salmac

Skoda recommend the timing belt is changed every 4 years or 75,000 miles whichever comes first.

The work on my Octy was done by an independent not a Skoda main dealer, so it looks as though I paid over the odds.

As my OctyII is coming up to its fourth birthday, I paid a visit yesterday to my local garage to have the timing belt changed. The bill, which included supplying /fitting new cambelt, tensioner and water pump, came to £496.05. This seemed a bit steep to me but the bulk of the cost was four hours labour. I asked why the water pump had been changed and was told this was standard procedure because the pump on the Skoda has a plastic impeller which is prone to seize up. If anyone else has had the timing belt changed recently, I would be interested to know whether the cost was in line with what I was charged.

Thanks for the replies. After speaking to Skoda Assistance I have decided not to renew their policy. I'll rely on the RAC cover that comes with my car insurance.

My Octavia is almost 3 years old and my free Skoda Assistance Policy is about to expire. Skoda are offering to renew the policy for £89 for 1 year or £145 for 2 years, but as I have RAC Membership included with my car insurance policy, is it worth paying extra just for the 'Skoda trained technicians using specilaist Skoda parts and tools' ? I would be interested to know what others have done.

I need to replace my tyres and having read all the threads on new tyres I am still undecided about which ones to get. I am leaning in favour of Goodyear Hydragrips which come out top in the Auto Express 2007 Tyre Test. Does anyone have first hand experience of these?

I think it's turbo lag. To overcome this when really necessary, just switch the DSG into Sport mode.

I have just been reading through the posts on this thread and noted that a number of contributors talk about using the brim to brim method for calculating mpg. I was at my Skoda dealership recently and caught sight of a notice on the wall warning customers about the dangers of overfilling the fuel tank. It said that the tank was full at the first 'click' of the pump and that if the tank was filled past this point the excess fuel went into the expansion chamber and could contaminate the system. It went on to say that there was a specific VAGCOM code which indicated this condition and that the cost of rectifying the problem, which could be in excess of

I have had Trafficmaster's Smartnav for three years and have yet to see a better satnav. The biggest advantage for me is that it is a live system that warns of impending traffic problems and then offers an alternative route where possible. As far as I am aware, none of the other systems do this. What's more it costs less than half the Skoda factory fitted system.

How can you tell if the alarm is actually working? I have had my car for over two years and have never heard a squeak. I thought you might hear something when you locked the doors with the remote, but silence reigns.

Update. I took the car back to the dealer today and they ascertained that oil is still getting into the cooling system. They told me they would have to replace the bottom half of the engine, whatever that means. Sounds drastic.

I have had my Octavia for 2

Many thanks for the responses. I think I'll use a 1:3 ratio which should be ok for uk summer and winter.

I have just bought a 1 litre container of Skoda/VAG 'Windscreen Clear' which is claimed to be enough for a whole year's supply. However, there are no instructions on how to use or how much to dilute. It comes with a 15ml measure. Does anyone know how this should be used and whether it is suitable for the headlamp washers as well?

I recently had the head gasket replaced but only because they had to take the head off to cure a problem of oil getting into the coolant system. The coolant warning light had been coming on intermittantly for nearly two years from new and the dealership couldn't find the problem until recently. Anyway, it's all fixed now, under warranty, and the performance of the car is as good as before.