skodavia

My lease car went back at the end of november, not a skoda but was processed by BCA. they did make a point of wanting to see all the documents and there was a section on his paperwork that he had to tick to say it was present. he also photographed all the service book and manual etc. Sorry if it's not what you want to hear.

These can be cleaned, send me a pm and i will let you have the details of the company we use to clean dpf's.

I used VCDS and also used the guide that is posted on this forum, it worked 1st time no problem, a lot better than how it left the factory, why they don't program this way as standard is beyond me!!

I have activated mine so it now opens and closes from the key fob and from the button by the gear lever. It also still closes from the switch on the tailgate and i have had no issues

tibiking, I've PM'd you

Just putting this out there. We all drive an MQB VAG vehicle. For some reason Audi and VW 2.0 TDI's get a PTC ceramic heater in their heating unit. Skoda in the uk seems to have scrimped on this piece of kit. Could have done with it this morning. I have done some research and the parts are available. some of the wiring is already installed but some of it is not. Basically from what i can see it is a PTC element, 2 relays, 3 fuses and some wiring and connections made to engine ecu and running cables from the underbonnet fuesbox to the heater element. Has anyone ever attempted to do this? do you own an Audi or golf with this kit in and does it make a difference? please let me know, If it is possible to do i will do it and add a guide for it. I need some part numbers for connectors specifically in the under bonnet fusebox for the relays (small pins) and some connectors for the green 40 amp fuses. Also i need some info on which pin on the engine ecu to connect to and the connector involved. TIA

Does it warm up normally as you would expect? also you say the expansion tank seems to be pressurising. how quickly does it do this. Just thinking out loud if it seems to warm up and pressurise it may be head gasket that has gone

The coolant pipes enter and exit the matrix at the n/s so this is why when they partially block there is only heat from the passenger side. as the water will flow through only half of the matrix (drivers side blocked more than passenger side) I have posted a guide on this in the guides section. It explains how to do the matrix and costs involved. I will be flushing mine again in the new year as i'm sure there will be more contaminant in there that didn't come out when i flushed mine.

I thought the pump ran when the engine was cold as the main water pump is 'closed' and this pump circulates the water in the engine through the heater matrix? i may be wrong. Sorry i have no idea how much they are and don't know of any issues

thanks for the info!

Thanks Billycool that is good info. Have you noticed any difference in engine warm up etc with the non switchable water pump? i just cant justify putting something back in that is known to fail.

having a read through this topic it seems a fairly common problem with VAG engines and water pump failures. At the moment i don't have (touch wood) a problem with high coolant temps or coolant leaks but in the near future I will be replacing my timing belt and water pump (i always replace the pump when doing a belt). Looking at parts prices for timing belts/kits/ water pumps it looks like you can purchase a water pump with or with out the switching part and the cost is significantly different. Someone on this post mentioned that the new water pumps come without the collar. I understand why VAG have chosen to fit this pump as it is all to do with warm up times and power losses etc etc. My question is, has anyone fitted a non switchable water pump on their engine? If a non switchable water pump is fitted then as far as i can see some of the problems that arise from this type of pump will be eliminated. I have also seen a you tube video of someone doing this and they fit a non switchable pump and then just swapped the solenoid over from the old pump to the new so that the ecu thinks/knows the solenoid is still in circuit but it will not have any effect on the water pump.

good idea, let us know how you get on

Yes there is! You will need to go to a car parts outlet and look for some a/c disinfectant spray. I did mine a couple of weeks ago for about 6Euros. basically you set the a/c on full and set the disinfectant 'bomb' off and close the door. takes about ten mins to work it's way around the system. job done!

It's always advisable to have a/c on as this also keeps the system running and lubricates all the many joints on the pipework in the system. all too often people believe that a/c is just for hot days but in actual fact the system dries the air in the car and therefore clears the windows as currently with damp conditions outside there will be dampness inside the car. not using the air con over the winter leads to o rings in the pipes shrinking and then the system loses pressure and then when you need a/c in the spring and summer it does not work any more. As you have the manual a/c i would use it at least once a week and certainly when conditions dictate like today. You should hear the difference between fresh air and recirculated air as the air flow will be different and also the windows will not clear as well in recirc mode hope this helps

re your list: change the matrix, coolant and expansion tank for one that does not contain a silica bag if coolant pump is leaking then obviously change tis as well if you're here then you will have read my post on how to do this. I would say this is easily do able by a competent diy mechanic, just take your time have a read of what i did and also have a look on youtube, this is what i did before i attempted mine and there is a decent video on there of someone doing a mk3 octavia. A bit naughty of the dealer to recommend a/c regas but not fully check the heating to tell you that the heater does not work. why did they want to do the a/c?

