Hi

I want to buy a 2 to 3 year old Octavia, having owned two Octavia's in the past I know they are great cars (my previous one was a 2015 diesel ) but now I want a petrol ULEZ version and not sure which engine to go for, Is the 1.0 engine too small for the size of car?

 Im expecting to do around 8000 miles a year for general driving about. I have a budget of around 12-13K 

Any tips gladly appreciated as I dont want to regret buying the wrong engine.

Regards

Stuart

Hi Stu, I strongly recommend the 1.4 TSI, although this would mean a 2015-2016 model. From the comments I have seen (I've never driven a 1.5 TSI) I think the 1.4 is the better engine.

1.4 litre sounds good for your need. I too can’t get my head around a 1.0 litre engine for the size of an Octavia or Karol and that size of engine seems to be all the rage these days. 

I got a 5 year old SE 1.4Tsi with 14 thousand miles on for £9k last month so you should get a very low mileage newer car than mine in your budget- the engine is an absolute cracker, 55mpg on motorway and 47mpg around the doors I can't complain at that, plus mine is £30 a year road tax and lifetime cambelt with just inspections at service intervals- mechanic friend said these belts run in oil which is why they last so long I don't know but it makes for a really cheap maintenance schedule as well as cheap running costs for a family car- what's not to like?

 

Michael

1 hour ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

lifetime cambelt with just inspections at service intervals

Which is NOT what Skoda UK say - they say the cambelt on the 1.4TSI should be changed every 5 years regardless of mileage.

 

I also have a 1.4 TSI Octavia (Elegance spec) and agree it's a great engine - having come from a 4.2litre Audi RS4 I do miss that level of performance but in reality it's perfectly adequate to keep up with the traffic flow even on the steep hills in north Devon!

Both myself and my son have Octavias with the 1.0 litre 3 cylinder engine.  They are fine for us and will cruise at 70 mph all day long.  The engine is much nippier than you think.  Why not have a test drive in one so you can see for yourself.

For my two pence, I had a loan 1.0 Fabia when my Octavia was in for a warranty repair (engine auto-stop fault) To me, the 1.0 was like a bag of nails compared to the 1.4 - this may be down to the Fabia not being 'run in' yet, but it was like chalk and cheese between the two engines. As a comparison, I drove a 3-cyl. Daihatsu charade many moons ago - that was a rocket in comparison to the Fabia - and the Charade engine felt much more refined too.    

"Which is NOT what Skoda UK say"

 

Well it's what Skoda Bristol Street Motors Darlington say and I have the print out from their service dept to prove it - I've seen many cambelts changed at my mechanic friend's garage and can say that in last ten years I can't remember seeing a worn out belt - even he says he can't see the point in changing them nowadays but it pays the bills for him and customer gets peace of mind I guess. 

 

Michael

 

 

Warrior I remember those Charades they were the most economical car on the planet at one time they apparently did over 100mpg - none on UK roads now as I think they rusted away.

 

Michael

2 minutes ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

Warrior I remember those Charades they were the most economical car on the planet at one time they apparently did over 100mpg - none on UK roads now as I think they rusted away.

 

Michael

Hi Michael, my Mums Charade didn't do 100mpg - mainly because I had the loud pedal pushed right into the carpet for most of 250 miles on one trip - I even had to get my sister to lie about the time I arrived because I didn't want mum to know how fast I'd been going in her pet. Ah, the good old days.  

30 minutes ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

"Which is NOT what Skoda UK say"

 

Well it's what Skoda Bristol Street Motors Darlington say and I have the print out from their service dept to prove it - I've seen many cambelts changed at my mechanic friend's garage and can say that in last ten years I can't remember seeing a worn out belt - even he says he can't see the point in changing them nowadays but it pays the bills for him and customer gets peace of mind I guess.

Good luck with a warranty claim (which Skoda UK pay) if you follow the advice of a dealer against the advice of the importer.

 

Having said that I too don't see the need for a cambelt change after 5 years (as VW say it's good for lifetime) BUT as an "insurance" I had the cambelt changed by the Skoda dealer in Barnstaple when my 1.4TSI reached 5 years.

