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Adding this for anyone that comes across the same issue. Noticed a slightly extended crank a day or so ago, along with a few seconds worth of poor idle and then ran as normal. Checked for codes, and none showing. Checked plugs when I got home again and all ok. Checked the lpfp count and was at or around 50% at idle. No hesitation or misfires and none detected on scanner. Rail holding pressure within parameters and both lpfp and hpfp showing requested and actual pressures where they should be. Checked the plugs again this morning on a cold engine for damp, and they were dry and showing no signs for concern. And now for the culprit. On a stone cold engine, the engine coolant temp sensor was showing 80c while the radiator outlet sensor showed about 1c within ambient air temp. A new coolant temp sensor now fitted and all showing back within normal tolerance levels and no more extended crank issue. Just thought this might be useful for anyone with the same problem now or in future and hopefully it saves them time and money.

I'll cut the old horn unit open after the swap, to see if there's anything to see.

If people cannot understand and accept that as a car lover, I'm going to have a strong interest in all cars regardless of their drivetrain. As an electrical engineer, I'm naturally going to be interested in EVs, but currently not to the extent that I would have one until the bugs have been eliminated. Those that have EVs, I defend their right to have them if it was their free choice. I and others object to being labelled as anti-EV; we are not. We are against being forced to accept second-hand cars because new ICE cars are being phased out. Imagine (if you can) EVs were the norm and they were being withdrawn and those who wanted to have a new car were being forced to have an ICE car and your freedom of choice was removed. I cannot for a single minute accept that you would be happy. Now if people cannot see and accept that I'm being 100% genuine, then it is they who have the problem and closed minds.

Do you mean the main car battery? That's very new. Much more likely the rechargeables inside the alarm horn, from what I've read. Skoda even suggested a five year life for the units at one time.

The problem with wiring is that copper will work-harden after a lot of flexing - this causes the conductor to lose flexibility and fracture inside the insulation. The answer is to use many more, thinner strands to make up the conductor.

Car wiring is getting thinner and thinner. They get away with thinner wire and harder thinner insulation that can cope with higher current so I reckon not so flexible and more prone to breaks. Old friend used to fit Taxi meters and some of the wiring he had to deal with was more like threads rather than cable. I suppose its a cost thing but would happily pay extra for decent cable. Alasdair

Replace the washer pump.

Did another DSG adaptation today. Since the DSG service the car has felt a bit sluggish and a noticeable jerk in and out of 1 & 2, and up changes even when at constant speed. So tried again with the adaptation following some tips from @AL2772 Now it is silky smooth and holds the gears nicely. Very happy with the result. Also loaded up with ceramic tiles for our new utility room. It turns out 180kg in the boot is just the right ride height. I think an Eibach pro kit might be the next big purchase once the builders are paid!

Yes, then runs as normal when the engine is warm.

If the current wheels are 225/45R18 or 225/40R19, then changing to 205/60R16 should make quite an improvement to ride comfort...especially if tyres with soft and flexible sidewalls are chosen. 16" rims will clear the front brake calipers on all Octavia MK4 diesels including the most powerful 2.0TDI 200PS (FWD or 4x4) models. Uniroyal RainExpert 5 205/60R16 92V (Euro label C A 71dB) (Example tyre, not a recommendation) https://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s741p213005/Uniroyal_Tyres_Car_Uniroyal_RainExpert_5_205_60_R16_92V_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_A_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB 6.5Jx16 ET46 5/112 57.1 alloy rim VELORUM (Example alloy rim, not a recommendation) https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5e3071496aa8z8-aluminium-rim-16-velorum-skoda-41408.html

Just sharing the options there are. Obviously the overall.nds method works well for this case. But like I said, just sharing what's possible. That's all. 🙂

UPDATE : So the car went in on the 15th June and I got it back today. After running loads of diagnostics the ECU was shown to be faulty, this had to come from Europe as they don't keep them on the shelf in the UK. They also found a loose pipe in the engine bay which seemed to be related to some of the errors we were having. Drove 70 miles home without any errors but had to leave it in sport as the throttle response in D is still crap,bit like turbo lag from the good old days. Sport seems to almost stop it dropping in to two cylinder mode, which causes more issues than it's worth. They haven't replaced the 12v battery but if the car now behaves I will be swapping it myself for a better Yuasa AGM one and recoding it with my OBDELEVEN. If the car doesn't behave then I will probably just sell it as being seven months old now, the amount of agro to now reject the car became very very obvious in conversations at the dealer plus there are other things in our lives at the moment much more important than wasting energy fighting an up hill battle.

