ethel

Good work! I had a similar problem (but I let the garage sort it as I’m lazy). I found that the lights still did their setup dance but they failed safe (ie stayed at the lowest setting). There was also a warning message on the Maxidot screen to say that the system had defaulted to safe mode. The garage told me it’s quite a common failure because - as you found - the things seize after some time and eventually break. Glad you sorted it.

Not suggesting this as a serious option, but for info the VR6 is ULEZ compliant (certainly in London at least)… 😉 Good luck with your search for a suitable replacement anyway. 👍🏻

I had this happen last month and after checking the fuses it transpired that the blower unit itself had failed. Replaced under Skoda aftermarket warranty thankfully. Hope it’s fixed for you soon. 👍🏻

Blimey - I can only dream. I think I'm doing well if I crack 34mpg (8.3l/100km). 😆 My own stupid fault, I know..

Hey Dave, Thanks for that - all good food for thought. I think that in the first instance I’d be keen to tighten the suspension up a bit to try and give it a little more of a ‘sport’ setup, so will look into the mods performed on your example. It’s really not bad in already-lowered-from-the-factory form and I realise it’s a big old thing, but a bit more positivity wouldn’t go amiss. Revo do an interesting Stage 1 remap which liberates another 15-20 more hp for not too drastic an outlay which might be an interesting ‘toe in the water’ exercise. That said, it’s not slow, not by a long shot but you do get used to it after a while and sometimes more is..fun.. 😉 thanks again, much appreciated 👍🏻 Dave.

They are the perfect solution so far as I’m concerned. No warning lights on the dash and the ballast resistors are fitted with what appear to be very effective heat-sinks. I appreciate the brighter LED plate illumination isn’t to everyone’s taste but these ones aren’t stupidly bright in the way that some are - ie, they don’t give the impression that you’ve left the reversing lights on and they seem to be a better match for the LED tail lights on my facelift car than the dimmer, yellow incandescent items which were there previously.

I had no end of trouble with alleged 'Canbus friendly' LED number plate lights. In the end - upon the advice of the people I bought the bulbs from (and who to their credit refunded me with no questions) I swapped out the Skoda bulb holders with their plug and play LED units and - touch wood - they've been perfect. (I don't work for them by the way.. 😉)

I'm afraid that my knowledge of the light units themselves is somewhat limited & there are others here who are far better qualified than I am to advise. However, I would advise caution if you do take the units to bits not least because of the high voltages potentially present (no pun intended). As a simple test, it might be worth getting someone to switch in and out of full beam (with dipped beam already on) whilst you watch what's going on at the headlight. You should - I imagine - be able to see instantly whether the Xenon unit is doing anything from the outside which would at least allow you to determine whether the shutter is functioning or not. The self-levelling is definitely worth investigating as you mention. As the numerous posts on the forum will tell you, this is a known failure point and could well be the cause of your woes. For clarification, the dipped beam comes only from the Xenon/HID units. Full beam is produced from both the Xenon and the inner Halogen bulbs together if the dipped beam is already on, or just the halogens if the dipped beams are not active (which allows you to flash your lights during the day for example if the dipped beam headlights aren't switched on). Sorry I can't be more help in terms of the mechanics of the lights themselves but as I say, there are plenty here who can offer advice. 👍 Good luck with it - hope it's a simple (and inexpensive) fix. D. 🙂

Hiya Pete, The bulb replacement option is definitely worth a go as indicated above, but additionally, there is the possibility that the dip/main beam mechanical shutters inside the Xenon units aren't operating correctly and thus aren't permitting the full output to be projected. If they are working correctly, the shift from dipped to full beam at night is marked and very obvious with an almost instantaneous transition. The amount of light thrown down a dark, unlit country road such as we have around here on full beam is remarkably full and effective. I appreciate that you are based in town but maybe see if you can find a dark bit of road somewhere and see if the whole thing lights up like day - if not, I would suspect that you are only getting the illumination from the supplementary (single filament) halogen full-beam units mounted inboard of the main Xenon ones, or as Del8oy suggests above, the Xenon bulbs need replaced. Have you had any error messages come up on the Maxidot display in the instrument cluster at all, perhaps relating to AFS failure? Given that the alignment dance is happening as it should and that the beam pattern is changing as you drive I'm guessing possibly not.. All the best, Dave.

The same person is almost certainly responsible for the utter joy (not) caused by having to replace headlamp bulbs in an Alfa Romeo 156 - they were either insane, a sadist or both.

Hi, I believe that the standard Halogen full-beam bulbs are there to allow you to flash your lights momentarily in the event that your bi-Xenon units aren't on. You are correct in that the Xenon units operate as both dip and main beam (using a mechanical shutter inside) but I should imagine that it would take too long for the system to fire up the Xenon unit and then operate the shutter if all you want to do is flash your lights, hence there are supplementary Halogen ones alongside (which aren't particularly bright nor a good colour match compared to the Xenons!) D

I'd echo what others have said re holding out for an Elegance spec car if you can - the extras are worth having and to my mind suit the 'luxe' size and nature of the car. Also, whilst I have come to get along with the somewhat 'interesting' proportions of the hatch I own, I'd agree that the estate definitely looks more cohesive. However, when the chance came to buy mine I had to leap on it quick, so a hatch it had to be.. Good luck - hope you find the right one - they're wonderful cars and very rewarding to own in my experience. Keep us posted. 👍 All the best. D

Ah, great - fingers crossed for a quick turnaround then. 🤞

Hiya,, Not sure how quickly they'll come but if you search "SKODA SUPERB 2008-2015 SET OF 2 WING MIRROR LED INDICATOR LIGHT REPEATER LH+RH" on Fleabay you'll find a pair for £30. Not sure how that stacks up against main dealer prices but I suspect it'll be a bit cheaper? I seem to recall having to replace the same item on my previous car - Octavia 2 FL - and the Ebay item was considerably cheaper and the quality was fine too. Good luck anyway. 👍 D

Hi - for what it's worth I had doubts about the performance of my Haldex in the past too but was told by a VW Master Mechanic that a good test is to floor it from a standing start on a wet surface - if it just picks up and goes with no drama then all is well but if if scrabbles for grip, cuts the power, flashes the yellow dash light throughout then you probably have a U/S system. Hope you get it sorted anyway. All the best, D