Alasdair1

Same on the MK1 1.9tdi my folks had. Tried once to clean rusty front discs for MOT by driving with brake on and car immediately lost power and loads of warning lights on. Hope it works. Alasdair

If you know someone or have VCDS might be worth a scan. VCDS sometimes pings up codes that other readers including garage ones miss before changing TB Alasdair

If the gearbox isnt noisy and gear selections are good and positive I would see if the oil leak can be fixed. It may be as simple as just a gasket or seal unless the box has to be dismantled to fit gasket. I would run it and see if its repairable and at the same time start searching for second hand box just in case. Came accross Trent breakers who seem to have a few Gbox plus offer warranty but not sure how long https://www.trents.co.uk/manufacturer/skoda/skoda-octavia#/ Alasdair

Another thought may be if the car has a coolant valve that opens when blower is on. It may be leaking. Alasdair

Did you recalibrate throttle body after cleaning? and check for any vacuum leaks. Sons MK1 used to idle between 1100 and 1300rpm due to few splits in brake servo hose. Alasdair

Maybe broken wires in passenger door gaiter and also in tailgate gaiter? Alasdair.

Chances are the auto windows wont work either. Put fully down and hold for 5-10secs then fully up and hold for 5-10secs. Alasdair

May not be blocked matrix but air lock (hopefully) or exhaust gases if the HG has gone . If its the HG it will pressurise cooling system and also cause air/gas lock normally in heater matrix which would explain heaters not being very hot. Check the reservoir for bubbles and maybe a HG test plus look for white smoke at exhaust. Alasdair

If its not original then it wont automatically do it as I think radio checks vin on car and if it matches switches on. If you do get it to work write the code on a sticker and stick in glovebox for future use. Might be worth connecting radio cable just in case its needed. That I think is a Skoda Audience MP3 car radio which is earlier than the Swing model. Alasdair

Hopefully its a one of and glad the warranty covered it. Weird how older cars like mine seem to get to 100k before wheel bearing etc goes but a new part doesnt last nearly as long. Reckon your right with older cars being better built and parts better quality. My old garage I used to use said that if they have had to use heat on wheel hubs to remove bolt its guaranteed that that bearing will be next to fail. They were spot on as they had changed front broken spring on my old Octavia and 3 months later bearing failed. They only used heat as they couldn't move bolt even with a 5 foot bar and were worried it would snap. Alasdair

Black smoke and smell of petrol is either too much fuel or not enough air. I would get it scanned as previously said to help hopefully pinpoint problem. It could be quite a few things. If the air filter is old/dirty I would start by changing it first. It could also be bad MAF,O2 sensor, Bad fuel injector or failing ignition causing misfire and probably a few more hence why its better to get it scanned for codes. Alasdair

On my old octy it was either the fastforward/scan right button or the Menu. Sorry cant exactly remember. If its the original to car it should do it by itself although sometimes radio needs to be switched on and car driven for a while. Alasdair

Could be sticking turbo veins or carbon build up in turbo/faulty actuator. This came up from Rosstech Possible CausesWiring and/or Connections from/to Vane Position Sensor (G581) faulty Engine Control Module (ECM) faulty Vane Position Sensor (G581) faulty Binding Issues due to Adjustment/Turbocharger Excessive Carbon build-up Vacuum Leak from/to Turbocharger (Wastegate) Actuator and Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75) Possible SolutionsCheck/Replace Fuses Check Wiring and/or Connections from/to Vane Position Sensor (G581) Check Vane Position Sensor (G581) Perform Ohm Test Check Mechanical Turbocharger Operation Rule out binging and excessive Carbon build-up Check Vacuum Supply from/to Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75) and Turbocharger (Wastegate) Actuator Check the actuator is moving and is smooth in operation Alasdair

Skoda dealer will use Skoda OEM part which will be expensive plus £100 plus and hour labour. Independent will be cheaper for part and labour and probably aftermarket bearing. Last wheel bearings I got for my Mk2 octavia was £40 APEC brand. Took about 2 hrs in total to replace by myself and that was on a mk2 08 plate so had to take my time as things were a bit corroded. Check that the warranty provider will pay for the repair before going ahead. Glad you got to the source of the droning noise. Alasdair

Try electrical contact cleaner/brake cleaner and an old tooth brush. It may need the centre of the socket rubbed with a very fine sand paper if its coroded or tarnished Alasdair

Maybe as its loose the connector needs reseating or broken wire. My sons fabia is the same but I managed to feed a couple of long cable ties behind the bracket and then round ECU to secure it in place. Alasdair

It might be worth getting cooling system pressure tested when cold. It could be a small leak somewhere that's evaporating when hot and not being spotted. Park up on a dry area when doing it and look for signs of drips. Alasdair

Your lucky you got a mini cooper. We got a nissan duke(puke). Probably the worst car I have ever driven. It had to be driven at high revs to get anywhere and no visibilty out of it plus from outside looked quite large but zero space inside. I might add that people normally put their car in reverse then wait to check its clear. You were moving so they should have looked and waited. Definitley not your fault no matter what the insurers say. Glad you got it fixed and back on the road again. I do miss my old volvo 940. designed to take the odd bump or two with zero damage. Alasdair

I have been using KYB shocks/springs for years and no problem. Discs and pads been using APEC and again no problem. Get my parts from https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/ unless its an absolute emergency then I use my local motorfactors. Partsinmotion have good prices and so far excellent delivery. KYB and APEC have online catalogue for cross ref OE numbers Alasdair

Check in glove box some had a sticker with 4 digit code. From memory on my mk2 I had same problem but it sorted itself after driving for a while. Think it checks vin reg and unlocks itself. There are a few websites that will get code for you via serial number at a small cost if the above doesnt work Alasdair

Sounds like a corroded earth somewhere thats causing voltage drop when car electrics are under more load. Not sure if the fan and ECU share same earth point. Check the earth nearest battery first under battery tray and check if you can where I think brown wire goes from ECU. Alasdair

Maybe not my folks had the estate and it had an extra one in rear on right hand side. Alasdair

Do you have another socket in rear boot that you could try plugging charger into to perhaps rule it out? Alasdair

Sons ABS one cracked but couldn't see it until removed when it broke in two. He had random brake/ABS warning once car was warm so I assume the heat expanded crack. I removed them all as his were slightly coroded and cleaned up terminals and fuses. Wonder if the charger you were using is faulty and drawing more power than usual or its due to dirty contacts in socket? Alasdair

The rear brake cylinders are not expensive as are the front calipers if needed. Last rears I bought were around £13-00 each and front calipers were around £40 each. Those were for a MK1 but stick your reg into https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/ and check prices. Alasdair