maverick54

Thanks for the replies. That's not good to hear. Last thing I want to do is risk damaging any parts and causing any problems. If Xenons cant be fitted for this reason is there any other type of bulbs that can safely be fitted that will light up the road better than the standard ones? Its not a problem in built up areas with street lighting but on those unlit roads its bordering on dangerous as I'm sure many of you have found out before me. Felt like I was driving with someone shining a torch through the windscreen for me last night

Been reading an old thread from 2013 where everyone appears to recommend the Londoncolour HID Kits option 4300. After a really bad night of driving along unlit roads with the oncoming lights in my face, the road markings would often appear to disappear at times and it was quite scary. So decided I need brighter lights. Are the above kits still the ones to go for or has technology moved on since the 2013 thread was started? My car is a 2011 FL. Never done an Hid conversion so any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Thanks for the reply. My car is a 20011. I have just done a service on the car which included oil, oil filter, air filter and pollen filter. Didn't change the plugs as they aren't due and everything is running as it should with no faults. The car only has 122bhp from standard and the 163bhp that Shark are quoting seems like an impressive gain if the figures can be believed. http://www.sharkperformance.co.uk/skoda/octavia/octavia-ii-fl-2009/1-4-tsi-122-bhp-13 I have seen lots of posts over the years recommending Shark but do not know how reliable their figures are. Also wonder weather my standard clutch and turbo will be ok for the increase. I'm not a boy racer and wont be doing any wheel spins.

Stage 1 Re-map on a petrol engine. (1.4 TSI) I’m sure most of you who have gone down the re-map route will have asked the same questions as I’m about to ask at some point. Its something I’m considering having done. There is only a stage 1 map available for my car model and I was wondering what it actually entails. Obviously they will re-map the ecu but is that all there is to it or is there more to it than that? If anyone could run me through what to expect on the day and the time its likely to take etc. also is there anything that I need to do to the car before I take it etc. Be nice to hear about it from guys who have actually had it done rather than the guys who are obviously looking to sell me a product. Look forward to reading your replies. Thanks

That's cleared it up Mike . Thanks for the info. I'll keep looking. Interesting to know the estate and hatchback are interchangeable, would never have thought that. Cheers mate.

Thanks Mike, I'll keep an eye out for some. Were there any other models that came with leather seats besides the Elegance? Mine is an Elegance but didn't come with leather seats so were they an option rather than a standard? The only other model I can think of that may have had them as an option would have been the SE Plus. If so then there will be just the 2 models of car that I am looking at to find some seats that will fit.

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like its not going to be an easy fix. The vrs seats I have seen on ebay all have the vrs logo on them and as my car is not a vrs I don't want to fit those seats to make my car look like something its not. Certainly don't want electric front seats because as you say a nightmare to wire up. Also trying to find audi front seats and an Octavia rear with the same leather pattern and shade would be a nightmare I would imagine, but I will check them out. Got a feeling I will have to explore the cover route unfortunately.

Has anybody fitted any decent seat covers to a mk11 hatchback that don't look naff? Mine has the factory fitted covers (petrol TSI Elegance 2011) which are all bitty and I am wondering if I can either renew the covers or even swop the seats for full leather ones if its an easy job and I can find any. There are no electrics to the seats but wondering if arm rests mite be a problem as I'm guessing these would need replacing too in order to look right. Any advice much welcomed guys. Thanks

Thanks guys and thanks for the link to the grease. I must of changed thousands of spark plugs over the years and I'm old enough to remember when you could get a set of 4 for a fiver. £36 now. When did changing a set of plugs get so expensive and so complicated. The Worlds gone mad

Seeing the above picture of one removed gives me a much better insight into what they are actually like. Nice bit of tool making that well done. I read somewhere that they should have a smear of grease applied before re-inserting them but it didn't mention what sort of grease or where to apply it. Would I be right in thinking its just a smear on the alloy tube in the pic to stop it sticking in the bore and make sure it removes easy if the need arises again? and if so would Vaseline do the job or is a special type of grease required? Thanks folks.

Thanks for the info. Got one ordered. Would love to know what the circular tool is for in the picture if anyone knows.

