Hi all,

I'm thinking about buying a 2002 Octy 1.8T (150bhp) auto with about 68k on the clock. Is there anything I should look out for with this engine/box combo?

The car has been driven by a school runner, so hasn't been thrashed and it has been well serviced, or so it seems.

Are the auto boxes reliable? Are the engines reliable? Will they become costly once I hit 100k?

Also, what sort of mpg should I expect in town and out on the motorway?

Thanks,

All your advice will be appreciated.

Alan.

The engine is well-known for its capabilities of being tuned and its reliability, ONLY IF THE OWNER ensures a good maintenance and drives it properly (taking into consideration some basic rules regarding a turbo engine).

Please check if the engine code is AGU or AUM, this is important to define which hardware we are talking about. It gets 9-10% in quiet towns and ~12-14% in city regime (crowded ones); ~6-9% on thw highway, depending on the cruising speed.

Short tips:

- check the car beneath...and on VAS also (see the turbo menu and verify the pressure)

- chech car's service history (discs, pads,clutch - if case, break oil change - every 2 years or every 60k km, etc)

- the distribution has to be changed until 180k km (but has to be checked starting 90k km), so check this out as well

More help on request !

not sure what you mean re the percentages doru?

yes I'm not sure what you mean by the percentages either.

I feel I must state though, that I have no interest at all in tuning this car, so I'm really interested in general comments and not how tunable it is.

Thanks.

Alan.

The 1.8T is very good in terms of reliability. Mine has done 104k with no major issues.

One thing to watch for is the coil packs that are prone to failure if they're an early variety. However, dealers have been changing these during services for a good few years now.

Cambelt change is advisable at 75k ish and its wise to change the water pump for a metal impellor variety at the same time. The plastic ones fail at times, causing an expensive mess.

Service intervals will eithe rbe fixed or variable, depending on the last owners preference.

Fixed is 10k or 1 year, variable can be 20k.

Variable service oil is expensive so try to get the dealer to change that for you (ensure you specify long life oil and variable intervals)

Radiator mountings can cause creaks and squeeks from the front of the car. They're more of an annoyance than a problem.

not sure what you mean re the percentages doru?

Sorry, they mean an average fuel consumption...

I'd drive it first. The auto box is a fairly low tech four speed auto and not the greatest auto you will ever drive.

Everything else though is top dollar.

I'm going to drive it next week. This is only going to be our second car doing less than 10k a year so an old school auto box wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

There is an alternative, a 1.8T 4x4, but he has it tuned to 200bhp which is not really what I'm looking for. I reckon it might be a bit ungainly with that higher suspension too.

There is an alternative, a 1.8T 4x4, but he has it tuned to 200bhp which is not really what I'm looking for. I reckon it might be a bit ungainly with that higher suspension too.

If there is not a big difference regarding the acquisition price, I would suggest to reconsider the 4x4 alternative, even if tuned. It is even better! As regarding the suspension, don't give up: between a FWD Skoda car and a 4x4 version, the latter gained from 13,4 cm until 15.3cm. Not a real problem when driving on highways, but a significant difference offroad.

N.B. I drove them both, FWD and 4x4. So my suggestion is real.

The engine is well-known for its capabilities of being tuned and its reliability, ONLY IF THE OWNER ensures a good maintenance and drives it properly (taking into consideration some basic rules regarding a turbo engine).

Please explain, (taking into consideration some basic rules regarding a turbo engine), I have just bought a VRS 1.8T and am intrigued to know what this means, especially if it will prolong the life / maintain performance.

Thanks

Steve H.

I've driven my L&K since new in 2001 with the 1.8T 150bhp Auto engine, and I've never had a problem with it. Only time I got concerned dur to noise from the 'engine' it turned out to be water in the coils, which was soon taken care of. I can imagine there are more responsive auto engines around, but from some of your responses i would guess it would be quick enough for you.

Try to stick to the high end fuels if you can, you really can feel the difference!

I drove the car at the weekend and loved it. It's very well specc'd, with climate, sunroof, upgraded stereo (I think), new tyres, headlamp washer, trip computer.

It drives very well, no obvious signs of mechanical failure impending.

Auto box if fine too. It's no DSG but it'll do the job. Just need to agree on a price and it'll be winging it's way to my driveway.

What sort of MPG should I expect on motorway driving? 40? 30?

High 30's if you stay below 70mph.

I've had a 1.8T Auto ('02 Elegance Estate) for nearly 3 years and its been fine. The 'box seems smooth and well matched to the engine (but I'm sure a DSG is far superior). MPG is probably poorer than the equivalent manual, I av. 30-35 depending on the jouney and a bit either side is possible.

Parts I've replaced are disks & pads, lambda probe, coolant temp sensor, added a rear ARB. Its now at 47k miles.

Just bought the one I saw last week. I LOVE it. Nice bit of power. Auto box isn't the best in the world but it suits the engine fine and for what I will use the car for it's perfect.

Car is in super condition without a squeek or rattle.

Skoda rocks.