Hi,

I used to use this site a lot when I had my Octavia TDi but after I traded it in for a Ford S-Max I kind of stopped using the site.

I'm going to be selling or trading the S-Max soon as I have decided I want a Vrs Octavia (petrol).

Got a couple of things to sort out like private plates etc to take off but the reason for coming back was to gauge the general opinion of the petrol VRs!

I'm looking to get a 57 - 58 plate one if I can, and hoping I may be able to do a straight trade for the S-Max but that remains to be seen.

I know that my TDi was a great car, it was a bit old by todays standards on a 52 plate but aside from a few small problems it was a great reliable car and one I regret selling on but at the time we had baby number two on the way and decided something more family sized would be necessary, turns out the boot in the Octavia was bigger anyway. Oh well.

So can any owners on here give me some do's and dont's for a VRs, what to look out for, any issues etc.

Would appreciate any advice out there.

Thanks

Welcome back!

I assume the S-Max is an older example or has a fair few miles on it as they tend to hold their value pretty well (at least for a Ford)?

An average mileage clean 2007/2008 petrol vRS will set you back around £7K through a trade seller so unless the S-Max is shot you shouldn't be looking at too much to change.

Nothing major to look for on a petrol vRS other than the usual accident damage and document checks. If you can try to aim for a main dealer example with full service history as this will aid any comeback if anything does go wrong.

what silver said +1

Welcome home Bakie

Petrol vRS is a lot of car for the money.

And, as you say, a bigger boot than most!

Welcome back.

Hi all thanks for your replies. I've seen a black 58 plate vrs with 30k locally for £8k fsh but not a main dealer may enquire though.

My s-max is an 07 model fsh tax and mot with 34k on clock excellent condition so hopeful of a good trade in value on it! I don't want or need a diesel car anymore but I'm not in a rush need to sort personal plates out first but quite looking forward to getting back into an Octavia.

All the peolple I know who bought a Ford S-Max, not one said would buy another.

I wonder why???

Check the air con is working its a common problem with the compressor and cost 600 plus to correct it, also the cambelt and water pump should be changed on a car 4 years old according to skoda. Check the rear tyre wear. Problems have been reported that the camber is not set correctly causing the inner side of the tyres to wear quickly.

All the peolple I know who bought a Ford S-Max, not one said would buy another.

I wonder why???

I'd say my S-Max has been a good car, Ford's build quality is much improved these days but it's the longevity of them that lets them down. mine is 5 yrs old, had little use really and I've already shelled out £500 on it this year for repairs and fear more are on the horizon. I wouldn't buy another S-Max but I would consider another model maybe. But for now I just want to go back to an Octavia

Check the air con is working its a common problem with the compressor and cost 600 plus to correct it, also the cambelt and water pump should be changed on a car 4 years old according to skoda. Check the rear tyre wear. Problems have been reported that the camber is not set correctly causing the inner side of the tyres to wear quickly.

Is the compressor still an issue on newer models, I remember getting that checked on my Octavia which was of an era when that was a commonly reported problem.

Would an 08 plate Vrs with 30k need a new cambelt, I thought cambelt replacement was dictated by mileage covered rather than age?

I have read about the alignment issues, read one review from a person who bought a brand new VRs and after 8000 miles needed complete wheel alignment and new tyres only to have problem come back at 10k miles, reckons SKoda weren't interested in fixing it and said it was a characteristic of the car, he took it back to the same place where he shelled out over £800 for laser alignment and tyres only for them to tell him the wheels were still correctly aligned within the tolerances set by Skoda.

I think you'll always have problems with any car, sometimes it's down to luck I think. If you were put off by every little issue a car can suffer with you'd not have a car.

As with Many Direct Injection engines the TFSi engine has form for carbon deposits on the intake valves. Once they get coked up they start to misfire and then the bill can be a good £2k (mine was).

Key to avoiding it is keep to super unleaded (that's all mine has ever had and still I had the problems) and make sure the car gets an 'Italian tuneup' at least once a month. When mine went bang it was after we had littlun so I think there had been too much pootling round whilst I had a pregnant missus and then a newborn in the car. Now I take it out twice a month and drive it like I stole it and apart from being good fun, it should help prevent the problem recurring

As with Many Direct Injection engines the TFSi engine has form for carbon deposits on the intake valves. Once they get coked up they start to misfire and then the bill can be a good £2k (mine was).

Key to avoiding it is keep to super unleaded (that's all mine has ever had and still I had the problems) and make sure the car gets an 'Italian tuneup' at least once a month. When mine went bang it was after we had littlun so I think there had been too much pootling round whilst I had a pregnant missus and then a newborn in the car. Now I take it out twice a month and drive it like I stole it and apart from being good fun, it should help prevent the problem recurring

fuel would not make any difference to carbon as it direct injection engine , its mainly oil which causes this and the way to reduce this is a catch can,

if it was a conventional fuel injection you would not get this problem.

Check the air con is working its a common problem with the compressor and cost 600 plus to correct it, also the cambelt and water pump should be changed on a car 4 years old according to skoda. Check the rear tyre wear. Problems have been reported that the camber is not set correctly causing the inner side of the tyres to wear quickly.

This rear tire ware seems a big issue to people for some reason. Just get 4 wheel alignment done simple as.

Welcome back and good luck finding a nice Vrs blue of course

The tyre wear seems a common fault or complained about issue which surprises me, would have thought Skoda would know how to ensure the wheels on their flag ship hot hatch is correct and not subject to failure!

But the big concern for me is the carbon build up issue, I don't use my car during the week as I live close enough to where I work to not need to drive and then at weekends it's the normal running the kids about and doing the trip to the supermarket, I'm sure I'd be a high candidate for that problem if I get a Vrs. Are there not any recommended additives that can be added to the tank every so many fill ups to reduce this?

I can remember years ago a product called Redex which was designed to lubricate the injectors and remove carbon deposits, not so sure such a thing could be used in a more technical engine like the FSi though!

Bargain cars IMHO.

Mine is an 07 on 60k and just sailed through it's mot this morning no advisories.

You want to check the timing belt has been done, not just a tick in the book.

Stone chips on the front of the bonnet.

Rust on the sills above the stone chip paint (on pre-FL cars the protective paint isn't high enough)

Check disks don't need done.

Check the traction control light goes off and on

Water damaged badges on wheels and bonnet/boot.

Water in the the spare wheel well.

Wear to driver seat.

Tears / rips to the interior

Apart from a couple of irritating problems, I've been more than happy with my earlier, green-callipered model.

I went from a 2.0 PDi Octy II and was expecting the fuel consumption to be at dipsomaniac levels by comparison but if you don't always drive it like you're auditioning for a part in Road Wars you'll be pleasantly surprised by the fuel economy, especially considering how nippy the thing is.

Add to that the knowledge that you are part of a select group of knowledgeable motorists who might actually need to carry stuff around whilst enjoying the drive (cough - Golf GTI - cough) and you'll not look back.