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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222024353739 Hi everyone, I've been a quiet member for a few years but have renewed my Freedom pass to say thanks and because it's time to say goodbye to Yoda the Skoda. There are only a few hours left on this eBay listing but the highest bid is currently just £429, which I reckon is a bargain. I realise it'll probably end up being broken for parts but it would be nice to see it live on. The details below are copied from the listing. The Good Bits ECONOMY (LPG): The car was converted, 10 years ago, to run on LPG, which currently costs 52.9p/litre at my local garage. The petrol system remains intact, however, and it will happily run on either. If you run out of LPG, it will switch back to petrol automatically. 4 WHEEL DRIVE: The car features the same Haldex 4-wheel-drive system as the Landrover Freelander. Normally only the front wheels drive the car, but as soon as either of them begins to slip, the back wheels join in. It's surprisingly effective in snow, particularly if snow chains are fitted. Snow chains are not included but could be by negotiation. LIFE: I have owned this car since 2006, before which it had one previous owner. It has spent most of its life on motorways and although it is high mileage, it has always been looked after and never missed a service. FRONT BUMPER: The front bumper is not cracked, unlike almost every other Octavia on the road. The rear bumper has some slight scratches but is otherwise sound. TYRES: Brand new Michelin Primacy 3 tyres were put on a few thousand miles ago. They have plenty of life left in them. SUSPENSION: All four springs and shock absorbers have been replaced in the last year or two. Since then, it has felt like new. The Octavia really is soaking up the lumps and bumps of good old British roads. RUST (lack thereof): There is a small patch of rust on the tailgate (photo) but otherwise the bodywork is in good condition. HEADLAMPS: Both headlamps were replaced a couple of years ago and show no signs of yellowing. FLUIDS and PLUGS: The oil and filter are almost new (less than 1000 miles), and platinum-tipped NGK spark plugs were installed at the same time. The brake fluid and coolant were changed in the last year, as were the Haldex oil and filter (in the 4-wheel-drive clutch). BELTS: The cam belt, water pump and pulleys were changed at 175,000 miles, for which I have receipts. BEARINGS: There is no bearing noise. Both front wheel bearings have been replaced in the last few years. FEATURES: Cruise control, 6-CD auto-changer, climate control and sunroof (why both?!), electrically operated and heated mirrors. RECEIPTS: I have a folder full of dated receipts for all services and parts. The Bad Bits The engine management light is usually on. The LPG map is not perfect and this makes the engine complain about the mixture or the lambda probe from time to time. It has been back to the LPG installer about this several times but it seems this engine is just particularly fussy (even my Skoda specialist says they sometimes throw a fault code when the weather turns cold suddenly). It hasn't been a problem for the last 10 years. The LPG system does not automatically switch over to gas (as it should do once the engine has warmed up). You can still do so manually by holding the button for a couple of seconds. This is most-likely due to a failed LPG temperature sensor, which can be replaced quite easily and inexpensively. The sensor is attached to the LPG vaporiser, which is located behind the near-side-front wheel arch liner. The plastic fascia has come off the headlamp lowering knob, which sits loosely in the dashboard. It still works (as do both the beam adjustment motors) and could be replaced very cheaply by visiting a scrap yard. The indicator relay sometimes gets a bit hyperactive and continues clicking for a few seconds after you switch the indicator off. This is a widely reported fault with these cars, and is caused by either the hazard switch (which houses the relay) or the indicator stalk. I've already replaced the hazard switch and it didn't fix it, so I would expect the fault to be cured by replacing (or possibly even just thoroughly cleaning) the indicator stalk. I have a spare indicator stalk (without cruise control) which I will include. There is a small patch of rust on the tailgate where the handle attaches to the metal (photo). I began treating it last year and it's structurally sound, but it could do with a bit more attention to tidy it up. There is some superficial scratching to the offside wing mirror (photo). The lower breather pipe should be replaced as it's falling to pieces, although only unmetered air flows through it so it doesn't affect the engine's operation. It has recently developed a misfire on cylinder 1 when cold. I haven't looked into this yet, but coil packs are known weak points on these engines. I have a spare coil pack (used but working) that I could throw in if you like. Please note: Although this car has served me well and I will be sorry to see it go, it is beginning to show its age and as such I would now regard it as suitable for spare or repair. For that reason, it is sold as seen and there will be no refunds. For some reason, I can't find a PayPal option but I can be (and would prefer to be) paid by PayPal. Update: Although it's been sitting since Christmas, I charged the battery and started it yesterday. It fired up straight away and ran smoothly. If you'd like to see and hear a video of it starting, send me a message. The alternator whines a bit, but it's done that since I installed it (second hand) about 5 years ago and the battery has never gone flat except when the car was left unused for two months recently. In other good news, it's done 192,085 miles, not 194k (I couldn't read the odometer when the battery was flat). There's a box of goodies in the boot, including spare tyre and jack, a bag of spare LPG filters, a couple of spare bulb kits, two coil packs (one looks new; the other is used), a few spare wheel bolt caps, a spare set of plugs (used but fairly clean), a spare air filter and a few other bits. The car comes with its Haynes workshop manual and has been washed outside and vacuumed inside.