Alarm horn replacement has jumped to the top of the work list. Was sounding with no obvious trigger this morning. That's the second false alarm in a few months. No fault codes in BCM, but I will replace anyway I think. It's the factory original and so just over 14 years old now. Bought an eBay one a while back with a recent date code (2024 I think). Looks like wipers need to come off to get scuttle cover off and out of the way.

you can remove the undertray and you will see a code on the gearbox starting with 0GC if it is the DQ381, or if you look on you tube for "dq381 filter change" you will see where the screw-on oil filter is located on top of this gearbox. If you open the bonnet and shine a torch at night, you should find it (you'll need T25 & T40 torx and a 24mm socket to remove the undertray)

@viper42 Bit more than a few years, Exciter aka Stefan did it in 2017. Used a piece of software that opens the path out. Called something or other. Impressed Seat board members at the time and got christianed as "the workaround" found on all Seat board across Europe now. Shuffle one nds file and that's your lot. Exciter takes the credit. Toolbox CID Off why bother when the workaround is so easy. One comes across people from time to time trying to do it that way not knowing what they are doing. A card with a CID isn't that expensive then you just use the workaround. That's if you want two cards. So you hear muttering of expensive SD cards but against that fiddling with the firmware. Retrofitter were quick to flog their solution but a waste of money. Just needs file copy skills. I keep the file in the directory path and just do a replace, my crib sheet method. We also found after people kept loosing that overall.nds file that any previous release to the original would work but not anything after. So one solution for those who deleted the file. Sort of a function of Mapcare, you can install old maps but nothing ahead. Moving that file gives the unit a kick up the backside and generates the navigation FeC for the new map but also generates a flag to say its got more than one navigation FeCs that you can't remove via normal coding. Still thousands of cars are happily running around with this flag set across Europe thanks to Exciter. That didnt come out till later. But not an issue. Mapcare in mib2 is only something that Seat and Audi have to worry about.

A few recent photos.........

With UK pricing now confirmed, the new Škoda Peaq is shaping up to be one of the most interesting seven-seat EVs to hit the market. Starting from around £52,000, offering up to 395 miles of WLTP range, fast charging, a premium interior and genuine seven-seat practicality, it looks like Škoda has packed a lot into its new flagship. The big question is... Would you order one? If yes: Which trim would you go for? Rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive? What colour would you choose? It certainly looks like Škoda has built a compelling family EV, but will it be enough to tempt buyers away from the established competition? Interested to hear what everyone thinks and whether this is on your shortlist.

I use the car scanner App. And in the service menu there is DSG adaptation for DQ250. You do 45 seconds with engine off then about 2 minutes with engine on and you get all the clonks and whirring. I’m assuming it’s the same as OBD11 and VCDS in that it resets all the bite points and clutch pressures. I tried it before then doing the drive in odd and then even gears but it didn’t seem to learn the right kind of characteristic of driving for me. @AL2772 advised that once I had done the programming to drive it hard in D and that seems to have taught it the gear changes I like. I’ve got a couple of service jobs and a little project to work on with it first. Pro kit for the future at some point I think.

Needs the "workaround" on a Seat although some of the other boards neglected to tell you that. Seat was snotty with mapcare unlike VW and Skoda. Workaround is easy enough. One file is retained from the original SD card and overwritten on the new release and Bob's your Uncle. There were a few 2019 models where Seat gave up with mapcare failing that the workaround or the mib2 standard toolkit but that's much more problematic. Every body does the workaround except those that like to risk it. Had the 32gb all Europe and EU1 working for the 16gb cards.

If it happened after headlight removal I would remove headlight again and check that all wiring is secure/no corosion/no breaks. It could also be coincidence and the motor in headlight has failed. Perhaps a scan with vcds would ping up a code or point to any underlying problems. Alasdair

There seems to be some strong clutching of straws and histrionics from the anti EV people if that video is anything to go by.

