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Had my 2015 MK3 1.6 CR Tdi in for its yearly taxi inspection and MOT on Thursday. 190k miles and only two advisories (brake pads wearing thin) which I knew about anyway. In all those miles I’ve replaced one droplink and two front shock absorbers (after 155k) on the suspension. Still on original clutch and flywheel. Its cost me about £700 in running costs (tyres/brakes/services) each year except for 2019 when the timing belt and waterpump were done. A testament to the reliability and build quality of the Octavia, I’d happily recommend these cars to anyone. We have 12 year age limits on cars in my local authority area but sadly this car will have to go as it has a Euro 5 engine and will be banned from the city centre in 2022. Not to worry though, a diesel vRS will be its replacement. 😁

Thanks to everyone so far for their invaluable advice. I've now booked a test drive today for the 20 reg 1.0 se to take place when the dealership officially reopens in under a fortnight. Looking forward to it!

If you have tried replacing every part on your electric window system and still no luck?, well i decided to bypass it altogether. Start by bypassing the motor relay inside the housing (6 clips to undo) cut the legs so they no longer connect the relay. Then run two wires from the power/ground in to the motor connecter below the relay. The motor power and ground are the thicker end wires on the plug (drivers side) . (Red/white stripe positive) (Brown ground) Then wire your chosen dpdt window switch pictured below. Now you will have working windows. You wont have auto up/down or end of travel detection, but you will have windows that go up and down via a switch. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9rXrfv4TaeX9joqL8 Credit to Wino, Ferrit

Well, Yes - you can. It is entirely down to HOW you setup the Bluetooth connectivity. All FL Octavia's have the soft-touch (no buttons) MIB systems that support Bluetooth 4.0 protocol. On that basis, to get your wife's mobile to play its music, both phones must also support BT4.0 [anything about 2-3 years old should be fine], you must setup the MIB system to accept audio as following: OP's mobile - setup a Bluetooth connection, DISABLE A2DP audio connection (you can only make phone calls) Wife's mobile - setup a Bluetooth connection, ENABLE A2DP audio connection (you can make phone calls and listen to audio). Android Auto takes more resources and also has its own platform which doesn't support more than just its own connection.

Hi, My friend Gary recently sent me the following interesting link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq_aENVPgks What a wonderful advert; I often see adverts that leave me completely puzzled as to what they are about but this Skoda advert is different so I thought it worth passing on for those who haven't seen it. I've seen Skoda adverts that would put me off Skoda buying; this one though is clever. Doe's anyone actually buy a car having seen a car advert; my wife and I never have. Kind regards, Colin.

I might be involved in covert night time surveillance (might not be - can't say), and the last thing I want when killing the engine is to be bathed in light. Snipers, see. Can't be too careful. .

I have found the issue. I had retrofitted usb sockets for the rear passengers. I used an addin fuse to power these. That addin fuse was very close to fuse 18 for the rear camera. When I disconnect my retrofit, the camera's static was allot less. I have now decided to build a T loom for the cigarette socket. That way my retrofit stays away from the fuse box. Thank you all for the advice and the schematic. :)

And, of course, there is the fact that a really good salesman could sell a fridge to an Inuit.

Hi Alex, let us know how you got on once you have given it a good charge, there are a lot of others who are not familiar with the performance characteristics of EFB and AGM batteries. It's useful to know if members manage to recover batteries with fading performance. - NB. you don't need to remove the battery from the car to charge - just make sure you connect the Negative (black) charger clamp to the flat tag on the firewall (not to the battery terminal itself).

I makeup my mind without being influenced by ads. I pick a particular vehicle by need and requirements rather than marketing influences. My last vehicle was a bug-eyed Fiat Multipla which I owned for 10 marvellous years. It took us around Europe 6-up with luggage without a murmer. If I had listened to a work colleague who was against Fiat as a brand and my son who never saw the beauty, as I did in the model, my life would have been poorer for it.

Good ad. I have gone to look at cars and get a test drive having seen adverts and gone on to buy ones. New & Used.

Yeh don’t run it, it runs like absolute crap I had to drive to Rochdale like that. I’ll be home at 4pm, I’ll dig it out and drop you a message. I have no plans and you’re only 10 mins away so I’ll run it up to you. Expect a message around that time.

I get the impression that OP's Passat was older than 2010, and 5W-40 was more commonly used on cars of that era. There was certainly a school of thought back then that 5W-30 was not good enough to avoid serious cam/camshaft wear and that 5W-40 was a better option.

