Lezley

Thanks you both for the reply, that was the conclusion I had come to but just wanted to make sure I had checked everything before proceeding.

Hello All, After a bit of advice here please, my neighbour has 2013 1.6 tdi, she tells me for a while the battery light has been on very very faintly, you could only see it in the dark with the lights off but it has started without fail even in -5 degree frost, yesterday the light came on really bright and the battery is not charging at all. Taken a good look at it, followed the two wires that plug into the top of the alternator and looked for breaks in the places I have read they happen and checked the fuses for hairline cracks but couldn't find anything, I put a volt meter on the plug to alternator and have 12V so have to assume the alternator is getting enough to energise. Odd thing is when you first start it the battery light goes out when it starts, as soon as you try to move it comes on, when I started it last and the light was out put a volt meter on the battery and it seemed to be reading 13 volts then dropped back down to the original battery voltage before I started it and the light had illuminated. Thinking it has to be the alternator but just wondered if anybody has experienced this before I go ahead and swap it. Thanks in advance

£5 Bluetooth ODB device came today, (good shout Keith). Put it on car about 2.5 hours after a 40 min run from work. Coolant temp started at 56 degrees, left car running, heater fan off bonnet down. Coolant temp climbed slowly to 90 degrees, there was a 2 degree drop at 90, maybe stat opening and then it climbed back to 91 but never got any hotter, radiator fans didn't come on. I could still put my fingers in the expansion tank. Heater comes on luke warm then goes cold as always. I am guessing we are looking at aux coolant pump, aux coolant thermostat or it needs bleeding with VCDS. The local guy who I used many years ago on my own VW car has shut up shop so looking to find someone with diagnostic capabilities.

Xman thanks for the information, who knew it was so bloody complex, I'll have a study and look over the car, maybe just bleeding it correctly will cure the issues.

Car came back from work just now, 40 miles heater has been off whole journey. I opened the bonnet expecting fan to be running at high speed. Nothing at all, the engine bay doesn't feel like it is cooking feels normal temp to me. Coolant is still luke warm. I am still baffled....

Car does have AC and just one fan from memory

Good shout, Sepulchrave I'll test that tomorrow evening and report back.

There is a slight blow of air from expansion tank lid when opened but it is by no means a pop. Never checked the fan today after an hour run but they weren't on after a ten minute run yesterday. My neighbour does a 40 mile trip to and from work so will check that tomorrow evening when she is back from work. The engine doesn't seem excessively hot, where does the electric stat sit for the high temp warning lamp as this never illuminates. The light did come on to alert the driver before when coolant dropped low when pipes where damaged by the road debri.

I see your point but the stat stays closed until the coolant round the engine hits 90 degrees then opens. If the pump isn't working the coolant round the engine will hit 90 open the stat but won't mix with cold coolant and the stat would stay open wouldn't it? The stat housing is a good point I hadn't thought of that so would be worth a look.

Thanks Wino I see the point if the coolant isn't travelling fast enough on each lap then is going to pick up more heat through the engine but wouldn't it also cool faster in the radiator as it would dwell longer in it? Dam thing doesn't have a temp gauge so can't see what temp the coolant is at the electronic thermostat. The garage that changed the stat is small village one so can't see it being a Skoda one, nor the pump that was changed 12 months ago. The stat was removed and tested with boiling water I am told the day after it was fitted and didn't improve the cold heaters by the guys in the garage and was operating correctly. They too can't understand the problem either.

Thanks for the input XMan, car been on an hour's run today starting with town driving then into fast rural roads then onto country lanes, sensible lady driver. Took expansion tank lid off, coolant is luke warm, I can comfortably put my fingers in it certainly cooler than a bath tub and certainly not 90 degrees. If the coolant is cool heater is only going to be cool right? The heating has AC and recirc buttons, temp, direction and speed are manual dials. If you put it on dash vents, put fan on and turn the temp knob you hear the air flow change in the middle between hot and cold so don't think there is anything adrift. If you turn heater on and move it to warm the air turns warm then cools slightly, I guess as it draws the initial heat from the matrix and then it is just pulling luke warm air from the matrix fed by the only warm coolant. I put basic OBD reader on and there are no errors codes recorded. Engine over temp light isn't illuminated nor MIL. Cool engine light goes out shortly after you commence a journey. There is coolant running into the expansion tank from the small return hose at the top. The radiator and hoses all feel about same temp as the coolant, engine is obviously too hot to touch. I'm still thinking the coolant isn't circulating enough to get hot maybe damaged pump veins or the plastic shaft on the pump as suggested earlier, unless the above leads anyone to another conclusion.

Just a manual XMan so I believe single stat unless anyone else knows better?

Thanks XMan, expansion tank says G12 only nothing about silikat, although writing isn't that clear. Thinking must be the pump maybe not working 100% so coolant isn't circulating and getting fully warm. Going on a longer run tomorrow to see just how hot it does get.

Hello All, I am new here and hoping someone can offer advice, the question relates to a neighbour's 13 plate Fabia 1.6 diesel. The heating system never gets more than luke warm, when I first looked at it the fan resistor was shot so we replaced that and now it blows but still cool. I thought maybe thermostat or water pump as the coolant in the expansion tank was only luke warm after an three quarter of an hour run. Neighbor took it to a garage, they changed timing belt, water pump and some pipes 12 months ago after the driver ran over some debri in the road and coolant needed topping up frequently. Same Garage took a look recently they changed thermostat, flushed coolant, changed radiator and confirmed pump was OK. Heater is still luke warm, I just took a look, ran engine on drive for 10 minutes then a 8 mile round trip at 50 mph. When I returned coolant in expansion tank only luke warm, same for radiator engine is obviously hot to touch. There is no engine temp gauge on the dash, blue thermostat icon on dash comes on when engine first started and goes off after a short time. Basic diagnostic shows no faults. I am baffled as is garage, does anyone have any idea what could be going on? Sorry for long post, thanks for reading.