Evening all, have just joined - http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/178021-hello-from-new-octavia-estate-owner/ and still awaiting collection of the car (1 Nov). In the meantime I'm reading up as fast as I can...

Any other MkII Octavia Estate and/or 1.6 FSI (edit-Doh!) owners got any top tips or 'stuff they wish they'd know about when they first got the car' to share?

Cheers,

Mark

Edited 24 October, 201015 yr by MarkSk0da

Any other MkII Octavia Estate and/or 1.6 TSI owners got any top tips or 'stuff they wish they'd know about when they first got the car' to share?

Probably not, since the 1.6 TSI engine hasn't been invented yet....

Yes, I assume you mean the 1.6 FSI engine...

Just got my 2008 estate this week. I'm very impressed, apart from the odd niggle.

Check the wear on your rear tyres. If they have uneven wear with bald spots aka 'sawtooth' pattern, have a geometry check done as you may need the values changing. There are threads on here that explain it all.

Also, mine dumps any water in the boot when I open the tailgate. It seems to effect some people, but not others, so I am going to try and get to the bottom of it today with the aid of a watering can

Enjoy your car, I've been impressed so far.

Approaching 12 months ownership of my '06 1.6FSI Elegance Estate and no real issues so far.

Car is comfortable to drive, extremely practical and very economical for a petrol if driven sensibly (averages 40mpg on a mix of urban and motorway driving - best average consumption seen so far has been 61.1mpg on a day out in Wales). There are some suggestions that the FSI engine goes better and is even more economical if fed 'super unleaded' but I have noticed no real difference and reverted to regular (and cheaper) 95RON fuel.

Only had one minor glitch in that the tailgate release suddenly stopped working (annoyingly while trying to offload baggage at an airport terminal...) - research on here suggested a blast of WD40 into the mechanism would fix it and indeed it did, so be sure to keep it well lubed.

Had a replacement set of front tyres and a wheel alignment and they are wearing pretty evenly, no problem with the rears either.

Don't have a problem getting wet when opening the tailgate, but the rear doors do deposit water on the seat when opened in the wet - the rain runs off the curve of the roof and drops straight down. Design defect rather than a vehicle specific fault I think.

Another issue that seems to be common to the Octavia in general is that the windows steam up pretty readily and take a little while to clear (ideal weather for it at the moment!). Seems to afflict other VAG vehicles based on the same platform as a friend has exactly the same thing with her VW Touran.

Audience ICE unit in my car is excellent (has the additional amp/speaker package) but disappointing that it isn't possible to add an AUX input - I think this was addressed in later model years. Oh and the height adjustment feature on the Jumbo box armrest takes a little figuring out (took me 6 months but maybe I'm just dumb!).

So minor niggles at most and honestly struggling to think of anything else to warn about based on my ownership experience. Undoubtedly the best car I have ever owned

Thanks for the gen guys.

I WD40 car locks every wash anyway (Jag boot lock can have similar issues) so will continue the trend with Octy. Read about the Super unleaded thing too... I've heard it's possible to get better MPG from super, but you'd have to work out if the MPG increase was worth the extra initial cost/litre...

Will keep an eye on the tyres, I have a great place nearby (http://www.imperialtyres.co.uk/) that has a Hunter infra-red alignment rig - great bit of kit, so will have it down there perhaps once a year to be checked (with the current dreadful state of our roads and all the speedbumps, is it any wonder the tracking goes out?!).

Will keep an eye out for water various - esp the back doors trick!

Regarding the windows steaming up, is this with the Aircon on or off? I read in the owner's manual (I downloaded so I could start reading up before car arrives!) that if it's left in recirc, it is very prone to steaming up. Additionally, as I'm sure you're aware, aircon in general has the receiver/dryer cannister which helps remove moisture from the air. If the aircon on either our 206 or the Jag is turned off, they are both prone to steam up shortly afterwards - I believe if it has been running and then switched, they tend to release some of the moisture back into the cabin... (but I'm guessing in the case of the Octy!), so I tend to just leave it on most of the time. Additionally, for those that leave Aircon off generally, make sure you use it once a month to keep the seals intact or they will perish and you will lose system pressure, meaning it will not work when you actually need it!

