[TN13Sleeper]

Excellent thread, deserves more than 5 stars. This thread had begun on May 2014 and the intent to sell/part away from the said car was posted on July 2022. Recently seeing few ownership threads in which the opening post is accompanied by an intent to sell conclusion.
I kindly request the original poster to continue providing unbiased coverage of the highs and lows of his future automobile ownership experiences.

[shobhit.shri]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

[*]Transmission: It is still one of the fastest boxes I have ever experienced in this segment, the shifts are still smooth, no weird noises, no jerks
[

Hey Adi,

I am evaluating pre-owned Octavias for personal purchase. Thread here (Fun-to-drive, used car for 20-lakh rupees). I am having a load of trouble deciding between 1.8TSI petrol and 2.0 TDI. You have personal experience and could really help me avoid any stupid mistakes.

I am torn in deciding the tradeoff between supposedly unreliable DQ200 and missing the multi-link suspension if I chose TDI. I need input on two questions:

1. How is your personal experience with DQ200? Is it as unreliable as made out to be?
2. Do you have any idea about the worst case of DQ200 troubles? How much money should be enough to fix the worst case?

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

1. How is your personal experience with DQ200? Is it as unreliable as made out to be?
2. Do you have any idea about the worst case of DQ200 troubles? How much money should be enough to fix the worst case?

It all depends.
1) How old are the cars you’re considering and what mileage? Do any of them have warranty left?
2) what is your use case for the car? Whether bumper to bumper traffic or highways? Your expected mileage per month?

For me, I had the gearbox replaced once under warranty. Before that the mechatronic was replaced with clutch and flywheel. Besides that I have gone through a lot of replacements, faults, long delays waiting for parts, etc. I have used the car for 186K kms in 9 years. If you get a car without warranty, and something fails in the gearbox side, you should be able to get it repaired in the aftermarket at a reasonable cost. Fixing at Skoda will be very expensive.

TDI octavias are known to be more trouble free, in comparison. But the common gremlins like water pump, thermostat, oil cooler, battery, etc are common but fixable at dealer at reasonable cost. So pick your poison based on your use case.

[shobhit.shri]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

It all depends.
1) How old are the cars you’re considering and what mileage? Do any of them have warranty left?
2) what is your use case for the car? Whether bumper to bumper traffic or highways? Your expected mileage per month?

Thanks for your answers

1. I am looking for Octavias that are driven for less than 50000 KMs and within 3 to 5 years old. I don't think they will have any warranty left.

2. I live in Bangalore, so it will mostly be bumper-to-bumper traffic with occasional highway drives. Let's assume a 70:30 split. I will not be driving more than 1500 kms a month.

Just to be sure, what do you mean by "reasonable" service cost? A ballpark figure would do.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

1. I am looking for Octavias that are driven for less than 50000 KMs and within 3 to 5 years old. I don't think they will have any warranty left.

If you consider 2016 upwards models, they have the option to extend the warranty before the standard 4 year warranty expires. You can extend it up to 6 years/150000 kms.

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

2. I live in Bangalore, so it will mostly be bumper-to-bumper traffic with occasional highway drives. Let's assume a 70:30 split. I will not be driving more than 1500 kms a month.

If I had to choose, I would go for a TDI. Not only will it be more frugal, but you can safely assume the gearbox reliability to be better than TSI's DQ200 unit.

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

Just to be sure, what do you mean by "reasonable" service cost? A ballpark figure would do.

One would have to be specific to get a figure for the repairs, but if you are able to extend the warranty, it'll be excellent. Otherwise lets say the clutch fails, you're looking at roughly 70K - 1 Lakh in out of pocket expenses. Sometimes its also possible to claim goodwill warranty if the car is just outside the warranty and has a genuine service history at the official service centres.

[BNG-motorhead]

Should I go for it?

Getting a 1.2 lac driven 2015 Skoda Octavia 1.8 AT TSI Petrol for 8L in Bangalore. Second owner, who bought it at 55K in 2018 and is in my society. I am yet to check the service records but current owner claims it is serviced at Skoda and I can have a look. Recent work history he told me was complete repair of the engine cooling system. I am guess it must be the water pump failure.

What are the dangers of owning a ~8yr old Skoda TSI AT?
Should I expect some heavy maintenance bills?
What should I look for to ensure?

I am looking for pre-loved automatic cars in Bangalore and don't want to break the bank with a new car.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by BNG-motorhead

Should I go for it?

