Mark 1 Octavia vRS owner experiences
Discussion
Starting to look at these as a replacement for my gti-6 and would like to hear about owner experiences, both remapped and standard. I know the 1.8T engine is prone to coil packs failing and was the subject of a recall at some point but other than that are they generally reliable? I know they won't exactly be the epitome of handling after my '6 but that's unfortunately a secondary consideration to getting more MPG from my weekend kid collection run without losing too much poke for the overtaking. The bigger boot will also be useful.
So, anything major to look out for? Thanks.
So, anything major to look out for? Thanks.
I had one a few years ago, when they were current.
I enjoyed owning it, especially spirited drives around the Alps.
As standard, it didn't feel that quick.
Re-mapped for 98ron, the throttle response was far better and acceleration felt quite urgent.
-It seemed quite powerful. A standard one would pull ~145mph, not sure about a remapped one.
Average fuel economy was around 35mpg.
Occasionally, the car seemed to lose some performance for a week or so. I put it down to poor quality fuel, as it seemed to be fine most of the time.
Grip was good.
The ride was quite firm
The steering rack was a bit slow, the front didn't turn particularly sharply and wasn't particularly precise.
A rear anti-roll bar is apparently a good mod (with hindsight that should have been the first addition, before the re-map)
NB. My subsequent Mk3 Mondeo Ghia X (with similar mileage) rode and handled better.
I enjoyed owning it, especially spirited drives around the Alps.
As standard, it didn't feel that quick.
Re-mapped for 98ron, the throttle response was far better and acceleration felt quite urgent.
-It seemed quite powerful. A standard one would pull ~145mph, not sure about a remapped one.
Average fuel economy was around 35mpg.
Occasionally, the car seemed to lose some performance for a week or so. I put it down to poor quality fuel, as it seemed to be fine most of the time.
Grip was good.
The ride was quite firm
The steering rack was a bit slow, the front didn't turn particularly sharply and wasn't particularly precise.
A rear anti-roll bar is apparently a good mod (with hindsight that should have been the first addition, before the re-map)
NB. My subsequent Mk3 Mondeo Ghia X (with similar mileage) rode and handled better.
C.A.R. said:
I've heard those black and white leather (vinyl?) seats aren't the most comfortable / supportive if you do big miles.
Cannot comment myself, but have you considered a Seat Leon as well?
I have but I can't help but think that no matter which Leon I get I'll always have it In The back of my mind it's not a Cupra R and I'm missing out on the best one. The R is really out of my price range for a good one and they're rare up north of the border.Cannot comment myself, but have you considered a Seat Leon as well?
C.A.R. said:
I've heard those black and white leather (vinyl?) seats aren't the most comfortable / supportive if you do big miles.
Black leather, white(initially, then grey...) cloth. Reasonable side support.We drove down to the South of France and the Alps á vitesse in ours and had no problems with comfort.
The re-mapped straight-line performance was similar to the standard Cupra R.
I got rid of mine as I as was doing a lot of miles and also needed better ground clearance.
Yeah I understand your point about the Leon actually, the older Cupra 1.8Ts aren't too pricey though, but the 'R is a different beast altogether.
If not an Octavia, can't you get a Bora 1.8T in similar flavour or are these out of budget also? No issue with badging on the Bora, they all look the same anyway!
If not an Octavia, can't you get a Bora 1.8T in similar flavour or are these out of budget also? No issue with badging on the Bora, they all look the same anyway!
I had one and tracked it regularly.
Very reliable, fast (DS2500 pads, stut braces, 220bhp Jabba map, sports cat etc.) and cheap!
I'd hate to see the state of the white carpets and seats in them now though given they will be at least 7 years old!
I'd have another as a snotter - especially the estate!
Steve
Very reliable, fast (DS2500 pads, stut braces, 220bhp Jabba map, sports cat etc.) and cheap!
I'd hate to see the state of the white carpets and seats in them now though given they will be at least 7 years old!
I'd have another as a snotter - especially the estate!
Steve
Currently running a black one, very reliable and not bad performance when using 98 Ron and good economy on a run, can still surprise a few people, cheap to tune too.
Carpets and seat centre do get grubby but do clean up well. Coil packs problem should be sorted after recent VAG group, a good source of information is briskoda.
Carpets and seat centre do get grubby but do clean up well. Coil packs problem should be sorted after recent VAG group, a good source of information is briskoda.
As mentioned, Briskoda will tell you all you need to know, but my experiences as an owner:-
On the VRS there are a couple of breather hoses that fail quite regularly, about £20 each from Skoda or silicon replacements are available and should be more durable, for about twice the price.
