Windybum

I’m sure that a search on here will turn up similar issues and hopefully solutions

New turbo is reassuring and I saw the paperwork for repairs to the mechatronic so hopefully it turns out to be a good deal 👍

What is your verdict after a few days owning it? They were going to put a couple of tyres on it and get any niggles sorted out when I spoke to them. I imagine it was well looked after by the Met Police.

I bought mine with 103,000 and comprehensive dealer history and now on 118,000 with very little to report, gearbox and Haldex servicing is absolutely paramount, check for any signs of oil leaks and obviously turbo is a crucial check. A lot of drivers seem to think it’s fine to rev turbocharged cars hard when cold which is bad news for them so that will be down to the life it has had. I always try to buy a car with as few owners as possible as that tends to lead me to think that it has been a good reliable vehicle. Test drive for as long a journey as possible and get it on a stretch of motorway or dual carriageway for a few miles and keep an eye on the mpg as it is a fair indicator of mechanical condition, none is guaranteed though so it is very much a suck it and see. A low mileage car can suffer abuse as much as a high mileage one. Check out the Autotrader as there’s an ex Met police 280 with 135k for £8000 which I was assured drives without fault but might be a risky punt.

I’m fine with the gearing on mine for normal use and trips in the UK but 1000 miles through France can get a little tedious, I have to set the screen so I can’t see mpg and sheepishly look when we’ve returned home. I’ve now bought a 16 plate E Class for both journeys and will move it on when it has served its purpose

No but I do know that my 280 six speed sits at 2500rpm at 70mph and is an expensive jaunt when you are on French toll roads at 85 so the gearing of the seven would make it slightly more economical and a little less tiring but it really doesn’t matter now as the one I was looking at is the same as mine anyway. I can pick up a 2019 E Class diesel up for 9k with 130k and full Mercedes history and when I am seeing them with 250000 miles at the same age they are pretty durable. That ex Met police tsi 4x4 just piqued my interest but the water has passed under the bridge now so I’ll continue my search. My 280 is going nowhere, it’ll just get a well earned rest for a few weeks

As suspected, it’s a 6 speed. Really wanted to have the better gearing of the 7 for my two trips to France but never mind. Back to looking at E Class Merc estates as Superb estates are a similar price surprisingly and I think an E Class is the perfect cruiser for a long jaunt just maybe trickier to sell on afterwards

Anyone looking at a 280 for reasonable money might want to check it out, mine has now travelled 118k impeccably with the right maintenance so this one could be a bargain basement flying machine.

He’s taking it for a drive now to make sure but just looked on DVLA and it was registered early March 2018 so looking like a6 speed. If so like Monty Pythons Holy Grail, I’ll tell him I already got one 😂

@Evolution13 lots of miles 😂 135k but will have been serviced every 10k or yearly, you can see their service schedule online. He showed me receipts at 120k which included mechatronic repair amongst many other service items. As I type he has text to say he is going to check which DSG it has but I suspect it will be 6 speed. It needs a service and two tyres but for the miles looks very good for £8k

Thank you all, I already have the 6 speed 280 and with 2 long trips through France coming up, I started looking for a big comfortable estate to buy so I don’t put any more miles on mine when an ex Met police 2018 tsi 4x4 appeared for sale. I have been in touch with the dealer who has sent me some images of receipts and I now believe that it is a 6 speed which is unfortunate as I’d like to use it for the trips and then move it on afterwards.

Can anyone tell me when the change was made for dsg changing from the 6 speed, I’m eyeing up a 2018 tsi 4x4 which seems to be the year they went to the 7 speed but is there an obvious way to tell?

I’ve got the same thing going on, bubbling up around the edges of the rubber seal. I’d be amazed if Skoda uk would honour the corrosion warranty, I’m at some point going to speak to a local body shop to get advice on repair and their opinion as to what’s caused it.

Been looking at doing the same to the Trinity wheels on mine and wondered what they’d look like in full powder coat, great timing so a big thumbs up. You have the same spec and colour as my 280 estate and I think they look great. My thoughts were to go with a darker silver/grey or bronze but silver looks really bright and suits the colour

Sketchy? Being ex taxi that may be the case and some will do the work themselves as I know a local company do so. It’s possible that it hasn’t been bled correctly on the hydraulics so how does the clutch feel? Slightly spongy would be an indicator and early bite point maybe? Poor alignment of the clutch on the gearbox spline could also cause possible issues. Not really sure what issues these cars have with manual transmission as mine is the first VW group car (DSG auto) I’ve owned since an 80’s Scirocco GTi and things are very different now from that period. Hopefully someone can chime in and offer better help to you soon.

Is it a manual transmission or DSG automatic? A manual would suggest that the issue is possibly clutch/dmf related. If it is an automatic then I think it would likely be overdue an oil change, in either case look for a VW/Skoda specialist local to you and maybe ask on a separate post to see if they come recommended or not. An oil change on the dsg box will be considerably cheaper than a manual needing a full clutch kit.

Fair summary Travs 👍 My original post was just to let anyone interested know that there was a decent deal on the recommended oil so hope it was useful to someone. Not sure a ‘which oil is best discussion’ is a great idea, they never seem to end well but @D402 link regarding Mannoil is very interesting and does make you wonder how many manufacturers are not as they claim.

Not sure that’s what I meant, I always change oils way before recommended service intervals and use a quality and often cheaper alternative to the manufacturer recommended. I’ve had Volvo’s for the last few years, have you seen the price of their lubricants? Never did I suggest using oil with incorrect specification or dubious brands. I recently sold my V60 after 6 years ownership with almost 150k miles and running sweet as a nut, the last 5 oil changes at 6 month intervals were using Petronas Syntium which was considerably cheaper than Volvo. Maybe I need to be clearer in future 😉

Oh dear, that doesn’t read too well. I think a 280hp engine with 115000 miles deserves the recommended lubrication anyway so I’ll enjoy a nice price cut and stock up for an interim service in January

I’m not saying Mannoil is of poorer quality but only the recommended oil is going into my tsi 4x4 especially with higher mileage. I did gearbox flushes on my previous car with Mannoil equivalent spec gearbox oil, a Volvo V60 auto. It was flaring slightly when changing in the lower gears and after nearly 20 litres had been put through it, it made very little difference even after gearbox adaptations were made. Eventually paid out to have it professionally flushed through by a Volvo specialist and it changed beautifully afterwards so I had lost a little trust in their products. I’d probably think very differently if I was running a high mileage diesel though and would look at a cheaper alternative oil.

Hopefully posted a link to the official Castrol store on eBay in this post. 8 litres of 504/507 spec for under £50 with discount code https://ebay.us/m/XCuEvf

Okay, looking again 0W-30 is listed as 504/507 specification too The only 0W-40 I see that meets VW requirements says it is VW 511/00 so might be a dubious option 😬

I have a late 2016 2.0 Tsi 4x4 (280) and all service records say Castrol Edge 5W-30 was used, I personally have used the same since I’ve owned it. Just looking online I only see 5W-30 listed as being 504/507 specification and none were 0W-30? Maybe just me not searching thoroughly enough?

Yes, go in through the dipstick. I bought a Pela last year but got fed up constantly pumping the pressure to keep it sucking and although it showed it had removed just under 6 litres, I was paranoid that there may have been muck at the bottom of the sump. I suppose if you are changing in between a dealer service it isn’t such an issue but I do my own servicing so in another 6,000 after the service I’ve just completed (removing sump plug) I may just use the Pela again. Certainly saves the faff of jacking

@Setesh I’ve looked at my paint code and it is LF3K Corrida red.