WallMeerkat

The website doesn't list any upgrades, I guess the Transport For London version of an upgrade is a new Range Rover or something.

Mine has done this since I got it - in the cold, at idle almost like a slight misfire. Skoda thought there was nothing wrong, no codes, so I've lived with it as a 'diesel quirk'. I was worried it might be injectors.

I'm not sure when the water pump was 'uprated', and others have said that engines are batch built and sit in crates until put into a manufactured car. Mine was a Dec 13 and went at 47k miles. I just reckon it's worth doing at the same time, they even come as a kit.

The water pumps on 2013 models are useless, if it hasn't already broken it'll be on it's way out. Worth replacing with the updated one while the timing belt is off.

We had a Hyundai Getz, was fun to chuck about but the clutch went at 50k. But the Octavia has needed a water pump at 47k, so isn't exactly a shining example, and the long term reliability of the DSG is suspect - I'm dreading it inevitably breaking / clutch going. The new i30 fastback looks alright, from the rear it looks like a Mercedes coupe.

I know someone with one of the last 2017 mk1 Insignia VXRs with about 8k miles on it, the Alternator has already went. On my Octavia, if the car is damp - for example the morning after a rainy night - it'll complain that the 3rd brake light is out. But it isn't actually, if I get someone to check (is there an easier way of checking brake lights?) the centre brake light is perfectly fine. If I turn the car off and on again (the old IT solution) the complaint doesn't show on the dash.

I kinda get used to it, if I'm slowing down but I see traffic ahead moving or if it's a junction where I need to get away in the next available gap I'll balance the brake pedal so it doesn't kick in. It's a pain in stop start traffic though, don't think it's good for it or DSG, but traffics traffic not much you can do.

Dec 2013 1.6 TDi DSG (CR whatever that means?) Apparently subject to the London emission zone charge if I ever decide to drive there. One remediation is to I clicked on the upgrade link wondering if it was a new filter or exhaust attachment or whatnot, but there is no detail. I'm beginning to think it's the typical London "money doesn't matter" solution of scrapping it and buying something brand new.

Someone once said that VW systems aren't fully closed like some manufacturers, and that over time you will get a bit of loss from evaporation etc. Is this true? Cambelt interval - 5 years, mine has 47k and was due but a water pump failure a couple of weeks ago got that seen to anyway.

I just got an email from Skoda reminding me that my timing belt would've been due (had the old water pump not already spat out all the coolant) Their quotes:

£300 from an indy, with the uprated VW pump and timing belt replaced. The water pump is a known issue, especially on earlier 2013/4 1.6 tdis. You may or may not get any 'goodwill' from Skoda if you try, some report they do, others not as the car is now 4/5 years old.

My mechanic said he replaced it with the VW part, are the proper VW pumps stronger than the second rate items that were shipped to Skoda?

Year of registration December 2013 (Fault occured October 2018, nearly 5 years old) Engine 1.6 TDi Mileage when fault occurred 47k Dealer name & response (i.e. "don't want to know"/"yep, they all do that"/other) n/a Didn't bother with dealer, a 5 year old car they would make all sorts of excuses. Warranty or goodwill contribution? None Any other info. (Full Skoda service history/independent?) Full Skoda history apart from the non-Skoda dealer I bought it off a couple of years ago serviced it before I picked it up, 2x Skoda services (last one last January, no mention of failing waterpump) Symptoms: Had it parked overnight in a covered car park, was driving it 10 miles home, doing about 50 mph as usual Sunday traffic - steady but not in a hurry, was not overtaking nor otherwise stressing the engine - about 4 miles before home the Dashboard bleeps loudly and a check coolant message appears in MFD. Pull into the garage 1/2 mile ahead, coolant is extremely low in bottle, there is evidence of leakage around the plastic floor pan below the drivers side headlight general area. Top up with their water. Drove home, keep close eye on temp - doesn't deviate from 90 - my driveway is on a slight slope and I reverse in, noticed soon after that there is a lot of fluid leaking down onto the pavement. Local mechanic takes it and diagnoses water pump, is amazed it failed at a relatively low mileage. Fit uprated VW pump, timing belt and fresh coolant. I didn't even bother with the local dealer (Mervyn Stewarts), I was not impressed with my last service with them, and they'd likely laugh at my 5 year and out-of-warranty car if I asked for goodwill. Driving to their close-to-city-centre retail park location with little to no coolant would've been too much stress on myself and the engine. I thought these things were meant to be reliable? I never had issues like this with my Citroens, Peugeot or Alfa Romeo.

The sound on my SE / Bolero is a huge improvement on the Linear spec 4 speaker system on my old Saab 9-3. The Audiotech Fischer Match, does it just plug into the ISO connector of the head unit in the glovebox?

Mine are complete plasticy fakery, similar to this: But without the central divide. Last time I posted an actual picture everyone here hated it, but it brightens up the rear of the poverty spec model.

Call me cynical, but any product that has the word "cloud" on it makes me shiver. "Cloud" is someone elses computer. Yes it can be good for backup (eg. iCloud photos) or collaborating across teams / devices (eg. Google docs), but be aware that ultimately it's on someone elses machine where it can be compromised both internally or externally.

I'm assuming these would only function on DSG cars that have +/- shift already behind the wheel? (ie. my poverty spec SE has a basic steering wheel that doesn't even have audio controls, I don't think there are +/- for my DSG there)

Spot on. It has never failed to start. Though I'll admit that after a couple of seconds my heart is in my mouth , it'll then behave for the next week or so and I'll forget about it. Service at dealer found no codes, thats why they suggested "maybe" battery.

The noise on mine isn't so much tyre related as it sounds like the bootlid isn't shut correctly, yet no matter which way you adjust it it never goes away. Otherwise, 1.6TDi, no real issues. Occasionally it takes it a few seconds of turning to start, maybe once a week it'll do this.

I've had CrossClimates on my last car, a Saab 93, and I put them on my wife's Leon. The tread lasts well, I find them reasonably comfortable and quiet, and last winter with the bad snow the Leon was like a mountain goat with them. I put them on the Octavia last weekend, seems to be a new compound CrossClimate+, but I noticed a good difference even in noise from the 2x conti, 1x pirelli and 1x cheapo that they replaced.

I occasionally get this on my 1.6 TDi It'll take it a few seconds to start. It only does this maybe once a week or so. Just enough to scare you and keep you on your toes Last time it was in for a service I mentioned it, they suggested it may be the battery struggling. For a late 2013 car with stop-start that mightn't be unreasonable? I was thinking more maybe it was the injectors?

Apologies if this was covered already, I tried a search and didn't come up with what I was looking for. Basically, my Bolero stereo, if I plug my Android phone in to charge, it thinks I want to play music off the phone. If I select Radio again to go back to DAB, this is muted, even if I turn the volume up. So my question is, is there a way of stopping the Bolero from doing this? Allow it to charge *and* listen to the radio? Thanks!

Had crossclimates on my old Saab, had them fitted to my wife's Leon, and last weekend fitted to the Octavia. Only the ones I got are now crossclimate+, which seem to be a different compound? On the Leon they're lasting well and it was like a mountain goat in the bad snow last winter. A good compromise I reckon between a summer tyre and the occasional wintry weather we get, even last winter being bad it was a week here and there rather than months at a time like Scandinavia get.

I used to blame the Golf platform for that, stretching a relatively large car over a Golf wheelbase would lead to short rear legroom and a huge boot. But with the MQB platform it looks like that was by design.

New V60 quoted as 529/1441 litres. Fabia estate 530/1395 litres Octavia estate 610/1740 litres Leon ST 587/1470 litres