SeanP

Wifey's 2010 L&K 2.0(PD I think) 103KW Octavia. Now on 90K miles - has never had "Toothed Belt" replaced from what I can tell from the Service records! According to the book the Toothed Belt should be every 150k KM - so kind of "expecting" this to come up on the Service / MOT booked for tomorrow? We use a local independent garage... Any thoughts on the kinds of cost we should expect (budget) for this? I'm seeing anything from around ~£200 -> ~£500+ for this kind of work; in ADDITION to the rest of the service etc.

Yes, sorry!

Falken 959 RS-Rs are the choice in the Mazda RX-8 OC, and I used a set recently at Spa and Mettet in my Mazda RX-8... The first time I've tried dedicated track tyres than normal road-going Vredestein Sessantas (now Vortis). Those were 235/40 R18 on 8.5J rims. (OEM fit is 225/45 R18), and they are cheap as chips (around £75-85 each)... Not so good in the damp (as was the morning of both Spa and Mettet - no track tyre will be), but as soon as a dry line appeared and they got some heat, they gave bags of confidence which, even after getting into some controlled 4-wheel drifts - felt so planted that I felt my own talent would run out before the tyres gave way!

Stoves 900DFT -- that's from Manufacturer at a very special price... May be abnle to find one "in stock"elsewhere, but will be at shop prices, of course.... That's 6-8 weeks to START of manufacture... then wait for manufacture and delivery... not date for that! The other consideration is the RangeMaster Professional 90+ -- but neara chunk more money (and double the manuf. price of hte Stoves!!) :( Deffo NOT the Belling 900DFT -- it's low on features and build quality, though otherwise "identical" to the Stoves. @SuperBfan with regard to the black paint -- Wifey's just returned from CostCo with a 36-pack of microfibre cloths, so she's at least "thinking" in the right direction...

Hah! Yeah, right ya'll know the original Q referred to the kind of oil that gets BURNED :p ;-) Update: Still not looked at cookers... replacement from manufacturer -- 6-8 weeks TO MANUFACTURE ... that's not even delivery :-(

Show me a diesel that gets 1,200 miles to a litre of oil...

I noticed the Dipping mirror feature (neat feature -- I generally dip my mirror manually when performing a 'difficult' reverse) in L&K Octy (sorry!) I test drove (& Wifey Pruchased!) on Saturday... However, I note that the mirror did not return to "home" position, and had to adjust it manually? How long after deselecting reverse should it take to revert?

Ha! True -- but we have to have SOMETHING which appears to tip the balance ;-)

...An ex-demo Laurin and Klement 2.0 TDI DSG for Wifey -- to replace her 6YO Octavia II Elegance 1.9 TDI DSG! However, wifey's logic defies me; whilst discussing recently we decided that her mileage no longer warrants Diesel. We hate black cars (or at least I do, and her father had a bad experience with a black car, we swore we'd never go near it --- Swirl mark heaven :S)). We have a 5YO who clambers all over the insides, leaving dirty foot prints everywhere, dropping food, dripping drinks and generally leaving a sticky mess... So, how we ended up with: A diesel, which (I suspect) drinks more diesel than the last one. :wonder: Metalic black exterior :no: Alcantara interior No cooker -- been broken since New Year's Eve!! :'( ...I'll never know. :p I only hope she now enjoys learning the two bucket method of washing, and careful application of wax, thank you very much! Well, I think they gave a reasonable PX price for her old Octy, and she picks up her new beast on Wednesday. Sadly, I could not convince here a vRS was the "One True Way" to go, to complement my RX8

Thanks for the replies folks; I shall monitor the situation and try better to adjust my braking technique in wifey's car -- she doesn't seem to think there's a problem with them. Perhaps I'm just used to the consistent and progressive control I have in my RX-8. I'll consider a pad type change when they next require it, but I don't think Wifey would appreciate a 'racing' performance pad setup herself

Actually, I didn't realise it was 'yesterday' when I posted that Now re-shod with ER300s and when I did a quick check of the spare, I surprised myself to find the OEM was ER30, not ER300 (unless they put in a 'cheaper' spare?) Torque * revs == power. It *loves* revs, all 9000 of them Yes wifey could probably beat be off the line (actually, NOT!, so let's settle for a vRS/Golf/Tubbed up Saxo), but the fantastic handling characteristics & rev-tastic gearing means I'm still in 2nd as we break through the NSL, and hitting the twisties soon sees the 'competition' in understeer heaven and shortly visiting the scenery Actually, I do tend for a bit higher -- typically 34 all round. Tyre fitters pointed out 'excessive inner wear' on the fronts (only the extreme inner, didn't look that excessive to me for a FWD, and totally flat wear across the main tread) and offered an alignment check "for free"... Well, I wouldn't have minded a proper check, but they just loaded up the laughable 'laser' system with crappy rulers, and without even taking a reading (I watched very closely), he took the 'nod' from the engineer from the office door... Lo and behold "it's 2.4mm out all round. £35, please to fix." :rotz: Not that I don't believe him (yeah, right), but I declined and said I'd rather take it to a place with the proper equipment which takes full readings, which I'll do next week.

