Hello all,

 

Life has been a bit up/down recently and our circumstances changed, so a replacement car was purchased for our previous 2020 Golf MK7.5. My husband Chris decided that he wanted another MK3 Octavia, so we hit the classifieds and eventually found what looked like a clean MK3 2015 Elegance TDI 2.0 4x4.

 

It's in Blue Pacific (quite a rare colour) and has covered 118000 miles (that's the TDI just worn in by my books). It's been given the name Blu.

 

I won't go into the purchasing experience...let's just say that a lot of these MK3's are now in the backstreet sellers lots and these sellers are quite an unscrupulous bunch. This one was located in Leeds, so we took a 4hr trip to go see it.

 

It's a good car....tyres a little worn, but everything else is rock solid. Having stood in the backstreets of northern Leeds for many weeks/months, it then did a 200 mile trip back home and didn't miss a beat. My husband is thrilled to bits with it as it will be used as a project car as well as a reliable everyday workhorse.

 

We will do the servicing on it, get new rubber on it and gradually improve it over the coming months / years.

 

So far.... we've had to change out the battery - the factory OE battery having died at 53% capacity.

 

The only problem I've got (all other fault cleared post battery change) is the High Beam Assist.

 

Described at

 We have the dreaded b1168f2 fault - Control Module Faulty. Getting to it is the easy part (behind the mirror) but it's the module itself. Seems it's quite a known weakness/failure point on this generation of VAG cars (i.e.similar faults exist on Golf's, Leon's and Passats of this age). Lots of talk of the replacement modules (even brand new ones from Skoda) going faulty, so there is a problem with the electronics of the module.  As I hate running cars with fault codes in them, I would really value everyone's views on how to fix this module (for good) and ideally a fix of the existing module would be fabulous.

 

 

 

Edited 22 November, 20241 yr by varaderoguy

Can’t help with the fault, but that’s a good looking Mk3 👍

 

Gaz

Update on Project Blu.  My husband has been using it as his daily and loves it to bits.  Properly smitten.  Car has done just under 120,000 miles.

 

Things that needed attention:

 

1) The battery needed replacing.  A CCA test showed it had 50% capacity on its battery.  Got a new Varta 700Ah battery installed.  Car is now very happy again.  Curiously, it had a failing reversing sensor.  Since we replaced the battery, the reversing sensors have played nicely.  Win-Win.

2) Tyres.  The tyres on that car were trash.  Terrible things.  Replaced them with a set of Goodyear All Seasons Vector 3.  Brilliant.  Recent Snow/Cold has paid those off instantly.  Happy times.

3) The car had a full service.  Oil/Filter/cabin air filter/fuel filter.  Running Quantum VAG 507 spec 5W/30 oil.  Got a full service kit for £108. Fantastic.  Run some cleaner through the engine prior to oil change that has got rid of the gunk.

4) The humitity sensor had failed.  Common fault.  Got a replacement sensor from AutoDoc for £82.  Both heated screen and air con now working correctly.

5) Its just been to Autohaus in Edinburgh for replacement front springs, droplinks and new polybush top mounts.  Big chunk of spring fell away when we were doing a pre-MOT inspection in December (gulp). 

 

Other than that, husband has been busily polishing the bonnet.  Previous owner did a poor respray to touch up stonechips, resulting in terrible orange peel.  Its a work in progress, but bonnet is looking fantastic.

 

Car will never be perfect (its done 120,000 miles previously in rural yorkshire), but its a very good car.

 

Bonus: Its just past its MOT with flying colours.

 

Things still to do:

 

a) Lacquor on the wheels is peeling.  Alloys will need to be Acid Dipped, cleaned and made good again.

b) The High Beam assist issue.  Suspect I'll need a new mirror electronics....not urgent as husband said he's not fussed.

 

Project Blu is having some TLC today. We thought about looking at the disc brakes (they are fine, no attention needed) but decided to look behind the wheel arch liners and the sponge of doom.

Good news is that on this 123000 mile car, it's really clean. Jet washed it all off and applied the Tetraseal. Just three more wheels to go.

Edited 20 April, 20251 yr by varaderoguy