Santtumh

My best guess is that the radiator fan was running continuously because the AC was on and the cooling demand was high. It was relatively warm outside, around 22°C, and the car had been sitting in direct sun, so the cabin and condenser heat load were probably elevated. The radiator fan itself does not seem abnormal mechanically. I don't hear any noticeable noise from it, it spins freely by hand, and there is no detectable axial or side-to-side play. The cooling performance is excellent, even after the car has been baking in the sun for hours. This is my first summer with the car; I bought it in December, and winters are freezing where I live, so I haven’t had much warm-weather experience with it yet. My only concern is that the droning can get quite loud at times. It sounds worrying because I’ve never had a car whose AC makes this kind of noise. Could this be an early sign that the compressor is on its way out? “Luckily,” they typically make themselves known before they grenade.

And the car has the automatic climatronic (dual zone) AC.

Car is 2013 Skoda Octavia Mk3 1.4 TSI (CHPA), manual, 118k km driven. Today I noticed an A/C-related droning/humming noise that seems louder than before, but I'm having trouble pinpointing the source. Symptoms: Only occurs when A/C is on. Noise stops immediately when I press the A/C button off (cabin fan still on), Most noticeable at idle and especially after revving the engine and letting RPM drop back to idle. Above roughly 1500 rpm I can't really hear it. Cooling performance is excellent. The cabin cools down very quickly even after sitting in the sun. No warning lights or other symptoms. What confuses me: From inside the cabin the noise can be quite noticeable and sounds a bit like a old hydraulic power steering pump, but quieter. Under the hood I can't hear any obvious compressor growling, grinding, or abnormal noises. Mostly just normal TSI injector ticking. The radiator/condenser fan runs when the A/C is on and stops when the A/C is turned off, but the RPM-dependent nature of the noise makes me unsure whether the fan alone could be responsible. The A/C system was serviced/recharged last autumn. Has anyone experienced something similar? Does this sound more like normal A/C load/cabin resonance, a belt/tensioner issue, fan resonance, or an early sign of compressor trouble? Thanks.

Hey all, I promised an update when ambient temps raise. It has been now constantly around 3-7C. In warmer climate the rattle happens often than in cold. It rattles around every second cold start and almost every time when ”half warm” (= parked for around 20-40min between drives). But even after 4500km, it still doesnt rattle after driving >500m. Meaning its probably not urgent and more of a ””charm””. I will keep you posted if something changes.

Škoda Octavia Mk3, 2013, 1.4 TSI CHPA, Manual driven 113k km (roughly 76k miles). Symptoms: MIL came on after long highway drive (about 130 km each way). But engine runs completely normal: smooth idle, normal power, no hesitation, no oil consumption, excelent fuel consumption ~5.4–5.7 L/100 km Fault codes read: Code 1: P2196 – O2 sensor signal stuck rich Bank 1 Sensor 1 (active) Code 2: P2271 – O2 sensor signal stuck rich Bank 1 Sensor 2 (passive) Spark plugs and coil 4 was replaced ~4500 km ago during annual service. Coil was replaced due to lambda 1 being stuck rich and missfire codes on cylinder 4. Current situation: Codes were cleared and MIL didnt return in the 30min trip home. What should be next step? Read live data of lambdas? Replace lambda 1 or remaining coils?

Update to everyone: Now when temps have raised around 4-7C, the oil temps are normal around 88-92C. I read via OBD, coolant is stable at 95-100C (measured at -5C and +7C) So seem to be just a cold weather ”charm”.

Hey, I have a Skoda Octavia Mk3 1.4 TSI EA211 (CHPA), manual. 2013, 111k km driven. The car has winter tyres (studded), no fault codes. In winter conditions (ambient approx –10 to –17°C), I’ve noticed that according to Maxidot oil temperature rarely goes above 80°C, even after longer (50km+) continuous driving. During brisk acceleration it can easily reach 90°C+, but then settles back to 79-82°C. Car needs to be driven around 20-30min of highway (60-100kmh) to reach 80C. Speed doesn’t seem to play a factor: Both at -17°C and -10°C oil temps stay around 80-82°C regardless wether driving 80km/h or 100km/h on cruise I know VAG coolant cauge isn’t definitive, but coolant cauge reaches 90°C relatively quickly, around 8-15minutes of driving. It doesn't drop at idle once fully warm. Car interior heats fast and interior temp doesn’t fluctuate even when deaccelerating in high speeds. But: Start and stop is disabled due to ”operating temperature not maintained”. Consumption is relatively high: Mixed driving (includes short trips and continues 60km drives) ~6.5–7.2 L/100 km and steady highway ~100 km/h gives ~5.9 L/100 km Is this normal or does it point to partially open thermostat?

