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Just been emailed by the salesman Car is at the docks waiting for a ship to the UK 👍😁🏎️ Looking at early September delivery 😁😁😁😁😁 Sportline 85 Maxx+winter +driver

Jaaaaaaaaaag E Type at the supermarket yesterday.

Whopper of a Hoverfly on our Buddleja earlier: Gaz

Comparing Apples & pears or oranges & lemons really.

If the MoT was carried out at a VW/Skoda dealer, then my view is this is an an attempt at upselling you a pair of Shock Absorbers. A few years ago I had my Civic Type R in at a Honda main dealer for a health check. Two rear shockers were advised due to list misting, so they must have a small leak. Took the car to my local Halfords to double check, your shockers are fine I was told. (Made a change from Halfords recommending parts replacement when not required.)

I am new to the Skoda scene and looking Ng forward to using Briskoda. I have a 2018 Octavia Estate with a 1.0 litre engine.

Buy it, buy it!!! 😁 G

I think my personal first port of call would be to check that the battery is in a good state of health. A lot of electrical gremlins can be either caused by the battery being at a low state of charge or even if the voltage has dropped during cranking and sent everything a bit crazy which then puts lights on the dash and codes on the ECU when nothing is actually wrong. If the battery is fully charged and fine, I'd try to get some live data from the wheel speed sensors to see if one of those is failing. Another option is to find an empty bit of road and safely jump on the brakes to activate the ABS (or not if it's not working). Sometimes if things have been sitting, things can get a bit sticky and need something to wake them back up 😁.

ABS wheel sensor perhapd?

I've dug the gaiter off mine again, photographed the selector (see attached - which looks identical to the one in the YouTube video I linked to earlier in this thread as far as I can see), and sent the photos to AKS Tuning who advise me that 5Q0713128A is correct for it, so I have ordered one just a few minutes ago. I'll document the arm rest and console removal when I try and fit it which will be some time next week, and @jtmattila I will confirm the part number on my selector so we can see if it's the same as yours.

With diesels the emissions requirements went up in series of temporary steps (hence euro6d temp etc). And the emissions equipment got more complicated and/or more sensitive over time to comply. A car that has done 15k miles per year, would almost certainly have done regular journeys long enough to allow it to get hot enough to clean itself (doing a regen). There is always a trade off, the engine might be better (providing it has been properly serviced), but other parts, suspension, brakes etc are likely to be closer to point they need changing. It's a case of getting down on knees and visually inspecting, and what full service history says has been done recently, and making a decision based on apparent condition. Ultimately when looking at 4-7 year old cars, there is no specific sweet spot, it's how well serviced and maintained it has been. Be wary of any delayed servicing etc

Hi everybody I’ve been a very happy Skoda owner since 2002 2002 Fabia 1.9 Tdi bought new in UK 2008 Octavia 1.9 Tdi bought new in UK 2012 Yeti 2.0 Tdi bought new in France I’m waiting for Octavia Estate/’Kombi’ 150 bhp automatic Ordered in France: February 2025 Estimated delivery date: November 2025 Given that I am 70 and tend to keep my cars for…err decades, I think it would be over optimistic to think I’m likely to buy another one. I’m pretty paranoid about looking after bodywork and so on and having cars serviced very regularly. Luckily, I have an absolutely brilliant two-man French garage for mechanical stuff – independent, but specialising in VW, Skoda and Mercedes. My question is, what is the very best way to provide long-term care of the bodywork? I’ve heard of ceramic coating and also another technique that I can’t just remember the name of. I would be really interested in any thoughts – most of all, I’d welcome any experiences you’ve had with these or other methods. I would be quite inclined to get anything done in the UK, as I’d say that the whole French car market and philosophy of car ownership is pretty different from the UK, especially in a very rural area, like here; any specific providers/reviews would therefore be great, as well Thanks in advance for any advice, comments, general or specific views. Paul

These things happen. The first thing I would do is get some clear Gorilla tape to seal over the damaged fog light. This will stop any water ingress. Then, take a look underneath/through the engine bay/through the towing eye hole and make sure that the bumper is securely on - I.E. no major cracks, no majorly damaged fixings. Looking at the damage you should be okay, but it pays to check. Similarly, inspect behind the bumper and make sure nothing is damaged - again, doubt it, but do check. Regarding the headlight washer, my honest solution would be to plug the end, cover in Gorilla tape and zip tie somewhere out of the way. If you turn the headlights to off, the headlight washers will not activate, at any point. Hopefully someone can advise on whether fixing the washer nozzle properly is a viable option. If I'm honest, with potential damage to the bumper, I'd be inclined to seal the washer system off, apply tape, and drive the car as normal. FYI - most dealers can get parts next day. I would be more interested in replacing the fog light on Friday (it can be done with the bumper on), in order to safeguard the electrical system. The washer, IMO, is a nonissue. I've had an arch liner crack into four pieces the day before a France trip, and the battery die on my Octavia a week before a Scotland trip. It's sods law, but you'll make it. My plan would be to make sure the car is structurally sound, then electrically sound, and then worry about the washer. Look at the silver lining - you are very fortunate you didn't crack the headlight! Those things are expensive.

