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Thanks so much for this...it helps to know it can be DIYed given that I used to do all the oil change servicing and 3-spanner Haynes manual repairs myself where possible.

Thanks for the insight, it's really helpful and broadens my search a little. What about the extra DSG oil servicing? Is that pricey?

What is life like with the DSG?

Oh, the fabled TDI is the PD100 not the PD130? I'm on the motorways a lot and have gotten used to the 6th gear, so I'm not too sure how content I'll be without it.

Thanks for the Carista top tip!

Thank you. The reputable PD130 is the one on the MKI Fabia VRS, but I wanted to check if it was fitted to any Octys MKII? I'm probably just unlucky, but can't seem to find any on the used market atm. Just wanted to check if I was on a fool's errand.

The PD140, isn't that the one to avoid because of the spontaneous oil pump failure?

And that interrogation can only be done on VCDS by going through each one individually, right? Are there more sophisticated handheld ones which would interrogate each sub controller, or just laptop and HEX+CAN cable is the best way forward?

That's super useful to know, thanks! I'll ask for more pics of the driver's seat and door card. @J.R. I can now see it was stupid of me to have sold my Hex+CAN in 2016 before I left...now they've gone for a VIN-limited business model!!

Ah, so as long as the threads are okay, surface rust is just superficial. Does that mean the only way to check the rear face is to remove? I'll factor in the disc replacement costs to my budget for added peace of mind. Thanks for the pointer. I didn't realise OBD readers don't always show past faults! I used to have the fully fledged VCDS, which I sold before going out of the country. Would the best place to buy one cheaply now still be eBay? I totally forgot about this and will get one asap. Removed from Gumtree by Gumtree, or by the seller when they don't sell? I don't think this one is worth the 4 hour train journey to inspect since I've learnt that it's still registered to the part ex dealer and the seller is getting rid of it as a side hustle. If it was decent enough, surely the trade would've sold it? Back to searching.

Thanks so much, that is sage advice...I'll keep that in mind!

This is the last new thread I am going to start, promise. I am trying to secure an Octy in the next two weeks for under £1.5k and am scouring eBay, autotrader and gumtree. Since I can't take much time off to use the train and visit these, I would like to do as many checks as possible before shortlisting ones to visit. Naturally, there are some sellers who plea ignorance and can't answer anything, so I am ruling them out. Others are more forthcoming and giving more info, so I'm calling them. I was hoping if it would be okay for me to post any short listed listing here together with everything I've found out and see if there's anything else you suggest I look out for before visiting? (I'll be going through all the checks as described in the ChrisFix 'Buying a used car' youtube video and taking my OBD scanner with me). Requirements Of course, MKII Octys Hatchback <£1.5 non-DPF 1.9 or 2.0 TDI 6 speed is a bonus Evidence of MOT history advisories being addressed and general TLC I started another thread about an ex-taxi I saw...if the mods are able to merge that with this, that'll be great. For now, there's just another one: https://www.gumtree.com/p/skoda/skoda-octavia-2.0tdi/1323350645 I have gathered the following so far: 2004, 153k, BKD engine (without DPF and has 6-speed), asking £1.5k. Ambiente, so doesn't seem to have the full MaxiDot...but I don't suppose that should be a big deal? I liked it in my previous VRS, but I can't be too picky now. It's being sold privately, although the seller is claiming it was a part exchange from his work which he bought to spruce up and sell on. He has put new brake pads all round and replaced the alternator belt and pulleys. MOTed till Nov and last advisory says all the brake discs are worn but not weakened (1.1.14 a ii) (How much should I factor for that? I don't understand why the seller put new pads and not addressed the discs since it'll need new pads when the discs are changed anyway). Failed on rear coil spring in 2017 and advisories for both suspension arm bushes (I assume they were repaired as there are no further mentions of it). 2015 advisory on surface corrosion on the exhaust and underside, but no subsequent mention (does this mean it was just a picky tester?) Timing belt at 135k in 2015. No evidence of clutch work. Says it drives fine without any rattles and pulls great, but obviously I will check this out for myself. HonestJohn says to expect to pay £1k, so I will have to see how much they're willing to negotiate. It's been posted for nearly a month now and not sold yet...so it could mean there's something wrong or people aren't showing interest because of the asking price. As ever, thank you for your guidance!

