Hi all

 

I wanted to ask your advice please before a test drive.

 

I’ve put a deposit down on a yeti 2 L diesel L&K version with DSG and the 150 engine. It’s a car that was used by a firm that supplied the car as a courtesy car to customers whilst their own cars were being repaired after an accident.

 

Its done under 8000 miles in 18 months, 2017 car, and it’s about £2000-£3000 under what it would be priced from a Skoda dealer. It has 18 months original Skoda warranty and hasn’t had its first service yet.

 

I haven’t seen the car yet as it’s being moved to a nearer branch of the car supermarket down from the other end of the country, but looks in good condition from the few pics, no accidents etc.

 

Now, I’ve never owned a diesel before or driven a Yeti but needed the 2.0 Tdi so I could get an auto and the 150 engine is Euro 6 compliant - important tax wise for being in London’s high emissions zone. I know about the DPF and the need for longer runs etc.

 

Obviously buying a car that has been used as a courtesy car isn’t ideal as you don’t know what’s happened to it or how it’s been driven. But if it looks in good shape what are the things I should look out for on a test drive please? Would there be things mechanically that may be a concern that would only be revealed at service time? Could the DPF be an issue if the customers hadn’t used it for longer runs themselves? 

 

Any thoughts welcomed.

 

Cheers, Simon 

 

 

Edited 8 July, 20188 yr by YetiBump

Welcome.

 

Others can maybe confirm that this will be a Yeti that requires AdBlue so really there should be no DPF issue to be concerned about.

Thank you. 

 

The Adblue just controls NOx emissions so there would still be potential DPF issues I would think. 

IMO the last of the TDI's are as good as they get, but if you do not want a diesel or do short trips yourself then get a petrol.

My SEAT 150ps TDI SCR DSG can do 50 plus MPG easily, so over 12 miles per litre of diesel,

and uses lots of fuel like 6 miles to the litre on just a few mile trips around town and stinks badly,

Fuel wasted in regens so much so that i no longer use it for short jaunts in towns or cities.

(they are not 'Green' as a City car IMO. regardless of LEZ not penalising the drivers of them yet or the incoming Glasgow Low Emission Zone.)

Edited 8 July, 20188 yr by Offski

My wifes Fabia diesel only does 4k at year at most. However it regularly does a return trip to York every 2 weeks at least and that 45 mile return trip has kept the engine health and emmision system healthy so far. It is coming up to 5 years old, has only done £22k toatal, of which 11.5k were as a courtesy car in its first 6 months. Diesel Fabias were a bargain when we bought it having depreciated to less than the equivalent age petrol, with loads more power at 100ps, rather than the petrol 64ps.

It has never had a warning light, or any sign of egr or dpf issues, but then it has not had the fix either.

 

Diesels are fine if used for some long trips regularly, and are relatively cheap at the moment. You would need to find a 1.4 petrol L&K to match the power, and it would probably do around 15- 20mpg less?

If you are based in London though it may not be the best choice.

 

Personally I would not have the L&K though, as it has an awful dark brown interior I couldn't live with, and a lot of people have had expensive problems with leaking sunroofs.

Thanks Ken, good to know you experienced no issues with a courtesy car yourself. Luck of the draw a bit I guess though.

 

I’d probably do the same kind of usage as your wife’s car. Few short runs and then some long ones up and down the country for work. I need a van and the yeti is my van but not really a van solution. 

 

I like the brown interior as it happens, I wanted a black exterior and it was a bit dull as all black. I’ve only ever had BMWs til now with black exterior and interior so fancied a change. Never thought I’d say I liked the brown interior but I went and checked it out as I also wanted the panoramic sunroof.

 

I’ll do a search on leak issues here then about the roof but it is under warranty and I would extend it too.

 

Many thanks 

Edited 8 July, 20188 yr by YetiBump

A 5 year old Fabia TDI is a Euro 5 and one of the 11 million with Defeat Device Engine Management and really not much of a comparison.

I cannot fully help you, save saying I have an April 2016 L&K Manual which is kept outside in all weathers. No trouble to date with the sunroof.

50mpg although we use the Fiat more locally.  Brown seats and brown body are like toast and Marmite....either you do or you don't.   I do, to both!

AdBlue refills are no problem, nor is updating the Amunsden2 maps.

