On a nice country drive on the way home from holiday in Dorset recently I went up a small road that turned into a farm track… the track crested, the car didn’t and I'm guessing that was the point at which a large hole in the sump appeared, a flashing red oil light appeared, I stopped and the RAC towed me to a (very nice) garage who fixed my sump as an emergency repair to get us home.

Unfortunately the oil light started flashing intermittently on the way back but the car made the 300 odd mile journey home with virtually discernible difference to usual so I figured it was a sensor fault.

Back at my local garage however the long and short is that crankshaft bearings are disintegrating and I now have three choices:

1. Flog my 2001 Octy 2.0 Estate as a spares or repair and buy a new car (I really like it, loathe to do it)
   
2. Get the engine fixed (cheapest quote I’ve had is £1100 but from a cash in hand merchant who didn't really want to do it)
   
3. Get a new engine
   

I’m loathe to flog it (it's a great car), but also wary of the cost of the other two options. If anyone has any good contacts in the North London/Herts area for either a rebuild, recon or second-hand engine, or any experience of similar work your info would be much appreciated.

Ben.

Edited 16 April, 201115 yr by Stickman_ben

Option 3: Get replacement engine

We had a customer do exactly the same to her 2 litre Octavia. She did option 4:

Insurance claim.

give these a call ..... TES

pricers are pretty good and they do everything from service work to performance upgrades too ... also u can have the engine delivered

Go for option 1

IMO, as much as you like the car, spending £1000++ on a 10 year old petrol car makes no sense.

I'd put the money towards a TDI version of the same car.

rather than sell for spares / repair u might be better off breaking it ... could also split the engine then weigh in the bottom end (scrap)

The 2.0 engine isn't that popular to buy second hand so their value is low, for example My link

Thanks for suggestions... I'm painfully aware that it is not worth a lot but I reckon I would spend up to a grand to get it back up and running for another year or two. Will check out TES as that's in Erith near my brother (he has an Octy VRS, what's the huge boot for if not lugging an engine? )so could be an option. Also didn't realise that the Golf engine would fit (I did know that it was the same chassis) so that makes me think that I could at the very least get a second hand engine and prolong it's life for a little while (I will check the engine code). And if all else fails... there's always the breakers and a small quantity of cash :$$$: .

Will let you know how I get along in case anyone is interested.

Ben

Edited 24 March, 201115 yr by Stickman_ben

I always think of a car as being more valuable to me than it is in monetary terms. At least with your car, you know (I presume) that everything else on the car is good. Better the devil you know. Who knows, you might buy another one and have something else worng with it.

Could even go for a 1.8T conversion...

Thanks for suggestions... I'm painfully aware that it is not worth a lot but I reckon I would spend up to a grand to get it back up and running for another year or two. Will check out TES as that's in Erith near my brother (he has an Octy VRS, what's the huge boot for if not lugging an engine? )so could be an option. Also didn't realise that the Golf engine would fit (I did know that it was the same chassis) so that makes me think that I could at the very least get a second hand engine and prolong it's life for a little while (I will check the engine code). And if all else fails... there's always the breakers and a small quantity of cash :$$$: .

Will let you know how I get along in case anyone is interested.

Ben

This is the same engine that has been used for years in VAG cars for years so there should be loads of cheap second hand ones available. They are generally bullet proof (er with oil!) and can do huge mileages. Probably the only thing that is wrong with yours is the crank and bearings(always the first thing to go without oil) - an easy engine reconditioner job once the engine/crank is removed. However on balance the easy way is to fit a secondhand or reconditioned short engine - fit a new cambelt kit whilst you are passing.

Is it a manual or auto?

If manual fit a new clutch whilst you are passing and if a used engine is from an auto it will need a pilot(spigot) bearing in the end of the crank.

Thanks for suggestions... I'm painfully aware that it is not worth a lot but I reckon I would spend up to a grand to get it back up and running for another year or two. Will check out TES as that's in Erith near my brother (he has an Octy VRS, what's the huge boot for if not lugging an engine? )so could be an option. Also didn't realise that the Golf engine would fit (I did know that it was the same chassis) so that makes me think that I could at the very least get a second hand engine and prolong it's life for a little while (I will check the engine code). And if all else fails... there's always the breakers and a small quantity of cash :$$$: .

Will let you know how I get along in case anyone is interested.

Ben

This is the same engine that has been used for years in VAG cars for years so there should be loads of cheap second hand ones available. They are generally bullet proof (er with oil!) and can do huge mileages. Probably the only thing that is wrong with yours is the crank and bearings(always the first thing to go without oil) - an easy engine reconditioner job once the engine/crank is removed. However on balance the easy way is to fit a secondhand or reconditioned short engine - fit a new cambelt kit whilst you are passing.

Dont forget a pilot bearing(end of crank) if you have a manual.

Edited 24 March, 201115 yr by bigjohn

In addition, the Octavia only has a bit of hardboard above the spare wheel so if you want to carry an engine in that big boot you will need to put something substantial in the base of the boot (Thick wood?) otherwise you will break through.

I once carried a diesel engine in the boot of my old Y reg polo classic (the one with the boot), saved me spending cash to get lowering springs

My bro has the hatchback so no hardwood to smash up (It's still one of my fave things about the estate boot!)- but I was joking in any case...

Weirdly though, my bro also currently owns a y reg polo classic... the one with the boot, so maybe I could get him to use that I expect he will find this thread eventually and add his own suggestion about how i can carry the engine, or at least where I can stick it.

Thanks again for the advice!

Ben.

