PetrolDave

Not all Mk3 Octavias had an engine cover fitted at the factory, the 1.4 & 1.5 didn't so I fitted a VW one with a Skoda bonnet badge fitted to it.

Have you mixed windscreen washer additives? I've seen a mix of the VAG/Skoda screenwash and Holts produce a jelly like 'goo'.

@varaderoguydid you mean to post this in the thread about water pump failure? This thread is about silica bags...

I have the white non-vRS ones from Kopacek, they were a straight swap (I just used a large flat bladed screwdrive to tease out the OE ones) and as the interior lights are not monitored there is no coding to be changed. http://www.kopacek.com/Skoda/OCTAVIA-III/Octavia-III-MEGA-POWER-LED-safety-door-lights-with-GHOST-light-OCTAVIA-WHITE

You need to replace the unit in the glovebox, that is the actual electronics (not just a CD/DVD player); the screen in the centre console is just that - a screen. Be aware that replacing the infotainment not only will the coding and adaptation values need to be corrected but it also will require Component Protection to be removed and Feature Codes re-enabled - these require connection to the Skoda/Vag servers so cannot be done with any diagnostic tool.

Love to know what your 'primary car' is?

As @Redboysays, it still thinks it's GMT not Summer Time.

OT but in the early 1990's me and some colleagues when out on a work trip use to have a competition with each other to see who could get the lowest instantaneous MPG figure on a Vauxhall Astra GTE (2L 16V) - I won with 1.2MPG

.... what I said

Do the reversing lights turn on?

What is the voltage when the power steering starts working? I'm wondering if the battery is actually weak - 14.7V from start says that the alternator is initially having to put a lot of charge into the battery, suggesting a battery that is losing charge overnight. Electric power steering, like you have, is a heavy power user so very sensitive to state of charge and internal resistance (health) of the battery.

This is where it's a grey area in the UK - the MOT test only tests that headlight washers work IF FITTED but it doesn't require that if HID headlamps are fitted that headlight washers are fitted also despite the lighting regulations requiring both headlight washers and self levelling if HID headlamps are fitted. So legality and MOT passing are not the same thing - which is pretty stupid IMHO. As a result of this inconsistency my Octavia Elegance which has Halogen headlamps but also has factory fitted headlight washers will fail the MOT if the headlight washers don't work despite them not being a legal requirement - go figure?

In 45 years of owning cars I've never had one where the fuel gauge was linear, they've all dropped much more slowly in the first third/half than the rest.

100% it will NOT, it's what I have in my Octavia and Smartlink doesn't work and cannot be enabled.

My 15 Plate Elegance has lights, which I have replaced with the white Kopacek ones that also show 'Octavia' on the ground (BTW they are VERY bright) - I would have preferred red ones but don't want to show 'vRS' when it's an Elegance

Maybe they should use UPS, on a couple of occasions I've had invoices from UPS for Customs Duty & VAT (plus their rip-off fee) which had to be paid before they would deliver.

Since ian89 hasn't visited briskoda since 21st September 2018 you probably won't get a reply

... and that was true on some VAG vehicles a few years ago, but after 'Dieselgate' VAG have closed down their systems to avoid further accusations of emissions cheating, and as start/stop does reduce emissions in the official tests then disabling it falls into that category.

We prefer to support Ross-Tech who spend lots of time, effort and money developing VCDS rather than third-party sellers who rip-off their IPR.

No, it's a piece of hardware that you buy and wire into the car - basically if you want the stop/start off then when you turn the ignition on it automatically presses the button for you. Like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324148687136?hash=item4b78c47120:g:un4AAOSwynlep4Ud

I was using the term "SD" in the generic sense to mean SD, SDHC or SDXC - none of those can be formatted to over 32GB using the GUI version of the Microsoft format program - this IS a restriction placed by Microsoft in their 'infinite wisdom'! See the-thinking-behind-the-32gb-windows-format-limit-on-fat32

This topic has been ongoing on every car webste I've been a member of for the last 20+ years, so it isn't going to stop anytime soon. IMHO we all have a higher opinion of our driving ability than truth, plus how many have had skid pan training and have first hand experience of controlling loss of rear end grip (very few). First hand experience will always outshine internet opinion

Hamilton has been quoted as saying he won't leave negotiating his 2022 contract to the last minute again - a strong hint that he still wants to be racing next year?

It's between 119 and 138 g per km depending on the spec of the particular vehicle - more options = heavier car = higher emissions. Same applies to the fuel economy numbers. Personally I have always worked on the basis of the highest emissions and lowest economy figures.