Discussion
Trawling through Autotrader yesterday, as I do to amuse myself, I came across an extraordinary find. A 54 reg Mk2 Octavia 1.9 TDI with DSG, nothing special you might think, but this one has done 387,000 miles!!! Must be an ex-taxi and the photos seem to indicate it is wearing its miles remarkably well.
In fact there are at least half a dozen diesel TDIs with over 200K on the clock in the autotrader.
So it begs the question, as this car is so beloved of the taxi brigade is it the modern day equvalent of something like the old 504 diesel, or Merc W123. Basically a plain and sturdy car that with care can go on forever.
Im not sure if the later diesels will last as well, but given that Skoda had 3 cars in Autoexpresses best cars to own feature last week, all being top 10 reliability, have Skoda pinched toyota and hondas mantra of building the most reliable cars?
More to the point, why do VW and Audis seem more troublesome than the czech built cars??
In fact,
In fact there are at least half a dozen diesel TDIs with over 200K on the clock in the autotrader.
So it begs the question, as this car is so beloved of the taxi brigade is it the modern day equvalent of something like the old 504 diesel, or Merc W123. Basically a plain and sturdy car that with care can go on forever.
Im not sure if the later diesels will last as well, but given that Skoda had 3 cars in Autoexpresses best cars to own feature last week, all being top 10 reliability, have Skoda pinched toyota and hondas mantra of building the most reliable cars?
More to the point, why do VW and Audis seem more troublesome than the czech built cars??
In fact,
davepoth said:
It has something to do with the drivers of the cars I think - most Skodas are not bought for going quickly in. Also the suspension always seems a bit more compliant in Skodas compared to their other VAG equivalents, which will also help with longevity.
Hmm, 
well my Octy VRS petrol turbo gets driven as per the badge would incite me to, and lots of Police forces around the country would no doubt agree!It's 120,000 miles up and drives as tight as a drum. Although I have recently replaced the shocks and springs because I like decent handling.
Another indication of build quality might be, that despite mine being a '51 plate, there isn't a single knock, rattle or squeak to be found inside, anywhere. And believe me, I am Mr. Fussy about interior squeaks!
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Hmm, well my Octy VRS petrol turbo gets driven as per the badge would incite me to, and lots of Police forces around the country would no doubt agree!
It's 120,000 miles up and drives as tight as a drum. Although I have recently replaced the shocks and springs because I like decent handling.
Another indication of build quality might be, that despite mine being a '51 plate, there isn't a single knock, rattle or squeak to be found inside, anywhere. And believe me, I am Mr. Fussy about interior squeaks!
My Golf is on a "Y" plate without rattles. well my Octy VRS petrol turbo gets driven as per the badge would incite me to, and lots of Police forces around the country would no doubt agree!It's 120,000 miles up and drives as tight as a drum. Although I have recently replaced the shocks and springs because I like decent handling.
Another indication of build quality might be, that despite mine being a '51 plate, there isn't a single knock, rattle or squeak to be found inside, anywhere. And believe me, I am Mr. Fussy about interior squeaks!
Lucky I guess.
Changedmyname said:
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Hmm, well my Octy VRS petrol turbo gets driven as per the badge would incite me to, and lots of Police forces around the country would no doubt agree!
It's 120,000 miles up and drives as tight as a drum. Although I have recently replaced the shocks and springs because I like decent handling.
Another indication of build quality might be, that despite mine being a '51 plate, there isn't a single knock, rattle or squeak to be found inside, anywhere. And believe me, I am Mr. Fussy about interior squeaks!
My Golf is on a "Y" plate without rattles. well my Octy VRS petrol turbo gets driven as per the badge would incite me to, and lots of Police forces around the country would no doubt agree!It's 120,000 miles up and drives as tight as a drum. Although I have recently replaced the shocks and springs because I like decent handling.
Another indication of build quality might be, that despite mine being a '51 plate, there isn't a single knock, rattle or squeak to be found inside, anywhere. And believe me, I am Mr. Fussy about interior squeaks!
Lucky I guess.
I have had a couple of French cars and a couple of Fords though, so maybe I'm unduly sensitive to this kinda thing!
BorkFactor said:
I remember you posted a few photos of it a while back, and it looks good!
Has it thrown any big bills your way?
Its about to. Biggest bill so far was a cambelt and service at audi in its early days which came in at iirc something like 850 quid.Has it thrown any big bills your way?
Spent 600 or so on a clutch and release bearing at 130k or so (preventative work) and of course there was the 2.5k to repair the damage i did sliding it sideways into a crash barrier.
It now looks like it is due a dual mass flywheel and service so around 7-900 quid bill.
Debating whether to get it done. Although might try replacing the egr valve first.
Otherwise jsut run of the mill stuff really.
Fire99 said:
I have to admit the 'Superb' 2.5 tdi does look a rather fine waft-mobile.
Don't touch the 2.5 TDI engine! 
I believe they do a nice V6 petrol though...
TallbutBuxomly said:
Its about to. Biggest bill so far was a cambelt and service at audi in its early days which came in at iirc something like 850 quid.
Spent 600 or so on a clutch and release bearing at 130k or so (preventative work) and of course there was the 2.5k to repair the damage i did sliding it sideways into a crash barrier.
It now looks like it is due a dual mass flywheel and service so around 7-900 quid bill.
Debating whether to get it done. Although might try replacing the egr valve first.
Otherwise jsut run of the mill stuff really.
Wow, that is very impressive. Is it still on the original turbo? Spent 600 or so on a clutch and release bearing at 130k or so (preventative work) and of course there was the 2.5k to repair the damage i did sliding it sideways into a crash barrier.
It now looks like it is due a dual mass flywheel and service so around 7-900 quid bill.
Debating whether to get it done. Although might try replacing the egr valve first.
Otherwise jsut run of the mill stuff really.
DMF is a pain, but if the rest of the car is fine then it might be worth replacing. Is it not possible to just clean the EGR valve rather than fork out for a replacement?
Nice to see someone looking after a car and running it to high mileage, I like that stuff
StevieB said:
Trawling through Autotrader yesterday, as I do to amuse myself, I came across an extraordinary find. A 54 reg Mk2 Octavia 1.9 TDI with DSG, nothing special you might think, but this one has done 387,000 miles!!! Must be an ex-taxi and the photos seem to indicate it is wearing its miles remarkably well.
Nothing too out of the ordinary. You'd be surprised at how tough cars are these days. At work I am regularly speaking to taxi drivers when I work weekend nights. Many of them drive their cars up to about 300,000 miles. I've seen Ford Mondeos, Volvo S60 D5's, Peugeot 406 HDi's, Skoda Octavia and Superbs etc etc all with over 300,000 miles and running like new.It kind of puts the old stereotypes about build quality to bed.
StevieB said:
Trawling through Autotrader yesterday, as I do to amuse myself, I came across an extraordinary find. A 54 reg Mk2 Octavia 1.9 TDI with DSG, nothing special you might think, but this one has done 387,000 miles!!! Must be an ex-taxi and the photos seem to indicate it is wearing its miles remarkably well.
I doubt it would be an ex-taxi with the DSG box. DSG is a can (box ) of worms.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff