Verdict on 2.5TDi Manual>

[ndicki]

I'm hacked off... with the more recent engine types which just haven't been lucky for me at all. I've had to fork out a lot of cash to keep my 2004 PD140 Octy 2 on the road, and when it finally gives up as it soon will at not much more than 260,000km, I'm hesitating between a new CR-engined Octy or Superb 2, or stepping back to the old V6 Superb 1. If it's anything like the old MkI 90PS 1.9 Octy I sold not long ago after my wife used it to test every concrete bollard for miles around, it's unkillable, while the more recent Skodas just don't comvince me that I'm not going to end up with high repair bills sooner than I ought to. OK, it's still not French-standard drop-to-bits, but they don't seem to me to be as solid as the older generation.

What say you? Am I wrong, and should I get a new CR-engined car, or might there be something in what I feel, and I would do better to pick up a second hand manual V6 2.5...?

[Fred Bloggs]

I have a 2.5TDi Elegance but if I was buying today I'd try to find an Edition 100 1.9TDi. I really like my 2.5 and I wouldn't put you off one if you can't find a good 1.9 though. Mine has now done ~86.5k miles, apart from the usual maintenance it has only needed a set of glow plugs (one was gone but I got all 6 changed last winter). I have no front interior courtesy lights and an intermittent fault on the reversing sensors, both are very common faults but not just on 2.5 TDi's.

[dieselV6]

Depends if you like comfort and fast driving and servicing your own cars.

For maximum economy and dealer/workshop servicing go 1.9/2.0 route.

I have a 2.5TDI manual and would not go back to 1.9 as the 2.5 offers tons more comfort and substantially higher top speed on autobahn (and half of my car's mileage is across Europe).

But then again, I do maintenance myself incl. the timing belt jobs so I am not really affected by the "IP failure, TB snapped, WP failed, water ingress" horror stories.

5.5 years on, and 96k miles of pure motoring pleasure, the only consumables in addition to usual service items were 3 CV boots, non-rain sensor wiper relay, and a fuel line cover (despite offroad package my car is quite smashed on the underside covers due to some roads I have to drive on). Of course, as with my other Skoda, I had to replace shock absorbers with Bilstein Sports within 15k miles from buying the Superb (new) and the battery after just 2 years (the replaced battery still runs in the Mk1-1.9TDI110-Octavia-the shopping-trolley, it just got annoying that it reset stereo on every engine cranking).

Keep in mind fuel consumption on V6 will be about 1.5 litre more every 100 miles, and you will pay stlg30 more road tax every year. But it is a small price to pay for ability to cruise around town at 1000-1500rpm and doing 140mph effortlessly on Autobahn. It is also much smoother engine than even latest Skoda 4-cyl diesel offerings.

But where do you plan to find the 2.5V6 TDI manual? There's only about 55 registered in the UK, and I bet at least some owners are as happy as I am...

[oh_superb]

Depends if you like comfort and fast driving and servicing your own cars.

For maximum economy and dealer/workshop servicing go 1.9/2.0 route.

I have a 2.5TDI manual and would not go back to 1.9 as the 2.5 offers tons more comfort and substantially higher top speed on autobahn (and half of my car's mileage is across Europe).

But then again, I do maintenance myself incl. the timing belt jobs so I am not really affected by the "IP failure, TB snapped, WP failed, water ingress" horror stories.

5.5 years on, and 96k miles of pure motoring pleasure, the only consumables in addition to usual service items were 3 CV boots, non-rain sensor wiper relay, and a fuel line cover (despite offroad package my car is quite smashed on the underside covers due to some roads I have to drive on). Of course, as with my other Skoda, I had to replace shock absorbers with Bilstein Sports within 15k miles from buying the Superb (new) and the battery after just 2 years (the replaced battery still runs in the Mk1-1.9TDI110-Octavia-the shopping-trolley, it just got annoying that it reset stereo on every engine cranking).

Keep in mind fuel consumption on V6 will be about 1.5 litre more every 100 miles, and you will pay stlg30 more road tax every year. But it is a small price to pay for ability to cruise around town at 1000-1500rpm and doing 140mph effortlessly on Autobahn. It is also much smoother engine than even latest Skoda 4-cyl diesel offerings.

But where do you plan to find the 2.5V6 TDI manual? There's only about 55 registered in the UK, and I bet at least some owners are as happy as I am...

Very good summary, and I agree with it all. I also do all the servicing myself and something that is often forgotten is that the 2.5 tdi can run on almost any oil, while the PD engine (1.9) needs some expensive stuff (this difference easily pays for the higher road tax!).

I just wish I'd waited a bit longer for a manual - the tiptronic box is good, but I would prefer a manual.

But like dieselV6 says there are no many about, and if you are keen on an Elegance spec, then they are almost non-existent as I think Elegance came with the auto box as standard with option to delete, but most people chose to keep it. The alternative are some highly specified Comfort ones, with leather and everything, but still not quite Elegance.

