flybynite

Cambelts deteriorate with both time and use, Rubber products fare just as badly with no use (like tyres) Cambelts have a date stamp on them for a reason, either a date or date code that can be looked up. I check the date on every 'new' cambelt I fit, refused a few at the counter over the years. If the schedule says change it - change it. There are a few engines that fail-safe with a cam belt failure, I don't know any modern VAG engines that are, generally a big mess when they go. Cheaper and less bother to change it.

Same caliper = same brake pad

8V0 615 125 A (left) 8V0 615 126 A (right) All parts listed HERE Strange as my 2.0TDi came from the factory with 312mm front, If yours came with 288mm then certainly upgrade to 312mm

Welcome First of all I never had a problem with the 312mm/272mm that car comes with it has been fitted to most Golf GTi/GTD with no problem. Personally I have never found any of these so-called performance discs worth the bother. I also stick to plain old ATE road pads, which unlike many 'performance pads' work well straight from cold. First thing I do is re-dress the pads, clean and re-lubricate the pad seats and sliders then see how the brakes are If you want better brakes then the best option is to go for is a combination of 340x30 front disc and caliper (as per vRS Golf 7R S3 etc) you can also use the earlier front ATE caliper off the R32 but it is heavy 310x22 vented rear disc from (caliper has to be from the MK5 Golf R32 because of the manual handbrake)(dust shield from 8v Audi S3) That will bolt on and give you more braking power than you will need but it will sap a fair bit of your 150bhp just to turn them and the front does become a touch more crashy with the weight of those 340s. Lastly check the spell-check on breaks

Well I have run for 3 years on the same tyre and same size (same engine too ) and that is not my experience. You will always get more grip on a new tyre to one that is completely worn, even if you replace it with the same. If I could not go with the PS4, for me it would be Continental premium contact 6, if not then the F1-AS5 (or Supersport for a summer-only tyre) Potenza would not figure.

They may find it full of Haldex fluid,

Well I have quite a few 4x4 VAG cars including the Octy. Personally I have had no issue. The main issue is that VAG do not service the Haldex properly (if at all) but they are not alone because there are a huge variety on the service requirements on the Borg Warner (Haldex) system. Some say it is sealed for life (but they rarely fail in warranty) IMHO Volvo treat them best. If the car has been serviced and pump gauze cleared of gunk it should be fine. The problem comes because the manufacturers do not service the 4x4 system correctly then people are forced to do it themselves, often with information from the wrong generation of Haldex. It is not uncommon for the rear differential to be drained instead of the Haldex unit and not refilled or incorrectly refilled with Haldex fluid. The haldex is generally fine if it is serviced properly and the rear diff is fine if it has the correct oil. NHS Skodas are driven hard but never known it be a problem.

Is it a vRS? as that will make a difference as to what you can fit. The standard spare is a regular 16" steel wheel with a 205/55/16 as fitted all round to some of the lower models but that will not fit over 340mm front brakes so the vRS have a proper 18" space saver with a 125/70 R18 As said above you can get a full size wheel in (225 width, any diameter) but it will depend on the tyre design as to whether it lifts the boot floor a touch (for a 225 you need one with no rim protector like most Continentals.

Putting a spacer on a Skoda wheel bearing will have no more effect than the OEM offsets that other cars in the VAG group use with the same (or sometimes smaller) wheel bearing (they are the same part number). They are the same MQB architecture and use offsets that mimic a Skoda wheel with spacer. They are designed like this and do not wear bearings any faster either. Some manufacturers (such as Porsche) have used spacers from the factory. For some reason Skoda wheels have always used high offset wheels that look tucked in. Skoda even used spacers on their show cars along with ratchet straps to lower the springs. The issue I have with spacers are they increase shear force on the wheel bolts (even hubcentric ones) and can result in bolt failure especially with the dubious extended bolts supplied with some of the ebay special spacers. I have seen it happen to supposed good spacers fitted correctly. It is why I pick an OEM wheel with a lower offset instead.

Yes forgot about those! Multilink rear and 312mm/272mm brakes. The DMF on the manual can be an issue as it is on the VW Golfs but plenty of aftermarket improvements in that area if the clutch did start to go.

