AJB

You're very welcome! A (and you won't be surprised to hear that R complained that it should have been "R & A"!!!) Ps just in case it helps anyone else, it was the bug in 16.8.0 that was the problem, and 16.8.1 fixed it.

Thanks very much for the reply, and yes it's the immobiliser serial number/id that I was seeing. What had confused me is that my autoscan doesn't include address 25, and my address 56 scan doesn't report a serial number at all, so I was just getting a single SZK... serial number, repeated in address 1 and address 17. Knowing that radio serial numbers start SKZ, and knowing that the instrument cluster remembers the PIN number for the radio had left me thinking that it might be a radio serial number stored in the instrument cluster and engine. I then realised that the immobiliser serial number was the same format, and that made a lot more sense!

Think I may have answered my own question - I think the number on the VCDS scan is the immobiliser serial number, and just happens to have the same format as a radio serial number. I think this must be the case because the same number is on the sticker with the scratch off panel for the immobiliser PIN number which came with the car's keys. I've no idea why the convenience coding wouldn't work though... Thankfully the main dealer I bought the car from were great and gave me the radio's PIN number without charging me at all.

I've just disconnected the battery in my 2002 Octavia for the 1st time in the 8 years since I bought it new, but the convenience coding system isn't working and so the radio (Skoda Symphony) is now stuck in safe mode. I know I can't use VCDS to fix that, but I'm puzzled by the radio serial number. A VCDS autoscan shows that the engine and instruments both know the chassis number as well as another number which is SKZ7Z0B1604733. I had assumed that this was the radio serial number, and it made sense that the ECU and Instruments might need to know that as part of the convenience coding system. BUT, the radio itself and the sticker on its manual both have the serial number SKZ2Z3B1421991. That's similar enough that it makes me think they're both radio serial numbers, but completely different... Is the number on the VCDS autoscan a radio serial number? And if it is, does anyone have any idea why the car knows about a different radio to the one it's had from new? I'm just wondering if the radio got replaced in the factory or something, and whether the instrument cluster might still have stored the code the original one hence the convenience coding not working... Thanks very much, Alan

I've got a 90 bhp TDI Octavia I. On the way home from work today the clutch slipped briefly a few times at about 2000rpm in 4th & 5th. It's never done this before. The pedal still feels completely normal, and it still pulls away completely normally. It's only done about 74000 miles and, although that's mostly country roads rather than motorways, I've had it from new & the clutch has never been abused at all. So the question is, could there be something wrong with hydraulics, pedal, etc., causing the slip, or do these clutches just not last as long as I was expecting them to... Thanks, Alan

Just in case it helps anyone else in the future, I've had an answer to this question over on another forum: http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=90591

I've got an Octavia 1 with factory fitted cruise control (the older stalk with one button on the end rather than the newer one with the + and - double end button). Often when I slide the switch for resume or to increase speed, cruise drops out and forgets the resume speed. I think this is probably a dodgy contact in the switch, and when I slide for resume it thinks I've slid it to completely Off, and so deliberately forgets the resume speed. Obviously I could fit a whole new stalk, but that's a lot of work (airbags, steering wheel, etc) so I'd rather clean up the contacts in the old one without removing it. Trouble is, I can't figure out whether the stalk comes apart and I don't want to break it. Can the sliding switch be prised off without breaking it to get better access to the innards? Or can the stalk be split apart? (It looks as if it's made of more than one moulding). If so, then I was hoping to get some switch cleaner spray onto the contacts themselves... Any advice gratefully appreciated! Thanks very much, Alan

