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Hi all, Thank you guys for replying. Today the noise issue was cured by the local authorized Skoda workshop. The part at fault was some ring that transfer electronic signals to and from the steering wheel, not sure of its proper name. Apparently this ring is at the time not sold as a separate part, so they had to replace the whole unit. It is the same unit that also holds the three stalks for ACC, high beam lights/turn indicators and wipers. Replacement was very nicely executed without any visible damage to the interior trim. The fault is now completely gone and steering is dead silent. Work was done under warranty without any discussion or hesitation whatsoever on behalf of Skoda. Kind regards,

It doesn't have one.

Why would a random red light would stop them tailgating you? Seems easier to ignore them but make sure you have a safe distance to perform an emergency manoeuvre if needed... Anyway, 10W on a 12v (ish) supply is about 0.83A so a 3A fuse will be plenty. An 18 gauge wire should easily handle 3A so you should be good...

I'd still suggest changing the battery - the 10v ish reading is a potential clue. It's the time of year that they fail(cold). Is it the original battery ? if so it's about due anyway - it's also cheapish to change.

Bit of a maintenance day today. The car has now done nearly 60k miles, mostly non-motorway so not too surprisingly the (original) front discs and pads needed replacing. Pleased to find nice large and easily accessible bolts that hold the calliper carrier on. This car always seems very easy to work on. Not like our other car, a BMW Mini. Getting the calliper carriers off that was a bit of a pain. Anyway, shiny new discs and plump new pads now installed. Then on to the cabin pollen filter, which was black and horrible. Note to self - replace more often as they are cheap. Easy to replace, took just a few minutes. New engine air filter installed although the old one didn’t look very dirty. I think I must have replaced it not that long ago and then forgotten! And finally new spark plugs. The NGK platinum ones were pushing £15 each but I suppose if this sets does another 60k that will probably do for the life of the car. In fact the ones I took out (the original ones) looked pretty indistinguishable from the new ones - apart from the shiny ness! No noticeable electrode wear. Needles to say, the car still runs exactly the same as it did before, don’t know why I bothered! Well, it gave me a virtuous feeling I suppose!

Your garage "have said it is fine and unless it does it again they cannot find the fault." Have they run proper diagnostics on your car? Scanned for any fault codes? I would still put money on it being the battery. Do you know how old the battery is? If it is the original, it will be on its very last legs at nearly 8 yrs old. Next checks, earth strap needs to be checked. A decent earth is crucial. Clean battery terminals? Terminals properly attached to the battery? If your garage is out of ideas, google your area for a VW/Skoda specialist. Sadly, I dont know of any in Pembrokeshire. You may have an auto electrician nearby that could help? HTH

If you report the faults within first 30 days, and Skoda is unable to fix them (and dealer not booking in car for a while is not fixing), then should be able to reject without questions. There is also the vehicle not as advertised, if a feature is not there, then the sale contract is not 100% fulfilled. The normal practice in these situations is to offer you a price reduction as you are effectively getting substandard item. You do not have to accept this offer, or could counter-offer with something like £1000 off or rejection still takes place. No one else can place a value on how you value a particular feature. As a general rule, beyond the 30 days, dealer has to be given a chance to rectify the problem (one chance, can’t keep having a go at it), if they can’t fix it (and a partial fix is not meeting the rectification criteria), then can still reject, but would be expected to pay for usage for time you used it. (As example if you had it 3 months, paying the equivalent of 3 months contract hire PCH rate would be reasonable, being asked to take big loss to cover a potential resale margin isn’t, a realistic deduction is bit of a grey area), so won’t get 100% of your money back. If you do reject, not obliged to get a replacement from same dealer (even if they offer you a deal), you are totally at liberty to take your returned cash and buy something from elsewhere, even another car brand. Don’t worry about the dealer ending up with a rejected car, or moaning about inconvenience or losing money, not your problem, they have their own contract with Skoda where they can get remedies.

Of course this could all be avoided if the bloody car did what it was supposed to and actually warned you that the battery was low! My Toyota will flash a yellow key at me for a good few attempts before the battery actually needs changing! I think the difference between the pulse versions is the higher current ones are better for short duration high current demand but won’t last as long overall before starting draining when a demand is placed on them, whereas the lower current one stay at max capacity for a longer overall time but won’t be able to provide as high current if/when needed.