If it has a DQ381 then 80,000 miles is the service time, Oil & Filter, nit the filter waiting to the 2nd service as some Dealership Staff say. But, VW Group / Skoda as far as i understand limited those 2.0 TDI 115 / 116 PS cars with a DSG to 250 Nm. Manuals have 300 Nm. Same as happened with Polo GTI 1.8TSI 192 PS cars. Manual 320Nm, DSG 250 Nm. Funnily or as you get with VW Group the lower torque and heavier DQ200 DSG car was / is quicker.

@KinderBean Is an independent taking off the MCU to change the filter? Many UK Dealerships refuse to service a DQ200. Others have Service Desk staff that says required, but have no idea what the DSG is they are talking about.

dealer will not change the filter but an independant will if you ask them. Dealer is forced to use OEM fluid which is expensive. Alternative fluids are cheaper.

Is it the 2.0 ll TDI 115ps? Has that a DQ200 7 speed Twin Dry Clutch DSG with no Service Regime / Schedule. 2 oils, in the box and in the MCU. Only a small oil filter in the MCU that is only changed if stripped? Or is it something else?

1 wire failure and 4 waiting to happen (as well as those we cant see under the wire insulation) New harness replacement is now £190 🙄

First of all: thank you for the brilliant hack - it really works and will save your summer road trip! This is exactly the kind of weekend project that hits my sweet spot—part grease monkey, part code monkey. Unlocking Smartlink (Apple CarPlay/Android Auto) on the Skoda Fabia III (Swing 3, MEN2) by directly flashing the M95256 EEPROM is a brilliant hack, but as noted in many of the comments, the original guide can be a bit of a maze. If you've got a Fabia III and want to tackle this without bricking your head unit or losing your mind, here is the streamlined, battle-tested notes based on real-world trial and error. Read this as supplement to the original guide. Hardware & Teardown NotesGetting the head unit out and prepped is half the battle. Don't force things, but be prepared for a little stubbornness from the VAG-group hardware. The Right Removal Tool: The "VAG Radio removal tool" isn't universal. While the original guide might point you to different keys, for the Skoda Fabia III, you strictly need the No. 1 removal tool. Don't bother with the No. 2 keys; they won't seat properly in the Swing 3 chassis. I suggest getting a kit – better quality and you will not cut your fingers on cheap e-bay tools. Wrestling the Connections: Once the unit is loose, detaching the back wiring can be a pain. The yellow connector comes off easily, but watch out for the white dual-Fakra antenna plugs. They are notoriously sticky. I actually broke the plastic housing on mine trying to get it off. Pro tip: Even if the plastic clip snaps, they are single plugs underneath and will still attach securely when you reassemble, so don't panic if it cracks. The EEPROM Programmer Setup (CH341A)We are targeting the 95256RT EEPROM chip on the board. You need a CH341A USB programmer, a 1.8V adapter, and an SOIC8 test clip. Assembly: Assemble the stack exactly as shown in the setup: Programmer base -> 1.8V Adapter -> SOIC8 Clip. Make sure to align pin 1. The 1.8V adapter is non-negotiable for this chip; The ”Red Light” power issue (see below) happens when supplying 3.3V or 5V or not enough power. The "Red Light" Power Issue: When you attach the clamp to the chip on the PCB, keep an eye on the programmer's red power LED. If it immediately goes out or dims drastically, you have a power delivery issue, not a dead chip. USB 3.0 is Your Friend: To fix the power drop, plug the programmer directly into a high-powered USB 3.0 port on your motherboard, not a cheap hub. Patience with the Clamp: The SOIC8 clip is finicky. It took me about 10 tries of gently seating, unseating, and wiggling the clamp before the pins made solid contact and the software recognized the chip. Keep at it. What does success look like? Data in the Hex editor window and not zero 00 everywhere! Software, Flashing, & Security (The Linux Way)All due respect to the original poster, but as a rule of thumb: never download and run random executables from forum users. You don't need their .exe files. You only need the raw Python script (MEN2SwingPatch.py). Because of this, Linux is by far the superior environment for this hack. If you're on Windows, just install WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)—there are plenty of simple guides out there—and do it safely. Here is the Debian/Ubuntu Linux workflow using IMSProg: 1. Install the Flashing Tool: Forget hunting for sketchy Windows drivers. Just open your terminal and run: sudo apt update sudo apt install imsprog 2. The Read & Patch Workflow: Open IMSProg. Make sure it says Connected (green box at the bottom) and set the Chip Type to 95_EEPROM, Manufacture to ST, and Name to M95256 (32K size, 1.8V). Hit Read. This pulls the original firmware off your radio. Save this file as 1.bin. (Keep a backup of this safe somewhere!) Open your terminal in the directory where you saved it and run the patcher script: python3 MEN2SwingPatch.py 1.bin This will generate a new file named 1.bin_patched.bin. 3. Flashing the Patched File: Go back to IMSProg. Under Auto Options, make sure the following are checked: Erase, Check erase, Program, and Verify. Load your newly created 1.bin_patched.bin into the hex editor. Hit Go! The software will wipe the chip, verify it's blank, write the patched Smartlink-enabled hex data, and do a final checksum verification. Once that passes, unclamp the chip, reinstall the head unit in your Fabia, and enjoy your unlocked Smartlink!