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I’m probably biased by past experience—my old 1992 Corolla ran over 280,000 km on its original clutch before I replaced it after more than 30 years. So a ~100,000 km clutch life definitely feels short by comparison. That said, the clutch doesn’t feel worn. The bite point is still relatively low in the pedal travel (around 2–3 cm before full release), and there are no drivability issues. This seems less like conventional wear and more likely a combination of design characteristics and age-related degradation (e.g. grease in the transmission/clutch components). I’ll update the thread once I have more information, but it does look like a repair may be required at some point in the foreseeable future. Many thanks 😁

Hey, I can’t say with absolute certainty, but both a VAG specialist and the local Škoda dealer have confirmed that this car is equipped with a single-mass flywheel from the factory. There’s also no service history or documentation indicating that any gearbox or flywheel work has been carried out since new. Given that, I’m assume that it has SMF.

Hey, Thank you all for your replies. I don’t have a definitive update yet. Ambient temperatures have fluctuated significantly recently (+10 °C down to −20 °C), which makes consistent diagnosis difficult. In colder conditions (below ~−5 °C), the rattle at idle disappears entirely. Occasionally—but not consistently—there’s a faint squeal when the clutch is depressed during cold starts in sub-zero temperatures. It’s very subtle and essentially inaudible unless the climatronic is switched off. There has been no noticeable change in behavior over the last ~1,000 km. I did, however, find a relevant VAG TPI (3056/T020) that describes knocking/rattling at idle that disappears when the clutch is pressed, attributed to insufficient damping in the clutch driven disc on 1.4 TSI manual applications, with clutch assembly replacement as the prescribed fix. The symptoms described in the TPI align closely with what I’m experiencing, so this is now my primary reference point. I’ll continue monitoring and will update once conditions allow for a more conclusive assessment.

Hi, I’ve checked with both a local VAG specialist shop and a Škoda dealership, and both claims that this model (manual, gasoline) was originally equipped with SMF. According to the dealership, at the time DMF were used on diesel engines and DSG variants, while manual gasoline models came with an SMF.

Hi, I haven’t checked the gearbox oil level yet, and to my knowledge the gearbox oil hasn’t been changed previously. While this obviously isn’t definitive proof of the oil level, the gearbox—and the engine overall—are completely dry externally, so there doesn’t appear to be any active leak. Occasionally, there’s a very faint squeal when the clutch is pressed with a cold engine/transmission, typically around –5 °C or lower. It’s subtle enough that I likely wouldn’t notice it with the climate control or fans running. Interestingly, the noise seems less frequent in colder conditions (below –5 °C). Recently, ambient temperatures have been consistently between –10 °C and –20 °C, and over at least the last 600 km there hasn’t been any noticeable progression of the noise. Hey, Thanks for the reply. It has 109k km on it currently. Sorry for not including that in the post.

Hey, Thanks for the reply. The noise isnt there when clutch is released and in on gear.

Hey all, The car is 2013 MK3 Skoda Octavia 1.4TSI, 140hp, manual, belt driven. EDIT: the car has SMF, not DMF Symptoms: Rattle / knocking sound at cold idle Only present when the clutch is NOT pressed Disappears immediately when clutch is pressed Returns when clutch is released Completely gone once the engine/gearbox is warm No noise while driving No noise under load No vibration through pedals or body Gears engage cleanly, clutch bite point normal No drivability issues Other notes: Noise is somewhat intermittent: most cold starts have some rattle, but some starts are noticeably louder than others Does not happen every start Car otherwise drives fiine I’ve seen mixed opinions online ranging from normal gearbox chatter / input shaft noise to clutch-related causes, but I haven’t found a clear consensus. ---- Has anyone with a similar Octavia / VAG manual gearbox experienced this kind of cold-only clutch-dependent rattle? Did it stay stable over time, or did it develop into something that needed repair? Here are videos to the sound: https://youtube.com/shorts/vKvi4B_ClDo https://youtu.be/SdypV4A24q0