Help and advice please

 

I've owned my 2009 ' 09 '1.9tdi elegence estate since July '14 now on 82 k miles had cam belt changed as part of purchase ' deal ' so is one due now in July ( 4 years on ) 

car is now a bit wallowy and bangs a bit on the road ( suspension and bushes due ? ) when I bought at 49k it was a significantly more refined and comfortable ride over my previous mk2 Fabia 

now this may sound a daft question but I never thrash my cars nor drive anywhere near the redline !! ( a major reason I don't want to upgrade to a newer diesel with a DPF considering my low milage ) how do I know the turbo is functional ( air on compressor has given up I know because no ice cold air !! ) but turbo ?? 

If I need to spend on cambelt water pump tensioner and shocks I may as well keep the car and enjoy the end result but still concerned re the turbo 

all advice would be most welcome 

thanks

 

A 1.9 TDI looked after is a great engine.  I had one in a golf tdi which i owned since 2003 and still do.  Its parked up sorn'd now as I have a 1.6 tdi octavia hatch.  If my 1.9 was in an octavia elegance estate, id still have it now as the lack of space was one of the main reasons i got an octavia to replace the golf.

 I prefer the 1.9 tdi though.  It just goes on and on forever.  I parked mine up at 134k miles last year.  Id be a bit concerned if it was a BXE, but not too much.  Id say you still have a good 50k on your engine easy, then it may need things like clutch/DMF.    (sign of dmf going is shaking a little out of time now and again on idle tickover which just gets more frequent)

May be worth factoring in the timing belt etc.  I had standard bilstein b4 shocks (not sport) replace my worn suspension.  They were a very reasonable  price at the time and very comfortable.

Your lack of cold air could just be it needing a re-gas and service (not top up).

Id advise giving the car a good thrashing now and again.  I learned to live with sticking turbo vanes which came and went but probably caused by me not thrashing the car as you say you dont.

I have learnt alot about DPF's and their problems since owning one.  Its becoming more and more unlikely to get a decent (un-fixed if you know what that is) one as time goes on.

Id factor in the costs of keeping yours going against what you could get as a replacement for your budget.

If a nicely specced low mileage elegance estate came along in a 1.4 petrol i would be considering that over my current 1.6 tdi

The 1.9 is the last of the bullet proof engines, as is now well recognised on here and elsewhere. Yes, there is always a concern as the car gets older that some big ticket items could need attention. Weigh up the depreciation costs vs the small amount you may need to spend. 

If the suspension bothers you perhaps review what you need to spend to get it back how you want. As per the second post DPF really is of concern because of the type of driving and their life. Petrol is the engine of choice for low miles now. Regular servicing and these cars are known to go on for ever. I put 200k on my 2005 1.9, original turbo still ,however DMF was swapped out for SMF, which is not perfect for me. Octavia really is a nice large car for the money.

Happy motoring 

Thanks guys, 

I'm 100% in agreement the Octavia 11 in estate form is everything I need and with the 1.9tdi no worry re dpf 

I'm going to cost up the cam belt water pump and tensioner cost ( if it needs one this July ? ) if I pay for that I'll replace the shocks and any suspect bushes and fingers crossed 4 more years low cost trouble free motoring

( air con compressor is shot but not often in need of ' cold air ' so likely to leave as is )

if garage says cam belt etc could wait until it's been on 5 years ( like the original ) I may run it this year with one eye out for a 1.4 tsi tbh honest I'm sure on the mk111 though heard too many conflicting reports especially when compared to the mk11

may even look at a petrol Fabia estate circa 2016/17 ( pre road tax rip off ) but would do a bit of research first 

Edited 13 March, 20188 yr by davidwhite

You mentioned possible turbo concerns too.  The best you can do to look after that is keep it exercised well with movement throught the rev range when warmed up of course. 

All the soot is better off blown out than clogging up the vanes.  it also coats the inside of your exhaust to prevent it rusting from inside out. 

Make sure the engine is serviced every 10k with correct spec oil, easy and cheap to do. 

Also use decent fuel.  I did notice the difference in mine with shell v power.  Not wanting to start a supermarket/vpower argument though!!!!

Im happy with my 1.6 tdi so far despite its extra baggage but I do miss the reliability and bomb proof 1.9!

The 2 litre BKD diesel doesn't have a DPF if that's your main concern with doing low miles however it does have an EGR valve but I think it's impossible to find something without them now ... It's not as great on fuel as the 1.9 despite the 6 speed gearbox though. 

Everyone who knows Skoda’s knows that the Octavia 2 is a bullet proof car. That’s why thousands were/are used as taxis and police cars. You know that the engine in your car is also bullet proof but it is starting to get old although the mileage isn’t massive. Suspension does start to sag overtime so maybe the time has come to look at some new struts. Will also improve the handling as well as your ride. Give the girl a bit of a thrashing now and again! Don’t have to redline it, just a good revving through the gears to get the turbo spinning. Incidentally my turbo on my Mk 2 failed at 56k and the DMF failed at 51k. Looking up DMF failures is how I found this great site. 

 

I’d kept it if your happy with it, just factor in some additional costs. I admire people who hang to their cars for years. My trouble is I like changing them although I really like my Octavia 3. Feels as solid as a Mk2 and built to last. 

82k? That is low mileage! As long as you've had it serviced regularly with decent oil then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. And don't be frightened to give it a blast (once warmed up) to clear out the soot. Use miller's diesel power ecomax every now and again. I got my last car to 203k.

 

Suspension/bushes/brakes are all bound to get a bit looser with age, just keep up with maintenance and you'll be great!

 

And remember, if you get a replacement you'll have to contend with depreciation that is bigger than what you would spend maintaining your current car.