Shocking is about the right word. Such a practical thing with the rear seat system. I regret not buying one now and staying with a Fabia.

Just general comments really, I fussed about this when I had my 2000 VW Passat 4Motion and at that time, maybe round about 2005, the "AC bombs" seemed to have a long tube and that needed feeding into the air plenum box - but I didn't actually complete that task! By the time that I got round to re-visiting that task with later cars, all the "AC bombs" had done away with the long tube, and the plan was now to just start up the car with all windows closed, turn on the AC on recirc, place the bomb on the floor in the rear of the car, and set it off, close doors and leave the car for a certain length of time, then open the door, switch off the engine and remove the now empty bomb container - job complete. I've used that method but removed the pollen filer first then closed the pollen filter cover, and fitted a new Frecious pollen filter after running that AC bomb. Edit:- sorry that I didn't answer your question exactly, but in all these cars the AC evaporator is inside the cabin heater box, along with and beside, the heater matrix. So, that is a closed mainly plastic box and getting into that area in a way that allows full access to the evaporator - will be a very big job, so all you can try is to use one or two of these "AC bombs" and that should kill the bugs and most of the smell.

I'm with the above opinions of get it done only if it needs doing. The wife's Octavia is 9 years old with 55k on the clock and has never been re-gassed, my Superb is 3 1/2 years old with 130k on it and also never been re-gassed, and on both cars the aircon is working great as has been shown in the recent heatwave temperatures of this past week.

I have great news. My Kodiaq has never been so quiet :). Skoda has solved the problem. I'll describe the whole situation along with recordings, and hope it'll help you get rid of that rattling sound. Let's start from scratch. I had a rattling sound on the driver's side of my Kodiaq. I noticed that if I push the driver's door a bit with my elbow while driving, the rattling stops. Another way I could eliminate the sound was by placing a cloth in the bottom of the door jamb before closing it. If your noise sounds like the one in my recordings, then you probably have the same problem as I did. I tried applying a rubber care product on the seals with no effect (but thank you to BudgieUK for sharing that solution). Before dropping the car off at Skoda, I recorded some audio and video so you can hear the sound and see what I did to make it disappear. Please check out the audio and video files from the OneDrive folder. The rattling sound happens only when I close the driver's door. When it's open, there's no noise. Kodiaq-Rattling-Sound Yesterday I got my Kodiaq back and everything is okay now. The problem was the driver's door striker plate. See the photo below. They simply adjusted it, and the rattling sound is completely gone. Give this a try if you are struggling with the same issue as I did. Hope this helps. Thanks to all of you who tried to help me out.

I do that as well, how ever, the specs are often not correct and the reviews are very often for similar products, and you often see the product that is being reviewed is not the same as the product on offer. I have purchased items from the Amazon site and it arrives packed the same they do from Temu etc and the have been identical. Infact I have just cancelled 2 orders on Amazon that were ordered end of April, delivery put back to 16th June, now further pushed back to 2nd week July. Why, because Amazon only acted as the order point, delivery direct from China. Same item cheaper if buying direct from Temu.

