sidneyTDI

Bought a pack of 3mm pipe connectors in the end for fixing the hose - and had to fork out

Just a quick update - found a 04 plate Leon down the scrappies - the wiper motor was an exact fit! I fitted it last night, and ended up having to use a hacksaw to cut the old motor motor away from the wiper... the whole lot was horribly seized. I took the liberty of purchasing the Leon's wiper arm, and used a majority of that to reconstruct an arm for the Octavia; the Leon's arm only deviates from the Octavia at the wiper connection. I still haven't got a good connection between the pipes for a leak free back-screen wash, but I'm assuming there's something out there that's better than some Plumber's Mate and a shedload of duck tape! As always, any suggestions gratefully received...

Does anyone else have any thoughts or experiences on this one?

I invariably leave mine open most of the time - it rattles when retracted, not when blanking off the sunroof...

Hello! When driving my '99 SLX TDI estate at anything over 25mph, the cover for my sunroof rattles in its surround, which can be quite annoying (depending on what mood you're in...). Does anyone else suffer this, have they in the past, and what recommendations does anyone have to stop it? As always, any help gratefully received!

Anyone got any ideas? The motor from the scrappy had the following details on it; 404581 (or561) 1U6 955 711 B Op 4912/4912 3430 SW4 Spain and my one (badged Valeo) has the following: 404.425 1J5 955 711 C Op 4722/4992 SW4 Spain I'd appreciate any help I can get on this one!

How do? I've just been past a scrappie with an X plate Octavia SDI saloon; Does anyone know if the rear wiper motor will be the same as in my S plate (99) TDI SLX estate? Any thoughts gratefully received!

I've found details for a non-OEM front wiper motor, but no luck for the rear. Does anyone know of a non-OEM rear wiper motor, or bought one themselves?

How do! Has anyone bought replacement wiper motors (front & rear) from somewhere cheaper than Skoda Dealers? I have a '99 TDI SLX estate, where the rear wiper has just failed and the front occasionally causes problems. I'd like to replace both and be done with it! Any help gratefully received - as are any contact details or model numbers!

The vents worked one minute - the next they didn't (and one was already knackered when I bought the car). I've order a replacement mirror control for £31 from Sparshatts of Chichester after prising out the old control and getting the relevant part number. Apparently there are countless variations of the same switch, so I wonder if this is a recurring issue...

Dammit! Leaving for work this morning and I prod the joystick for the electric mirrors and the poxy thing snaps off! These things happen (and at least it looks like an easy enough thing to pop out & swap over), but in the six month or so of owning this car I've had three out of four air vents fail and now this. I've driven some fairly shoddy cars in my lifetime, but even they seem to have more resilient switchgear than this! Is this something other people suffer from, or am I just getting too heavy-handed in my old age? The rest of the car is fine (and being a TDI I'm making a killing on the fuel economy), but it just seems bizarre that the whole car can work so well bar a few flimsy pieces of plastic in the cockpit...

With a busy few days ahead of me, some stupid pigeon decided to introduce itself to the underside of the car at 60. Although the car spat feathers (and worse...) for a few miles, I now have the prestigious job of cleaning what's left from underneath the car.... Aaaaaaghhhhh!

Just an update on what's happened... The wipers started behaving themselves after this post, and kicked off again just as all the snow fall started last week; typical! I pulled out the relay and took some contact cleaner to it, and it made no difference. Trying to fit some more detailed work before using it at the weekend wasn't an option, so I took it to a good local mechanic I know, highlighting the relay/linkage/motor points all well highlighted on this forum. The linkage was fine, and he pulled the motor out to see what was what, and found nothing obvious to work with. He popped it all back together and it's been sweet as since! Whether or not this lasts is another thing altogether, but at the mo things seem good... Let's hope it stays that way!

In response to Mluton - The speakers did indeed fit without cutting the door seal - there's no way I going to muck around with them, regardless of what other people do. In response to Rob - I suppose I better get looking! Let's hope they are as easy a job to sort out!

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who wants to improve things! If I go down the route of changing the rears, I'll check out Clarion. By the way, by talking about rears, I take it you mean the back two doors and not elsewhere in the load bay (I haven't gone hunting round too far back you see...)?

