Good evening all

 

I'm currently looking to buy a car.  I had been looking at Passat estates, but I'm coming round to an Octavia.

 

I went to view one this afternoon, which, on the face of it, ticked a lot of boxes.  It's a 2015 estate, 1.6tdi DSG, 48k miles and two owners.

 

I had a test drive in it and it seemed fine, except when pulling away from a standstill, it seemed a bit juddery.  I'm obviously a bit concerned that it could be possibly a clutch pack issue. How likely is that and do the symptoms fit?

 

Having driven it for a few miles, I did an OBDeleven scan and the only thing it came up with was the A/C recirculation flap sticking intermittently.

 

The car is for sale at a dealer and the guy said that they had acquired it from 'Motorway'.

 

The service history shows that the timing belt and water pump were replaced mid-2023 and the EGR valve replaced about 6 months ago, at a cost of £1200.

 

I have to wonder why someone would spend all that money on a car and then sell it to Motorway, for presumably not a lot.

 

Oh, the only other thing was there is only one key, so I'm assuming it would be a huge expense to get another made and coded.

 

Apologies for the rambling post and thanks in advance for any advice.

Very low mileage.  BEWARE The big risk is the DQ200 DSG.  Check if Service Campaign 34h5 has been done on it since 2015.  A software update.  On ones 2013-2015..     then I assume the VW emissions fix was done.  That is the new engine management and an airflow device fitted.  

Juddery from standstill is subjective thing and also depends on how you use the pedals and even how the car has been driven lately. So not easy to say. Perhaps go test drive another octavia with same configuration and see how it feels.

 

There can be good and bad reasons to sell a car, you never know and can not assume anything because someone got rid of it.

If it didn't feel right then I'd walk away, plenty more used motors to choose from. As you say, had the egr valve fairly recently done, juddery from a standing start. I have the same type of dsg box with the 1.5tsi engine fitted to my car, now covered 70k, always smooth on take off. 

4 minutes ago, Phoenixboy said:

If it didn't feel right then I'd walk away, plenty more used motors to choose from. As you say, had the egr valve fairly recently done, juddery from a standing start. I have the same type of dsg box with the 1.5tsi engine fitted to my car, now covered 70k, always smooth on take off. 

The more I think about it, you are probably right. 
 

I’ve had a few DSGs over the years, mostly 6-speeds, but my last Superb was a 7-speed and I don’t remember it behaving like that. 

Juddering on a DSG is usually sign of either a failing dual-mass flywheel (usually associated with a noise) or its the clutch pack failing. 

Any questions, walk away. There are enough cars out there, and if I had question a slight discrepancy on the former keepers on my first car, I'd have saved myself £3,500. 

 

Low mileage is good, but it isn't always good. If you have a look on the MOT history, it can tell you if it's just barely been driven, if it's sat for a few years or what.

 

if you know how a DSG feels then it sounds like a possible DMF/clutch pack issue. As above, not the cheapest fix.

Thanks all.

 

I’ve decided to go for a 2.0Tdi instead. 6-speed DSG and still only £35 VED. 

 

I’ve put a deposit on one this afternoon. Probably pick it up a week on Saturday. 

On 23/01/2025 at 20:56, daveo138 said:

I’ve decided to go for a 2.0Tdi instead. 6-speed DSG and still only £35 VED. 

I hope your normal driving pattern includes regular long drives so that the DPF regens can happen.

20 hours ago, PetrolDave said:

I hope your normal driving pattern includes regular long drives so that the DPF regens can happen.

Hopefully, yes. 
 

I’ll be keeping an eye on it with VAG-DPF.