Alasdair1

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

Maybe go softly and tell the mechanic that you think the timing is slightly out due to the fault code and info from members here and you would like them to recheck it rather than tell him he got it wrong. Last thing you want is to annoy a mechanic/garage etc and have them working on your car. If he gets stroppy then you can take the complaint up a level or two. Good luck and hopefully a re time will cure the problem. Alasdair

Check your owners manual if you have one just in case but I reckon its a straight swap. You may have to resync keys for remote locking and reset auto windows by holding down/up button for 10 secs at fully close and same at fully open. You will also get warning symbols like steering/ASR/ABS etc but they should disapear once its driven and gone full lock both ways. Its always the way when you get a cold spell. Alasdair

Try Tayna batteries online. There pretty good with fast delivery and reasonable prices. Just replacing It depends on if you have stop/start etc. Some cars will need new battery coded. On my Mk1 fabia and both MK2 octavia I just replace as they dont have stop/start. I have Yuasa,Lucas,Bosch and an old Halfords one in my cars and so far no problems. They are all around 5 years old now. Alasdair

I get a random bolt coming loose although if its torqued properly shouldnt but it happens. Bolts missing on the otherhand is not acceptable at all. Far to many garages miss them out or dont torque properly. Years ago I had a clutch problem that a small so called good garage fixed for me. Next time I was in my preferred garage now retired they pointed out that only the bottom bolts on the bellhousing were tight but the others were loose with two missing plus a few cables etc had not been reclipped securely. Even good garages can have poor mechanics. Hope you get it sorted. Alasdair

It may be that you will have to leave it and live with it at moment. If its the slave/master then at some point will fail completely or it will get progressively worse to the point its diagnosible. Replacing master is fairly straight forward but difficult to get to. Depending on Gbox the slave may be internal so would require Gbox out again. If its like my sons MK1 its removable from outside bell housing although the rod that operates clutch is internal. Some are fully internal (very stupid design) If the garage who replaced the clutch fitted a new one as a matter of course then I would see about replacing Master if it gets worse. Next service get them to check it out. I would take car out with the mechanic and show them the problem. Get them to check Gbox oil level/quality as well. Alasdair

Will do but it will be a while before I get round to it as hes using car every day. Had a quick loo and it seems a bit tricky so will need some time Alasdair

As said probably ice thats making it stick. Either wait for warmer weather or get the hairdrier out and warm it up/dry it out. My octavia wouldnt open this morning as the rubber seals had frozen to doors. Waiting for sun to hit it so I can get in. Joys of winter motoring! Alasdair

Most probably the plastic under gearstick. I got a repair kit for my sons MK1 off Amazon for £17-00 Part number 6Q0711699. Havent fitted it yet so cant tell you how tricky it is and hopefully its correct for his car. His return spring has broken so I just bought the complete kit. Alasdair

I know what you mean. I do all my own if I can. Used to have an excellent old school garage but Robert retired a couple of years ago. With the two mechanics plus his son and himself they had over 100 years of experience added together. He was finding that modern cars were requiring more and more expensive diagnostic euipment and tools. Shame its gone but I understand why. Maybe someone on here could reccomend a decent one in your area. Alasdair

I agree unless its badly worn or damaged but if its just the edge I cant see it affecting timing. Reckon your suspicion is correct. It shouldnt be too big a job to remove covers and check. Make sure the garage uses the correct tool for the 2.0tdi Alasdair

If its the top timing cog then it looks like this. You can see the elongated holes that alow for adjustment. I came up with part number 03L 109 111 but you would have to double check. There are a few on ebay for £15-£20 or new from skodaparts.com genuine for £50 but I cant see it affecting timing unless its needing adjustent or possibly moved slightly. Not sure where the 4k bill comes from unless hes completely dismantling engine and rebuilding. Hope its an easy fix Alasdair

If theres a spare ABS sensor in car its a good place to start. Someone on here had problems with ABS and it was the ring in the bearing that had failed. As previously said jac up car and spin wheels to make sure theres a good signal coming from each sensor. Check the ABS fuse as well. Normally if it blows it pings up a warning but not always. Check that your brake fluid is full as well. Alasdair