Time to change my spark plugs on a 2011 plate 1.4 TSI. Noticed I need a special tool to remove the coils and found the following which contains 3 pulling tools which I assume is for 3 different engines. Think I need the one on the right. Can anyone tell me what the circular tool in the bottom of the picture does please? Also do I need a special plug socket or jut a normal one with a long extension bar.

130NM+90 degrees or 2.5 good whacks with a big hammer

Thanks for the replies guys. I have a 2 ton trolly jack and an old pair of pin type axle stands which I use for taking wheels off. About to do an oil change and jacking up one side trying to find a decent spot for the axle stand then doing the other side is becoming a bit of a pain as I'm getting older. Sounds easier, just driving up a couple of ramps and getting under to do the job safely with probably a bit more room than my jack and axle stands will give me. Have to do it on the road also (quiet cul-de-sac) so hopefully wont have probs with the ramps slipping.

As someone who has never used a pair of car amps in my life I've decided to buy a pair to make life less of a struggle. Been looking at the cheap 2 ton cougar branded ones for around £23. Are these up to the job for an Octavia or d I need the heavier duty 2.5 ton ones? Also the scariest part for a beginner s the fear of driving over the top. I'm sure it all comes with practice. What's the best technique. Do I jam them under the front tyres and edge up slowly or do you need to give it a bit of welly to get it up the ramps. Advice much welcomed thanks.

Yes as Mike says jacking up the suspension arm will compress the spring and allow you to get a socket and extension bar through the spring. Getting into a position to use a breaker bar on it is difficult if you only have the car jacked up, as you will have limited access. If up in the air on a ramp its a different matter. Using a socket and extension bar on the bolt could be handy if you have the use of a good impact wrench.

I did the job on my car today. Soak the bolt in wd40 and allow to soak for 15mts. I had jacked up the car on the sill with a trolly jack. Put an axel stand underneath just as an extra precaution then used a scissor jack under the bottom of the shocker just to jack it up a little and prevent any bouncing. I then used a 21mm combination spanner (round end) on the bolt and gave it a couple of good whacks with a lump hammer. It worked perfect with no problems at all. Top bolts were a doddle and I didn't remove the wheel arch lining.

Having now watched quite a few youtube vids the better quality electric ones do appear upto the job if you don't have access to an air compressor and don't want to go down the battery route.

Could well be steam because especially during last winter I could often hear a gurgling sound like there was water in the exhaust. The noise has disappeared during the summer months. I was hoping there would have been a PCV valve which may have accounted for the lost oil. If its an internal engine problem I will just have to keep topping up until the problem gets more drastic. Thanks

Thanks for the reply. If I'm reading the info on page 21 correctly then the answer is NO I don't have a PCV valve. The car smokes mostly when started from cold. Once its warmed up the smoke isn't noticeable. I would say I'm topping up with about half a litre of oil every 3-4 months. The cars done 52,000 miles

Been topping up with a bit of oil every 3 months for a year now and noticed a bit of smoke from the exhaust. Definitely not leaking oil but been reading about the PCV Valve causing a bit of oil to be burned on some cars and wondered if my engine had one. (1.4 TSI CAXA engine) From what I've read they are an easy job to clean or change if I knew where to start looking. Can anyone offer any advice please? Thanks

Thanks for the replies guys. Been watching a few youtube vids and the cheaper electric ones do seem to struggle with things like hub nuts and wheel nuts. I didn't want to go down the battery powered route as I wouldn't use it enough and the batteries are expensive to buy. I believe if they are standing, even fully charged for long periods without use the batteries start to fail. I will have to take a chance on a good electric brand name one and up the budget a bit if its to do what I want.

Excellent find. Many thanks :clap:

Found ot a bit more info. The bottom bolt on mine (2011 plate) isn't a stretch bolt its a re-usable 21mm bolt not a nut and bolt. Looks like a long trip to the dealers to order the top 2 which are stretch bolts. Was hoping I could pick up a couple of normal high tensile ones locally and add a bit of locktite to the threads but if no one knows the size its a long trip to order and another to fetch them when they've arrived.

Been looking at the cheapish (around £50) impact wrenches available to buy. I would only be using one occasionally for diy use. Does anyone own one or have any experience of using one? Just wondering if they are up to the job of removing stubborn bolts on suspensions etc. Any advice welcome guys. Thanks