Can anyone tell me what the cambelt and turbo failure rates are like on Octavia vRS'? Im looking at buying 2001 car from a skoda dealer with lowish mileage but dont want to waste my money if id be better off saving for one still with some warranty left. ie would a cambelt on a 4yr old car fail even if its nowhere near 60k miles? (ive always had chain driven before!) Also what are the average servicing costs people have encountered for the vRS?

Cheers!

10K mile services are about

Cambelts fail shortly after 70,000 miles, there is an extensive thread on here somewhere that gives more info.

on a 2001 car you may have variable servicing so depending on how you drive you could go for 20k miles without needing one.

Not sure on tubro life, but a friend of my dad's has just had his blow in an Octavia, its a diesel with 340,000 miles on the clock though!

Cheers for the info guys most useful. Ive been reading up on the variable servicing - does anyone have a first hand opinion to offer?

Turbos not common on the RS diesel ones are more common never seen a belt snap on a 1.8t engine yet!

Have seen quite a few 1.8T belts fail, usually down to a tensioner or the oil filled damper unit that supports it. Turbo's again not that common but ive done a couple in the times we have been open, usually down to a blocked oil feed pipe due to poor servicing.

Turbo's on the diesels dont tend to fail as much they just get stuck, doesnt throw bits into the engine, usually just overboosts and cuts out.

threads like this scare me :(

i have a 2001 vrs on approx 40k miles,i paid 260 quid for its 40 k service.

i think the cambelt is checked on the 40 k service and subsiqeunt(sp) after until it needs a change(60k???)

Cambelt gets checked at 60k on all petrol models now, then rechecked every 20k there after.

But how do you check a cambelt without taking it off? You cant and i'd be damned if i'd say one was all right or not. They now get changed at 60k even though the official interval is around 120,000 miles.

i used to spend 50 quid a year on my old 16v'ers just for peice of mind,the 20vt seems bloody expensive to do so often:(

my turbo got changed at around 90k on my 4x4 for some reason but it was under warrenty and for the previous owner so i don't know anymore. cambelt will get done soon. any idea on cost Ross?? wouldn't mind a trip to MK to get good service

Cambelts fail shortly after 70,000 miles

can you back this up with evidence??? as the recommened interval was 120k?? or was this km??:eek:

no mention cambelt being done in my comprehensive history and i'm at 101k, but the belt will get done soon anyway

can you back this up with evidence??? as the recommened interval was 120k?? or was this km??:eek:

Paul, have a look at this thread.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/t2974-cambelts----a-warning.html

I for one will be getting it changed at 60k, if the car gets that far before I sell it.

Can anyone tell me what the cambelt and turbo failure rates are like on Octavia vRS'? Im looking at buying 2001 car from a skoda dealer with lowish mileage but dont want to waste my money if id be better off saving for one still with some warranty left. ie would a cambelt on a 4yr old car fail even if its nowhere near 60k miles? (ive always had chain driven before!) Also what are the average servicing costs people have encountered for the vRS?

Cheers!

I bought my vRS from a main dealer with 49K milage when it was 22 months old. That gave me 14 months manuf warranty left. I was glad of it too. My gearbox failed 6 months into ownership, also had a front antiroll bar changed and an exhaust middle section (because of broken bracket). the warranty was great. No questions asked and great dealer service. Just had a coolant sensor changed (now outside warranty) cost