Undercarriage wash

Despite formally not being a car-owner since May 2025, I look after the Octavia (in papers a company car, under a subsidized scheme, due to be purchased well below its market value in March 2027) as it was mine. It had the oil changed after first 1,683 kilometres, then after 1 year with 11,201 kilometres on the clock and then had a full service after nearly 2 years and 18,502 kilometres. It was supposed to be a family car, yet life has verified my plans, but a sizeable estate car has proven useful in Szlachetna Paczka, facilitating moving (friends relocating from one flat to another) and surprisingly frequently it carries 4 persons on board.

The lesson learnt when selling the Megane after 14 years is that no matter how perfect the car might be in terms of mechanics, its softest spot is the undercarriage, not seen every day, not making itself felt until something cracks up, eaten up slowly by rust. Some time ago I read statistics a typical Polish car whose last road is to a scrapyard, ends it useful life due to damage done by rust so such extent that a vehicle is no longer roadworthy and does not pass the MOT. Factory protection of bodywork is decent, but when it comes to the "invisible" chassis, this is where savings in designing cars not built to last are made. Polish road clearance winter practices only speed up the pace in which rust wreaks havoc to cars' undersides. Amounts of salt poured on roads do not correspond with depth of snow cover on roads. As a driver I would prefer to see the snow mechanically removed, as it is done in northern Scandinavia and use of salt to be constrained to ice or freezing rain which are a factual threat to traffic participants.

To make a vehicle long-lasting, a separate anti-corrosion layer ought to be put on its undercarriage soon after driving out of a showroom gate. As this costs some money, Octavia, formally not mine, has not had it done, but as I have found out, after 3 years first spots of rust might still be cracked down on and the protective cover still can be applied (albeit the operation will be more expensive).

By the time it happens, but afterwards too, an undercarriage wash after winter is a fix. To do it properly, a vehicle needs to be lifted on a car jack and washed with dedicated chemicals and then flushed. I found only one car wash in Warsaw which does it well, but comparing how dirty the undercarriage was ahead of the wash and how clean it was after, I do not regret any of one hundred seventy nine zlotys spent on it (and some twenty zlotys forked out for petrol to the other end of Warsaw and back).

I hope those treatments will help Octavia be a durable car to keep me company for some two decades. I realise driving will get more expensive with petrol prices going inevitably up, but on the other hand, I drive it sparingly and the car is amazingly frugal beyond town. For the record, between my last long-distance journeys, i.e. from 4 March to 19 April I drove merely 337 kilometres. On 21 April on its way back from a workshops somewhere in Dolny Śląsk, the odometer hit 20,000 kilometres. Fuel consumption with 4 persons (3 passengers and me) on board and their luggage with 120 km/h on tempomat: 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres. No SUV nor a crossover, by dint if their weight and dimension, could boast of such low appetite for petrol on a motorway!

Driving an SUV

For years, I have detested SUVs at the very sight of them, but quite recently I was out of luck to have to sit behind the wheel of an oversized vehicle. Since that fateful day, I detest SUVs even more.

In 2023 my employer, underlining its unwavering greenwashing commitment, replaced the upper part of its fleet (of roughly 1,000 vehicles in total). It swapped Toyota Camrys (aged 2 - 4) for brand-new RAV4s. Nearly two tonnes propelled by a 2.5 litre petrol-fuelled engine with aid of electric power generator, definitely falls into an idea of low emissions.

On my way back from a site visit to a customer somewhere in southern Małopolska it was my turn to sit behind the wheel drive the team back to Warsaw.

Sitting high and looking from above is one of most often quoted merits of SUVs, which I totally don't hold with. I don't feel secure sitting with my thighs more vertical than horizontal. I don't feel safe finding it hard to estimate the vehicle's dimensions (despite the aid of rear camera and sensors) and not seeing well what us going on around. 

The least secure I felt due to gravity load laid much higher than in a traditional passenger car. Sensing how a vehicle holds the road and its stability is crucial for the comfort of driving. An SUV lacks it. Air resistance feels more severe. This impacts traction, noise inside and fuel consumption.

On a motorway the hybrid engine is not as frugal as in town and the accursed car drinks nearly 9 litres per 100 kilometres at the speed of 130 kmph and with 4 people on board. My Octavia in comparable conditions consumed recently 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres with westerly headwinds on.

The claim RAV4 with a hybrid engine is good for driving around town is not what I fall for. One should move around town on foot, by bike, by public transport, once a blue moon if the aforementioned ways are impossible, by a small or compact car, not an oversized vehicle dangerous for more vulnerable traffic participants.

