iriches

There's some good advice above - but if you're doing any sort of visual inspection, then the aerial for the hatchback is in the rear screen. However, for the estate, it's in the rear-most side window (DAB is left hand side of the vehicle, which is the nearside / passenger side on a RHD car, IIRC)

IIRC, the swivelling function is also disabled if the car is in "Eco" mode.

Yep - I've just looked in my manual, and it confirms that the system can display a max of 1000 files / folders in a single folder. @briintheskyYou'll need to re-organise your music files so that no more than 1000 are in any single folder. You don't have to do it my artist/album if that's a pain, any subdivision will do. I just use artist/album as that's what Windows Media Player automagically creates on my PC.

I have way more that 1,000 tracks on my relatively ancient 2014 MIB1 system. Are you putting all of your tracks in a single folder on the SD card? If so, that may be the issue. I've got mine all sorted into folders by artist and album name.

Glad it was something simple!

Is it possible to turn down the fan speed? Or is it effectively stuck on full? If the resistor pack / regulator for the fan burns out then you will typically get a burning smell along with a fan running at full speed. I've no practical experience, but a quick google suggests that the regulator on a MK3 Octavia is located in the fan unit itself, and if it is this you're likely looking at a reasonable amount of labour to get to it. It this is the problem, it seems to be #4 in the image linked to below - part number 5Q0907521D https://www.ilcats.ru/skoda/?function=getParts&market=CZ&model=OCT&modelcode=805&group=8&subgroup=819&part=819020&pid=54655&language=en

There are some suggestions on this thread from those who have previously had a similar problem. Can you see any form of brass clip?

Might it be this part, 5E0825205G ? e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144132589966 (no idea if the above is in fact the 100% correct part, or if the seller is any good - but it looks pretty a pretty good match and may help you with a bit more googling...)

I think he might be saying that the vehicle stop-start system is faulty. The engine stops, then won't restart. He then needs to shift from Drive to Park to do a manual re-start. @Klario - Is that the problem?

I've no experience of this, but IIRC the DAB aerial is located in one of two places: Hatch: in the rear screen Estate: in the rear-most side windows Is it possible that the antenna (or connections) were damaged during the tint install?

Could rats/mice have chewed through a fuel line? It does seemingly happen...e.g. https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/no-more-mr-mice-guy-how-one-driver-beat-the-rodents-eating-his-car/ https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/72777/rats-biting-off-fuel-line-again-and-again-and-again https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/rodents-chewed-through-my-fuel-line.114805/ https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/danger-mouse---drivers-skid-1087950

The other posters are all correct. The issues you are talking about are not known as a problem with the 1.4 TSi in the Octavia 3. It is a belt, not a chain. I've a 2014 model which I've owned since it was 9 months old, and not had a single issue with the engine. One thing for you to ask about on examples you look at: according to the official Skoda UK schedule, a 2014 1.4 TSI should have had its cambelt replaced by now. You may wish to use that as leverage on price if it has not been done.

There is a clutch position sender - for both the stop/start as well as making sure you don't start it in gear. I would imagine that it only "engages" at the bottom of the pedal travel (to ensure pedal is fully depressed), and my click happens much nearer the top of the travel. It's a good idea though, and I'll see if I can have a look next time it plays up. If the "Depress clutch to start" type message disappears just after the "click" then that would be some evidence that this sender is involved.

I'm getting what sounds like the same thing on my 2014 1.4 TSI, which has around 68,000 miles on it now. A loud-ish click on depressing the clutch, which can also be felt through the pedal. Seems to particularly happen when cold/damp. It has no impact on clutch engagement/disengagement, and disappears after a few miles. I has it once or twice in the 2019/2020 winter, then it disappeared. It's happened probably twice again in the last couple of months. I'll be interested if anyone finds out what it is!

Skoda manuals can all be found online: https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/owners-manuals

I haven't got a VRS, or those wheels. But I like the colour :-)

If a seat belt pretensioner has fired then the buckle will be noticeably lower, as it will have been pulled towards the floor of the vehicle. It should also have lit the airbag warning light, IIRC. A broken coil spring would be a far less unusual failure, and these can be difficult to spot unless the car is up on ramps. You may experience some clunking over bumps or when turning the steering lock-to-lock if a spring has broken. Edit: thinking about this more, a seat-belt pretensioner firing would require lots of things to have gone wrong. I assume from you description there was no passenger in the seat? If there was, they would most certainly have noticed the tug on the belt if it had gone off. if there was no-one in the seat, then then it's even more weird that it managed to fire. IIRC, it shouldn't go off if the seat is empty / no belt is plugged in.

My 1996 1.3 GLi (now long departed) had an immobiliser - so I would say that there's a *very* high chance that yours has as well. IIRC it was EU legislation required from around 1996-ish. Ian

The manual for my 2014 Octavia lists the following as approved tyres for a 1.4 TSI: 205/55 R16 91 V 205/50 R17 89 V 225/45 R17 91 V 225/40 R18 92 Y So - as the previous poster noted, if you're running 16" wheels you need V-rated tyres with a minimum load rating of 91. If you don't have a paper manual, they can be downloaded here: https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Model/Octavia_5E Just choose the relevant production date from the box at the top.

Has to be Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke for me.

On the EA211 1.4 TSI the water pump is driven off the other end of the engine from the timing belt. As such, I doubt there's a huge amount of labour saving in having both done at the same time. If the semi-random actions of a stranger on the Internet help, I had the cambelt changed at 5 years old on my car. I have not had the water pump changed. My theory, based on my research, is that if the water pump seizes it should only trash its own little drive belt and not induce expensive valve to piston interactions. There's plenty more comments in this thread:

If it's a manual, could it be the clutch pedal switch? (The clutch needs to be depressed to start the car, in the same way that the brake does on a DSG.)

Yes - sounds like the problem reported in this thread: The answer seems to be that a SW update is needed, as per this post in the thread: Ian

There is a hidden keyhole. It's in the manual 🙂 Or you can watch this video (it's for a Golf - but the procedure is the same) The issue then becomes opening the bonnet if it's the car battery, rather than the remote battery which is dead, as the RHD cars ideally need the (probably deadlocked) passenger door open to release the bonnet. People on here have found that there's enough "give" in the plastic release lever to get it to work, but it's something I hope I never have to try...

AFAIK, there's a solenoid-driven slide valve/sleeve in the pump which can stop the coolant being pumped through the main circuit. This is to help with an even faster warm-up. This seems to stick, and is seeingly the main cause of the overheating issues.