If the car has been recently serviced, why worry about a service plan at moment You could just as easily put £30-40 per month in a drawer at home, so that you have a pot of cash to pay for next service (or could set up standing order transfer to a deposit account). Ultimately all the plans are to benefit Škoda, and try and lock you in to their servicing and be profitable for them. However they jazz it up they haven't been created for you to get a bargain and save a fortune, they are gain for dealers. From memory no plan is comprehensive, there are always bits not included, and unless you do typical mileage, the parts that are due by the calendar (every 2 or 3 years), don't always coincide with those that are mileage based. So end up with bits of plan covering items not yet due, and others due but not in the plan. Rather restrictive if ideally you need part servicing at different times of the year.

They can write anything they like as an "Advisory" as long as it is factual. For example "Advisory - brake pads 10% worn", which actually means 90% pad life remaining.

Could be the crank sensor, something similar happend to the Mrs on an old mercedes she had

Good job well done. Yes it is quite a bit fiddly...and you description is quite spot on 😆

I'd love it even more in BRG.

Roomster parts catalogue 1 6Q0411105AG Front coil spring 1 red paint mark 1 yellow paint mark L05 8 6Q0413031BJ Front shock absorber G40 https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/RO/481/4/411/411000 Some front aftermarket coil springs matching 6Q0411105AG Bilstein 36-199884 Eibach R10470 KYB RH3350 Sachs 998750 https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/6q0411105ag?supplier%5B%5D=16&supplier%5B%5D=253&supplier%5B%5D=85&supplier%5B%5D=112&supplier%5B%5D=246

IMO, If it needs a new Siren & Battery buy one, & fit it. If you can not change the battery yourself. If you can not diagnose what the fault is go to a Auto Electrician not a Main Dealership.

We seem to be descending into speculation here. I looked into both the 3G and the TMC switch off in the UK in some detail. Here are some facts pertaining to VAG products. First 3G When I spoke to VAG about 6 months ago I eventually confirmed there were no plans to allow cars that depended on it for comms to be retrofitted with anything. No modules or conversion kits planned and the cars so fitted would remain compliant with UK regulation even after 3G was switched off. So VAG abandoned owners of cars that were only 6-7 years old. The vast majority of VAG product that has an Emergency Call button is using 4G and or was built to be 4G compatible. Practically this means that for older infotainment it becomes a dumb system and there is no connected information. So you can't use Google maps and you can't get real time traffic. You may or may not be able to use Android Auto. There are some aftermarket companies that will pull out the factory fitted infotainment and replace it with something more modern. It's a bit of a lottery though as to if it will work on any specific make and model. It's not a small job so quite expensive compared to buying a Tom Tom. Second TMC This has apparently been switched off in the UK. More correctly the company providing it has stopped providing it. The basis for this may or may not have been contractual. In other European countries TMC is provided by (sponsored) government. Not so in the UK it seems. So if you take your car abroad TMC may well still work as it depends on a radio signal.

As a 'feature' of my sun-baked brain today I first read that as 'a hovercraft' and wondered for a moment how it was not destroying the Buddleja. I think I need to go lie down for a bit ...

Recently purchased a 2016 Skoda Octavia RS 162TSI Wagon and was wondering where I can purchase the usual cosmetic mods (e.g. rear diffuser, front splitter, spoiler etc.) as I am located in Australia. Maxton AU offers a few goodies however they have a pre-order and waiting times of 6-8 weeks and a slightly higher price tag. Is it worth the wait for the Maxton parts; or can anyone recommend me a rear diffuser and front splitter that ship to Australia; but doesn’t come with an unreasonable shipping cost. Thanks. :)

Your shock absorber part number is just about visible on the sticker, 6Q0413031BJ. Again, the letters make all the difference among the variants.

