I'm on the hunt for a new car to replace the mk1 Octy L&K

I have been looking for a mk2 L&K Diesel Estate but there arent a lot around.

Didnt think I could afford a scout but ive come across one thats a high mileage ex private hospital vehicle whicj I assume is basically the same as a taxi but (hopefully) maintained and looked after better.

Done my research and with a little help from someone with the right kind of access (big thanks to them) I now have the full service history of the vehicle.

The one im interested in was 1 of a fleet of 5. All have very comprehensive history however this one doesnt show in the records it had the cambelt done.

Its a 2007 on just over 100k. As theres no official record I obviously have to assume it hasnt been done (until I can confirm otherwise).

I have quotes for a full service, cambelt change and haldex oil change.

I can see from the service history it has been repaired when necessary and has even had a replacement clutch and flywheel.

Covering the obvious what else do I need to look out for thats specific to the Scout?

Or is the scout pretty much the same as any other mk2 octy estate with servicing required to the haldex?

Any advice from people with Scouts and what goes wrong with them in the real world would be appreciated.

Also do Scouts have ESP as standard? (i'm assuming they do)

Do they suffer from "Shuddering" (that is listed on the repair report but not sure what problem this would relate to)

Everything else looks to be ware and tear and nothing out of the ordinary from what I can see.

The diesel Scout is identical to the standard Octavia PD140 mechanically apart from the four wheel drive system so it is pretty robust.

The haldex system should have had its oil changed every 40,000 miles so the car you are looking at should have had two changes already.

It might be worth ringing Skoda UK regarding the cambelt, if it was changed and it was done at a Skoda main dealer then sometimes Skoda HQ hold this info on their central system (08457 745745, option 4). If not try to find out which dealer was used to do the regular servicing and ring them direct.

The only thing specific to check on the Scout will be the Proteus alloys. These have a polished effect to the spokes and are renound for corrosion. At 5 years old and 100K it'll be a miracle if they haven't already started to delaminate.

If the judder you report is the same as the judder I have then it is a characterisitc of the car. Mine judders sometimes on cold/damp mornings when setting off with the clutch under load. I've read on here that overnight moisture collects on the clutch which causes it to slip on a morning. After one or two junctions it disappears completely. Mine has done it from new and it hasn't got any worse. The wife never experiences it but she uses a higher RPM when setting off so I've put the judderig down to my driving style.

Maybe this was the reason for the clutch/flywheel replacement?

As with all 4x4 purchases it is essential that you take a look underneath the car as it is possible it has seen some off-road use (unlikely however if owned by a private hospital) during its life.

Have a good poke around the haldex and rear diff as these have known to leak through perished seals after around 80,000 miles and are expensive to fix.

ESP comes as standard on all UK Scouts.

Scouts are demanding a very high premium versus the rest of the Octavia range, so you'll likely be looking at around £7-8K for 2007 with 100K+. This is a lot to pay for an Octavia (see my recent thread where I was considering a 2008, 30K Scout for £14K). Be warned that you can get a lot of car for £8,000 if you don't want/need the desirability / 4x4 of the Scout.

As it happens I'd have another tomorrow and would pay the price they are demanding, however I've decided to stick with my current Octavia for now!

If you can post some pictures of it and I'm sure we'll have more to recommend!

Scout is just a srandard Octy with the added Haldex so most common Octy problems are relevant.

100K doesn't sound particularly high mileage, my 08 has 80k on it which isn't much over average these days.

I would assume the "Shuddering" to be the DMF and hence why the clutch and flywheel was changed (I would consider this a bonus)

At 80k I have just had the front discs and pads done and the rears are following closely so (Depending on where its spent its life) breaks may need attention.

As mentioned above I have had the leaky rear diff which Skoda tried to scare me into getting done, however a trusted independant informed me it was just a slight weap and just something to keep an eye on.

Otherwise drop links and other suspension bushes seem to need replacement on a regular basis and the wheels start to look scruffy after about 2 years but nothing major.

Bear in mind the car will also have a DPF which many suggest will only last around 100k so you may have to look at a DPF removal in the near future.

Thanks guys thats pretty much what I thought.

The clutch and flywheel were done at 64K but the "suddering" is recent. No further details other than "car recovered reported shuddering". Could be DPF, EGR or anti shudder valve (if it has one).

I too see the replacement clutch as a bonus. The DPF needs to be factored in.

