Alasdair1

Had similar problems on my 1.9tdi. I oiled waste gate actuator and manually operated until smooth again. I cant see why they are wanting to replace turbo unless they found something wrong with it. I would oil or replace wastegate first as its a much cheaper option. Alasdair

Meant to add that at a litre of oil every 1k will soon mount up ££. Are you getting blue smoke while driving?

The readings are not bad at all for the mileage but slightly imbalanced but I think ok. Might be worth getting a leak down test done especially as your getting oil in coolant. It may pin point the problem cylinder/cylinders If your losing coolant out of expansion tank it sounds like the head gasket is on its way out and is over pressurising system. Alasdair

Sounds like a head gasket failure but if its gone it may not be possible to do an accurate compression test to check its not the rings etc. It might be worth trying a test and if they all seem fairly equal and near spec perhaps a head gasket replacement. A decent one for my 1.9 bxe is around £30-00 plus I assume a new set of bolts etc plus factor in a new timing belt and waterpump as well. Alasdair

Have an old Octavia that underneath is not too bad its a 58 plate. what killed it was subframes etc plus salt and grit seeping in behind plastic liners in wheel arches allowing rust to come through wings and ends of sills. When I did timing belt took about half a bucketfull of dirt from behind. Same on passenger side. With salt on the roads its a losing battle plus once the rust starts thats it. Alasdair

Not sure if itss any help but have you checked strip fuses in engine compartment for hairline cracks. They can be almost impossibe to see. On my sons MK1 they are individual but on later fabias they may well be a complete unit. Could be the fuse is broken when cold and reconects due to expansion when hot. Alasdair

I assumed they were all DMF but if the specialist and dealer say its SMF then its probably correct. I agree with monitoring it and if it gets worse then a new clutch may be needed or Gbox removed for inspection etc. At 109Km / 75Kmiles it may be the clutch is worn. My sons mk1 clutch failed at 60K miles. Alasdair

Are you sure its a SMF not a DMF? and if so when was it changed? Alasdair

Maybe a worn input shaft bearing in Gbox. I would monitor it and if it gets worse have it checked. You say it has a SMF so when was it changed from DMF? Alasdair

Might be worth checking breather valve/PCV in case its clogged or jammed. Alasdair

Try a compression test to see if all cylinders are fairly equal and within spec. If your losing a lot and theres no blue smoke then it must be going somewhere. If theres an undertray fitted I would remove and have a good look. Have had oil leaks in the past that ended up on undertray so no drips. Check theres no oil in coolant as well. Could also be crank seal in bellhousing area. On my sons fabia theres a slight slot at base of bellhousing where it meets Gbox. I assume its to let any fluid that leaks out but are prone to blocking. Alasdair

Yes I have a Seat Altea. It sat for a couple of months until I got round to MOT it. Heard a clunk when I left for garage which I put down to spring/top mount sticking . Had checked them all before hand. When the garage who was puting it through MOT checked the car over both front springs had broken at top and 1 rear as well. Garage said can happen if the car sits for a long time especially when freezing but its unusual but not impossible for both to break. They were all fresh breaks Expensive MOT that year. Alasdair

Reckon as long as the brakes work on the testing machine and are equal then it will pass. Sons was like this as well and passed MOT no bother. Alasdair

My old Seat used to do the same. It had autolock that enabled at around 15mph. On mine it had a problem with the drivers door locking circuit board in door. Car would keep trying to lock once over 15mph and then unlock and lock etc. I got my local garage to disable the autolock. How they did it I am not sure. Think it had something to do with vehicle settings/door set up. It may require VCDS to do it. As your lights stay on when flicked to door opening/closing It could be that the door switch has failed/broken wire so the car thinks its still open but still tries to lock it once over 15=20mph Alasdair

On my 1.9tdi its inside the timing belt cover area. I replaceed it when I do the belt. If you are still losing coolant after thermostat replacement try a plastic bottle with the expansion vessel overflow pipe in to it. If there is any coolant loss through expansion cap when driving you can see it collecting in bottle. Check passengers side carpet area for dampness or signs of crytals in case its the heater matrix leaking. Alasdair

