DeanC23

The starter relay, apparently located under the dashboard, has been known to cause problems as far as I know. I had a very similar problem a few months back and it turned out to be a broken wire in a look down in front of the starter motor. I posted a thread about it here....

Thanks for the reply. I had thought of doing this but was afraid I'd strip it apart and realise the barrel is completely destroyed and end up with the car off the road completely until the parts arrive. What was broken inside your unit?

Hi all, I have a 2010 Octavia 1.6 diesel. Went to drive the car this morning and the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. It would move a slight amount, just enough to get the radio to come on, but no further. I noticed the steering lock also wouldn't engage. All was fine with the car yesterday when I was driving it. I sprayed some WD-40 Silicone spray into the ignition and after a few more tries the key finally turned and the car started. It then was stuck and couldn't turn the engine off again for a few minutes. After some wiggling I managed to switch it off. Since then, the key will turn and start / switch off the car but it's a very clunky turn of the key so I suspect some parts need to be replaced. My question is, would I need to replace the ignition barrel or the steering lock, or both? There's a lead time of about 2 weeks for the barrel but the lock is available in 2 days. Considerable difference in price between the two also.

Yeah the loom runs alongside and below the starter so my best guess is I disturbed it just enough to get it to start and throw me off in the wrong direction in diagnosing the issue! A bit of a strange one and very frustrating to figure out so hopefully this saves someone else the heartache in the future.

Quick update for anyone else who comes across a similar issue. I think I have mine sorted now. Was checking the wiring in/around the starter and peeled apart another loom. Just happened to spot a broken wire in a loom leading towards a block connector in the gearbox. Joined the wire up and the car fired up straight away. Hopefully that's the end of the saga now. I'll post a photo below showing the wiring loom in question

Just to add, I have had an ongoing issue with the accelerator pedal. Intermittent warning light for engine fault and diagnostics led to a faulty pedal. I replaced this last year and the fault disappeared until a few months ago. The problem came back but I haven't gotten around to replacing it again yet. So far, when the light appears I've been switching the ignition off and pressing the pedal to the floor once. The light then disappears for a few more days. I dont think the problems are related but you never know, so I said I'd mention it anyway!

Hi all, New to the forum and hoping someone here could point me in the right direction. I have a 2010 Octavia 1.6tdi automatic and a few days ago it refused to start. Turned the key and..... Nothing. Wouldn't turn over and there wasn't even a click from the starter solenoid. Battery seemed ok but has been in the car since before I bought it so I replaced the battery. The issue stayed the same. Gave the starter a tap and it fired up. I removed the starter and sent it for repair. It worked every time on the bench test but they replaced the solenoid anyway to be sure. I refitted it and still no crank. If I bridge the two wires on the starter, the car will turn over immediately. I've limited tools so I used a test light in the small wire to the starter and there's no voltage there when trying to start with the key. After asking around, I found out that some of these models gave trouble with the ignition switch. I replaced the ignition switch but it still won't turn over. I'm trying to locate the starter relay but I'm not sure which one is the correct one as I can't find diagrams or photos that match my car. If anyone could tell me which relay is the starter relay I'd appreciate it. Or if you have came across this issue before and have any advice that would be great. Thanks in advance