Skoda Rapid is a convenient liftback with many functional solutions for the car owner. However, like any car, the Rapid has its drawbacks. They also influence the reviews of the owners, who are full of comments regarding the various characteristics of the car. What does not suit Skoda Rapid drivers - we will find out further.

Technical malfunctions

Many Skoda car owners do not like the quality of spare parts. This is especially true of the stabilizer bushings. In the cold, the car has characteristic squeaks of the bushings, which can not always be changed under warranty. If this problem does not bother you much, you can wait until spring: when it gets warmer, the creak goes away. The main thing is not to smear with silicone - the rubber bands wear out quickly, as more dirt will stick.

The creak of door seals is another common malfunction of the Skoda Rapid. Car owners complain that it starts to creak after the first washes. A possible cause is the small gaps in the velvet. Someone smears these places with laundry soap, someone with silicone from the inside.

Among the owners of Skoda, there are cases when the foam breaks in the seats of the driver and passengers. The reason is a manufacturing defect or poor material that cannot withstand the load. But this malfunction bypasses some drivers, and does not appear when buying. It is difficult to talk about any regularity in this situation.

It is known that some owners complain about wheezing speakers in the cold. Official dealers, as a rule, do not comment on this situation. Such shortcomings of the Skoda Rapid especially concern car owners from the northern regions of the Russian Federation.

Air conditioning and cooling system

One of the diseases of the Skoda Rapid car is clogging of the lower part of the radiator. This happens due to excessively large holes in the vertical blades of the radiator grille. In this case, the driver may get a possible overheating of the car engine. To avoid this, it is recommended to install an additional protective grid.

Among the manufacturer's shortcomings, one can note the flooding of the air conditioner with rainwater. This also applies to the steering rack. Water flows down the windshield on the passenger side, then gets under the hood and floods the parts listed above. Perhaps, over time, the problem will be solved by the manufacturer, or this issue will completely fall on the shoulders of the car owner.

Transmission elements

A typical breakdown of the Skoda Rapid is an ailment. We are talking about the loss of smoothness of the gearshift mechanism. This happens due to the wear of the clutch discs caused by the increased operating temperature of the mechatronics. If you don't want to face a similar problem when owning your Skoda Rapid, take the manufacturer's advice carefully. When stopping for more than 1 minute, do not be too lazy to switch the gearbox from mode D to mode N. This way you will save your car from premature repairs.

DSG transmission jerks are also the cause of mechatronics malfunction. This problem is quite well known among owners - it occurs already at an early stage of car operation. In previous versions of Skoda, drivers also encountered this typical malfunction. In some cases, in order to find a solution to the issue, it was even possible not to disassemble the device. However, it is best to contact a specialized service in the event of a problem.

Electronics

Skoda Rapid cars with low mileage may have trouble with electronic devices, namely with the control unit software. This trouble is solved by a simple flashing, but it also requires the owner to spend time and money.

An incorrectly inserted cigarette lighter even at the stage of assembling the car can later cause a short circuit and blow the fuse. This moment requires care from the car owner: watch how you insert the cigarette lighter into place.

Many drivers complain about the car. Moreover, the problem concerns not only a specific model, but also other Skoda cars. The issue is solved by installing a new compressor, and often the noise becomes quieter for a while. Owners complain about defective parts, but there are no other solutions yet.

We examined the main typical malfunctions of Skoda Rapid cars. It can be seen that of the critical shortcomings of the car, only problems with the gearbox can be called. The rest of the minuses take place in other car brands. It is possible and even necessary to deal with them at the stage of buying a car, because dealers provide services for replacing elements under warranty. In general, the car deserves respect, and even minor problems will not play a decisive role in refusing to buy this handsome man.

SHOW

HOLD

Less than a year has passed since the start of sales of the Rapid model from Skoda, and there are tons of reviews, solutions, problems, laudatory odes on the forums. Which of these is true and which is a fake lie? Let's put the mechanisms and impressions on the shelves in order to understand the main pros and cons of the machine.

Rapid was designed to take an impressive piece of the market from Koreans and Japanese B-class. This car is for those for whom the B-class is somehow not enough, and the C-class machine is somehow a bit expensive. Created by an obvious sideways look at the base Octavia of the previous generation, Rapid tried to inherit all its advantages, but become cheaper, thus creating a huge headache for competitors. At the same time, you can’t compete with the Germans, still, who wants to compete with himself, after all, there is only one VW pocket, therefore, in the development priority of the “Czechs” only the “Germans”. And what happened in the end?

