Former

The battery also powers the 5v supply to all the car's computers and their programs, if the battery is low then these computers and their programs can get very upset and play up in all sorts of ways. Even if the car starts and the lights seem bright enough it could still be a battery in low state of charge and/or condition. Once you got the car started then the alternator might have raised enough just for enough time to keep the computers happy and their programs functioning which could throw in the red-herring to you. Your problem might not be be the battery but a battery in a low state of charge and/or condition, or poor connects (loose battery posts clamps, other loose or contaminated connections, etc.) will not help the issue and could hinder the fault finding and fault resolution. Never neglect the basics or starting with the basics, you can not successfully progress until you have fully covered the starting basics. Over the next couple of months there will be many problems, breakdown call outs and repairs that will be because of owners not knowing or neglecting the basics of the battery and charging system - don't be one of them. 😉 Recharge the battery fully, long low and slow charge off the car is usually better than the quick high fast charge, never use those booster chargers - and/or have the battery properly checked for power and load tested power, some combined chargers can do this or someone with the proper level of scantool can check through the car's computers. Also check for things like too many, or too thick, mats under the clutch pedal or an unsecured mat that has rolled itself to greater thickness.

Depends how cracked they are, it's very common now for a variety of reasons, for MoT it could be an advisory for a few years on the same tyres - but it's certainly not a good sign. As with over-priced and over-valued old cars called "classics" like MG Midgets and Austin A40s the tyres may have lots of tread on them through lack of use/mileage but this can cause the sidewalls and tread to go hard affecting the performance of the tyre (braking, steering, handling, road holding, noise and comfort). If the tyres are too aged or in poor condition then this can have serious consequences (see images from R G Everitt below of *new looking* 27-year old tyres on a MG BGT). If the Citigo rear tyres haven't seen a lot of mileage then they could "dry rot" well before the tread gets anywhere near the legal limit of 1.6 mm (better to have 2.5-3 mm if you drive the tyres in the wet though) so possibly a good reason to rotate the tyres to even out the tread wear. Tyres have a manufacturing date on them, four digits, first two are the week of the year and last two the year - unless your tyres are that old they have three digits and perhaps a triangle (or no date at all) in which case they are so old their use is questionable. - https://www.uniroyal-tyres.com/car/tyre-guide/tyre-knowledge/the-importance-of-tyre-age-as-well-as-tread-depth If you're able to put up high-resolution close up photos of the tyres it might give some idea as to how bad they are.

Well done, thanks for reporting back.

I wonder if this is still current(?).

Thanks, are they trade-only though?

Hi, I need to change the front brake discs and pads on my wife's Fabia Mk3, the car's not raced or rallied just normal street use. I want original or dealer quality at least and better if possible if reasonably priced (for normal street use, not fast road) and I always appreciate a good and easy fit with replacement parts - any recommendations please? ETA: I done the work myself, very easy even for a non-mechanic like myself (but dirty) and put up some tips I found.

Hi, try posting in thread below and if pab567, or others, see it you should get an answer or you might see if it's already been covered in that thread.

Patrick, your post is a bit hidden here (this is for General Maintenance) you might get more response posting in the Octavia MkII section and there will be lots of other info on your car there. -https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/28-skoda-octavia-mk-ii-2004-2013/ I'm not technical or mechanical but I wonder if your garage are used to this make and model as if it's a crankshaft position sensor issue then it may (or may not) be a matter of using the VW/Skoda scan tool/ computer program correctly to reset it. If your garage doesn't have the access or knowledge it could mean throwing parts and work at the issue unnecessarily (but for all I know they may well have the tools and knowledge and tried).

And changing the clutch fluid - but I was thinking this wasn't a hydraulic clutch in this case.

Happens to the best of us. 😁 If only I'd thought to test the new brake light bulb before I fitted the fish-slippery taillight unit back on the car! The bulb was cosseted shed stock brand new when bought years earlier, but untested, and I should have know better as I had the exact same thing happen to me a number of years before. Assuming the batteries aren't counterfeit (so, so many items seem to be even Dealerships have been caught out in the past) then there's this to consider - "This is also relative to the conditions that the battery is stored. Ten years of life are dependent on the temperature conditions that it is stored. The battery is good for ten years if it is stored on room temperature and in relative humid weather." - https://www.large.net/news/8hu43mt.html You're sorted at very little cost so a good result, you lucky . . . 😁

What about swapping over keyfob batteries to see if the problem remains with the keyfob (or battery) - or meter the replacement battery to make sure it's not a cheap duff one or passed its 'use-by-date'.

Good points MATT0693. There are shortages or long lead times on many items now for various and combined reasons and I think it might go on for a while. I was more thinking of the annual milder short supply on the shelves as the weather here is so unpredictable (forecastable) as regards exact timings, extremes and location, severe frost in one county and mild in its neighbours. As my (self inflicted) purchase was, a car battery is often a "distress" or quick need purchase at that time rather than a considered and timely purchase so you're often in with the herd purchasing leading sometimes to less choice or availability.

K doesn't mean kit. I stand (well sit) corrected, thanks for the info.

A very good point - but with so much hassle already experienced a belt, braces, bit of string and chewing gum approach to the battery and the very invasive systems might not hurt. The vehicle being used as a taxi, depending on the type of work journeys, could throw in the old "serve" use for the battery and the rest of the car, especially if there's a lot of idling, on the engine, dpf, etc., if it's long airport runs or such then it'd be different. Perhaps that £170 Banner battery is too big to fully fill up. 🙂 As winter is approaching I've been thinking of doing a general warning thread about the battery but don't know where it'd go as it cover most models now.

Tayna - 096 AGM CAR BATTERIES - https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/096-agm/ ETA: I've just remembered, when I bought my battery in June there was apparently a shortage and the price was £9 higher than now (from Tayna). What are the chances of a battery shortage at the second cold snap of this autumn/winter?

Rall86 - this battery coding was all new to me and I'd no idea how invasive the stop/start battery management computer programs are on the car but as I've been driving for over 40 years I've always known the great importance of having a good battery (and connections) in good condition and state of charge. I've just exchanged posts on this subject - 12 hours ago MozzyMarr said: I know first hand about batteries and modern electronics, my previous car (a 2010 Panda) developed a lot of strange ECU issues (and loss of power steering) and wasn't happy with the battery voltages before a cold start. I replaced the battery and the ECU issues never returned :). nta16 said: I bang on about this all the time but I think a lot of owners don't understand or too readily dismiss it. With the first cold snap this year some will notice issues and the second cold snap could bring problems, and possibly breakdowns call-outs for some but it can be prevented. Good advice has been given about not using a booster charger and that a long, low, slow recharge is best (especially if that's how the discharge was) but if you don't have the time for that then prevention is better than cure by using a battery maintainer if necessary but a good battery, coded in, kept in good condition and reasonable use shouldn't need too much attention.

I bang on about this all the time but I think a lot of owners don't understand or too readily dismiss it. With the first cold snap this year some will notice issues and the second cold snap could bring problems, and possibly breakdowns call-outs for some but it can be prevented. You seem to be very much on top of things. For wear items like the brake pads don't worry about time or mileage just go on the wear. Personally I think the g/box oil should be changed especially on a city /short-distance use car. I think at 5 or so years and again the chance to use a good or better quality oil to offer better protection for longer. I changed the g/box oil on my wife's Fabia and she said she thought the gearshift feel was better for it but it's really about maintaining a higher level of protection as oils are relatively inexpensive but gearboxes ain't. For wiper blades something you might already do but some forget about is to wipe the rubber blades (elements) to remove muck/grit/grime when cleaning the car and or in between, I use cream glass cleaner on a clean cloth but there lots of alternative even just water, anything that cleans without abrasion. You sound like you have knowledge and experience that you could pass on sometimes here. Good luck.

Your car should easily be up to temperature in that time but don't just look at the 'water' temperature scroll your setting to oil temperature, you want that at 90c really to be fully warmed otherwise the oil may not be getting a full chance to do its job and be getting passed some of the stuff your engine don't want.