That sounds like the thermostat can't be too bad then... I guess it could still be on its way out because if the engine is running at, say, just over 80 then I think the gauge will report exactly 90. VAG COM or their diagnostic software will be able to report the actual temperature measured by the gauge's sensor before the gauge gets to lie about it. But once the thermostat has properly failed, then the gauge often won't reach 90 in normal driving. I think if it was my car I'd want to know why they think the thermostat has failed. If it's just that the engine has put up a fault code saying that it's running too cold, then I'd have thought that that fault code could just as easily be triggered by the failed temperature sensor they also say you've got. As in the engine computer might think it's too cold, even though the thermostat is fine and the temperature is actually spot on. If they've checked the dashboard computer and it's reporting a temperature slightly too low, but not low enough that the gauge moves, or if they've used a separate thermometer of some sort then maybe they've got a point... The fans aren't anything to do with the thermostat. There's normally a separate temperature sensor on the radiator, and if the radiator has got too hot (normally because the car is stationary so there's no air going through it), then it turns the fans on. The thermostat decides how much water gets sent to the radiator to try to keep the temperature inside the engine constant. They normally fail cold, so too much water gets sent to the radiator for cooling even though the engine isn't quite up to temperature. Whether the thermostat is healthy or not, the radiator will get hot in traffic and its fan will kick in. It's just that if the thermostat is faulty, it lets in too much cooled water from the radiator into the engine to try to keep the engine a bit colder than it's meant to be.

No - absolutely not. The sensor just tells the dashboard computer and the engine computer how hot the water is (with two separate sensors in the one part, so one might be fine and the other faulty). The thermostat is completely mechanical and couldn't care less how hot the computers think the coolant is... Is the temperature gauge still spot on? If so, then the thermostat can't be too far gone... The gauge doesn't exactly tell the truth, and points exactly in the middle as long as the coolant temperature is pretty much normal, but if the thermostat had completely failed then I'd expect the temperature gauge to often be below normal. What makes them think that the thermostat is faulty? Presumably they can't trust the temperature sensor's readings, because they've said that's faulty too.... I guess the one consolation is that if you pay for the repair then it is guaranteed. Maybe even for two years I think, so you won't have to pay every 6 months. I think the sensors used to be really dodgy (mine failed on my 2002 TDI), but the replacements are made of green plastic instead of black, and are meant to be improved. At least, that's true on the TDIs, and I guess it might well be the same on petrols. If yours is still a black sensor, then I'd guess they maybe never replaced it. If it's in the garage for the work, you could at least ask them to give you the old faulty one they take off, and ask some questions if it turns out that it's black plastic.

Pretty sure Xenons weren't even available as an option when I bought my Ambiente (Oct '02). They were standard on the L&K, but I don' t think they could be added to anything else.

Sunroof does affect headroom in the front a fair bit (you can see where the roof lining drops down to make space for it just in front of where the rear seat passengers' heads would be), but I'm 6'4" too, have a sunroof in mine, and I fit in fine with the seat on its lowest setting. Personally I really like having the extra light coming in, and would choose a sunroof again if I had the choice. If I was any taller, then I think I'd have to go without the sunroof though.

Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure all my info is from the service book that came with my car (the one that gets stamped when it gets a service). I guess the service book that came with your car will probably explain what the deal is for the Octy II. It'll probably take a while to find the right page, but I'm pretty sure the info was in there somewhere for mine.

Pretty sure it's miles - well actually 50000km, which is about 30000 miles. Don't think there's any difference with PD or not - think that applies to all diesels. Petrol engines are 30000km, which is just under 20000 miles - perhaps that's what they were thinking of on the Octy II forum. My info is based on Octy I, though, so Octy II could be different...

Diesels on variable servicing can do upto 30000 miles between services, or a max of 2 years. So if it's done its 45000 in less than 4 years, it could have only requested one service. Mine does 10000 miles a year, so calls itself in after 20000 miles, but that's because it's hit the 2 year limit. But VAG COM will tell you for certain when it was last reset.

I'm pretty sure my towing eyes are welded onto the car. The back one definitely is, and I've got a feeling the front one is too (behind one of outside black plastic grills). And so I don't think I've got a removable one in the tool kit. I might be going mad though... I know Mk IV Golfs have got a removable one, at the front at least.

Yes. Instrument panel (Address 17), and then I think adaptation channel 41 is the number of days since it was reset. You can just read this value without resetting it. Just noticed yours is an Octavia II, but it'll probably be the same. If not, there will be an equivalent channel to read.

Whatever it says in the handbook worked on my 2002 Octavia TDI. I can't remember the exact formula, but it involved holding the trip counter reset whilst turning the ignition on. I have to admit I don't remember turning the clock setting switch, but I did whatever the handbook says and it worked.