Exterior and interior

There is nothing outwardly outstanding in Rapid. This spartan minimalism but speaks of European style. It just so happened that chiseled, rounded, smooth shapes are more characteristic of Asian cars. Europe has somewhat different requirements: nothing superfluous and everything you need. And the appearance of Rapid fully meets these requirements.

An interesting decision, not to share the rack between the doors. The front door, when open, looks, neatly, interesting. Its lateral part is broken by a protrusion. Someone likes it, someone laughs at such savings.

On the other hand, this does not affect the quality of the door itself, the glass does not rattle, it is silent even with strong lateral air pressure.

Restraint bordering on asceticism. This is the interior of the Skoda Rapid

Clear, one might say, chopped features of Rapid make him extremely similar to his older brother, Octavia. Therefore, in the stream of cars on the road, they can be confused. Although for those interested in new cars it will be easy to distinguish between them.

Inside is the same Sparta. Minimalism in everything. However, this cannot be a minus, however, there is a “but”. Minimal does not mean bad. The disadvantages of the Rapid interior finish are rather in quality. Plastic leaves much to be desired, it is hard. But nothing rattles even in severe frost.

If you describe the interior of Rapid in the same style in which it is made, two words will suffice: nothing superfluous. Light, soft green-blue illumination of the instrument panel. Looks good, you can see everything. The lines are straight. All the necessary indicators are clearly visible.

The spacious and simple interior of the Rapida will appeal to restrained natures.

Not all trim levels are height adjustable. Choosing Rapid, it is worth sitting, even taking a test drive, on a car of the selected configuration. Lateral support is minimal, but not all drivers think this is a minus. You quickly get used to sitting and stop noticing this nuance.

Enough space for the driver. However, people with tall stature may be uncomfortable from the height of the car. The disadvantage may be the low ceiling, uncomfortable when he strokes the hair on the top of his head all the time. In the rear seats, even with the front seat pushed back, there is enough space to comfortably accommodate. Compared to conventional B-class cars, the rear seat width of the Rapid wins. 3 adults can easily sit there.

A definite plus, which is hard to argue with, is the capacity of the trunk. Done "excellent". Thanks to the same Spartan "upbringing", nothing reduces useful cubic centimeters. At the same time, there are useful niches and boxes for small luggage.

A huge plus of Rapid is a 530-liter trunk, the largest in the class!

Which of these can be accurately attributed to the benefits? A little, because a lot is not for everyone, but there are several undeniable points.

Pros:

• Large trunk volume;
• Convenience of driver placement;
• Plenty of room for passengers in the back;
• Clear and understandable adjustments and a practical view of the dashboard.

Minuses:

• The plastic inside the car is of low quality.
• The interior upholstery is simple and cheap.
• The minimum set of options.
• Rapid, because of his asceticism, can hardly be called a female car, because of this he loses a significant part of potential customers.

What's under the hood?

Rapid engines are its advantage and disadvantage at the same time. Turbo even at 1.2 does wonders on the road. Sharp, fast, informative, responsive. The first gear is only for starting from a standstill, at low speeds only the second one, and the main acceleration from a standstill is also on it. For overtaking on the highway, 5th is best. On the 6th, the speed increase “slows down”. Power is lost. Actually, this is nothing special and even more bad.

But we are talking about an “empty” car, that is, only when performing a transport function - to carry oneself. Any extra weight affects speed, power, acceleration, fuel consumption. When fully loaded, you will have to forget about frisky overtaking on the track. Well, except if the tractor is rushing in front of you, roughly speaking. This, of course, is from the category of jokes from life, but very close to reality.

Determining moment of choice: will the Rapida engine suit you? We'll have to weigh all its pros and cons.

The gearbox may seem overly rough. Switching gears should be a clear, correct movement. It is difficult to “throw” the lever into gear, it will be neutral. Therefore, after the soft, relaxed Asians, the Czech Rapid will seem rude and uncomfortable. On the other hand, you quickly get used to it. Even blondes will not be able to confuse 3rd gear with 5th.

