lovemaskoda

If the light comes on when the door is half closed, check for wear on the microswitch plunger. When checked across the electrical contacts everything will appear ok, but the plunger wears down over time and doesn't press down fully when the door is closed. Hope this helps. D

Had the same door symptoms on my mk1,turned out to be the lock microswitch. Bought a purpose made microswitch off ebay for a couple of pounds and changed the switch only, everything is ok now. Just for reference the electrical connections on the old one were ok, it was the actual plunger part that had worn away. Hope this helps any future Octavia owners. Dave.

If the noise is there with the clutch in then it is most certainly engine related, does the engine move excessively when letting the clutch up? This can be verified by leaving the bonnet up and having someone watch as you take up drive. One of the usual suspects if there is excessive movement is the dog bone mount that sits between the gearbox and the crossmember. Hope this helps. Dave

You cant bleed the brakes on the mk1 the old fashioned way by pumping the pedal unless you have lost no fluid and just doing fluid replacement. If you have lost too much fluid and the reservoir has gone too low, you will have to use a pressure bleeder like gunsons ezibleed (I prefer to pressure bleed every time as it saves time and frustration). Also if the piston on the master cylinder has travelled too far down, it may (but not always) have ruined the seals. PS Remember the clutch is fed from the same reservoir so may need bleeding as well.

Check the driveshaft and hub splines for wear/slippage.

Keep a eye out and happy motoring. Dave.

If you have look round you'll probably find a leak in the system, the seals in the master cylinder have gone or the pedal itself has broken (a common fault). Repair the problem and bleed with a pressure bleeder (Gunsons eezibleed). If you try to bleed the system using the pedal only, then you'll find the pedal goes to the floor and stays there until you pull it back up. Hope this helps. Dave

Could be broken wires inside the insulation, the microswitch located inside the locking mechanism or one problem I found was when I pushed the large connector plug into the window winder/control unit I lost central locking but if I pulled it back to where the plug stops are then everything worked fine.

There should be an pick up coil on the ignition switch, sometimes the wires or coil get damaged and cause a low/no signal problem. Have a look elsewhere on this forum for part numbers and how to replace it.

If the smoke is white then I would check all the air intake pipes for splits or working loose. Had this problem on an old escort and also on my Octavia when a pipe popped off post turbo.

Ps. You can find them on eBay or any decent scrap yard, yours seems to have been bypassed which is why you have no warning lights on the dash. It may be worth taking a little coolant out of the bottle while you're at it as the level looks a bit high. Regards. Dave.

There should be a plug on the end of the wire that plugs into the coolant bottle for the coolant level sensor. The part number on mine is 1JO 973 202 (see photo). Hope this helps.

I had the same problem, turned out the internal mechanics on the disc changer had corroded slightly and was sticking. Took it apart, cleaned it up, and applied a light coating of wd40 to the moving parts with a cotton bud. All is well so far (done some years ago now), also check for leaks in the rubber boot seal above the changer which turned out to be the source of the moisture which caused the corrosion in the first place. Hope this helps.

Forgot to mention you will have to drop but not fully disconnect the fuse box through the bottom of the dash as well, not a hard job but you will find the fuse connector prongs locked in place with another purple locking bar. All the best. Dave

Just google part number 8L0953513J01C or still available at Bickerton Skoda Sheffield for £77.45 (Gone up a little since I got mine).