I have a 2003 Octavia TDI 110bhp with the ASV engine, which I bought for the supposed German build quality.

It now has 140k on the clock and I am thinking about part exing for another car. In the past 120k miles, the following works were needed:-

New Battery

2 Rear Wiper Motors

New Battery Fusebox

Coolant Sensor

Brake Light Switch

Door Lock Microswitch is faulty and whole lock needs replacing

The car still drives fine, and I am torn between driving into the ground or cutting my loses. Glasses Guide values the car @ £1500, so any major repairs / accident would write it off.

I would welcome other peoples experiences, what can I expect to go wrong next???

to be honest for 120k its done great!!

lets face it that isn't anything major. I'd say run it till it dies.

Think you're being a bit hard on it. I take it that it has never let you down at the side of the road.

And with regards to the interior nothing has fell off then. Show me a French car that would have quite so few faults with half the mileage!

By the look of it, most of those faults are common across a lot of the VAG range:

Wiper motor: That's an octavia special feature!!

Coolant sensor: Common problem, fixed by fitting green revised version

Door lock: Common problem across a lot of VAG cars, easy to replace microswitch if you can get lock out

Battery: Could happen to any car with that mileage. Mines on the original battery and it's nearly 9 years old

Keep it until it dies (could be a while :-))

That's nothing! I'd say the car has done extremely well. Run her till she dies.

A battery is a consumable anyway so that doesn't count!

Try doing 120k in a French car, or even a Mercedes, with so few issues.

Thanks for the replies, I also forgot:-

New air con compressor @ 70k, lost the clutch which I understand is a common problem

New alternator @ 100k

I am on 165k now, and mine is going ok, apart from the sticky vanes in the turbo. Keep her till she dies.

I had a new clutch at about 70k (when I bought it), and new shocks & pads/disks a couple of years back, 2 windscreens, CTS, MAF and turbo.

Air con & alternator ok. Had the seized wiper linkage issue, and replaced the original battery 2 years ago (at about 7 years old), plus the drivers internal door release cable. Needed a new passenger front door window after a scumbag broke it - can't blame the car for that though!

Edited 13 May, 201016 yr by mbames

I agree with the others regarding "keep it till it dies" but then bring it back to life and run it till it dies again and repeat

Keep it until it dies like everyone else says. Look at other parts of the world, cars are repaired & used & then repaired again. It's our modern society & way of thinking that puts us into the mind set of "as soon as its broken we need to replace it!!!!!! " WHY?

Run it, use it & love it

I've known plenty of cars (Fords, Vauxhalls, most French cars etc) that have had all those and more go within the first 50,000 miles!

I agree. My vRS is on 144k and I'm running her till she dies. Never lets me down and has only required servicing since I've owned her (2.5 years/25k).

If thats all thats broke in 120k what you moaning about,keep it

"Low" mileage at 93k. Other than consumables and servicing, I've needed an auxilliary belt tensioner .

10 years old , 98,000 miles. Apart from routine servicing and cam belts replaced to the schedule, I've needed a water pump, radiator, temp sensor and MAF, couple of door lock cables, window regulator and new front discs and pads all round. I'm happy with the car and the cost of parts, but it's the labour charges which have really begun to hurt. eg. Water Pump £26 for the part, but 4 hours labour @ £75 per/hour + VAT + coolant came to over £300.

I wonder how many Fords or Vauxhalls are still on the original exhaust after 10 years like I am.

PS. it's consumed £10,594 of petrol!

Edited 13 May, 201016 yr by SILVER ROCKET

PS. it's consumed £10,594 of petrol!

Best put her on a diet.... greedy girl

I am scared to add up how much I have spent on diesel :'(

My old Citroen suffered complete electrical meltdown at about 50K miles less than yours. It was a case of "it's Tuesday, so the windows will work but the indicators won't" That was on top of about 3 brake calipers and 5 sets of front discs and pads.

You have got a 7 year old car that's done 20k a year! Keep going, your doing well.

10 years old , 98,000 miles. Apart from routine servicing and cam belts replaced to the schedule, I've needed a water pump, radiator, temp sensor and MAF, couple of door lock cables, window regulator and new front discs and pads all round. I'm happy with the car and the cost of parts, but it's the labour charges which have really begun to hurt. eg. Water Pump £26 for the part, but 4 hours labour @ £75 per/hour + VAT + coolant came to over £300.

I wonder how many Fords or Vauxhalls are still on the original exhaust after 10 years like I am.

PS. it's consumed £10,594 of petrol!

Try an independant specialist; cambelt kit, waterpump and labour cost me £300 last October.

… but it's the labour charges which have really begun to hurt. eg. Water Pump £26 for the part, but 4 hours labour @ £75 per/hour + VAT + coolant came to over £300.

Which is why you get the water pump done when you have your cambelt service

2001 1.8T Octavia 150 HP stock 121.000km

-clutch Kit + DMF

-steering column

-all bushesof on all wheels

-3 bearings (wheels)

-window lifter

-bendix drive

-battery

-coolant sensor

Edited 14 May, 201016 yr by IulianE

Which is why you get the water pump done when you have your cambelt service

Cause the water pumps have a habit of failing - either the plastic breaking up, or detaching from the metal drive shaft. Seems to be a more common issue on the petrol engines than the diesels, however. I still changed my water pump at 120k, looked like new though, better safe than sorry.

My Octavia hasn't been too bad with running costs, not bullet proof like my old 306.

Recently though it is trying its best to empty my bank account- Needs a new steering rack and the day before it goes in to have that done I get clutch slip when accelerating up a slip road (only one though, couldn't get it to do it again :S )

My VRS has done 80K. In the last 45K it has needed:

Brake disks and pads all round

Brake caliper

Indicator relay

Secondary air flow pump?

2 batteries

ARB

High level brake light unit

Its had hesitation problems and it's got a rusty tail gate. I think you've done pretty well with yours.

That's nothing! I'd say the car has done extremely well. Run her till she dies.

A battery is a consumable anyway so that doesn't count!

Try doing 120k in a French car, or even a Mercedes, with so few issues.

I did 250k miles in a BX and 150k miles in a 306 and both had no issues other than consumables.

Go find a new stereotype or one with some actual basis.

My 306HDi was great, never missed a beat. Only changed to the Octy as my collie and a husky did not really fit in very well.