Already checked out previous dealer etc thats how I know there was 5 in a fleet and all the records show the cambelt was done at the required time but for this one the records are not confirming the cambelt was done. If everything else was repaired and it was according to the 4 page report ive got going back to 40k and the cambelts were done on the other 4 vehicles I think its fair to assume it has been done but if no offical record can be found or confirmed I would change it anyway. Another cost that needs to be factored in.

Not overly concerned about alloys. They wont stay in good condition anyway and are easy enough to refurb.

Brakes and susspension are defo on my check list and to judge any issues with the turbo (as best I can).

I think I will go take a look at it. Just need to find some time, lol.

Only thing I wish it did have is maxidot.

Thanks guys thats pretty much what I thought.

The clutch and flywheel were done at 64K but the "suddering" is recent. No further details other than "car recovered reported shuddering". Could be DPF, EGR or anti shudder valve (if it has one).

I too see the replacement clutch as a bonus. The DPF needs to be factored in.

Already checked out previous dealer etc thats how I know there was 5 in a fleet and all the records show the cambelt was done at the required time but for this one the records are not confirming the cambelt was done. If everything else was repaired and it was according to the 4 page report ive got going back to 40k and the cambelts were done on the other 4 vehicles I think its fair to assume it has been done but if no offical record can be found or confirmed I would change it anyway. Another cost that needs to be factored in.

Not overly concerned about alloys. They wont stay in good condition anyway and are easy enough to refurb.

Brakes and susspension are defo on my check list and to judge any issues with the turbo (as best I can).

I think I will go take a look at it. Just need to find some time, lol.

Only thing I wish it did have is maxidot.

Good call re the turbo! A lot of the fast response vehicles around hear are Octy Scout TDi's and I have heard that due to how they are driven they eat turbos for fun.

Im still digging about but so far ive found out it was only for picking up and dropping off patients at a private hospital so wasnt used for any emergency work.

It was on lease hire and ive contacted the local Skoda garage that did a lot of the work as well as the lease hire company for their service records. As you can imagine the records from the lease hire company arent very good at all but at least I have a lot of details from the Skoda dealer network.

Theres a few important parts missing from the service record and that starts alarm bells ringing for me. It could all be admin related but the car isnt local so I think I might have to bow out of this one. Theres too much potential for a big bill in the near furture but ideally I would have like to take it for a test drive and have a good look around it.

I work for a large ambulance trust in the north of England, and drive these scouts daily. They are a remarkable good car in terms of grip etc as good in the wet as the dry, however I wouldn't buy an ex service car, though they are serviced regularly, they are driven within an inch of their life every day, running pretty much 24 hours solid. However you stated this car is from a private hospital so may have been used to ferry people round, though they don't generally lease the scouts for that purpose, probably more Likely a blood transport car, and though these are not used as much as a response car would be , they still get a hammering on a daily bases. The fact the clutch had been changed imo shows the car has been used in this manor. IMO stay well away

Edited 26 August, 201213 yr by Snoopy

That sounds like good solid advice from someone in the know, i would listen to him

Out local hospital/trust has a couple, they spend more time parked alongside the church with the crew doing their propaganda thing than actually rushing about. The advantage of living in a nice and peaceful, rural setting.

MY only complaint would be the fact they are the only emergency service vehicle which finds it necessary to do the B's &T's through the village, despite there being no blind junctions

Scouts have a DPF, std PD140 Octy dosent. It also has smaller injectors

Mileage shouldnt be an issue, our 10 plate is on 65000 miles & still as sweet as a baby. Clocking still goes on in the trade so low mileage reading isnt always what it seems, so at least this is genuine. Many taxis are on intergalactic mileage & still running fine, just keep it serviced. If you can take a mechanic to look at it before purchase for peace of mind

DPF may become an issue, we had ours removed having had issues on a previous Superb but many run the Scouts perfectly happily with them. I wouldnt worry about it until it fails

If the price is attrcative its worth considering, scouts are like rocking horse pooh so as soon as the bad weather arives it will be relativly easy to shift if you dont like it.

Re being driven hard many cars are better ragged than bimbled.

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My old man's got an '07 Scout TDi which is just about to pass 120,000 miles on the original clutch, and feels like it could go on forever!

No DPF issues, but weekly trips from chester to sheffield and back probably help with that.

Can't think of any major problems, just CV joints needed replacing at c.105,000 miles.

Even survived being driven down the road with petrol in it, and he still claims that is BP's fault!

I'd be wary of an emergency vehicle though, as said before, they can go through a lot of abuse.