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It probably won't be brushes - it's normally the rectifier or the regulator that goes. The last alternator I had go pop was on an XR3i and it cost 45.00 for a service replacement from a local motor factors. The local auto electrician would sell me the parts to replace it but wouldn't give me a warranty if I fitted them myself and he wanted about 30.00 for the bits so in the end I just did the service exchange for 45.00. 190 seems like a lot, try looking for a local motor factors and seeing what they charge - with the number of Octavia taxis I see, I can't believe that alternators are fetching that sort of premium !! D

From the Skoda UK brochure :- Value 1.4 1.6 Power 80bhp 115bhp 0-62mph 14.2s 11.2s Max Speed 107 123 Max Torque 113/3800 155/4000 Fuel mpg 29.4 32.5 50.4 52.3 40.4 42.8 Emissions g/km 167 158 based on that, I'd say the 1.6 is "more powerful, better performing, cleaner & more frugal" D

Mine leaked when I got it but only when I washed it. There was a puddle on the parcel shelf. It was caused by the wiring loom that goes to the tailgate being trapped between the frame and the seal. The rubber cover on the loom was not connected at the body end. When I re-fitted it, the wire was so used to being in the wrong place, it took quite a while for it to settle down and stay out of the seal's way. D

That's probably why he wants to get out of the house :P "600 miles between washes is quite a bit imo" I try and wash mine weekly, I do 500-600 miles a week so doing it more often would be challenging It's only a shampoo, rinse & squeegee dry. I've never really been a washer type and would like to know more. Never heard of 'clay', as far as I knew, it was what stuck to my wellies when I played in the garden as kid :confused: I do wash the wheels and get my hand behind the spokes etc. and they look OK - badly scuffed by the previous owner though Anybody used one of those foaming guns ? D

Did you try C&S in Middlesbrough ? I've always found them very good for tyres and they were £30.00/tyre cheaper for my son's Mitsubishi than he could find online. I've just paid (actually SWMBO has just paid) £65.00 each for Dunlop Sport 200E tyres for Octy II TDI. D

Try taking the photograph through a polarising filter - if you haven't got one, try it by holding a pair of 'polaroid' sunglasses in front of the lens. And I forgot to add - put a Post-It note on the glass near the scratches to give the camera something to focus on, it's probably focussing through the glass and not on the glass. If you can manually focus, do that instead. D

Very nice, can you do mine next

1.4/80hp is a little engine in a big body. It'll be working hard and this is probably reflected in the lower MPG WRT to the 1.6 model. You could probably save the difference in insurance by going for the 1.6 and getting more MPG. D

I think you can produce it at will Sit in the car, and turn the radio on - keep your finger on the 'on' button, i.e. don't release it. After about 5-10 seconds, mine radio goes bang, displays a 'safe' message and continues. Could be useful for scaring the kids when the 'are we there yet' gets too much TTFN D

The image link in the post returns a 404 error, can you update it please.

Only if it jams again and you keep drving I'd replace both front disks and while its down, you may as well do the brake fluid too. How much was the caliper and the other bits ? D

I'd go the caliper route too. Jack the car up so the wheel's just off the ground, it should turn freely, (the front wheels have a bit more resistance than the rear wheels due to the drive shafts unless it's a 4WD of course) try it on the other side, it should feel the same. How many miles has the car done and how old is it ? Also check the opposite rear wheel with the handbrake off, if it's a pressure lock, it may well be applying the rear brake too. The brake fluid is supposed to be changed every two years so it may be something as simple as that. Mine started screeching a couple of weeks ago - a stone had got wedged between the backing plate and the disk - it made a lot more noise than you would expect from a small stone :eek: I was only a couple of miles from home and in a suit and the drive didn't shake it loose. D

Have you checked under the bonnet recently ? 140mph Deer Hunting | FrakinCool.com D

Don't press the button for too long. As soon as the trip goes to 0, release the button. If you hold it down for too long it shows the miles to next service and doesn't clear the trip. D

