seriesdriver

The fact the cam belt has been changed regularly in the past isnt a deal breaker as long as you have it done, the risk is catastrophic failure rather than future wear and tear or issues.

Interesting reading I am looking to replace our mk 2 Octavia as it isn't ulez compliant and a 1.4 estate on a 16 plate is on the radar.

our 09 plate has done 118k and is original dmf, we have had broken rear springs and one wheel bearing changed but in the 100k+ miles thats all the big repairs we have done. we get occasional turbo over boost limp mode but a good motorway run and a bottle of fuel additive keeps it away for 6 months or more. With any car in the £1500 range there is a risk but not a massive one.

re 3 we had our seatbelt warning deleted as it started to come on randomly while driving, haven't forgotten to put the seat belt on without it.

No more so than any other engine at that mileage, assuming it has been serviced regularly with the correct spec oil etc. Our pd skoda has done 118k miles I see no reason it wouldnt do the same mileage again or more, it has always been serviced on time.

Depending on which compressor is fitted the nut holds the pulley on can come loose and stops the aircon working, it happened to ours and an air gun retightening sorted it out. Also there can be issues with the shear plate between the pulley and compressor body. https://www.instructables.com/VW-Audi-Seat-Skoda-Air-Conditioning-Compressor-Pum/

I'm sure you know whats best in your circumstances but if the car is fine now why sell ? unless you replace it with something so new it is still under manufactures warranty you are still at risk of paying for repairs . Our Octavia is a 2009 and has done 118k miles and It is still a very good car.

On my series land rover I get carb icing in cool damp conditions rather than on below freezing days you can open the bonnet and see white frost on the outside of the carb.

Agree with this its worth taking the head off to have a look, the op may be very fortunate plus if you know what the damage is it may be easier to sell as is as a new buyer would know what they are taking on

You will need to get the car to a garage to have a look at it no point guessing here as to how bad it might be, best case it can be put right for a reasonable fee worst case you may need a new engine/it may not be economic to repair.

The lids I used were all off glass sauce jars and were painted/coated in whatever food lids are covered in so I dont think it would be an issue. I tried being tight and not using new star washers and just the lid washers as you suggest and the heatshields rattled again quite quickly as the washers didnt grip tight enough new star washers underneath did the trick.

The archoil product solved my issue I thought it was snake oil as you do, but my garage suggested trying it as an alternative to a replacement turbo and it worked. The mr muscle treatment is better but not everyone is mechanically confident enough to take it on. https://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/archoil-ar6400-d-max-professional-diesel-engine-turbo-dpf-cat-cleaner-concentrate.html#tab-label-description

I had this on my son's polo and I got new clips and made big washers out of the metal lids off of pasta sauce jars and put them on and secured them with the new clips.

it may be sticky turbo vane overboost try running a bottle of this https://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/archoil-ar6400-d-max-professional-diesel-engine-turbo-dpf-cat-cleaner-concentrate.html throught it and take it on a motorway run, it has cured it on my car without the need to replace the turbo so far.

Hi, you need to get your calculator out and do the sums as to either you get the engine replaced/ repaired or you trade what you have in for something else, either way it will cost you some money unfortunately. As it recently passed mot I would seriously consider getting rid tbh as the path of least hassle, let it become someone else's problem

It depends on who reconditioned the gear box and what the reconditioning constituted and how much cheaper the used box is. Changing the clutch and flywheel would be sensible while every thing is apart.

Try disconnecting the battery for 30 mins then reconnect see if that makes any difference.

You dont have to, but a yearly oil and filter is probably the cheapest preventative maintenance you can do to an engine. you can get oil and filter cheaply, use a pella oil sucker rather than bothering with the sump plug, filter no problem to change I still do my land cruiser every year at 22 years old.

I bought a toyota land cruiser that had towed a big caravan all round europe it had covered 160 k odd miles when I got it, It had been meticulously maintained. I have had it 7 years and has cost no money other than normal service costs. Great buy. A lot of people fit tow bars to carry bikes etc as well I wouldn't be put off by a tow bar.

One of the ac pumps fitted to mkiis had issues with the pulley nut coming loose and also shear plate issues meaning no drive to the ac pump so something else to look at.

ours is two years younger but has done 116k miles but I hope to get a few more years out of it yet, all cars cost money to run unfortunately, good luck with the mkiii

Glad you sorted it, but have you checked to see why a really big rated fuse melted ? I would really want to know what caused it.

Exactly this, I see the image is of a 7 year belt on a pd that is a bigger risk as pds are know to be harder on timing belts.

car off 12.13 is low . Running you should be getting 14.4 ish volts so it does seem like you have an alternator issue.

do you have a multimeter? it is easy to see what is going on with the battery if you do.