Shadowbane

Thank you guys! There was no way i was going to touch the wires, i love my cars too much to be able to fiddle with them. Thanks for the advice tho! I just asked for the specifics because i wanted to know what to explain to my service advisor at the dealership. I din't want to hear something like " No sir!, that isn't recommended by the manufacturer" kinda talk. Now that i've learnt it's the official way, i will have a word and try but since the airbag light isnt flashing anymore, should i go in for the fix anyhow or wait till the light re-appears? Would it ever re-appear? While handing back the car yesterday, i was told that the warning light vanished when they installed a new airbag and dint re-appear even after they replaced it with the old one. What does that even mean?

quote name="trundlenut" post="3697370" timestamp="1395211052"]That code is normally caused by the wiring under the seat rather than the airbag itself. The fix is to cut out the plugs and solder the wires together. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk Im guessing this was in response to my query. So i don't have to replace the airbag then? That's great! Instead of cutting out the plugs, can't we replace them? What wires are we talking about exactly?

Hey guys, i have a 04 Octavia mk1, the airbag light started showing up yesterday. Took it to the dealer asap and they initially said it was a 2min job and will get the code cleared. While they were checking it, I saw a fault code that said' Too high resistance'. They tried clearing it but the light wouldn't go. One time it disappeared but came back after 1 sec. Then i was told i would have to replace the squib, i was like ok, do what you got to and left their place as they said it was a 1hr job. After an hour i get a call saying I’ll have to replace the entire airbag since the light didn't go out even after replacing the squib and that they checked replacing the airbag with a new one and the light disappeared. They later tried again by installing back the old airbag and the light didn't show. This is strange, isn’t it? Do you think the problem is sorted out or will the light re-appear again? What could be the exact issue? Thanks

There are so many oils out there. Mobil 1 itself has several oils that adhere to VW 505.00 505.01 and each oil performs differently. Let me compare Mobil 1 0w-30 ESP and Mobil 1 0w-40. The former is less viscous, slightly aids fuel efficiency but makes the engine sound harsher. There are several things to look for in an oil, here's what i look for 1) Recommended specification. eg VW 507 for VAG cars, MB-Approval 229.5 for Mercedes cars etc Manufacturers such as Hyundai just list API-CH4. API stands for American Petroleum Institute which certifies oils. Most manufacturers just give out the minimum required API classification in their manuals. One can use oils that meet or exceed the requirement. A car that has API-CH4 in its manual can use a API-CI4 or even a API-CJ4 oil that perform better than a CH4 oil. Generally API-CH4, API-CI4, API-CJ4 are diesel specific oils and API-SN, API-SM are petrol specific but there are some exceptions. check out this link to know more about API ratings. http://www.api.org/certifications/engineoil/categories/upload/motor_oil_guide_2010_120210.pdf 2)The recommended grade (eg: 0w-40): I generally stick to the manufacturer recommended grade. 3)Viscosity- Viscosity depends on what grade you choose. eg; a 0W-30 oil will be less viscous that a 0W-40 oil but when you are stuck between choosing between two 0W-40 oils then look at their viscosity. High Viscous oils Pros : Make the engine sound smoother, offer better resistance to extreme temperatures Cons: Lower the fuel economy, take more time to get to the optimum running temp Low Viscous oils Pros: improve fuel economy, quickly attain optimum running temperature Cons: make the engine sound harsher, offer low resistance to extreme temperatures more on engine oils : http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/products/1266801

Mike, that is easily one of the best looking mk1s i've seen. Fabulous!

Hi there, I'm new here and this is my first new thread. I searched around for a similar thread but couldn't find one so the mods are more than welcome to merge this thread if there is a similar discussion going on in another. I was initially going to start a thread to discuss about the best engine oil specifically for the 1.9 Tdi but i thought it would be better if i included all the engines which powered the octavia mk1, 1.9 Tdi, 1.8Turbo and 2.0 TPI etc, so that people could use this as a blueprint when it came to choosing engine oils for their Octy mk1. I request you to list your engine, mileage, the different engine oils that you've tried, your opinions on each and your recommended oils in order of priority and any other oil that you've heard nice things about and wish to try in future. Though i am still finding my feet when it comes to oils, I will still start off. Engine: 1.9 Tdi non PD, 78000 Kms Recommended specification: VW 505.01 / 505.00 Engine oils used: Shell xxxxx Castrol Magnatec Professional 5W-40 Mobil 1 0w-40 Engine oils itching to use : Castrol Magnatec Professional B4 5w-40 Castrol Edge Titanium 5w-40 Opinion: I remember the dealer using some shell oil prior to switching to castrol but don't know the exact specs so will refrain from saying anything further on that. Castrol magnatec is the oil recommended and used by Skoda India. I happened to use this as part of their maintenance procedure. The other oil that i recently tried was Mobil 1 0w-40. I do not know if it is the oil or if it is something else but the engine started to sound harsher and the smell of exhaust fumes also became prominent. I am planning to switch back to the castrol magnatec very soon, only then will i be able to make a proper comparison. As you can see i am not too good with oils so i will not make any recommendations, however i would love to know what you guys recommend for this type of engine so that i could try it next.

