Hi all

 

Ive recently agreed to buy a second hand Octavia estate tsi 1.4 with the slight complication that the car is in Norwich and I'm in Borehamwood. I got some great advice for various people on the forum and, after much research, paid the deposit and im due to pick it up on saturday.

 

As the car is far away i havent had a chance to look at it yet, but as long as it's as advertised, i shall be mine come Saturday afternoon.

 

It will have 3 months of the manufacturers warranty left before the 3rd party after sale warranty kicks in. The car had a Skoda service after 12 months and a recent service by the current dealer (a renault dealership)

 

The dealership (Holden Renault in Norwich) appears to be pretty close to Skoda Norwich - Robinsons so i was thinking i could try to get it booked in for a once over before i pick it up on the weekend. Admittedly there's not a huge amount of time, but i may be able to squeeze it in. The car is almost 3 years old but has only done 13,500 miles so i may be worrying unnecessarily 

 

Ive never had a car that still had warranty left so im not entirely sure how it works. would i pay for the skoda place to look it over or only for any work recommended? Do you think the Renault place would agree to this before ive actually picked up the car (and paid the balance) or should i try to book it in for after i pick the car up?

 

Are things like updating the firmware on the entertainment system covered by the warranty or would this be chargeable?

 

How do things stand with the service intervals? As the car was serviced in September 16, would this be the date for future annual services or would it switch back to the original Dec date?

 

Is the extended Skoda warranty worthwhile? If so, would it be worth getting in place when the manufacturers warranty runs out (Dec 16) or better to wait until the third party one runs out in Sept 17?

 

Many thanks for this and all the other help ive had so far, i wouldnt have ended up with this car without it (and i mean that in a good way)

 

 

 

 

Wow, you're brave buying a used car without seeing it....

 

It looks tidy from the photos, and its a reputable garage, so you should be ok. Just give it a good look over and have a test drive before you pay the balance.

 

I doubt the seller will allow you to take it anywhere for a check up before you buy it. The only things they usually allow are RAC/AA vehicle inspections.

 

Call your local Skoda dealer and see what health checks they do, it can differ locally. There is a national campaign with one at £25 with a free picnic blanket....wow

 

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/summer-travel-check

 

I'd ask to see the invoice for the service Holden Renault have done, you can check what parts were changed and what oil etc. As long as its had an oil change, it'll be ok for a year, so its your call whether to do it in Sept or revert to Dec. Wonder whether they have reset the service indicator, I doubt it...

 

Personally I'm not a big fan of aftermarket warranties, you seem to pay a lot and then they reject the claim on a technicality. The Octavia is generally a reliable car, I guess the only big risk is the DSG box if it failed. However I would check whether the small print covers it, and if its over £300 a year is it really worth it?

 

Basically you're eroding the money you saved buying used, you may as well had a new one under warranty.

Thanks glosrich. 

 

Brave? Brave always makes me think about Yes Minister, so may well be not a good thing.

 

It was pretty much the exact car i wanted (bar the colour - race blue would have been great), low mileage and a bit cheaper than id seen elsewhere. Also my battered old Honda Jazz is due an MOT and road tax by the end of this month so timing wise it was pretty good. They've confirmed by email that there are no major blemishes on the bodywork so hopefully it matches up to what they've said. 

 

Free blanket! good stuff. i think ill get it into my local skoda place in the next few weeks and have them give it a once over. 

Listen very carefully for rear end road noise/pressure, these have a reputation especially if they don't have a spare wheel

Ive been reading a lot about that on the forum so i will make sure im paying attention. 

Are things like updating the firmware on the entertainment system covered by the warranty or would this be chargeable?

 

How do things stand with the service intervals? As the car was serviced in September 16, would this be the date for future annual services or would it switch back to the original Dec date?

A firmware update is normally a chargeable item (which is why there is a thread on here of people asking for the firmware update for Bolero/Amundsen to be emailed to them so they can do it themselves), the only exception is if you can persuade the dealer that the firmware update will fix a known fault that you have noticed on your car.

 

Service interval will depend on how the dealer who did the service reset the service indicator.