Hi, When I fitted the cruise control, I had to disconnect the battery. When it was re-connected, as well as losing the trip memory, the clock was also wrong so I set it manually. The radio is an RDS model, and I can display the time I set in the radio display. With other RDS radios, I have never needed to set the clock, the radio gets the time from the RDS signal and sets the clock. I've been through the manual but can't find any info regarding this with the Octavia. Does anybody know if it's possible for the clock to be set from the radio signal ? TTFN D

It could be a tyre problem. Try swapping the front wheels over and see if it makes a difference. I had a similar problem with a Citroen a few years ago and the problem moved to the other side when I swapped the tyres. I couldn't convince the tyre dealer there was a problem because the tyre looked OK, all he did was move the wheel to the back :-(. D

After I got it down, I more fully understood your concerns regarding my ability to do the job :eek: I wouldn't recommend the DIY route to anybody who wasn't 100% sure of their abilities. If your skills are limited to changing a wheel and you don't have a well equipped toolbox, pay somebody else to do it.:( D

I've just fitted the cruise control stalk and want it activating. I'm in Skelton (TS12). Regards D

I fitted it today - took about two hours. Now I need to find somebody with VAGCOM :-) I have a list of steps (but no pictures) if anybody's interested. It's not straightforward to fit, the trickiest bits are the removal of the controller unit and the removal of the old switch. I may have made it more difficult than it should have been. YMMV. Regards, D

Driving 40k a year gives you a big picture but try cycling on the roads and you really notice how bad the surfaces are. The roads that feel really smooth to a car can be really jarring to a cyclist and potholes or manhole covers that just go plip plip to a car driver have to be veered round when riding a bicycle. I suspect that the roads are stressing the cars more than you think - it's just that the modern cars are so good, you just don't notice the slow but persistent little damage. I think all traffic planners and road maintenance engineers should be made to survey the roads and commute by bicycle. We'd have better roads and junctions if they did. D

Thanks for your concerns, I am capable (though opinions may differ ) but just wanting to cover all options before I start. If I can do this without removing the steering wheel I will. I've never seen one of these controls or removed a steering wheel from an Octavia so have no idea what everything looks like in situ. Looking at the new switch, it looks as if it's only held on by one screw so if I can remove the shrouds and get at the nut with an open ended spanner and undo it one flat at a time then I'm happy. On previous cars, I have not had to remove the steering wheel to change the switches. The instructions say 'requires special tools' and remove the steering wheel comes after "- Replace the left part of the change over switch..." Regards, D

Hi, I bought the part yesterday from a local Skoda Dealer. The part number is BEA 600 002 as stated above. It comes in a box and includes the stalk, the extra wire, some cable ties and a multi language instruction manual. Picture below of what I got. The manual does say "...must not be sold to the end user in a not mounted state." oh dear :eek: Cost was £65.00. I asked about having them make the code changes - £60.00 + VAT. As the car's coming up for a service, I'll fit the cruise control when I do the service. I'll won't be taking up the £60.00 code change - that's way too much for changing a couple of entries. The manual shows the steering wheel needs removing, is it really necessary or can you get to the fitting nut with an OE spanner ? D

Does anybody have the part numbers required for the bits needed to add a cruise control to an Octavia II TDI (103KW) 55 plate ? Is there a good reference site out there showing gotchas etc. for the DIYer ? Regards, Dave

Hi, I bought a low mileage (<20k) '55 Octavia TDCi in October 2008 and have done just over 8000 miles since then. The engine oil light came on the other day warning of low oil so I topped it up (near as I can tell I added about 1 litre). Is 1L in 8000 miles typical - the chap at the motor factors said they use oil but that seems excessive to me. I've not had to top up a car between services for a long time now (the last one that used oil was a Bedford HA110 van in 1988) and modern cars have always seemed more oil tight. The car was dealer serviced before I bought it but I don't know how full it was. I topped it up with synthetic oil and asked about the service interval. The manual says long service and I believe the car will tell me when it needs the oil changing but the chap in the shop said 10k to be safe what does everybody else do ? Regards, Dave

Hi, My O II TD doesn't have it and I miss it, how much is it to retro fit ? What's the lowest speed it works at ? We used to have a Citroen C3 that would cruise in 5th at 30mph. When we traded it in after a year,the new model wouldn't cruise below about 45mph. D