Bit puzzled by what you say Dave, the printout I have is Skoda service schedule not a made up dealer schedule - therefore it is recommended by the manufacturer Skoda - the dealer follows the manufacturers schedule and I'm thinking perhaps that some "dealers" are making up their own schedules perhaps so that they can make more profit from doing unnecessary work- to change a simple belt should not cost anywhere near what some dealers charge- and do they actually change the belt is my question. I say this as I have had two secondhand cars both with service history and both with receipts for work charged to previous owners- on both cars I and my mechanic friend were horrified to find huge bills for work which simply was not done- disgusting which is why I only ever go to my friend as he's honest and even shows me the parts he's removed and I can see what was wrong with them. I know not all garages are dishonest.

 

Michael

14 hours ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

Bit puzzled by what you say Dave

... then spend a bit of time surfing on here, you will find MANY threads where this has been discussed and ALL of them (including those that have pasted in the Skoda UK service schedule) say that Skoda UK say that on the 1.4TSI EA211 (note NOT the older 1.4 twincharger) the cambelt MUST be changed after 5 years which no other Skoda importer or Skoda themselves say.

 

Here's one example:

Quote

At Škoda, it is stated that cars from 2007 and older have their timing belt replaced every fourth year, while newer cars (from 2008 and onwards) have their timing belts replaced every fifth year.

 

Edited 29 September, 20205 yr by PetrolDave

Well my car isn't under warranty anymore and only done 15 thousand miles so not worried- my mechanic friend reassured me as he knows the design of these engines and belts so that will be my standpoint for my car everyone else makes their own choice.

 

Michael

The 1 litre petrol is suprisingly good.

 

It is a lot easier when linked to the 7 speed DSG, however your location shows as London and you might find the manual rather hard work.   The engine is very free revving and if you are driving in London traffic with quick spurts between closely spaced traffic lights (and speed bumps), you might find you are up and down gears in quick sequence.   Not such a problem if you live where there are open roads.   

 

However if you live in a hilly area, or regularly load the car up with people or goods, probably want to go up an engine size.

I would avoid early 1.5 petrol manuals,  (although they should have had software changes by now, but this needs checking)

Calm down ladies......let me explain

 

Firstly the belt does not run in oil, someone is confusing this with Ford Ecoboost engine designs.

 

There is no MUST about cambelt changes, they are recommendations only, in any case any car over 5 years will normally be out of warranty so no claim would be possible. But heres some detail......

 

The 5yr/60000 mile recommendation is a Skoda UK (official importer) thing. Lots, but not all dealers will follow that, except some try it on at 4yrs/40,000 miles.

 

Skoda factory maintenance manuals on the other hand state that its recommended the cambelt is examined at 5yrs/120,000 (iirc) miles and give a detailed procedure of how to examine and what to check. Then take appropriate action, change the belt or leave it for another 2 years/20,000 miles and re examine. Until the mileage limit of 120,000* is hit then change it regardless of condition.

 

A number of design innovations supposedly make this possible. Firstly the belt drive is quite simple, no driving the water pump directly, which is now driven by another much smaller belt at the opposite end of the camshaft. The sprockets are of a CTC oval design which reduces repetitive tension stress. The belt material and construction used are now much more long lived and its now quite a beefy wide belt . The valves are actuated by low friction roller rocker fingers again reducing load.

 

SSP-511_The_New_EA211_Petrol_Engine_Family.pdfpdf

 

Both Continental,  who came up with this innovation over many years of development and VAG have stated at various times in promotional and technical papers that the belt is now a "lifetime" part, but its also obvious that when it dies its life is over.

 

There is also the other vacuum cleaner size toothed belt at the other end of the camshaft that drives the water pump, but its not so instantly disastrous if that were to break.

 

Hope this help you all understand EA211 cambelts and make informed decisions.

 

*120,000 is my recollection, but it may be 110,000 or even 130,000 miles. In my experience its unlikely a UK skoda dealer would carry out such an inspection even if asked.

 

Edited 29 September, 20205 yr by xman

You can't beat a good old cambelt debate every so often, Briskoda wouldn't be the same without one every few weeks.

 

Skoda UK is the importer of Skoda vehicles to the UK's franchised dealer network, therefore it is Skoda UK's rules we are asked to follow, not those of Skoda Auto or Continental.

