Hello guys. 

 

So, I need some advice.

 

I went to look at an '04 Black Mk1 1.8t 4x4 hatch today.  126000 miles on the clock.

 

L&K, all bells and whistles exept electric seats. Black leather seats 

Vrs bumper and wheels. Paint in fair condition for it's age.

 

However. It wasn't perfect.

 

It had a minor accident according to the owner, which he fixed with a scrapper vrs, hence the bumper and wheels. Looked straight under the bonnet, and drove straight on the road.

 

The driver side (passenger side in your neck of the woods) rear window did not work. Motor fried, since I did hear a click when I pressed the buttons. Not a big issue. Also the rear window washer did nothing. Front worked fine. Do they operate with 1 reservoir and 2 pumps?

 

More worrying was the gear change. While moving, there was a crunch when shifting in to 2nd, both up and down, which spread to 3rd after 30 mins. of driving. Clutch biting point was rather high, but then it was like that on my mk4 golf, and that had a brand new clutch. Would it be more likely to be the clutch or the box?

 

Could not get a lift, so could not look under it, but saw from the outside that the aftermarket shocks were pretty rusty. Ride was pretty hard aswell. If I were to get it, I would change the suspension. I would like to get something decent, likea  Bilstein B12 kit, but local suppliers don't sell them for the 4x4. Which platform do the 4x4's share? A3 Quattro? R32? TT quattro, although I suspect suspension on those is rated much lighter then an Octavia?

 

Other than that, it needs some mechanical tlc. Seemed a bit laggy for a small turbo, so a pressure/vacuüm  check would be high up the to do list, as well as a full service. 

 

I am tempted to make an offer, as these seem quite rare over here and it is exactly the spec I was looking for.

 

The seller doesn't know I am a mechanic so the pending work makes an interesting bargaining chip.

 

Would love to get some input from you guys.

 

The rear washer was probably disconnected, as they cause problems due to the ****e design. The water pipe runs up through the centre of the motor, corrodes the pipe and shorts the motor..  did the wiper work? 

I wont comment on the clutch feel as ive not owned a vrs. But the crunchy gear change could just be the linkages need to be adjusted (theres a guide here somewhere)

 

Problem with the suspension is the weights. Mk4 golf platform cars will fit but.. the octy's bigger heavier back end means that "mk1 octavia compatible" mk4 golf or S3 rear suspension sits down lower makes it look high at the front, so you need to be really careful buying them..

Wiper worked fine. So change the plumbing and good to go it would seem.

 

It is not a Vrs, just a 4x4 with a vrs nosejob.