Leeboy

Like it! With regards to the grille trim surround, get yourself some black electrical installation tape and plaster it around the grille so you can see what it looks like to make up your mind. :)

Back to oily bits today, oily being the operative word. Time to get on top of the final oil leak which is originating from the back corner of the cam cover on the gearbox side. Originally when I fitted the painted cam cover I used an aftermarket gasket from GSF and this leaked so I naturally assumed I made a mistake buying cheap. So on went a genuine Skoda gasket but this leaked also so time to get some extra help... This liquid gasket seems to be just the job for this application. It semi hardens, is resistant to oil and up to 180 degrees C. Off came the cam cover and gasket, and this showed quite nicely where the oil is leaking from. Thoroughly cleaned and degreased and then smeared on the gasket compound on both faces. I only used the compound on the on side of the head as I wasnt having leaking from elsewhere. Everything was refitted and torqued down before a short 20 minute test drive and so far so good. No dribble of oil present around the offending blanking rubber :)

Thanks Chris. It is just the right hand side of the bonnet below the windscreen and there is no perceivable difference when you run your finger across the paintwork. With regards to claying, yes I was working the clay up and down the length of the bonnet on straight runs more or less, so the marks do fit with claying.

Thanks, yes items described in the beading thread were as here. Maybe you are right and it is the clear coat that is turning opaque? Only thing I have that is anymore abrasive is some really old T cut. Maybe I need to get hold of an EDA compound and try on it?

Early morning yellow beads... Achieved on paint that's never been touched by polish in at least two years. Decontaminated with iron-X, clayed, machine polished with Fareclas G3 colour restorer followed with Autoglym super resin polish and sealed with G-techniq C2 V3.

Diagnosis needed please. The car is a lemon yellow Octavia with what I believe is original paintwork, car is a 53 plate so 13 years old. I've had the car for a couple of years and have been doing various mechanical and interior work, so it's had no care given to the paint work during that time save for a wash here and there. So last weekend I started doing paint correction work. This started with a wash and rinse followed by treatment with iron X. This was then followed by claying (kept lubricated at all times), a rinse and towel off. The next day I prepared to get my orbital polisher out and gave the bonnet a wipe off before spotting this over a 12" squared area: The straightness and regularity of the marks is almost certainly from claying but these are not scratches. It is as if the yellow below the lacquer top coat has bleached. What I have noticed during these last couple of weeks of cold damp weather, is the presence of persistent damp and condensation on the car does tend to take the colour out of the paint, but when dried and warmed up in the sun, the paint "yellows" up. And as such even with these new marks their intensity appears to varies with weather. I'm hoping that once it warms up and the paint loses the water it appears to be absorbing, these marks will disappear. I'll also be keeping it topped up with sealant from now on. It's just started raining here in Wiltshire so following polishing and sealing it's beading nicely and as you can see here, it really isn't because I've cut through the lacquer layer. What chemistry is going on here? Thanks

I have a set of original non vrs Octavia mats which I could send your way. Driver's mat is the only one that you wouldn't call as new but even then only had about 1000 miles worth of use. PM me if you want to talk price. Original say from dealers is about £48 if I recall correctly.

A flat pack house for the kit-cat?

I like it, brand spanking new lights make a big difference especially when the originals are 14/15 odd years old. Good choice on the number plate as well!

Has the gearbox oil ever been changed, might be worthwhile at this mileage?

If all else is good with it, unknown or unproven history over the belt change is a genuine reason to knock the price down. Do also make sure when you inspect it that you properly check that the central locking system is operating correctly across all four doors and that on locking you get the little red led flashing on top of the driver's door. Likewise, if any of the following don't work upon opening the driver's door it can be a pain in the proverbial to sort out: Fuel pump buzzes into action on opening the door if not already done so in the past few minutes Open door symbol on dash pod, this should show for all doors and the boot, so worth checking each individually. And open the door with lights on but key out of ignition and it should be beeping at you. Other things to check are does it get up to temp (90) and stay there when driving? Breather system, is it oily around the front of the engine above the oil filter and any hissing noise of escaping air? Do also check the condition of the rear brake calipers and discs. If there is a lot of corrosion on the discs that doesn't dissappear through driving and use of the brakes then these may have ceased. And finally, any history of the oil pick up in the sump has been changed and the car has been treated to regular oil changes? There are other things that can be bad and check for accident damage and the like, but these and your question over the cam belt should tell you if you've got a good or abused example in front of you.

I think you need to get your new thermostat in. If in this cold damp weather the engine is running below temp then water is condensing in the oil and the catch can isn't getting sufficiently hot. Fix the thermostat and see that your temp gauge stays on 90 whether in traffic or on the open road and see if it helps.

