Hi 

some of you may have read my recent posts my car, 09 1.9 tdi estate is due it’s mot next month has bad rust in rear tailgate around number plate light and spreading quickly, intermittent flashing glow plug light ( no loss of power though ..... yet ) and at 93000 miles I foresee bills looming ( ?? )  

my current mileage is now less than 7 k pa ( daughter no longer at uni, I’m semi retired etc etc ) it’s been a great car, still could be but obviously will need some hard earned throwing at it soon 

I like the size offered by an estate ( fishing trips ) and the room all round is important I’m 6ft and 17st with back issues 

is there any recommendations for replacement or do I open the wallet for the devil I know 

 

bit of a toe in the water topic ( covid lockdown inducing boredom and all that ) join in let’s have a bit of fun 

 

stay safe all 👍

Edited 6 May, 20206 yr by davidwhite

You seem to have the last of the non DPF diesels I believe in 1.9. They really do go on and on and good on fuel and relatively low maintenance. Depends how much you want to spend on the new one. Petrol would be the way to go now for you. 

9 hours ago, gav_is_con said:

You seem to have the last of the non DPF diesels I believe in 1.9. They really do go on and on and good on fuel and relatively low maintenance. Depends how much you want to spend on the new one. Petrol would be the way to go now for you. 

 

Yes it’s one of the last DPF engined cars I’ve just hit that 90-100k miles money spending time ( guessing I’m into £4-5 k to replace ( would have to be petrol now I agree )

everything on my car is original shocks clutch battery alternator starter etc, see where this is going ? 

rust in tailgate is spreading daily ( I swear I could watch it ) air con is shot ( compressor us ) otherwise is a really useful decent car 

decisions decisions 

30 minutes ago, davidwhite said:

 

Yes it’s one of the last DPF engined cars I’ve just hit that 90-100k miles money spending time ( guessing I’m into £4-5 k to replace ( would have to be petrol now I agree )

everything on my car is original shocks clutch battery alternator starter etc, see where this is going ? 

rust in tailgate is spreading daily ( I swear I could watch it ) air con is shot ( compressor us ) otherwise is a really useful decent car 

decisions decisions 

Is that with or without DPF you say? I don’t think 4-5k gets you much these days. Well certainly if i was to get a low mile one owner 3-5 year octy you are maybe in 8k territory. My hatch is at nearly 250k. It’s been mostly a motorway mile muncher had it for 10 years plus started life at 29k with me. It’s now serving 10-12k annual miles with the superb estate taking the main mileage. Never let me down. Clutch was the largest expense. Rust is starting to come through. 

 

Perhaps price up cost of replacing repairing parts against purchase of something you like and sale value somewhere around 1k maybe?

 

I keep itching to change it myself. Sometimes you just want to treat yourself. I recommend the nice 1.2 TSI Leon 2013- we have in the household, in hatch form. Nice engine does not have the grunt of the PD. I miss that even with a CR 170bhp diesel, but it shifts when you want it to. 

I did 325000 miles on a 1.9 TDi and there was never a spending time, it was still running like a Swiss watch when finally scrapped through electronic issues (my biggest regret), it wasn't even run in until 225000 miles when the rings finally sealed.

 

Assuming you can DIY to repair your tailgate will cost £30 max, a Chinese Sanden aircon pump will cost £120 plus a regas but I bet its not faulty, probably the modulating valve which is an easy replacement and £20 ish.

Gav

 

sorry mine doesn’t have the dpf ( huge plus point with my low mileage about 7k pa and mainly 30-40 mph ( beauty of rural North Yorkshire you ain’t in any hurry 90% of the time, like being back in Devon and Cornwall 30 years ago ) I’m sorely tempted to run the old car into the ground more modern cars don’t appeal to me especially the lack of a hand break, being in the electronics service Industry for 30 plus years I know no electronic component is fail safe .........and they all seem to be built as a disposable item 

not overly keen on the modern petrol engine especially the small block / turbo boost which needs to be rev to the red line to achieve the best results ( would have suited me back in my teens and 20s but not now I’m the other side of 60 

 

J.R.