Service manual recommends changing brake fluid at 3 years and every 2 years thereafter.

As above diagnostics over the internet are difficult, but if your garage can’t tell if it’s a faulty battery or alternator, I’d be looking for another garage that can do these simple bread n butter jobs, it’s not rocket science.

Internet diagnosis is difficult. What you have described fits in with the battery having an intermittent short circuit. A voltage of 10v is a big indicator for this. Another indicator is if the car behaves normally for a few days, then totally refuses a start but is OK for a few more days afterwards. Changing the battery will be the cheapest and quickest fix. The chances of the alternator being faulty are lower than the battery causing the issue.

apparently its all going to be forwarded on as they aint happy them selfs as its a brand new car and should not be doing this. Will ask to see that its been forwarded on, half of it is software and i know the dealers wont be able to fix, will only be fixed with a software update is my guess

Blimey. Good effort there! It must have taken some time to to that, particularly with the finish you've achieved - I dread to think how level the badges would be if I did it. I think I like that roof a bit too much....

I’m not sure how using a hair dryer will work long term anyway. You’re heating the air, which then cools and will...well, condense on the lens.

Old Octy has a swag when it rolls. Its an attention seeking machine. Mine is 16 years old now. Here's a pic

The headlights have vents on the rear so minor misting as you have is completely normal. It should clear in normal use. Another member started a post about the same thing on Saturday

Have they shown you a printout of the fault code/diagnosis? I would be asking to see how they came to that conclusion before authorising any work.

I like the Canton system, personally. It can sound a little “bright” at times but that is rare. It may not be as good as some other systems, but it is good. It’s basically the same as the Octavia but has additional speakers in the doors. MPG wise, I get about 35 overall. My commute is a mixture of motorway, A and B roads. On a long run, I’ve got 40+ but if it’s only shirt journeys, you’ll struggle to get more than 30. Personally, I didn’t buy it to hypermile and enjoy the performance whilst remaining within the legal limits.

I had long-ago concluded that there were differences in performance between these types of battery - but had assumed that it was largely down to brand i.e. you got what you paid for; I had no idea that there were variations within a brand. I looked at a Renata pack and at a Panasonic pack - and could find no other information other that that they were CR2025. I don't understand what is meant by 'pulse capacity' - I thought that it might mean that the battery is only called into action when you e.g. press the fob to open the door ........... but isn't the battery in constant demand as it's always emitting a signal? Just going back to my Karoq, and my post of 28th September (earlier in this thread) ............ My Karoq went in for service and the dealer changed the Panasonic that had been there for 3 weeks for a new unbranded one - he claimed that the 'battery was showing low-voltage'. At that time, the battery in my 'spare' fob was still operating after 2 years. Subsequently, on 23rd December the battery in my main key-fob i.e. the unbranded one supplied by the dealer, failed after 3 months; by that time, the original battery in my spare fob failed as well. So - I changed both defunct batteries for new Panasonics ....... and I'll continue to monitor their progress closely. I will also write to the dealer while the car is under warranty to inform him that their battery had failed after 3 months and that I was giving notice that this could be some sort of failure of the key-fob. My advice to anyone with this type of kessy system is to keep a spare battery and small screwdriver in the glove-box (and in the house) - and do a trial run of getting into the car via the manual-lock on the driver's side door.

Looking in fantastic condition! Thanks for posting. I think we need more photos of Skoda in India. They really seem to appreciate a decent car there.

I think as a rough guide, if you have a CD slot in the glovebox, you have MIB1. If there is no CD slot, it's a MIB2. May 2015 was the changeover so depending when your car was built, it could have either but I'm guessing a MIB1. From Skoda: If you connect your phone via USB (assuming Mirrorlink/Smartlink is activated): - MIB1 only support Mirrorlink - MIB2 support Smartlink which includes Android Auto, CarPlay and MirrorLink It might be best if you include a picture of your headunit showing the system information tab and it's part number. Once you've done that, I'm sure either @pab567 or @SashaGrace can walk you through you options. A quick google suggests an RRP of ~£1600 and various sites offering it at ~£1000!

