Alasdair1

Have used a high lift trolley jack and then concrete blocks under wheels to change Gbox in the past on an old Volvo 940. I put up as high as it would go and then blocks under front wheels then put trolley on blocks laid flat and got higher still then more blocks under wheels enough to get Gbox out. Alasdair

I reckon if you have a lift available use it as it will make things much easier and a lot quicker. You may get away with car ramps but last thing you want is to remove it and not be able to get it out. Depends on how high the jack will go ? Alasdair

If you have biocide then wont do any harm. Have had dreaded diesel bug in my tractor cause it sits for a while without being used. Now use biocide as standard. As mentioned in previous post change filter after a tank or two. Alasdair

Have vibration at higher speeds and acceleration on my Octavia. Changed just about everything and still there. Been like that for over a year and no-one can pinpoint why. Finally last MOT mentioned lower front rear bushes so thats next. If that doesnt work think it may be driveshaft/cv joint related. Driving me mad. Nothing through steering wheel but felt through seat. Alasdair

Sounds like head has gone or egr cooler/oil cooler. Definitly reject car ASAP. From what you have said re courtesy car an the fact that you think yours has been used I wouldn't be dealing with them at all. Years ago folks were given a courtesy car with no MOT and 4 bald tyres 2 down to canvas. I phoned garage and told them to recover courtesy car and get them another. They made up the usual apologetic excuses. Have never dealt with them again. It was also a main dealer!! which changed ownership fairly quickly afterwards. Alasdair

Not sure why there is no wear sensor cable. There may be two options. Try LLLparts original manufacturer diagram using vin and see if you can get the OEM number from diagrams. You may need brake PR code from sticker normally in boot. Alasdair

Unless your driving it like you stole it or having random track days I reckon the stock brakes will be more than enough. Did think about upgrading on my old 1.9tdi but changed tyres for a better grip and stopping power in wet. Found the standard brakes were excellent but new tyres definitely improved stopping power especially when roads were greasy and wet. Alasdair

Looks similar to whats on my Octavia there are plastic inserts that fit into chassis near rear swing arm. I assume to cover bolts. Mine came out when I jacked car up. to get it off axle stands. Alasdair

Try self adhesive velcro tape. Think screwfix or toolstation. Problem is that anything that sticks well may cause problems removing at a later date. Have heard of people using command self adhesive removable strips. Alasdair

It maybe the aftermarket febi pads are slightly smaller/larger than original or the carrier is worn. Had similar on mine. Cant remember the make of pads but I had never heard of them. I measured each one and there was a slight difference of about 1mm between the four. I replaced with Apec and they seemed tighter in carrier. Could also be the spring that holds pad into piston that needs opening up slightly. Alasdair

Depends on how much play/length you have. If they are too long they may bottom out. Check length with them fully closed. Alasdair

TYLL are Czech Republic based so not sure if available in uk. They make for skoda themselves. Local motor factor sell Klarius and Bosal but my local garage tend to fit either OEM or Bosal. Probably as they last longer and fit better. They have a sign saying that they only fit oem or qualtiy parts and refuse to fit any part you give them to fit. Alasdair

Have a look at the spring on right hand side. It may have broken at top or bottom. Sometimes its difficult to see if its a small section thats gone. In my case was the rear and the spring wasnt seating properly and chattering when I hit bumps in road including the broken end which was bouncing around in lower socket that spring sits in. As said check the top strut nut as well. Mine was just slightly loose and it made a high pitch chattering sound. Couldnt see any play due to spring tension. If the spring is broken it may be puting front wheel out of alignment, Alasdair

Sounds like a loose top mount/suspension nut. Had similar on my octavia when I changed springs and didnt manage to tighten top securing nut enough. or the top mount has failed which may explain the tyre wear. Doesnt sound like drop links or heat shield for exhaust or bottom ball joint although have had bad drop links which seem ok until removed. Reckon the tension from anti roll bar stops you seeing any play. As your replaced check the antiroll bar bushes bolts and also the bushes encased in alloy for the front swing arms etc.. havent come loose. Alasdair