Although the faults might be related, indicators stopping working is a really common problem on Octavias. The indicator relay is normally the problem, and is built into the hazard light switch. If that is the problem, and the indicators are switched on but aren't working, then you can sometimes get a few flashes out of them by tapping the hazard light switch. That wouldn't affect the wipers though. If the faults are related, then I don't know... I don't think there are a lot of electronics in the indicators or wipers though...

I'm guessing that's a pirated version of a Ross Tech VAG COM lead. Legal cheap ebay leads only work with older VAG COM software (upto 2003/2004 versions) and have slightly restricted functionality, only genuine Ross Tech ones legally work with their latest software. Some pirated ones claim to be able to work with the latest software - never tried one though. A lot of generic OBD code readers will only do engine diagnostics. Worth bearing in mind, because they won't be any help if the ABS light comes etc, but they can be cheap. The Autel one that people have mentioned claims to do ABS, Airbag and Auto gearbox as well as engine, so could be a reasonable compromise - I've never used one though. I've got a genuine Ross Tech VAG COM (now called VCDS) lead, which is expensive, but brilliant. It'll do anything that a VW garage can do, and includes parking sensors, radio, central locking, ABS, airbag etc., as well as engine obviously. It can also be used to reset service display and setup options like whether central locking just does the driver's door on the first press. But if you're just worried about occasional fault codes, then a generic code reader might be the way forward as it's a lot cheaper. Or you could take a chance on an ebay VAG COM lead which may or may not work well...

Yes, I think there is. 130 is a PD engine (where the camshaft drives very high pressure injectors), whilst 110 has a separate old-fashioned injector pump. The PD engines put more strain on their cambelt, so I'm pretty sure that when mine was made (2002) they were saying 60000 miles for PDs (ie 100 or 130), or 80000 miles for non-PD (ie 90 or 110). Either way they then added the "or 4 years" a couple of years later.

Yours on variable was originally meant to have either 506.00 or 506.01 (it isn't a PD engine, so either of those is fine). As you say, this was Castrol SLX longlife II when the cars were new. In the shops, Edge has replaced longlife II (although there are various different Edge oils, so you still need to be careful and pick the right one). This was all still too simple for VW, so they have created new standards 504 and 507, which replace a bunch of old standards (503, 506 etc). I think longlife III is 507, whilst longlife II is 506. 507 supercedes 506, so pretty much everything (including yours) that specified 506 will now be fine on 507 - newer cars have to have the new 507 and aren't OK on 506. So, the dealer is wrong to say the longlife III means 504 00 - 507 00, and that it's OK for yours because 506 01 is between those numbers. It just means it supports the 2 new standards 504 00 and 507 00. I think 504 is the petrol engine standard and 507 is the diesel one (just like 503 was the old petrol one, and 506 was the old diesel one). But he's right to say that it's fine for your car, because 507 00 is OK for your car. It's all unbelievably confusing though!

With the Mini, it was a faulty sensor (when I swapped the one that wasn't clicking with another one, the not-clicking moved with the sensor). But it was intermittent. One day it would be broken, the next day it'd work. Hopefully it'll turn out to just be a dodgy connection, but don't rule out the sensor just because it's started working again.

This was definitely true on the Mini - they all stopped working, and it didn't beep at all (apart from the long initial "I'm broken" beep). But the 3 good ones did carry on clicking. That should do the trick. I think the outer ones you can maybe just reach up behind the bumper, but I've got a feeling the inner ones are a bumper off job. It's behind the carpet on the left hand side, near the CD changer. It's nearer the front of the car than the CD changer - possibly tucked up near the back of the wheel arch somewhere I think. It's quite a small box, if I remember correctly.

Just thinking about it again, from memory I think it's probably more than one click per second. Maybe more like 3 times per second? That is from memory though...

Yes - it's quite hard to hear. The Mini ones were louder than the Skoda ones too. You need to make sure the parking sensor are active (ie reversing lights on), and then there's a really quiet click maybe once a second or so. Road noise or wind noise could easily hide it. I had my ear right next to the sensors on my drive, and then could hear them.