Apparently I've been detailing the yellow peril this and yesterday afternoon. I call it cleaning.... Anyhow, must admit I used a new product and was surprised by the amount of contaminants it revealed. I've only tackled the roof, rear spoiler, and front and rear pillars at this time. Started with a rough and ready wash with bucket and brush followed by a rinse. The concoctions used thereafter was as follows (detailers apparently like to show the items used to clean the car)... Starting with the Iron X this was sprayed on while the paint was still wet from its rinse. Leave a few minutes and it all went streaky purple. Didn't think it looked that bad! This was gently worked in with a soft brush and another spray of Iron X applied. Next to a clay bar to work out the contaminants with a touch of rapid detailer to keep things lubricated. This was then rinsed with a hose before a third spray of Iron X was applied to reveal any remaining fallout which would be treated to spot claying. It had a final rinse and a dry off with a towel. That was all for yesterday. Today, paintwork had a quick wipe down to remove any dust and melted frost. Next I masked off the aerial and sunroof panel surround before I took my orbital polisher to the roof with some renovator polish. This was buffed off and then on with the Autoglym resin polish which has always been a favourite of mine, again with the orbital polisher. This was buffed of with a mop before getting another go over with a microfibre cloth. Finally some sealant was applied and I was able to stand back and admire the new found depth to the paint despite the underlying yellow being faded. Now need to get around to the bonnet, doors, front wings and bumpers...

Have the same problem, but haven't tried adding sealant. I would though re-torque your fasteners on to of the cam cover. You may find these aren't as tight as you expect after a few heat cycles and the gasket compresses after a bit.

Any update on rear disc wear from people now on their first service? Mine is in to the dealer on Monday and I have the brakes down as a warranty item for inspection following a trip to the dealer last month and it was agreed they would take a closer look. The car is now on 17500 miles and seems that pads are not deploying correctly given how they look now... Nearside ok-ish but not great Offside are shocking on the otherhand. Fronts are fine as you'd hope It would be interesting to have the garage check rear brake efficiency and balance on the mot bay rollers

Yes, I get the same, it's because at such low engine speed the fact the engine is more like a two stroke is always going to make it create more vibration. This disappears at higher revs and interestingly I found there is nothing to be gained running a higher gear and lower engine speed for economy. A lower gear and higher engine speed is smoother and does not noticeably reduce fuel consumption. I'd always drop down to fifth once road speed drops below fifty for example.

I can't work out from this thread what UK cars should have this check box option for supplementary heater. Mine is a 1.4 ACT petrol engine SE L ordered with optional front heated screen. It was delivered December 2015, but my air con menu set up doesn't have the third entry for supplementary heater. In saying that, being petrol it warms up pretty quickly compared with diesel so maybe would not be specified anyhow.

As Kentphil says, you can get to the thermostat without removing the alternator. When I last dismantled mine, I did though remove the inlet manifold which is about a 15 minute job including disconnecting wiring, fuel rail and throttle body. Thereafter removing the flange is fairly easy if you disconnect the wiring (suggest disconnect the battery first). With thermostat out you can see the water pump condition like so

Do you know when the water pump was last done? Did you have a look at what state the impellers were in when you had the flange off if you removed the thermostat too? Do the radiator top and bottom hoses get hot also?

No such issues encountered with my mental 1.4 ACT after 17,000 miles now.

Drive train is standard eha gearbox with LSD. Hubs, steering and brakes are all standard other than DS2500 pads and groved ebc discs. Suspension and bushes all standard and 132000 miles old at the moment. It did come with a R32 front roll bar and I've put a Neuspeed 28mm rear arb on. Doesn't feel particularly stable through corners at the mo and I need to adjust the RARB as it's still a bit understeery, probably because of stiffer front roll bar. Tyres are cheap jobbies but lots of tread so won't get changed just yet.

And even if you're not mechanically minded they are really quick to change. Always best to drain the coolant down a bit, there is a drain tap on the bottom left of the radiator but you'd have to remove the under engine tray to get at it though. Otherwise you just have to accept you'll lose a bit of fluid when you pull the old one out (once system is cool and depressurised). There is almost certain to be a how to YouTube video if you search CTS change VW 1.8t or something similar.

Sorry dude, although I haven't replaced the left hand side of mind, although I may do as the new boot carpet and right hand side moulding are a different shade compared to the original left hand moulding.

About £30 + vat I think from the dealer, so TPS or maybe ebay could be cheaper but I didn't know what the part number should be. I have that if you need it. First proper test today driving this evening from Wiltshire to Cambridgeshire and 5live on MW was good across the who route.

Good news, I've actually fixed something that was actually broken rather than wasn't clean or not as new as I'd like. MW reception in the head unit was rather poor with snap crackle and pop in all but the strongest signal areas. FM worked fine. I'd already wired up a ground from the casing of the radio to the chassis in the hope this would improve things but there was no difference. I therefore bit the bullet and ordered a new aerial the original one had seen better days in any event. Removing the original demonstrated just how faded the yellow is on the roof. The old aerial was somewhat weathered New one fitted and success. No crackle or interference!