Hi Guys,

I am close to purchasing an Octavia 1.8T 4x4. We are a family of VW owners with plenty technical experience, but are new to the 1.8T.

Are there any special points to watch for on the car? I have a bit of concern about the 4x4 aspect with the Haldex clutch! I read too that the gear ratios are a bit low - does that cause noticeably poorer fuel consumption? Presumably it accelerates a bit better?

Thanks for any advice, KenR

The haldex is a good unit, it does require regular oil and filter changes, ensure these are upto dat and all should be well. One chap on here is putting 450bhp through it with no issues. The standard gearbox doesn't seem low geared to me, I run normal unleaded and get around 33mpg average.

The main issue is the same as all other 1.8t's watch for poor cold start up problems, do a search. Various bits can fail and lead to lumpy start up running. Rear tyres wear quicker than std 2wd cars.

The haldex ECU on these can fail. To check you either need vagcom to read the faults or do some hard standing starts and see if you get any wheelspin.

The gear ratios are low but will only really effect economy on motorway runs as the engine will be revving quite high even in 5th.