Hi all, I've been looking for a replacement for our aging Subaru Forester for a while and keep finding myself coming back to an Octavia wagon as, apart from some reliability concerns, ticks all the boxes. I have put a deposit down on a 118TSI DSG wagon with 27k km, 2009 build 2010 compliance which has recently come out of factory warranty. It had its DSG recall done last week and I am aware of the timing chain tensioner issues with these engines.

Most people on this forum seem to have bought new with warranties, but how do you feel about owning / buying these cars with no warranty? I have been in contact with Consumer Affairs regarding the potential failing chain tensioner and they indicated that such a failure would be covered under Consumer Law, regardless of whether there is a warranty or not (but assuming you have followed the recommended servicing and the car is of "reasonable age and km"). Are there any other potential major issues I should be concerned about? Given the DSG has just had the recall done, will it be reliable or are there other common DSG issues that could be costly? Ive never even had to think about such issues with my Forester, never needing anything but normal servicing/maintenance for over 6 years of ownership.

Bascially what I'm asking is, should I buy this car? Or am I being foolhardy, given that it is out of manfacturers warranty?

I should probably also note that it would be primarily a weekend car as I commute by bicycle, so not tooo much stop-start traffic (which I believe is an issue for DSGs overheating?).


Thanks in advance for an opinions / advice!