Alasdair1

Maybe a scan to check if heater plugs are working. My old octavia used to smoke a little after start up as two of the heater plugs had failed. Still started no bother but was a bit lumpy for about 10secs when really cold weather. Alasdair

Could be a failing bearing/sensor ring as you mentioned but the fact it does it before moving may point to a wiring fault rather than sensor/sensor ring. Might be worth checking connector on sensor that was replaced and trace back wiring looking for damage. Alasdair

Mine were all serviced at independant garages once the warranty ended so probably didn't bother with checking alarm etc. Alasdair

Maybe the arrow speed tires. Try and swap front to rear and see if the uniroyals are any better. Arrowspeed I think is a budget/mid range. Had autogrip budget tyres/same size on my people carrier and they used to do the same. Alasdair

It may depend if the wiring is present. I would have a look at switch and see if there's any extra wires going to switch that aren't being used. Alasdair

Reckon if its going to max it may be a short somewhere. Your being very polite by saying electrical issues are very elusive. I have many other phrases. Hope its an obvious one Alasdair

Sons MK1 was the same. ABS/brake warning light. On his it was the strip fuse beside battery that had a hairline crack. His brakes were also spongy and needed a pressure bleeder to remove air from rear after piston replacement. Tried manually for ages but only when I used a presurised gunson the air came out. Alasdair

I agree as long as it has a good service history and haldex/dsg have been serviced regularly should be fine. Check out any MOT records for advises/corrosion etc. When buying a car or my son it was amazing how many low mileage failed MOT with bald tyres leaking shocks, corrosion etc. If you put a car in for an MOT with canvas showing on the tyres and a front strut thats covered in oil the chances are its not been looked after or driven like you stole it. If your buying privately I would avoid any that have number plate obscured as they may be trying to hide bad MOT results etc. Alasdair

All my skoda when I bought them with full service history have no mention of battery replacement. My 08 plate siren still works. My 2012 plate siren doesn't. Did have an old volvo 940 that used to drain battery in the same way. (used the same supply as clock for charging which kept blowing fuse) I removed siren/battery to discover it was pretty near to being on fire. Batteries were melted including plastic surround. Never bothered fitting another one. Alasdair

Have noticed an odd pulsating noise when driving and can't locate it. Sounds mechanical and doesn't seem to change with speed but more noticeable in 3rd gear higher revs than 4th. Sounds as though its coming from engine bay passenger side. Its quite rythmic (similar to when a washing machine is emptying) Doesn't seem to do it at idle Dont think its bearing or driveshaft related. Any suggestions welcome. Meant to add its a mk2 octavia estate 2012 plate Alasdair

Maybe the connector to tank is needing cleaned or there is a break in wire. Alasdair

May have been a wiring connection issue. Check the wiring back from the sender to make sure its not shorting somewhere. Alasdair

225/45/18 are a wider tyre so may tend to follow road deffects more. I used to run same size on a people carrier and had found that I needed more pressure on the low profile tyres than the standard ones. It could also be the make of tyre. Alasdair

Try superglue. Sometimes works very well depending on rubber type. Alasdair

Doubt yours will have bluetooth as dont think it was fitted as standard although some had an extra option. The blutooth unit if fitted is normally under drivers seat. Check you have bluetooth option on your display. My 08 plate octavia doesnt but my 12 plate has a small touch screen unit with microphone on dash top. Looks like this and has a small mic on windscreen pillar. No idea where wiring goes. Not sure but reckon it is an add on. Cables available on ebay depending on what you want to plug in. https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwiBzdzx84-TAxVgmVAGHSB1KcEYACICCAEQCRoCZGc&co=1&ase=2&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2bTNBhDjARIsAK89wlHmlTece7nlf2ua1zf7z2M4-9f6l58JvleV05MMnNaetJRNamiStRsaAn3eEALw_wcB&cid=CAASJeRoOMZ3XCKV65qvlV5-3tSugAuKroZCkX5X16kItvPuFbqcTTo&cce=2&category=acrcp_v1_33&sig=AOD64_0FChl41QbP2NCZZfeyMK_8M4YG_Q&ctype=5&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwik2dbx84-TAxVGWkEAHaNbE2MQ9aACKAB6BAgLECE&adurl= Alasdair

Son uses a plug in blue tooth fm transmitter in his mk1 (halfords) as theres no connection socket. According to google Ai the socket in the glove box can be 3.5mm or mdi which I think you have. The 2010 Skoda Fabia (Mk2) often features a media input socket located inside the glove box, designed for connecting external audio devices. Key Details regarding the Media Socket: Location: The socket is typically found in the top-left or rear section of the glove compartment. Interface Type: It is often a 3.5mm AUX input or a specialized MDI (Media Device Interface) port. Functionality: If equipped with an MDI port, you can use a Skoda-compatible MDI lead (USB or Apple 30-pin) to control playback (track selection, folders) via the radio unit, such as the RCD 310 or RNS 310. Activation: To use it, you may need to press the "MEDIA" or "CD" button on the head unit to switch the source to AUX or MDI.

https://www.lllparts.co.uk/skoda-parts Look under body section in manufacturer diagrams and scroll down to dashboard parts. I get 3T0857139 but not sure on the year of your car. Alasdair

Check brake fluid level and maybe sticking handbrake switch/handbrake. probably worth getting it scanned to see if anything comes up. Think your correct it normally is for auto so not sure why on a manual unless its a cluster fault. Had dpf light on mine but no dpf on that engine plus a few others. removed cleaned and replaced cluster and cured it. either cluster had come loose or was making poor connection. Alasdair

Glad its still ok and hopefully a one of. Your lucky it stopped when it did. Good luck with MOT. With that amount of diesel in oil at least the engine will have been given a good flush out and be nice and clean. Alasdair

If its the same with new sensor and comes on with ignition may be wiring related. Check sensor connection and trace back for any damage to cables. Also read similar problem on a vw site. in their case the map sensor earth was intermittent. I think they have 4 pins Earth, Ecu, power(5v) and air temp. They had a high resistance on the earth pin due to bad earth connection. From memory somewhere under battery tray but may not be the same on Fabia Alasdair

I use bosch normally but during winter tend to go for a cheap set if I have to change them as the salt/grit/ice destroys them Last set that I fitted was from Lidl and reckon there as good as bosch but a lot cheaper. Been on my octavia for over a year and just starting to smear a bit but still no squeeks etc. Waiting till they have them in again and at £8-99 I usually buy two sets Alasdair

Sorry just spotted the enormous picture of battery hiding in plain sight. Alasdair

It could be driving the towbar smart bypass relay. I fitted one on an old seat and it required an inline fuse from battery +ve which from memory was 15amp. Do the trailer socket lights work and does it reach battery? Alasdair

Had another google and the wiring on newer models I think goes to bcm but on older seems to go direct to cluster as in yours. It may be a fault in cluster itself thats causing problem as both old and new work in reverse. As both work in reverse I assume that the wiring is ok but maybe problem at cluster?

Air in fuel is likely to be on the suction side from tank to lift pump and before the high pressure pump. If its after then leaks are usually noticeable. Difficult to pin point where but check all fuel lines including filter for signs of leakage including return lines from injectors. Dont think the octavia has a water drain valve on the filter. Just the top sealing gasket. You said it had a day in garage. Dont suppose they did anything fuel related? Alasdair