It's booked into my local independent garage tomorrow. They changed the springs a few years ago so I know they can do it. Having now found and read the VAG documentation, it seems you need about half a dozen specialist tools to do it on the 4x4.

Not a daft question at all. Both sides on axle stands (under the sills) so both rear wheels are hanging. Their downward travels seems to be limited by something else - possibly the driveshafts (as it's 4x4). This is the same thing that prevented me getting the springs out in the first place. When I was trying to remove the spring, I disconnected the ARB but now it's connected again. It was a pain in the neck but maybe I need to disconnect it again. I could also try disconnecting the bottom control arms but I'm afraid I'm just going to make things even worse by undoing more bolts. One last thing that may or may not be an option is to limp to the garage with the top control arm disconnected. I really don't want to do this, though, as I'm afraid it will place the drive shaft under an unacceptable compression and damage either it or the rear diff.

Hi All, I tried to replace the rear springs on my 4x4 Octavia this afternoon. I failed. The plan now is to limp to a garage tomorrow. I've nearly got everything back together but can't get the bolt through the top control arm - it's as though the arm is too long (and the twist required of the rubber bushing makes it even harder). Any tips for re-aligning it?

Did you replace the springs in the end? I'm probably about to do the same.

I've just checked through my records and it seems the rear springs have done 70,000 miles. The previous set failed at 95,000. Is this typical (in which case I should replace the springs at the same time) or do springs often last longer than this?

I'm also planning to do this myself. I understand replacing the rear shocks (and probably springs) is much easier than the fronts. Compressing the front springs to remove the shocks looks a bit scary!

Thanks, both. I do plan to replace the fronts too - but when I can afford to! How long do the springs tend to last? Some people have said if they're that old (fronts are originals; backs have been changed once) I might as well replace them, whereas others have said that suspension springs can last a long time and if they haven't snapped, re-use them.

Hi All, Just bought some new tyres and the garage has advised me that the rear shocks and protective covers are all knackered. I'm not really into modding cars; I just want to keep it running, although it has become decidedly "wallowy" over the last few years and I'd like to get back some of the firmness it used to have. (It's a 51 plate 4x4 estate and has done 165,000 miles.) A few questions: 1. I understand 4x4s have different rear shocks to the rest of the range. 2. Any preference on brand? Most of the ads I've seen are either for Anschler or Monroe, such as these: http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/rear-shock-absorber/skoda-octavia-combi-1u5-1-8-t-4x4-150hp_v16087_g900002.html http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-OCTAVIA-1-9-TDI-1-9-TDI-4X4-1-8-T-RS-1-8-T-Anschler-Rear-Shock-Absorber-/400596195741 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Rear-Shock-Absorber-Audi-A1-A3-TT-Seat-Leon-Toledo-Skoda-Fabia-Octavia-/200965841531 3. I understand the covers that come with this bump stop kit are the ones the garage are saying are knackered: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Octavia-Mk1-1U-96-04-Powerflex-Bump-Stop-Kit-BS2006K-/321219384517 4. Are there any other parts I should replace at the same time? 5. Can this be done on axle stands or do I need a lift? Thanks in advance.

Hi Karl, did you ever have any success finding a guide for replacing the rear shocks on your 4x4? I have to do the same on mine! Tried to PM you but it said you can't receive any more messages (so I presume your inbox is full).

Update: found a linkage with motor still attached at the scrappy for £20. Bargain! Stripped it, cleaned it, re-greased and re-assembled it, and now I have the fastest wipers in the world! I also hoovered out enough leaves to solve most of the world's carbon dioxide problems, and wax-oiled everything underneath.

Mixed success here. The scuttle panel came off much more easily than expected, and with a little WD40-flavoured encouragement, so did the wiper arms. The linkage and motor came out in one piece once I'd moved one of the wiring looms out the way a little, and the arms popped off the ball joints easily. All the dirt and grime ran off with a quick blast of brake cleaner. The problem came when I realised that one of the spindles was not just stiff, it was stuck solid. I could get it to rotate the tiniest bit by hitting it with a hammer, but could not move it at all by hand. I resolved to remove the spindle and clean out the corrosion which was probably the cause. The circlip holding it in was a real pain because it has no eyelets and rotates as soon as you put any pressure on it, but it eventually came off by lining up a pair of small screwdrivers - one on either end of it - and tapping them both together. Goodness only knows where the circlip went, but that soon became irrelevant because shortly after I started hitting the (now theoretically free) spindle to remove it, the aluminium linkage snapped. (I really did try more gentle techniques first, promise!) I need the car today so I'm off to TPS to buy a new linkage now.

Thanks again, Iulian.

Thanks, Iulian, that's really helpful. Silly question but where do I look to find those two pullies? I recognise the top one and I guess the bottom one must be way down underneath it, but what's the best "way in"? From above or from below? Is it possible to see without a pit?

17748 - Camshaft Position Sensor (G40) / Engine Speed Sensor (G28) P1340 35-00 - Incor. Correlation