I bought a 2000 Octavia 1.9td SLX today via one of the VW forums. I paid £400 including nearly six months tax. I picked her up this morning then drove back 100 ish miles without drama. 122k on the clock 110hp version.

Faults identified this far:

Brake are juddering seriously , despite have newish discs and pads. Previous owner says she has been told she didn't bed them in properly but I will sort the various bushes which seem also to be shot at the front.

Mirror switch snapped off.

Vibrations over 70 mph which I couldn't diagnose on the move.

Struts seems weak.

Rear wash wipe make a mess of the tool store - at least the wipers working!

Drivers seat ratchet lever not working as it should.

Driver door lock barrel fell out

Passenger window Not working

Central locking misbehaving in general

Plipper needed batteries

All in all a great car can't wait to get all these bits fixed!

Sounds like a cheap car for the money, but a little work it seems

I'd put the vibrations as a mis-balanced wheel - perhaps a weight has fallen off. Could also be a mis-shaped tyre, but thats less common.

The door barrel is held in by a bolt on the side of the door, hidden in a little hole. Often when being changed, someone un-tightens it too far and the bolt drops into the recess of the door. It only needs unwinding a couple of turns to allow the door barrel to slide out.

Rear wash is probably a popped off pipe - I suspect at the motor in your case. Whipping off boot panel should reveal this. Common problem in freezing weather for the pipes to pop off when asked to wash, when frozen.

VCDS might go some way to finding out about the central locking, and the passenger window.

doors, windows, locks - could be water ingress or a broken loom too.

Washer pipe, as above.

Lock barrel, as above.

Changed both wishbones at the front which has improved things a little. Brakes are still shocking though. Quite unnerving when stopping from Motorway speeds. Suspect badly warped discs or sever glaxing as the discs look almost new.Window lifter mechanism was replaced with an ebay job ( not a repair kit). Was also very smoky when I hoofed it on the way home. Hopefully these are just cobwebs being blasted out!

ignore the smoke its prob just not been hoofed in a while

give the brakes a real cooking treatment - if you can find a stretch of private road do six or so 80 to 30mph stops, you should start to notice an improvement towards the end of the second stop. Don't let the vehicle become stationary during this and make sure you drive around for at least 15 mins afterwords to allow the discs to cool without being in contact with pads

for rear wash pipe I'd just disconnect the feed at the washer bottle - it is the rearwards one going round the back of the bottle (not the one at the front side of the car). Washer fluid will eventually ruin your wiper motor anyway

seat is no big issue - scrappy for a replacement, cost u peanuts

central lockign etc could be a barrel of worms, I'd scan it and then probably get into teh drivers door control mechanism (you'll prob be in there to sort the lock anyway)

for rear wash pipe I'd just disconnect the feed at the washer bottle - it is the rearwards one going round the back of the bottle (not the one at the front side of the car). Washer fluid will eventually ruin your wiper motor anyway

Only on the hatch, the estate has a different arrangement, and the OP has an estate.

A few more questions please:

Is the mirror switch the same as a golf mk 4?

Are ebay tailgate struts any good?

Can someone explain the process of re bedding the brakes as described above and how this might work. Front discs and pads are fairly new but may not have been bedded properly, is this a question of getting the disc to relearn or do I need to physically de glaze pads and discs?

There are rattle from the front over bumps like a jogging noise. The track control arms have both been replaced . Should i now replace drop links ?

What's the process for unstick ing the vanes on the turbo or testing is there a sticky somewhere?

Is it worth trying to repair the height adjustment on the drivers seat or should I source a new seat?

Edited 13 January, 201313 yr by chrisevans

There are a couple of types of mirror switch. My 2001 has L+R, R, Heat, but I think some are L, R, Heat

Probably the bushes on the ARB are worn. Otherwise is might be wishbone bushes, or the lower rad mounts.