Hence I drove it, but with unhidden disgust.

Back somewhere at the outskirts of Warsaw I was glad to sit behind the wheel of my Skoda Octavia estate (pure internal combustion engine with allegedly outdated manual gearbox I adore), which amid the fuel crisis and perfect weather for cycling, sits in the garage and is taken for a proper (30-kilometre) run roughly once a week (156 kilometres driven in total since returning from a business trip on 3 March). The car keeps fuel consumption close to 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres, a frugality beyond reach of any oversized vehicle.

The black plates – a quarter of century later

Five years ago I promised to repeat the exercise and check how many of the vehicles snapped then would have survived. I cycled around the district on Friday, 25 April after work (the long weekend in early May could decrease chances of cars being spotted) and found out that predictably, most of the vehicles have gone. Some have not been witnessed for years, others (#2, #7, #8 I last saw back last years). Only 5 out of 25 are can be found in the same venues, on the same classic plates.

#11 – Seat Ibiza sits in a car park parallel to al. KEN, south of ul. Belgradzka. Time has not borne a brunt of the vehicle despite being parked in the open air and under trees. The car seems to be in regular use, despite its age of 27.

#12 – Skoda Octavia parked between grey blocks of flats by ul. Żabińskiego has bodywork in the same colour, yet the paintwork seems to be more affected by the elements of weather, particularly by sunlight. The leaflet under the wiper suggests the car is in occasional use only.

#18 – Fiat Seicento with a disabled driver’s card has been forsaken for a while and gets slowly rotten, occupying two parking spaces by ul. Dereniowa. Conceivably, its owner either is badly ill or has passed away and none of the relatives has taken steps to take the car to the scrap yard.

#19 – Nissan Primera sits near the intersection of al. KEN and ul. Belgradzka and looks to have remained in regular use for over 26 years, although not in pristine condition. Quite an achievement, since Nissans produced in 1990s had serious problems with corrosion of bodyworks and undercarriages.

#24 – Toyota Corolla, aged only 25 sits by ul. Dereniowa and definitely is in regular use. I pass it by nearly every time I walk back from the swimming pool and each time is parked in a different spot.

While meandering around the district, I found it difficult to spot cars on black plates. Being kept by one owner for 25 years is a rarity, yet the effort I appreciate. This time I snapped all cars I ran across along the way, regardless of their condition.

The silver Ford Focus parked close to E. Leclerc hypermarket, registered mostly likely in April 2000 (WZZ 796L was the highest number issued). Rust eats it up as it has done with most Fords manufactured in late 1990s and early 2000s.

The flash-yellow (adore the colour) Skoda Felicia Estate, registered in late 1999 is parked close to the intersection of ul. Indiry Gandhi and ul. Cynamonowa. Visually – in a perfect condition (except for the mud dirt). An ideal car for a pensioner to take a weekend trip to a działka. A pity it is not parked in a cosy garage.

The plume-violet Toyota Starlet is parked by ul. Stryjeńskich. It definitely is not in regular use, but every two or three weeks it changes parking lot. At first sight condition of the vehicle is far from perfect and quite soon it is likely to end up on a scrapyard.

For dessert – like a lottery ticket won – two Japanese liftbacks on one photo, taken by ul. Lokajskiego. A Toyota Corolla from early 1998 in a splendid sand-yellow lacquer and a post-lift Honda Civic from mid-1999. Both looking decently. I saw this Honda around neighbourhood on the road a few times, but Corolla does not seem to be driven frequently.

Selling the car - again

For the third time in my life I am in charge of getting rid of a vehicle. In 2016 selling my 13-year-old Megane II went on surprisingly smoothly and the buyer did not even try to haggle. Last year I co-ordinated disposal of my father's 8-year-old Megane IV (which he swapped for a brand-new Skoda Scala, fulfilling, to quote him, the last dream in his lifetime). Since his vehicle was fitted with a nefarious 1.2 TCe 130 HP engine, the interest was meagre, but eventually it was purchased by AAA auto at a very decent price. The procedure went quickly (they pay with cash) and soon I could track the car being put up for sale for next nearly 100 days. Not really sure whether the trader earned much on it.

For the past year, Megane III was kept mostly to help my ex-girlfriend hone her driving skills, but with such reason to keep two cars being no longer valid, I am seeking new owner for it. I have big sentiment for this vehicle. It kept me company for more than 8 years, outlived three romantic relationships, visited several countries. So far it has been quite reliable, given its age of almost 14 years and mileage of almost 115,000 kilometres. I fear it might catch up in terms of trouble making, hence I have decided to sell it to a stranger and refuse to trade it to any of my friends (including the ex-girlfriend who had reserved the right of first refusal).