I've always found the brakes on wifey's Octy non-progressive & very 'grabby'. Even with a light amount of braking, at slowish speeds, there seems to be little braking for a second or so, then a very sudden bite... It makes it very difficult to brake evenly and progressively. Is this a common trait or indication of something wrong? Car has done approx 50K now, and I don't think front nor rear pads have been replaced yet (will need to re-check service records) -- but it's always behaved in this manner since new.

Been happy enough with OEM Bridgestone ER300s (205/55R16) and getting 4 new fitted tomorrow. Changing from Bridgestone RE040 (and RE050A) to Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas on my '8, also just ordered 4 (225/45R18) to be fitted next week -- these got great reviews in magazines, and on the RX8OC forum -- but I don't think the Octy deserves them Still getting uneven tyre wear though on the Octy, with the rears wearing as quickly as the fronts, and one slightly more than the other, which is a tad unusual? Time for an alignment check (again?)... Bad news: £700 in a week on tyres :eek:

On my Wifey's Octavia II (54 reg), one of the rear parking sensors has disappeared inside the bumper :-( Is there an easy way to gain hand-sized access to pop it back in, or are there instructions for removing & refitting the bumper? Is it worthwhile applying a small dab of superglue to retain the sensor?

Cheers for the info -- your link appears broken? (It opens with the 3 dots in it, just as shown!)

Wife's TDi (not vRS) has bridgestones; Whilst replacing the evenly worn fronts (for Bridgestone Turanza ER300), we noticed the rears were terribly worn on the insides, and needed replacing too... We had a 4-wheel computer/laser alignment check done, and the toe-adjustments were all out-of-spec... Everything was adjusted to within spec, and I can't beleive the difference it has made to the handling; no longer feels like it's gonna lose the backend all the time, and hopefully we'll see better tyre wear. I can definitely see a pattern emerging here with badly adjusted goemetry from the factory across the product range -- has anybody here obtained compensation under warranty for the extra, premature outlay requied on new tyres & alignment etc.???

Thanks very much, both of you. I shall check over the car with this list in hand. Upon first reading, we've had past problems with the cruise control, and I think the radio / info display were replaced in the past (I'll hunt out the past records and check)... Thereafter, we had a few occasional problems with the info-display (is that the MaxiDot??) not working, dash lights flickering, trip details resetting, and with occasional starting problems and the occasional CEL... Then one morning, it was dead as a dead thing when the ignition was turned... I popped the bonnet an on a hunch just started wiggling cables & looking for the fuse-box... I noticed that he battery +ve connection was moving -- it hadn't been properly attached / tightened, probably when the above were addressed. Since I tightened it we've experienced no problems whatsoever! Just been out and inspected the front windscreen with a torch -- I can see a milky white line along the bottom edge of the wind screen, nominally approx. 2mm in width, and varies a bit along it's length. The rear looking at an angle down through the rear hatch glass, it too looks like a much finer white line. I'll ask the dealer to inspect these as warranty items during the service/MOT next week.

Our 54 plate Octy II 1.9TDi DSG is due its 2nd Variable service + MOT soon, and as it's nearing end of warranty, I'd rather it be done before that's up, such that an inspection for any outstanding 'warranty' issues is also done... It's done approx 38K miles, and previous (first) service was marked as around 18K miles in October 2006. So, though I've had a browse around, I can't see any FAQ for the service / common warranty issues, so sorry if these are FAQ: Are there any 'common' warranty items I should be getting looked at? Any recalls? What amount of oil is required for the oil-change (I'll order in via Oilman & supply myself). Any transmission oil required for the DSG? (What spec. & amount?) Any ideas of approx. cost for this service and dealer costs for oil etc.? I think it's appalling that I asked (my wife to ask) the dealer today, and they just responded 'our computers are down' to all of the above -- surely they should know the basics? :(