Having spent some time with both ID.4 and Enyaq there is no doubt Enyaq is far more premium when it comes to the interior. With the brown leather upgrade I would choose the Enyaq over Audi e-tron even. The screen built in the dash, the gear lever down in the console and the seats alone makes Enyaq better then ID.4 in my opinion.

Having had 4 Skodas over the last 20 years I thought the new Octavia would be yet another excellent car. How wrong I was! There are so many annoying things surrounding the use of the new infocenter and with the car software that doesn't work correctly as mentioned in other posts. I can't see Skoda sorting these things out anytime soon, if at all, and the frustrated feelings every time I get in the car I can no longer live with. Despite the huge financial cost I'm off! Skoda you've let us down and you're losing loyalty.

Fiesta runs rings round the Fabia in every department, finding an unmolested one might be tricky though, even the Fiesta Zetec with 125 BHP is like a proper old school hot hatch, eldest daughter had one and it was a scream to drive, like a mark 2 Golf GTI but with proper brakes and less understeer. I understand now.

I actually cancelled my Octavia order and went for a V60 that arrives later this month. I have a fondness for Skoda as my first car was a Fabia mk1 that only needed a new alternator in 12 years of ownership. Hope they can resolve all these issues with the new Octavia.

Man that sucks @Skodev, I hope you have an update soon. It makes no sense why things the way they are! To echo the point from @SurreyJohn @SnoopstaVRS, it used to be when near build week that you couldn't make changes. My build week is 15 for example, so I can't make changes. So what "near" means might have changed, as the factory tries to keep up/catch up with demand. Clear disclaimer: all guess work!

Does the catch need adjusting. The catch that the boot lid clips on to can sometimes be adjusted. Is there some bolts holding the catch on to the bodywork that you can undo, then reposition the catch, and then do back up again. Thanks, AG Falco

Just had a look at some reviews on it. The Stoplock sounds decent too and easier to take on and off. From this review it sounds like the Disklok is the most secure, but both are great and the Stoplock is easier to get on and off: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/95031/best-steering-wheel-locks%3famp They are the two to consider by the looks.

It used to be status 10 means order accepted, and you could usually make changes up until changed to status 20. This means no changes and your order is locked into line to be built the suggested week. Build week 23 is quite a while away (June 7th I think). Although I don't know 100% for sure @SnoopstaVRS if this is still the case. Best bet it to contact Skoda yourself on the live chat thing or give them a ring. I had the same email as you 6 days after putting my order in, since then I've had changeable dates for buildweek.

Either way, heat is the last solution.

Nice! Hope you enjoy it...

Have you tried pulling the belt all the way out just to check it's not twisted on the reel?

Mine too as FIRST option. On BOTH wheels. Replace the brake fluid too if it is older than 2 years. PS Easter is in a month.

No, but that's not to say that clued in individuals at dealerships wouldn't have made that recommendation to customers. From a customer perspective, the dealer is Volkswagen - they're not going to know or care that there's a difference between a VW TPI and a knowledgeable dealer tech's own recommendation.

The adverts are there to make you aware. Many ads like with Paloma Faith were annoying to a section of viewers including motorists. But then that causes discussions and familiarity. Like the Opera Singer ads .. You might vow never to use that Comparison Sight but ending up checking out quotes.

Looking really nice, all the same sort of prep we did before letting the kids anywhere near. Those genuine rubber mats are particularly hard wearing, kept them from my first Superb, so over 4 years and no sign of wear. Don’t forget to get a genuine warning triangle if you haven’t already got one, very cheap from Superskoda and usually missing from the handy little stowage compartment. I’ve got black badges and letters to do on mine, as soon as it gets above 15degrees. Mines pre-facelift, so silver lettering. Going to do away with “Skoda” lettering on the left, and put Superb there, with 4x4 at the same height on the right, as per facelift. Was also hoping to get an alcantara front centre armrest cover with white stitching, but they are out of stock, and I can’t find anywhere else that does them 😢

The pedal box doesn't change anything other than it gives more accelerator input than you are pressing. So you press 50% and it send 75% etc. I'd save your money and not bother with a pedal box. With a DSG remap they can change the shift points in both D and S. The shifts can also be quickened slightly and they can also increase the hydraulic and clutch pressures to handle more power.

