Octavia Scout Update

Hello all! Well, I have had my Skoda Octavia Scout for two weeks now. It’s a 2010 1.8 TSI (petrol) manual with about 53,000 miles. It has BT phone, navigation, xenon lights, heated front seats and an electric memory driver’s seat.

So, here’s the promised update.

As with all second hand cars, there are always a few little things to sort out to bring the car up to the standard you want.

Firstly all four tyres needed replacing. The rear two were probably the original Dunlops and were nearly illegal tread-wise, and the front two were very cheap budget tyres. There was a distinct tyre-hum on driving faster than about 30mph. They were replaced by 4 Falken Euroall Season tyres at £86 each – a huge reduction from the RRP – it pays to shop around. I had them fitted at £10 per corner. These tyres have the sypes (small cuts in the tread) that winter tyres have but are a slightly harder compound than usual winter tyres so as to wear better in warmer weather. The driving manners have been transformed and the hum has gone.

Of note, the two budget tyres, although relatively new and with 5mm of tread, had both split – you could see the splits by pulling the tread blocks apart. My advice? Don’t skimp on tyres. Buy a good brand and just look for the best price!

Next up, routine maintenance was required. Although recently serviced, the brake fluid hadn’t yet been changed in over four years – it should be done every two. This was done yesterday along with replacing the oil in the Haldex 4WD coupling – this too was late, and should be done every three years for the 2010 model onwards. The tracking was also adjusted as the steering wheel was slightly down to the right when heading straight ahead.

Finally, I fitted a full size 16″ spare wheel with appropriate tools this morning to replace the tyre ‘gunk’ tin the car had come with. The benefits of a real spare wheel cannot be underestimated on a dark wet motorway at 2am!

Still to do, work out how to pair my two phones to the Bluetooth – at the moment the car is saying neither are compatible. Odd as although one is new (iPhone 5S) the other is an older Samsung which should pair. Oh, and remove the sticker on the rear window.

So far, very pleased with the car. Solid (totally rattle-free), comfortable, sure to be winter-friendly with 4WD and all season tyres, and just what I was after!

Before long I’ll compare it to the quicker, lower and more firmly sprung Octavia vRS estate. Which is the better car?