Getting a 1.2 lac driven 2015 Skoda Octavia 1.8 AT TSI Petrol for 8L in Bangalore..

The mileage is too high for 8 lakh. Either reduce it to 6.5 lakh and do a thorough checkup at Skoda’s dealership, else walk away.

[Shankar1989]

Dear team bhp ians,
I have a 2013 polo tdi, which has 135k on the pro. I’m looking for an upgrade, after a lot of thinking, whether to go for new or pre owned cars, now started looking for a pre owned cars. My preference is to stick to VW or Škoda brands. I got to know about a 2016 1.8tsi through my FNG who also deals with flipping cars. The car has done 66k kms. It is a MH registered vehicle in Bangalore. The asking price is 9.8lakhs. It has few cosmetic niggles inside like driver seat electronic adjustment is not working and some buttons in steering has got damaged. Outside paint has some scratches here and there. Took a test drive and the car feels good. Engine is very responsive and no issues felt mechanically.
The help required from your experience here is
- Whether the price is worthy considering MH registration
- Service history is not fully available.
- My FNG picked it up from Mumbai and was using here in Bangalore for past few months.
- Overall reliability of DSG gearbox with tsi engine. I don’t want to spend a bomb right after buying. Is there any advice here to check the condition.
@bng_motorhead. Did you go ahead with your purchase?

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Shankar1989

I got to know about a 2016 1.8tsi through my FNG who also deals with flipping cars. The car has done 66k kms.

Skoda India now offers Anytime Warranty where in the car can be registered for extended warranty until 8 years or 150K kms. Just check the car’s registration date, if it is under 2525 days since the date of regustration, you can go for extended warranty for 1 year b 20000 kms, for INR 50K. Unfortunately due to the age of the car, you wont be allowed to renew this the next year. So there is a slight risk. I suggest you to take the car to a Skoda Dealership, preferably Tafe, get it inspected for the extended warranty, as such that is mandatory and it comes with a cool off period perhaps. That will give you a fair idea of the vehicle’s fitness, and be ready to spend around INR 50-80K if you wan to put it all right, over and above the cost of the extended warranty. Price seems very fair to me for a Style Plus Octavia from 2016.

[Shankar1989]

Many thanks @adi_petrolhead.

It’s 2523 days as of today from date of registration. I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the skoda showroom. But I have been servicing my polo with him since last 2 years. He looks after all VAG cars. Other thing I was worried about getting the documents cleared since it is MH registered and driving the car in Bangalore. Any idea about how easy or difficult is to get NOC or name transfer done from other state RTO.

The car has some deep scratch marks on both fenders right above wheel well, which he says was done by street dogs. Also the roof fabric on the driver side A pillar has come out slightly and has some signs of water seepage and dried out eventually. Not sure whether he has kept sunroof open on a rainy day…

Any idea on cost of fixing the electronic driver seat adjustment setup. It’s stuck in a position and not moving anywhere
He is saying he will fix all the niggles before delivery. But I was thinking is there any room to negotiate the price considering the not so good cosmetic maintenance of the car.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by Shankar1989

He is saying he will fix all the niggles before delivery. But I was thinking is there any room to negotiate the price considering the not so good cosmetic maintenance of the car.

There are just too many red flags. Its a huge market and I am sure you'll find better examples of the same car in tip top condition. Do check our Team-BHP's own classifieds section. I would suggest you to stay away from this particular car.
The roof liner if has already started sagging, there is no easy way to fix this. A new roof liner costs INR 85K, OEM, from the dealer. The body work will cost you another 30-40K easy. The other wear and tear parts such as pads and discs will also cost you another 40K, you're looking at a huge bill and hassle of seeing everything through before you get delivery. Just skip it and find a car registered in KA instead of MH.

[kamath93suraj]

Hi Adi,

Wanted to know your suggestion from your vast experience of Skoda cars.
Im looking to buy a used octavia 1.8tsi around 2015-17 because my budget is 10-12 lakhs.
Im from Mangalore and I recently travelled to Bangalore and found two 1.8 tsi octavia's .
Both are style plus.

One is 42k on odo 2015 dec and other is 65k 2016 may reg
42k octavia is pretty neat because its a corporate lease car from microsoft india and hence I will be the third owner since the owner made it in his name and is selling with price of 11.7 lakhs.