Have a search for "Mr Muscle treatment" for how to deal with the vanes in the turbo, although the best method is to remove it and clean it properly, as Mr Muscle will only do part of the job. I guess there is no harm in trying Mr Muscle but if the turbo is really stuck then be prepared to take it off. Is it going into limp? try accelerating hard up a long steep hill in 3rd gear if the car stutters and go slows around 2500rpm then then is a good indication of sticky vanes.

Seat adjustment - not sure.

Can't be wishbone buses as the wishbones have just been replaced. Good call on the ARB bushes. Nothing wrong with performance as far as I can see apart from the poor peeps behind getting the smoke treatment when I floored it

pop off the vacuum pipe from the n75 valve (right hand one of the two on the bulkhead) and try sucking on it, you should be able to get the actuator to move in smoothly on the turbo. If performance is fine then cleaning it might be pointless.

The ARB rusts under the plastic coating which causes it wear the bushes badly.

The mirror switch is L and R and heat. I wondered if this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Bora-Beetle-Passat-Golf-Electric-Mirror-Switch-Knob-right-handed-Eu-version-/261152143443?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AGolf|Plat_Gen%3AMk+IV&hash=item3ccde17853 would do the trick? I have ordered the struts and will have a go at the ARB next.

For the brakes, is it worth cleaning the discs with Garnet paper as per this article http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths or simply carry out the repeated high speed stops to try to remove the deposits?Anyone else had experience of this?

More bits to do: passenger side tweeter cover is broken. This is common I guess , does anyone have the part number please? Gear lever need a bit of lubrication what type of grease can you use here? I have ordered a £3 mirror switch from ebay and I am going to try to repair the original one . One of the fog light bulbs is blown, and I have order some night breaker plus h4s as my mrs will be driving this mostly on an unlit a road. Now the drivers side rear window isn't gong down so I need to waiti until the thaw comes to investigate. Don't want to have to buy another lifter. Will give the brakes a beasting to see if I can cure th repulsing and let you know what happens. If not will try the garnet paper.

go out and just get the discs and pads red hot - much easier to do with repeated stops rather than faffing about sanding

just remember to drive around afterwards until the brakes have fully cooled down

Ok will give it a go when the snow melts

Snow is just about melted now... Any ideas on what to grease the bottom of the gear stick underneath the gaitor? Also the battery clamp was inside the car when I bought it. The bolt was missing . Can someone confirm what size the captive nut is as an 8 mm bolt does not appear to be correct.?

Battery clamps were traditionally whitworth bolts/nuts. Must admit, I'm not sure on mine. Not really looked that closely.

Battery clamp is 8mm . I cleaned it up with a tap and its fine now . Also found the bit that goes on top of the battery which was in the boot . Used some copaslip on the gearstick. Took it for a quick thrash and the brakes don't seem that bad. Will probably book it in to a local garage to get the arb bushes done as that looks like a hateful job . The car smells a bit ripe . Any winning suggestions for getting rid of nasty niffs?

Change the pollen filter, get the air con disinfected, check for mushroom conditions in your carpets, spray everything fabric like with febreze, avoid curries.

And don't forget to spray the headlining...

the more you boot the brakes the better they will get

for rear wash wipe unless you really need the wash facility, disconnect it at the pump - its the rearmost connection, these eventually rust up the wiper motor and kill it otherwise

for rear wash wipe unless you really need the wash facility, disconnect it at the pump - its the rearmost connection, these eventually rust up the wiper motor and kill it otherwise

OT has an estate and the pipe for the rear window does not exit via the wiper motor, it is part of the high-level brake light assembly...

OT has an estate and the pipe for the rear window does not exit via the wiper motor, it is part of the high-level brake light assembly...

i meant disconnect it from the washer motor in the engine bay - i did this to my hatch to prevent the motor siezeing again

however if it is just leaking you estate guys prob know where to look better than me - is it not behind the CD changer?

Yup. Behind the CD changer is the common leak area. Easy fix. Wouldn't go resorting to disconnecting altogether on an estate, since you NEED the wash wipe, and it's not normally a difficult fix. Remember, Estates suck a lot more crap up off the road.

Or at least, the rear screens do...