Skoderman

I have looked around the site and also information on servicing part numbers but cannot find the answer. Please excuse me if I have missed postings where this has been covered. I have a Mk1 2003, registered 2004, Octavia Elegance 1.9 TDi (110 BHP). I've had this vehicle since August 2008 The car failed an MOT recently on virtually all brakes. This I was surprised at as last year I had mentioned a braking issue and they insisted all was OK and this garage does the servicing and general maintenance on this vehicle. (The parking brake issue appeared about a week before the MOT) . There's a moral in there somewhere. I sorted out the braking removing all calipers, etc cleaning up completely, seals replaces, released locked sliders due to congealed grease, new front discs and pads, etc. However during this period the battery went flat so needed a recharge. Upon restart it wouldn't with the dash lights dimming and what sounded like a fizzing coming from the ignition switch. So removed Airbag, S/W, to access the ignition switch. I looked on-line for a replacement switch and virtually all I came across were for the 130 HP version. This was a bit of a surprise that they used different starter switches. I looked on Shopdoc and they listed the same switch as mine for the MK1 but from a later VIN number. So I am perplexed. In the meantime I took the switch to pieces and made sure that all the contacts were making contact properly, etc. I then put it back on the car, but when I connected the airbag igniter cable to the airbag, the airbag slipped very slightly but enough to separate the connector with one pin left in it. the end coils of the inductor, I assume that is what it is as it looks like one, pulling out slightly and one pin becoming disconnected. Can these be repaired with no affect on the airbag operation or is it a matter of waiting for an airbag cable to arrive. I dabble in electronics and so repairing this is possibly not an issue. BTW looking on YT airbag individual cables are different colours which would indicate that connector pin orientation is essential, however on the Octy the cables are the same colour. I also not that they test airbags with an ohm meter and that there is virtually no resistance between the pins. The octy connector has no orientation so can be used facing either direction, however all manuals show the airbag connector cable point towards the floor and then up.

If you have just realised that it has taken a long time. On both motorbike and in my Octy I try to use the centre or offside lane to allow traffic to join, but as you say that is almost impossible sometimes. People in the UK do tend to use the indicators as a sign to give them priority that isn't the case. However when I see that they are likely to pull into the nearside lane I'll slow down a bit so that I am not in the position of them colliding with me.

Octavia Mk1 Elegance Late 2003, registered early 2004 This is an odd problem that appeared a couple of days ago. On some not all occasions indicators started to flash only once. First thought was that the hazard unit had gone U/S, but on closer investigation the Hazards worked. Extracted the Switch as far as possible while connected to the loom and tried to reseat connectors. Ended up with the same problem sometime they work and other times they don't. Checked further into the hazards and found that if tested with the engine off then they wouldn't work, but if tested with the engine running then they worked and continued to work if the engine was switched off. The ignition on without the engine running also had no affect on getting the hazards to work. Now I have only used the hazards a handful of times and the engine has always been running so they may always have operated this way, but certainly the turn indicators used to work properly. Now to find something to enable me to remove the radio so I can get to the cables and see if something is amiss there, or at least replace the hazard switch if that proves to b the problem.