I have put a post on the 'guides section' regarding this problem. It would appear that sometimes the water pump fails, this causes the coolant level to drop, the car overheats which causes the silica bag to split and this then contaminates the cooling system. the heater matrix comes off worst and needs to be changed. Not a big job and as i found not an expensive job. Also look for brown deposits in the header tank and discoloured coolant. I have not owned my car long and haven't noticed any leaks but found the brown coolant so i have changed the matrix and replaced the expansion tank for a non silica type which i believe is what vag are now supplying.

I changed the expansion bottle for one that does not have the silicon bag in it (bought from GSF)

the nox sensor is there to measure the amount of nox either before or after the dpf. It should have be able to deal with a higher nox reading than the car would normally produce. as i understand it the remap may be producing more NOX emissions than standard but the nox sensor should be able to cope with this. Nox sensor do fail but you haven't said what the failure or fault code is. not sure if the remap will affect the warranty and im not sure of costs

I'm new to Octavia Mk3 ownership but it looks like the heater blocking is a common theme on VAG cars with the silicon bag. I have read many issues on here from people with the same problem. whilst some will be possibly a fault with a servo flap on the dual climate system, many seem to be related to the matrix blocking and causing the problem. I have done mine and i have written this up and it can be found in the guides section. It took approx 3 hours (book time is 1.5hrs) and the parts can be sourced very cheaply without going to the main dealer. When i removed the old matrix i thought i would find it totally blocked. This isn't the case as i could still blow through it and i could get it to pass water through albeit very differently to the new matrix. I have been told by a local radiator specialist that they sell loads of these matrix's and they have tried to flush them with no luck as they claim the cores are very thin and will block up very easily. If you are confident and handy with a few tools i would say give it a go and save yourself hundreds? of pounds. I quite enjoyed doing mine and would no hesitate in doing another. hope this helps

I didnt activate any pumps when draining. I'm sure there is a specific way of doing this. Maybe someone can elaborate on this. I drained the cooling system by removing both hoses from the rad and removing the expansion tank (this was to be changed anyway) i also removed the hoses at the bulkhead for the matrix and then flushed it through with a hose pipe, both ways until it ran clear. I then let all the water drain out and then rebuilt it. As i stated in my post i put G12 coolant in (I plan to change the coolant again in the spring)

I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE ASKED SOMEONE ON HERE FOR THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE FILE BUT NOT HAD A REPLY AS YET

Hi I'm looking for update link please can someone pm me i have: device part number 5E0035874A hardware 041 software 0435 thanks in advance