Rear brake calipers can get sticky and eventually sieze up, but will free off if caught in time, otherwise about £100ish each
I've put nearly 50k on mine now (up to 118k) and other than the above and a sticky thermostat (£6) it has been bulletproof. GF's MK2 Octy (non-VRS) is nowhere near as reliable, with plenty of little niggles at less than half the mileage.
Most dodgy coil packs in issue should have all failed and been replaced by now. I've not even checked which version are on mine as they've been fine.
My alloys are starting to corrode now, particularly around the rim edge and tyre bead seat, causing slow pressure loss which is annoying, so they'll be getting refurbed at the next tyre change.
Estates do seem to have rust issues below the glass in the tailgate, mine is getting quite bad now and will need seeing to sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, for the use I put it to (99% commuting) it is really easy to live with the old bus, no plans to change it any time soon. 38mpg average (calculated, genuine, not per the computer which is about 6% optimistic) and it uses no coolant and a minimal amount of oil.
Worth noting however, that had I bought it as a "performance" car rather than as a daily driver with a little bit of added brio, I would be a bit disappointed. Standard performance is adequate at best and the earlier comments about slow steering and slightly dull handling are spot on, they are a bit floaty at the front on standard suspension and always feel rather nose heavy, even though grip, as mentioned is actually very good.
(but note I came to it from a MK1 Focus RS and currently also drive an FD3S RX7, so read the above as all things relative to some extent, the Octy certainly drives better than a lot of more mundane stuff I have also driven during the time I have owned it...)
On the VRS there are a couple of breather hoses that fail quite regularly, about £20 each from Skoda or silicon replacements are available and should be more durable, for about twice the price.
Rear brake calipers can get sticky and eventually sieze up, but will free off if caught in time, otherwise about £100ish each
I've put nearly 50k on mine now (up to 118k) and other than the above and a sticky thermostat (£6) it has been bulletproof. GF's MK2 Octy (non-VRS) is nowhere near as reliable, with plenty of little niggles at less than half the mileage.
Most dodgy coil packs in issue should have all failed and been replaced by now. I've not even checked which version are on mine as they've been fine.
My alloys are starting to corrode now, particularly around the rim edge and tyre bead seat, causing slow pressure loss which is annoying, so they'll be getting refurbed at the next tyre change.
Estates do seem to have rust issues below the glass in the tailgate, mine is getting quite bad now and will need seeing to sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, for the use I put it to (99% commuting) it is really easy to live with the old bus, no plans to change it any time soon. 38mpg average (calculated, genuine, not per the computer which is about 6% optimistic) and it uses no coolant and a minimal amount of oil.
Worth noting however, that had I bought it as a "performance" car rather than as a daily driver with a little bit of added brio, I would be a bit disappointed. Standard performance is adequate at best and the earlier comments about slow steering and slightly dull handling are spot on, they are a bit floaty at the front on standard suspension and always feel rather nose heavy, even though grip, as mentioned is actually very good.
(but note I came to it from a MK1 Focus RS and currently also drive an FD3S RX7, so read the above as all things relative to some extent, the Octy certainly drives better than a lot of more mundane stuff I have also driven during the time I have owned it...)
Edited by 99t on Tuesday 21st August 08:34
C.A.R. said:
I've heard those black and white leather (vinyl?) seats aren't the most comfortable / supportive if you do big miles.
Cannot comment myself, but have you considered a Seat Leon as well?
I did 650 miles from Como to Calais in one hit in mine with not a single ache or pain. But, that said, seats are a very personal thing. I don't get on with S2000 seats for example, too much lumbar support for me.Cannot comment myself, but have you considered a Seat Leon as well?
I had one for 3 years, on a Y plate and went from 36k to 72k in it. There were a few issues, but nothing major or expensive, just niggles:
1) Coil packs. TBH, most should have the later improved version fitted by now.
2) Temperature sensor failed, coolant gauge starts doing odd things
3) Central exhaust bracket breaking, just get it rewelded, the rest of the exhaust is very strong
4) Anti roll bar bushes will be past there best at 70k, mine were starting to make some noise
5) Reduced performance. The 1.8T has a electonic smart waste gate, which occasionally gets it knickers in a twist and locks the wastegate open. 99% of the time turning it off and turning it on again fixes this. When I owner mine, nobody really knew why they did or a fix.
7) Coolant header tank, it has a sensor in it for low coolant level, nothing more than two prongs of steel. Some how this fails and on cold mornings you'll get a low coolant level warning.
Overall, a great car. I really struggled to find something to replace it with.
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