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4x4 LPG/petrol dual fuel Octavia Elegance Estate, 1.8T 5-speed manua, 2001 (51 plate), mk I facelift

will_
in Cars For Sale

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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222024353739

 

Hi everyone,

 

I've been a quiet member for a few years but have renewed my Freedom pass to say thanks and because it's time to say goodbye to Yoda the Skoda.

 

There are only a few hours left on this eBay listing but the highest bid is currently just £429, which I reckon is a bargain. I realise it'll probably end up being broken for parts but it would be nice to see it live on. The details below are copied from the listing.

 

The Good Bits

  • ECONOMY (LPG): The car was converted, 10 years ago, to run on LPG, which currently costs 52.9p/litre at my local garage. The petrol system remains intact, however, and it will happily run on either. If you run out of LPG, it will switch back to petrol automatically.
  • 4 WHEEL DRIVE: The car features the same Haldex 4-wheel-drive system as the Landrover Freelander. Normally only the front wheels drive the car, but as soon as either of them begins to slip, the back wheels join in. It's surprisingly effective in snow, particularly if snow chains are fitted. Snow chains are not included but could be by negotiation.
  • LIFE: I have owned this car since 2006, before which it had one previous owner. It has spent most of its life on motorways and although it is high mileage, it has always been looked after and never missed a service.
  • FRONT BUMPER: The front bumper is not cracked, unlike almost every other Octavia on the road. The rear bumper has some slight scratches but is otherwise sound.
  • TYRES: Brand new Michelin Primacy 3 tyres were put on a few thousand miles ago. They have plenty of life left in them.
  • SUSPENSION: All four springs and shock absorbers have been replaced in the last year or two. Since then, it has felt like new. The Octavia really is soaking up the lumps and bumps of good old British roads.
  • RUST (lack thereof): There is a small patch of rust on the tailgate (photo) but otherwise the bodywork is in good condition.
  • HEADLAMPS: Both headlamps were replaced a couple of years ago and show no signs of yellowing.
  • FLUIDS and PLUGS: The oil and filter are almost new (less than 1000 miles), and platinum-tipped NGK spark plugs were installed at the same time. The brake fluid and coolant were changed in the last year, as were the Haldex oil and filter (in the 4-wheel-drive clutch).
  • BELTS: The cam belt, water pump and pulleys were changed at 175,000 miles, for which I have receipts.
  • BEARINGS: There is no bearing noise. Both front wheel bearings have been replaced in the last few years.
  • FEATURES: Cruise control, 6-CD auto-changer, climate control and sunroof (why both?!), electrically operated and heated mirrors.
  • RECEIPTS: I have a folder full of dated receipts for all services and parts.
The Bad Bits
  • The engine management light is usually on. The LPG map is not perfect and this makes the engine complain about the mixture or the lambda probe from time to time. It has been back to the LPG installer about this several times but it seems this engine is just particularly fussy (even my Skoda specialist says they sometimes throw a fault code when the weather turns cold suddenly). It hasn't been a problem for the last 10 years.
  • The LPG system does not automatically switch over to gas (as it should do once the engine has warmed up). You can still do so manually by holding the button for a couple of seconds. This is most-likely due to a failed LPG temperature sensor, which can be replaced quite easily and inexpensively. The sensor is attached to the LPG vaporiser, which is located behind the near-side-front wheel arch liner.
  • The plastic fascia has come off the headlamp lowering knob, which sits loosely in the dashboard. It still works (as do both the beam adjustment motors) and could be replaced very cheaply by visiting a scrap yard.
  • The indicator relay sometimes gets a bit hyperactive and continues clicking for a few seconds after you switch the indicator off. This is a widely reported fault with these cars, and is caused by either the hazard switch (which houses the relay) or the indicator stalk. I've already replaced the hazard switch and it didn't fix it, so I would expect the fault to be cured by replacing (or possibly even just thoroughly cleaning) the indicator stalk. I have a spare indicator stalk (without cruise control) which I will include.
  • There is a small patch of rust on the tailgate where the handle attaches to the metal (photo). I began treating it last year and it's structurally sound, but it could do with a bit more attention to tidy it up.
  • There is some superficial scratching to the offside wing mirror (photo).
  • The lower breather pipe should be replaced as it's falling to pieces, although only unmetered air flows through it so it doesn't affect the engine's operation.
  • It has recently developed a misfire on cylinder 1 when cold. I haven't looked into this yet, but coil packs are known weak points on these engines. I have a spare coil pack (used but working) that I could throw in if you like.
Please note:
 
Although this car has served me well and I will be sorry to see it go, it is beginning to show its age and as such I would now regard it as suitable for spare or repair.
For that reason, it is sold as seen and there will be no refunds.
 
For some reason, I can't find a PayPal option but I can be (and would prefer to be) paid by PayPal.

 

Update:

 

Although it's been sitting since Christmas, I charged the battery and started it yesterday. It fired up straight away and ran smoothly. If you'd like to see and hear a video of it starting, send me a message. The alternator whines a bit, but it's done that since I installed it (second hand) about 5 years ago and the battery has never gone flat except when the car was left unused for two months recently.

 
In other good news, it's done 192,085 miles, not 194k (I couldn't read the odometer when the battery was flat). There's a box of goodies in the boot, including spare tyre and jack, a bag of spare LPG filters, a couple of spare bulb kits, two coil packs (one looks new; the other is used), a few spare wheel bolt caps, a spare set of plugs (used but fairly clean), a spare air filter and a few other bits.
 
The car comes with its Haynes workshop manual and has been washed outside and vacuumed inside.

Edited by will_

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