Stigggeh

Hi, My tailgate catch suddenly decided to stop working today - great timing in this weather eh? As in other threads it looks like water from the hatch washer pipe has been leaking and it has corroded the wires on the latch itself. It is not the release button above the number plate but the 3 wires that actually go to the latch/lock mechanism at the bottom of the hatch. Two of the wires have snapped off from the plug. I have a couple of questions, I'm hoping you can help with? 1) is it possible to manually lock the hatch or even manually close it e.g from the inside as a short term solution? 2) The wires have snapped from the plastic clip/plug itself which is going to be a challenge to reconnect even though I'm handy with a solder iron. A quick look in this poor light at 5pm it seems to be part of the wider hatch loom which means there might not be an easy fix/replacement for just that section?. Is anyone aware of an easy repair option for just that part? Does anyone have experience buying just the plug to allow me to snip and solder (weather permitting) or will it be a full section jobbie or a try to source the plug from a car being stripped? Cheers Mike.

The wobble came on quite quickly over a few weeks. 😑 Tbh I thought it was a warped disc. I had jacked the car up previously and checked for anything loose such as bushes/bearing. It was difficult to see the back of the discs because of the dust cover. I'm assuming i inspected the other (passenger) side more because i totally missed this. Thinking it was a warped disc I thought i'd change them look when I got chance, so it was on about a month with the wobble (woops). It must have been a manufacturing fault because the passenger side disc was in decent condition as was the wheel side on that one. Surprisingly the pads were in good shape too. It's braking nice again, got new bosch discs and pads. I was impressed with the difference in quality over cheaper versions i've fitted to other cars previously. They appear to have a nice anti corrosion coating too which i've not seen before.

Took the wheel off and found... It was a fairly new disc, the front side looked perfect.

Hi All, I'm hoping to get a bit of guidance. My Mk2 Octavia VRS needs a new coil spring it has snapped. They are 100 each from TPS, but there are cheaper options from Euro Car Parts. Looking on Euro there is a couple of options. 1) Sachs (cheapest) says for vehicles without sports suspension. 2) Three more expensive brands one of which is also sachs brand (Anschler, Sachs, KYB) My questions are, and ill start with the silliest. 1) I put my reg in so I would assume that it is showing the parts compatible for my car, 'without sports suspension' has thrown me a little. With it being a VRS should i assume it has sport suspension as standard or was there an upgrade option? 2) Are any of the brands OEM Manufacturers (Anschler, Sachs, KYB), eg am i going to get the same quality of springs from euro cheaper under a different brand. 3) is it likely the top mount bearing will need replacing at the same time? Ive changed a few on Polos and they have a plastic mount that falls apart, is it a similar set up on the Octavia. Cheers Mike

Re applied my simomez 7.50 wax today after 6 months. Pain to do but holds up well.

I've used BC a few times without major issue. ATS service was dreadfully slow they did the free 'checks' even though i had opted out when booking and then kept the mrs waiting for 30 mins after her car was done because they'd blocked her car in to do another car. I used pro-tyre this time which was a company I'd not heard of before 2x 17" Eagle F1 AS3 XL cost about 76 each fitted with a discount code on the net so about a fiver a tyre cheaper than BC. The lad at Middlesbrough branch did a good job at fitting without marking my newly refurbished wheels so i was happy. I guess as a company are only good if you get good local fitters.

Put a coat on about 6 weeks ago I've washed the car since, it seems to be holding up well so far. Simoniz original £7.50 from wilko.

Fixed mine today using method above. My camera would not work at all with the engine running so it was disconnected. £7 in halfords this morning and about an hours work and its now working a treat. Thanks Mike