robs12

Many thanks! I don't have OBD11/VCDS, but will investigate further!

But you still need an OBD2 programmer? Or is a reader enough? I bought one of the ubercheap eBay fixes, which enabled Smartlink, but not androidauto or Carplay as promised (got a refund so fair enough). Haven't got around to the OBD2 yet.

Just replaced mine last week. It was the original from May 2015, so nearly 9 years old - it did well, but died quickly! Started getting a few warnings on startup one day, wouldn't start the next. Tried charging it but was not having it.... I just got Halfords out to replace it at home - it was an 360A EFB type, cost £150 all in.

Many thanks, appreciate the info, I'll look into that (after the rugby!).

How to do that? What is needed?

I just tried one of the cheapie (well...£30!) bay options, which promised activation Smartlink and Carplay and AndroidAuto. Came as two downloads - a software update and a patch. Both installed fine from SDcard, and Smartlink is activated. BUT, only Mirrorlink shows as an icon. Carplay and AndroidAuto are no shows. Mirrorlink is discontinued, no longer supported on phones and I cannot get an old version to install on my phones... Have tried connecting four phones (iphone and android) and various cables, but each time it recognises that a phone is connected then falls over with not supported...so a waste of £30. The seller has suggested I need to get OBD11 and change VCDS settings....because the USB isn't working (which it is).

Nice one, many thanks Bigade!

Strangely, mine flipped up the same fault a couple of days ago. Haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but will be interested to know if anyone else has found a fix.

Bearings moving in and out? That sounds rather bad. Nothing to do with oil leaks or perished seals. Certainly shouldn't be happening at 36K, but that looks very low mileage for a 7 year old car? Did you inform them of the fault in writing, and if so.. exactly how long after purchase? <<If a car develops a fault within the first 30 days of purchase, it is under statutory warranty and the buyer can simply reject it and return it to the dealer for a refund. If a fault emerges between 30 days and six months from the date of purchase, the law assumes that the fault was pre-existing and, unless the seller can prove otherwise, the vehicle is still protected by statutory warranty. Here, the seller has one chance to fix the problem. If they do not manage to do that, the buyer is entitled to a refund, which may be less than the original purchase price to account for the time during which the car has been functional. After six months, the automatic protection of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 expires. It is up to the buyer to prove that there was a fault with the car at the time of purchase if they want to pursue a dealer for a claim to repair a fault. Note that the statutory warranty on a used car only applies here to cars bought from a dealer. Private purchasers enjoy none of this protection and the rules for cars bought at auction will depend on the particular auction house, and whether it was online or not.>> The above is statutory warranty - not the Waranty Wise warranty the garage offered.

I guess those independents/dealers who shelled out on the expensive 1.5Tsi tooling will be trying to recoup some £££!!! Prices will be coming down? Anyone who's had their belt changed on these engines over the last several years will be saying the same - was it needless expense?

Skoda (the car manufacturer) have always had the 1.2/1.4TSI maintenance schedule showing inspection at 240,000km, then every 30,000km. They've never stipulated a 5 year change interval. (I think that's the same for 1.5Tsi but not 100% sure due to having a more recent maintenance manual). Skoda UK (sales arm) on the other hand...did recommend 5 year replacements for many years, and recently change their minds - according to other posts it was from July.

When the EA211 engine was introduced, the marketing stated "Thanks to its high-end material specification, this toothed belt's service life reliably spans the entire life of the vehicle." That from the VW press newsroom, about half way down - paragraph starting "Renaissance of the toothed belt...": https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/the-new-golf-das-auto-international-driving-presentation-2797/the-new-golf-powertrain-structure-engines-and-gearboxes-2835 The SKODA Mk3 maintenance manual (albeit an old 2013 version, don't know if anyone has a more recent version?) is here and clear: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zh8n0y4sz6jsxcd/Maintenance.pdf?dl=0 See page 16/17 for 1.2/1,4 Tsi, cambelt maintenance schedule. It says check "At 240 000 km, then every 30 000 km". For the 1.2/14 TSI, the VW EA211 engine ' service training manual' is here: https://procarmanuals.com/vag-ssp-511-new-ea211-petrol-engine-family/ Page 13 actually says the camshaft toothed belt is 'maintenance free'. This is all official VW/Skoda literature and is years old. There have been many threads on here about it. Seems the dealers/stealers have finally caught up...or have been having us on... 😉

True..true!

The dealers won't like it...not when they're charging £1000 a pop!

Interesting. Skoda (not Skoda UK) have always stated the EA211 engine belt is for life.