Edited 25 March, 201115 yr by Stickman_ben

No Ben I don't have a Polo Classic. I have a mk1 Polo hatchback on an X plate :wonder:

And yes I had told you about the engines in Golfs/Bora/etc being the same maybe a 1.8T engine would be a bit much for your driving ability though...

oh and no the engine is NOT going in the back of the vRS (we'll throw it in the back of Jon's Fabia instead )

You know what I would do though, second hand engine, and now you understand why I still have the Fiesta after 10 years, you can get quite attached to cars but I'll let you expain that to mum :p

Have to say though his Octavia is in pretty good nick really mechanically spot on (well except the obvious) and it did take a while to find one in the elegance estate spec that hadn't been cabbed!!

Oh and no I won't fit the new engine for you, I'd be kicked out by Mum and Dad for sure!!

Family eh

Edited 25 March, 201115 yr by skinnylew

No Ben I don't have a Polo Classic. I have a mk1 Polo hatchback on an X plate :wonder:

And yes I had told you about the engines in Golfs/Bora/etc being the same maybe a 1.8T engine would be a bit much for your driving ability though...

oh and no the engine is NOT going in the back of the vRS (we'll throw it in the back of Jon's Fabia instead )

You know what I would do though, second hand engine, and now you understand why I still have the Fiesta after 10 years, you can get quite attached to cars but I'll let you expain that to mum :p

Have to say though his Octavia is in pretty good nick really mechanically spot on (well except the obvious) and it did take a while to find one in the elegance estate spec that hadn't been cabbed!!

Oh and no I won't fit the new engine for you, I'd be kicked out by Mum and Dad for sure!!

Family eh

lol isn't brotherly love ace! lol

well to be fair to my older brother, I am the car nut in the family so he probably ignores my usual waffling.

Oh and i was the one who was up till midnight the day before his wedding fixing his mini and doing subsequent repairs........still gone are the days when I could have supplied him with a spare car from my fleet of 7 cars :( joys of buying a house inside the M25

Ok so the decision is probably going to be a second hand engine going in.

I think his is an AQY engine (same as Golf GTi mk4/Bora/Beetle) but there aren't masses about. However it would appear that the APK 2.0 ran at similar time in similar applications, is there a massive difference? or is just sticking with the AQY the best hassle free bet.......

my engine died in my old car, just ring around a load of scrappys and you should be able to pick one up relatively cheap with low mileage! i fitted mine myself (well with my dad too) but got a few quotes to fit and they came it at around £200-£300 as i had supplied everything they needed!

Well, I tried pretty much everything!

Recon is basically going to be £1500+ and I know there are a couple of other bits to do... so that's a write off.

Secondhand engine would be OK, but with the other bits to do even that cost is mounting... so that's a write off (unless I stumble across a super cheap engine)

So now we investigate "option 4. insurance claim" it is... Thanks again for all the advice.

Well, I tried pretty much everything!

Recon is basically going to be £1500+ and I know there are a couple of other bits to do... so that's a write off.

Secondhand engine would be OK, but with the other bits to do even that cost is mounting... so that's a write off (unless I stumble across a super cheap engine)

So now we investigate "option 4. insurance claim" it is... Thanks again for all the advice.

Sorry to here that Ben.

Just be careful going option 4.....you may find that by the time you factor in paying any excess ??? and a loss of your NCB ??? you end up worse off.

Bill.

Well, I tried pretty much everything!

Recon is basically going to be £1500+ and I know there are a couple of other bits to do... so that's a write off.

Secondhand engine would be OK, but with the other bits to do even that cost is mounting... so that's a write off (unless I stumble across a super cheap engine)

So now we investigate "option 4. insurance claim" it is... Thanks again for all the advice.

So this is the perfect place to discuss a insurance claim??Concidering there are people like me that work for SOUTHYORKSHIRE POLICE?????

So this is the perfect place to discuss a insurance claim??Concidering there are people like me that work for SOUTHYORKSHIRE POLICE?????

Fecking typical of PC plod ....whats wrong with him making a legitimate insurance claim then ???

Did'nt Ben have an accident on the public road which then led to a loss of engine oil, resulting in serious engine damage ???

Or do you know somthing about this incident that we dont know ???

Bill.

I'm behind the option of sourcing a second hand engine and fitting it yourself.

I've done it a couple of times before with past cars. I sense I'm a bit like you, with getting attached to cars!

Society has it all wrong with cars. Manufacturers should stop making new cars, and instead focus on supplying parts and more cheap efficient replacement engines for old cars. The whole scrappage scheme scam drove me mad! The government played the emissions card to basically raise money for themselves. We're all such mugs in this country that we fell for it! Replacing perfectly good existing cars with newly manufactured cars is good for the environment? Retards.

I don't buy the get a new car argument. If I sold my mechanically perfect 9 year old Skoda, that gets me perfectly from A to B, I'd probably be able to buy a decent mountain bike with the money I'd get back. So it makes no sense to sell it. Literally anything that breaks can be fixed. Admittedly when the doors fall off and the body becomes a rust/steel composite, i'll let mother nature reclaim it in the back garden!

This is turning into a good rant....

Basically don't be a consumer whore, and f*c* world trade! The only way we're ever going to save this world is if we move away from our disposable culture, and start fixing/improving what we already have instead.

Save a polar bear, keep your Mk1 Octavia!

This was a party political broadcast from the "I'm Grumpy and I Drive an Old Car, and I Hate Capitalism Party"!

So this is the perfect place to discuss a insurance claim??Concidering there are people like me that work for SOUTHYORKSHIRE POLICE?????

Oh **** it's the 5-0! Leggit!

On a side note..... get off the internet and go beat up some protesters or something!

Hehe :p