2004 (54) Octavia II 1.9TDi DSG: E0A = no special edition 1F0 = without towing eyes, front and rear 5SJ = outer left rear view mirror: convex 5RV = outer right rear view mirror: non-spherical 1KF = disc brakes, rear 6FB = body-colored outer rear view mirror housings 1AC = anti-lock brake system (ABS) 3FA = without roof insert (standard roof) 1N3 = speed-related variable steering assist (Servotronic) 1NL = covers for alloy wheels H6U = tires 205/55 R 16 91W 4UF = drivers and front passenger airbag with front passenger airbag deactivation 4R4 = power windows with comfort operation and circuit breaker 3NU = rear seat bench unsplit, backrest split folding with center armrest 3QT = 3-point seat belts with tensioner and height adjustment, front 4X1 = side airbag front 4A0 = without seat heater 8L3 = roof antenna J0N = battery 330 A (61 Ah) 7AH = electronic vehicle immobilization device with alarm system, passenger compartment control and backup horn 8GU = alternator 140A 6Y0 = without cruise control warning system 9AK = Climatronic with impact pressure control free of cfc 8RM = eight loudspeakers (passive) 7Q0 = without navigation device 8YL = radio with CD player 8QL = key for locking system with remote control 8X1 = headlight washer system 4K3 = radio remote controlled central locking operated from inside and safe securing B09 = type approval Great Britain and Northern Ireland G07 = front shock absorption QN1 = drawer under left front seat 3L3 = manual height adjustment for front seats 9P1 = seat belt warning light, electric contact in buckle 7X1 = ultrasonic park distance control 9W0 = without car phone preparation/installation 8WB = front fog lights 7A2 = CD changer 3GA = without cargo area QG1 = service interval prolongation 0GG = emissions concept EU 4 L13 = suspension range 13 7P4 = manually adjustable lumbar support in front seats F0A = no special purpose vehicle, standard equipment 3S4 = preparation for roof load rack 2UA = standard design Anybody know a decoder for the Transmission / paint / engine code etc., just above the main options (they all come up 'unknown' in the decoder): HLH (6-speed DSG?) 9901 CA 77KW (kilowatts == 103HP?) BKC

FYI the fuse (no. 24 - a 25A one) blew on our cigarette lighter / accessory power, but it still lights up

Well, I would've had Wifey told me sooner it wasn't working -- for it was she who had already spoken to the dealer ;-)

Ah -- was about to buy a set of spares from Halfrauds today -- I couldn't see any in the driver-side fuse box, anybody know where they're located? (Will check engine comparetment tonight).

The cigarette lighter / accessory socket recently stopped working on our 54 plate Octy... As we were chatting to the dealer about the forthcoming 3rd anniversary / MOT we mentioned this to them, expecting a 'warranty' fix... They strived to point out that as we'd been using the socket for 'accessories' rather than as a cigarette lighter (neither of us smoke, but we do have SatNav), it wouldn't be covered under Warranty... WTF, I thought -- and even checked the manual, which clearly states it's intended use is for accessories. Anyhow, meantime I checked the fuse and indeed that's all that's wrong -- But had it been otherwise, surly the dealer's winding us up?

I was astonished to discover the rear tyres on my wife's 54 plate Octy Elegance were also totally shagged on the inside rears :eek: whilst I was checking the fronts and decided to get them replace as they dropped below 3 mm I got all 4 tyres replaced and the alignment checked/adjusted -- which showed the toe adjustment was way out on the rears, fronts were OK; just within tolerance. Now, this would have been the case straight out of the factory, and am now considering approaching the dealer, because there's no way that the rears should have required replacing otherwise, nor the extra expense of having the tracking adjusted (check was free). There is no history of hit curbs (and that would generally only knock it out on one side -- both were equally bad.) or any other accidents etc. anyhow. I had always thought her car felt a bit unstable and had a tendency to feel 'wobbly' at the rear, even in a straight line, but it was difficult to judge, because my own car is so different to drive. Wifey also had a bit of a scare one night, saying she nearly swapped ends on a local lane -- at the time I put it down to potentially icy conditions, she was so shook up, she didn't really take much in about the road conditions, but it was a cold night... I just never put 2+2 together till now! :( After the alignment, the car is a completely different beast to drive, and I would even say handles very well for a diesel tug - I'm now not afraid of throwing it more into some of the corners that I enjoy so much in my '8 ;-) So -- has this been a common 'fault' with Skodas, anybody else saught recompense from the dealer (I assume a 'warranty' issue?).

Blimey, even my RX-8 would struggle to achieve that It happily revs to 9.5K for the uninitiated