Stuart56

Hi Paul, There is a cover over the lock on the driver's side door. It needs to be removed before you can unlock the door with the key. Just replace the battery in the remote (CR2025), but get a decent make rather than a cheap one off the internet. I use Varta, but Duracell etc. should be fine. Stuart

Have you checked the heater matrix? I had an issue with intermittent loss of coolant with my 2.0l TDI and it was due to the heater matrix being clogged up with the contents of the ruptured silica bag that was in the cooling system (common issue). The coolant loss is due to the dpf being on the same cooling circuit as the heater matrix. With the restricted flow, when the dpf was regenerating (i.e. v. hot) the coolant was boiling, over pressurising the system and coolant was escaping out the tank. As it was only happening when the dpf was regenerating it was hard to replicate at a garage. A new heater matrix is £40-60 and easy to fit (via passenger footwell), there are videos on YouTube. Stuart

Thanks Evolution 13 I didn't check on the water pump (I'll confirm with them), but it was done a 3 years back. I had an issue with intermittent coolant loss (that stumped 2-3 garages), I was able to trace to a blocked heater matrix by using this forum.

Hi all, I have a 2014 Octavia Estate, it has the 2.0 TDI 110kw. It's now 12 years old and I was thinking it might be worth doing the timing belt, but it has only done 73k miles. There doesn't seem to be any consistency on when it's right to change the belt. Does this seem a sensible time to change it (even for peace of mind). Been quoted £900 for service, MOT and timing belt. Any thoughts out there?

You should have a 2nd 12V socket in the boot. If that doesn't work either then, as langers2k says, it's probably the fuse. I had the same issue with my 2nd hand estate and a new fuse fixed it. You have to remove the glove box to access the fuse box, when you put it back reconnecting the arm on the left hand side of the glove box usually takes a few goes. Your manual should include a diagram of the fuse box and identify which number it is (F40?). The fuses are colour-coded by rating.

Hi, My 2014 Octy estate's passenger side headlight has taken a few hits from stones etc. The protective film over the lens is damaged and delaminating in a few places but the lens itself seems undamaged. The headlight functions fine, it's just an aesthetic/ocd thing. The driver's side is pristine. I think I have a couple of options: 1, 2nd hand replacement from eBay etc. (5e2941015) but many seem to have damaged lugs etc. Plus it's not a 5 minute job to swap (bumper off etc). 2, scrap off the remaining film and replace with a new clear protective film, hopefully no disassembly required. Anyone tried this? An outside option could be to swap over a new lens, but I bet it would be a pig of a job and may not seal correctly. Probably a reason they come in a single unit. Any other ideas out there? Cheers Stuart

Hi, Did this recently on my car (clamped the coolant hoses at the bulkhead as the coolant system had been drained and flushed recently). The matrix was not 100% blocked, so some coolant could still circulate, hence the pipes were warm. Reconnecting the pipes to the new matrix required gentle persuasion with a rubber mallet, it is a tight fit. If you watched the same video as I did, he didn't reconnect properly first time. So far the heater works and no loss of coolant (once topped up to account for the new matrix). Still need to do a long run to fully test it though. Stuart

Hi, I think so, the heater matrix was blocked so I swapped it over for a new one (my local garage had recently flushed the coolant system). It was losing coolant whenever the DPF regenerated, hence the intermittent loss. See this thread: Best regards Stuart

Hi, I'm hoping someone here will be able to provide a potential remedy for my 2014 Octavia estate, bought 2nd hand in 2017. It has the 2.0 Diesel engine and for the last couple of years has been loosing coolant on an intermittent basis, in the last few months it has been more regular. I can run the same route and it can lose coolant to trigger the alarm (I pull over and immediately top up), or the level can stay relatively unchanged. I'm a more sedate driver so I'm not pushing the engine. The original reservoir (with silicate) was replaced (and pretty mucky at the time) a couple of years ago, it was then good for a good 12 months. The new reservoir is not marked with silicate. The water pump and timing belt have been changed this year. Temperature is good, it just warms to 90°C and sits there. Oil is good and no sign of any coolant ingress. The coolant itself is clear and doesn't smell of anything. The car drives fine, no loss of power and no other warning lights are triggered. The coolant is escaping from the reservoir as it is beading around the edge, but not flooding that side of the engine bay (If you put too much coolant in then it does a bit). It has been to my local independent VW specialist 6-8 times so far this year and they can't locate the fault. The reservoir cap is currently brand new, replaced on the last visit. My gut feeling is that the coolant system either has a partial blockage forming in the system (but the temperature is unaffected, at least detected by the thermostat/sensor) and/or it is over-pressurising. The pressure/coolant is then released through the reservoir. I may ask the garage to replace the reservoir and give the coolant system a good flush. I'm happy to alter the plan if someone else has another idea. Cheers for any advice