To prepare it for a new owner, it had oil, filters, brake and coolant liquid, battery changed, handbrake repaired and then the car went through MOT (no issues found). PLN 2,000 gone out of my pocket, but a new owner will be likely not to put any money into the car some time after the purchase.

I put up an ad (another PLN 100 spent), but so far the interest is not huge. I have learnt the 1.4 TCe engine, which has not caused any problems since leaving showroom, is a piece of shit, likely to fall apart after 150,000 - 200,000 kilometres, even despite changing oil every year and placid driving until the engine warms up.

I prefer to omit an intermediary, especially since I have handled all preparatory works myself, and find a private individual buyer. Consignment deal is ruled out, since I would be deprived of a car for weeks with no guarantee it is sold. Selling it to a trader is an option to be considered if I received a cash payment up-front.

In 2016 I sold Megane II for PLN 11,000, more than the equivalent of my pre-tax monthly salary then. This year Megane III, a few months older than its precedessor at the time of disposal, will definitely be traded by less than my pre-tax monthly wage. My earnings have moved on, but prices of used cars have gone up by a similar percentage as of factory-new ones.

Oddly enough, despite more advanced age and higher mileage, Megane III is in better technical condition than Megane II. The previous car was already trouble-making, Megane III is probably in the eve of becoming a time bomb. It will not require substantial financial outlays (unless its engine indeed conks out one day), but the hassle of small repairs might be bothersome.

In spite of several good memories connected with the vehicle, I strive to be an emotionless vendor. My pricing strategy is to bring down asking price by PLN 500 every eight days and be open to let a buyer beat down the settlement price by no more than 8%.

Despite my misgivings about its reliability, I sincerely hope it serves somebody well for next years, just like ex-mine Megane II does. It has not changed hands since November 2016 and keeps running until now, despite quite advanced age of 22.

Skoda Octavia, three months on - vehicle review

I wrote about my motivation to fix myself up with a new car in January 2024, then shared my very first driving impressions just after picking it up.

On 23 June 2024 the car's odometer hit 5,000 kilometres, which means it took me exactly 90 days to cover it, but my Skoda app tells me on 54 days (i.e. 60% of the period) the car sat idle in my garage.

Besides, 80% of the current mileage was reached in long-distance travels:
- from Poznań where I picked up the car to Warsaw (300 kilometres),
- to Sieradz to my in-laws (400 kilometrs there and back),
- to Kraków (600 kilometres there and back),
- to Wisła and to Czech Republic a few times (1,200 kilometres there, around and back in total),
- to Wisła again (800 kilometres there and back),
- to the seaside (700 kilometres there and back).

I am undeniably impressed with how spacious the car is. Four tall adults can travel in superior comfort, the boot is capacious as hell and does not compare to any SUV. I do not regret the surcharge for the double floor, coming in useful when carrying heavy and large pieces of furniture. The wisdom of Skoda designers who have equipped the car in plenty of functional stuff has taken my fancy too. I have not managed to check out only one of them - the heated windscreen, as I was reluctant to park the brand-new car in the open air for a frosty night in late March, while having a garage at my disposal.

I have not made full use of the engine's dynamics, primarily since first 3,000 kilometres are still the period of running-in, but also due to environmental reasons and minding the safety of other road users. Maximum torque is available from 1,500 rpm and for smooth driving you need revolutions below 2,000 per minute. For outside-town travels, the gearbox does a perfect job. The sixth fear can by upshifted safely at the speed of 85 km/h and if you decide to cruise at such speed, fuel consumption below 4 litres per kilometres is within reach. 2,000 rpm on sixth gear are reached at the speed of 115 km/h, which means slow motorway driving is economical too.

In terms of fuel consumption, it averaged out between 5.0 and 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres over the period in review, with record-low 4.4 on my way to Wisła on Corpus Christi. I drove 100 km/h on tempomat, somewhat uphill, with aircon on half of my journey. Had I driven the other way(a but downhill), with no aircon, the car could have consumed less than 4 litres.

Octavia IV (I managed to order a pre-face-lift one, some PLN 20,000 cheaper than a post-lift version) is two generations younger than my Megane. One feels the difference in terms of noise inside (the old Renault is much louder) and in how it is spiked with electronics, which may irritate and at times goes bonkers. Despite those small drawbacks I am generally satisfied with the new vehicle and I hope it will serve me and my family for several years (I target two decades in use).