rw711

I am a happy Mk2 estate owner - but sorry I dont have much experience of the Mk3 If you are looking purely for space overall however I would look to the Mk3 - the mk2 is golf based and although it seems a lot bigger than the golf - the Mk3 is a 'segment' bigger. - ie it is more Mondeo/Passat sized - if you park a mk2 next to a mondeo you will notice it is slightly shorter in length Only you can decide if the estate or hatch format is what you want ? but I take it the newer estate will be (too) bigger outlay? 1.6 diesels can get EGR problems, as mine is an 11 plate and well out of both manufacturers warranty and the 6 months we bought it with. I decided to get the EGR blanked and remapped- this does however mean I wont be able to take it for the emissions recall. I'm hoping to get a good few yrs out of the car - however if you are someone who likes to change cars regularly it'd make sense to go with the newer model I think for resale value? Probably not much help, but my 2-penneth anyways

You have to remember the MOT is a minimum standard much as xman and others state - If you are unhappy with braking- you said its not 100 % correct - I would want to sort that ? - if the discs have been on a long time and they had ever been in a binding condition it could have warped them even if there is still sufficient integrity/thickness to pass an MOT - warped discs would give a shuddery and less than 100% feel to brakes but would not feel like sponginess at the pedal? - the amount of shuddering would vary has to how badly the discs were warped. - many people just replace pads and not discs (- have had the first and done the 2nd!!) - so you could be looking at a disc damaged by previous pads yet the pads look ok ( much as what the post above this says - in more technical detail, it happened to me on a motorbike (warped discs - pads and discs looked fine took me ages to get to bottom of it ! - so just endorsing the post above really?) A pad and disc set is not dear in general (unlike motorbike parts lol) - and fits easily without bleeding (as you have already had the fluid done) - obviously the biggest issue may be getting the old discs off? advisories can also something perculiar to each MOT place - I got a 'low tread - on a rear tyre which was at its lowest point 2.5 -- it would be fair comment for a front tyre on a FWD car

probably my fault never noticed

We were needing a traditional estate and as such went with mk2 octavia - having had a look at a spaceback which was altogether too small - Hatchbacks may be a different kettle of fish - and only you know what matters to you and what you need. -we all differ in our outlooks - unlike Ad Lav I wouldnt have any other than the mk2 octavia as it works well for us and personally like the looks I am not that fond of the newer models - the rapid is the best looking of the new models cos its the one that looks most like the old octavia - but its all subjective, get the one that suits you best.

This is on the south side of Loch Ness on the B road from Fort Augustus to Foyers, though its more of the landscape and the car just happened to be in it!

I was gonna replace ours with Uniroyal rainsport 3 as they looked a good wetgrip/fuel economy for the price, when read reviews (and I also heard locally) that the tyre walls are relatively thin compared to some makes... If you live somewhere where potholes or poor surface conditions are common this may be worth taking into consideration? - we have a huge problem in Argyll with road surfaces and punctures!

still worth doing... had a stage one remap on Octavia with 1.6 TDI 105 you'll end up with about 135-140 hp - instant throttle response & better drive - approx -10% fuel save despite better performance whats not to like?

I got a few quotes regarding the EGR deletion and other options - today I took the car and had the EGR blanked and deleted and stage 1 remap, at the same time the DPF was checked and it was recommended to be left in place as its condition and operation was deemed to be fine. The company I used said it was best to leave a fully functioning DPF in place if no problems with it - as the MOT is only a visual check now it could become more stringent in the future, this suited me fine as it was saved me a couple of hundred quid over the original estimates for both EGR & DPF removing which was money I don't have just at the moment . Immediate noticeable results are of course fantastic wish I had done it sooner before the faults even emerged - big increase in driveability in terms of throttle response, torque and acceleration yet improvement in economy, as far as I can rudimentally check from the on board display is a relative increase in region of 5 mpg at 60-70 mph speeds - it is also now showing a tank which I have used approx 140 miles worth already as being good for another 725 miles - I've only ever seen it in low 600's on a brimmed tank before. Obviously I will have to monitor further before I can state anything more concrete on fuel economy but good signs so far.... Will report further as time goes on... this remapper is convenient & mobile for central Scotland I will supply details on request by pm- they seem to know their stuff but the proof of the pudding is as they say in the eating so I'll not just post the link straight up just yet

