whitebakecase

There's no section for "goodbyes" so I'll do it here... Sadly, last year through financial constraints, my beloved 02 vrs was repo'd by suzuki finance. Seems I left a legacy though, just saw the caption competition with the reference to my "lady problem" thread. Its been a while since I logged in so there may be more, but thanks for the thought! I had many problems with the car and costs, and in the end she sat on a drive with flat tyres and no exhaust or front bumper for a year while the tax reminders came and went. I wonder if her new owner is a member here? And I wonder if those stains ever came out for them.. A big thanks to all who helped out here with my many nags, and all those who commented (in whatever context) on my threads. Much respect to all. cheerio!

thanks for that. made a total gash up of it, managed to snap a slider trim and gouge a nice rip in the leather in the process, but lumbar support problem now fixed! cheers

Hope this helps, I havent refitted all back together yet but i guess its just a case of reversing the removal process

and here is the offending part, a plastic rod connected between the plastic plate in the lumbar area, and the pull cable. totally snapped... i used a spare metal P-Clip and bent it around a bit so it would fit the end of the rod and drilled through to screw the clip in place... and although a bit crude, a spare bolt passed through the P-Clip makes a hook on the end. Remove the hook part thats left over from the broken rod, slide the cable retainer back into the large end of the rod, and pull hard on the cable and manipulate the back plate in the seat so the repaired rod hooks back under the plate.

Ive taken some shots while attempting to fix my lumbar support in my mk1 octavia vrs, thought that these may be useful to other members with duff lumbar supports... to remove the seat, undo the two 13mm nuts at the front underside of the seat, you may need to move the carpet about a bit, and slide the seat all the way back to get to them. At the rear of the two runners there are small black caps covering a torx screw on each side. Undo the screws and pull the runner covers free, allowing the whole seat assembly to slide out into the back of the car. The seat can now be removed, remembering to undo any wiring connectors by squeezing the plug where it meets the socket, and pulling the plug free. Pull the seat out of the car, without tearing the leather on the runner while manipulating it out... Once the seat is out turn it upside down, I also found it easier to work with if the seat is wound fully forward. At the pivot point of the back rest you will find a long black plastic strip, almost like a zip, which holds the front trim tight to the back trim. Its fiddly to separate the two plastic strips from eachother, I wedged a small flat screwdriver in the one end and ran it across the strip separating as it went along. You will end up with this... then the two strips can be pulled apart and some access is now available to the seat innards... now there is a stiff wire held in place by a couple of strong springs. You can get to them like this... and here is one spring close up you can use a pair of pliers to pull the spring away from the wire hook to get more room to work

how does the seat come out? ive got to take both front seats out anyway so i can fetch the carpet up for a steam clean, and so far ive managed to undo a couple of 13mm nuts on the front underside of each chair.. I'm guessing theres more fixings under the plastic runner cover? I dont want to start pulling out the trims if theres no fixing to be found, made that mistake with the drivers door, so whereabouts are the rear fixings on the chairs, or am i missing something more obvious?

did you ever get an answer to this question, as I now face the same job... ive found two 13mm nuts at the front, next to eachother, but dont want to start pulling plastic trim off if theres nothing to find under there

...and you can count me in on that one too, although i have to wonder if any members of this forum are already somehow linked with skoda uk, who could perhaps put us on the first rung of the ladder, that said, if you are going to write to skoda, i think its a good idea, you dont ask you dont get right? anyhow, perhaps at the same time, it might be good to bang heads with some other members, and get some other ideas together as to common faults, then approach skoda with all the incriminating evidence! im more than happy to put my name to any correspondence with skoda about these common faults, who knows, we might even get some action from them, if not, then at least acknowledgement or investigation, or for that matter even a basic reply, would be a positive step. Just out of curiosity, are there any members of this forum who do have good links or background with skoda, who might be able to point myself, or RealSociable, in the right direction, or who could put the comments in this forum in front of any higher powers at skoda? Although I'm happy with the car, I'm not happy with skoda for their blatant ignorance of these issues!

300 notes to do the cambelt? i thought the kit was about 50 quid with the belt and tensioners, is that all labour then? i had budgeted 200 quid for mine but hoped it may be quite straightforward job..?

the clutch isnt slipping, just thought it might be worth doing while im spending my hard earned, im on 55K at the mo, i assume its the original clutch, what sort of life should i expect from this one? all comments appreciated

And just as a side issue, does anybody know if there have been any out-of-warranty recalls on the mk1 octavia vrs, that i may have missed out on? I know shes had coil packs just before i bought her, and im assured these were uprated parts due to a recall, but ive heard on the grapevine about alloy wheel corrosion and I wonder if i should be contacting my dealer about any other free repairs before i dig into my pocket???

I need quite a lot of work just in time for this years MOT. I've checked some reviews for aftermarket parts but to be honest I find it a bit mixed as to recommendation. I was hoping somebody may be able to offer some advice, perhaps based on experience, as to which direction I should take. I have to be careful as I'm not working at the moment, and besides all the work I need, the car will want taxing and cant go anywhere apart from on a trailer, until the MOT is done! This is just adding to the expense, and the savings are running low. So, heres what I need, and I'm open to suggestions... 1) Full set of brakes required. Am I better off with grooved, or will standard parts suffice to keep costs low (car is standard under the hood), im sure if i shop around the prices should be near enough the same 2) Tyres, again full set needed, theres no way I can afford quality rubber this time so can anybody recommend good mid-range tyres 3) 60K service. I know i will need a belt and lubes, water pump, etc, ive heard horror stories about the standard water pump falling apart into the water system, whats the best option for an upgraded water pump 4) Exhaust needed from cat-back, theres a blueflame on the bay for 250 but im told jetex can be slightly cheaper for the same quality, anybody with experience of both systems? 5) Other odds and sods for MOT, eg a steering arm, and ARB bushes(again), im told to stay away from poly bushes as it makes the ride hard but I dont mind that, anybody explain the difference in feel? 6) Although its not quite MOT work, I need a clutch too if I can afford it, again, are there any benefits to be found from an aftermarket clutch, or will standard do? Is there anybody in my locality that could lend a hand one of the days, I'm going to attempt the fitting of exhaust and brakes myself to keep costs low, but Ive only ever attempted it once on a metro turbo and i guess things have moved on since then. She's SORN at the moment so I cant get anywhere without a trailer. Midland VW will be doing most of the other bits in a few weeks, so my target is to be roadworthy again by the end of April.

that noise on them tube videos sounds really really cool , but i was under the impression that compressor stall/wastegate chatter is BAAAD?

I too am slightly annoyed at skoda, not only with the old window module and loom problem, but for an array of other issues including coil packs, lumbar supports, and other condensation/water issues. From what I can tell its costing other members time and money to repair these common faults which really skoda should have acknowledged by now. i remember a citroen berlingo van which i used to drive for work was constantly being recalled for various free fixes by citroen, why is it that skoda arent offering this same line of customer support for those of us who are also out of warranty? As far as economical repairs go, and from experience, I can highly recommend Midland VW in cannock, stafforsdhire, who carry out all my work at a good price, and who also are widely recognised by many other (non-skoda) VAG owners for their quality of workmanship and professional approach. Check out Midland VW Professional VAG Enthusiasts!

Thats enough now, youve all made a point and i accept that maybe I should have chosen my words more carefully, but since my question has now been answered, can we not just leave it alone, the thought of seeing this thread updated in my inbox every day just acts as a reminder of "the day i posted that thread", and frankly I think this might be best left alone now!?