rally_chris

Superb now found so open to offers around £7500 Please message me or call me on 07554 425610 for more details. Chris

Certainly is - please message me for more information.. Chris

Pictures now added

Mike, please give me a call tomorrow. Chris

Certainly is, sorry no pictures yet as I haven't had a chance to give it a wash this week and it's to dark when I get home! Planning to get some pictures up over the weekend. Passed MOT today with no advisories, so MOT runs to 20/10/12. Mileage is actually just over 46100 - ad will be amended. Please note the car is currently on a private plate so I will have to get that taken off before the car is ready to go to a new home. If you wish to come and take a look or for further information please give me a call Chris

Thinking of selling my Octavia VRS estate to get a Superb, so thought I'd offer it to fellow Briskys before it goes on the usual websites in a week or two. [Edit - now found a Superb so the Octy has to go soon!] 2006(56) Octavia VRS 5 door estate (combi) 2.0 litre PD Tdi engine 170 bhp 6 speed manual Race blue Usual VRS spec plus essential factory options - dual climate control, jumbo box, 18" alloys plus dealer fitted rear parking sensors. After market accessories fitted: Tow bar (occasional light use only) HID headlight conversion (can be removed if desired) Parrot Mki9200 bluetooth handsfree + iPod + USB audio Thule aero roof bars Genuine skoda rubber mats Genuine skoda rear window blinds Rear load liner Only 46500 miles, 3 owners from new. Currently in daily use so mileage will increase before sale. FSH Cam belt done at 38k (2010) Recent tyres all round Full MOT to 20/10/12 Taxed to end Feb 2012 Great condition except for one small scuff to paint on front LH wheel arch thanks to some parking moron, and a couple of minor marks on one of the alloys. SOLD Car will be advertised elsewhere in the coming days. Located near Reading, Berkshire.

I design gearboxes for racing cars.... don't bother asking if I have one to go in your Skoda, as if you have to ask I can assure you that you cannot afford it! Chris

Actually it is a sunlight sensor for the climate control (AC) system. Chris

Now before I start I will state that I have never actually had to do this, but I would expect you will need to undo the large exposed hex nut to allow the ceramic cartridge to be removed (make sure you've turned both hot and cold water feeds off first and drained water out of the pipes by opening the tap!). The ceramic cartridges used in modern taps are usually manufactured to standard designs so you can probably source a replacement from a number of sources but you'll need to get the old one out first to check the type required. If you search on Google for 'ceramic disc cartridge' you will find some online sellers (such as Replacement Cartridges), likewise eBay or you might get lucky in a DIY store. I don't believe that ceramic disc taps tend to wear out and cause leaks, it is more likely that there is grit or other debris such as limescale stuck between the discs of the valve preventing them from sealing properly. You might even be able to dismantle the valve cartridge once you get it out of the tap and clean up the discs with a fine abrasive paper. Good Luck! Chris

I wouldn't be too dismissive based on the mileage if the car looks OK and the history checks out - my only comment is that the price does not seem cheap enough when there are cars with under 100K available for £7K?

Thumbs up for SJB from me too, after I had my Octy VRS PD serviced by them yesterday. Second variable service + cambelt kit + waterpump + brake fluid service + A/C service for £682.49 total. Local Skoda dealer wanted £600 for the cambelt kit alone, and the cambelt parts are only £150! Audi A2 courtesy car for the day, no silly insurance charges or the other games that dealers seem to play. Chris

And for ref, the Parrot kit was approx £140 from eBay (Mki9200), then you will also need an iso adaptor for about £10 (PC000018AA) I then used a fuse box piggy-back connector (Piggy Back Fuseholder) to tap off an ignition switched live, which was simple as there is a row of empty fuse holders in the fusebox with the ignition live on one pin. Note that although the iso adaptor and fuseholder have a bullet connector, unfortunately they were not the same size and I had to fit a smaller bullet to the iso adaptor wire. You will also need a blade fuse to go into fuseholder. Chris

I've recently fitted the MKi9200 into my Mk2 VRS, and in general I am pretty happy with the result - certainly a much nicer solution than having to fit two separate aftermarket systems to allow ipod music and bluetooth. I fitted my screen centrally above the head unit, but had a bit of a dilema with the controller. The controller is small in footprint but quite deep and the buttons are very sensitive. I tried the supplied steering wheel mount but found it a pain because you would invariably hit a button when getting in anod out of the car or during sharp cornering. I ended up using the supplied sticky pad to place it behind the gear lever instead. The sound quality from the Parrot kit is very good for phone use, but certainly not the best for MP3 music. The kit has its own amplifier to power the car's speakers so it overrides the car head unit when you press play or if a phone is in use. I've fiddled with the EQ settings but the sound is definitely not as good as an OEM system using the head unit. The Parrot kit does have an alternative line out that could be connected to the auxiliary input of the head unit (eg to replace the aux in socket in the jumbo box), but if you use this then you would loose the ability for the phone kit to override the head unit if you were listening to the radio or CD etc. I wired up the mute wire to the mute pin on the head unit using part of a computer IDC connector - doesn't really add much when you are using a telemute kit to connect to the speakers but makes the head unit display 'Phone' when the kit is in use. Chris

Try to turn the 'phone' option off using the menu button - I had to enable mine to get the phone mute to work so you might get lucky and clear the fault by turning this option off. From memory it is on the second page of the menus. Chris

Don't you need a special windscreen to retro fit the rain sensor? Could make the job £££ Chris

It could be that something time related rather than mileage related now needs doing - such as brake fluid service that is due every two years regardless of mileage. Chris

Try www.wheelrefurbishing.com - doubt you'll find it cheaper! Chris

Had the same issue on our old mk4 Golf - the spline in the middle of the clutch hub wears out then it slips on the shaft and loosens the retaining nut. I managed to repair it for a couple of years by swapping just the hub from a secondhand pump from eBay. Chris

No more work as such - you just need to be more careful that the steering wheel and sensor are re-fitted in exactly the same position. Yes, this will apply to an Octavia with ESP but probably not ASR as this does not have a steering angle sensor. Chris

You are most welcome big k - I'm sure we'd all like to benefit from your experience too! Chris

as the saying goes, 'yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice!' Mind you, if can't even put a CD in the right way up then it's probably best not to attempt the cruise install yourself!! To the more open minded on the forum, there is going to be a mk4 Golf group cruise control fitting session near Reading on Saturday 4th September. So if anyone wants to either 1) do the install on their own car, 2) see someone else do an install 3) get advice on a cruise install or 4) just wants to laugh at us, then please contact me for details or take a look at that well known Golf mk4 forum. Chris

If anyone else out there wants to tackle there own Octavia 1.8T cruise control install, I've now got a new batch of the extra ECU looms in stock - take a fresh look at my site for details at http://www.golfmk4.co.uk/cruise_control.htm Regards Chris

Answer - any recent VAG TDI engine, and any recent VAG Petrol engine with drive-by-wire throttle and Bosch engine management, eg 1.8T. For more information please see my website at www.golfmk4.co.uk, any questions then please ask! Chris

Easy - see my website at www.golfmk4.co.uk for details. Chris