Octavia purchase query

[inso]

Hi,

I'm looking at purchasing a 2nd hand 3rd gen RS.
The pre-purchase inspection highlighted some irregularities with the welds, suggesting they could either be normal for Skoda's manufacturing process or potentially have resulted from accident repairs.

Not knowing whether this is normal for the Skoda Octavia, i'm unsure whether to be concerned about it or not. I've attached some photos showing the highlighted areas.

Hoping some other owners can comment and advise if this consistent with factory delivered vehicles.

Many thanks for any help!

ATTACH=CONFIG]25388[/ATTACH]

[Smart1]

What colour is the car, as the paint over the sealant should be body coloured. Also, looking at mine it appears to be brushed on and painted over, but not in a really messy way.
Can you take some photos from further back to make it easier to identify the areas?

[inso]

What colour is the car, as the paint over the sealant should be body coloured. Also, looking at mine it appears to be brushed on and painted over, but not in a really messy way.
Can you take some photos from further back to make it easier to identify the areas?

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, i don't have access to the car or more info on the photos so i'm limited to what i've posted in the thread

From what i can gather, the first and last images are up near the firewall looking in from the engine bay (i assume it's the VIN which can be seen in the last image. I'm not sure about images 2 and 3, could be one is from underneath the vehicle looking through the wheel arch/rails.

The car is black.

[Guest001]

Where did it come from The one under the bonnet looks like its got red bulldust on it

[nickd]

Pretty sure there's an online service where (for a small fee like $10) you can find out if the car has finance on it or has been in an accident.. If you can decipher the VIN from those pics..

[k_rider]

Looks more like pics of sealant than welds (Smart1 has alluded to this already).
The reddish looking item in the third photo looks like one of the exhaust system hangers, hard to say where along its length, but probably near the muffler - easier to take a photo there than right underneath the car!
I reckon the 'red bulldust' in the last photo is a reflection of something. The VIN is stamped on the inner guard on the RHS, the circular thing near the VIN will be the coolant reservoir - looks like the first photo is of the same general area. Not sure about the second photo, but think it could be the front inner guard as well (underneath the bonnet).

[inso]

Thanks for the responses to date.

Yes i agree it's likely its a reflection though does give the impression the car's done a trip through the outback!
I'll certainly be doing a PPSR check, though unfortunately this shows only financial encumbrances and if the vehicle's been stolen or written off (not accident history).

k-rider, Smart1 - is it consistent with the same areas on your vehicles or do you not have the same sealant evident in these areas?

Thanks again for the help!

[k_rider]

I'll need to have a look tomorrow to confirm, but I think so, yes.

[brenno]

Mine is much the same. Tried to get the same angles as your pics above.

[inso]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post these photos - extremely helpful.
It does look quite similar in those spots, though the car we're looking at seems like they've been a little over zealous with the application of the sealant! Hopefully nothing to be concerned about.

[k_rider]

Mine's pretty much the same. I don't think you have anything to worry about!

[inso]

Thanks again for the help. You're quite right that looks very similar and assures me there's nothing to be concerned about.

Great to know there is such a helpful community out there for those interested in these vehicles. I look forward to joining the community