It's quite common for the GPS antenna to break inside the roof antenna. The easiest solution is to buy a cheap aerial that has the correct fakra connector and just put it under the dash (under the top storage box is a metal bar it can be placed on). The SD is only there for music on the Columbus. The maps are stored on an internal hard drive and are updated via a DVD. It's just a standard SD card and up to 32gb I believe. Look on eBay for map DVDs. Many have had success with them. You have to put the DVD in and it copies the new maps over onto the hard drive. There are some less official ways to acquire maps but they can't be discussed here.

You're behind the times.. Latest trend is triangles

He has a photographic memory, so can presumably recall URLs on demand.

He he... I've till got my Raleigh Pioneer Trail hybrid from 1991... Reynolds 501 frame with a full Suntour XCT Xpress gear set. Was bought for john o groats to lands end (we did 550 miles then gave up in strong winds as it was when sevenoaks became five oaks in a storm) and still works spot on

Couple from an A6 I did a few years back.

As above, unless you have Columbus stereo (unlikely in a TDI vrs as it was most likely a commuter tool) you won't be able to have a second Bluetooth connection. AA still uses Bluetooth for calls. Most other stuff is done via cable.

Welcome mate. Spare wheel is an option, and s good one to have. You get the tyre gunk and an inflator otherwise. Android auto - if you want the screen on for the Mac then AFAIK that means no Bluetooth as you have to select the Media option for that

According to top of my Moll battery there are only 2 indicator colours, black and yellow. Black is good, yellow is knackered.

Collected a '20' plate Octavia SE from here yesterday (01st April). A perfectly satisfactory customer experience: I found the customer service to be unhurried (in a good way) with staff who were helpful, friendly and well-presented at what gives the impression of being a well-run dealership. I was able to get a fair part exchange deal for the vehicle I traded in and the car I purchased had been thoroughly prepared inside and out with the engine being spotless. I would certainly buy from this dealership again.

There is a voice enhancer option on the head unit that may need turning off. More info here click

This is the one you want to have, single or double walled doesn't matter if it doesn't say "Mit Silikat" then it doesn't have the silica bag. There are single and double walled versions with Mit Silikat written on them and these aren't necessarily bad, just that the silica bag could potentially burst and empty the crystals into the cooling system leading to an expensive system flush and more than likely a blocked heater matrix.

Tour of the Interior options.

I used a desolve it spray starting at the top, left it for a few mins and then used dental floss in a sawing motion and it'll come off clean. clean and polish the paint before refitting. altho I'd get the paint damage sorted before refitting

This mentions the coding

Oops, I always try to buy something ‘different’ eg Rover 75, Volvo and Saab convertibles, and my 3 wheeler. So it seems I failed this time, with an Octavia! But then it is in brown, with beige interior, so that’s a bit different, I suppose... Malcolm

http://nextgreencar.com/electric-cars/statistics http://am-online.com/news/market-insight/2021/02/16/suvs-afvs-and-tesla-what-happened-to-2020-s-new-car-registrations

Yes, you are looking for it to say on the bottle that it meets spec VW504 / 507 Quantum, Fuchs, Castrol , Mobil or any engine oil from a super market or motor factor to meet VW 504 00 / 507 00

Sorry - I can't think of anything else. Are you opening the extracted/unzipped folder and then copying the contents? If you are copying the main folder it won't work. You can try PoiBase or POInspect0r for free but with limitations.

'superb' advice. Picked up 2 60cm negative cables from Halfords this morning. Took off the air box and battery tray. Cleaned up the earthing points underneath and ran a cable to the bell housing stud and one to existing stud. I am so hoping this works but so far best bit of advice as it makes so much sense. To top things of I always had a very sloppy gearknob and every now and then 1st gear was hard to engage, found the selector nut to be totally loose, tightened that up and oh my god, what smoothness i got back from gear changes. Another thing whenever i touched the clutch i got a ticking sound that coupled with the hard 1st gear i had put down to a possibly failing dmf, all it was is the pipe coming out of gearbox the hydraulic line was sitting loose, so cabled tied that up and now no noise either. Win win win today. Just hope this battery issue is resolved

That was the route I was about to go down but thought it might be a good idea to give the main dealer a ring. Bit of a shock really, all very helpful and knowledgeable, offered a diagnostics and opinion free of charge, they got back to me saying a forced regen would clear problem? (so what had the MOT station been doing?) so in for a penny and all that. Phone call next day to collect car, everything cleared and ready for retest, cost £120, bit better than £!500, the car was even cleaned inside and out! So now all OK, MOT in hand and thinking I'm gonna use the main dealer for future MOTs