Alasdair1

Thats a weird one. Its a long shot but maybe a sticky/bad exhaust valve? Leaks when cold seals when hot? Alasdair

Was the new injector coded? Sorry if its a daft question Alasdair

Pretty sure it has DMF and variable turbo. Folks had the estate 1.9tdi and it was definitly dmf. Cant remember if it was AXR or ATD engine Alasdair

If the heater matrix fails it can leak coolant into footwell. Happend to my sons fabia. Not sure on the Octavia but on his the matrix started leaking at the metal join that the rubber hoses connect to at the matrix itself Alasdair

Not sure I to thought it was on the drivers side. Have you checked coolant level in case its the heater matrix? Alasdair

If its just good looks your looking for then crack on with cone filters etc. Doubt it will make any difference in power but may look smart with bonnet open. I go to a regular car meet with loads of upgraded cars. (modern and classic) Some of them have spent thousands and they do look very impressive but the number of owners that I speak to who have blown engines/gearboxes with huge turbos etc is fairly high. Fine if you have a bottomless money pit. Personally if your looking for more power go for a proffesional remap plus spend the money on upgrading brakes/discs and decent tyres/wheels Alasdair

Personally I use NGK across the board from chainsaws etc up to cars. Never had a bad one and they do last. I would stick to them. I have heard that denso are equally as good but never tried them. Alasdair

Reckon a leak down test might be the way to go. Hope you get it sorted. I prefer the Mk1 and early Mk2 Octavias. Still have my 1.9tdi bxe sitting waiting for me to tackle rust but reckon its past it. Shame as its mechanicly sound. If I scrap it will let you know as engine has 140k and runs like a train with no probs. Alasdair

Check the engine breather system pcv isnt clogged/jammed as well Alasdair

If your using 3l /1k then I would expect a full smoke screen behind you. It may be that its oil getting into coolant thats forcing coolant out and not burning much but that amount of oil would mean that you probably wouldnt have much coolant left. Check that the intercooler isnt full of oil. Had an old volvo that the turbo seals failed and was dumping it there. If it sat idling for a while then some blue smoke but not much when driving. If you have an oil leak that amount would definitly be noticeable. Alasdair

If there is any warning light on dash the chances are it will fail I am afraid especially if its part of a safety system. Have you had car scanned to see if there are any fault codes stored? It may be possible to disable it for the MOT? I read on a VW forum/Golf it can be disabled by going into Car/vehicle setting/setup and toggling the front assist to off although it may reactivate once car is stopped and restarted. Not sure on Skoda Alasdair

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