NikTheGeek

Don't want to hijack, but I still haven't put my hand in my pocket for Smartlink/Mirrorlink/Android Auto or whatever it is. If I'm satisfied with my current satnav (it'll do for what I need), is there any other bonus to paying £140 to add it? If I could watch SkyGo on my head unit when parked, it would be worth it, but I'm assuming you can't... thanks Nick

I had a major service, cambelt, brake fluid change etc at a main dealer and it was only £730 so that is way too expensive. It's 5 years or 60000 miles, whichever comes first. Either way, you are close to the right figure so get it done. If you don't and it fails, you'll wish you had... Nick

If you are worried about the environment, a modern diesel is less harmfull for the planet than a petrol due to the much lower CO2 and with a DPF, particulates are greatly reduced. Also, the purchase of a new car to replace it has a huge environment impact vs running your existing car. Even purchasing a s/h car has an impact as it feeds the chain further up for new cars and their impact. Even replacing your car with an electric one is just shifting the environmental impat from the user to the mining of the lithium and production of the electricity to power it. If you are worried about cost of the fuel, the money you will spend replacing the 1.6 will buy you plenty of miles in it at the slightly more expensive fuel cost. If you are worried about clean city zones like Bath, Bristol and Birmingham coming in to force, Euro 6 diesels are exempt (a big climb down for Bristol that were originally going to ban all privately owned diesel cars). They have finally realised how clean modern diesels actually are. The best thing you can do (from an environmental pov) is to keep your existing car for as long as possible! All that is assuming that your 1.6 is viable and not on it's last legs or anything!

Was it a big job? I figured at the worst you could fit it and wire it via a relay, but then it wouldn't be an option in the infotainment screen and the car wouldn't be able to account for the unusual power drain. So I guess you have to do it properly. That said, with covid restrictions, I've not exactly been using it much anyway!! Nick

Yes, thank you, I will take a look... Nick

I'm still interested! If you could let me know parts and cost. I have seen them for sale, but not an Octavia specific one...

Tell me more about the heating? I wanted to fit the extra electrical heating element behind my heater matrix but don't have any details on part required.

I'm with you. I'm in rural South Devon and the dab reception is absolutely fine. I can't necessarily get all stations in all areas, but the national ones and the BBC ones are all fine!

Cheap Chinese hardwire kit off ebay and a snap on ferrite either side of the convertor and I have no issues.

If I had a switch to disable it, then for MOT purposes, the lamps wouldn't have to be Type Approved I suppose...

With the roads we have in the South Hams, its exactly like that, apart from the speed part. Narrow lanes you'd struggle to get a Micra through, no tarmac in places, high hedges so you can't see. No straight bits. Hence the desire for better lighting - but I fear canbus might make it harder than I hope

I've been reading about this mod and I wonder whether the open part of the air box (that the blanking plate would cover) allows easier breathing when the car is stationary? I reckon that when you are doing 70mph down the motorway, it won't matter a jot if the blanking plate is fitted or not because the engine will be getting plenty of cold air. No warm air at all will be getting sucked in from the engine due to the force of the air flowing in from the front. But at slow speeds, maybe not enough air comes in, hence the need for the open part in the engine bay? I note the rather expensive Revo replacement air filter allows for the flow in to the engine bay, they don't blank it off. It would be interested to see tests of all 3 methods: 1. Stock 2. Opened up passenger side 3. Blanked engine bay. Also I wonder what difference, if any, it would make to a diesel? Nick

Additional driving lamps/spotlights. Like the old Hella round spots of old that you'd see on rally cars, but something smaller, modern, LED and road legal for use as "additional driving lamps" This is the slim one: https://www.osram.com/ecat/Lightbar SX180-SP-LED driving lights-Car lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_3238210/ZMP_4058235/ This is the round one: https://www.bowerspartsonline.co.uk/lighting/spot-lights/round-spot-lamps/7-inch-round-full-led-spotdriving-light-12v24v-maypole-mp5076 Nick

I have that turned on for flash, but not for high beam as unfortunately it would be illegal and an MOT fail and so even if it worked well, it would be a pain to undo for the test. Also I don't think it does work well as I've manually put them on when driving on a dark country lane and it make very little difference. But thanks for the suggestion nontheless, I appreciate the thought! Nick

I was toying with the idea of getting some Osram type-approved LED spotlights for use on our unlit, dark Devon roads (I live at the foot of Dartmoor so it doesn't get much darker). My question is: would they be an easy fit and a case of tapping in to a 12v feed to the main beam to trigger a relay or would the canbus wiring make it more complicated than that? Osram do a couple of different types: a traditional looking round 7" spotlight and a slimline rectangular one that looks like a daytime running light but gives a 190m beam. Anyone fitted anything and can offer any wiring advice? Thanks, Nick

It's the life of the car, there is no "normal" coolant service interval https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/d300a459-5ef6-433f-a49f-65f3638efaa1 That's the point of the silica bag. If you remove it, you should then change the coolant once every 4 or 5 years (I'd say 5). Nick

