Alasdair1

Not sure but think 103 is glow plug relay. It could be that the glowplug wiring is shorted or failed glow plug thats cause a short. On an old fiat van I had similar and it was the glow plug timer/control unit that had failed. Sorry not sure if the Octavia has one or where it might be. Alasdair

A brake fluid change shouldnt be too bad to do as long as the bleed nipples arent seized. I have never bothered as all my cars are old and have had calipers or flexi replaced at some time and I tend to bleed them for a while afterwards to get new fluid through the system. I normally use penetrating oil for a day or two before hand and then use a little bit of heat on them and a spray of penetrating oil then some more heat to let it soak in. Havent snapped one so far. If I'm fitting new calipers or bleeding old ones I always use a smear of coppaslip grease on the bleed nipples before put them back for future removal. Alasdair

Could be a faulty speed sensor but if its doing it while stationary without engine running maybe the connector at rear of cluster. Is the rev counter working as normal? Alasdair

Hi need to order a front wheel bearing and a few other bits but its coming up with two. One with 3 bolts and also 4 bolts. Cars away at moment for a couple of days and bearing is getting pretty noisy so does anyone know what would be fitted to a 12plate 1.6tdi estate or will I have to wait to check if its 3 or 4 Alasdair

If its still the same as before I would take it back to the garage. If they diagnosed it as camshaft/lifters and did the work they either didn't do it right or misdiagnosed the fault in the first place. Alasdair

I use any odd oil in an old fashioned oil can for lubricating nuts and bolts etc. You can also mix with petrol or kerosene and use as a releasol. I have one of those pump up 1 liter sprayers. Alasdair

Cant see engine oil being used for dpf regen. Its normally diesel only. It must be either being burnt or leaking. If you were burning that amount you would have I reckon a fair bit of blue/grey smoke unless the DPF is catching it and continuosly regenerating? Check that the intercooler pipes arent full of oil as well. Had an old volvo940 that was losing oil and turned out turbo seals had gone and it was being dumped into intercooler and pipes as well as burning it. No DPF on it so was fairly noticeable especially if at idle for a while then loads of blue smoke when taking off Alasdair

Depends on the aftermarket make. Some cheap ones the cv boots don't last. Try https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/ I have been using them for a while now and find their prices and service are pretty good. Depending on what front calipers you have it may be them. I get a clunk from mine when I reverse. They are ATE and have an external spring. Alasdair

Not sure of clamp but I use blank electrical grommets instead of plugs if I can get the right size. You might be able to find them on https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/ Alasdair

Thats funny we have 58 plate which I was trying to get through another MOT but ran out of time and effort as it was -10C Its rusty so working on its a nightmare. ended up buying a 12 plate 1.6tdi. Hoping to get the old one back on the road though. It was treated as a shed as well but never gave us any real bother plus went like a train. Did a lot for the last MOT but reckon it might need a new rear subframe and maybe (really hope not) a little sill welding . Not too bad a job as long as the old one comes off. Welding another problem. 192K on original clutch is impressive!! My record is 140k on an old volvo 940.

Fair play. Its you thats considering buying it. £3995 is £3995. last thing you want is to buy it and end up spending a lot more on it. My sons was £1600 which was £700 more than the book value but as it was rust free and reasonable MOT history and 60k on the clock so reckon was worth it as he was learning to drive. Have had to do clutch plus slave,wheel bearing and a few ball joints,window regulator and motor plus new battery and have a couple of swing arms to replace at some time before next MOT but nothing too serious for an 06 plate fabia and so far not too expensive as I do it myself. Alasdair

Probably the best and safest option. Nothing worse than driving a car waiting for something to go bang. Hope its a simple fix. Did the clutch on my sons mk1 1.2 fabia which wasn't too bad but would have been easier if I had garage ramps and it wasn't -4c. His clutch failed instantly with no slipping or noise. First thought gearbox had gone. All that was left was a pile of fibres and was original clutch at 65k. His was a solid flywheel. As said hope its a simple fix Alasdair

Think I read it was that certain cars after emissions fix lost some power and mpg dropped. I think it was an ECU software update. It was after the vw/skoda emisions scandal. You can check by entering VIN into link posted. Alasdair

I assume he fixed the suspension wear. Not sure what upper pin/bush is Perhaps top mount? Lower one is an easier fix. Apart from that looks like a nice car from the pic. Alasdair

Whoever had it previously definitly liked to get the most wear/value out of tyres. I tend to change mine before they hit the legal limit as 1.6mm isn't much grip at all

Just did the same. Mentioned a oil leak from Gbox drive shaft at some point. Check its still not there and has been cleaned up before selling. I class ball joints etc fairly cheap and easy to repair which is just as well considering the number I seem to get through. I was looking for a car for my son and the number of MOT history we checked that had bald tyres with serious rust underneath. some were even down to the canvas which made me think the owner didn.t care much or look after the car. Alasdair

If you havent already check MOT history https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history Its useful to check any fails that may have been hidden or tidied up for MOT. I use it for any advises regarding rust underneath etc

I agree if its only coming on every couple of months that could point to either broken wire or loose/dirty connector. Its possible that at some point the wire has been pulled and may have broken. Alasdair

May be ignition switch. If the lights come on then it could be the part of the switch that starts car has failed. Read on here someone with same problem. Mechanic by passed starter section of switch with button till he got a new one. Alasdair

Factor in a timing belt/water pump plus perhaps clutch and DMF (if it has one) depending on how it was driven/towing in the price if it hasn't been changed recently. I have an octavia 1.6tdi and so far no problems. Its sitting at 110k. Alasdair Meant to add check expansion tank for signs of kseal. If its been added to cure water loss you can see smal particles of coppe in the coolant. Shows up best by shining torch into tank.

5 litres in 2500 is not good at all. is there any signs of an oil leak. It could be puddling on the engine undertray and dropping onto road when driving or it may be failing turbo seals and burning it/valve stem seals etc . are you getting any blue smoke from exhaust? At 5 litres/2500 you would almost be able to just change the oil filter as I reckon the oil would be almost new. Must be costing you a fair bit in oil. Alasdair

Might be worth checking/cleaning connections to starter and check earths. If theres a poor corroded connection it may start slow and as connection heats up gets better. Not sure if anyone recons/repairs starters these days Alasdair

Did you check Schaeffler LUK online cat. If you scroll down you can search by VIN. Click Number plate then change to VIN. You may have to change from UK to global. Not sure if it will narrow it down or help. https://vehiclelifetimesolutions.schaeffler.co.uk/en-gb/catalog Was spot on for my sons fabia mk1 There may be a conversion kit from DMF to solid. Think Valeo do one as well. Not sure about sachs? Alasdair

If the turbo isnt noisy and no smoke then it could be a stuck actuator or perhaps a failed MAP sensor. My octavia used to overboost due to a sticking actuator. The MAP sensor if failed may be sending incorect pressure readings Worth checking them out before replacing turbo. Just rembered when mine did similar and was trying to diagnose fault that a failing n75 valve or pipes can also cause similar problems. Not sure where it is on yours but maye be near egr?

If its a DMF then when it goes completely can cause a fair bit of damage. If its a Solid flywheel your engine may have a balance shaft that is chain driven which also drives oil pump. It could be the chain thats stretched or worn causing the rattle. If I remember some of the 1.4tdi were prone to that. At160k then unless the car is in really good condition replacing gearbox would perhaps be too expensive even if you got a low mileage second hand one as you would be advised to do the clutch slave etc at the same time and if its a DMF that as well. Not sure how big a job the balance shaft chain/sprocket is. Found this on here Alasdair