booke23

I had a 2006 2.0 TDI DSG. It had been in my family from new and when I sold it just over a year ago, it was 11 years old/114,000 miles and the DSG hadn't given any trouble at all. However it did have a new DMF around 90,000 miles. I don't think DMF failure is much of an issue on the 2.0 TSI versions. There are examples of the 6 speed DSG doing galactic miles easily......there was a forum member who had a 2.0 TDI DSG with 350,000 miles on it with no issues.

It is usually a Gates kit, but re-boxed in VAG packaging.

Personally, I think the 1.6 petrol is the best choice of the pre 2010 Octavia models. I ran a 2006 2.0 TDI DSG for a number of years, and although it was more fuel efficient than your 1.6 petrol, it ended up probably costing me more than owning a petrol in expensive repairs (dual mass flywheel, EGR valve, glow plug failures etc). When owning older cars, fuel economy is only part of the equation of running costs.

They're underwhelming. Only very slightly brighter than standard halogen (I ran one side by side with a standard bulb for a while) and have a very short lifespan. Mine lasted about 8 months.....from March to December, so mostly summer! I wouldn't buy them again for low beam, but might try them in the high beam....as they are on less lifespan might be more acceptable and the slightly extra light might make a bigger difference in the high beam.

I'd certainly consider a petrol, but you really don't want the 7 speed dry clutch DSG fitted to most of the petrols. It's renowned for going expensively wrong. You can get an Octavia with the 1.6 or 2.0 FSI and standard (non DSG) auto transmission, which is dependable although probably quite rare.

The 2.0 PD DSG's all have dual mass flywheel. The easiest way to tell if the DMF is worn is to start the engine with the window or door open and listen carefully as you put it in D or R. If the engine noise gets quieter when it is in gear compared to when it is in N or P, then this is most likely a DMF rattle. It's not worn out yet but getting there. The DMF on my 2.0 PD DSG started to rattle around 50,000 miles. It continued like this until around 90,000 miles when it started flying apart.....luckily causing no major damage. The DMF had a redesign around 2010 I think, so any cars that have had the DMF replaced since then should do much more mileage before the DMF fails. There are no solid flywheel options for DSG cars.

I'm very please the instructions were of use to you!

I'll be amazed if a bottle of injector cleaner improves your economy from 25-35mpg to the 45-55mpg you should be getting.

I notice you had the timing belt changed recently. I wonder if the engine has been timed up properly. The procedure for changing the cambelt on these engines is quite specific, involving using a set of locking pins. It's very easy to not locate the pins properly and for the timing to be out.....indeed some garages might attempt the job without locking pins which is virtually guaranteed to cause timing issues. Even a slight anomaly in timing can cause significant MPG problems. Might be worth getting it checked.

As you say, the sensor plug has probably been knocked during the service. It is located on the sump along with the oil level sensor, so you'll have to get the engine under tray off to have a look.

I have had the same experience.....I think it's just modern windscreens that are rubbish. I have a Honda with 22,000 miles on it and I have a fairly bad scratch from grit trapped in the wiper blade. It'll probably polish out with a lot of effort, but how long before the next bad scratch?

The Touran is based on the same 'A5' platform as the Golf and Octavia. So the rear hub setup is likely to be identical to the Octavia/Golf.

I used a KAMEI Husky XXL roof box on my Octavia estate. It's a pretty big roof box at around 2 meters long and it fitted on the Estate just fine. It did touch the aerial at the back, but I just unscrewed the aerial and set it at a lower angle.....I think the hatch has a slightly shorter roof than the estate but your FL probably has a shark fin or shorter aerial than my old 2006 Estate....either way it is likely that you'll be able to fit most roof boxes on......my Husky XXL box has fore and aft sliding mounts so you can adjust it's position as necessary. I used the roof box for the same reason as you......my dog was in the boot. But I actually only needed to use it when going on holiday......I was able to live without it 99% of the time. So I'd recommend you wait until you get the dog and see how you get on. If you do find you need a roof box on all the time, consider one of the half width designs. The Halfords Exodus 470 is a full width box and will reduce your fuel consumption by around 15%. This fuel consumption penalty will be reduced with a half width box. The other consideration is that most roof boxes have maximum speed rating (my box is limited to 75mph) and they produce a bit of noise at high speed....although aero bars should reduce this. Have a look here: http://www.roofbox.co.uk/ Loads of different choices!

I believe this is because they have a 1KW electric element in the HCAV, that operates until the coolant gets up to temp.

Very good question. My Octavia takes an age to warm up too. I have owned other makes of diesel cars (Chrysler and Rover) with the Webasto heater fitted as standard, and it makes a big difference to warm up times....And the Chrysler and Rover had better warm up characteristics than the Octavia with the Webasto disabled. As mentioned, Webasto heaters don't come cheap. So I suppose they only fit them where absolutely necessary.