Hi

 

I've seen a 2006 Octavia Elegance estate 2.0 TDI PD 140 - to buy or not to buy that is the question. It's a 6 speed manual. It's got cruise control and traction control apparently ''fitted from standard'' but I thought they were add ons?? It has a removable tow bar & 113k on the clock. I have a 16ft caravan I want to use it to tow with so need something a bit pokier than my Peugeot 307 and had me eye on Skoda's for a while. I've checked out the towing weight ratios and it's all good to go.

 

I'm going back on Thursday with a mechanic mate who's got some fancy computer diagnostic thingy, but I'm wondering is there anything I should look out for in particular? Or any owners with any advice - good car? juicy or reasonable? expensive to fix?

 

I do 7-10k miles per year I reckon, do you think it would be more economical to get a petrol at these miles? I've been a diesel monkey for donkeys years and automatically only buy diesels. Am I missing a trick here?

 

I did take it for a test drive. Nice and responsive, but when the engine was cold there was a very slight whine when changing 1st 2nd and maybe 3rd gear. This stopped though once I'd been going a while. Clutch seemed OK, but will get my mate to give it a more vigorous test. The dealer  said that's just the noise skoda's make, although didn't offer any explanation of what it was. I've had a look around on here, and it could be the turbo - is there a way of testing that? should the computer jiggery pokery pick that up? and some do seem to say they'd be worried if it didn't make a slight whine!

 

So any input would be most gratefully received 

 

Many thanks

10,000 miles per year would be enough for me to stick to diesel. No DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) on the car you are looking at so no worries there.

 

The whine is not normal. Ignore the dealer!

 

It may be fixed by simply renewing the gearbox oil. Does it stop when you come off the accelerator inbetween gear changes? If so then this could be turbo whistle. A quiet or muted whistle is normal but a louder police siren noise is more of a concern and could signal turbo wear.

 

At 113,000 miles then the DMF (Dual Mass Flywheel) might be getting tired (especially if it's been towing). When driving the car put it in a high gear at a low speed and accelerate hard, if the car judders or the clutch slips then the DMF is worn.

 

If you friend has a portable diagnostics machine then make sure you are able to translate any fault codes stored in the car's brain. Here is a list of possible faults:

 

http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Fault_Codes

 

Service history is important. Has it had a cambelt? It needed one at four years old, so back in 2011. If it needs one then deduct £359 off the screen price:

 

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/national-pricing/maintenance

 

It will either be set to fixed (10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever is reached first) service intervals, or variable (up to 20,000 miles or 12 months). The car decides for itself when it wants fresh oil by measuring oil viscosity and journey types etc. Make sure you see how often it has been serviced.

 

Traction control was standard, cruise control may also have been standard on the Elegance.

We only do about 10-12k miles a year. I've never sat down and worked out if it would be cheaper for a petrol... but we just prefer diesel and with regular trips to the continent and a long journey yielding over 600 miles to a tank I wouldn't want to try!

 

Plus if you plan to tow then diesel is a must! You may need to check your caravan is under the towing capacity of the car too.

 

As above the whine could be turbo or gearbox.

 

If it's the turbo you would hear it in all gear when the turbo spools up to speed.

 

A diagnostic scan wouldn't pick this up.

 

The elegance came standard with:

 

16" Alloys

Headlamp washers

Auto wipers (auto lights were an option but the sensor is there just need a new switch and wire)

Cruise control

ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) - Full ESP was optional

Dual Zone climate control

6 CD changer

4x electric windows

Puddle lights (little lights in the exterior mirrors that come on in the dark when you unlock the car)

Rear parking sensors

 

Phil

Brilliant, thank you for your replies, they're really helpful!