xman

Not normal and not a safety feature.

£70 - total rip off You may find this coding doesn't fix your problem. IMO either the newly fitted battery is flat, faulty or there is a wiring issue somewhere. What's needed simply is a voltmeter and to measure battery voltage, stood, then with engine running and repeat at the supply to Columbus unit. 12v aux socket might be useful too. Afaik if you disconnect the current sensor (located on the negative battery terminal) then the alternator will revert to standard non smart charging. So you could try running like that and seeing if the CD player issue is fixed. Of course, it could be the Columbus Unit is faulty or even the alternator. A cheap OBD scanner is a useful tool to have.

In the UK Skoda services are reset on the OBD to either fixed regime 15,000km/9300 miles/372 days or variable/extended regime 30,000km/18600 miles/744 days. Your choice. There is some leeway if warranty is involved.

It appears the fittings are different judging from this https://www.skoda-parts.com/catalog/octavia-4/spare-parts/body/rear-body/taillights-779.html

Then several have gone MIA!

Probably broken wires inside the rubber gaitors that join the top of the tailgate to the main body of the car. Probably there's a thread somewhere in the Yeti forums that explains how to pull them back and check along with pictures.

I'd park it in the garage

I think I can just about see it. This is what it should look like.

So it has start/stop, therefore it probably had an AGM or EFB battery as original equipment

What CD player does it have? Bolero? A picture would help. The CD unit is coded to the car's ECU as a security feature. Normally there is no problem when disconnecting/reconnecting a battery, but if its not the original factory fitted CD unit there may be a code mismatch, and then it will demand a code when you turn on. There may be an issue with the CANBUS losing communication with the CD player so that might be the reason the CD player turns off. A diagnostic scan for errors might throw some light on the problem

Edit: I removed this lengthy post as later on it's been established its a 2012 Greenline II 1.6Tdi with stop/start and so needs an AGM or EFB battery.

Just like my 2018 superb SEL with "high functionality" LED rear clusters, the OE LED lighting extend only to the red parking/stop lights and are integrated (not replaceable) The Indicator and Reverse are standard filament bulbs. Your car the previous owner fitted LED bulbs in place of the filament bulbs, they certainly look like typical ebay bulbs. Just take them out and pop in the replacement cluster.

In theory, provided you cover the missing bit of the lens with the correct colour it can pass. You can buy Red lens tape from all the usual places, Motor factors etc. Tip you need to use several layers to acheive the correct red colour when the lights are lit as the MoT tester will fail it on the incorrect colour showing. However I doubt you'll manage to do a convincing job with that amount of damage. Just because it doesn't look elegant is not a reason to fail the MOT. https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-and-body-repair/adhesives/lens-repair-tape-3-pack-101976.html You can suss the correct part no required here https://www.skoda-parts.com/catalog/octavia-3/spare-parts/body/rear-body/taillights-779.html?strana=2&sort=&query=

There must be plenty of garages who do engine repairs/rebuilds around Manchester, try googling "Manchester German car specialist engine rebuild" and give them all a ring.

Interesting reply, and slightly different from those with say 1.5tsi engines. I suspect the "cambelt should be inspected to ensure...." part is because the 1.0tsi engines in particular have been known to have camshaft phaser bolts come undone and spill engine oil all over the cambelt. Easily checked when they whip off the top plastic timing cover.

What caught my attention was These symptoms reminded me of my old (76) Polo that had a burnt exhaust valve seat and losing compression, so I'm thinking if there is a bent valve stem, damage to a valve seat or something preventing proper valve closure that might explain the above symptoms. Wet v dry compression test would show valve v ring/bore damage

Ok a correction to my previous post, 94 load rating in that size is XL rated. So factory fit tyres were XL rated.

1.2 (either the 4 cylinder tsi or 3 cylinder htp) engine is a camchain and not a cambelt engine. I imagine there was lots of damage when the chain jumped or more likely left the sprocket completely. The head damage could have be extensive, bent valves, damaged seats, stem seals, hydraulic tappets, camshaft followers, carrier bearings. There's usually a loud rattle (on start up) before a chain goes, a warning that its slack, but that's in the past now. First should be a compression test.

Are you talking about the front or back brakes? The front pads have a built in wear indicator so a warning light will come on when the pad wear limit is reached. Note the wear indicator is only on one side inner pad, so doesn't guarantee the other pads aren't worn more The rear pads need to be measured by hand. You can often see the outer pads through the alloy spokes and estimate the thickness. Make sure you are looking at the friction part of the pad and not the metal backing plate. You may need to move the wheel round until you get a clear view of the caliper and pad. To do it properly needs a micrometer or other measuring tool. You won't be able to see or measure the inner pad without removing the wheel. Often the inner pad will have different wear to the outside, sometimes a lot different. The minimum pad thickness to pass an MOT is 2mm iirc, but I would always replace them once they get down to 4 or 5 mm Iirc new pads are 20mm thick for front pads and 15mm for rear pads. Although you are doing 1000 miles, I assume that this will involve long periods of motorway driving where brakes are not used that much. If, as I suspect, you don't really know how to do it, pop down to local trusted independent and ask them to take a look for a second opinion.

You still haven't said what engine you have. Petrol/diesel, capacity, engine code if known. If the problems started immediately after the rebuild then its obvious they didn't do a good job. Damaged pistons, bent conrods, bent valves, seat/stem damage, cylinder wall damage, even crankshaft all possible. Should all have been checked and a compression test done after a rebuild. Who did the work, is there any warranty?

What engine? Likely bent the valves when your timing belt "slipped" and the pistons made contact with the valves. Did they check the head, valves etc thoroughly when they removed it and changed the head gasket? Need to perform wet and dry compression tests to determine the health of the head/valves/pistons.

The information you seek is here Edit: 94 load rating is XL have a read to confirm 7.5J x 17” 225/45 R17 94 W/Y Skoda-Superb-Range-2011-UK.pdf

Had plenty of experience towing livestock trailers in the late 70's with a Ford Granada, it was not a good combination. The Superb is softly sprung and has a tendency to wallow at the back end on uneven country roads. With a heavy trailer you might find it bottoming out and quite difficult to handle on less than level roads. Especially if the nose weight changes as the animal moves about. The towball on a superb may be set low, you need to check it matches your trailer You'd be better off with a more agricultural vehicle like a pickup.

They should always change the filter with oil and fit a new sump plug unless you've specifically asked for otherwise. Why do you suspect the oil filter hasn't been changed? Did you mark the old filter? Is your engine the old EA111 camchain 1.2tsi with the oil filter at the top front of the engine or the newer EA211 cambelt engine with the filter down at the bottom front of the sump? Have they given you an invoice detailing all the parts used which should include the filter and sump plug? Have you challenged them?

My superb has an "A5" camera afaik