nta16

(ETA: Plus the universal common sense caution of not taking any 'bloke on the internet' advice without checking and cross referencing it as with any information from any source, particularly in these times, but it's always been so. P.S. the photos I lifted from someone else, I'd never tighten the battery terminal post clamp that much, to me looks like the work of a professional, stronger in the arm than head.

Might depend on the car, model, year, etc., etc., but owners of similar VWŠkoda models/years have reported disconnecting for years without issue but as usual (unless I forget) there are conditional comment(s) thrown in, this instance - (see next post, I fat-fingered and posted here when I didn't mean to).

That's great. Why do you think that is, is the oil "thicker", and/or creates less oil pressure, additives help swell the seals and gaskets on a vehicle that is driven infrequently?

Dave, if you want to you can make your new battery last more than 6 years by very occasional preventative recharging of the battery either by driving the car or better still using an appropriate battery charger maintainer following the instructions in the 'Owner's Manual' for the car and instructions for the charger maintainer. The stop/start not operating when it should is the first sign of a low battery, even though the headlights seem bright enough and the engine starts easily, it's getting too low for the car's computers and they can then throw up all sorts of unexpected warning, unseen error codes and issues on the car. Let the battery get too low and/or too often then even with recharging the battery may not fully recover and possibly killed. Plenty of threads and posts on Briskoda about low state of 12v battery charge and the problems from that and posts about 12v battery maintenance. I've no idea why your garage had to phone anyone for a 'code', the actual VW battery 'codes' haven't been used for years, and 'coding' the battery is a very simple DIY job (with an appropriate scan tool which are a wide choice and very available) but must like all data input (typing) to a computer program must be done accurately and even professionals can make mistakes. A low battery state of charge, and health, will also put more work on the alternator as they work as a team. Your DAB issue may just have been a coincidence, or perhaps not help by low battery as the computers are very dumb and can easily get their panties in a twist, let alone their brain-farts.

I use a more direct link but for that age of car it's the more modern (less good) version you have found. It maybe that there was a shorter paper version that came with the car when it was new but you'd be best finding out if this is the case with other owners in the relevant Octavia (Mk 3 or Mk4) forum. The books aren't always the best written (like my posts) and VW hold back some information other manufacturers give freely but I promote the reading and referring to them to avoid unnecessary visits to Dealerships, garages, mechanics and auto-electricians that can be time, hassle and expense. Hence I have the direct link to hand. VWŠkoda manuals. - https://www.skoda-auto.com/apps/manuals/Models 'Škoda Octavia' forums. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/169-%C5%A1koda-octavia/ HTH.

You've lost me, I'm all for smaller wheels and narrower tyres. Those in the photo don't look small to me. 15" wheels would only look silly because the designers fashion the ca's side view for larger wheels and for the wheels to fill the arches, very impractical in some instances particularly in some places. Cars now are certainly larger, on the outside at least, and a lot heavier even so they're not mostly at van carrying weights of the past, even lardy VWs. A major pollutant to our environments is what comes off vehicle tyres. Wheels are also based on vehicle weight. The reason the likes of BMW on any of their cars but particularly performance track type model is to attract those buyers for their new cars. Just because someone or an amateur team takes cars on a track or even race doesn't mean they know that much about what's really required and these sports rely on fashions a lot anyway, but this is a bit distant from standard domestic cars. BMW are very good at marketing and brand loyalty and keeping resale value means they remain a bit aspirational still. IIRC some Police gave up on them as they were too fragile for their use.

145/80r13 was a only a counterpoint reference, until fashion became a major aspect of selling everyday cars (nominal) 80% ratio was standard. Just because a car manufacturer designs a car for say 17"-19" wheels doesn't mean that smaller wheels couldn't have been used if the designers waned to. As with many things, particularly for men, its just another form of willy-waving, ego stuff, look how big my wheels are, my tank's bigger than yours. As you know there's a lot more to tyres than just the sizes. When you buy the car you're generally stuck with whatever range of sizes the manufacturer specifies, I've never gone against this in my recommendations but always say it's a fashion thing, and of course many people like these fashions and can do as they please.

Why, which part?

£30 to save hassle can be fine but you don't want too many speculative accumulative parts fitted ass the costs and results might not be so good, some Dealerships, garages, mechanics and auto-electricians do this to make more revenue and profit. Do make sure it's the correct Bosch part and not some sort of multi-fit alternative Bosch or other item, you don't want to risk upsetting the computer systems and programs as they're more mardy than I am today. Good luck.