PS: there are currently 2 low mileage (60k-ish) Manual 2.5 tdis on Autotrader around £5k mark. One is a Comfort with Cream Leather.

Edited 13 October, 2011 by oh_superb

[dieselV6]

I should perhaps add that when Octavia finally gives up the ghost and Mk1 Superb is demoted from extended trip duties(that probably means 2014 or thereabouts), I will be strongly looking at a large 2.0TFSI manual box petrol car (so a Passat). That is unless Skoda allows 2.0TFSI with manual gearbox, or comes up with 5 or 6 cylinder diesel. Or Audi A6 allows back full size spare under boot floor, or VW Phaeton gets the 4.0 diesel V8 and longer tiptronic box to match. Neither is likely to happen, though Audi did go back on reducing fuel tank size and now offer 75l instead of 65 on the new A6.

Frankly, one annoying "specialty" of UK German car dealers, is that they offer underbody protection only in "special" offroad cars, ie mostly in school run SUVs. We do not get any X-drive 3 series and 5 series BMWs (you have to buy double the car to have it, ie X3 or X5), there is no "rough road package" available from Skoda UK (you have to buy the Yeti), and full size spare seems to be forgotten by Audi and now also increasingly Skoda. And of course in Audi you have to buy the Allroad with its shorter gearbox and air suspension to get any sensible underbody covers.

Regarding oil, vwspares for a long time has been selling Quantum Platinum 5W-40 505.01 spec oil for stlg25/5litre. I have been using this oil on both Octy and Superb for last 2 years and so far-so good.

They also have 0W30 stuff, but I change oil every 10k anyway so no need for it.

[ndicki]

Thanks - very good informative answers there. I'm not a mechanic, so I'd lose out there, but I tend to keep my cars for quite a long time, so I get used to the idea of 'investing' in them to keep them in decent nick. Oil changes I can manage of course, but more than that might be a bit challenging, with or without the Haynes Manual! As far as fuel consumption is concerned, the increase is perhaps not as bad as that, as I do more fast roads than short distances, so it wouldn't be too bad compared to my +/- 6 litre/100kms AZV Octy. Also I understand that the older diesels including the 2.5 will accept biofuels - I used to run my old MkI 90cv Octy on 75% chip oil for three seasons a year. That made some difference! As petrol is 30% more expensive than diesel oil here, petrol is doubly out. But I like a car to have a decent top speed and bags of acceleration, so the PD130 is not the car for me despite its many qualities. And I go to Germany a lot! I agree about the Tiptronic - I had a go with a 2.5 Tiptronic a couple of years ago, and found it sluggish. The manual, on paper at least, looks dead good.

As I live in France (few 2.5 manuals to be found) I'd be looking for a car in Germany where A: they are reasonably common and not overpriced, and B: people look after their cars properly... L&K or Praha models - Continental specs - are findable at a reasonable price.

Edited 13 October, 2011 by ndicki

[CRC]

But like dieselV6 says there are no many about, and if you are keen on an Elegance spec, then they are almost non-existent as I think Elegance came with the auto box as standard with option to delete, but most people chose to keep it.

Blimey, I feel quite special now .... I've got a 2.5V6, 6 speed manual, elegance .... currently averaging 49.6 mpg over the last couple of thousand miles according to the display. Almost three years on and I still can't believe quite how good that engine is to drive. Smooth, torquey power when you want it and 56 mpg when you're happy to just trickle along with the traffic in 6th at 1500 rpm. Agree that a higher 6th gear would have been an advantage though.

Cam belt and water pump changed at 50,000 with the help of a mate for a shade over £200 in parts (and numerous pints of beer afterwards.) CV gaiters changed on both sides once, rear door lock changed due to failure, proper VW seal fitted to pollen filter which cured the ingress, grommets poked out of plenum chamber ( car now ticks in heavy rain which is a pleasant sound as the drips fall on the plastic guard ), engine coolant sensor changed, slight oil leak from one injector grommet, possible exhaust leak from around turbo area but only noticeable for a short time after starting in very cold weather.

I'm really pleased with it. The VP44 pump may go at some stage in the future, but the electronics seem easy to remove and fairly cheap to get fixed, and mechanically they seem good for a couple of hundred thousand miles, which at my current rate of use is about 15 years away. Dearer to tax, but not in the "horrific bracket" for the time being.

It's a very nice place to be at night when you're tired, cold and hungry.

Edited 13 October, 2011 by CRC

[Fred Bloggs]

Surely an Elegance 2.5TDi manual can't be that uncommon? I've got one.

[CRC]

Surely an Elegance 2.5TDi manual can't be that uncommon? I've got one.

About 214 are still registered with about 50 per year being sold from 2005 to 2008 ( assuming that was the year they changed?)

As shown here

[oh_superb]

About 214 are still registered with about 50 per year being sold from 2005 to 2008 ( assuming that was the year they changed?)

As shown here

Brilliant website mate!

[ndicki]

It's a very nice place to be at night when you're tired, cold and hungry.