Yes, we've done the journey (600+ mile) in many cars, taking various times do it. I think the record was just under eight hours, however that as done by my dad in 1994 (brand new 2.9 VR6 Golf company car, with two fuel stops and nothing else). That being said, taking fourteen hours to do it, over two days, with ACC and CarPlay, is a much better experience. When buying the Octavia, I had to have cruise control, but I didn't really care if it was smart, dumb or what. Even when I first got it, I couldn't work out what the fuss with ACC was about - then, around two months after buying it, I took it up to Scotland in one day, and I understood! I've done the London-Southampton run probably 100 times over the last four years. From M25/M3, M25/A31, M23/A27, to completely cross country, at all hours and driving styles in various cars, I've decided that it doesn't make much difference how fast you drive. Your speed is governed by external factors, such as traffic, speed cameras or how long it takes at KFC in Cobham. Unless the journey is ten hours long and you're doing 100mph versus 60mph, it's not worth it. I've watched people fly past me doing well over the limit, only to end up fifty feet ahead when we hit a jam. The car is locked, although I've had to leave the bonnet propped open as I felt it was a bit close to the clamps when resting closed. I see the appeal of attaching a permanent connector to the positive, however I don't really expect to be charging it more than once a year - I usually cover plenty of miles.

In case you don't know and ever need it, that yellow thing (bit of wunderbar VW fantastic-plastic) is for if the lever gets stuck in 'Park'

Thank you all so far – further contributions very welcome! – for your comments and suggestions: I knew Briskoda would be the place to ask. I think that you’ve succeeded in putting me on a much more common sensical path. Everything you’ve all mentioned has been useful, but I’ll pick up on a few points: Paint Protection Film honestly seems OTT in general and both too expensive and not practical for the real world, so I’m going to ditch that thought. If ceramic coating isn’t primarily protective and also ideally needs to be done at delivery, I can’t see the point of that either. As an aside, Skodas are not common here in France and the (relatively few, anyway) dealers are often in the hands of very few businesses. Sadly, my supplying garage is pretty awful in all respects – there wasn’t really a practical alternative - and I wouldn’t trust them not to make a massive mess and charge me a ridiculous amount. Like whippersnapper, travs and others, I think that regular, careful attention to cleaning and bodywork preservation is the only thing that makes sense. Interestingly (to me!), stubev156 mentions ‘something called Diamondbrite.’ Although I am pretty sure it won’t be the same product, this takes me back to ……. A Long Long Time Ago (1980s) and my first car, a Golf Diesel (one of the very first – these were the days when I was given a map of the UK with stations that sold diesel for cars marked on it and people looked, as though it was a tractor, when they heard me coming through the streets of Bournemouth!) I bought something called Liquid Diamond and, after a not very professional wash, simply applied coat after dried coat for about 5 days. It seemed to provide a definite and quite thick patina and, when I sold it many years later, the only significant rust was where a dealer had backed it into a vehicle hoist and bashed in the rear end (thank you John Fox, Basford, Nottingham) With my subsequent cars – all VW and then Skodas – I’ve followed the same regimen, but using Collinite instead. It is insanely dry and dusty here (37 at the moment – midday) and washing is out of the question, which is a pity, because my Yeti (bought in 2011 and which I intend to keep, as I’d get no more than £3,500 for it here) still looks really good. I’m going to read all this in more detail, as there’s a lot I want to follow up, but thanks again very much.

Welcome to Briskoda @william_nl

Welcome to Briskoda

Very good question to which I have no answer. I note that in the Karoq specs after a certain date it says there is a firmware upgrade for 4G. No idea about the earlier ones. I assume (silly I know) that going forward the sim modules will be easily dealer replaceable. I think the unit is just behind the glove box for that reason. I know many owners could replace their own if they could get the parts but... I think that the general plan is that when then next G spec is announced, it is phased in about 5 years later. So you can start to get devices (cars) compatible before it is launched. However, I have seen it mentioned in several places that cars don't need 5G at all, and it would make sense to stay on 4G. Especially as all new cars (millions) in the last decade have this feature one way or another. Also as mentioned, cars have a 15 ish year lifespan not 6 years like phones. I used to be a member of this https://aesin.org.uk/ but haven't been keeping up since I retired 3 years ago.

@Matess36 I confirm what @varaderoguy wrote, in such case I believe this is either some HW issue with your infotainment unit or broken microphone harness.

You are on the latest firmware.

3G, (G3 Gulfstream? You obviously more in different circles to me. :-) ) Looking at the industry stuff, 3G was the start of this sort of thing in cars but as soon as 4G was specified the car manufacturers made 3/4G compatible stuff. However, it really took off and the number of 4G systems out there rocketed. So it is intended to keep 4G running a lot longer than if it had just been for phones that get replaced on a 3-6 year cycle. Cars are on a 15-year life cycle. Also, they don't and won't need 5G bandwidth. I have seen suggestions that 4G will be retained for cars and other devices with 5G phones/tablets/laptops and the like. However, I don't expect 4G to go in less than 10–15 years.

