Hi,

I've only just joined the forum, but did use it a little bit before making my choice to buy a 2010 Octavia Estate 1.4 tsi auto. Car is great; quick enough for a middle aged fella, big enough to take my tools (handyman), and my 2 car loving dogs (Vizslas) and economical enough to not worry about travelling too far to do my fishing. Here's the thing, just had 20,000 m service and they tell me i have uneven tyre wear on rear wheels (insides wearing quickest) and the fix will be around 150 quid. Anyone out there know if 1)this is common; 2)avoidable; 3)can it be fixed; 4)should warranty cover this?

Please excuse me if this has come up before. I had a quick look and could not find the subject matter.

All advice very welcome,

Cheers and best regards,

Del.

Very common, masses of threads on this. The rear alignment seems to be both very sensitive and easily knocked off skew. Get it fixed at a specialist centre with a record of good 4 wheel alignment. Prob best to do it directly, no point in paying extra margin whilst at the same time not having any say in who does the job.

As above - Common problem.

Your best option is a decent 4 wheel alignment. Just stand the £80 as you will save that in tyre wear.

The hunter kit is regarded as the best there is.

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/

Not sure if I'm allowed to post links to others forums but here is an unbiased view.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=966791

I know this issue is a common complaint on the vRS (search the forum for 'sawtoothing') but I've never heard of it on other models with their smaller wheels and softer suspension.

The Octavia is known for its soft rear suspension, again a number of caravan owners have raised this issue, especially with the estate. I notice that you mention that you carry a lot of gear in the boot, is this regular?

If the car has spent most of those 20,000 miles well laden and squatting at the rear then this will cause the tyres to toe in slightly which can result in uneven tyre wear.

Be careful the garage isn’t charging you for an alignment that might not be needed.

Certain brands of tyres seem more susceptible than others as well (Bridgestone and Dunlop IIRC)

On my 2006 Estate the rears were quite a way out, but no evidence of sawtoothing or uneven wear. You can tell the difference after a Hunter alignment though!

Many thanks so far you lot! Much appreciated. I'm not very savvy re the workings of cars and how to get good reliable service for faults should they show up, so these answers are all great for me.

Re the subject of gear in the back; there's never anything more than a tool kit, some electric tools and small materials. Nothing that would be more than the weight of an average fella.

Once again many thanks for tips and links,

Regards Del.

My rears only lasted about 12,000 miles. Bald on the inside 1/4 to 1/2 width. (2010 vRS Estate)

My rears only lasted about 12,000 miles. Bald on the inside 1/4 to 1/2 width. (2010 vRS Estate)

You need your geometry (not alignment) sorting out then at a place with a Hunter rig or similar.

You need your geometry (not alignment) sorting out then at a place with a Hunter rig or similar.

Or it ould be down to this:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/227496-why-i-only-made-10k-miles-on-my-new-tyres/

Or it ould be down to this:

http://briskoda.net/...n-my-new-tyres/

It could, and I bow to your experience, but that is a low mileage for rears! The wear all being on the inside would make me want to get the geometry checked out.

The wear all being on the inside would make me want to get the geometry checked out.

True