xman

Higher revs mean more time spent in 2 cylinder mode in a 1.5tsi, so could/likely be more economical, depending on right foot.

If those discs and pads were changed only 1000 miles ago, then there is clearly something very wrong. Possibly wrong brake pads or incorrectly fitted. But a more likely possibility is the caliper is not sitting square on, due to major damage, the carrier or hub is distorted due to (massive) side impact earlier in its life. That would be the reason for the vibration experienced earlier. It is a repeat story on the original disks, affecting one side only, pad only contacting inner 60% of disc surface. So I reckon something is bent on that side. Hub or carrier. You need to take it to a good independent and ask them to take a look and give a verdict. Not a dealer, not a national chain, but a local independent specialist Arnold Clarke probably know the problem but don't want the expense of fixing.

IIRC Handbrake warning lamp has a P in it. Low fluid / ABS fault warning lamp is different and has an exclamation mark ! 3 beeps for low fluid, single beep for handbrake on, again IIRC

Quite possible it was incorrectly serviced. It is very easy to confuse drain and fill plugs for the diff and haldex sections. Leading to dry diffs or haldex or incorrect oils filled in each bit. Also the the rear propshaft coupling is a common source of haldex related noise. Check that first, its a simple visual check. Several threads on the subjects on various forums here if you do a search for haldex. I would think its possible to overhaul a haldex, provided there is not too much or advanced damage.

You obviously know more than me. However, I always thought as you seem to state that conventional brake fluid absorbs water by virtue of it being hygroscopic (glycol). It does not form an emulsion which also requires an emulsifier component if I am not mistaken. So its still a fluid. Last time I looked neither brake fluid nor water were compressible to any meaningful degree unless at temperatures that causes vapour lock i.e. boiling. Yes the boiling point comes down with increasing water content, but unless you're doing track days thats rarely an issue. Maybe @AnnoyingPentium changed his pads and discs and had a brake service when he got his fluid changed, which might have been bled properly too, that would make a "world of difference". As for gear change or clutch operation that part of the hydraulic circuit would not see any new fluid unless the garage removed the gearbox and uncoupled and drained the clutch slave cylinder I think otherwise any "emulsion" would be there to stay permanently. Standing back now....beware the incoming Sepulchre flame thrower 🔥

Completely mystified about these "efficiency" related posts. In 50 years of motoring I've never experienced a "change of efficiency" in brake or clutch operation (if thats what @AnnoyingPentiumis getting at). And thats with badly neglected fluid changes, many a car I owned in the past never had a fluid change in the 10+ years I generally own them). I do acknowledge that a regular fluid change is a good thing to reduce the chances of internal corrosion in slave cylinders and piston/actuators and the increased but rare possibity of vapour lock. Incorrect bleeding when fluid is changed has the biggest effect of efficiency. Air is not something you want to have in a brake circuit. But once done as it should, not needed unless you open up the hydraulics. World of difference? Placebo can be a wonderful thing. Or maybe it just wasn't bled right.

You need to check carefully for leaks as normally the level would not drop sufficiently to trigger a warning even if the pads are completely worn out. A common problem is a leaking slave cylinder(s) in the rear brake drums. You need to remove the drums to check. Do it now, because a leak will contaminate the shoes and the rear braking/handbrake becomes ineffective and unbalanced. The leak could get suddenly so bad that you lose one of the 2 hydraulic circuits and braking is then badly affected and dangerous. Happened on our fabia 200 miles from home. You could see the leak was that bad the fluid was all over the inside of an alloy.

The 10 day rule is for partial retests, where only the failed item is checked. Usually a lower or free fee at MOT test centres. Otherwise a full MOT will be required https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test

Unless the fail is marked as dangerous on the MOT test sheet, you can drive it away and the old MOT is valid until it expires. https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test In the case of a leaking shock absorber no matter how bad, it is classed as a major fail, not dangerous. see section 5.3.2. Shock absorbers https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/5-axles-wheels-tyres-and-suspension#section-5-3-2 I recently had both rear shock absorbers and bump stops changed on our Octavia Estate with Bilstein branded shocks at our local independent specialist. £180 inc vat Car was 10 years and 150k hard miles, shocks were still ok no leaks but rusty, bump stops almost none existing and dust covers stuck down so the rods were exposed. For the labour involved I thought might as well change them. Many Skoda dealers will exaggerate misting as a leak. Misting is not an MOT fail.