Maybe leave the one that requires bumper off and mount somewhere nearby. You could cut wires and then crimp and heat shrink etc. and use aftermarket horn or found this on ebay that looks like the same connectors. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/376489945031?_ul=UK&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338703918&toolid=20006&_xiid=376489945031&_xtei=1&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1sIX2EpRdRpmjKwzmM_12gQ7&customid=Cj0KCQiAgvPKBhCxARIsAOlK_EobJ8NA8mfffXcxpvVzQZhDWZXunhSrU7v-t4nNu1p5ysAKNJ8dknoaAn9wEALw_wcB%7C0AAAAADtppYfHvXfnEDzpAiEj6PqNFs6Mt%7CCkEKCQiA3-3KBhDcARIwACkccZuNeMYx3AeVXj1JiBlEe6oKv7dje8EXfRbExVwr_vIFOeUMJIYWNN-3E3e9GgIUEA&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgvPKBhCxARIsAOlK_EobJ8NA8mfffXcxpvVzQZhDWZXunhSrU7v-t4nNu1p5ysAKNJ8dknoaAn9wEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAADtppYfHvXfnEDzpAiEj6PqNFs6Mt&wbraid=CkEKCQiA3-3KBhDcARIwACkccZuNeMYx3AeVXj1JiBlEe6oKv7dje8EXfRbExVwr_vIFOeUMJIYWNN-3E3e9GgIUEA&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=1007345&adtype=pla&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20803169713&gbraid=0AAAAADtppYfHvXfnEDzpAiEj6PqNFs6Mt Alasdair

Looks like my sons. From memory the drive shaft comes out complete once the hub and the 6 bolts are removed. On his there was no seal as the flange/seal remains in Gbox so no oil leakage. You are supposed to renew the 6 bolts and hub nut. I reused the 6 bolts but put some thread lock on them. Hub nut is use once and throw away. The bolts are vw triple square spline. Not sure if you will get away without removing track rod end but if its just the ball joint bolt I reckon it will go back in the same position. Alasdair

Hopefully a small leak at thermostat housing. Check for tell tale crystal deposits. Alasdair

On my sons Mk1 1.2 I changed clutch so had to remove Dshafts. I needed 6 new bolts for the gearbox flange and a new hub nut. I replaced the track rod ends and bottom ball joints anyway as they looked a bit perished. Think its easier if the trackrod end is removed but worth trying without removing it. Some gearboxes dont have the flange bolts if I remember correctly so a new seal may be an idea as your there anyway. You should be able to see the 8 bolts at Gbox end. Alasdair

It does sound like thermostat but question would be where the coolant went to. Check its not leaking anywhere especially around thermostat etc. My old Octavia did the same. Fine in summer but took ages to warm up in winter. Thermostat was past it. Alasdair

Battery may be completely dead. Had same problem a few years ago. Left battery too long and it went flat. Jumped from a similar sized diesel and all that happened was the leads started to melt. Good contact at both ends but reckon the old battery was taking any power/shorted out. Disconnected old battery and put on charge. Showed charging for a few mins then blew fuse in charger. New battery time. Alasdair

I repaired my sons using tape and some jubilee clips. Been fine since. He noticed the brakes felt different and needed more pressure plus his idle was all over the place. Idle returned to norm once pipe was fixed. It could be connected to rear drums. His just passed MOT with advise. When I took them apart the cylinder had been leaking on one side and the other was in poor condition and partly seized. Alasdair

It can depend on the tyre make etc. I put slightly more sporty tyres with a higher load rating on my folks old fabia and it made a big difference in handling. The tyres that were on it were comfort tyres according to tyre service. They give a smoother ride but not so good at handling. Alasdair

Maybe give it another scan in case theres any other codes stored. Nothing worse than a car that wont start all the time. If it was starting ok before belt change then chances are its something mechanic has done. Hope you get it sorted soon Alasdair

If pressing the ASR button makes no difference then it does sound like a control problem if everything else checks out. Had a quick google and 00532 came up as low voltage supply. It may not be related but check battery and earths including alternator and connectors etc. If the battery is low due to cold weather etc it can cause problems. Check brake fluid level as well. Alasdair