 

Skoda UK have a history of being far from clear with servicing and maintenance requirements, their dealer network, fed by Skoda UK are often even less clear. It's been like this forever.

 

What we do know however is that:

 

- No Skoda UK vehicles fitted with cambelts have life-long intervals. Bristol Street Motors in Middlesbrough are unfortunately wrong on this occasion.

- The cambelts fitted to the engines mentioned in this thread are not bathed in oil. Hopefully the local trusted independent mechanic was having a bad day.

- The Skoda UK cambelt interval on cars registered prior to September 2010 is a blanket 4 years (mileage limitations also apply).

- The Skoda UK cambelt interval on cars registered in September 2010 and ever since has been a blanket 5 years (again mileage limitations still apply).

 

As already mentioned though, beyond it's fifth birthday the car is out of manufacturers warranty, so as owners you're free to make your own decisions based on the various information around the varying stipulations on the same cars sold outside the UK, and of course the belt manufacturers themselves.

 

However, if you choose to follow Skoda UK's regime and replace the belt at 5 years, and it fails at some point later, then even if out of warranty Skoda have been known to make gestures of goodwill towards the repair costs, which is far from a cast iron guarantee and again for which their are pros and cons.

 

For me, any decent mechanic can replace a cambelt on these engines in a few hours, the kits themselves, even genuine parts from Skoda are not expensive. A cambelt can be fitted for £300 at an independent, with another £50 to replace the weak waterpump whilst he or she has the belt off.

 

A UK car has an average lifespan of 15 years? So that's roughly two cambelts across it's entire lifetime. If however owners choose a different path then that's their choice and one to be respected. I like my cars to be dependable and am a big supporter of preventative maintenance so I'll stick to changing it every so often, simply for peace of mind.

 

As to the OP's original question, the 1.4 TSI is an absolute peach of an engine. Bag a good one now whilst you can. If the 1.5 TSI is anything to go by the 1.4 TSI will be one of the last decent combustion engines VAG produce.

 

Good luck!

I can't help you with your engine choice, but I'd recommend looking at Skoda Approved vehicles as they are currently offering 2 years warranty, 2 years MOT cover, 2 years of Skoda breakdown assistance and for £79 you can have a service pack to cover your next 2 services.

Nothing to do with cambelts. 

Make sure it fits in the garage, if you've got one. 🏚️

Have a look at a Jaguar or something else. 

On 28/09/2020 at 20:11, Michaeldavis39 said:

Bit puzzled by what you say Dave, the printout I have is Skoda service schedule not a made up dealer schedule - therefore it is recommended by the manufacturer Skoda - the dealer follows the manufacturers schedule and I'm thinking perhaps that some "dealers" are making up their own schedules perhaps so that they can make more profit from doing unnecessary work- to change a simple belt should not cost anywhere near what some dealers charge- and do they actually change the belt is my question. I say this as I have had two secondhand cars both with service history and both with receipts for work charged to previous owners- on both cars I and my mechanic friend were horrified to find huge bills for work which simply was not done- disgusting which is why I only ever go to my friend as he's honest and even shows me the parts he's removed and I can see what was wrong with them. I know not all garages are dishonest.

 

Michael

The service schedule on the skoda website states cambelt at 5 years. https://az749841.vo.msecnd.net/sitesengb/alv1/d300a459-5ef6-433f-a49f-65f3638efaa1/national-price-servicing-min.63862747c3e6286ede19bc446a023030.pdf

happy with my 1.0. Decent consumption, too. I'm on my second... 

 

 - Bret

18 hours ago, stanian said:

The service schedule on the skoda website states cambelt at 5 years. https://az749841.vo.msecnd.net/sitesengb/alv1/d300a459-5ef6-433f-a49f-65f3638efaa1/national-price-servicing-min.63862747c3e6286ede19bc446a023030.pdf

 

£45 for an air filter change and £35 for the pollen filter what are they smoking

 

 

18 hours ago, stanian said:

The service schedule on the skoda website states cambelt at 5 years. https://az749841.vo.msecnd.net/sitesengb/alv1/d300a459-5ef6-433f-a49f-65f3638efaa1/national-price-servicing-min.63862747c3e6286ede19bc446a023030.pdf

 

What is an extended scope for £59?