I changed the aux belt when changing the timing chain on my 1.2tsi Octavia mk2 at 10 years 150 k miles. The old original belt looked in perfect condition, not a single crack or any sign of bits missing or worn. It could have been left on no problem.

My experience with a 1.4tsi ACT manual Superb is that keeping revs well above 1500, around 2000-2400 means the engine is in 2 cylinder mode a lot more and 2000 rpm/2 cylinder mode is usually considerably more economical than 1400 rpm/4 cylinder mode. It also feels happier at the higher revs. The faster the rpm, the more often you can use 2 cylinder mode, the criteria being the demand is less than 25% of the available power which increases with rpm.

Driven several courtesy cars over the past couple of years some 1.5tsi Octavias but mostly 1.0tsi fabias, some manual, some dsg. All from cold start when I drop off my car first thing in the morning at the dealer, then driven for about 5 miles home like a granny. (£1000 excess dampens any urge) A very mixed bunch of mpg results , one monte carlo fabia was particularly terrible according to the on board computer, barely reaching 30 average and at first I thought I was driving a diesel it was that loud and rough even though just 9000 miles on the clock with service due message on. The best was a 1.0 tsi DSG which just scraped into the low 40's which would be around the same as my manual Superb 1.4tsi. Helped by the ECO coasting mode which was a nice feature. What I notice everytime I get what is a similar spec car is how different their engines can sound and feel and how widely varied the average consumption can be.

Not true, CATs have been a legal requirement on new petrol and diesel cars since 1993

I do. And my new superb showed only 2/3 up the dipstick hatch. The senior tech said this was normal and the ideal level.....hmm...I thought he just didn't want to top it up. Previously I collected a brand new Fabia 1.2 htp with oil showing a little over minimum. But I have since realised that some (Skoda) engines, the dipstick is not a particularly good or reliable indication of oil level. If I fill with a measured quantity after an oil change, (after running to fill filters etc) I can get dipstick readings varying from spot on to underfilled by 0.5 - 0.75l depending on which engine I serviced. Difference between min and max is not always 1 litre either, sometimes considerably less. So, I now stick with a 3/4 target reading on the dipstick to allow for errors and tolerance. I never top up with more than 0.25 litre at a time, without rechecking, the final check being after the engine has run, warm/hot, level ground wait 5 mins before checking. As for the OP if it really required 2 litres to fill, I'd be very upset and checking if I overfilled. Would have thought low oil level warning would have come on a little over 1 litre under max. And keeping an eagle eye on it to establish if its a oil burner. Oil capacity is 4.3 litres for a 1.5tsi and I haven't seen much evidence that these engines are known to drink oil.

👜👜Put the handbags away ladies ...😄 For further information, the wiper arm insert is an aluminium alloy of some sort. A good soaking with penetrating oil the night before, helped with the removal, the splined shaft was remarkably clean and shiny once removed all the corrosion being on the alloy component. The spindle on the car wiper shaft is steel and has a tapered spline. A new wiper arm comes with the alloy component pressed in, and the hole, surprisingly is plain, i.e. smooth. When fitting, first make sure the wiper motor is in a parked position, hold the arm firmly near the spindle end and in the correct parked position, and when you tighten the securing bolt, the spline will cut into the alloy insert for grip. The problem I found was the parking position of the rear wiper tends to vary a bit, so I had to remove the arm a few times and refit before I got a good compromise.

My independent removed mine for free in about 5 seconds with a small puller however he did say if it had been like the one in the picture which has the integrated washer, the puller often mangles up the end, in that case he'd just hacksaw it off. BTW its an aluminium alloy insert not brass or at least mine was

Try pumping up the tyres to the Eco rating usually several psi higher than normal. Select Eco driving mode if that option is available, will allow coasting with a DSG which can save fuel.

This is the new normal. Inherited from EV's, aerodynamic wheel design to squeeze another 0.1% off the emission figures. I bet they're a nightmare to clean in addition to looking naff.