In closing - so, the 60+mpg challenge gauntlet has been thrown down... Will let you know if I ever beat it (unlikely with my heavy right foot, but I can eco-drive when I try!)

Edited 24 October, 201015 yr by MarkSk0da

Regarding the windows steaming up, is this with the Aircon on or off?

On..pretty much stays on Auto all the time and not on recirculate unless in a tunnel or behind a vehicle belching c**p out of the back. The front demist function on the climatronic does make some progress on the inside of the windscreen but there is still a bit of a delay before you could safely drive away. Resorted to one of those 'demister pad' chamois things and pressed into service in sub zero temperatures last night!

Regarding the windows steaming up, is this with the Aircon on or off?

Aircon on.

There is something unique about the Octavia which means it seems more susceptible to steaming up than most.

Also it can be all but impossible to defrost / demist them on cold mornings.

Lots of threads on this but it's important to state that it doesn't affect everyone.

Bummer... best dig out my chammy and some De-icer spray too from the sound of things!

Bummer... best dig out my chammy and some De-icer spray too from the sound of things!

Plenty of storage areas in the boot to keep them on board all year round - just had to remember which panel they were behind last night

Lots of threads on this but it's important to state that it doesn't affect everyone.

Some suggestions that changing the pollen filter can improve things. Don't think it has been done on mine according to the service receipts, so may give it a whirl.

Whereabouts in NW you from ccs? I'm from Chorley (Charnock Richard) originally and still head up there to see my folks now and then

Whereabouts in NW you from ccs? I'm from Chorley (Charnock Richard) originally and still head up there to see my folks now and then

Prescot - midway between Warrington and Liverpool...the commuter belt as we like to call it

Never had a problem with misting up, if you can have a choice tell them not to fit dunlops they are sh ite , Hope you enjoy

Edited 24 October, 201015 yr by bluvrs2

Audience ICE unit in my car is excellent (has the additional amp/speaker package) but disappointing that it isn't possible to add an AUX input - I think this was addressed in later model years. Oh and the height adjustment feature on the Jumbo box armrest takes a little figuring out (took me 6 months but maybe I'm just dumb!).

There's a height adjustment on the Jumbo box armrest? I need to take a closer look

I have the basic Audience without the amp and speaker upgrade, and hate it. Sounds really harsh and induces an headache after a while. I am looking for a Bolero unit to replace it, as I believe it sounds better?

Finally collected car on Monday afternoon. Was hanging having flown back from Akrotiri in the small hours! Managed not to crash it on the way home, with the missus in tow. Very pleased with condition and all the toys. Just getting to learn what it all does. Interestingly, when you hit unlock it only does driver's door at the moment, you have to press button inside car to get the rest unlocked. Can this be changed by me/maxidot or is it a dealer re-program thing??

The only other annoyance is it RATTLES from both driver's door and rear right pax door. Tried opening/closing, pulling them in, pushing out etc but still quite rattly over rough road surfaces... not just the odd rattle either (as you might expect, but it's like a constant whole door moving against seals rattle). Any clues? - am going to give it a week, then it can go for a warranty fix, as a >£10k car shouldn't rattle so badly!

Finally collected car on Monday afternoon. Was hanging having flown back from Akrotiri in the small hours! Managed not to crash it on the way home, with the missus in tow. Very pleased with condition and all the toys. Just getting to learn what it all does. Interestingly, when you hit unlock it only does driver's door at the moment, you have to press button inside car to get the rest unlocked. Can this be changed by me/maxidot or is it a dealer re-program thing??

