yeager2004

Interesting, hasn't thought of finding an adapter Sounds a great idea. Will see what I can find on eBay.

Thanks for the replies. The one on eBay looks different to mine. I'm sure the GPS connector on mine has a round metal threaded connection. The FM lead i think differs too. If anyone does have one for sale, I'd definitely be interested. Thanks

Hi there, I'm in need of a replacement roof base unit and aerial for my factory-fit Columbus head unit. So one with GPS and FM. I'm struggling to find a Skoda part number of after-market replacement Can any one help? Many thanks Adrian

Thanks for the replies. I've found a brand new wheel on eBay for £113. Fingers crossed it's ok - should be delivered tomorrow.

Hi I had new tyres fitted on Saturday. The fitter noted that one of my Neptune alloys had a hairline crack. He applied some sealant but said it’s only a temporary fix and that I’ll need to get it properly sorted. Has anyone had any experience of repairing a cracked alloy? From what I’ve read, there doesn’t appear to be a consensus as to whether it’s worth doing. I tried three local alloy refurb companies – company one said they couldn’t do it, company two said they wouldn’t do it and repairing a crack was ‘inadvisable’. Company 3 said they would do it, but would also need to refurb the wheel. Seemed expensive though - £210. They get lots of positive reviews on Google. I called my local dealer to get a price for a new wheel, they quoted £334 I’m wary of buying a second hand wheel, as could end up buying a wheel that’s in worse condition that the one I’ve got. So the re-furb looks my best bet, but am a bit nervous of how effective a repair would be long term. Would appreciate any wheel repair experiences or suggestions Thanks

Cheers. I don't expect the light to come on if the level has dropped a bit, but the one or two occasions it got down to close to the dip stick minimum mark I did expect it to come on. Just trying to determine if it should! Thanks

hi - it's not that much. After 6-7 hundred miles I'd estimate I add less 1/4 of a litre. On the occasion it got to down to the mimimum mark, it'd done more miles but had been remiss in checking it, The car is 10 years old and 80000 miles, well outside of any warranty or goodwill from Skoda. It's on fixed service intervals, so standard 5W/30 oil. Since it's being serviced next week. I'll mention the oil consumption to the garage, Cheers

I’m not sure so sure the engine is knackered , as everything else about it is spot on – it starts always on the button, it performs well, no odd noises, there’s no puffs of blue smoke on starting it from cold, the spark plugs after 2+ years of use were dirty but had no traces of oil. I've had the car for about three years now/20000 miles and the oil consumption hasn't changed in this time. But the oil has to be going somewhere right enough! Cheers

Thanks. My concern isn't for the oil usage - I've not measured it accurately as I generally just top it up enough in to bring it back to the max mark on the dip stick when ever I test it. On the couple of occasions it has got as low as minimum, I have done about 2000 miles. So while it seems quite a lot, I don't think Skoda would deem it excessive. I am not looking for an engine rebuild or official oil consumption test. I am however wondering if the amber top up light should be coming on before the oil level gets to minimum on the dip stick. I wondered it the level sensor might not be working correctly, Cheeers

My vRS TSFI likes a drink of oil - it’s well within the Skoda tolerances, but I do need to top up the oil more regularly than I have on most of my previous cars. While I try to remember to check my oil level every 6-7 hundred miles, it does occasionally get close to the min mark on the dip stick. What I have noticed though is the amber ‘top up’ warning never appears on the dash. Obviously I don’t want to deliberately run it low to see if the light triggers, but does anyone know when the amber warning should be triggered? It’s due to be serviced next week – is it worth getting this investigated? Thanks folks

Thanks chaps - great info as always. I think I'll have a go at cleaning mine. So my next chanllenge will be removing it - lack of space makes it look a bit awkward from the Youtube vids I've watched.

Thanks for all the info. I've added a pic of my aerial - it looks different to that of the aerial in the eBay link you sent in so much that there's another part to the aerial in front of the base. Is that part of the Satnav? Appreciate your help

Hi - I've not had the car from new, so don't know if the Columbus unit was a factory fit. The aerial is a standard base with the long thin mast (not Shark Fin). I was looking for a like-for-like replacement. I only need Sat Nav and FM Cheers

Morning, The FM radio reception on my Columbus is decidedly patchy (no problems though with Satnav coverage). I was thinking maybe the aerial is in need of replacement, as the car is now 10 years old so could be corroded. I looked on eBay and the combined base + mast they seem to be priced from £30 for supposedly genuine VW ones, and considerably less for the pattern units. I thought I’d call Skoda to see how much they’d charge – I was stunned when the guy came back to me with a price of £156.66! The guy was adamant he’d quoted the correct part - but how can it be so expensive compared to the eBay ones? Does the aerial and mast differ for cars with Satnav? Thanks

Hi Every 1000 miles or so, the EML light on my 2007 petrol vRS pops up. It’s always the same fault code: 01089 switch for tensioning strut stowed (F204) sporadic 002-Lower A troll on the Internet suggests it may be due to the evap system, either the N80 valve or the charcoal canister. The light comming on doesn't seem related to when I fill the tank, amd when I do buy fuel, I always stop at the first click of the pump shutting off. Is it worth doing anything? This has been going on for more than a year now, but the car runs fine with no obvious issues or symptoms.

