spottydog

I agree, but the problem is already there as it's a design fault, so using 40 instead of 30 isn't curing the fault just masking it for a while longer.

Trouble is using thicker oil is just delaying the inevitable.

I'm sure the parts alone came to about that price, maybe a bit more, so that seems very cheap. Mine was done under warranty but they gave me a full breakdown invoice including costs. Unfortunately I don't have the paperwork anymore. Parts included, pistons, rings, con rods, valve seals, cam chain, tensioner and other bits and bobs. Labour was more than parts. The head had to be completely stripped and cleaned as it was carboned up. Just to add the reason you need pistons, rings and con rods is because the new modified rings do not fit the existing pistons. The new pistons do not fit the existing con rods.

It's the 1.8 tsi and unfortunately it is almost certainly the piston ring fault. Furryfriend these engines are well know for high oil consumption across the VAG range as they have an inherent design fault with the piston rings. My 2010 Octavia suffered the same problem when I bought it from a Skoda dealer with 80,000 miles on the clock. It was using one litre of oil every 300 miles so a lot worse than yours. Skoda say 0.5 ltr of oil in 1000km (621 miles) is acceptable so yours is still within their tolerance. The thread in the Octavia 2 forum is long but worth reading.

Try this site for boot sizes. It's the Motability site so good for all access specs. http://www.rica.org.uk/content/car-search

Definitely wouldn't have a diesel with those mileages you're just going to get expensive problems.

I tried all ways to pull away "normally" with the Yeti dsg but unless you used very small throttle openings and consequently move off from standstill very slowly it would hesitate. No way could I try a quick pull out from a junction or roundabout safely. The Octavia had the same DQ200 7 speed dry clutch gearbox and didn't do this so it's obviously not my driving style it's a set up problem.

I'd be amazed if the type of oil was the problem. Any modern oil would not do that including cheap supermarket oil. They are all made to a standard (please don't start the premium oil versus etc. etc. debate). If it is an oil problem it's more likely to be because of the oil not being changed frequently enough but it's much more likely to be a mechanical problem.

I had a 2013 1.2 dsg Yeti and the biggest problem for me was the hesitation when trying to pull away from a standstill quickly. It did nothing for a second then would spin the wheels and suddenly lurch forward. Potentially very dangerous. Skoda dealer let me try another Yeti and it was the same. I now see this mentioned in quite a few Skoda used car road tests and also that a software update fixes it but this was not available to me when I sold the Yeti 18 months later. I had a 2010 1.8 dsg Octavia last year for a couple of months and that had a fantastic gearbox. No hesitation, only in 4th at 30mph and much better change down when going down hills. I know this had the gearbox oil changed so probably had the software update done at the same time.

The two main reasons I sold my 2011 Octavia were too firm a ride and too much road noise. I only had it a few months and was very disappointed with the quality of the ride. Same as the Yeti I had it must be a Skoda thing. Hence my change to the Mk3 Scenic. Chalk and cheese. Smooth, quiet, lovely ride and drive. Slightly less luggage space.

Yes you're right. I had put the wrong ratio in the table as they were the tyres on my Octavia. I need to pay more attention :-)

You are right regarding the second number being the ratio but 225 and 205 are the width of the tyre not the side wall height. I just read the data on the tyre comparison chart.

Longship not sure what you mean there. It's the wall height of the tyre that gives you the overall diameter. It's the same overall diameter because the tyre sidewalls are different. 205/55/16 is the same as 225/50/17. 205/55/16 and 225/55/16 are exactly the same diameter, one is slightly wider than the other. https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=225-50-17X6.5ET45&wheel2=225-45-17X7.5ET40&fcl=50mm&wcl=30mm&scl=50mm&sr=0mm Scroll down to minus sizing. 205/60/16 is a different diameter. It's 3% bigger diameter according to the calculator.

As Kenny said if it's just for a spare get a 205/55/16. Much more choice and cheaper. Keeps the diameter the same.

My 1.8 tsi L&K had the oil consumption problem but luckily for me was covered by a warranty. I had the estate. Lovely smooth engine, plenty of power and the dsg gearbox was much better than the one I had in my Yeti. But for me the suspension was too firm especially at low speed around town and there was way too much road noise. Probably one of the noisiest cars I've had for years.