 

I’m fully aware of these high mileage attributes ( I ought to have bought a higher mileage car rather than pay the premium I did for mine in 2014 but hindsight is a wonderful thing 

I’ll try and post some pics of my rust problem, the car was booked in for Skoda to evaluate under the warranty but along came the lockdown 

the air con was diagnosed by a local recommended ‘ specialist ‘ and the compressor was ‘ shot needs replacing sir ‘ not had air con for past 2 summers, may not even need it for this one ( ?? ) 

cars on 94k cam belt not due until 2022  ( looking at the one replaced after 4 years in 2018 it was like new ! ! but .......)

 

its a nice afternoon can’t do much may give the old girl a thorough looking over ( may even look at the car too )

 

stay safe guys guys thanks for your input 

Hopefully attached photos give indication of rust around number plate lamp and surrounding area ( I swear blind that wasn’t there end of November and it’s now twice as bad since my cancelled appointment March 26th with Skoda ( fair play garage closed due to Coronavirus )

 

now would that be a diy fix ( my concern is the light won’t refit after removal, if it ain’t rusted into place of course )

Yes a simple and easy fix, most of the repair will not be visible.

 

The challenge is to do it so that it never ever returns & that is probably unrealistic, it may take some touching in every couple of years but anyone having had it done under warranty by professional repairers have had to put up with that anyway.

J.R.

your confidence is contagious and I’m seriously thinking of giving it a go ( not something I’ve done since I had teenage spots but I’m guessing the principal the same ) but I’m really concerned with the refitting of the light, the area around it seems to be getting worse day by day tbh.

I can’t see any point in waiting for an official Skoda examination who knows how long before the lockdown is relaxed enough for the dealer to reopen 

Had my lights out several times while fitting reversing camera etc and really cant see that it will give you any problem, I think the screws go into plastic inserts (to prevent corrosion 🤣) so should come out no problem at all.

 

You could not really wish for a better hidden area for doing a rust repair.

 

Looks like it extends slightly above the reveal onto the visible vertical section, I think I would do a compromise repair on that bit and simply remove the flaking paint, neutralise the rust and touch it in, looks like metallic paint and if you grind back and feather in it will become a big visible repair. Same deal for the vertical part above the number plate, if that doesnt look good you could always fit one of those black number plate surrounds.

 

The worst bit underneath around the number plate lights you can really go to town on so I would start there and not touch the visible vertical parts till you have the confidence and experience.

Hi I also have an 09 1.9 tdi ours has done nearly 110 k and have no plans to change it you can't predict the future but these cars can and do go big miles with few issues . If I understand you correctly you would spend 4 to 5 k on a replacement that price point doesn't guarantee issue free motoring for any length of time. 

3 hours ago, seriesdriver said:

Hi I also have an 09 1.9 tdi ours has done nearly 110 k and have no plans to change it you can't predict the future but these cars can and do go big miles with few issues . If I understand you correctly you would spend 4 to 5 k on a replacement that price point doesn't guarantee issue free motoring for any length of time. 

 

Totally agree with your theory and I’ve had a good think since yesterday, as my main reason for the original purchase and for paying top end price for the car in July 2014 was they’re so for well regarded for longevity, it’s a shame the rust has appeared from ‘ nowhere ‘ and really taken hold but I’m sure it repairable, the glow plug light may or may not come back on Monday ( next day of essential use ! ) once again it’s fixable 

at £6k ish ( assuming a decent px price ) I guess I could be paying for a total lemon essentially some else’s cast off or I may strike it lucky ( that’s if I can find a decent petrol estate at that price )

 my biggest concern would be a large outlay for a major ‘ fix ‘ which may outweigh the value of the car yet by not having it sorted would render the car worthless ( does that make sense ? ) 

saving grace its due a Mot and service as soon as my local independent garage reopens and I can get a totally unbiased report on the car including have a 360 degree viewing of the car with my own eyes 

16 hours ago, davidwhite said:

 

Totally agree with your theory and I’ve had a good think since yesterday, as my main reason for the original purchase and for paying top end price for the car in July 2014 was they’re so for well regarded for longevity, it’s a shame the rust has appeared from ‘ nowhere ‘ and really taken hold but I’m sure it repairable, the glow plug light may or may not come back on Monday ( next day of essential use ! ) once again it’s fixable 

at £6k ish ( assuming a decent px price ) I guess I could be paying for a total lemon essentially some else’s cast off or I may strike it lucky ( that’s if I can find a decent petrol estate at that price )

 my biggest concern would be a large outlay for a major ‘ fix ‘ which may outweigh the value of the car yet by not having it sorted would render the car worthless ( does that make sense ? ) 

saving grace its due a Mot and service as soon as my local independent garage reopens and I can get a totally unbiased report on the car including have a 360 degree viewing of the car with my own eyes 

 

 

Asking a garage you trust their honest thoughts on your car is a sensible way to go, I have used the same workshop for over 20 years and would trust what they said if I were in your situation.  