On the other hand, the choice of motors is poor. As for a model that could be the best choice in the segment between C and B classes, powerful engines were spared at Skoda. It's a pity. As a result, we have only 4 engines. Either they didn't think of it, they didn't plan it. Whether the same concern for "branded" VW cars affects.

The biggest drawback will be the breakdown of Rapid. Again about the same engines. Unfortunately, a turbocharged engine is very demanding on the quality of gasoline. This is where unexpected breakdowns happen ahead of time. Their diversity is great, it is difficult to list them all. But it should be noted that this phenomenon is not universal. Well, 2 troubles of Russia are affecting: fools and roads. And if driving is not the first trouble, then there is no insurance against the second even in megacities, it’s better to keep quiet about regional roads.

Gasoline consumption Rapid: is the passport lying?

Consumption is far from the passport. Ride at minimum speed will not work much. The dependence of consumption on the load of the car is significant. For every additional 50-60 kg adds 150-200 g of consumption. Too much. This fact can be embarrassing. And that huge trunk, in which you can’t put anything, will be offensive, because the car will stop driving.

Let's try to highlight the technical advantages of Rapid:

• Good running and acceleration with minimal load;
• Clear gear shifting.;
• Quality workmanship details.

Technical disadvantages:

• High fuel consumption, higher than announced;
• Small selection of motors;
• Frequent breakdowns, sometimes requiring long-term repairs;
• Rigid suspension, potholes and bumps are clearly noticeable.

Is Rapid worth the money?

Opinions are divided. Complete asceticism can hardly be called a plus of Rapid. Although I must say that many people like this approach. The Spartan interior for many buyers is associated with European cars, and not with big savings. But in comparison with its competitors, Rapid's interior and exterior loses, no matter what his admirers say. Obviously cheap plastic, savings on upholstery fabrics, the absence of already familiar options (such as rear power windows) are only in the cons of the "Czech".

Nevertheless, with the right choice of equipment, taking into account all the features of the car, you can get a good, solid, roomy car. The main thing is not to demand superpowers from her. Everything she is capable of can be seen at once. She does not hide anything about herself, and she does not have a good "mystery". That's why you shouldn't expect much from her.

• Manufacturer - Volkswagen Group Rus, Russia
• Year of issue - 2014
• In operation ZR - since July 2014
• Mileage at the time of the report - 14,000 km
• Publications in ZR: 2014, No. 10; 2015, No. 5.

I got behind the wheel of the Rapid last October, and since then the odometer has counted 9623 km. For all the time of operation, I never scolded him - there were no reasons. Not a single breakdown! Only once did the front left speaker go haywire. For no reason, instead of music, he began to make some kind of rattling. I had to change the audio system settings and transfer the sound to the right speakers. But a day later, the musical hoarseness passed as suddenly as it appeared. The second failure is my own fault. On one of the sunny days, trying to hide from the bright light, the sun visor pulled too hard - and it jumped out of the mount. With a gentle push, he returned it to its place. That was the end of the trouble.

Salon at Rapid comfortable. With my average height (175 cm) I am very comfortable driving. In the back seat there are convenient fasteners for a child seat.

Another plus is the trunk. The liftback body allows you to make it not just big, but huge. During the move from apartment to apartment, I managed to do without a truck, even large household utensils fit without any problems. If desired, you can transport a refrigerator or washing machine. The flea dealers will appreciate the size of the hold.

But at first I was not satisfied with the dynamics - there was absolutely no traction. I do not know what is to blame - a relatively weak engine or automatic transmission.

With a sharp pressure on the gas, Rapid first thinks and begins to growl in a bass voice - as if it is preparing to shoot like a sports car. But you can not strain - the acceleration is very weak. However, I quickly got used to it. You just need to adapt to the traffic situation in advance and not take risks in vain.

In general, the “automatic” Rapid is quite suitable for my driving style. Moreover, a quiet ride turns into an enviable economy.

It is clear that the actual consumption is higher than that declared by the manufacturer. In the combined cycle, Rapid, instead of the promised seven and a half, consumes 9–10 liters per hundred, and if you tear from each traffic light, tearing the engine, 10–11 liters will come out.