Reading

Hi there Has anyone had a spoiler resprayed recently? Just trying to determine what the going rate is, as the rear spoiler of my Octavia is suffering from the seemingly common problem of the paint delaminating. I’ve tried one body shop who quoted ‘about £100+VAT’, and a mobile guy who quoted £120 +VAT. I’ve got another couple of places to try, but would be good to have an idea of what I should be playing. I’m based in the South East if that makes any regional difference. Thanks

Hi, I think the arches are ok. We're still away on holiday at the moment - I'll have a proper look underneath when I back home and I can jack the car up.

While up in Scotland the other week, I unavoidably had to drive over a roadkill deer. There was a hell of a bump going over it, but on initial quick inspection of the car I though the car had escaped any damage. On looking closer later when it was light, the engine under tray has been ripped off. As far as I can see, there’s no other damage. I think I was lucky! I know a few people on here have just binned the tray anyway, but I’m still inclined to replace it. I’ve got a couple of online quotes from a couple of online breakers for and £31 and £50 respectively excluding postage. I’ve also found on eBay someone selling a brand new pattern part tray for £32 delivered including all the fittings. I guess it be the pattern part may be more flimsy/less sound proofing than the original tray, but can anyone think of any other reason why I wouldn’t just go for the cheaper eBay item? Thanks

Hi How low does the oil need to be before the orange warning light comes on? I checked and topped mine (2.0 petrol vRS) up the other week – the oil was at minimum on the dip stick, but I had had no warning lights on the dash. Would have really expected to see a warning before the oil level reaches minimum. Thanks

Is yours the estate or hatch? I've got the basic Thule bars which are fine - but compared to my previous car that had roof rails, fitting is a bit of a PITA and takes a lot longer.

Hi Picked up my ‘new’ vRS today. Had an enjoyable drive home, until I got near home and turned the radio on. And all I get is static. It’s a Columbus head unit – with the exception of the radio, everything else working fine. I had a look at the back of the unit in the hope of finding a loose connection. Instead though I’ve found the ‘inner’ fakra aerial connector is broken (the outer metal part of the connector is snapped off from the head unit) The other fakra connector in the head unit looks fine though. Is there a cable I can buy to link the two fakra cables together and connect to the roof aerial connector? Or can I make a cable up that connects the outer head unit fakra connector to the roof aerial? Hope this makes sense and appreciate your support. Cheers

Cheers for that. Knowing about the car's history is worth a lot for buying a 7 year old car. I'll certainly stay on the forum. The Briskoda sticker is still in the window! Just one question - I did notice what looks like a sensor sensor on the windscreen (half way up near side) - what's that for? Thanks

Well it's mine! Viewed it this afternoon and it was certainy in excellent condition with no signs I could spot of any rust. It drove really nicely too; didn't really open it up as roads were wet, but could feel it had loads of torque. The guy was unwilling to budge too much on the price, but did take a bit off and also are going to service it and replace the belt & water pump (he initally claimed belt wasn't due!) Contary to the advert, it doesn't front parking sensors but I'm not too bothered about that. The only only other thing I noted was the front tyres were fairly worn - looked about 3.5mm left. Hopefully pick up next weekend, depending on how when they can get the service done. I asked the sales guy about the amp in the back, just to see how much he knew about the car. He reckoned "it was something to do with the satnav" :-) Will post pics when I collect. Thanks again for all the advice Bigman Cheers

Hi It ended up being a really busy weekend, so unfortunately run out of time car hunting. Will view next weekend, if it's not been sold in the mean time... Spotted another black vRS in a garage nearer me as another alternative - slightly mileage higher and lower spec, but has just had belts changed and is a fair bit cheaper. It's got some nasty after market wheels though that would have to go! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201501160219799/sort/locasc/make/skoda/saved-search-id/2c929af54b920ebc014b9281c6a10006/model/octavia/fuel-type/petrol/usedcars/postcode/rg48ta/radius/100/keywords/vrs/page/1/price-to/7500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew?logcode=p