Just a quick guide to fitting the umbrella holder to the drivers seat. Note: I bought the umbrella holder assuming it fitted to the passenger seat. I fitted it but it fouled the manual seat adjustment so I had to remove it and re-fit to the drivers seat. Just bear that in mind when looking at the pictures below. Now in my case, that was great news because I would have preffered and in fact chosen the option of fitting it to the drivers seat had I known. So it worked out well. But please be aware, the part numbers I list are to fit it to the drivers seat of UK cars. So firstly, you will need the bracket: https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5e0881646b-umbrella-holder-skoda-39334.html Then the actual tray/box: https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5e0881197b9b9-umbrella-box-skoda-36232.html Optional 4 screws (you only need 2 if you are removing the hi-viz holder) https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/nf812139e-screw-4-2x16-skoda-19321.html 4 speed clips/u-clips (2 if you are removing the hi-viz holder), part number: N0154672 (I used my own from an assortment box I got from Amazon). If you follow those links above, you will be able to get the part numbers. There is a A and a B variant. I bought the B variant. I assume the A variant will fit the passenger side (please check this yourself). But if you want the drivers side, pick the B version from the supplier above, or any other supplier of your choice. Step 1: Remove the hi-viz holder if fitted. This leaves 2 speed clips pictured. If you didn't have the hi-viz holder, you will have to insert your speed clips where these are shown. Step 2: Insert the rear speed clips (the bracket you are fitting requires 4 screws in total) These pictures show where they go. The smaller round hole is where the speed clip covers and where the screw will go, the larger square hole is to allow your speed clip access. This is the same above if you didn't have the hi-viz holder already fitted. As my clips weren't genuine VAG ones and were a little loose, I found it helpful to hold them in place using clear cellotape to stop them moving around. The genuine VAG ones wouldn't have this issue. Step 3: Screw bracket on Step 4: Fit the box Note: This is shown fitted to the passenger seat at the moment. Step 5: Realise it fouls the seat adjustment, so remove the lot from the passenger seat, replace the hi-viz holder and repeat steps 1-4 on the drivers side!! Pictures now show it fitted to the drivers side and not fouling the seat adjustment: It wasn't a hard job. It took maybe half an hour to do it all, twice. The second time I did it on the drivers side was a lot quicker since I knew what I was doing and it only took 10 minutes to do. Anyway, in summary, it was an accident that I ended up with a drivers side umbrella holder but I prefer it and I'm glad I got it. I'm much more likely to need an umbrella at my feat than a hi-viz jacket! Hope that helps Nick

Thanks for that I've order a selection box of them from Amazon so hopefully they will include the right size and I'll have plenty of spares for other projects in the future I did have the safety vest holder already fitted which must have already had 2 clips fitted as I could feel them with my hand. But if not, I should have enough clips on the way. It's a pain the seller that sold me the box, bracket and screws didn't think to at least mention the clips! cheers Nick

Thanks for that, I appreciate the effor and the pictures of what the finished thing should look like! I've had a look with a torch and figure it out. I'm missing 2 clips for the rear attachment which is a PITA considering I ordered a kit. But I've got an assorted pack of clips coming from Amazon tomorrow and it seems straight forward enough to fit. Nick

Hi, anyone got the fitting instructions for the umbrella holder and bracket for the passgenger seat? I've bought it, but it didn't come with any fitting instructions. I'm sure it'll probably make sense when I look, but there's not much room under the seat to fiddle and guess where it goes! If you are curious, I got: https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5e0881646b-umbrella-holder-skoda-39334.html https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5e0881197b9b9-umbrella-box-skoda-36232.html https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/nf812139e-screw-4-2x16-skoda-19321.html Thanks Nick

Have you tried cleaning the screen? I found Windowlene or similar was the best, but at your own risk etc. Mine played up, doing its own thing and I read, somewhere, that it was caused by dirty, greasy fingerprints and general dirt build up. I cleaned it and never had a problem since. Anyway, won't harm to try it if you haven't already...

Good call. But would it breakdown to a brown sandy mush/gell? I don't think it would and as you can see from my bag, there is no evidence of it doing so and my expansion bottle was nice and clean. So I'm not sure the silicate bag can be blamed for the sludge people are seeing. Sure it can be blamed for bursting and blocking the heater matrix, but not sludge in the expansion tank.

This was my bag, freshly removed and not cleaned or rinsed. It is still full and shows no signs that any of the contents have leached or dissolved in the 5 years it has been immersed in the coolant. So I'm still sceptical. That said, I'm not a chemist and I don't know what variant of silicate they use. Maybe it acts as a catalyst for some other reaction that occurs. Interesting nonetheless.

Silica is a silicate. But either way, the silica (or silicate) in the bag in the expansion tank is clear and remains clear after 5 years of immersion in coolant. Silica (and silicates) are very stable and don't react easily with other chemicals and are unlikely to break down in to a brown sandy mess in the expansion tank.

I don't get the brown residue and the silica. Silica is clear and reasonably inert so if the bag ruptures and blocks the heater matrix, I don't understand the sludge in the expansion tank. It's not like the coolant stains the silica otherwise when you remove the bag it would be all brown and horid, but after 5 years the crystals in my bag were all still nice and clear. Are we sure the 2 things are the same and not sand residue left over from the casting process?