Scrapman

Totally agree Pete. The OEM front/rear screen washer pump is very poor compared to even a cheap non-oem pump. BTW during my last visit to the Skoda dealer in Letchworth even their workshop guy told me that if they have a car in with a blocked front/rear washer pump filter . . . . they now just CUT OFF THE FILTER SECTION because the issue always returned with 12-24mths. BTW just meant to add that 1x pump feeds the front vs rear screens dependant upon the + - electrical supply to pump out the opposite washerconnection. The other 1x pump (if fitted) is to washer the front headlight lens and operates at a much high pump pressure.

Hi @Ultrasonic That wheelshop link you provided is for the wheel ONLY without tool kit, they do also sell a wheel with a tool kit. I was about to purchase the wheel with tool kit from wheelshop but was put off by their wording "PLEASE NOTE: Images are for illustration purpose only and actual products may vary from those illustrated." so I looked elsewhere . . . . . and very glad I did. I found this eBay item https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395842598487 and was extremely pleased. The price was GBP149 including delivery and although they quote approx 3 days for delivery it actually arrived NEXT working day, well packaged and protected. Also even though they described it as 'used' the items that arrived where all BRAND NEW quality (in fact I would say they ARE brand new). It came with the wheel and tyre, and the tool kit consisting of a BRAND NEW BOXED scissor jack with a jack ratchet, and wheelnut bar with wheelnut sockets for four different sizes, and a protective bag, I decided to not waste precious space using an OEM style polystyrene insert, so I simply removed the OEM repair kit polystyrene to store safe in my loft, this new wheel/tyre//tool kit then fitted perfectly into my 2023 Octavia Estate VRS wheel well. I installed the SpaceSaver 18" wheel face-down which meant I was able to to safely store ALL of the jack and new tools that came with the kit, and the OEM tow adapter, and the security wheelnut key, plus my own items such as tow-strop, hazard triangle, yellow jacket, jump leads etc etc inside the wheel rim. Use an old towel to wrap items that might rattle. I have kept the original OEM repair liquid and air pump etc in the rear side storage area. YES, I have test fitted this SpaceSaver 18" wheel to my 2023 Octavia VRS which has 19" rims and can confirm that this wheel kit does clear the brake calipers without any problems. One thing I will mention is that because I removed original polystyrene packing it left the boot cover board a little soft/flexible which I resolved very easily by fitting a 150mm length of wood across the width of the wheel well. Now the boot floor is super stable and supported. Have a peep at the two photos '1_BEFORE_OEM repair kit.jpg' and '2_AFTER_with Spare Wheel and tool kit.jpg'. I am extremely pleased with my purchase. especially as I have EVERYTHING needed for less than GPB150

Wow, Déjà vu. THAT was my first experience. I had the car for just two months from the dealership when the screen wash began to splutter, and we had flown away for a holiday for a few weeks during that so the car was only used by me for about one month. SKODA dealer was good during the sale, but immediatly when the car was in my hands they walked away. Oh BTW, on an unrelated subject about SKODA. They sold me the car with incorrect V5C car 'D:3: MODEL' data (it incorrectly read OCTAVIA VRS TDI 4X4 S-A) and it took me two month talking and writing to the DVLA to have the data corrected to my front wheel drive manual gearbox petrol as 'OCTAVIA VRS TSI'. The DVLA said a dealer cannot supply evidence of model, so I had to I insist the DVLA themselves contact SKODA direct to get confirmation they needed, and only then did they finally changed my V5C and a new one appearred ion my letter box. Yet still when I check insurers websites using my registration many return same old WRONG car data is still returned. I guess some insurers/parts suppliers databases are download and the data kept by them on their own local server. The world has gone mad.