Yeah I learnt that one the hard way and had to return a bunch of stuff to Euro Car Parts, now I have my VIN number saved on Skoda-parts.com and use that for part numbers and compatibility. Tui

Dear all, Car is 6 month old and now in winter time I noticed mist in lights after I drive it. It doesn't matter if I drive it 15 minutes or 2 hours, mist appears and it takes one full day of not driving a car to disappear. Is this normal or should I contact dealer? Thank you!

Today at Mt Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain.

I drove 4 hours last night, it was dark and rainy. I enjoyed my just stock led’s all the way. They are giving exelent lightoutput. Had severel cars with xenon and the new Octavias standard leds are better. If they are such a mess for some, then something is wrong with the car or the persons eyes.

Man what a great post @JR RS. Kudos to you for your dedication with your vehicle but what a great reference post for everyone else who may be looking for just a few of your upgrades. The links you posted are invaluable. I'd strongly suggest to the moderators that this should be a sticky post as an easy reference for others. Well done again John - now I have a Superb MkIII MY18.5 and I'll have to work out the must have's from your post. Cheers, George

I realise I didn't answer your actual question: Even with the digital amp thingy, there are only 4 channels from the Columbus to the digital amp. The amp has a built in crossover and individual wiring to the speakers. The amp also has a can-bus connection that performs at least power control (i.e turn off or on) and probably other stuff like changing EQ etc from the Columbus. Without the digital amp, still 4 channels, just directly connected to the Columbus. If you code for line level output, you'll get 4 channels line level output. There are 3rd party tricky boxes that can generate more channels from this (e.g. a center and sub) and perform proper EQ (using sampling microphones etc). I've not used any of them, I just came across them when looking to improve the audio and never got past the 'looking' stage. Also be aware that the tweeter in the doors is heat-staked on, not held in with screws. So if you're considering replacing it, it'll be a one way trip.

I spoke to Skoda today about my own PCH car, similar story, very low mileage since March last year. I've managed to extend the two year deal, they were offering six extra months at the same monthly price but the way it seems to work is that they have added three months initially and then I have to extend it before that ends to get the six months extra. Your car would surely be worth more being a VRS model but in any case all the mark 3 cars are going to take a hit now that there is a mark 4 version out.

i always have a smile to myself when i see a mk1 octy still on the road, esp if its been kept looking pretty well. as i know what it can do and what its probably been through they are getting rarer and rarer mostly due to easily fixable NCT (MOT) failures.

Making a lot of progress over the last few days. Have the front radiator support and crash bar back on. Ended up giving the crash bar a quick scuff with some 120 grit and 2 coats of gloss black just to clean it up a bit. Took both front fenders off as I thought i'd need a bit more room to get the front support on, I didn't at all. On the brightside I managed to remove about 20 kg of clay from the front arches. Next day i'm out i'll take it down and pressure wash the bay and front arches and see where the car sits.

I think he saw the aeroplane first and his mummy had to take him home.

Surely the 2000uA is what the 555 will draw internally from the 12v battery when it is directly connected, not including the output current, and it will not need current limiting. I have used these ICs in various circuits in the past on various voltages and I gave never used a current limiting resistor. The value that you really need to be concerned about is the maximum output current so that you do not overload the chip or overheat it if it us in an enclosure.

My Octy is 15 years old now.....and still I get such looks from people that if I'm driving a Skoda then I must be rolling in cash 😂😂😂 Btw here's a pic of my Octy...just after a wash and thorough polishing session.😎😎✌️✌️

Yeah, I'd agree. That is a machined finish and not damage. £40 for genuine sounds like a good deal!

Factory balancing, if you break away the rust flaking from your old discs you will see the same.