Low mileage is more wearing on many components and parts so annual oil & filter change is highly recommended. Stop, start traffic used to be considered "severe" conditions so more frequent servicing, more oil& filter changes but I'm with instead using a better quality oil that offers better margins of protection for longer, thus protecting your engine better. I also favour changing the plugs as, like with many other parts, just because they're working doesn't mean that they're not passed their optimum and best. Parts passed their best can make other parts and components work harder thus wearing them more and I prefer a crisp fast start to the engine and better performance (power and mpg). This brings in also as you've pointed out the importance of the battery for starting but also keeping the computers happy with sufficient power so they don't throw wobbles (and they can). Be careful about having a battery tested, it needs to be done right to be accurate. You may want to invest in a good quality battery-charger (slow is usually better than fast) that also has battery (and alternator) tester built-in. I was caught out by how invasive to the rest of the car the battery computer system is even though I've know the importance of the car battery for nearly 50 years these modern cars are even more dependant. Personally I'd replace the air filter now and perhaps again in two years time, less muck in the engine the better. Coolant I'd suggest you change at 5 years (unless its a 7 or 10 year coolant) as whilst the antifreeze part may still be good the other additives may be weakened plus draining will also remove any contaminants and debris from the cooling/heating system, again less crud to cause wear and extra work. You're obviously aware that brakes, steering, suspension - which all include tyres - and lighting and vision are more important than the engine, so yeap brake fluid and keep an eye on your tyres and wheels if the roads are anything like around here. Cabin filter is one for you and perhaps later you might want to do some of the other servicing work too. For winter I'd have a look at your wiper blades and change them yourself (to silicone ones if you can get them, something I intend to do). You've not put what gearbox you have.

No problem, let us know how you get on. It might take a while for a warning light reoccurrence, if it's going to, but if your wife notices any other improvements in the car it might be because of more battery power. Personally I'd always also resynchronise both keyfobs - and use both keyfobs alternately so that way you know where they both are and that they both work and to even out the wear on the key blades, locks and keyfob batteries. Details of key synchroising are in the 'Operating Manual' (Driver's Handbook) (see below).

The Enduroline battery is on my 1973 MG Midget (which has next to nothing electrical on it, no radio or fag socket even). The Enduroline 027 is 5 years warranty so that's good (as opposed to 3, or 4), I've no idea who makes the battery, it's weight or anything else but to be fair to Tayna they don't always give them the 'Star Buy' sticker in the selection (I think it was on the Bosch when I bought ours (at higher price than now. 😛

I meant something had to cause the warning light to come on even though it's off now, having the battery more charged might not sort why it happened (but perhaps the alternator helping the battery or a reduction in the car's electrical load at the time might have prevented whatever caused the light to come on to trigger again). I'm just looking at my thread and John510 put - "(It seems Moll went bust about a year ago, so exact replacement was not possible)" and "during a chat with The Batteryshop I was told that Varta and Bosch batteries are made in the same factory in Spain." And apparently when I was looking batteries were in short supply so prices were higher - just wait until late autumn and early winter and to Xmas and New Year, wot fun. And rum4mo correctly predicted that the previous battery coding for our car as per Skoda for the Moll battery was JCB and 1111111111 (which was just altered to Bosch and 1111111112). - - - "I think that you will either find that Skoda filled in everything okay, or it will be as VW have done over a period in time, and that means the capacity and technology are correct, but the vendor is that good old VW Group default JCB - ie Johnson Controls and the serial number is 111111111111 - which is a bit silly as the BEM label carries all the info including the serial number, regardless if the full BEM codes are not needed on these cars. HTH. Four main set of battery specs below if you really want to know. CCAspecs.pdf

ETA: DIN IIRC is the German (Europe?) system. Doesn't really matter, it's a bit like metric or Imperialist measurements, and figures are only an indicator it's how well the battery actually performs in the real world, some will keep to figures longer than others and anyway as VW proved you can get the figures you want. I should add, do bear in mind recharging your present battery or replacing it might not solve your warning light issue. If you can disconnect the existing battery and leave the car without a a battery connected for hours before connecting the new battery even that in itself might help reset some things.

If you look for the thread on here you'll see photos and details I put up or I can add a link here if you want. There are different measuring systems for battery specs (I can bore and link to those if you want) hence the 320a DIN, yours sounds like ours was the original Moll battery.

S5 A05 Bosch AGM Car Battery 12V 60Ah Type 027 S5A05 (5 year warranty) - Bosch don't make batteries it's a Varta apparantly. I got it from Tayna, usually arrives next day but you might have missed the cut off point now, I have their Enduroline battery on my car and it's been fine. But I did change the battery before I needed to as my mate's still using it but it gives my wife peace of mind (so me too) that it's done, paid hassle money, (money paid out just to avoid hassle) and it was higher priced then than it is now (with cars I often have bad luck). https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/027-agm/ HTH.