Such a short period of operation does not allow to identify all the sores of the machine. But my verdict is this: Rapid is a reliable and unpretentious car. With a comfortable fit and decent interior. The trunk is the envy of classmates and even larger cars.

In the 80s and 90s of the last century, Skoda, originally from the Czech Republic, produced cars called Rapid. Just over ten years have passed, and in 2011 the Indian subsidiary of this concern revived this name again, releasing a new subcompact sedan. The history of creation is extremely simple. In fact, this car is a rebranding of the Volkswagen Vento, already known at that time, which the Russian user is familiar with under the name Polo. But the history of the name did not end there.

In the same year, Skoda presented a concept called "MissionL" at the Frankfurt Motor Show. By 2012, it was shown as a prototype at the Beijing Auto Show, but the name had already been changed to Rapid. The final form of the car was introduced in the same year and began to be produced for the European market. The new liftback has taken a place in the lineup between the more modest Fabia and the full-sized Octavia.

Russian users were able to get Rapid only by 2014. It differed from a European car in a modified suspension, which was more adapted to Russian realities. But at first, sales of the car were rather modest. The reason for this was the fact that the cheaper Volkswagen Polo, which is comparable in size to the Rapid, is also popular in Russia. In Europe, these cars are different and come in different classes, so this problem did not arise there. Assembled at a domestic plant (Rapid and Polo in Russia are produced at the same Kaluga plant), the cars are too similar, but Skoda is noticeably more expensive, as a result of which in the first year of sales it was sold three times weaker than Volkswagen.

Body

The automaker Skoda is officially owned by the Volkswagen auto concern, so it is not surprising that the European version was based on the Volkswagen Group A05 + platform, which had previously been used on the Fabia hatchback. The appearance of the car, released in 2012, even by modern standards is quite attractive. In the exterior design, there are fairly clear lines of the body, which makes the car quite solid and strict. In general, the car is quite similar to the more voluminous Octavia, whose design is just as smart and does not show aggressive features.

With the shape of the body, many may be mistaken, considering the Rapid a sedan, however, it is still a liftback. This is confirmed by the fact that the fifth door of the car opens along with the rear window, which is typical of the last class of bodies. This increases comfort when loading bulky items, which, by the way, will easily fit in Rapid, but more on that later.

Comparison between sedan and liftback

The paintwork has a fairly thick layer, so that after a trip on the highway, chips from small pebbles are quite rare on the front. The most optimal colors for cars are black and white. They perfectly emphasize the severity of body lines, making the car even more solid.

Interior and electronics

Skoda lovers, as shown by the investigations conducted by the company, prefer to use simpler things. In their opinion, the fewer unnecessary parts in the car, the lower the likelihood that something will break. The salon was developed on the basis of these studies, as well as taking into account the convenience of using the devices. As a result, when landing in Rapid, there is a feeling of comfort, it is immediately clear what and where is located. There are no unnecessary frills here, but at the same time, the interior does not feel too simple and cheap.

The three-spoke steering wheel is quite large, all devices are located quite ergonomically. But this is rather a merit of the standards that are set by the VW Group, which owns Skoda. The dashboard consists of two dials for a tachometer and a speedometer, between which the on-board computer screen is located.

On the top of the center console are two deflectors of the air conditioning system, and between them there are two keys, one of which is responsible for turning on the alarm. The second one appears only in rich trim levels and is responsible for the passenger airbag (it simply does not exist in basic models). In the center of the console are the controls of the multimedia system with a single-color display, which can be replaced with a color screen with built-in navigation. Below are the keys and controls for the stove and air conditioner.

Landing in Rapid is a little uncomfortable at first glance. The front seats feel too straight and hard, but they hold the back pretty well. Things are a little worse with the back row. Landing is quite comfortable, but tall people here can rest their heads on the ceiling, and those who are a little lower than them will beat them on speed bumps (the design of the rear suspension has this). Four adults can easily fit in the car, but the fifth will be superfluous, and the three of us will be a little cramped on the back sofa.

But the main feature of the Rapid is its trunk. It is accessed through a large rear door. The resulting wide opening will allow you to load bulky goods. But there is a downside. Due to the great depth, a step appears through which things will have to be thrown so as not to scratch the paint. Trunk volume is no less than 550 liters. If necessary, it can be increased by folding the rear row of seats. However, a step will be formed, eating up some space.

