varaderoguy

They only break if you manhandle them; the tips are brittle, otherwise its fine. Please try to go with the best OE or Bosch parts as economising here will cause later problems. A set of 4 glowplugs including the pressure transductor is anywhere from £120-140 for reasonable quality parts.

For example: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/297789777949

It all depends; typically about 120k miles for a set of glow plugs. Depends on how many stop/start cycles have occurred. I know this potentially sounds expensive, but if one glow plug is failing, the rest aren't too far behind. Budget for a replacement set of 4 if you can.

Its an MOT failure.....If you asked a Skoda dealer, then that price makes sense. Try with a local VAG specialist and see if you get a better price (would be expecting £300-350 for that type of replacement)

Things I would be checking; leaking injectors, failing or intermittent O2 sensors and a blocked GPF. Also the basics; air filter and whether the car is using oil or coolant too.

Shouldn't be - it will be a camera alignment problem. Take it to a VAG specialist and ask them to align up the front camera. Suspect that the screen was replaced and this requires realignment of the camera against the base-standard the car is expecting.

I might suggest that you've forgotton to put back an earth and now the rest of the CANBUS network is now unhappy. Go back and check your work and find out which wire is no longer connected.

Okay - maybe I didn't understand the brief. Yes, there are definitely brighter bulbs out there; its a case of trying to find a bulb that doesn't exceed UK / European standards. The LED's will be more intense and the light frequency is difference on that example (6000K).

Absolutely correct. Heat is less of a consideration, but obviously higher intensity bulbs will operate hotter. It's less of a concern here in Blighty/ Northern Europe

You have to seriously abuse a rear diff to break it, but I suspect that somebody has accidentally drained the Diff when they wanted to clean and drain the Haldex. Its a common think done by technicians who aren't aware of this trap. The fluids are completely different and if you put Haldex fluid into the diff, you can easily break it.

What firmware are you running on your system? Can you Press and HOLD MENU and then go to Software Version and take a photo for us, then we can advise. It will be an issue between Apple Carplay and the version of software on your MIB system.

Just to let you know that the reflectors can be easily overload on the MK3 (non-FL) cars with Halogen bulbs.....you can go up to 130% bulbs, but 200% bulbs will be insane, and you will constantly be flashed and will just cause refractions and reflections everywhere....

You need CANBUS Friendly LED bulbs - did this on my FL Scout. Made a huge difference. https://www.ledperf.co.uk/h8-led-bulbs-osram-night-breaker-smart-street-legal-64212dwnbsm2hb-p-136736.html Expensive, but worth it!

Turbo's keep going if you are assiduous with the oil changes; dirty grimy oil kills turbos.

Lion batteries tend to be at the more budget end; when you get a LOAD of stupid errors, it will mostly like be the CANBUS network playing silly buggers and throwing every code under the sun, due to the fact that the battery cannot keep up with demand. A Varta Battery 096 battery rated at least 70Ah should do you. Get it properly coded in and THEN have a look at the remaining errors; clear out everything and see what returns.

Throttle position sensors do fail; but firstly - I would get yourself some decent kit for your car. Please go invest in a VAG ODBEleven dongle. Car may throw codes that aren't picked up by a standard reader. My pick of these kinds of fault would be: Throttle Position Sensor and valve (check that it is actually closing - it is possible that it is filled up with crud) as well as a stuck open EGR valve (again, because it is filled up with crud). My first port of call would also be - check your oil level (make sure that is good) and get some Super Diesel (pref Shell V-Power) into the car and take it on an Italian tune up. VAG engines do not like to be tickled....they need good long fast runs to keep them working well - keep in 5th gear if manual and manual mode in 5th gear on a DSG). Throttle position valve - this will probably need cleaning by hand (alcohol wipe), the sensor may also need cleaning (use an alcohol wipe, but the EGR valve should respond well to some super diesel.

Octavia's and Golf's can run cold; there is a solution from Kopacek which might help with really cold days: https://www.kopacek.com/skoda/octavia-iii/octavia-iii-winter-grille-cover-in-great-oem-design-ki-r-glossy-black IMHO - I've found that the cars can run cold. Two years ago, we had a -22C day - absolutely bonkers. I was in an Octavia Scout at the time and the car really struggled with the cold temperatures. Something like this will keep the windchill to the radiator down as far as possible and allow the car to heat up some more.

Can you get some photos please?

A couple of things come to mind of this one: Yes EGR and DPF issues are more common especially on higher mileage Octavia's TDI's. I suggest that if you aren't already doing it, start running your vehicle on Super Diesel for a while. You are at that mileage where injectors and heatplugs start to fail. Injector problems [where they tend to over-fuel on one cylinder) will give lumpy performance issues (and often throw no codes), heat plugs issues will cause poor starting and general roughness at cold. I often cause controversy by recommending a fuel additive, but I only do so on that basis that it really helps the engine performance. Only use this stuff with standard diesel though: https://www.hydra-int.com/DPB000K.html - 20ml is enough for a tank of fuel and IMHO massively improves TDI performance. It is also often recommended for a fast/high RPM Italian tune-up on TDI's to keep them happy - VAG engines do not like being mollycoddled.

Second gear is often (although not always) bulky. Well done with the manual gearbox oil change. Give it about 200 odd miles and you will really notice the difference (especially when travelling whilst the car is still cold)

One hour labour should cover it.

Please don't cheapen out on import things like thermostats. It might be expensive, but the VAG part will be better quality and save your engine from overheating.

Rule 1 with Octavia's - get a wheel alignment done - especially with any new tyres. Try and find a reputable person who knows how to drive a Hunter 4 wheel alignment and get the tracking sorted first - especially if you are on new tyres. Octavia's/Golfs - easy throw their steering out.

There are many feeds on this in Briskoda. Have a look in the Audio and Security section. In summary, it will require an upgrade to your USB socket and an updated MIB system. You are probably on an MIB1 system. Depending on the model, you could easily upgrade the headunit and screen. Speak to our resident guy @pab567 for further assistane.

Version 0468 was VERY buggy with Android Auto. Get yourself to 0480T first, and try again. Standard USB A to C cable should be fine.