Thank you, that's sorted then...ruling this out! Oh, I read the sticky about switching DMF to SMF....is that recommended for all non-VRS models or just the 1.9TDIs? Out of interest, what should the one in that example cost? I won't rely too heavily on the HonestJohn figures then (that said £1.6k for this at that mileage).

It's that exact edge that's worn out on this one!! I'll post the listing here so you can see. The seller said he's willing to negotiate on the price...which is something I intend to do without being disrespectful on any listing I visit. https://www.gumtree.com/p/skoda/skoda-octavia/1323962272

Thanks. I am looking at 100k+ ones to keep costs down and this was the only one so far where the owner confirmed a clutch and timing belt change less than 20k ago. I will keep looking though. At first glance the interior looks great, although I didn't think to look closely at the driver's seat. You are right, the bolsters are heavily worn. I didn't think about this, thanks for pointing it out! Thank you for your thoughts. I am scouring all three sites. It had MOTs every 6 months for 5 years and the only advisory was on tyres a few years ago...that's what made me think it was taken care of. I also gave it more importance since the important work is done as the last time I got a DMF done it took £400 and timing belt was £300. I will look for lower mileage ones though based on what you said. I'll keep looking. It's two hours away, so I really wanted to be sure before taking the trip to check it out. I will keep looking though after the consensus I've gotten here. I think I gave this taxi too much importance since the important work was done and it had a Bolero. The last time I looked for Bolero units to swap they were £500, which was a few years ago. I had no idea they are so much cheaper now on ebay, so I won't give it any importance. As ever, thank you everyone!

ETA: I had a bout of stupid when I wrote the above and now can't find the edit to save face. Obviously it has a turbo, its a bleeding TDI engine!

I'm considering the above: it's listed for 1.6k, which matches with what HonestJohn estimates at that mileage. 1.9PDI, Elegance trim, Bolero, FL. Has had clutch+flywheel done 20k ago and timing belt 40k ago. It doesn't have a turbo, no DPF to worry about...should be bomb-proof so long as it has a full FSH, right? I know it won't be as gutsy as my previous VRS, but having been out of the country for two years, I've lost my NCB so need to start lower on the insurance group anyway. Thoughts?

Thanks!!

Oh, I didn't realise there are non VRS 2.0 TDIs. Are there non-DPF versions of these? Many thanks!

Just wanted to quickly check the following as the more I google, the more varied the responses I get: Did non-DPF 1.9TDIs extent to the facelift generation? Is the 6 speed gearbox only in the 2.0TDIs...the VRS? Thanks!

That would be great, I haven't got round to getting hold of any!

Thank you skodacarman, theclient, golf-fiend and micmac for your advice, I really appreciate it. (especially with the names of the different screws and the experience with the dealer). I will go down the ebay/DIY store route first, then breakers/garage if that fails. Once again, many thanks!

Thanks for your reply skodacarman. I'll take one of each out and measure but will I need a micrometer or something to measure the diameter, or am I overthinking it?

Some of the above on my MKII VRS are quite worn and tricky to remove. I thought I'd try to source some replacements before servicing it next weekend. I couldn't see anything on ebay, but maybe I didn't search hard enough. Do they have any specific names apart from 'housing screw'? Or would they be reasonably priced at the dealers? Many thanks.

Now the flashing glow plug comes back on almost as soon as I've restarted the engine, as does the MIL almost as soon as I've cleared the fault code. This will probably be beyond me to fix, but what sort of damage am I looking at? I've seen a few threads on here reporting similar problems, but none with a solution. I really hope they got it resolved and didn't pack their cars in!