I just purchased a car unseen from Robinson's Skoda. Very pleasant experience and they made me feel valued all the way through the process. I came from the south coast up to buy.

They are busy at the moment so if you want them to look at it then make sure you ring to book.

I did the same. Live in Sheffield, car was in Barnstable. Went down on the train to pick it up.

 

Check everything.

 

Maybe download a manual so you have an idea how the car works to make it easier to check, and know where all the little storage places are.

 

Things that come to mind are 

Check all the expected tools are under the boot floor, including air compressor, fluid for a punctured tyre, locking wheel nut, and some tools. Cannot remember how many.

The elastic straps in the boot haven't broken (I learnt that one, when 2 days after picking up the car to find one snapped)

Check the state of the interior for marks,

Check bulbs work

Check state of the centre wheel caps for signs of corrosion. Mine already have the beginnings of whiteworm.

 

If the car has Sat Nav, make sure you download the latest maps asap before the period of free updates runs out.

Thanks both. 

 

Robinsons are too busy to squeeze me in on sat, so assuming all goes well and i complete the purchase, ill book it in to my local skoda garage (citygate watford) in the next week or so

 

I'll keep an eye out on the entertainment system. I suspect im currently in a state of too much info (provided by spending way too much time on this forum) and no actual car to play with. i therefore find myself reading all the treads and trying to keep a list of all the bad things that might occur.

Sat Nav updates are limited by number and not duration, 6 free updates IIRC although, I don't know if you can check how many have been done.

Sat Nav updates are limited by number and not duration, 6 free updates IIRC although, I don't know if you can check how many have been done.

That's updates to the maps, not to the firmware - which is what the OP asked about.

Edited 21 September, 20169 yr by PetrolDave

Sat Nav updates are limited by number and not duration, 6 free updates IIRC although, I don't know if you can check how many have been done.

 

Ah OK, wasn't told that. Though considering I was I told I had to pay for all further updates, it isn't surprising I'm confused.

Sat Nav updates are limited by number and not duration, 6 free updates IIRC although, I don't know if you can check how many have been done.

Mine came with 3 years of free updates.

Wich should be about 6 updates....

You will have to pay for "official" updates for the Entertainment unit software unless there is a known problem where they might do it for you after some persuasion.

 

Map updates for the navigation are free for 6-updates over 3-years.

This is controlled by version number of the maps not date or time.

 

So you should be able to download & install the latest map data from the Skoda update portal & possibly the next also (planned for November I think..)

Ring Skoda Customer Services and give them the Reg Number of the Car.  They should give you the cars history and ask them if any warranty wok has been carried along with the service history, dates/milage etc etc. Ask them loads of questions

 

I've done this in the passed when buying second hand skoda's even when they have come from a Skoda Dealer.  We all know what the dealers are like don't we

Edited 22 September, 20169 yr by Auric Goldfinger

So you should be able to download & install the latest map data from the Skoda update portal & possibly the next also (planned for November I think..)

If you have the Amundsen head unit (which is the default in an Elegance) then the map updates MUST be installed on a genuine Skoda SD card as it contains hidden information (which isn't deleted when the SD card is formatted) that the head unit must see to recognise it as a map SD card.

 

I bought an old version map SD card off eBay and used that for the updates - just in case something went wrong while updating the SD card with the new maps.

Yes, this is actually an important thing to check for the OP.

 

For Amundsen headunit check that it is provided with an "official" Skoda SD card.

If the car has the Columbus headunit then any SD-card can be used with this.

What is the best way to check the sd card is "official"? does it have a nice Skoda badge on it or is this something a skoda dealer would check?

Ive just had the reasonably hard sell on the Williams Synthetic Paint protection for £350. Luckily a quick search of the forum led me to a pretty swift "no way" decision. 

 

Once i have the car, i think i'll find a good local detailer and see what they recommend. Im not really the do it yourself kind of car owner. 

What is the best way to check the sd card is "official"? does it have a nice Skoda badge on it or is this something a skoda dealer would check?

The Amundsen SD card has a nice Skoda badge on it and a part number 5E0 051 236 (plus a suffix letter).

 

Edited 22 September, 20169 yr by PetrolDave

Thanks Petroldave, that's very helpful.