Do check that your warranty has not been affected by having no first service after 18 months use. I have chosen to go down the 'annual' route, regardless

of 8000 miles per year and I am no authority at all on fixed or variable service regimes.

Good luck anyway with your endeavours.

On the subject of using a Yeti as a Van, a couple of months ago I took the back seats out of my 1.4 Petrol and transported 500 kg of ceramic floor tiles on a 20 mile journey.  I wouldn't recommend doing this regularly, and you need to go steady over any large bumps but it coped admirably and does show what it is capable of.

I'd check quite carefully the following because they can be expensive/troublesome to fix or excluded from warranty:

DSG - apart from a slight jerk on initial pull away, gear changes should be virtually undetectable unless under harsh acceleration

Sunroof - check that this all operates smoothly. As noted above, these have been troublesome with drainage issues.

Headlights - the L&K has bi-xenon - make sure they operate and do their start-up swivel-eyed dance.

In Car Entertainment - check all this works properly

Climate control - check the air conditioning blows chilled air

 

Apart from that, just the normal things to look for.  Also, make sure the rear seats tip and come out easily (and that you are happy lifting them - they're heavy).

 

Thanks all - Zib, your DSG comment is particularly helpful. Without having driven a good one you never know what they're meant to be like when running well.

 

Cheers

 

 

13 minutes ago, Austin 7 said:

On the subject of using a Yeti as a Van, a couple of months ago I took the back seats out of my 1.4 Petrol and transported 500 kg of ceramic floor tiles on a 20 mile journey.  I wouldn't recommend doing this regularly, and you need to go steady over any large bumps but it coped admirably and does show what it is capable of.

 

500kg? - eek!

 

Bill 

re the Manufacturers Warranty and 18 months.

 

If the car is on Variable Servicing as it left the factory on the servicing is at 24 months or when the Service Indicator shows, so like 18,000-18,5000 miles.

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/servicing/regimes 

Easy to have changed to fixed when you get it serviced.

Edited 8 July, 20188 yr by Offski

57 minutes ago, Offski said:

re the Manufacturers Warranty and 18 months.

 

If the car is on Variable Servicing as it left the factory on the servicing is at 24 months or when the Service Indicator shows, so like 18,000-18,5000 miles.

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/servicing/regimes 

Easy to have changed to fixed when you get it serviced.

The only way to tell if the warranty is still intact is to ensure the car's onboard computer is not showing the first service as "overdue".

 

I've previously run a diesel 4x4 Yeti on long-life servicing and typically saw a maximum of 19k miles, before a service was due. I was covering around 20k miles per year at the time, so the majority of my driving was high speed / long distance.

 

8000k miles in 18 months implies many short journeys / cold starts, which would considerably shorten both the time, and distance, before the car called for it's first service.

 

I'd be keen to ensure the warranty remains intact, prior to purchase, given the complexity of the car (specifically the pan roof and DSG box).

As a courtesy car the car wouldn't be in use all the time across it's life. When with a customer it would be doing the journeys that customer would normally do. They could be short or long depending on what their normal journeys are.

 

The dealer said the car indicated the service was due in 11k miles or something like 250 days (can't recall). So not an overdue or unduly shortened service interval. Sounds like it's the 18,000 miles or two year point for it's first service - which is good to know. 

 

What I did notice though now I remember, is that the car had 4 Nexen tyres on it. I think it would be unlikely they're original Skoda fit and under 8,000 miles would seem very low for a new set of tyres. Potential red flag? 

 

Many thanks all

It’s been used as a hack I suspect and the original tyres swapped on to a trade in in order to flog it.

I would regard it as having a ‘hard’ life being used by numerous drivers with unknown care.

 

It is certainly a risk it’s had a hard life. 

 

The Nexen tyres look brand new (I’m only going on photos) and it did seem strange after only 8000 miles.

 

I tracked down and spoke to the service manager of the company (Auxillis) that sold the car to the supermarket to try and do some digging. He said he’d have no qualms about buying a used car himself from their company, but couldn’t tell me anything about the Yeti. 

 

He said they would only replace one tyre at a time if they had a non repairable puncture rather than all four. Cars are checked over every couple of weeks and they stick to manaufacturers service recommendations.