Personally I'd go for the 1.4. 1.4 and 1.8 is a 7 speed dry clutch dsg. 2.0 is a 6 speed wet clutch. My 1.8 needed the con rods, pistons etc. renewed, luckily under warranty. I'd be more concerned with the engine reliability of the 1.8 rather than the gearbox.

There's quite a few talking about this and android head units in the Octavia 2 forum.

Anyone looking for the above I see my old car is for sale at a garage called Windmill Autos at Sandy, Bedfordshire. Also on Autotrader. It has had all the engine mods done plus new cam chain and latest spec tensioner. New discs and pads all round from Skoda Dealer. Not mentioned in the ad it also has Bluetooth. However the car is way overpriced. I only paid £6000 for it from a main Skoda dealer so I would say £5,500 is nearer the mark. Nothing wrong with the car it just wasn't the car for me. I put it in part ex at a Renault dealership in Newcastle who sent it to auction.

I recently sold my 1.8tsi L&K estate and see it's for sale down south at a dealer called Windmill Autos. Way overpriced at £6500. I bought it from a Skoda dealer for £6000. I was disappointed with the refinement. Very crashy suspension below 40mph especially around town and a lot of road noise at any speed even with "quiet" tyres. I had to get the work done because of high oil consumption which is a fairly common problem with the 1.8 but luckily it cost me nothing. As usual Skoda infotainment is crap compared with anything else on the market. Even Bluetooth is not standard. Doors were starting to rust, which again is a fairly common problem across the Skoda range. Shocking for a 6 year old car. On the plus side it's a brilliant engine. Very quiet, smooth, and plenty of effortless power. Masses of space for passengers and luggage. But as mentioned you can tell where the cost cutting is compared with the VW or Audi counterparts especially regarding soundproofing.

Definitely check for rust along the lower edges of the doors and sills. My 2010 started to rust on the offside front door.

No it's just a Yeti. Loads of cars could have done exactly the same they just happened to pick a Yeti.

The valve might not have been faulty. The carbon build up could have caused a hot spot on that part of the valve. Either way it hasn't helped.

Brad is right to a point about the running in. Many high powered motorcycles were found to have increased oil consumption if run in too gently. Several German and American magazines stripped the engines and found the oil had coated and contaminated the cylinder bores and effectively stoped the piston rings from sealing against the cylinder walls. However the problem with the 1.8tsi engine is a poorly designed oil scraper ring so the running in process may have less of an effect. Just topping up the oil might last but it's a lottery, as when mine was stripped, the cylinder head and valves were very badly coked up with burnt oil, so eventually this could cause a catastrophic failure inside the engine. Also the catalytic converter will be contaminated with oil so it may well fail an MOT emissions test or throw up a warning light.

The Octavia is not crashy, it's firm, but that's just my opinion and it's subjective. However, most road tests I've ever read said the same and those guys drive hundreds of cars. My Yeti was very similar and again the road tests said the same. Mention that on the Yeti forum and you get crucified by the usual suspects. You're not allowed to criticise the Yeti in any way. You might ask why I bought two cars knowing that, but overall they are both good cars and the slightly over firm suspension (IMO) wasn't enough to put me off. I usually change my cars once or twice a year (kept the Yeti for 18 months which shows I liked it) and now look for a more compliant ride at low speed knowing the trade off at higher speeds, but prefer that. Had the Octavia for 6 months and feel the itch. Life's too short to keep a car for 3 years or more so only ever bought one new car, big mistake.

With me having a big dog and trips to the tip the sloping rear of the hatch was a big issue. The estate is much more practical in the real world. The raised boot floor is very useful for loading or unloading stuff, say, bags of compost, cement etc. as you don't have to drop it in, or lift it out, over the boot lip. Probably not so much of an issue for young'ins but better for my back. I was in a hatchback recently and the estate definitely has more road noise and is also less composed over bumps below 40mph. Whether you class it as firm or crashy it's not as comfortable. The ride and road noise are the two biggest disappointments for me with the estate but overall it's a very accomplished car.