Mine is a MY16 car 4x4 which only comes as DSG6. I have had it from new.

I've got the 1.8 and whilst the 1.4 is a good engine the 1.8 is in a different league. It has double injectors so it does not suffer from carbon on the valves, it is still a EA888 Gen3 engine, same as the vRS, Golf R or Audi S3 but slightly less capacity, smaller turbo and a lot less stressed. Only down-side is you still get the DQ200 Dry DSG7 and 180bhp is a lot for that gearbox. I would go manual or if you can find one go 1.8 4x4 and get the DQ250 DSG6 which is bulletproof

Result!

Yes that is, (and has always been), my understanding. The heated windscreen is split into two circuits with separate fuses so if one fuse has gone or become corroded you will lose half your screen. Pull them out and a squirt of electrical cleaner is what I would do first, but get a new fuse for that side.

Rankings are not relevant unless you know what is being scored and what weighting is given to each. You need to read the reviews and tests to see if the combination of characteristics is what you want in a tyre. If I want the best tyre for grip, a lot of time they do not score well for noise, cost, wear or rolling resistance but I am more than happy with that. I have said it before and will say it again (and again no doubt) that you pick the tyre for the conditions you see most.

Should be, just unplug and do a continuity test. Pulling them out and re-seating may even do the trick if they have got damp. How is the seal on the fuse box?

On mine they are marked: Windscreen heater – right Windscreen heater – left Fuse box in engine bay fuses 14 and 12 I would probably replace both before going any further. You can check continuity on some square ones but most need pulling out and checking from the bottom

There is not much overlap in sizes between the 4 and 4S. My cars that have 4 cannot fit 4S and vice versa If I have the choice I would go for the 4S every time One overlap size was tested here

I run Michelin pilot Sport 4 and 4S for summer and Continental Winter Contact 860 and 860S for winter tyres. All-season tyres have moved on a huge amount in recent years and are a real option even if just used in place of winter tyres. Two I run and have been mighty impressed by. Goodyear vector 4seasons (I have Gen 2, Gen3 are even better) winter-biased all season tyre that is happy in all but the hottest summer months. Bridgestone Weather Control A005 EVO, absolutely stonking tyre for a wet UK winter and still perfectly competent with a good layer of snow. Have not seen it through a summer but may leave the PS4Ss off for a while too see how they do. If this kind of tyre was the default for the UK there would be a lot less bent metal on the roads come winter even if we did not see snow.

That just looks like an ECP product code balls-up to me, they both have the same PR code of 1KS-1KT, same dimensions, and fit the 272 rear brake. Maybe speak to ECP to check? Personally I use ATE road pads and either Brembo or ATE plain discs. Don't think you will have a problem with Pagid either, if that is what you decide.

If you are going to do that I would suggest you get on to Skoda erWin and for about £8 for an hours access you can download everything for your car. You can google links for manuals free a few places and there is still a sticky here but for the price I would get everything from the proper source for your chassis number while I was at it.

The 4x4 Octavia is not the most mainstream of cars and some parts are specific to it and unlikely to be in places like ECP Find the correct part number from a dealer or somewhere like here then search for the part. You are likely to need to go to a specialist like TPS (who may not sell to you if you are not trade) , online parts places like Autodoc (if you have time) or if all fails the stealers The 312mm front / 272mm rear is on both 2wd and 4x4 and is fitted to many Octavias including some diesel vRS (and many other cars) The wheel bearing is not dependant on the disk size, that is dependant on whether you have 4x4. You can pretty much fit any disk on any bearing (at least on the Octavia) Do you have the tools and info to do this? Is this not something best left to the pros?

You will find it in the official Skoda workshop manuals on ErWin. They are listed for all models and all approved wheel sizes for those models. For Mk3.0 Octy it is D4B802B4AE1-Wheels__Tyres 116 pages of it on mine Nothing you can't find in that. You may still be able to get it from the manuals linked to in the sticky, or off a google search but for a few euro you can get the exact ones for your car with the chassis number downloaded direct from ErWin We are lucky with Skoda that all manuals are available, many are not for Audi, VW and Seat

Result

That is strange, it is not how mine works. If the camera sees a temporary speed limit, it stays until it sees a change of sign or I leave that road.