I should be picking up next week a second hand Octavia II. Found one local to me, £6k, 98k on the clock, 06 plate. Went for a test drive and it felt bulletproof compared to my old ford Ka, and much quieter infact than the 60k mile Jaguar I tested recently. The DSG box was smooth as anything, much nicer than I'd possibly expected.

So, just wondering, what are things I should expect with the Octavia, any new owners advice?

Check the service history, cambelt should have been changed by 98k. What service regime is the car on, fixed or variable? Noise from rear tyres if there is an alignment issue. Poor radio reception when the aerial amplifier gets corroded.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine. What is the trim level?

Correct me if i'm wrong, but i didn't think the DSG was available in 06?:confused:

Dunno bout that. It's definately got the DSG box, and definately on an 06 plate.

I keep going back to the dealership and just peering at the thing. It's an elegance trim level, not sure if there are extra options added to that or not, I know an aftermarket bluetooth something is supposed to be in it, and I'll be likely trying to fit an aftermarket stereo/satnav/mp3 thingy in so my ipod works and I don't need the satnav in the window.

I've taken it for a damn good drive, tried to identify any squeaks and rattles coming from the drivetrain side of things, so they can fix it before I pick it up. There's a 3 month guarantee on parts and labour they say anyway, but what they don't know is the front of my Ka is a little more mangled under the plastic bodywork then it looks, so I don't want to be going back once I have the keys!

It's more money than I can afford really, but I'm hoping worth it.

I don,t think you can go far wrong with it if all the history is upto date and had a cambelt change.

I don,t think you can go far wrong with it if all the history is upto date and had a cambelt change.

Out of interest, how much is a cambelt change?

It's probably been done, with 100k in 3 years I'm thinking rep car, but the advert didn't mention service history and I haven't seen the available docs yet.

I'm also seeing many, many reports on gearbox issues, both DSG and manual. Are the DSG boxes more likely to fail? what's the chance I'll see 160k miles before needing something serious replacing?

Should I be saving for an engine and gearbox now, just in case?

Correct me if i'm wrong, but i didn't think the DSG was available in 06?

You're so wrong, I have an 05 reg (July 2005) Octavia Ambiente with DSG gearbox :rkick:

Check that the aircon works. The compressors have a tendency to break down (just do a search on this forum and you'll see) and it can be very costly to get it fixed. Mine went recently and skoda wanted £691 just for the part, so you're probably looking at about £1k once the labour is added......I was lucky and managed to get skoda to cough up 70% parts/labour as I was only just out of warranty. But at that mileage I doubt you'd be quite so lucky....

Check the rear side windows, see if they can go up and down smoothly. these windows have a tendency to go out of rubber seal track hence they get stuck in the middle and won't go up. they are expensive to fix as well. If the rubble seal is damaged, you have to buy the whole frame including that triangle shape window panel(not sure what it's called). Including labour, the dealer will charge you at least 250 euro. Mine was broken twice last year, first time was within guarantee so it was free. This year they broke again, I mean both doors. I just won't bother, just used a long knife cutting the seal into half and let the windows have their own ways:)

Well, just to update.... I bought it. Fantastic to drive, I'm up to 102k miles in 4 days! Seems perfect. there are little rattes and stuff at particular rpm's, but I'm not too fussed. For a moment there I was thinking the gearbox might have some issues, but the "little noise" is in every gear at particular rpm's, both clutches, every gear, kind of eliminating the gearbox or either clutch, at least at this point. Still, it's nothing compared to the racket and issues I had with my old car. It is due a service, I'll book that in shortly, and the lights are permanently on, I think that's an issue with the switch, the manual says if the switch fails then the default is for the lights to come on. Still, a switch won't be too much I hope. I got them down to £5400 in the end, and they payed off the finance on my Ka as part of that price. And a years tax. And a third a tank of fuel. So, I've joined the skoda club, and very impressed so far. I checked for all the things you guys mentioned, cam belt changed at 83k, aircon works fine! So happy!

Enjoy!

Congrats on your new purchase. .

Now that you have it ............

Wear on Inside of Rear Tyres

Water leak on Rear & Front Door Carriers

Full Software Updates For DPF 26E6 Campaign with Revised Exhaust Temp Sensor

Electric Front Windows Function Correctly

Dual Mass Flywheel is functioning correctly. (Shudder on take off in 1st)

Maxi-dot funtioning correctly and doesn't cut out .

Friend of mines had an octy and the relay for the Hazard lights had a **** attack and began clicking like mad. Don't know if this is common . I have had no problems.

If a petrol Vrs. coilpacks are supposed to be a pain in the a*s

It may have daylight running headlights so that could be why they won't turn off. With daylight running lights the back light on the dashboard won't turn on till you turn the light switch on, so it may not be a malfunction at all.

The next things are eibachs, coilovers...until you've no money left.

It may have daylight running headlights so that could be why they won't turn off. With daylight running lights the back light on the dashboard won't turn on till you turn the light switch on, so it may not be a malfunction at all.

I'd considered that, be nice if it was that. The symptoms are that the light switch appears to work, the light for the fogs comes on etc..... but nothing actually has any affect on the lights themselves. the fogs don't come on, the lights don't go on or off, so I think it's as the manual says and it's the default behaviour for a broken switch. I'd like to double check though, how do you disable the DRL?

There are people who know a lot more about this than me, but I think it's through plugging a computer (VAGcom) into the car ECU and changing the setting. Your dealer should hopefully be able to sort it out (Hopefully for nothing). DRL's are in as a legal requirement for the EU soon though, they've been shown to make it easier to spot other motorists, though I can see the effect being to make even more sure that cyclists don't get noticed on the roads.