7 minutes ago, seriesdriver said:

 

 

Asking a garage you trust their honest thoughts on your car is a sensible way to go, I have used the same workshop for over 20 years and would trust what they said if I were in your situation.  

 

Very much in the same boat same garage since we moved up here in 2000 and I’m certain they wouldn’t deliberately misguide me ( or any customer ) and as such I value them as much as they value my custom 

( down side is they’re in lockdown but hey ho it is what it is )

I found the bills hit at around 160K in both my fabia and octavia........but when  say bills, it was less than £500 worth! It's on 247k and still going strong, though starting to show its age.

Much the same here. I have a 2006 1.9 TDI 4x4 thats just coming up on 100k miles. I've changed the oil every 5k since I got it 8 years ago at about 50k so I only do about 6k a year. Its never failed to get me to where I need to go and has only recently needed work other than routine servicing for the 2nd time (replaced both rear calipers that were sticking). It had a cambelt, water pump, stat and aux belt last year and have replaced disks and pads all round this year. It had a new clutch and DMF at 85k, the clutch looked unworn but the slave cylinder leaked fluid all over it so I did the clutch and fly as it was all apart. 

 

The 1.9 4x4 is great in all weathers but was underpowered when I got it. I had it mapped by shark 40k miles ago and it pulls well now. I do a lot of boating towing a 1.3 ton boat several times a week in the summer.

 

I have been sniffing around Octavia Scouts, Superbs and BMW X3s recently all for about 16-18k. Trade in on the Octavia is £600 and I've come to the conclusion I'd be mad to sell it at this point when it should give another 4-5 years mostly cost and certainly depreciation fee. I had a MK1 I sold for 1000 pounds at 100k which clocked up another 70k with almost no servicing so dont want to do that again.

 

I think the only reason for getting rid of one of these if its been well looked after is because you are bored of it or your needs have changed.

Keep it.  I traded mine three years ago for an Octavia Scout because I needed the 4x4 for work.  The 1.9 had done 245,000 miles when I traded it in, and it is still going now.

 

Cost of repairs is a huge red herring.  You MIGHT have to spend some money on repairs; if you replace the car you WILL have to spend some money and you MIGHT still have to spend some money on repairs. It will almost always be more expensive to replace than to keep it going, even if you replace with a petrol one.

 

Don't fall for the common mistake of saying "I'm not going to repair it because the repair would cost more than the value of the car".  It is the total cost of getting a roadworthy vehicle that matters, and with a low-mileage car like yours the balance is most definitely in favour of repairs.

 

Keep it.

4 hours ago, MarkyTDI said:

I had a MK1 I sold for 1000 pounds at 100k which clocked up another 70k with almost no servicing so dont want to do that again.

 

My then a chauffeur pal sold me his MK1 when it was 3 years old with 188000 miles on the clock, I drove it for 13 years and took it up to 325000 miles barely spending a penny on it, if it had been more problematic then I probably would have bought VCDS and would still be driving it today, once I got the MK2 the electronic complexity made VCDS a necessity and I realised I did  not need to have scrapped the MK1, its downfall was through being too reliable.

 

Your Scout is a nice looking practical vehicle, I have a newish (at least to me it is) 4x4 Yeti & whilst its a nice drive it lacks the storage space of the Octavia, if its massively increased emissions complexity makes it unreliable & expensive I would buy a MK2 Octy 4x4 like yours in a heartbeat.

Edited 18 May, 20206 yr by J.R.

If you head over to Car Throttle on YouTube they have Miles the Mk1 which was an ex taxi that’s been spruced up to look like it’s done half the miles. The engine and gearbox are original. They may even have stripped it to check for internal wear. A testament to how good the mark 1 was and mark 2 are also known to do big mileage.  I speak from experience too. My mark 2 done 245k. Repair costs have been low. Compared to previous cars. 