In the cabin, some advantages can be attributed to the disadvantages of the Skoda Rapid. First of all, it is simplicity, but rather poverty in terms of options, not everyone will like the ratio of price and equipment of base cars. So in order to enjoy Rapid, it is better to buy more expensive and complete versions. Drivers often complain about the quality of glass, which is scratched when cleaning from ice. In general, the car is rather intended for families with children, who will be quite comfortable in the back row. As for the assembly, here, as it happens, the presence of “crickets” is quite often noted, they appear in different places, and it is difficult to point to any specific space.

Engines

The range of Rapida engines is wide, which is quite common for cars whose manufacturers are part of the VW Group. There are several petrol versions with a volume of 1.2 to 1.6 liters. And here the main disadvantage of Rapid is noted - most of the presented motors are frankly weak for a car with a weight of just under 1.2 tons.

Base engine with three cylinders and 75 hp accelerates Rapid to hundreds in a long 14 seconds, while fuel consumption is quite large. The other two 1.2 liter TSI engines that replaced it are slightly better than their counterpart. At least they are pretty quiet both at idle and approaching the 6000 rpm red mark. All three "small-liters" are rather intended for drivers who never rush anywhere, but like to drive measuredly and imposingly.

The problems of 1.2 engines are already familiar to car owners. First of all, it is the indigestion of low-quality oils and fuels. In addition, they all require long idling in the winter to reach operating temperature, although this defect was eliminated in later models. In general, the engines in terms of reliability are in the middle, and with proper operation they roll back their 250 thousand km.

The engine with a volume of 1.4 liters also has two modifications: one is old, and the second is more modern. But unlike the 1.2 liter, they are both still available. Depending on the marking, the units can produce 122 or 125 hp. The difference is quite small, but it's not about power, but about equipment. The fact is that a more modern version is a modified version of the old motor. As a result, the 122-horsepower engine has a number of disadvantages that its counterpart does not have. These include:

1. Jumping timing chain when it is stretched.
2. Clogging of some valves, because of which the car loses its already not the best dynamics.
3. Tripping at the factory at idle and long warm-up.

As well as dislike for the quality of oil and gasoline, although this aspect was inherited to the 125-horsepower version.

It is best to buy cars with engines whose volume is 1.6 liters. And this is proved by statistics, according to which these units are the most purchased in Russia along with Skoda and Volkswagen cars. This is a standard four-cylinder engine, which, unlike its "turbo" brothers, is not equipped with any devices that could increase its power. The unit is quite comfortable to use and does not cause serious problems. The timing drive here is a belt drive, but it is not serviced. Reviews of the owners of the Skoda Rapid 2017, as well as the Volkswagen Polo, regardless of the year of manufacture of the car, note two main claims:

1. Shaking during "cold" work, as well as extraneous knocks. This is corrected by installing a new firmware. In the worst case, you will have to change the pistons to a more advanced version of the "ET". You can also install a 4-2-1 or 4-1 cableless collector and set up the “brains” for it.
2. Knocking when driving over bumps. It is noticed that at 1.6 when driving on uneven surfaces, a knock occurs. He is to blame for the poor design of the left pillow. If this disease is detected, it is enough to replace it with a more modified version.

There are also several diesel engines in the lineup. But they are not represented in Russia, if you managed to find a Rapid designed for this fuel, then most likely it was bought in Europe.

Suspension, chassis and overall performance

The front axle of the car has got the classic McPherson-type struts, which are quite common among front-wheel drive cars. But behind is a torsion beam, inherited along with the platform from Fabia. According to some motorists, this design has deprived the car of sophistication when driving, which is inherent in other models in its class.

The real advantage was the weight of the Skoda. It is only 1150 kg, which is significantly lower than the competition. Of course, weak engines installed on budget versions even weakly pull it, but this is different. Lightness also affects fuel consumption, which is lower for Rapid than for analogues from its class, although here everything rather depends on the engine.

Interestingly, when cornering, Skoda feels more confident with less voluminous versions of engines. The large 1.6 is quite heavy on the front suspension, which can cause roll during sharp turns. But, despite this, in general, Rapid behaves quite confidently on the road. The chassis here is still tuned specifically for comfort with a quiet ride.

