I'm just about to get my first Skoda Octavia scout so I thought I ought to join and see what the fuss is all about ;-)

Hello and welcome! 👋

Do look into making sure the Haldex has been correctly serviced before you hand over any money. 👍

Hi and thanks for the warning.

Haldex was not a word I had hear of before! Are they a source of problems with the Octavia 4x4? Is there anything I should look (and listen) out for? 
The car I am going to look at is with a Skoda dealer in Sheffield (3 hours by train) so I'm not going to be able to do much when I am there. 

The Haldex controls the power transmitted to the rear wheels, effectively its the heart of the 4x4 system.

 

If it’s an approved car, it should be fine but look for Haldex service record in the history, it’s not part of the standard minor and major service plan. IIRC it’s due at 40k or 7 years, it’s not too expensive (£149 I think my last one was) but it’s essential to keep the Haldex working effectively.

 

Also if it’s an auto, look for DSG service details, that’s at 40k on older cars and 80K on newer ones.

2 hours ago, PlainSailing said:

Hi and thanks for the warning.

Haldex was not a word I had hear of before! Are they a source of problems with the Octavia 4x4? Is there anything I should look (and listen) out for? 
The car I am going to look at is with a Skoda dealer in Sheffield (3 hours by train) so I'm not going to be able to do much when I am there. 

Firstly, here is the schedule for proper servicing. The Haldex (4x4 mech) should be serviced every 30K miles or every 3 years, whichever comes first.

There's also a filter associated with the Haldex that often doesn't get changed because it's a pain to change and VAG say it doesn't need changing.

I'd prefer it was changed, but I guess it's a matter of personal preference and Skoda techs might be reluctant to change it or try and charge a fortune to change it.

 

Another thing to watch out for is the silica bag in the coolant reservoir . (For long life coolant) They can split, and if they do, it's a big bill to get the silica crystals out of your waterworks.

So firstly, check you can get heat to both sides of the passenger compartment when you test drive the car.

Then later, maybe think about whipping the silica bag out of the reservoir and replacing the G13 coolant with G12evo. (Don't panic if this all sounds like a big deal, it's more a precautionary thing than a big panic, but it's definitely worth checking to see if you have heat to both sides of the passenger compartment.)

 

Good luck with your new car!

Thank you both for you information, it really appreciated. I'll try not to get too stressed taking it all on board in one go, but I'll take time to, if I bring it home next week.

I bought the Octavia Scout last week. It has done 62k miles so a little high for the 68 plate. There was no sign of the Haldex being serviced and when I brought this up in our discussions, he got the technician to service it while we were waiting.

I had a nightmare journey bringing it home, with the M1 being shut in both directions due to a car fire and then the M42 was blocked due to a 2 car accident. It dook me 4hrs 40 minutes to get home but at least it gave me opportunity to get used to some of the buttons and options on the dash 😏

I have just fitted the Westfalia towbar and dedicated electrics - much more difficult than I had expected but it is working now and no errors on the dash 😁