Cheers Occy, will let you know how it goes.

One example, other makes, models and suppliers are available. - Ring Smartcharge 4 - 6/12V 4 Amp Intelligent battery charger and maintainer. . Automatically switches to long-term maintenance mode when the battery is full. . Connect quickly with clamps or use the included O-ring terminals to add a permanent connection. . Automatic 9-Stage Smart Charging Process. . https://shop.ringautomotive.com/rsc904-4a-smart-battery-charger-maintainer.html

SOS works unless there is a fault. It's independent of any subscription. Breakdown works only if you are registered. AFAIK in UK. Then again all Skoda seem to come with a lot of free Skoda Connect included. (Even the amazing (sic) Traffication app which could be really good but not so much currently.) In reality 3g has ended already. TMS also shutdown in the UK already.

I have the same engine, no noise like yours.

@OccyVRS Japan Racing SL01 in gun metal color.

For the record - I've never spoken to this man before in my life... bit of an aggressive way to speak to a stranger, but each to their own I suppose. My current cannon/lance is on the way out, so will probably use that as the sealant one when I get another. I didn't look very hard because I knew I'd just ask you when I remembered. I'll take credit for the idea - the fact that your execution of said idea is poor, frankly, is beyond the scope of my genius.

I really liked your suggestion with the rag—very creative! Unfortunately, it won’t work with my plans over the next few weeks, but I hadn’t come across anything like it during my earlier research, so thanks for sharing it. I’m aware of many of the alternative approaches discussed in this and other forums, which have been incredibly informative. That said, to keep this thread focused, I’d prefer not to revisit those broader discussions here. Ideally, I’m just looking to hear from someone who has actually disconnected the battery and can confirm whether the alarm did—or didn’t—go off randomly afterwards. Thanks again to everyone for the helpful input so far!

That sort of thing never hurts - it can only help. The automatic call feature I mean - the airbags definitely will hurt. I am a frequent mountain biker (as in, downhill drops in Welsh mountains rather than cross country in the Surrey Hills) and even though I can't remember the last time I rode without friends, both my Apple Watch and Garmin are set up to call home if they detect a crash (be it accelerometer based, heart rate or whatever). It's the same reason I carry around torches, a first aid/basic trauma kit, road flare (whoops) and a few other bits and bobs in the boot. I hope, and expect I'll never need them, but I'd rather carry them and be laughed at by anyone that looks under my boot floor, than be in a position some day that they're needed. I do a lot of travelling up in the North of Scotland. I'm not in Sutherland and the like that often anymore (they are quite remote) but even in places where the emergency services are 30 minutes away or signal is poor (which is a fair bit of the journey up there, actually), something as silly as an Amazon tourniquet or flashing warning beacon could make the difference between being on local news, or national news. To be clear - I'm not one of these EDC/Prepper people - I don't go to the shops with paracord, a penknife and fire starter. I just think it's better to be prepared and not need something, than need it and wish you had it - be it an emergency packet of Haribo, an Amazon trauma kit or a bin bag for when I inevitably spill sauce down myself when out for dinner. I don't carry a spare wheel, though. The car didn't come with one, and if I were to buy one, where would I keep my zombie apocalypse bug-out pack?

Hi there. The button that you have highlighted in the picture stops the interior courtesy lights coming on when you open the door. Hope this helps.

At least it has you in the UK. (al be it in German) mine seems to think England is in Deutschland. When I get rid of this car I will really have to find a Brexiteer or Reform supporter to sell it to. :-)

Absolutely... AFAIK if the airbags go of it automatically calls home and a human will come on the line. If they don't get a response they call the emergency services. If they do get a response then, depending on the information they can see about the car, and how you sound/what you say they will call emergency services or not.

I strongly suspect that the alarm operation will be 'Fail Secure' and will sound if the battery is disconnected while the alarm is armed.

@Alanovich There is no filter to change, but there are 2 oils. In the MCU and in the box. Maybe consider changing at 100,000 miles. There can be a reset done if needed in a year or 5 if needed.

No chance

Not sure what turbo is fitted but personally I would leave it if its working properly. You could source a second hand one and rebuild it as a quick replacement if yours fails. I did rebuild one from a volvo 940 years ago as the fins had gone and it was burning oil but found the simplest option was to buy a new core etc Alasdair

Yes - assuming your new battery is also AGM (Fleece) just change the A/hr setting to the new battery capacity and change the last digit of the existing, recorded battery serial number.