My old show car I have owned for over 35yrs is now almost 40yrs old, never been a problem. My wife's Peugeot is 21yrs old owned since new, never been a problem. My previous 2008 Mondeo I had for over 15yrs , never been a problem. My 2023 Octavia VRS, under 2yrs old and ALREADY BLOCKED. I have always used the same washer fluid in all our cars. So that can only leave the cause as being the finer meshed VRS internal bottle filter. Indeed, I agree the washer fluid is likely to be the root cause, but it is my belief that whatever is the cause of the Octavia VRS washer filter clogging up, MUST simply be washing/spraying through the system of older unfiltered cars, hence never a problem. If it happens again, the VRS filter will have a meeting with a cutter and becoming a simple UNfiltered type system that will then most likely last for years without any problems, just like all my cars before it.

As Novascape said . . .

Brilliant video link, shows the problem perfectly. Thanks for that.

Brilliant feedback. It helps hearing other people's experiences. On my previous car that had this very same issue, in the end I cut the filter sections out of the equation. I was worried the issue would instead block the lines or the nozzles, but after further year of use I did not have one single issue. It is my thought that whilst the creation of the 'gunk' still existed that is was simply washed through the system as it was used. So it never actually built up like it does on the bottle filter. I also own a 39yr old show car that has a simple 'bottle, pump, tube, nozzle' system and I have NEVER had any issues for the 35 years I have owned it. My conclusion is that while the manufacture fits this filter with good intent, it in reality causes more problem than if it was not installed. Should people unfortunately have a blocked nozzle a quick nozzle clear with a pin is much easier than having to get these deep embedded washer bottles out. Each to their own I guess. Thanks for your feedback.

Me too. Did it work OK. Lessons to learn 😉

Good to know. I would assume in your case it was only the front screen washers that didnt work.

As it happens you have EXACTLY the same issue as my 2023 Octavia VRS. First let us understand how the VAG/SKODA Octavia washer system works as there seems to be a few points of confusion on the web. The washer bottle (normally located behind the wheel well covers) will have a 1x washer pump mounted to the side for the front vs rear washers with two outlets, and if you have the headlight washer system there will also be a seperate pump that works at higher pressure >2bar for the headlight cleaning system. One washer pump mounted to the side of the bottle for the front vs rear washers has TWO outlets, one outlet that feeds both the front screen washer, and the other outlet feeds the rear washer. The pump can operate in two directions, one motor direction pumps to the front screen nozzles, the opposite pump motor direction pumps to the rear glass nozzle. The direction is decided upon whether you pull the operation stalk UP for the front scrren or push the stalk DOWN for the rear washer. So as you cannot do both direction together that is why they use one single pump in a bi-directional system NOW, this is the important part, there is also a screen filter inside the bottom area of the washer bottle that in these cars can easily block. The root cause is due to the small filter membrane blocking because certain screen washers fluids (esp when mixed with different brands) may cause the fluid to gel slightly, and then block the filter. There are ways to 'attempt' to clear the problem, from the top but to fix it properly you really need to get the washer bottle out, and remove and clean the internal filter. Fully flush the system, refill using a VAG approved type fluid (or the many equivalents out there) and try and stick with THAT fluid choice. So to answer your question, in your case as you seem to have an issue with only your front and rear washer operation, while it it is possible all the jets might be blocked, it is unlikely. Therefore if you can hear the pump motor working then it is almost sure the fliter inside the washer bottle is blocked. If you cannot hear the pump motor working then either the pump itself is duff or the power supply, ie fuse, has failed. Oh and if you hold the front washer stalk up for a longer while and only see a sort off white foamy fulid spit our the nozzles, then it will defo be a blocked internal filter. The white foamy fluid that spits out is casued by the pump drawing air into the system because the blocked filter wont allow the fluid to pass from inside the bottle. Note: The front headlight washer are not fed via this internal filter so they can easily still function ok on their own. They dont use a filter in the bottle due to the higher pressures used for the headlight washing. All of this is of course assuming the washer bottle is full of screenwash fulid 😉 just a little joke. Good Luck and let us all know how you get on.