Rough guide for using VCP + VAGHelper can be found here: https://www.drive2.com/l/568355153657203363/ Make sure you keep a copy of the dump somewhere safe! When you load the dump in VAGHelper, you'll need to select the two reverse light channels and untick both cold and warm diagnostics

I think it just clips onto a piece of plastic somewhere. I'd be tempted to fix it sooner rather than later as flapping around could damage it's wires. It looks like part number 11 on this diagram: Taken from https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/octavia/oct/2015-753/8/805-805000/ One rather pants video of a Leon owner randomly talking rather than actually replacing it, still it shows the sensor fitted:

Yeah, it definitely belongs somewhere and shouldn't be free range. The thin part of that looks like a plunger switch of some sort. Does it move? Bonnet open sensor? In an ideal world, you Skoda dealer would be kind enough to have a quick look for you. This could help https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/

In that quoted post I'm talking about options added to a new vehicle. On any other vehicle you should put it's current market value, ie. what it would cost to replace it now.

Maybe the distance aspect is what I'm missing because can open from any distance, will try again, thanks.

Yep! Works a treat in our HOT Aussie climate!!! (though I have not connected the heating part, I just have it for the Heat reflective properties and my cabin is so much cooler for it)!!!

I too did the 17" S3 alloy change on my Octavia, they didn't stay on long before I went back to the standard 16" Elegance alloys My Octavia was sat on KW Springs & Dampers, the mk1 Octavia's make fantastic looking sleepers I can't comment on the 1.8t maintenance/tuning as I only had my mk1 vrs for 18months before buying the above PD130, that said, my PD130 had 185bhp & 343ftlb and handled the power fine with the standard 205/55/16 tyre size & allows the 312mm brake upgrade to fit nicely

This is an interesting thread & good to see someone else making an effort with their Mk1. As for the wheels, I've done the same as you in the past. The car looks better on the Avus rims but as you say, they're heavy. I once put some Audi 'fat fives' on my old Mk1 and they ruined the ride & handling. They looked good but after a few days I went back to the standard Spiders and the car felt so much better straight away. I've currently got a set of 18" OZ Ultraleggera on the car which strike a good balance between looks and weight. They're lighter than the standard Spider rims but they aren't cheap. I've also got a set of 17" Pro Race 1.2 in the garage and again, they're light but seeing as I bought them new, they cost me quite a bit when new tyres were added. I have a problem when it comes to wheels and have spent a fortune over the years on my cars trying to find the sweet spot between looks, weight and cost. Keep the posts coming.

Good to know! I’m in Swansea but travel between Llanelli and Cardiff for work so down that sort of area anyway. 👍

Free Display Stand Offer Some more info on costs for the weekend and how the 'free bit works'. Tickets will be £21 per day, or £40 for the weekend. This covers car + driver on the stand. Additional tickets available for family, friends, public/non stand parking. For stand parking, briskoda will be covering the costs via a post event claimback (voucher or similar). Easier to organise than paying for 15/25empty spots. So those on stand will have to order and pay for a ticket, but then claim back. I'm only covering the driver and car on stand; children under 12 go free... I've initially said 15. I'm sure this can be modified. I've no idea how many would want to go, although this is a pretty sweet offer I think. I could do with a volunteer to be an on site contact/organiser for the weekend (1st/2nd May). We'll cover stand costs, or public parking if not on stand, hotel and food ( think premier inn not hilton & not drink I'm afraid ). Link to Club/Stand tickets available soon. Reply to subscribe and keep up to date on this event.

Fantastic driver and team .

In case anyone is still reading this thread, I've just fitted one of the Vanku Android 10 units in my VRS after a brief experiment with one of the REALLY cheap far East specials (sound was abysmal so binned that straight off). First impressions are good - sound is probably actually better than the original HU, having Maps etc available for nav is so much better than using a vent phone holder, and being able to take calls from it is super handy. Lessons learned: I got lucky that my canbus is a later revision that doesn't drain the battery, but wasn't even aware that was a thing until after I'd fitted it. Would have been smart to check that first really. You need a whole bunch more stuff than just the head unit - I got a Connects2 canbus quadlock - ISO adapter so wouldn't have to mess about with wiring into ignition switched fuses, and needed a double din cage and fascia adapter and it's still not quite right. Need to do some extra sanding, I think. Oddly, fitting this actually brought my insurance down a bit when I declared it - no idea why, but there we are. Hope that helps anyone still looking at this thread!

Glad to see the WRC will be coming back to Wales next year after this year's cancellation.