did you get the heater fixed? was it the flap motor

I have just bought a 2014 mk3 1.6 tdi. I had the same problem with poor heater and discoloured coolant in the expansion tank. i tried the heater flap reset but this did not cure the problem. After trawling this forum it looked like the heater matrix was the fault. i checked the coolant pipes at the bulkhead as they go through into the heater matrix and they were just better than luke warm. I did a ring round of the usual suppliers and the best i could get a matrix for was £90 inc vat. I'm in the trade so this was with trade discount. buycarparts.co.uk kept popping up on my browser so i thought i would take a look. The company is based in Germany but their prices are much much cheaper than anyone else. So i typed my reg number in and was given something like 15 options of manufacturer of a heater matrix that would fit my car. I opted for the cheapest one £20.99 inc vat plus delivery of £8.50 3-5 working days. it was manufactured by VAN WEZEL based in Belgium (checked their website). Part came 4 days later unboxed it and all looked ok. drained the coolant from the car and removed and binned the mit silikat expansion bottle. a Quick shake of the bottle revealed the bag was still in there but it was the one placed between the walls of the bottle so no chance of getting it out. A new bottle was sourced from GSF as they had a deal on but in hindsight i should have ordered it from Germany and just paid one lot of postage. Coolant system was flushed out with the hose pipe until it ran clear and left to drain. Moving inside the car i removed the glovebox which was very tricky but i later watched a youtube video and it could have been a lot easier but i got it out with no damage and all of my skin still on my fingers. The side trim for the centre console was removed, one t20 screw and the panel just unclipped. there was a foam trim under the heater motor that was held in with two plastic wing nut type screws this came off to reveal the heater motor that needs to come out to enable the matrix to be removed. The motor is held in with 3 t20 screws and there are two clips that need easing away to enable the heater to drop down but before this you need to unplug the power connector underneath. Sorry forgot to say before the heater motor comes out there is a heater vent that directs air to the passenger feet, this needs to come out and there is one t20 screw that holds it in, the screw faces you just by the fusebox, once this is out you have to contort the vent out after pulling it free of the heater box. It was a bit fiddly but it came out ok. With all these parts out if you look towards the centre console side of the dash you will see the heater matrix pipes. covering the heater matrix is an oblong black cover held on with 3 t20 screws. the screws need removing and there are 3clips that also secure the panel. I covered the floor area with a plastic sheet to contain any leaks from when the matrix pipes were removed. The pipes are secured by a clip and a clamp. the top pipe has a clip that has a locking tab that needs to be lifted before the clip can be slid backwards to remove. The bottom pipe has a clamp that is held together with a 3mm allen bolt. Before removing the pipes there is a plastic piece that bolts to the transmission tunnel (it's what the t20 screw that holds the centre console trim screws into) peel the carpet back and there are 2 10mm nuts that need to be removed. Once this is out of the way it gives more movement of the heater pipes as they need to be moved to enable the matrix to slide out. A quick tug on the pipes frees them from the matrix along with 200ml of coolant ( i had an old ice cream tub on hand to catch as much as i could). Once the pipes are removed you can then unclip the oblong cover that covers the end of the matrix. It has a green seal all the way around presumably to help seal the air into the heater box. As stated earlier the pipes need to be jiggled around and the matrix should slide out towards the heater motor housing, it will hit the housing but then a slight movement downwards will let it come past and the matrix is out. I looked inside and could not see any blockages but when i filled it with water it did not flow very well. Fitting the new matrix is basically a reversal of the procedure above. things to be careful about are: when sliding the new matrix back in be sure to get your head right up behind the matrix to make sure the top pipe is not fouling the fins on the back of the matrix as this will hinder it going back in. The new matrix i got seemed a little tighter to fit than the old one that came out but i took my time and made sure it went in evenly to make sure it was fully home. remember then the oblong cover needs to go on before any pipes are fitted. I cleaned the pipes and re used the old o ring seals and just put a tiny smear of rubber grease on the o rings which helped them slide back into the new matrix part number of the seal and clamp kit is 5Q0-898-400-A same part number whether sourced from VW SEAT or SKODA but VW are the cheapest at £5.51 whereas Seat and SKODA wanted £9.91!! getting the top clip on for the pipe was easy but the bottom one gave me a bit of pain. I think because it was slightly out of round where i had removed it but i took it back off and fitted it to the old matrix to make sure it was shaped properly. After all this i refilled the coolant and what i am about to type may not be to everyone's liking but i filled the coolant with G12 as it's what we use on the commercial vehicles we repair that have aluminium radiators. Also we run a fleet of VW caddy vans and i checked our 67 plate caddy that has the same engine as my octavia and the coolant tank on the caddy states G12?? Unfortunately i did not get any pictures but there are videos on youtube of this repair being done. Book time is 1.4hours, probably doable if you worked at skoda but i would allow 3 hours to comfortably do it. like most things if you take your time and watch youtube so you have an idea of what is involved then doing the matrix on one of these is not a scary prospect. Tools wise i used T20 screwdriver 10mm socket and ratchet 1/4 drive ratchet with T20 bit for rearmost heater motor screw Flat blade screwdriver 3mm allen key Torch and that's it! Heater now works a treat with heat evenly at both sides. Hope this helps