I agree ask for the three year full service to be included. Mileage again I agree at around 9k a year its probably had decent long trips which is much better in my opinion than a low mileage car thats been tootling along in a city and never getting a decent run plus a car that's not stopping and starting all the time its kinder to clutch/gearbox and starter etc. I would change to annual servicing as personally I think the long life oil change is too long. You could see if they would add in some extra warranty as its skoda approved for peace of mind. Alasdair

Could be the actuator sticking at some point. My old 1.9tdi used to go into limp mode for that reason but no EML on . If I stopped engine and restarted it was fine till next time. I assume your actuator is electronic. It might be the wiring to it. Check for corosion and breaks. If it happens more in hot weather it may be due to something thats cracked and expanding and causing a fault in wiring. Alasdair

I agree some of the aftermarket exhaust dont seem to last long at all. I used to use Klarius as they were a cheaper option but last front pipe for my sons fabia mk1 was BM catalyst and so far so good. Reckon Bosal might be better and there is euroflow which I havent used. Most aftermarket exhausts seem to last 2-5 years. Think genuine oem skoda are made by TYLL Alasdair

Think the sponge is supposed to stop crud getting into sill etc but it doesnt work. When I did my timing belt I did as you and cleaned and waxoil behind plastic liner. Mine was really bad and managed to fill a bucket of crud from both sides. Think it stops larger particles but my sill and surrounding area was full of very fine silt. Probably why the start rusting there. I used a power washer to blast as much as I could out. I did replace sponge but will probably remove every year or two and clean again. Alasdair

Not sure re rivet nuts. If using rivets its recomended using oem ones. They are 6.4 x 10mm part number N 91078801 6mm standard ones tend to not give a decent hold. You will also need a heavy duty rivet gun. I did my sons a while back and you don't have to remove speaker rivets only the larger ones to remove metal card. The door lock button metal linkage is a bit tricky so be careful when removing card. I removed the stay that stops the door from opening too far to access the rubber boot in door pillar to disconnect cables to give me a bit more room . Alasdair

When I said inlet valve I meant the inlet/exhaust valves on engine. If an inlet valve isnt seating properly you can get back pressure through the inlet system. As for turbo veins the turbo uses variable vein. If they are clogged or worn/damaged it can mean they dont adjust properly causing too much boost when you lift foot of throttle which can cause air to be forced backwards. Difficult to explain but pulled this off google Low Mass Flow: During low-speed, high-load situations, the engine's demand for air is too low for the amount of boost the turbo is trying to generate. The compressor blades essentially stall, losing their grip on the air and causing a pulse of reverse airflow. Hope the mechanic can find out where the problem lies. Alasdair

Same here nuts and bolts no problem but computer/tech out of my comfort zone although loads of people on here with great knowledge and always helpful. Hope the visits to the hospital get fewer and and she gets better soon. Good luck Alasdair

Long shot I know but as you have tried just about everything maybe inlet valve not seating properly? Have heard it can cause back pressure into air filter housing. I think your turbo is like mine and uses variable geometry tech. If the veins are warped or damaged/severly stuck it can I think cause the same symptoms by forcing air back into inlet then filter although I would have expected a code. Asked an old mechanic and he mentioned turbo/compressor surge. I Maybe clutching at straws here but would love to know the reason why. Alasdair

Have been thinking of getting vcds as using a basic chinese scanner but I have quite a few vw group cars plus so will be expensive if I need to change anything etc. Plus have also a few non vw. May start with OBDeleven and would appreciate any feed back you can give. Alasdair

Sons mk1 idle was all over the place until warmed up. His brake servo hose was split. I taped it up and idle returned to normal. On yours were the coil packs changed at same time as spark plugs? They can sometimes cause rough idle until warmed up. Alasdair

Have a look on lllparts original manufacture diagrams to see what should be fitted in case its there is a difference. I know they changed design at some point but not sure when. Might be worth changing pressure sensor. Unless the bottom pipe and manifold are leaking I doubt it would be them. I read to check divertor valve you can put 12v accross terminals and it should operate instantly. If its slow or sticking/intermittant then its had it. Alasdair