Really? Are you sure? What is the absolute smallest size wheels you can fit with tyres with biggest sidewall height, if it wasn't for fashion, size of brakes, 15" would easily have been big enough even for overweight VWs. So I think that puts me in the 18" camp. 😄

As I was looking at cleaning the throttle body yesterday, on my wife's 2015 1.2 TSI that's GX26 charge pressure sender (with holes for screw fixing but no screws to do so, or holes just usual German wunderbar fantastic-plastic clips). If you're going to clean it then don't use carb cleaner (ETA: unless carb cleaner is correct for this) buy and use the proper stuff instead, you can reference the information you prefer for yourself, I would normally like to put a link to reference the information but sorry I'm too hot, mardy and lazy to bother at the moment as I was passing by. You could also possibly multimeter test unit and connections, again looking up stuff might be required. Good luck.

Fair enough, it was worth a look though. Coding the battery isn't a difficult or complicated thing to do but like all computer programing, data entry stuff it needs to be done accurately and correctly and checked. A G Falco seems very knowledgeable and very helpful and I would guess very particular and precise so if he's able to help a very good choice. He could also take a report then delete any existing error codes (any true error code problems will return of course) but you have the report for reference. The likes of the VW computer systems will possibly have brain-farts or other type error codes on many days if you scanned the car everyday so some can be ignored and they go away by themselves, or remain and can be ignored, and different scanners can give different reports, you're relying on one set of computer programs reporting to another so who knows what reporting errors the combination might give, always best to also use the human senses (including "common sense") along with any computer stuff. Good luck.

Hi, welcome by the way. Fair enough. Totally, totally beyond me but it's not my vehicle it's yours. The widest tyres I've ever had were 225 (at the rear, rear wheel drive) and that was on a powerful lightweight British sportscar, my last car was on 145/80r13 (yes 80, 70 used to be low-profile). You will get further conformation and information from the following websites - tire size dot com - https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/ will they fit dot com - https://www.willtheyfit.com/ And provided their database is correct, wheel size dot com (Škoda) - https://www.wheel-size.com/size/skoda/ Hope that helps, good luck.

What are you hoping to gain from this change?

It may depend on who's doing the work as to how much things are narrowed down, hopefully if the cause is found it'll also be sorted, might turn out to be something quite simple too if you're lucky.

If there was an error in 'coding' the new battery then it might not be charging correctly - but that'd be all the time not just with shock vibration(s). Bear in mind a diagnostic isn't just plugging in a scan tool and just following the report or deleting error code (though it can be these sometimes checking and cross referencing is still required). Computers ain't always right and no errors codes doesn't mean there aren't problems with the car. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

As I live in a glass house I let the transpose go. 😄 I always fancied a GTE (and P1800 ES) but a GTE owner, and user, where I worked then advised me against owning one so I turned to considering a GT6 but a chap at work got me on to MGs and that was the start of me disproportionately helping the British economy out. I got a GT6 later and it was possibly the worst car ownership experience for me, but my considerable losses were others gains, some very undesirably. The LED lights on "classic cars" debates and use I lived through with many of those owners against were buying inferior products but earlier even good LED bulbs weren't as good as they should be now.

Used to be a Turner just parked on the main (bypassed for many years) road in a nearby village, so rarely go that way now but I'd not be surprised if it was still there as the village had two classic car garages that I knew of. Only the front side light bulbs were specified on my 1973 Midget, at 5 watt and as put the LED bulbs in the headlights confusion was sorted in 2021(?). I've recommended Classic Car LEDS Ltd as a good company with good products for a while, even for modern VW's (where allowed).

Just for non-like-to-like comparison, I drove my wife's 2015 1.2 (4-cylinder) 90PS Fabia on a 50 mile round trip this morning, much of it dual-carriageway so some at a car indicated 70 mph. 5w-30 oil was changed earlier this month as part of a staggered service, car had outside temperature at 19c, oil temperature was 100c, a little higher than I was expecting but of no concern as easily within car running range and well below what the oil is designed to cope with.

Correct for your 2009 Roomster but not strictly true as you can on vehicles first used before 1 April 1986. - https://www.passmefast.co.uk/resources/rules-of-the-road/driving-law/led-headlights https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/4-lamps-reflectors-and-electrical-equipment#section-4-1-4

The first thing I would think of is perhaps a bad or poor or intermittent electric or electronic connection, wire/cable, both live or earth side. Always first check is battery terminals and main earth connections, or even loose battery in it's housing - particularly if any recent work has been done to the car particularly if involving the battery or it's area or any earths or in the area of earths. Scan tools also need a solid power supply particular if they power from the car. The fact that these errors came with going over potholes might suggest something loose somewhere, all electric and electronic connections and wires want to be clean, secure and protected. One error in the computer systems can affect other even "unrelated" systems - as often found when the car battery is allowed to go too low in state of charge for the computer systems, the headlights might seem bright enough and engine very easily start but still be too low for the computers same can be for corroded, contaminated, loose connections and wires. Or perhaps something is rubbing against connections or wirers, or water perhaps getting in. You could also consider this and above for the computer modules. So many possibilities that you need to start at the basics and go on methodically.

