ynotjs

Hi all, this topic is old as the hills now, just thought I'd share my buzzing behind drivers side dash. 2010 Octavia 2.0 diesel Right Hand Drive (convert my descriptions for LHD as needed). My buzz was a vibration, not an electrical relay. So my issue was a loose bolt that holds the relay mount to the A pillar cross member. Sounds easy yeah? (Oh make sure it's this by dismantling as below until you can get in there and tap around, the bracket in question is above the acceleratior pedal). Put your reading glasses on and try to imagine my frustration in finding this bolt and then the repetitive internal chanting WTF?, WTF?, who does this? Etc... There are 2 bolts holding said relay bracket, one is really easy to get to, just pop drivers side-dash-cover off; it's the 10mm hex bolt (has torx in middle too), it screws in dead ahead, easy as pie if this is loose though it won't be, because the other one is impossible to get to so it will be that one - have you ever dropped a spanner anywhere near a car, it will go directly to the centre under the car, because it can. The other bolt is where all the internal swearing comes in. To get to it you will need to remove the lower dash cover where your knees would slam into if you rear-ended a tank. Hint: you need to pop out the headlight switch surround and the silver strip around that, and little silver strip on console side too, this will allow you to remove the lower cover. Now the games begin, word here if you have large hands, make sure your insurance is current, because you may well be calling them saying "someone broke into my garage and totally smashed the hell out of my car, the cuts on my hands are purely coincidental." I found the next bit easier after freeing up the fuse box and letting that swing, also you can unclip the relay block, right of steering column & above the acceleratior pedal and pop the individual relay things out of that block too, this will allow you to shove each relay back in the void they are coming from so they too are out of the way. Soooooo a bit about this 2nd bolt, it screws in as if there was no dash at all in the car, and no windscreen either. To get to this from the footwell - (I'll explain this as well as I can); it screws in from the firewall-side of the A pillar above the acceleratior pedal, you will have to kneel on the ground and feel with your left hand (palm facing you) for this bolt, it's close to the top of the square cross member & is hmmmm, left edge of what you are feeling with your left hand. Now you have found it let the internal swearing begin and repeat after me, "WTF"... :-) It is 10mm, I did manage to get a very straight ring spanner on it and took 20 1/16th turns to tighten it until my eyes started bleeding ( I could hit a bridge at full speed and this thing will still be snug). But hey it may not be this, as said at the top, when you tap the relay bracket thing, it will make this same buzzing sound, if it is I hope I saved someone a lot of grief.

Hi All, Just got a 2010 Octavia TDI. Gr8 Car, hope to enjoy it for years to come. Regards, Tony...