 

The supermarket said they replace tyres if they need to but don’t have a record of it - essentially they sell on cheap and as quickly as possible to get high turneover. You speak to someone who only goes on online notes.

 

So no-one knows why there’s four new tyres on there..so it’s abot having a look and a drive and making a call as to whether a low mileage car for £2000-3000 less than a main dealer will be is worth a punt.

 

I kind of think it would be hard to wear out 4 tyres on a 4x4 yeti in 8000 miles???

7 hours ago, Ryeman said:

It’s been used as a hack I suspect and the original tyres swapped on to a trade in in order to flog it.

I would regard it as having a ‘hard’ life being used by numerous drivers with unknown care.

 

 

Do you mean the original Yeti tyres (Pirelli’s or Michelin) would be put onto another vehicle by the supermarket to help sell that? 

 

Seems a bit of an effort but would indicate the tyres were good on the yeti so not had such a hard life??? Goodness knows.

 

I’d really like to avoid buying a lemon. Got a week before I can view it.

 

Thanks all for your comments. 

Edited 9 July, 20188 yr by YetiBump

Re First Service Overdue if a Dealership reset a new car to Fixed Servicing.

 

The Manufacturers send the car out with Long Life Oil & on Variable Servicing and the Manufacturers Warranty requires Servicing by Manufacturers Service Guidelines.

A Dealership then changing the first service to 9,400 miles / 372 days so the 'Service Indicator'  does not mean the Manufacturers Guidelines or Schedule is changed,  the Dealers made a change, they need to say why if the Buyer / Leaser did not ask to have the car changed to fixed servicing.

If long Life oil does need changing by the likes of 15,000 miles and under 24 months then the vehicle really will have had a hard life or used in an extreme environment.

 

As to 'Used as a Courtesy Car'. 

 I would be checking who the Registered Keeper was, and who was the Owner, a Lease Company, VW Finance etc.

A Courtesy Car is little different from a Ex Demonstrator, Management Car or any private or lease car, you have no idea how many drivers used them.

Of the last Yeti Built there were plenty 'Lent out'  as there were delays in Delivery of New Kodiaq and Karoq and other Skoda vehicles.

Skoda had to First Register them and people were not buying them all.

The owner was Auxillis who supply cars to customers while theirs are being repaired after an accident. 

 

It has done under 8000 miles, isn’t due a service and no lights indicating a service is due. 

 

There is is no way of knowing who has used the car and what life it’s had beyond looking at the condition. It may have been treated well and be a great buy or not.

 

I’d rather buy a one careful owner car from a Skoda dealer but there are none available in the spec I want.

 

Black L&K 2.0tdi 150PS Auto DSG.

I think everyone would like a one careful owner car, but unless you were the driver that had it or a passenger in that car all it's life you are in a lottery.

One careful owner can own a Driving School or have the name Hertz.

 

Hopefully a car coming from a Body Shop will be turned out immaculately.

Have fun on the test drive and be sure to have along enough one on the roads you want to drive.

 

PS

Cars / YETI did leave the Factory on NEXEN tyres.

?

Do they look brand new in pictures or have you seen the car now?

Edited 9 July, 20188 yr by Offski

11 minutes ago, Offski said:

 

PS

Cars / YETI did leave the Factory on NEXEN tyres.

?

Do they look brand new in pictures or have you seen the car now?

 

I cant see the car until next Saturday so just goingon photos - my assumption was Nexen are not a factory fit tyre

 

Do you know for sure Yetis left the factory with Nexen tyres as original spec? 

 

Cheers

 

I know that i have seen new Yeti with Nexus, but then they were All Weathers on cars going to be used for the NHS in Scotland.

As long as there are matching tyres with good treads on then all is good.

Agree, but it was more of a concern as to why a car with only 8000 miles had required four new tyres if the Nexen were not a factory fit.

 

Th car is up in Glasgow currently, it does rain a bit up there!

 

 

Being in Glasgow does not mean much it could have been anyplace and every place, Inverness, Perth or Devon.

 

Where was the Car First Registered, so what is the first 2 letters of the registration?

 

Is it £2,000-£3,000 cheaper than PL66 YPY on sale at Rainsworth Motors for a £17,566 Asking Price?

Edited 9 July, 20188 yr by Offski