thought they had VAG engineering. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691977&v=e car4play691976 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:42:39 +0100 And ... there's more: Least reliable car manufacturers Manufacturer Driver Power reliability score Driver Power best manufacturer ranking (out of 30) 1 Jeep 81.68% 8th 2 MG 83.94% 29th 3 Cupra 84.00% 27th 4 Dacia 84.14% 30th 5 Land Rover 84.39% 10th 6 BYD 85.14% 16th 7 Citroen 85.71% 28th 8 SEAT 86.27% 24th 9 Fiat 86.44% 18th 10 Ford 86.70% 21st https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/best-cars-vans/91220/most-and-least-reliable-car-manufacturers-2026 http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691976&v=e car4play691975 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:06:12 +0100 The difference between 92.42% of the winner and 88.63% is would I suggest, statistically insignificant. The precision implied by calculating result to two decimal places is ludicrous. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691975&v=e car4play691973 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:45:15 +0100 >> I also favour French cars as my default, the last time one let me down >> was a clutch cable on my BX GTI back in 1991 (I think). They tick >> the comfort and economy/low running cost boxes for me. Emotionally I loved Citroens from my teens and holidays in France. Two * BX, a Xantia and two Berlingos from 1989 to 2025. The Xantia had its moments but otherwise pretty damn decent going to 150k miles. Berlingos in particular were near bombproof. Older one, 2005 with IDI engine, suffered a known issue with cold starting due to wear of valves/their seats that local 'specialist' seemed ignorant of. Second had an injector give up the ghost well after 100k miles. On Skoda #1, diesel Roomy, had EGR issues sorted under approved used warranty. Petrol Fabia, so far as I recall, was fault free other than battery during the pandemic. Superb has been fine after problems in year #1 recounted at length on this site. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691973&v=e car4play691972 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:20:52 +0100 Most reliable car manufacturers Manufacturer Driver Power reliability score Driver Power best manufacturer ranking (out of 30) 1 Mercedes 92.42% 1st 2 Volvo 91.43% 14th 3 Mazda 91.26% 11th 4 Honda 90.31% 17th 5 Toyota 90.00% 19th 6 Suzuki 89.74% 15th 7 Tesla 89.40% 3rd 8 Skoda 88.94% 20th 9 Vauxhall 88.76% 6th 10 Peugeot 88.63% 7th http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691972&v=e car4play691971 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:17:48 +0100 . http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691971&v=e car4play691970 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:17:11 +0100 >> Inverting that logic, I can say that I have always (since 1990) bought French (Peugeot) >> cars because none of them has let me down and I find (nearly all of) >> them comfortable to drive. Statistically any purchaser (except a fleet operator) buys a sample of >> one, which could just be what was known as a Friday car. >> I also favour French cars as my default, the last time one let me down was a clutch cable on my BX GTI back in 1991 (I think). They tick the comfort and economy/low running cost boxes for me. Conversely my experience with German cars has been less favourable. The VW Transporter that needed a new engine at 60,000. The Mercedes E-class and C-class estates that seemed to eat their rubber bushes for fun. Poor build quality on wife's BMW 220i Gran Tourer and multiple elctrical issues on her CLK cabriolet. Although our VW UP! pool car has been very reliable, despite having had a tough 13 years on the mean streets of London - every panel is scarred but the mechanicals live on! Japaneses/Korean cars are to me only slightly above Chinese cars when it comes to the car's character (i.e. very little). http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691970&v=e car4play691969 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:10:05 +0100 >> I certainly couldn't call myself skinny! Not a seat I could live with. My issue >> wasn't comfort, It was that I felt trapped and couldn't move. My SE L Edition >> has bolsters too, but there're not the slightest bit intrusive. These seats are comfy and >> supportive. >> I'm 5' 8" too. With the current Fabia, I can set the drivers seat to >> suit me and the rear legroom is still fine for me. I've never been in >> the previous generation Fabia (MK3?). We're probably comparing apples with pairs. Mine was 3rd Gen - 2016. The current model is 4th Gen. The wheelbase is longer and the interior probably redesigned. This one on You Tube is identical to mine down to being the same white paint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNI2BjnXmwk I think at that time mine was built Monte Carlo was some sort of special edition. Rally type seats and a pano roof but still manual windows in the rear. I found the driver's seat perfectly comfortable but did next to no miles as front pax. Never travelled in the rear. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691969&v=e car4play691968 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:52:08 +0100 >> ....I'll add Suzuki along with Toyota, on my third, never had a issue with any >> of them. >> Beat me too it. Only my first Suzuki (2019 Vitara, built in Hungary) but ok so far. Neighbours are on their third Swift in succession, and a few local farmers still use old Daihatsu FourTraks. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691968&v=e car4play691967 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:35:59 +0100 ....I'll add Suzuki along with Toyota, on my third, never had a issue with any of them. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691967&v=e car4play691966 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:15:40 +0100 >> >> I'd never buy a Japanese car because every example that's been in my custody >> has gone wrong. I know statistically that shouldn't affect my decision. But it does. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691966&v=e car4play691965 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:55:40 +0100 >> I'd never buy a Japanese car because every example that's been in my custody has gone wrong. I know statistically that shouldn't affect my decision. But it does. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691965&v=e car4play691964 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:32:38 +0100 My mum would say the same about Golfs, and would still wax lyrical about the mark 3 1.8GL and the mark 5 (? 2010 anyway) 2.0TDi as being her favourite cars. I suspect their torquey nature and thus feeling quick without having to rev them was a key factor. Still, across the mark 2, 3, 4 and 5 Golfs, all of which were changed around 100k miles, the highlight was the Mark 5 that only needed one lightbulb on top of standard maintenance, and the worst, a mark 4, just needed a coil pack. But then anacdata is wonderful - I’d never buy a Japanese car because every example that’s been in my custody has gone wrong. I know statistically that shouldn’t affect my decision. But it does. A Nissan Almera (hire car) had a failed clutch at 2k miles, a Honda CRV a failed diff at 2 years old and a Toyota Altezza (UK Lexus IS200) a broken auto transmission at 6 months old. On the ventilation controls, at one level I shouldn’t mind. Pretty much every car that I’ve had in the last 30 years has had climate control. I set the temperature to 20.5, put on the AC if it’s not controlled by the ‘auto’ function and leave it. Occasionally I’ll increase the temperature to 22. There’s never any need to use the demister, because climate control means the car is always dry inside, or the air is dry quickly. I never need to change the fan speed, and auto sends the air wherever it sees fit. But, I did like the rotary climate controls on our A3 e-tron because they looked nice. Again, almost never used. In my BMW the climate is controlled through the screen, but I never change the settings. Occasionally I’ll say ‘hey BMW, set the interior temperature to 22 degrees’, but that’s about it. What I do dislike in the BMW is the way you alter the airflow from the vents for the front seat occupants. The vents themselves are concealed, and the direction control is via a rubberised roller/lever under each vent. That’s not too bad, other than because the actual vent is concealed you can’t see the angle you’ve adjusted it to. What’s infuriating is that airflow from the vent is controlled by a slider on a touch sensitive pad also under each vent. It’s unnecessarily complicated. Voice control will adjust the airflow, but it clunky to try and do it for each individual vent. ‘Hey BMW, adjust the airflow from the drivers left hand air vent to 50%”. Pointless! http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691964&v=e car4play691963 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:04:24 +0100 On average I am sure Japanese cars are more reliable. However reflecting back on the four I’ve had they haven’t been perfect. The current Vitara suffered from an oil cooler gasket leak. This took weeks and repeated dealer visits to resolve. My 2012 Civic had bonnet marks from factory label “ghosting” requiring a bonnet respray. The same Civic fell foul of the oil consumption issues affecting those cars so I moved it on. A company Accord I had from new required new brakes after about 35000 miles. The only brake work I had on any of my many company cars. Our Mazda 3 was an older car but around years 8-11 it had suspension, brake and rust issues. As for my current car, a VW Golf Mk7 it had some faults at delivery despite being an approved one year old VW car. Worst of these was several inches of water in the boot caused by the drain pipe failing from the boot handle recess. I since found that this is a common issue despite the dealer’s claimed innocence. It’s since been perfect. Of course my experience is statistically meaningless but it’s annoying that googling many faults suggests they are often common to particular cars. In my case the Civic oil and the VW boot handle leak. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691963&v=e car4play691962 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:38:52 +0100 >> >> If it ain't broke, don't fix it. >> >> Just looked old fashioned to me. >> One of the feeblest reasons for choosing cars. Cars, like many other everyday articles, have to combine form with function, but function must come first. Get that right while thinking about the form as well. As regards 'old-fashioned', German makers have done quite well with reinventing the Mini and their own Beetle. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691962&v=e car4play691961 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:28:05 +0100 >> >> My personal experience with new Japanese and Korean vehicles has been dire, so I'll >> stay >> >> away from them. I also took a substantial financial hit both times with depreciation, >> as >> >> I had to replace both cars in under a year of ownership. >> >> >> >> I've really liked my VAG stuff though, so I'm sticking with them. >> >> >> >> I Sounds like you were really unlucky, all the Japanese cars I've had ran and ran, just add fuel. Reliability wasn't an issue at all over 100k miles in them. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691961&v=e car4play691960 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 06:59:30 +0100 >> My personal experience with new Japanese and Korean vehicles has been dire, so I'll stay >> away from them. I also took a substantial financial hit both times with depreciation, as >> I had to replace both cars in under a year of ownership. >> >> I've really liked my VAG stuff though, so I'm sticking with them. >> I didn't know whether to indulge in heavy irony - but I thought it might get lost. So 1. Japanese cars have an excellent reputation, so you must have been either extremely unlucky, or perhaps it's you! 2. You didn't have to replace them - you chose to replace them. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691960&v=e car4play691958 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:48:28 +0100 >> Love my touchable rotary heating controls in the GTI - one click is half a >> degree! >> Same in my 2019 Vitara. You don’t need to take your eyes off the road to adjust temp control. A brilliantly simple system http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691958&v=e car4play691954 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:48:00 +0100 >> >> If it ain't broke, don't fix it. >> >> Just looked old fashioned to me. Had plenty cars in the intervening time that had >> manual controls that looked better and then of course recent years have always been climate >> control with set and forget controls. Easy for you to say, where you live you only need heat. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691954&v=e car4play691952 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:32:43 +0100 >> I couldn't get on with vag stuff, particularly VW. Never did anything for me, seemed >> a bit bland and strong money. Not particularly reliable from what I've seen, if you >> did want top reliablity just buy japanese, probably cheaper like for like. >> I really likes my Fords (Fiesta's MK2, MK3 & MK7). Got on well with them. But I moved away from Ford with the very bad PR they were getting with the 1.0 Ecoboost's. I then got a new Hyundai i20 (18 plate. 1.2, 4 cylinder). On paper it should have been a good match for the MK7 Fiesta I traded in. In reality it suffered with juddering clutches from new. I got the complete clutch an flywheel changed under warranty TWICE. But it still suffered from horrendous juddering. Total disaster of a car. Traded this car in after a year and 7,000 miles. The much lauded 5 year warranty wasn't worth the paper it was written on, when the Dealers couldn't fix the thing. I then thought I'll go Japanese and got a new Toyota Yaris (19 plate. 1.5 4 cylinder). When pulling away the car had a tendency to do a kangaroo start (made you look like a learner). Being a 1.5, it should have been quite nippy, but you had to take your time changing up to second, or the gears crunched. So you lost the advantage of it being a 1.5. The touch screen was slow to respond. When winter came I found out the headlights were dire, you couldn't see a thing with them. This necessitated another change of car after 7 months (10,000 miles) of ownership. Next car was a SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TSi (115) 3 Cylinder. What a brilliant car had it over 6.5 years. Excellent performance and handling. Great gear changes (My experience of Fords and VW Group vehicles is that they have all had good gear boxes.) Did over 105,000 miles. Only problem I had was a broken spring, when the car had over 100,000 miles on it (the car still drove ok and the suspension didn't drop. Of course I got both front springs replaced). Brilliant car. So when I was looking to change car I wanted something similar so went for the Fabia (Same Engine and floorpan). 3,500 miles later I'm still pleased with my choice. My personal experience with new Japanese and Korean vehicles has been dire, so I'll stay away from them. I also took a substantial financial hit both times with depreciation, as I had to replace both cars in under a year of ownership. I've really liked my VAG stuff though, so I'm sticking with them. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691952&v=e car4play691926 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:24:06 +0100 I couldn't get on with vag stuff, particularly VW. Never did anything for me, seemed a bit bland and strong money. Not particularly reliable from what I've seen, if you did want top reliablity just buy japanese, probably cheaper like for like. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691926&v=e car4play691924 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:10:41 +0100 >> If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just looked old fashioned to me. Had plenty cars in the intervening time that had manual controls that looked better and then of course recent years have always been climate control with set and forget controls. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691924&v=e car4play691920 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:03:12 +0100 Yep new VW cars are bring back buttons, on the new ID Polo plus they've replaced the horrible haptic things on the steering wheel of the current Golf. Love my touchable rotary heating controls in the GTI - one click is half a degree! http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691920&v=e car4play691913 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:09:50 +0100 >> One of the reasons I never bought a VAG car was the rotary heating and >> ventilation controls didn’t seem to have changed since my 83 year Polo! >> Son had a 2015 Polo GTI and I swear it was the same controls! Your steering wheel is a rotary control. That hasnt changed in years. there is a building backlash about burying controls under layers of menus on screens. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691913&v=e car4play691910 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:47:17 +0100 >> One of the reasons I never bought a VAG car was the rotary heating and >> ventilation controls didn’t seem to have changed since my 83 year Polo! >> Son had a 2015 Polo GTI and I swear it was the same controls! >> If it ain't broke, don't fix it. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691910&v=e car4play691909 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:12:38 +0100 One of the reasons I never bought a VAG car was the rotary heating and ventilation controls didn’t seem to have changed since my 83 year Polo! Son had a 2015 Polo GTI and I swear it was the same controls! http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691909&v=e car4play691908 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:46:56 +0100 >>Controls were typical VAG - I've joked before about their cars being >>like Airbus products with one common type rating. H&V were rotary >>controls under the radio. I abhor the tendency to bury this stuff in a menu. >Agree, This stuff should be physical knobs and buttons! https://www.bgr.com/2253682/china-is-bringing-back-physical-controls-for-cars/ http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691908&v=e car4play691901 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:47:42 +0100 >> I had a Fabia estate as a rental car in Spain a few years ago…definitely >> one of the better ones, together with an Ibiza rental. >> Far better than a C3 Aircross I’ve had twice recently… >> I feel that VAG group cars are often underrated. Had an excellent experience with my Ibiza. My dad's had numerous Golf's and likes them. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691901&v=e car4play691900 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:42:16 +0100 >> I had the previous version of the Fabia in estate form from 2019 until January >> 2025. It was a 1.2 petrol with 4 cylinders and I'd guess a little north >> of 100PS. >> >> Distress purchase after my much valued Roomster was written off. It was in Monte Carlo >> trim with a sort of marmalade coloured seat covers. Didn't find the seats at all >> uncomfortable but I'm so skinny I fitted OK. The offside bolster on the driver's side >> wore a hole though. I certainly couldn't call myself skinny! Not a seat I could live with. My issue wasn't comfort, It was that I felt trapped and couldn't move. My SE L Edition has bolsters too, but there're not the slightest bit intrusive. These seats are comfy and supportive. >>Back seat very cramped for leg room though. A female colleague about 5 8 was not a good >>fit!! I'm 5' 8" too. With the current Fabia, I can set the drivers seat to suit me and the rear legroom is still fine for me. I've never been in the previous generation Fabia (MK3?). >> Controls were typical VAG - I've joked before about their cars being like Airbus products >> with one common type rating. H&V were rotary controls under the radio. I abhor the >> tendency to bury this stuff in a menu. Agree, This stuff should be physical knobs and buttons! http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691900&v=e car4play691879 Sun, 13 Sep 2026 16:25:55 +0100 I had a Fabia estate as a rental car in Spain a few years ago…definitely one of the better ones, together with an Ibiza rental. Far better than a C3 Aircross I’ve had twice recently… http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691879&v=e car4play691876 Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:05:24 +0100 I had the previous version of the Fabia in estate form from 2019 until January 2025. It was a 1.2 petrol with 4 cylinders and I'd guess a little north of 100PS. Distress purchase after my much valued Roomster was written off. It was in Monte Carlo trim with a sort of marmalade coloured seat covers. Didn't find the seats at all uncomfortable but I'm so skinny I fitted OK. The offside bolster on the driver's side wore a hole though. Massive boot capable of swallowing a pair of Brompton bikes stowed fore/aft on either side with loads of space to spare. Back seat very cramped for leg room though. A female colleague about 5 8 was not a good fit!! Controls were typical VAG - I've joked before about their cars being like Airbus products with one common type rating. H&V were rotary controls under the radio. I abhor the tendency to bury this stuff in a menu. As reported at the time we sold it through Motorway to facilitate our going down to one car for which a diesel Superb has been an excellent fit. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691876&v=e car4play691867 Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:33:59 +0100 Sorry, this is quite a long post, but hopefully you’ll find it interesting. I took delivery of a new Skoda Fabia 1.0 TSi (116 PS) SE L Edition 2 months ago. Some of you may remember that my previous car was a 2019 SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TSi (115PS), which I’d also had from new. I’d done over 105,000 miles with this car with out any issues (apart from 1 broken spring, but the car was still driveable). Although I really liked the Ibiza that I had, I did want to change to a different car. Liked the Polo, but the only Manual 1.0 TSi option was the 95 PS Engine with the 5 speed box. Although it’s not underpowered in the slightest, I felt it was a bit of a come down from the 115 PS 6 speed car that I’d had. So, I ended up with the Fabia. The Fabia is a really nice car. Quality wise (finish etc) it feels every bit as good as Volkswagen. It doesn’t feel like a budget brand in the slightest. There is no signs of any corners being cut. Drivers’ seat and driving position is very comfortable. The car performs and handles well. The 6 speed gearbox is a joy to use. Space in the cabin is excellent for the front seat occupants. It’s pretty good for the rear seat passengers too. It’s what you would expect for this size of car. Boot is a good size too. The bug bear I had with the Ibiza was the lack of an interior light for the rear seats and it only had a single reversing light (which you couldn’t see anything with when reversing). I’m pleased to say the Fabia has decent interior lights for the rear seat passengers and decent twin reversing lights. Being a higher spec model, it also has an excellent reversing camera (and reversing sensors) too. Haven’t seen it mentioned in any of the YouTube reviews, but the reversing camera also has a wash function, which works when you activate the rear wash/ wipe (it works well. It’s a really nice touch). All controls are well laid out, although I would have to say that the Climate Control panel is a bit low down, and some of the climate Control adjustments can only be made through the centre touch screen. What was wrong with the 3 knobs that the Ibiza had, that could be adjusted with out taking your eyes off the road to look at them? I was concerned about how good the LED headlights were going to be. The Ibiza had excellent self-levelling LED headlight. The headlights in this Fabia are manual levelling, but they seem to work quite well. I wouldn’t say that they are as good as the Ibiza’s, but they are quite sufficient. Being the SE L Edition, it has a built in Sat Nav. This system is terrible. It tries to take you on the most stupid illogical routes. If you dare to deviate from its route, it throws a strop and tries to divert you back onto its original route (even when you’re one street away from your destination). It is absolutely dire. Don’t buy this car for the Sat Nav. The Sat Nav in my 2019 Ibiza was fine, don’t understand how VAG got this one so horribly wrong. However, it does have Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Can’t Comment on Apple Car Play (as I don’t have an IPhone), but Google Maps on Wireless Android Auto is excellent. Suggests sensible routes and quite happly recalculates routes (without throwing a strop) if you deviate from it. The only thing with using Google maps, is that it only works on the central display, and not the drivers one. What every reviewer gets excited about is the umbrella in the drivers’ door and the ice scraper in the fuel filler flap. Yes, there is an umbrella in the drivers’ door (I used to keep a compact umbrella in my drivers’ door pocket, so it wasn’t an issue for me anyway). I’m sure if you actually use the ice scraper, it’ll scratch the windows. Can’t understand why the reviewers get so excited about this stuff for every Skoda they review! I went for 3 options. The most important one (to me) was a full size spare wheel (15”. The car has 16” wheels, but the spare isn’t a space saver). Also went for the wireless Charging Pack, this includes a USB-C socket next to the rear view mirror (for a Dash Cam) as well as 2 USB-C sockets in the back. Last option was Race Blue Metallic paint, which really suits this car. A word of warning for anyone considering a Fabia Monte Carlo. I sat in one of these and felt trapped in position by the side bolsters. I just couldn’t live with those seats, they were far too restrictive. If you’re considering the Monte Carlo version of any Skoda, make sure you try it first. Strangely none of the YouTube reviewers mentioned this issue. It’s like the reviewers are told what to say by the car manufacturers! I feel I should mention another car that I considered. It was the Skoda Scala SE L Edition. In the front it looked and felt very much like the Fabia. There was masses of space for rear seat passengers and the boot was huge too. Also had more equipment than the equivalent Fabia. It had a fold down centre rear armrest, heated front seats and front parking sensors. The Scala was a most impressive car, but as I rarely have rear seat passengers and don’t need a bigger boot, I decided to go with the Fabia. I’ll keep the forum updated in due course. Any questions, please ask away. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691867&v=e