Outcome

So far, for several years of its existence, the Skoda Rapid has not undergone major restyling, and now you can buy a car that is almost completely identical to the one that was introduced in 2014. The only change was the expansion of the engine range, which was carried out by upgrading already familiar versions.

However, this car does not need innovative solutions yet. To break here, frankly, there is nothing. Everything is quite simple, and at the same time comfortable. The level of frequency of breakdowns does not exceed the performance of other cars included in the Volkswagen group. Nevertheless, even among auto mechanics, a rather warm attitude towards Skoda, including Rapid, has long been established. It is enough to ask most of the owners of this car about maintenance, and they will calmly answer that they appear on the thresholds of services only for MOT.

Of course, Rapid has some fairly strong competitors in its segment. For example, the same Hyundai Solaris. But the liftback is more likely to be taken as a family car. From the side of activity, he noticeably loses even to his brothers "Yeti" and "Fabia". But this is only in the upper price range. At the bottom, Skoda has practically no competitors, although the car here becomes rather sluggish. Here the main role is played by ergonomics and capacity, which cheap analogues cannot boast of.

The budget version of the budget sedan - somehow you can imagine the Skoda Rapid, the closest relative of the Volkswagen Polo. After all, the Czech brand has always been perceived as a manufacturer of even more "folk" versions of Volkswagen. However, in terms of price and equipment, Rapid is slightly inferior to Polo, and, as it turned out, it has its own “sores” for the most part. What to expect from "Rapid"? And what did the Czech "inherit" from the German? This time, the Russian representative office of the Skoda brand will help us answer these questions.

Squeak of stabilizer bushings

“This creak is already just tired, even on a straight road it creaks over small bumps. I signed up for diagnostics on Saturday, I wanted to make it to MOT, but it’s simply impossible to drive another 5000 km with such a creak. I sprayed grease on the bushings - zero effect. crickets in the front panel, everything rattles on the comb like in the old nine. In short, after 10,000 km, the car starts to upset, "writes andu on the forum http://skodarapidclub.ru/.

The reason for the unpleasant "cart" squeak on so many "Rapids" is the stabilizer bushings, which sometimes begin to annoy their owners already in the first thousand kilometers. In general, it was noted that the bushings turned out to be too heat-loving: they give up with the onset of cold weather, when sub-zero temperatures are exacerbated by dirt on the roads.

Officials often changed under warranty not just bushings, but the entire stabilizer assembly - if the owners managed to demonstrate a clear creak of the front suspension when driving through bumps, there were no problems with warranty repairs. However, often the replacement saved only temporarily: gradually the creak returned again. This happened due to an insufficient amount of lubricant, which was quickly washed out during operation.

However, recently, according to the officials, when replacing bushings, a new type of lubricant is laid, which does not wash out and allows you to get rid of unpleasant squeaks for a long time, and one call to the dealer will be enough to solve the problem. Not only official dealers speak about this, but also representatives of the Skoda brand in Russia.

“Unfortunately, due to the specifics of the work of public utilities, such defects sometimes manifest themselves,” comments Alexei Peshkov, head of the Skoda Auto Russia technical support group. “Nevertheless, official dealers replace the bushings under warranty, even in the third year of operation. Currently in the production of cars, a new type of lubricant is used, which is not washed out for a long time and allows you to get rid of unpleasant squeaks.For those who have this problem, one visit to the dealer is enough today to solve it."

Engine mount knock

“I noticed a slight knock when the policemen were crossing or on small bumps. The mileage is 7500 km. The knock looks like something is loose, or the protection is knocking. - engine mount knocking. It seems like a childhood disease, and they know about it, "says user samer on the forum http://skodarapid.net/. "As I understand it, VAG did not work on the bugs and left all the" Polosedanov's "sores" to Rapid. VAG thinks that nothing needs to be done, and they will buy like that, because this is German quality !?", - the user writes in the same thread of the forum under the nickname Shaman.

It was no coincidence that the Volkswagen Polo sedan was remembered in this story: it really had such a problem as a knocking engine mount. In fact, this detail did not bother with anything other than an annoying knock, but it’s not clear why a car rumbling on bumps is also not a gift. As the officials say, the knock was made by a plastic sleeve, which the manufacturer got rid of in the design of the new model part. It is the new, modified pillows that are installed as part of the warranty when handling the "rapid drivers", and after the replacement, the annoying knocking ceases to bother.

