2014 Octavia 1.6tdi 5 speed

aidanki

Going to look at one of these tomorrow, 100k miles

What should I be looking out for

It's Clean and owned by retiree for last 5 years

colm_mcm

Make sure the heating works on both sides, if not then it could point to cooling system issues

Check that coolant looks clean

Timing belt should be done at this stage

make sure the infotainment works

Make sure there’s service history

Take it for a drive and watch for overheating (water temp gauge)

aidanki

Any way of pulling up the fault codes it has had over the last 100k miles

aidanki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121165453#Comment_121165453

Thanks is that a fixable issue or a time to walk away issue. Timing belt milage is usually written somewhere by the mechanic, where usually?

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121165821#Comment_121165821

Has the seller told you the car has an actual service history?

aidanki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166210#Comment_121166210

Yes servicing done by local mechanic not sure if book written up

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121165453#Comment_121165453

Why do you mention the cooling system specifally ?

I had a clean ,main dealer serviced one low milage A1 untilit started overheating ,tried a few things but upgraded before spending too much more on it

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166330#Comment_121166330

There’s a pretty well known issue where either silica gel bag from the expansion tank or casting debris can cause blockages in the cooling system, the most noticeable being the heater matrix, which can result in one end of the matrix staying cold, leading to cold air on one side (if it’s dual zone climate)

Overheating can be caused by water pump issues, there’s a shroud in front in the impeller that opens/closes to effectively disengage the water pump when it’s not needed (helps efficiency), this can intermittently jam closed and cause coolant temp to spike. I had this happen and the cure is a timing belt and water pump.

Now neither of things might be happening here but it’s worth looking out for them.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166324#Comment_121166324

There isn’t a physical book on the newer ones, so you’d have to trust what he’s telling you unless he has invoices.

To be honest, I'd be wanting to see a receipt or invoice for the timing belt or I'd walk away. Most people will keep an invoice for a job of that stature on the car, as it shows it's been done and would help them show the buyer they are genuine.

At 100k miles if it didn't have an invoice for it, I'd be walking away personally. Writing it with a sharpie on a piece of the car is not enough for me. If a local mechanic done it, they may have receipts for parts etc.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121170275#Comment_121170275

Or just negotiate €400 off the price and get it done?

rn

We've had a 162 tdi for a few years. It's been very reliable and incredibly easy on fuel. Excellent drive. A super family car. A bit under powered on the motorway. The climate control can also be effected by faulty mixer, but that one is easy enough to fix. Make sure pollen filter replaced. They get filthy.