If you think that Amazon only sell high quality items, no dodgy or fake stuff etc, then you would be wrong, they can be duped like anyone else. Not everything sold on Amazon is actually "sold" by them, they can and do operate like Aliexpress etc and be a shop window for either suppliers, they even ship from Amazon warehouses etc but you not buying from Amazon.

Sounds very much like my aliexpress shopping technique! With those lights you have to open up the hole in the plastic trim slightly for them to fit. I just used a Stanley knife and it only takes maybe 2-3mm to be removed one end of the slot for them to clip in. The left side seems to have quite a lot of wiring behind the hole so just be mindful of that when wielding the knife! For dashcam wiring, the front one you can just tuck wiring under the front edge of roof lining then down A pillar to the end of the dash. A pillar trim pulls off with two strong clips towards the centre of the windscreen from the top of the pillar then pulls up vertically out of the dash. The end panel of the dash prys open easily. Just make sure your wiring runs with the OEM loom and doesn’t cross in front of the airbag. For rear camera it’s a bit more tricky but most of the way you can just release plastic trim from the door seals and tuck under the trim. I would run low level past the doors, trickiest bit is past the pillar. Then tuck up the side of the leather trim by the rear bench. In the trunk the top edge plastic removes with a few Torx bolts hidden under hooks. Getting cable through tailgate to mount on the glass is really tricky. But I have seen on here somewhere that someone made a small bracket that tucks under the headliner so the camera is mounted to the back edge of the ceiling rather than on the glass of the tailgate which saves running the wires though the tailgate. If you don’t have one already I can also highly recommend the Ali express plug and play reversing cameras. Cable route is pretty much the same as where you would run them for rear dashcam so could run them in at the same time! I’ve got links to all the AliExpress treats I’ve bought in my project thread. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/537947-superb-mk3-estate-190ps-tdi-dsg-my2015-se-l-executive-moon-white/

My time with the ID.4 has come to an end. It has been a very good car and has lovely to ride around in. I thought I'd give the final costs for charging. The vast majority has been home charging, the first 3.5 years at Octopus Tracker rates (generally 2-3p below SVR) and the pst 18 months on Intelligent Octopus Go 7p/kWh. There were some free charges in the first 6 months of ownership as Tesco and Aldi offered free charging back then. Paid for public charging has been while away from home, usually on holiday - notably 3k miles around France in 2023. Since getting the IOG tariff my cost has averaged 2.95p/mile. The overall cost per mile for 63908 miles has been 5.09p/mile. Insurance comparable to previous Karoq, £390 last year and £452 for next year. Maintenance has been relatively cheap. First service was £280 at VW, second service was £180 at my local independent. 3x MOTs @ the going rate, no failures or warnings given. The car has been relatively expensive on tyres, due to having to replace 6(!) for punctures/pothole damage. Only two have been replaced due to wearing out. (and one of those got a thorn in the sidewall 10k miles later!). Basically I've found the car cheaper to run overall than the Karoq was and has repaid the slightly higher monthly cost of purchase with lower bills. I'll be keeping the same track on the costs of the ID.3 that will replace it, which I expect will be even lower due to lower insurance, better efficiency and lower monthly payments.

On ST XA coilovers in the Scottish Borders 👍

If you read my posts, I said that I have NEVER had to replace a horn battery or, indeed, for that matter, a horn. In all of my experiences of the car alarm being triggered, it was the result of the car's main 12V battery beginning to fail. It was also the cause of my neighbour's Ford Fiesta alarm being triggered several times in succession. Fitting a new 12V main car battery in each case cured it. The car that was written off had an alarm that was 10 years old, and in the car's 10 years it had 3 new 12V main batteries, and twice the alarm was the sign that the battery was failing. The last time that happened and the battery failed to start the car, I was outside of the Essex Ambulance Service depot on North Weald Airfield, and they brought their breakdown truck over to me, tested the 12v main battery and pronounced it had a bad cell, then jump-started me, and I drove to GSF, and they replaced the battery under warranty. Bingo, no more alarms and no more starting issues.

The Service Desk staff wanted me to have the automatic transmission fluid changed on my manual mk2 . . .