The only other annoyance is it RATTLES from both driver's door and rear right pax door. Tried opening/closing, pulling them in, pushing out etc but still quite rattly over rough road surfaces... not just the odd rattle either (as you might expect, but it's like a constant whole door moving against seals rattle). Any clues? - am going to give it a week, then it can go for a warranty fix, as a >£10k car shouldn't rattle so badly!

You need to press the unlock button on the remote TWICE to unlock all the doors - this can be changed to single click-unlock via VCDS if you have a friendly practitioner nearby.

As for the rattles - I have to say mine is completely silent, but several Nissan's I had before used to do it if the hinges weren't kept well oiled. Could be worth a shot of WD40?

All sorted now, cheers you were right on the locking bit! Currently half-way through the owner's manual at the moment. It has a lot of clever tech on it I wasn't expecting, lots of nice touches where they have obviously given things a little thought - from shopping hooks in the boot, to total closure on the windows... Still a little bit of a rattle though, so will wait and see!

Edited 7 November, 201015 yr by MarkSk0da

Managed to figure out many of the car's settings, but a few items still elude me:

Programming the remotes/memory seats - managed to get the seat memories inc reverse mirror posn (I think) and then pressed the open button on remote to tie them in, but nothing seems to happen and tried with both remotes on different seat settings. Any clues?

Reverse mirror programming - again followed the manual and appears to drop correctly when reverse engaged... but how do you make it come back up again automatically when you drive off, ours just stays there!! (tried mirror switch at R and L in case manual was written for LHD cars)

Auto open - I know what auto-close is for, but how/why/what is the auto-open function for when turned on by Maxidot?

Why so many questions?!

Cheers!

Mark

Managed to figure out many of the car's settings, but a few items still elude me:

Programming the remotes/memory seats - managed to get the seat memories inc reverse mirror posn (I think) and then pressed the open button on remote to tie them in, but nothing seems to happen and tried with both remotes on different seat settings. Any clues?

Reverse mirror programming - again followed the manual and appears to drop correctly when reverse engaged... but how do you make it come back up again automatically when you drive off, ours just stays there!! (tried mirror switch at R and L in case manual was written for LHD cars)

Auto open - I know what auto-close is for, but how/why/what is the auto-open function for when turned on by Maxidot?

Can't help with the seats/mirror I'm afraid as I don't have the electric option (presume it was a factory fit option on yours, only standard on an L&K I think).

As for auto open, not a clue. I think later MY cars have more MaxiDot configurable options than earlier ones like mine (06). If you have the auto close option in MaxiDot have you not got the choice for single/double click locking that you mentioned in an earlier post?

Can't help with the seats/mirror I'm afraid as I don't have the electric option (presume it was a factory fit option on yours, only standard on an L&K I think).

As for auto open, not a clue. I think later MY cars have more MaxiDot configurable options than earlier ones like mine (06). If you have the auto close option in MaxiDot have you not got the choice for single/double click locking that you mentioned in an earlier post?

Hey,

Yes it was factory fit along with various other bits, the 1st owner proper spec'd it out!

It has MaxiDot with a whole host of options, not really mentioned much in the manual from what I can see... The single/double click locking choice is in there, have chosen to leave it on, but there is also auto close (which appears to be the std drive away door locking) and the mysterious auto-open... wondered if it was to do with opening drivers door unlocks all or something or unlock at rest, will let you know if I figure it out!...

Ah! Just found the definitive!! - http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/149396-maxidot-setup/

Edited 11 November, 201015 yr by MarkSk0da

Auto open opens everything if you hold the open button down. Including windows, all the way! I found this out by accident when my house keys were accidentally pressing against the button in my pocket. Knowing me, this will happen by mistake and I won't notice it next time, so I need to turn it off

Are you sure? I thought windows were under the convenience menu, I believe auto open/close etc is under the doors menu

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/60406-central-locking-maxidot/

Ah! Just found the definitive!! - http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/149396-maxidot-setup/

So this would imply that Auto Close would be better named Auto Lock!

Then of course there is Rain Closure (which automatically closes any open windows if rain is detected by the sensor on the windscreen)....