I'm quite tall, so I found with the seat right back I was getting an earful of treble out from behind me, so I assumed that would be plenty enough for my liking! Mind you, I really haven't had time to settle in with the new speakers (less than an hour over 3 days) so you could well prove right!

Cheers for the response - it's appreciated. Like you guessed, I don't really want to go down the sub route. Incidentally, are you talking about improved bass from the rear speakers in a saloon or estate (I have an estate you see...)?

The Pioneer's are full range and an improvement - but not a mindblowing one (see http://www.briskoda.net/forums/octavia/pioneer-ts-g1749-speakers/69433/ ). I disconnected the factory tweeter, and just ran with the new speakers, on the assumption they are a better setup all round. So far I'm happy enough with the difference - you'll be the first to hear otherwise! PS: I bought the speakers from Pixmania for £26 (& P&P) - they turned up days later than promised though - although that might just be the post Christmas postal situation...

I specifically bought these speakers to ensure I did not cut the membranes... Whether or not there's a quality loss as a result I'm not certain!

One flat head screwdriver and pop!

I didn't take the door card off; I prised off the speaker covers, unscrewed the fitted speakers and got them out through the gap - barely! I then used the connectors I bought and popped the pioneer speakers in, which being just a little bit smaller (by about 2mm) popped through the gap nicely. Job well done! The hardest job was getting my cold frost-bitten fingers to pull the old speaker connections apart!

I've just fitted some Pioneer TS-G1749 speakers up front in my estate, and can notice a reasonable difference in quality, but nothing truly breathtaking. I've a good Pio headunit, but the bass production isn't that much of an improvement (which is what I'm after), and distorts a bit on really bassy tunes. I'm not after some serious aftermarket work here, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else has fitted them, and what they think of the difference... and if anyone thinks I've messed up somewhere along the line!

Following on from what I said a few weeks ago (http://www.briskoda.net/forums/octavia/speaker-connector-part-number-required/67377/2/#post778013), I finally bought some speaker adapter leads to fit my new Pioneer TS-G1749 speakers up front from a company called Nexxia (http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Speaker_adaptors/skoda.htm). The parts turned up extremely promptly and did exactly what they said on the tin. I was most impressed - it was quite a surprise to a hardened cynic like myself who expects something to go wrong at every stage! If only the speakers (bought from Pixmania) had turned up when they were promised... Anyway, for anyone who's interested, the whole removal / refitting thing took me about 10 minutes from start to finish, which considering how singularly untalented I am at DIY, is quite impressive...

Finally got the vent sorted - but I got completely stiffed in the process. See http://www.briskoda.net/forums/skoda-dealers-south-south-east/winchester-motor-company-ltd-winchester/38208/#post781815 for more info... That'll teach me to trust a dealership!

I hope you've all got a minute... I had the lock break on the driver's side door; the barrel still worked and it needed the couple of quid repair kit (thanks Briskoda for providing me with that info!). Whilst that was going to be done, I got a new alloy wheel cap and I also thought I'd get a faulty air vent replaced (see http://www.briskoda.net/forums/octavia/cost-replacing-dodgy-air-vent/63728/ ). I called, booked the car in for the parts and undertook the 70 miles round trip to them, left the car for an hour to come back and be told.... it needed the repair kit and a new air vent to replace the faulty one. Doh. Considering I had a couple of hundred miles driving to do that day (in unbelievably sh***y weather), I wasn't in the best of moods. Anyway, the work needed doing, so I booked the car in later that week, re-arranging everything to do so. Turned up for the second appointment (another 70 mile trip, this time with a 1 year old in tow), got the barrel fixed and found out the wrong part had been ordered for the air vent. So, a third trip was made (yup, another 70 miles...) to get the vent done. Finally. I was quoted approximately £110 for the work, which cost (in the two installments paid) £82 & £54(ish)... So the £110 quote didn't include VAT then. My fault for not checking it with them, but I then didn't ask for a quote minus VAT... It's fair to say I'm fairly wound up by proceedings. Each person I spoke to was perfectly professional and courteous in their manner, but that doesn't let the dealer off the hook in the slightest. I can't honestly believe the whole process (for what was simple work) needed 10 days or so and 210 miles of driving to be completed. I can't say I was impressed with proceedings. I've only had the Octavia a couple of months and to be so jaundiced with a main dealer over such trivial work only inspires me to take the car to an independent to get the work done in the future.