Plantman

Just as a follow up - pump replaced by the local indi VAG garage so fingers crossed tis all good. The old one looks pretty hideous - car has 35k on it and it looks like its been leaking for a while! Classic was correct, leaking from the impeller seal.

Excellent, thanks Classic. Good to hear. I think the only time you might need the vacuum pump option is when the charge cooling system is dismantled and refilled. I read this on a VAG guide: "The charge-air cooling system needs to be bled after it is opened to ensure a correct cooling output. The system is bled either by using the cooling system charge unit VAS 6096 or by using the guided function “Filling and bleeding cooling system”. Please note the instructions in ELSA." Cheers again!

How was bleeding the coolant system after this job by the way? I've seen some reports of it being a bit of a mare getting all the air out of the system on these cooling systems. Have several days worth of topping up or did it generally go ok? Cheers!

Awesome thanks fabdavrav. Prices seem similar to mine that have been quoted from the Skoda dealer. I will be going to a VAG independent though. They use genuine parts and it seemed like the pump came with the belt and the bolts as a kit when I called Skoda parts. As you say I expect the bolts are supposed to be one use only or something. Cheers for the pictures too Classic. Nice to see the beast and compare with a new unit.

I've used WD-40 on mine when I had an 'episode' of it not opening. Touch wood it has been good for the last year or so.

This might help with the procedure: https://youtu.be/ZD2rOX7xx4A?si=HBp5guaDyesvmWPS

Ah gotcha! Thanks for the info. Really helpful!

Awesome, thanks Classic. Top work there on the replacement. Good to know I am not the only one to have this fail since not much comes up for a coolant leak on these engines. Price sounds bang on from Skoda for the OEM part too. Not too silly considering its a pump and thermostat in one. Cheers for the pictures too. Mine is on 34k but is a 2014 model so guess its the issue of having a plastic pump assembly on a metal block which shows the weakness - the heating and cooling cycles perhaps.

Cheers. Water pump on this model is not part of the cambelt. The water pump lives on the other side of the block with its own belt. Driven by the exhaust camshaft.

I've been loosing a bit of coolant all of a sudden and it looks like I've got a leak from the coolant pump housing. This lives on the right hand side of the engine. Mine is the 1.4 TSI 103 KW CHPA unit, Anyone had this before and know the rough price for replacement. Hoping it is just a gasket replacement but could end up being the full pump. Update Price for the pump, bolts and belt is £243. Labour to do the job was quoted at £525 all in. Picture 1 shows the location of pump, picture 2 shows where the coolant collects (handy in a recess - though I've mopped this up) and picture 3 shows where the coolant is dripping from.

I've never actually had it shut the engine down before a complete stop from memory. My DSG will only switch the engine off at 0 mph. Annoying that it kicks the engine back to life when I move to neutral and take my foot off the brake too. But almost every single time I am in the car I disable this. This is only enabled when I know I will be at lights for at least more than 30 seconds or say at roadworks. It's also disabled during the cold weather when I know the battery will be taking a hammering So as Roottoot says your mileage may vary!

Yes! I used them to get my gearbox version back to an original Skoda factory version and they succeeded where several other re-mappers could not. I would recommend and use them again for sure.

Mine do as per this vid (move down, up a tiny bit, move out to sides and back in, again the same but quicker, then move back up again):

I am going to try a small bit of Sugru as a repair to see if this holds off the wear and also look a bit nicer, providing I can get a matching enough colour.

I've never seen this wear on any car I've owned nor any I've driven. Must be a design flaw of some description in my opinion. Certainly my last two Mk2 Octavia's never had this with 165k and 149k miles on. My current Mk3 with just 22k already had this wear from the first owner. The plastics must be very soft or the angle the seat belt interacts with this plastic causing this sawing action when you put the belt on. I have tried to ensure I do not add to the wear since my gash is already big enough Mk2 pictures attached as example of their design.

Well I got mine changed today from OEM to new OEM and the difference is minor but slightly better. I think it is by design that the estate boot closes with much more force. I do remember the Mk2 really needed a good shove to close compared the Mk3. The part number I had before was 5E9 827 550 04S and the replacement is labelled 5E9 827 550 01S. They have 0540N on them which I guess is the 540 NMs. They probably lift a bit better from about half way open but from just over half way closed I would say the design of the strut position means the boot closes under its own weight. Something I've had to get used to in order to prevent a right slam of the boot. The new struts were not cheap! £42 each!

I'm hoping to replace mine this Friday for new ones so will see if its by design or mine have gone a bit soft!

Yup, they are much worse in the cold weather I find. I am just wondering whether it is worth opting for a replacement set of struts since it is a little dangerous having it slam so violently. If you are not careful I can see a window exploding when it slams closed lol.

Hi, I've always wondered whether my boot struts are super weak or whether this is normal on the Mk3 Octavia. While they do hold the boot open ok, from about half way down (or up) the boot feels very heavy and will slam closed should you not hold it. The Mk2 had fairly strong struts on the boot from memory and often needed a good slam to close it. Is this like yours? Cheers!

I've noticed this too. Seemed to raise the revs from about 27 degrees and up.

Adaptive frontlight system 👍 SKODA's Adaptive Frontlight System is a breakthrough in road illumination that enhances driver comfort and safety by several notches. To put it simply, AFS front light control system adjusts the light beam according to varied driving conditions. This technology is complemented by swiveling headlights, cornering lamps and dynamic headlight angle regulation. When all these functions are combined, road safety is boosted because when obstacles are illuminated better, the driver is able to react sooner and prevent an accident. When the system is set to Auto, the lights spread wider and shorter for city driving, and longer for highways. The fog headlamps have a corner function which light up the space where you are about to turn. The AFS system is offered exclusively for the bi-xenon headlights, which provide both low and high beam.

I've noticed that when I come to a stop my right hand (off side) light also comes back to the centre after pointing slightly to the right. I presume this is normal since they are adapting a pattern for those conditions (city). Can you test by disabling the AFS to see if they just point right ahead? For me I presume this is normal behaviour since they have done this since I've had the car and I have no errors being flagged.

Does seem to be the way sometimes, someone posts something and all hell breaks loose and people start getting very defensive about others ideas! This isn't mandatory as a replacement - nobody is saying you have to do this - just posting that I had a split washer cap so I replaced with the newer style funnels that Skoda are using more and more and I have to say I am very happy with the replacement Since the original one was almost the same price it made sense to try something a bit different. The link to the ebay seller worked out all good for me so annoying that someone had an issue! Ho hum - makes for an interesting thread I guess!!!

This little gadget is useful for monitoring voltages and currents etc too. You stick it inline with your solar charger to see what is going in.

Since my washer lid was split I decided to replace it with this neat lid which incorporates a funnel: Part Number: 000 096 706 Easy swap out: About £7 delivered!