Hi there,

I'm looking for some hints from those of you with a little more experience of Skodas than I.

I've had Golfs for years, and got a chipped VR6 at the moment.

Family duty means I need something a little bigger, and I think the Octavia vRS estate fits the bill nicely.

Are there any common faults on the mk1 that I ought to keep an eye out for ?

I'm hoping to get to see this one at the weekend -> link

I've driven a mk4 golf anni with the 1.8T engine in it, and it was great fun.

Is the octavia a little heavy? Do you think it needs a remap to get the best from the engine? Or is it ok as stock?

Any advice much appreciated.

Cheers

Check the paint on the tailgate, my old 04 plate estate had the paint peeling problem.

get it remapped or buy one done m8.

Usual stuff mentioned on other posts. Check timing belt and water pump have been changed. I think its 40k or 4 yrs but dont quote me.

Also speaking from experience check all central locking and elec windows. Central convenience unit are prone to suffering from age / moisture and cost a bit to replace.

Good Luck.

P.S. Any pics of your VR6?

Yeh i have to say that electronics isn't a strong point for the Octy. Windows, central locking, stereo etc. But in all honesty that doesn't matter for what you're getting in terms of performance and build quality...and yeh get it remapped

the 4x4 is an option as well if you are considering remap as it will get the same power as the vrs with a remap. interior not as nice though but Leon,golf mk4 and A3 interiors all fit in under 20mins

The one in the link is a bit overpriced I would say. I paid £5000 for mine last March with 82k on the clock and prices have divebombed since then. I expect it's quite a clean example as it's a dealer, and should come with a 12 month approved used warranty but I would try and push them down much closer to £4000 or go for a private sale somewhere.

The vRS has lots of little niggles - you can find most of them if you do a few searches on here. The dealer should have sorted them though. Some smaller ones:

Faulty central locking

Water leaks in boot from rear washer hose popping off

Faulty window regulators

Noisy secondary air injection system (rivets on pump need replacing with bolts)

Faulty coilpacks (this was a known issue and if there was a problem they will have been replaced straight away as the car would have been undrivable!)

Noisy rear brakes when reversing (this can be fixed using chamfered-edged pads)

Stuttering and hesitation on acceleration (the throttle body may need a clean or there could be a leaking hose, a dealer should pick a leaking hose up with a fault scan though)

The only big thing to look for is the cambelt and water pump, just make sure they have been done, and hopefully done within the past couple of years, as it has to be done every 60,000 miles or 4 years whichever comes first and you don't want a bill for £300+ a year after you buy the car!

The one in the link is a bit overpriced I would say. I paid £5000 for mine last March with 82k on the clock and prices have divebombed since then. I expect it's quite a clean example as it's a dealer, and should come with a 12 month approved used warranty but I would try and push them down much closer to £4000 or go for a private sale somewhere.

The vRS has lots of little niggles - you can find most of them if you do a few searches on here. The dealer should have sorted them though. Some smaller ones:

Faulty central locking

Water leaks in boot from rear washer hose popping off

Faulty window regulators

Noisy secondary air injection system (rivets on pump need replacing with bolts)

Faulty coilpacks (this was a known issue and if there was a problem they will have been replaced straight away as the car would have been undrivable!)

Noisy rear brakes when reversing (this can be fixed using chamfered-edged pads)

Stuttering and hesitation on acceleration (the throttle body may need a clean or there could be a leaking hose, a dealer should pick a leaking hose up with a fault scan though)

The only big thing to look for is the cambelt and water pump, just make sure they have been done, and hopefully done within the past couple of years, as it has to be done every 60,000 miles or 4 years whichever comes first and you don't want a bill for £300+ a year after you buy the car!

My apologies for completely hi-jacking this thread, and i know there are numerous other threads on here about throttle body cleaning, but they don't have an answer to my question... which is...... once i've cleaned the throttle body, do i need to use VAG COM afterwards? Can i just use a standard £20 code reader? or can i just drive away?

My apologies for completely hi-jacking this thread, and i know there are numerous other threads on here about throttle body cleaning, but they don't have an answer to my question... which is...... once i've cleaned the throttle body, do i need to use VAG COM afterwards? Can i just use a standard £20 code reader? or can i just drive away?

if you disconnected the plug its best to get it reset, if you didnt you should be OK but if you cleaned out a lot of crap then its best to do a reset anyway to be sure. do a search for VAG COM map, there is a list of helpful souls with various versions of Vag Com.

on topic, did anyone metion the dreaded Coil Packs?

Of course this is still for SALE :D http://briskoda.net/skodas-sale/4wd-octavia-estate-gt2871r/144175/ it really is a giveaway at £8000 !!!!!!

Usual stuff mentioned on other posts. Check timing belt and water pump have been changed. I think its 40k or 4 yrs but dont quote me.

Also speaking from experience check all central locking and elec windows. Central convenience unit are prone to suffering from age / moisture and cost a bit to replace.

Good Luck.

P.S. Any pics of your VR6?

Nice one, thanks.

Got this pic from a while ago.

Doesn't look quite as shiny at the moment after some fvckwit dented in the front panel in the car park at work and drove off :(

Have had to change one of those on my VR.

Not cheap ! :(

on topic, did anyone metion the dreaded Coil Packs?

Have had to change one of those on my VR.

Not cheap ! :(

I thought he VR6 had a single coil and leads? this would make it more expensive than a single coilpack.