iansmith38

Hi Guys, Thanks to YellowCar & simspj for some really useful tips. I really like the Skoda cars and don't want to sell the Octavia. I'll try out all your suggestions over the bank holiday weekend, thanks once again, your help & suggestions are much appreciated.

Hi there, I have just bought a Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi on a 2002 plate which I am told is a Mark 1 car. The car is the 100 bhp model and after just a few days of ownership the central locking has developed a fault. When I lock or unlock the car using the fob the passenger door only will not unlock. It appears to have jammed shut because I can't even open the front passenger door when i'am sat inside the car. Other than the one front passenger door, every other aspect of the central locking appears to work fine. I have disconnected the battery in the hope this would reset the system but this hasn't worked. Do any of my fellow Skoda owners have any useful suggestions that i could try?? Thanking you all in kind anticipation!

I've now replaced the thermostat and the thermostat gasket which combined cost me £15. The thermostat had failed in the open position and I was told that was the problem. I actually went to Mitchell Skoda in Cheshire Oaks and the Skoda mechanic there told me he didn't know where the thermostat was in the engine bay! I've replaced it now with the help of a mate who's a weekend mechanic and all now seems fine. I did have to top the coolant up but was surprised how little was actually lost. The thermostat is at the bottom of the engine bay where the bottom radiator hose enters the engine block. It's an easy enough job but you need to access it from underneath and need to get the car up on a ramp. Don't be put off doing the job yourself, hire a ramp somewhere, get the car up in the air and change a £10 part yourself. I can't believe a Skoda main dealer mechanic didn't know where he could find the thermostat in the engine bay!!

Thank you so much rotodiesel, this is much appreciated. I have today removed the 2 hoses that run from the engine bay through the bulkhead and into the heater matrix, and blown them through with compressed air. This blew out a lot of foul coloured coolant so i'am hoping the problem was just a load of grunge somewhere blocking the pipes. The temperature needle does move much closer to the centre mark now and the blowers blow hotter air now but not really hot. Perhaps a flush of the cooling system and new coolant would do the trick?? I've been quoted £800 by a Skoda independent garage for a new timing belt, water pump, tensioners, pulleys and thermostat so I'll be saving quite a while before I can get all that done!!

I've just bought a 2002 Skoda Superb 2.5 V6 TDi which I love. I've noticed that the temperature gauuge never sits at the half way point (90c) and only ever reaches the quarter mark. Also, the heaters never blow out really hot air, with the climatronic unit set at high the heater blowers still only blow warm air. I've been told the likely culprit is the thermostat and I know I can buy one new for £12. My two questions are: Is it a home DIY job to replace the thermostat? Where exactly in the engine bay of the Superb is the thermostat located? My other alternative is any one near South Wirral who could replace it for me in return for a cash payment? Cheers