By the way, in the representative office of "Skoda" mass cases of knocking pillows are not noted. "We assume that we are talking about an isolated case. We do not have information on appeals with this problem," says Alexey Peshkov.

wheezing speakers

The Skoda Rapid audio system turned out to be extremely heat-loving: the speakers literally wheeze at sub-zero temperatures, as if a tender throat catches a cold, and only gradually, as the cabin warms up, does the voice begin to return to them. “This is an ambush. It turns out that not only the engine needs to be warmed up before the trip, but also the speakers. So much for Simply Clever,” user Andrej jokes on the rapidclubs.ru forum.

The manufacturer changed the modification of the installed speakers several times, eventually finding the option that turned out to be the most resistant to low temperatures. Nevertheless, the officials remind that in severe frosts the range of operation of the low-frequency speakers is reduced, and in general it is better for them not to give a strong sound load until the interior warms up. Although, in any case, potential "rapid drivers" do not have to worry about wheezing speakers at the moment.

“Until November 2014, they were replaced under warranty without any problems, and from 11.2014 the brand changed the supplier, the problem has now been completely eliminated,” the Russian representative office of Skoda claims.

Gas pedal defect

It is interesting that most of the owners did not really suspect that the Skoda Rapid had such a "childhood illness" until the dealer himself told them about it (here we are running a little ahead: the car manufacturer organized a service event to fix the problem). "Today the dealer called. They asked me to drive up to check the accelerator pedal or something related to it. They said that a message came from the factory about some flaw. They didn't really explain what exactly. Just, like, please, drive up for verification," Dmitry wrote, for example, on the forum http://skodarapidclub.ru/.

Well, those who still were not lucky enough to "check" the existence of this defect on their own experience, they were probably puzzled by the strange behavior of the car when trying to accelerate. For example, the stabilization system lamps or the hated Check Engine could light up on the dashboard, the engine could fall into emergency mode out of the blue, and the car was not particularly eager to accelerate normally.

This happened on a certain batch of "Rapids" due to a faulty contact between the contact pin and the resistor board of the pedal. Pedal-inadequate specimens were invited to the service, and the officials changed the defective gas pedal for free. True, as the representative office of the brand assures, no defects were found on the vast majority of cars. Of course, on new machines, from 2015 and younger, this problem does not occur either.

Water at the door

"... the day before yesterday, I poured 3 liters of water from the door. I went, I thought, Baku Khan - gasoline splashes, then I remembered that I saw such a video))) I pulled the rubber band, and how it flooded ...", - says sergey_mahv on the Belarusian forum skoda-club.by The forum is Belarusian, but the problem turned out to be truly international: “gurgling” doors are a curious feature of Rapid, which was discussed on Russian, German, and Polish forums.

It's no secret that the internal cavities of the doors must be ventilated so that condensate does not accumulate inside and conditions are not created for the development of corrosion and all forms of life such as mold. That's why drainage holes are needed. Through the same holes in wet weather, rainwater safely leaves the door. More precisely, in the case of some Skoda Rapid, it should leave, but is not particularly in a hurry.

Interestingly, there may be several reasons for the accumulation of water in the doors. Officials, in particular, recall drainage holes clogged with grease and cases of illiterate tuning (when, for example, when sloppy gluing with additional sound insulation or installing music, the drainage was blocked). Official dealers also made mistakes when preparing the car: there are a couple of cases when a shipping film was found in the door.

A separate point in this matter is the problem of seals that blocked the water outlet - in particular, this was typical for the European Rapids, which forced the owners to cut the seals. The officials, however, say that everything is in order with the seals on the Skoda Rapid of the Kaluga assembly, and they do not interfere with the drainage holes to “breathe” freely.

“The Russian representative office of the brand also speaks about the absence of a mass problem. Most likely, we are talking about an isolated case. We have not encountered complaints about this defect at Rapidy,” says Alexey Peshkov.

Of course, the owners of classmates-competitors can gloat and be in full confidence that they definitely made the right choice and bought the most reliable and trouble-free car. But there are no perfect cars - and the fact that your favorite model has not yet appeared in this section means only one thing: we just haven't got to it yet.