Use them....hard Hard braking from speed a few times should clean them up. Apply progressively. Don't overdo it, allow time to cool between braking. Visual check and repeat if necessary. Obviously observe safe practices, good weather/conditions, good straight road, quiet, preferrably no traffic, check no-one behind you and no oncoming traffic that may be impacted if you lose control of your direction etc etc

Do they accept returns? For instance, if it doesn't fit or refuses to code or adapt with VCDS or OBD eleven? Appreciate there may be 14 day limit. I suppose I'd better start yet another thread 😆about what oil/servicing would be required before I order. Ideally on variable long life regime... 🙉

And if you're not in when they deliver, they'll leave round the side by the blue (recyling) bin...just make make sure its not on the recycling collection day...🤪

I have recently spent well over £2300 fixing things on our Octavia (including another timing chain) and know the stress and anxiety you must be feeling. I still wonder whether it was worth it, though the cost of a replacement car would be much more and an unknown quantity to boot. On 1.2tsi CBZB/CBZA engines, the cam chain problems are exceedingly common and well known. They are not lifetime components. They should not have ignored your complaint in 2017, there is a old TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) issued by Skoda that should a customer complain about start up noises, that the chain stretch should be measured. Simply by removing the hydraulic tensioner and measuring the position of the chain guide. Its a flawed method, but nevertheless it should have been done. Its likely the car was making the loud rattle on many starts cold and hot prior to failure. Any decent independent would have warned you. I always nag my children, "do not ignore unusual noises, seek advice" My experience on our Octavia 2011/2012 1.2tsi the original chain was only good for 70,000 miles and the new improved kit fitted as replacement was no better, only lasted 60,000 mmile. Now on its 3rd chain at 150k miles. The garage is saying its due to low oil level, and implying you are to blame. If it really only had one 1 litre ( normal capacity is 3.6-3.9 litre) the oil level warning would have long been on. It has a level sensor in the sump and that would come on when the level had dropped to around 2.5 litres. So I wonder where the oil has gone, possibly when the chain detatched it damaged the timing cover and oil spilled out.... Other places where oil does escape on these engines is the PCV valve which breaks and detaches (common but not a massive leak), the oil seperator which is a plastic thing bolted on the back of the engine and can leak, again not a massive amount, or if someone changes the cam chain and neglects to change the timing cover crankshaft seal. All of which should be easily seen by the technician servicing your car. It sounds as if the chain has finally detached or skipped the sprockets so terminally damaging the engine, primarily pistons hitting the valves. Beware that 6 hours at dealer rates just to assess damage will be a lot of money, at least £500. They should know what the likely damage is within an hour, check chain, check valves and pistons with a bore scope. No point in stripping until likely costs are discussed and agreed. I would seek a decent independent specialist to assess the damage, if its salvageable, they will be far cheaper. With luck it could be just a timing kit, new valves, seals and some bits etc. Surprisingly, a brand new original Skoda cylinder head isnt that expensive. https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/03f103351a-cylinder-head-20332.html If too much damage or too expensive, 2nd hand replacement engines are available on places like ebay but I suspect few will be good ones. Alternatively, there are places that will buy your car as is, get quotes. Or sell it on ebay for parts. The big question is whether you think its worth repairing considering the value of your car and what condition the rest if the car is in, is it the tip of the proverbial iceberg (thinking of the DQ200 DSG box you have which may be another ticking time bomb), where you risk a financial black hole. I retained the old parts of the last chain replacement (latest kit). I may eventually get round to posting pictures on Briskoda as evidence that the chain drive on these engines is a fundamentally flawed ddesign Finally I think I have read of cases where Skoda/dealer gave a goodwill contribution even well out of warranty, highly unlikely here but worth asking, make sure the dealer at least asks Skoda UK.

I'm still waiting for someone to post some seriously impressive mods for their Skoda, like upgrading their turbo with this baby... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113823113322?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28 😁

One problem that Lithium batteries have that petrol or other fuels don't is they can suffer thermal runaway and spontaneously explode/combust. If discharged too deeply, if overcharged, if damaged or just poorly made as in the case of Samsung Note 7. Or as happened with early Dreamliners Maybe its safer if you Don't park next to a Tesla?

If you're worried if Skoda can or will supply a replacement engine for your gubbed car, then I'm sure there is stock held somewhere in Europe, reserved for warranty and authorised replacements, many will be "factory" refurbished engines rebuilt from warranty failures like yours. Note factory refurbished will not be the factory where they were originally made. Alternatively they may take your engine out, send it away and rebuild it with new bits using a third party, of which there are many specialists available in the UK. Or the dealers may rebuild it themselves. Depends on the extent of damage and costs involved.