Lotus is basically the Renault F1 team, isnt it? I thought Lotus was just the name sponsor. Kimi said on TopGear a couple of years ago that Lotus is built by Renault. Correct me if that isnt the case. As far as i remember, Montoya last raced with Mclaren. He left F1 by choice. I remember him saying that F1 was much about pitstops and strategy and less about pure racing. He went to USA in search of driver-focussed racing. I do not know to what extent this is true but there are reports on the internet stating that, after Maladano's Lotus deal got confirmed, Hulkenberg approached Sauber for a contract but was shown the door. Here's one such report. http://msn.foxsports.com/speed/formula-1/f1-nico-hulkenberg-set-for-force-india-after-sauber-exit/ Seems as if Force India is his only hope now. Will be a real shame if he doesn't make it.

Yeah, wouldn't it just be great if F1 was just about pure driver talent and aero and stuff, sadly that isnt the case. The problem is that, each year there are too many drivers fighting over very few seats, so it will always be about money. Some teams go a step further and rope in 17 year olds. The only things interesting in F1 these days(atleast from mid-season) are Kimi's interviews. Bernie claimed Horner as being the the perfect man to replace him. We all know how Mark was treated and it would just make things worse. Sometimes i wonder if they ever fit the KERS system on Mark's car. I saw a journalist ask Horner during the Indian GP if he thought it was fair that only the top 6 teams have a say in FOTA which means Horner being an employee has a say whereas Mallya being a team owner doesnt. Sadly that's the state of affairs right now.

I heard David Croft say on AIR that a highly reliable source had revealed to him that Hulkenberg is heading to Force India and it is a done deal, but i cannot imagine how that could be possible. Surely FI doesn't have more money than Lotus, does it? If FI do manage to get Perez and Hulkenberg to drive for them next year, i think it will the best line up for the money certainly the best one in terms of value for money. I think Hulkenberg and Di Resta are the only two drivers without much financial backing and teams would pick Hulkenberg ahead of Di resta any day. That is why Paul is missing out. Its probably Maldanado>Perez>Hulkenberg>Paul in terms of sponsorship money and Hulkenberg>Paul>Perez>Maldanado in terms of talent. My prediction for next season Force India : Sutil and Perez Sauber : Sirotkin and Guiterez / Maldanado Lotus : Grosjean and Hulkenberg My team is Mclaren and Kevin Magnussen could well be the next Lewis Hamilton. Fingers crossed.

Off Topic, Aren't brits supposed to be using Litres and Kilometres?

Looks hideous, sorry. Nothing suits the mk1 better than the vRS spec's spoiler.

Hi, I just looked and it says CR2032 3v on the battery. Mine is a 04 model mk1, not sure if our keys are the same. Its called HELLA if i am not wrong and mine is the 434Mhz version. . Hope this helps. I dont know what the ' two keys method' is but I get one flash when i lock and two when i unlock, no sound at either.

Hi, i seem to have the exact same problem. My skoda dealer has informed me that the rear axle beam is bent but he said it doesnt need replacement just yet as the difference in camber to the allowed limit is just 1 deg. I've just shod the car with Yokohama dBs so i am worried that the inner edges might wear out sooner than usual. When i look at the car, the rear tyres look slant ( In at the top and out at the bottom) compared to the fronts. I've seen some other cars and all look similar, some even worse. Now, my doubt is if this really is a problem and if it is, is the axle beam replacement the only way or can i try fiddling with the shims? Please help. I am attaching a couple of pics that i just took and if needed i can take some pics during the day tomorrow and post them. Thank you Rear Right Rear Left Front Left (just for reference)

Hi I currently have five different cars in my garage, only one of which is a Skoda so i will limit my discussions on this forum to just that one. It's the oldest of the lot,a 04 Octavia Mk1 1.9 TDi. Being a skoda it's had it's fair share of troubles at the A.S.Ss but it has always been well taken care of and it feels rock solid even today, which is exceptional considering the appalling state of roads during Indian monsoons. Yes, i am from India, Hyderabad to be precise. I've uploaded all the pics of the car i could find on my phone. The first pic was taken during the Indian festival of Dussehra, hence the garlands. It might seem funny but it is an Indian tradition during Dussehra to worship equipment and it also the only time in the year when all our cars are together, although our Terracan is missing from this one. The second pic was during one of my trips to the A.S.S and the last one was when it was shod with vRS spec's Spider alloys. My Octavia is currently undergoing a transformation to look like a vRS, done with the alloys, the front bumper and rear spoiler are soon to follow. Will keep you posted. Delighted to be on the forum, can't wait to know you guys better.