Engine oil running temperatures variance is far too complicated for me to understand but I'd not worry about generalisations on the oil temperature with your car if the oil is to standard and fresh or not run too long after it should have been changed. Not all 0w-20 oils are the same so you can get variances from using them but all 0w-20 oils will be of a good standard (unless counterfeit) you want to worry more about admitting to speeding on an open public forum. 😄 😄 😄 I'm sure you meant kph or typed wrong num,bers. 3,700 miles year old oil might be more messed than 20,000 mile year old oil. You could look at it the other way round and ask why the previous oil was running at 94 and not 97. What happened to the engine oil filter change and clean of filter box and tubes/hoses. The weekly 40 mile trip will help a bit with the engine oil and with the engine and all other systems on the car as well as the battery especially if those include the occasional Italian-tune up blow-out run style, higher revs not higher speeds necessarily (and certainly always within speed limits. As said before there's an easy way to tell if the engine has been overfilled with oil it's the dipstick, no electric, electronics or computer programs to potentially give false results. Sorry to hear about your wife, you have probably just transferred worries about her to the very unimportant car. Rest up you've had the car serviced, just drive it as required for now.

Absolutely spot on, what I've posted on various car sites before. Well done. Vast majority think engine oil and engine and transmission are the most important things when they're much lower down the priority. The old (British) MG slogan used to be "Safety Fast". I can't really moan about any safety features but a lot of the bottom-wiping stuff that goes on with modern cars does seem to encourage disengagement of the human brain and being more of a passive passenger behind the steering wheel. I'll put my usual for other possible fresh viewers, importance - brakes, steering, suspension (all three include tyres), safety electrics (lights, horn, wipers, blower, etc. and clean reflective number plates) see and be seen. I don't want to downplay safety at all but don't get too paranoid and skittish about driving (you can leave that to the underdeveloped car computer systems and driver "aids" and "assists"). Decades back when I first bought a car and when about to sell I would spend two days cleaning and polishing it, wheels off, seats out, under wheel-arches, boot, engine bay "detailing" and as my cars were almost always outside cleaning and polishing them reasonably regularly and before any club events - now I clean the lights, exterior mirrors, numbers plates, rear window, other windows as required, and that's it other than perhaps a clean once or twice a year, modern paints hold up so much better now. In case you've not seen 12v battery is particularly important for less-trouble running, (very) occasional (or as required) preventative charging often best done with a suitable charger maintainer, following car and charger instructions, at a low 3-4-amp, slow rate, over more than one session if required, to battery full (not around 80% as car's BMS has it). You're well set, you could offer some help to others already (including those with decades more driving experience and longer model ownership than you, probably including me). Cheers.

Yes but they still want revenue and profit from premature changes of batteries. Newer models I think went to changing the battery at 4 years with some owners changing before that but I note in the latest 7/2025 Fabia Mk4 'Owner's Manual' there no mention a time to change the battery but that - "The specialist garage checks the condition of the 12V battery during servicing.". And I've seen a post on Briskoda saying (Dealership?) offering to recharge the battery for £40. And - Recommendations when the vehicle is stationary for more than 3 weeks Disconnect the [ negative ] pole from the 12V vehicle battery 12-volt vehicle battery. Charge the 12V car battery every 4 weeks.

No it's doesn't really, it does confirm the drain is less after locking but that could also be the case after a time if the car is left unlocked and items go to sleep but after a longer time. Did you switch the interior alarm off or sit very still inside the car so the alarm didn't go off. The (about) 0.3V difference is what I'd expect from a 2024 Fabia but on fully recharging the 4 year old AGM battery on my wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3 with the £25 Ring charger maintainer I'd expect to see higher than 12.4v at battery terminal posts with my not expensive digital multimeter, more like 12.8v or 12.9v if I was to bother but it depends how long after fully recharging the battery and lots of other variables. Despite what many think the need to more than just rely on the alternator for charging on modern vehicles used (and unused) in various ways has been with us for quite a while particularly with the over-complex German marques (not as clever as they think they are with their systems, and programing) hence it being part of the number reason for breakdown call outs and so many threads and posts on sites like Briskoda and others. When VW first put in their 'Owner's Manuals' about disconnection the battery if the vehicle isn't used for x-weeks I don't know but from the earliest Fabia Mk1 'Owner's Manual' VW order that battery "must" be replaced if older than 5 years!