Skoda Felicia 1995 test drive - 2001 -

Dear pleasure

Anyone who decided to purchase an imported car, even relatively inexpensive, should know: an accident with a complex tin is fraught with large expenses. This was once again reminded by the editorial experiment of Skoda or nine (ZR, 1998, No. 6 and 9), although it was not Felicia, but VAZ 2109, in the course of it.
 
 
Each of the cars, like people, has its own fate. Some, without knowing sadness, serve their owner faithfully for many years. Others - ingloriously die in the color of years.
 
So our test car was not lucky: the brand new editorial nine fell under the hot hand of a dashing rider. She stood calmly in front of the crossroads, waited for her turn. And here, from nowhere, he is the failed pilot of formula 1 on the old Lada. He flew so low, right above the road. A short screech of rubber somewhere behind and ...
 
The damage turned out to be very serious: the back of the car is in an accordion, the doorways are skewed, the fold on the roof above the central counter. One joy - the rear bridge remained in place. Against this background, a broken headlight and a split bumper already seem to be a trifle. After such an accident, the car is usually either sold in parts or entirely or change the body to a new one. But our goal is to compare Samara with Skoda in all possible parameters. And then God himself ordered to compare the costs of repairing both machines in a similar situation. We did not beat the felicia for this, but simply calculated the cost of work for the imaginary repair of Skoda, relying on the calculation of damage to the nine.
 
Where to repair? Who will the owner of a broken car for help turn to? To the company's company? Perhaps, but there are other options. You can save on repair by contacting Uncle Vasya from a neighboring garage if you are sure of his abilities. You can resort to the help of a solid one of the leading companies that supply expensive paints and varnishes to our country - such stations specialize in a tin. As a rule, you will be offered the perfect quality here, but for fabulous money. Repair of the nine on such a service is close to absurdity, but if this banquet pays the culprit of the accident, this option cannot be discounted. Let's try to find out how much the repair of each of our cars in the listed places will cost.
 
 
Independent assessment. It is no secret that in many cases, the amount of damage to repairs is collected from the culprit of the accident so that there is something to pay for it. You can request a certain amount from the offender, focusing on personal ideas about the complexity of the repair and the advice of a knowledgeable comrade - this is often done with slight damage. But if the estimated amount of damage is great, it is more reasonable to entrust the assessment of independent expert organizations.
 
According to experts, the amount of the cost of repairing our VAZ 21093 will amount to about 18 thousand rubles or, at the then rate, about $ 2000. The costs of a similar repair of Skoda were estimated at six thousand German brands - after all, Czech Skoda belongs to the German concern Volkswagen. In a more familiar currency, this is about $ 4500. The difference in the cost of repairing two machines is determined by many factors: more expensive spare parts of Skoda, more cost of body work, and the painting itself spills in a penny, because our felicia is painted with metallic.
 
 
Branded service station. As for the repair of nine, the branded Vazov station offers the cheapest option - 13,500 rubles (about $ 900). True, those who decide to repair the car here will have to plunge for a while into the atmosphere of the world's first socialist state with its unobtrusive service.
 
The assessment of imaginary works with Felicia caused some difficulties at the Skodov technical center. Firstly, due to the design differences in the machines, their damage will be different. Secondly, in addition to the list of damaged details, to evaluate it is necessary to see how they are damaged, and to build assumptions about how deformations could go on Skoda with a similar blow is an ungrateful occupation. But from the experience it is known that when the folding on the roof of the felicia and the rear door collision at the front cost of the repair of the machine, including consumables occur, is usually not less than $ 3500-4000.
 
 
Good, but expensive. The next step is to assess the cost of work in the technical center of the famous manufacturer of expensive paint materials. Here, the nine looked with a white sheep, and not only because it was painted white. At such stations, domestic cars rarely come across - too expensive. Nevertheless, the will of the client - the law, you want - will be repaired and nine. After inspection of the car, we were called the price - $ 3000, not counting the cost of body parts. They will cost another couple of thousand of our rubles. And what about Felicia? It turns out that its repair would cost almost the same amount. For these specialists, nine and Skoda Felicia are cars of the same class. If we had a Mercedes or Jaguar, the same work would cost a lot more. True, some difference will still be. Firstly, the details of the foreign car are more, and secondly, all the same metallic. In general, Skoda will cost about $ 4,000.
 
 
Uncle Vasya has. It is easy to imagine the situation when the owner of the car embarrassed in the funds turns for help to where cheaper. He calls the password - I am from Ivan Ivanovich and receives assurances in the high quality of work and a particularly low price for his own.
 
So, what did the garage craftsman be told to us? Working with a tin is a creative process, once at a time. Therefore, the price can swim. Repair of a foreign car, even such as Felicia, is more expensive in any case. Why? Yes, because a foreign car: the forms of body parts are more complicated, the materials must be used good, the quality of the fitting is required higher, the responsibility is more, and the cost of painting with a metallic can be safely multiplied by half, or even three times. The age of the car also plays an important role: they do not require a lot from the old woman - if only it drove, a new car - be kind, make a mosquito nose a mosquito does not flow. In general, the repair of interest to us will pull here for $ 1,500-2000 for nine and $ 2000-3000-for Skoda, how to agree. Moreover, if the dollar still jumps up, they can take it not at the exchange rate, but in human.
 
 
And yet how much? To whom and how much money to pay for repairs will decide the owner. As a result of our research, we found out the following: the amount for which we estimated the repair in an independent expert bureau to restore the car. But there is one subtlety. Domestic cars are estimated in rubles, and repair prices are most often prescribed in conditional units. At the time when this very unit jumps up and down, you can stay with a broken one ... no, not a trough, but a car.
 
Tin repair of an imported car, even as relatively cheap as Felicia, is an expensive pleasure. Depending on what level of repairs it will be selected, the difference in the prices for the repair of nine and Skoda will be from 30% (branded tin service) to 300% of the extra (factory service). Still, body work is expensive, especially for an imported machine.
 
Alexander Budkin. Photo by the author
 
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"