OccyVRS

As with everything, if you know what you’re buying, you’re probably going to get a great deal. If you don’t, then sometimes it’s best to err on the side of caution. As said, the same factory can product different qualities (and, often, you’ll find that the lower quality items end up as different brands - take Hisense and LG, for example). @Cairus I meant to tag you, but clearly don’t seem to have managed it!

I thought all the Haldex AWD stuff was made in Sweden, Hungary (and Mexico)? There are lots of things I would buy Chinese-copies of. Body panels, exhaust components and other such things. There are only one or two factories that make carbon Golf bonnets, for example, so whether you pay £300 on AliExpress or £3000 from ECS, it'll be the same item. A safety critical, mechanical item, with no background, such as a differential though... The only such item I've seen with any success are the BONOSS bolts @travs uses. They're actually a pretty nice item, with rolled threads and (some) proof of being TUV tested.

It'll be interesting to see what the cause of the DTCs is - @travs was fairly rigorous with the mallet, but I will be suprised if one glancing blow onto the dust shield or knuckle would knacker an ABS sensor. In all fairness, it was a joke of a day. Absolutely nothing played ball, and everything required three hands and a lot of "well, what if we...". Knackering the thread was disappointing, but by 10pm I think we were both pretty tired. Certainly, it's been the worst day of ratcheting since getting the BMW stuck in neutral after triggering an airbag failure the day before a fourteen-hour drive. I don't understand why VW would fit external corrosion-prone components with small triple square fixings - absolutely useless. Bear in mind, too, that the car isn't exactly old, or that high mileage. Sure, we aren't mechanics, but with decent capability and the correct tools, it should have taken less than four hours to do two rear droplinks. Quite why one side required the weight of the car to push the bushing in, while the other just popped in, we shall never know. Oh, and for those wondering - yes, you can drive a mile or two with the locking wheel bolt key fitted to the wheel ;)

Cause aside, make sure to try and dry the carpets every day. Stick some dehumidifier bags in there, and even consider pulling the carpets/underlay. The problem is temporary, but any mould and mildew will be permanent.

@victor123 It's not ideal, but this is absolutely something you can sort yourself. You know what equipment you have and roughly what you touched, so you should be able to work out what doesn't belong where. @Alasdair1 is correct, however a lot of empty slots do still have contacts in them, and some are even hot - I know this, as that's how I powered my dashcam. This should help you https://www.startmycar.com/gb/skoda/octavia/info/fusebox/2019#anchorfusebox1 If the car isn't starting, there are only a few things that will cause that.

Hey All, I've been down this road before, but am trying it slightly differently this time! I've started a Skoda group on WhatsApp. There's only 20 of us or so currently, but I'm looking to expand. We're from all over Europe (UK, Poland, Germany, Cz, Serbia, etc), and the group is really just to make friends with cool Skoda people! A meet(s) might come of it, but for the moment we're interested in making new friends, talking and having fun. I've no idea if it will interest anyone on here, but if it does, please drop a reply below, or send me a PM and I can add you. Occy

Can’t comment on him, but I travel over an hour to get to my usual service place. I pass about three dealers on the way!

Find a decent VAG Indie. I wouldn't trust a dealer as far as I can throw them. I've been sold a crash-damaged car, and lied to more times than I can count. You're paying more money for garbage!

The only person a locking wheel nut/bolt stops, is you. I had a rounded key on my first car, and sorted the issue with a blank socket and a mallet. I've kept the lockers on all cars since, as the wheels don't come off very regularly, but different designs have varying levels of usability. Usually, the BMW/VAG ones are pretty good - but the two-piece design, like on Ford, are horrendous.

Yum… stickers for my tool box

To be fair, you’d be able to check the oil on any flat surface, be it the cargo hold of a 747 or the deck of an aircraft carrier.

What he said ^ Everything has been superseded by G12 Evo although, to be fair, I would personally just use what the car left the factory with, unless it’s a G13 car. If you Google it, there is a chart for mixing that shows what you can, and can’t, mix together.

Just be careful with the subframe alignment kit. Everything is designed to move a little bit, so that in a low-speed smash, a lot of the important stuff is protected. By sticking in those collars, you’re reducing any flex or wiggle room that oval holes and the like introduce, transferring the full energy of an accident to the subframe and more critical components. You’ll also find that, unless the car is brand new and has never been into a pothole, you will need the adjustment to get the car aligned! My car has never been in any sort of incident beyond a wheel kerbing, but without replacing half the steering and suspension system, it wouldn’t align properly were the subframe to be locked in place.

Remember that new tyres should be fitted to the rear of a vehicle. As others have said, a bush that has failed/worn to the extent of causing poor handling will be unlikely to fail an MOT upon visual inspection. Just as creaky @travs

I think you’ve answered your own question. You don’t need to improve the handling, you need to repair a component to restore handling. It’s likely a worn bushing - could be ARB, LCA, trailing arm, drop link, subframe, shocks, whatever. A common modification for these cars is to replace the stock RARB something 24mm or thicker - be it from a GTI CS or an aftermarket place like Hardrace, H&R, 034, IE, SuperPro, or Whiteline. It makes a big difference, but beware of going too stiff without changing other components to suit.