Hi all

 

I am on the lookout for a second hand Octavia mk3 auto hatchback up to 4 years old (65 plate or newer for Euro6) for less than £10k.

I have come across a 17 plate (post facelift) 1.6 TDi CR SE L Auto with 78k miles and some extras (better alloys, LED lights). Includes FSH (not all main dealer) for £9,980 which seems a good deal.

 

I'm going to go down and have a look but not being clued up, wanted to check with that age and mileage what servicing I should expect it to have had and what I should expect to need replacing when?

Are these cars known to be decent in terms of reliability as you get to higher mileage? I guess I'm trying to understand if 78k in a 17 plate is an issue or not!

 

Thanks in advance

My tuppence worth.

 

Servicing is always an issue - will answer as simple as I can.

 

All VW group cars can be serviced two ways - Long Life ( sometimes refered to as variable ) or Time & Distance ( sometimes referred to as annual or fixed intervals) so you need to check the service history to see when and at what time the car was serviced.

 

Time and distance servicing is easy to understand - car needs serviced either every 12mths or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first. 1st service is called minor or interim, 2nd service is called major. These alternate each year.

 

Variable service program means up to 2yr or 20,000 miles - whichever occurs first. ( the car determines when it needs servicing hence up to.  So it could be before that 2yr or 20,000 miles limit.)   A longlife service is similar to a major service.

 

With that mileage, my guess is the car is on the variable program and it would have gone very close to that 20,000 limit before it requested a service.  If my assumtion is correct then you should have 3 major services in the book. ( NOTE: it's due another service within the next 2000 miles.) 

 

I'd be more worried about that gearbox tho. The rule of thumb is DSG gearboxes are pretty reliable with bigger engines (as long as they've been serviced correctly) but the DSG gearboxes in the smaller engines do not enjoy good press. The gearbox in the 1.6tdi is that very gearbox ( called DQ200 - it's 7 speed ). It's supposed to be maintenance free but...    just make sure you have a decent warranty with the car.

 

I'm guessing your car will be 3yr old in March which means a brake fluid change will be recommended in 6mth time.

 

To be honest with you, I'd look elsewhere. My first problem is that the car is probably a lease or company car therefore would question why it's not a Skoda main dealer FSH. It's also due for a major service within the next few thousand miles and of course comes with the DQ200 which has questionable reliability.

 

 

3 minutes ago, Scot5 said:

My tuppence worth.

 

Servicing is always an issue - will answer as simple as I can.

 

All VW group cars can be serviced two ways - Long Life ( sometimes refered to as variable ) or Time & Distance ( sometimes referred to as annual or fixed intervals) so you need to check the service history to see when and at what time the car was serviced.

 

Time and distance servicing is easy to understand - car needs serviced either every 12mths or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first. 1st service is called minor or interim, 2nd service is called major. These alternate each year.

 

Variable service program means up to 2yr or 20,000 miles - whichever occurs first. ( the car determines when it needs servicing hence up to.  So it could be before that 2yr or 20,000 miles limit.)   A longlife service is similar to a major service.

 

With that mileage, my guess is the car is on the variable program and it would have gone very close to that 20,000 limit before it requested a service.  If my assumtion is correct then you should have 3 major services in the book. ( NOTE: it's due another service within the next 2000 miles.) 

 

I'd be more worried about that gearbox tho. The rule of thumb is DSG gearboxes are pretty reliable with bigger engines (as long as they've been serviced correctly) but the DSG gearboxes in the smaller engines do not enjoy good press. The gearbox in the 1.6tdi is that very gearbox ( called DQ200 - it's 7 speed ). It's supposed to be maintenance free but...    just make sure you have a decent warranty with the car.

 

I'm guessing your car will be 3yr old in March which means a brake fluid change will be recommended in 6mth time.

 

To be honest with you, I'd look elsewhere. My first problem is that the car is probably a lease or company car therefore would question why it's not a Skoda main dealer FSH. It's also due for a major service within the next few thousand miles and of course comes with the DQ200 which has questionable reliability.

 

 

Thanks so much for such a detailed reply! Gives me food for thought  and to be honest the price was looking too good in this case given I was seeing 65 plate models with lower mileage for same price.

 

Would you say it was a different story for the 2.0TDi DSG gearboxes for models with similar mileage (60-80k)?

 

Or am I best to go for the 1.4TSi Petrols if I am set on having an automatic?

 

Thanks again

1.4tsi uses the same DQ200 7-speed DSG gearbox as the 1.6tdi   As gearboxes go, it's one of the least reliable.   ( just search internet for DQ200 problems )

 

The 6-speed DSG boxes on the 2.0tdi and 2.0tsi petrol models have a much better reliability record. The main difference as far as cost is concerned is these gearboxes ( they're called DQ250 ) require an oil change every 40,000 miles  (perhaps it's an oil + filter - someone more knowlegable than me can advise).  Same rules apply - if the gearbox oil has been changed every 40,000 miles then the gearbox should be as reliable as any other but if the DSG oil service has been missed or there's no record of it having taken place then avoid like the plague.

 

I have no idea how good / reliable a high miles 1.4tsi is but if serviced properly, the deisels ( and the 2.0tsi petrol ) are pretty good for high mileages.

Edited 5 August, 20196 yr by Guest