MikeTheThinker

When I tried last year Skoda said it wasn't listed as a separate part. I eventually bought a complete switch (it was a left hand drive one) from aliexpress and stole the know from it. Much cheaper than either a breaker or a new UK switch. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000092950008.html About 3 squid posted.

Others will no doubt comment but I'd check the hose from the crankcase breather. If it's split or off you'll get crankcase fumes which smell pretty acrid.

It looks pretty clean from the outside. What's the rest of it like?

I believe they are at least compatible but you can check for yourself here(pFL) and here(FL). The part number is the same but the extension letter (version) is different. Probably worth asking a good breaker.

Pardon a possibly obvious question, but as you seem to have multiple electrical failures in one location but with good 12v feeds - have you checked for a good earth/0V connection?

The social introduction "I'm a van banker" has its problems, too ...

Also, and pardon the stating of the obvious, keep a close eye on the engine oil level!

I'm sorry, you are correct. It's been a tough day and I wasn't concentrating as well as I should.

As you will see from the parts diagram HERE the bonnet is one piece, so your options are to fix it as suggested above or replace it.

Just a thought; have you had the brake fluid checked for moisture and general condition?

This may or may not be relevent but when I had a similar problem on our mk1 Octy it turned out to be the steering pump fluid needing replacing.

I have a pair of the original glass-lenses headlights buried in my garage if they're any use to you. Not sure if they're off a standard or a vrs - or if they're any different at all.

@oldunsmight be able to point you at good suppliers.

I also may have some relevent bits but I'm a) away from home at the moment and b) tied up with jury service for (hopefully) the next couple of weeks. On my next home visit I will delve into the dusty corners and take a look-see. Sorry it can't be any quicker.

I used to use Decosol and was very happy with its performance, but it seems to have gone from the market 😞

I can't answer your specific questions but the most common cause of such odd electrical gremlins on Octies is corroded connectors. Even unplugging and replugging can make a difference. Also (from the back of my memory) there's something about the CCM flagging a bulb as failed and not clearing the flag until the car is switched off and on again.

There is a comprehensive thread somewhere on here which describes the stripping, diagnosis and repair or an alarm unit - rather as you are now doing. I'll try to find it but do have a look see. Also, I've PM-ed you some more info which may be helpful.

This linky may help.

From The Grauniad: "The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme is an official grant that provides a 75% contribution – up to a maximum of £350 – towards the cost of a charging point and its installation. The main requirements are that the applicant owns, leases or has ordered a qualifying vehicle and has appropriate off-street parking. From April 2022, the scheme will no longer be open to homeowners living in “single-unit properties” – in other words, detached, semi-detached and terrace houses and bungalows, so the charging point will need to be installed by 31 March and probably booked by February. However, the scheme will remain open to homeowners who live in flats, and people in rented accommodation. The cost of installing a home charging point varies, depending on the type you go for, although quotes typically come in at between £500 and £1,000." https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/dec/18/electric-cars-deadline-nears-to-claim-home-charging-grant

Unknowns with a head gasket leak - especially a long term one - include likely distortion of the head (needs to be skimmed) and possible cracking in the block (remove, weld, reskim). If these turn out to be true it get very expen$ive. Unfortunately the only way to fully establish this is to strip the motor down to take a look-see, by which time you've committed a significant chunk of the repair costs in labour and gaskets etc. My apologies if this has already been mentioned but have you had a compression test done? If you have and it showed a leak I'd get rid. One of the assorted Sodium Silicate head gasket sealers may give you some breathing space but they're not a guarantee and will likely fail again in time as the thermal movement of the engine works on the silicate plug. If you haven't had a compression test done I'd strongly recommend you do one now. In the style of Donald Rumsfeld "Better to have known unknowns than unknown unknowns [sic]". As regards selling & buying, diesel older cars seem to be attracting a premium in the used car market as a) supplies of new cars are slow to arrive at the start of the chain and b) diesels are getting harder to find. It's mainly a sellers market but the usual bargains exist away from the main advertising channels such as autotrader or car sales forecourts. Just FYI Parkers used car valuation site seems to be generally on track with values - https://www.parkers.co.uk/car-valuation/

Another vote for the three legged puller. I found one on Amazon for less than 10 squid and with time, wd40 and careful persuasion I managed the removal. Probably stating the obvious but just in case - put the nut back on the thread so as to give the puller a firm foot to press on and to stop any damage to the threads. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001PN1DB6

If - as you state at the start of the post - your car has failed the MoT then any time remaining on the old certificate is lost. If you use it on the road now before a successful test you are liable for a £100 fine and maybe some licence points.

The cartridge mouldings are clearly different so on the face of it I'd return them as incorrect. Whilst you could potentially look to trim off the additional locator key from the moulding you may face two issues; 1) the cartridge case may be thin and the offending moulding not solid, so if you trim it off you may puncture the cartridge, and 2) the supplier will likely refuse a return if the cartridges have been altered.

I recall from replacing a front wing on one of our preFL Octy 2s that some of the internal bracketry is different. I'll take a closer look when I get back to my PC. Later: From what I can see from the parts diagrams (see below) and my own work on the NSF wind of our 2007 PFL OCTY the bumper moulding is the same although I suspect the plastic connector piece that runs below the headlamp between the bumper and the wing may be different (I couldn't locate the part on the parts catalogue but I do have details of it elsewhwre so I'll follow up anon. Found it; it's part #7 on the front bumper catalogue page. It's shown in outline only on the 2007 page but in more detail on the 2010 page). Wings are a different cutout for the FL headlamp and some or all of the small wing-to-chassis-and-headlamp mount bracketry may be different. One of them certainly is. To move foward, look at the links below which are the parts catalogue pages for a 2007 PFL mk2 Octy and a 2010 FL mk2 Octy. That will tell you which parts are the same and which are different. It's important you know the model year for your donor front and some of the parts differ by year. 2007 mk2 PFL Octy front bumper, front wing, headlamp, bodywork front. 2010 mk2 FL Octy front bumper, front wing, headlamp, bodywork front.

I put Osran Nightbreakers in our mk1 diesel Octy in 2011 and they're still going strong. On the basis of that I fitted another set to our Mk2 diesel Octy a few months ago and so far, so good.