Hi all,

I recently part exchanged my 16 plate Mazda 3 saloon for a 64 plate ŠKODA Octavia TDI vRS estate. I didn't want to change cars but my 50kg mastiff mix was being a princess about the Mazda 3. To be honest, back seat space was limited and an estate makes much more sense with a dog of that size. She's still being a princess though... 🙄

I've had the car for only 3 weeks and it's been a bit of a rollercoaster.

The big things:

It's quite thirsty for oil, which the dealers mechanic checked out and said the turbo seals are leaking. They have ordered a new turbo and will replace it at no cost to myself.

The battery was brand new but the wrong type, so start/stop wasn't working and sometimes the engine cranked slowly. I installed a Varta AGM and now everything is fine. The dealer will reimburse me and can have the other battery back.

The second key was snapped, so the dealer got me a new one at no cost.

AC wasn't working properly but a new pollen filter and calibration fixed that.

Some smaller but nonetheless important things:

It's got the "mit silikat" g13 coolant tank, so I'll either replace it with a fresh one or change it for a tank without silikat and refresh the coolant.

The brake fluid is quite dark with yellow "spots" but the brakes are good. I'm having the fluid flushed and replaced in a few days anyway.

And then some annoying things:

There were random warnings about the front-right sidelight but that has since stopped.

Sometimes there's a warning about one of the rear numberplate lights, which seems to work loose over time and then need clipping in.

And just plain old bad luck:

The windscreen got a chip within the first 2 days, then cracked when a repair was attempted. It will be replaced by Autoglass on Monday.

I got a puncture within the first 2 weeks.

Is this typical for ownership of a 12 year old 115k diesel vRS Octavia?

Any comments/advice welcome!

Edited 14 March14 Mar by davegr

On 14/03/2026 at 16:09, davegr said:

Is this typical for ownership of a 12 year old 115k diesel vRS Octavia?

Any comments/advice welcome!

Nope.

After >8 years of ownership, I've suffered a faulty electric window swtich assembly, a small oil leak (sorted when the timing belt and water pump were replaced at around 100K miles), a new battery at 7 years and recently free replacement front discs and pads following scheduled new discs and pads which vibrated like h*ll.

A front headlight bulb failed and I made the mistake of letting the trainee at Halfrauds replace it. He put it in upside down.

Otherwise little to report. Regular servicing at a recognised independent Skoda dealer pays off.

6 hours ago, BionicJohn said:

Nope.

Thanks for the input.

The windscreen was replaced today, the brake fluid will be done on Thursday and the turbo parts are on the way. Other than that it's just the coolant tank and all should hopefully be well.

PSA

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It has quite a lot of issues:

Excessive consumption of oil and coolant

EGR deleted (instant MOT fail if noticed)

DPF readings are nonsensical (negative soot, huge km/time since last regen, > 100% ash load) - either deleted or not functioning properly

ECU strongly suspected to be remapped (making misrepresentation to insurance likely due to unknown changes)

Regular intermittent DSG fault codes (13 different codes)

Regular intermittent engine fault code for intercooler temperature sensor bank 2 (which remains when bank 1/2 sensors are swapped around)

Intermittent electrical fault codes (with associated issues with lights)

Persistent control module fault code (unknown reason or possible consequences)

A/C produces no heat (possible heater matrix blocked due to silica bag split?)

A/C refrigerant leak (UV dye sprayed all around and no refrigerant pressure)

Heavy corrosion and water ingress affecting OS number plate light

Should anybody come across this car, you'll find it pretty fun to drive but be aware, it has serious issues and I'm not even sure they've all been found in the limited time I've had the car.

It’s quite disappointing that the reg and vin have been removed. Since this information is so easily and widely available, I don’t see how it’s a problem to post them.

The dealer took the car back on Friday and it’s already re-listed. There’s no way that he has fixed all of the problems in such a short time!

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