beezera10

Thanks! I'll clean it a bit more and see if there are any tell tale signs. Difficult to get to to see without a lot of dismantling.

2008 Octy 1.9Tdi PD 1Z5 BXE oil leak. I've removed the plastic pan, cleaned everything up and inspected for wet areas. The leak doesn't appear to come from the rear or bottom of the engine, or from the left hand side of the engine (fuel filter side). The tandem pump at the top doesn't appear to be wet. The leak appears to be higher up the engine and just below the oil filter housing where it does seem quite wet. The oil filter housing isn't leaking (from the top, at least). I know how difficult these things are to locate, but wondered if anyone has any pointers. The oil is definitely engine and not gearbox. Any suggestions and possible fixes/checks would be welcome.

BXE is fine. My 2008 BXE Octy is on 185K and sweet as a nut. The car is only worth about a grand, so if it blows, it won't owe me anything. Still on original turbo and second DMF went in about 20k ago. Timing belt every 60k. 507 Mannol oil every 10k. I know some have worried about Mannol, but I've used it for about 15 years with no problems whatsoever. Been used to pull trailers and caravans, a lot of short work (no DPF). I did have a 2000 Octy with ALH engine. At 158k it was very smoky, had a problem with one of the solenoids (wouldn't start at times), needed a clutch and timing belt, so sold it for £350 to get rid. I had about 30 phone calls, and the geezer who collected it was an Eastern European from Bradford. It's probably still being used as a taxi even now.

You're right, and I have used them before, excellent then also. They're about 3/4 mile from me, so I could run the car up and walk back (didn't want to risk a garage further afield and get stranded). Considering the MC went around lunchtime Sunday, and the car was back on the road 3.00pm Monday, that's a pretty good turnaround. If anyone wants to check the garage out, it's West Street Garage, Normanton, West Yorks. If you break down whilst passing through, or near, Normy, and you can only be recovered locally, this may be an option. Reviews are online. Excellent customer service, very fair prices, quality parts, very little not to like.

All fitted in time to collect the missus from work. Item was Luk branded at ca. £69+vat. Labour was £60+vat per hour. I made a point of speaking to the mechanic and, when asked about the make of cylinder, he said 'we don't fit Ebay parts here'. As someone who has often bought cheap and bought twice, I agree with him. First master cylinder in 182k miles - AI reckons about 2m operations😲

I'll post back when I find out which brand of master they used. If it's Sachs, Valeo, Luk, etc, then fair enough. I have to bear in mind that there's an insurance that goes with the work - if it goes wrong it's straight back to them. If it's me doing it, it's all on me!!

Fair enough. How easy is the slave to do, and what's the bleeding (of the fluid!) procedure? TBH, I do most things on the car but I really don't fancy awkward jobs that require scraping under the car for too long. I still have the ARB bushes to do, when I can, but the car's in almost constant use so I can't take it off the road for long. That's why I'm happy to pay the £227 if it means I only lose one day!

Thanks for all your help, much appreciated. I took it in to a local independent who diagnosed the master was failing - £227 for replacement and fluid change. Seems a bit pricey, but it's not a job I have time for or fancy. Having said that, I took it up to them this morning and they said they'd have it completed today, which is a bonus as it's a car we can't do without. I think you're correct about the slave, although I'm told that's not an issue. Strange the no new grommets or seals come with the new master though, I'd have thought they'd be important to renew?? As for fluid levels, I think they were ok. I found it difficult to check as the reservoir is a bit opaque. Usually, I try to shine a bright torch through it to see if I can see the level, but not sure how accurate that is.

Probably been done to death elsewhere but, here goes. On a brief journey out, the clutch pedal went to the floor. Got an anxious call from the wife and got over there. Pedal was stuck to floor, but giving it a tap it released and I drove it home (pedal was spongy but recovered with a bit of pumping). At home, the pedal worked fine for a couple of dozen engage/disengage. So, is it master or slave cylinder and, if the latter, is it located in the bell housing or outside. It's a 2008 Octavia Mk2 Tdi PD 1Z5 estate with BXE engine (5 speed). Any clues to possible cost from an independent? Cheers all

I have a 2008 Octavia 2 with BXE engine. Just topped 180,000 miles in it with no issues whatsoever. Serviced every 10,000 miles without fail with 504/507 Mannol oil, sump drain not dipstick pump. Engine is sweet as a nut, on original turbo and EGR. Only engine replacements are clutch (first one) and timing belt every 70,000 miles, also thermostat and engine coolant sensor. Car did go into limp mode when thermostat was failing, but all back to normal now. Of course, if it does blow, it'll go for scrap. Its now 18 years old, battered round the edges, and has that mileage on it. Oddly enough, I found out a couple of years after I bought it that the original owner sold it because he was worried about these horror stories. Car bought for £4.5k privately in 2015 with 74,000 miles on the clock and in really nice condition. N/B Warning re clutch, I originally went for a SMF conversion, which proved to be a disaster (slipping after 30,000 miles). I went for a refund from the warranty (2 months off 3 year expiry), and got half the cash back (£300). Reverted back to Sachs DMF (which cost less than for the SMF conversion at £550!!). I now have my car back and driving perfectly.

I would definitely get a diagnostic on the electrical problem. Like you, I reckon electrics are a dark art and 'earth fault' is not far off torching the car and buying another. You'll know when the pulley is on the way out when the belt/pulley starts screeching at you. When I released tension on the V belt and tried to rotate the pulley, it actually moved up and down and was very stiff. On removal, most of the roller bearings fell out and the cage had partially disintegrated. If you do replace, put a dab of grease around the bearings - helps keep the moisture out. My old one was dry as a bone and a little rusty too. Good luck with those electrics.

Quick question on the plastic dipstick funnel - why is there an L shaped tab on it?? Re removal of broken funnel. In order to prevent bits of broken funnel disappearing down the tube, I left in the rubber hose with plastic bung (used the cap off a clean sealant cartridge nozzle). Because I couldn't get pliers on it, and wanted to avoid marmalising it any further, I then got a hooked piece of thick wire, and pulled on the L shaped tab as near to the broken tube as possible. After a few goes, the internal remnants shot out in one piece (thanks to the rubber hose/bung keeping things together), with just the outer left. This just peeled off easily. I've done my best to shove the new one on as tight as I can get it. It seems to have located on the collar of the metal tube ok. Will have to see if it decides to stay on after a few runs??

Decided to replace the thermostat as well. All sorted now. An account of it is on the VW TdiClub Forum under Mr Nexus.

Sorted mate - air lock in heater matrix. Funny, I've been driving for 50 years and never had a thermostat or head gasket failure (nor EGR cooler). Temp is now bang on 90C, and vents push through hot air at all engine speeds. Looks like the old stat had had its day after 180,000m and 18 years. Engine's a BXE.

Nice one. At the moment, I've got a bit of rubber hose stuffed in there with a plastic cap jammed into it. Will stop any oil for now so the car can be used. My Octy's worth about a grand, so not wanting to spend a fortune on it. Any thoughts on bleeding the cooling system so my heater works properly? Hot at higher revs, cools off at lower revs with engine at 90C. Top rad hose is hot, bottom is cool so thermostat is working fine.