Other ocatvia has some major dents and the dealer says he will give the car in mint condition at 12 lakhs .(the dealer is audi approved plus)

The only differnce is 65k run Octavia is 6 months younger than 42k.

Please guide on what should I purchase?
Also it would be of great help if you tell me what bills would i expect for a 8 year old octavia.(skoda website says 16-20k for service)
Thank you in advance sir.

[Desmosedici]

Originally Posted by kamath93suraj

Hi Adi,

Wanted to know your suggestion from your vast experience of Skoda cars.
Im looking to buy a used octavia 1.8tsi around 2015-17 because my budget is 10-12 lakhs.
Im from Mangalore and I recently travelled to Bangalore and found two 1.8 tsi octavia's .
Both are style plus.

One is 42k on odo 2015 dec and other is 65k 2016 may reg
42k octavia is pretty neat because its a corporate lease car from microsoft india and hence I will be the third owner since the owner made it in his name and is selling with price of 11.7 lakhs.

Other ocatvia has some major dents and the dealer says he will give the car in mint condition at 12 lakhs .(the dealer is audi approved plus)

The only differnce is 65k run Octavia is 6 months younger than 42k.

Please guide on what should I purchase?
Also it would be of great help if you tell me what bills would i expect for a 8 year old octavia.(skoda website says 16-20k for service)
Thank you in advance sir.

Both cars have been over quoted in my opinion. Nearly 9 years old.

Around 8-9Lakhs should be an ok quote in my honest opinion.
Annual Service at Skoda would set you back by approximately 10-12k.

What could go wrong:

1. DSG
2. Water Pump
3. Thermostat
4. Suspension - Engine/Sub Frame mounts/bushes
5. Cooling Coil
6. ABS Sensor going kaput is acceptable for a VAG car
6. Any other sensor

These are few things i can recollect.

I drive a pre worshipped 2015 Style Plus Tsi that I picked up in Dec 2021.

Is the car worth it??? YOU BET!!!

Hoot to drive, if you have the roads. Loaded with features that was way ahead in 2015.

Bargain hard, don’t get swayed by the desire. Keep aside some funds for possible repairs etc or mods.

Hope you get your Octy soon.

Trust the above helps. Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,
Raj

[kamath93suraj]

Yes I feel the rates are over quoted ,but in Bangalore the used car prices are more.
And for the 42k octavia they are promising one year warranty from carwale absure certification
Will try to bargain as much as possible.
Also used octavias are in high demand as they are cheaper than bmws anmd audi but deliver good performance.Isnt it?
Thank you

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by kamath93suraj

Wanted to know your suggestion from your vast experience of Skoda cars.
Im looking to buy a used octavia 1.8tsi around 2015-17 because my budget is 10-12 lakhs.

If I had to pick an old Octavia, I would go with 2017-18 makes. This will give you the opportunity to buy Skoda's own extended warranty which one can buy if the car is under 7 years of age. Having said that, if these are the only two good options you found, depending on the damage (dents you talk about) and how good of a job they will do before delivery, you should go with the newer car even though it has higher mileage. Also need to check the service history for major accidents, repairs, warranty replacements, etc. As Raj mentioned, the cars could have had several issues in about 8-9 years time. The possible future issues can also be a lot for someone who wants a peaceful and inexpensive ownership experience. Old Skodas are a part time hobby and a full time family member, whose pains and symptoms can never be ignored otherwise it'll come back to bite you. Annual service is not something to worry about as its somewhere around the 10-13K amount. If you pick up the second example, you'll be immediately spending somewhere around a lakh on the car for the following:

1) Almost certainly a new battery
2) New brake discs and pads all round if not already replaced in the recent past
3) New tyres depending on the wear and age of the current set.

Even if the three above are OK as per dealer / owner, I would still go ahead with all these changes just to have that special feeling of buying a car.

Depending on your mileage per year, you'll be looking at replacement of the following which will cost another 40-50K.

1) Bushes, link rods, engine / gearbox / subframe mounts
2) Front shocks
3) Coolant replacement with a new expansion tank

Also do check the interiors thoroughly. Check for broken plastic trim pieces (steering buttons, ac vents, other trims), sagging in roof liner, any major scratches or cuts in the seats, memory seats working fine or not. Touch and feel and use each and every point of the car interior as once you have paid the dealer, there will not be any way to go back and claim expenses for any thing that breaks even on the day after delivery.