Hello good people

 

First post and its questions questions - sorry!!

 

I'm looking to buy a 170 Tdi VRS estate and would appreciate some input please.

 

Basically, I've been to view a 2007 170bhp PD 2.0 VRS which smokes slightly on tick over and hard acceleration. The car has 120000 miles on it with history which I thought was barely run in for one if these engines. The car is sensibly priced but I walked away from it due to the brown/black sooty smoke. I thought these engines had a dpf fitted and therefore shouldn't smoke at all? But now I'm thinking it's an old school PD engine and a little smoke is fine? I'm confused as I have searched on this site and others and can't find a definitive answer. 

 

Am i mental looking to buy one of these cars with that sort of mileage on it to do my daily 80 mile commute? I have had a PD engined Passat B 5 in the past, which reached 235000 before I sold it on that was still going strong and caused me no dramas whatsoever. I was hoping for a similar experience from the Skoda, with some 170bhp fun to boot, but may be dreaming. I don't have deep pockets but can do servicing/maintenance myself so should be able to keep costs down a bit.

 

This is the car in question, hope it's ok to post links;

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201704023971791?transmission=Manual&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=me142qf&model=OCTAVIA&fuel-type=Diesel&radius=1500&make=SKODA&sort=sponsored&keywords=Estate &price-to=5000&onesearchad=Used&price-from=2000&page=2

 

All input put greatfully received, thanks! 

 

Bish

I once had a 170 PD Tdi Vrs, 07 Plate and It had a DPF.  Caused me no end of problems with the DPF as I believed the DPF was an after thought. Build engine throw a DPF at it, they didn't really suit each other. I had it removed and mapped out, was like a new car.  

Hi ( and welcome )

whilst everybodies experience can vary have read posts on here for a while before I bought my Octavia I drew the conclusion that a pd engine didn't suit a pdf from the many negative posts on here ( many coming from technicians explaining that the dpf was an afterthought to meet regulations )

the CR diesel was designed with a dpf from the get go ( still reports of dpf ' horror stories ' ) but I think later cars have it sorted or the buying public have cottoned on that low annual mileage of mainly short journeys and diesel don't mix

Thanks for the replies! 

 

So the PD does have a dpf. No problem really because I do 60 motorway miles a day within my commute so should get the dpf to temperature. Or could remove it easy enough. But, it does tell me that the car I viewed yesterday shouldn't be smoking! 

 

I will forget about the car that I viewed yesterday and move on as it had a few issues; it needed discs n pads all round, the cam belt is due, front shocks misting on last Mot advisory, and last but not least the air con didn't work at all! 

 

I will keep looking and maybe save a bit more to get a later CR engined car.

 

cheers, Bish.

I think you'll be doing the right thing, there's enough decent cars out there if your patient enough a good one will turn up, I said it before unless you HAVE to buy from a dealer ( finance, px etc ) try and find a decent private sale, owners name on log book being sold from home address and so on

 

better still source one from on here 

Wise words David.

 

I will be keeping an eye on the classifieds on here, but do really want to trade in my old workhorse hence looking at traders. Obviously, finding a cherished car from an owners forum has to be the way to go if at all possible. If the right car comes along privately then I will be on it, and sell mine at a later date.

 

I think it's obvious already that I will need to up my budget a bit to get the miles down under 100000 on a PD, or just get in the CR ballpark!

 

Cheers.

 

 

12 hours ago, Bishbosh said:

Thanks for the replies! 

 

So the PD does have a dpf. No problem really because I do 60 motorway miles a day within my commute so should get the dpf to temperature..

 

I don't think motorway miles really help the DPF to be honest. Low revs, cold air flow through the engine keeps every thing cool. I've driven my old PD vrs from London to yorkshire and the car regens almost as I arrived home. If I'd been out for a long trip I used to drive the last 5 miles in third or fourth ( over 3000 revs ) to get everything hot. Worked a treat.

 

 

Yeah, fair play Auric, that makes sense. I will certainly give the car a regular high rev cruise home. I work nights and travel home out of London to Kent on nice empty roads in the wee small hours of morning - I'm looking forward to it! 

 

So I'm taking it that the PD engine is still capable of giving high mileage, but at 170 bhp with a dpf can be troublesome? The CR doesn't have the same issues? But as with all cars is not issue free, of course.

 

I think I will try to get a CR but if the right PD comes along then it will have to be seriously considered.  All cars have their foibles so I'm not going to discount a well cared for PD. CRs look to be over budget at the moment. But who knows what will turn up.

 

Happy hunting time!! 

 

All the best, Bish.

On 6/2/2017 at 02:57, Bishbosh said:

a 2007 170bhp PD 2.0 VRS  I thought these engines had a dpf fitted and therefore shouldn't smoke at all?

 

Do yourself a favour and steer clear of the PD 2.0 VRS. The implementation of the DPF is awful :-

• The Pump Deuse setup doesn't sit well with a DPF which is why VAG developed the CR!. The cam drive, electrically fired is designed for one "fire" per 4 stroke cycle - the extra "fire/squirt" required for an active regen is a bit of a bodge (CR engines - easy to do!)
• The DPF is toooo far down the exhaust so is cooled at speed which means it doesn't really do a passive regen nd active regens not great
• With a worn engine and active regens (good or failed) will send diesel past the pistons/ring into the sump causing further piston/bore wear and diluting the engine oil with diesel that doesn't evaporate and is a poor lubricant   

As the car wears and gets older this will only get worse - big bills ahead!

 

Many PD DPf's on the market have probably had the DPF deleted (hence smoke!) because of the above. However these cars are illegal to drive although you usually get through an MOT(for now) if the original DPF (empty) casing is in place

 

Later DPF (inc CR) implementations much better but back in 2007 DPF implementations were a poor after thought

 

Potential future bills could eclipse your potential budget

 

PS any PD engine designed without the DPF  are usually very good (did have an injector issue on some but should be sorted on all now) - consider a 140bhp model without DPF?

 

Edited 3 June, 20179 yr by bigjohn

7 hours ago, bigjohn said:

S any PD engine designed without the DPF  are usually very good (did have an injector issue on some but should be sorted on all now) - consider a 140bhp model without DPF?

 

Ok I'm convinced now that I should try to find a CR within budget or wait until I can raise more funds.

 

Excuse my ignorance bigjohn but by 140bhp without dpf do you mean mk1 VRS?

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Bishbosh said:

 

Excuse my ignorance bigjohn but by 140bhp without dpf do you mean mk1 VRS?

 

 

No - if you want a non DPF PD the 2.0PD is fitted into other models in the range - ie not VRS but they still go pretty well. It was the more powerful VRS that was first fitted with a DPF

 

Relevant thread from a few years ago:-

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/241066-so-exactly-how-common-are-problems-with-pd-engines/

 

Edited 4 June, 20179 yr by bigjohn

Ok. Cheers for the link. I will have a read. 

 

Im on the hunt for a CR in race blue then. I do prefer the pre face lift but like I say if the right car comes along..........

Let's see if I can find one under 100000 miles for sensible money. I do over 20000 a year and will aim to have it for 2/3 years so want to start as low as I possibly can.

I reckon I need to up my budget. I was looking at 4k now looking at 5/6k? Plus my trade in if from a trader.

 

I am moving house on the 30th of this month so it's probably best to leave it until after then and see what money's left in the pot. If all goes well there will be a bit of surplus from the moving fund that can go towards the Skoda...........

 

Happy hunting!