Thanks Dan - I think this is ultimately the best way forward- I know the 'holier than thou' comments about emmissions always come out on these , but VW developed these and treat them as consumables and they as we well know still f***ed up on emmissions - so we are stuffed either way the consumer is having the pish ripped out of us - you buy a 3-5 yr old motor expecting it to be 'nearly new' and not having huge problems! - rant over I hugely like the Octy dont get me wrong, but I aint gonna feel guilty about the emmissions as the remap would probably save fuel - even if you go for the power option not economy it will hold higher gears at lower speeds (which is a bit I feel of an issue with the 1.6 TDI -you really do have too start in first even when you trickle up to the lights still moving? ) -to me you lessen the amount of fuel burnt at the bottom line which therefore lessens the Nox and particulates. If the technology was reliable and treated as part of the car rather than a consumable I'd be up for any emmissions savings - but VW/Skoda had just done this to keep the EU govs happy without a thought as to how the consumer would get on with it when it went wrong - oops I'm ranting again - BED lol

P0407 is the code : see readout below. Cancelling the code and driving about 50 miles the light (glowplug flashing & EM light stayed off) - it came on once then when cancelled again it has gone off & stayed off so far -did the snake oil work and just take a bit longer to work its magic? -will the light come back on again? -should I still be thinking about EGR deletion long term?

Thanks, I had assumed that the flashing glowplug was to do with the EGR from reading other threads on the forum , I do know the DPF has a seperate warning light as this came on once then cleared when went for a decent run. I am now in touch with a friend at work who thinks a friend of his may have a compatible VW device for checking codes so hopefully this should be possible before any thing more major gets done... I have done the wynns fuel system clean (Ultra Clean mixed into half tank DERV) and done the squirty stuff (Wynns EGR cleaner) into the air intake now - it hasnt improved things I didnt think it would but was the easiest /cheapest thing and probably good housekeeping as the car has not had as many long runs as usual with the season/weather... cost not much more than a tenner off ebay.. I would like in principle to block the EGR anyway as I think it is a source of potential problems and few benefits- I am more in favour of keeping the DPF esp. whilst it remains trouble free as I can see it is useful for keeping particulate pollution down.. Willy0329 - I am not sure about the emmissions recall we got the EA189 letter from SKoda saying it would be recalled but they would contact us when ? _ I'll maybe give them a ring, - again we live in a remote part of Scotland a trip to the dealer would be a full day out and half a tank of fuel, I'd also like to know what they are going to do before committing to it? More when I get codes, would still like to block EGR I think?

Thanks folks, Yes I Had seen that kit on ebay good price- and was thinking that might do it, it would be easily remove & replace if it goes for recall. Do the DPF later should it become problematic? - I got a quote (£475) for the EGR /DPF gut out (Supertune Scotland) - I asked about the MOT and they have re-iterated twice that the modification is 100% MOT friendly and they guarantee the work to that effect , but do state that taking for the recall would undo the remap. We are thinking of keeping the car long term as we like it so much, so it might just be worth getting it done so no future hassles ( we stay in remote area of west coast - its 3 hrs each way just to get to Glasgow which is nearest city for stuff like this!!, though we have a couple of local garages they dont really specialise in anything particular) Thing is I dont know how long til the recall, what they would do to it and whether it would be desirable. I dont really want it in limp mode till then if its 6 months down the line, though it would be good to get the list of faults free Some of blanking plates I've seen have a small hole and claim not to upset the engine management? Gonna try the Wynns EGR cleaner stuff this weekend, though would seem unlikely, its got to be worth a try!

Hi I am fairly new & have looked and read a good few threads already and got a useful amount of info, so sorry therefore to start yet another thread! My car is 1.6 TDi on 11 plate - facelift estate model . It has been faultless & brilliant mpg for the first 12 months of ownership, just recently had one 'artificial' regen on the DPF to report (about 3 weeks ago) - now getting check engine and flashing glow plugs at some to most of the time - past 5 days - reading other posts I am thinking this must therefore be at the EGR? we are getting limp mode some but not all the time. I'd like to get the full EGR /DPF removal & remap in due course - but wary of the emmissions recall as we have the letter, plus do not really have spare cash for the whole job just now. My ideas are to start with the easiest/cheapest measures first, with squirty egr cleaner into air intake. I also think I can buy blanking plates which will disable the EGR without having to remove it in the short-term, as I understand it is difficult to get to for manual cleaning. I am keen to do non-permanent stuff too till we know the full implications of the recall? Any help/suggestions/or pointing out I am not getting it right welcome cheers,

Thanks, I was just going to ask this very question!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/emissions-scandal-do-you-own-one-of-the-worst-performing-cars/ Just been reading this, other manufacturers cars not meeting the emissions either?