Many, many thanks for the post above many echoing my gut feelings 

interestingly I took the car to two local body repair shops ( disclaimer, I know and trust both proprietors ) both stated that whilst they could repair the rust issue they couldn’t eradicate it as it’s in pressed weld joint on the fabrication of the tail gate shell assembly and as I stressed it’s a keeper they both recommend their option would be a new tail gate ( at around £800 ....ouch )

 

cars in for its mot June 3rd will use the opportunity to give the car a thorough visual check and the search for a replacement tail gate will start in earnest subject to a clean bill of health 

I’m even considering a ‘ new ‘ panel £800 is negligible against the cost to change ( as clearly stated above ) as I’ve already mentioned I’d be playing roulette with a dpf  car and petrol estates ain’t on every street corner 

 

ps I’m going to try recontacting Des Winks for a ‘ claims ‘ assessment as soon as I hear they’ve reopened 

1 hour ago, davidwhite said:

Many, many thanks for the post above many echoing my gut feelings 

interestingly I took the car to two local body repair shops ( disclaimer, I know and trust both proprietors ) both stated that whilst they could repair the rust issue they couldn’t eradicate it as it’s in pressed weld joint on the fabrication of the tail gate shell assembly and as I stressed it’s a keeper they both recommend their option would be a new tail gate ( at around £800 ....ouch )

 

cars in for its mot June 3rd will use the opportunity to give the car a thorough visual check and the search for a replacement tail gate will start in earnest subject to a clean bill of health 

I’m even considering a ‘ new ‘ panel £800 is negligible against the cost to change ( as clearly stated above ) as I’ve already mentioned I’d be playing roulette with a dpf  car and petrol estates ain’t on every street corner 

 

ps I’m going to try recontacting Des Winks for a ‘ claims ‘ assessment as soon as I hear they’ve reopened 

Have you considered a quality used tailgate, in the same colour would be an added bonus?

Seems to be around £100 for one on eBay, some deliver for £20-40 more. Just a thought. 

13 minutes ago, gav_is_con said:

Have you considered a quality used tailgate, in the same colour would be an added bonus?

Seems to be around £100 for one on eBay, some deliver for £20-40 more. Just a thought. 

 

Trawled trough eBay and a couple of breaker search brokers types, going rate for a complete panel inc undamaged loom is north of £150-£200 inc delivery but I’m hesitant about buying blind as I’ve mentioned before there was no obvious rust pre Christmas on my existing panel so out of the frying pan ......... springs to mind 

essentially I think the mot and a thorough scrutiny will be a deciding factor and then hopefully I’ll source a decent replacement of course the underneath and other mechanicals may yet be a deciding factor !

 

really appreciate everyone’s input and thoughts most helpful 

i could do £10k on a replacement with a bit of buttering up of the better half, but I’d reason I’d lose £2k in the first year if not more even if I bought at the ‘ right ‘ price initially, let’s be realistic there going to be a lot of dealers needing to shift ‘ old ‘ stock when they reopen 

I was considering replacing mine. It’s a second car though, a commuter and workhorse. May have purchased something like yours to replace it, given they are so good,lol 

Given its low worth in resale. It’s worth it’s weight in gold for what it offers me in return compared to something else. Depreciation slowed right down to nothing. 

I dont actually think that is a seam at all let alone a welded one, my Octavia is across the channel so I cannot check but I'mpretty certain.

 

In any case I would set to the rust with a wire cup brush in an angle grinder after removing the number plate lights & release handle & then you will see what you are dealing with, I'm pretty certain its only surface corrosion albeit quite deep.

 

Granted without shotblasting & proper surface preparation you can never guarantee that you will never see a speck of rust re-appearing but thats a whole different ball game to a seam that is rusted internally and will always weep.

 

I really think its a very easy repair, often the anticipation of these things is much worse than the doing, most of the time its better just to dive in and see whats what.

Jr 

granted the only way to know for sure is to suck it and see ( or visit a body shop maybe ? not that’s 100% conclusive it maybe not a nice job with a high risk of returning rust and customer ! )

can also envisage to fit a new tail gate would be quite labour intensive considering stripping down original components including wire loom etc etc 

way to go would be second hand complete tail gate with uncut loom hence the search goes on 

( with the mot done I may well have a play with the rust on this tail gate as you say nothing ventured..........

 

thanks again for your input much appreciated