PaulOH

That´s a sight I´ve not seen before. Maybe we should get ready to see more of this? The oldest are approaching 20years old at this stage so tin worm is bound to become a factor

Thanks Lads, I´ll go under it before long now that it´s off the road and will post again if I find anything other than what you describe.

Cool! That´s exactly what I was thinking of. Many thanks for the steer in the right direction!

I´ve used Jif (Cif) on the wheel trims to good effect. it may score them lightly but it does lift the muck and the trims wear out anyway

My central locking has completely failed and the last time the computer was read, it came up with fault codes in all four doors. This points strongly to door ribbon connectors. Am hoping to replace all of them - including the boot lid - and we´ll see what happens. Interestingly the door barrels on both sides of the car have now failed too so there´s no locking the car at all these days - apart from an occasional and spontaneous activation of one or more of the door lock motors... Thank the Lord no one would steal it in a fit!

I have seen that there are not many German cars in India - I think that they sell the Octavia as the Skoda Laura there as well? The good thing is that there are many interchangeable parts with other cars from the VAG group. my Octavia has a non-standard alternator fitted - I think it came from an Audi - so there are lots of options if your mechanic is good and can be flexible with parts. This club is excellent for spare parts, but you do need to know some of the terminology as there are people on here who know a lot about cars. Do post some pictures as we would be pleased to see them

Hiya All. I´ve just pulled the Octy off the road as it´s not likely to pass the 'ITV' - not a TV channel but the Spanish MOT. I´ve a refurb in mind but one of the advisories that they´ve been telling me about for the last three years when I haven´t had time to look at it at all was that there is apparently some rust underneath. Now, I´ve been up to my elbows in Peugeot recently (which has it´s own rust issues let me tell you) and I wanted to ask before I dive underneath with a Karcher and a wire brush if anyone has seen any particular area where rust has formed on their own cars? I´ve never heard of rust being an issue with the Octy and indeed mine or any car with particular damage/history could be affected in a way that other cars may not, but - seeing since my motor´s nothing out of the ordinary - it´s worth an ask.

Regarding damp inside, there are drain channels which lead from the scuttle panel to the bottom of the car around the heater air intake. Your car is certainly old enough to have gathered various bits of leaves, dust and gunk that can block these channels so don´t deprioritise it. I couldn´t understand why my car was depositing water in the passenger footwell every time I turned right and it was this. The garage was rightly POed as the mechanic thrust a wire through the gunk from underneath and the car swiftly deposited about a gallon of water on him and the workshop floor! If this is your problem, then the pollen filter will be completely wrecked by the water so a new one will be needed. Ironically, this issue is what led to the demise of many, many Austin/Morris 1100/1300s as the upper bulkhead, footpanel and A-posts rotted through due to water collecting and ingress from these blocked drainage channels. On that score, I don´t believe it´s a corrosion issue on our cars.

Jaysus - have read this thread and it made my hair stand on end! I used to do an 80km trek using a coach service that took 2.5 hours every day from Co. Laois to Dublin. If I was unlucky I had to take the car... it was actually cheaper and 5 hours more sleep (possibly) to pay the €12 in the Squeaky bed hostel in Dublin´s Gardiner Street to stay over some nights than it was to try and train or bus/taxi it home if the once-a-day coach service had departed. At the moment, I use a bike. I can be in work in about 6-7 minutes if I cycle like blazes and that´s door-to-door. My missus has just landed a job where she can do the same on a bike in about 3 minutes. I can´t even begin to tell you the additional quality of life that this brings - especially with two small children. I´d recommend proximity over any other benefit anytime - maybe I´m biased?

Nothing different here in Europaland - price of 95 at my local supermercado petrol station went from €1.01.9 to 1.03.9 during the last week. I consider myself lucky as the 'normal' gasolineras are charging anything from €1.14 to €1.18 per litre. I think petrol is cheaper here than further south in Spain. Diesel remains a lot less at €0.98 a litre (in the cheapo place - more elsewhere). They give you a €0.03 discount on top of the listed price if you use your loyalty card between 22:00-08:00am. What do you think I do?!

Post some pix - it´ll be an inspiration to the rest of us!

I remember seeing a bronze 613 parked outside the Czech Consulate in Dublin about 15 years ago - it looked mad - like a large BMW took a fancy to a Talbot Alpine. It would´ve been marketable in Western Europe during the 70s and 80s had the engine been in the front.

But not the Maestro and Montego body colour "4kph impact resistant" bumpers that used to give the trolley-boys at Sainsburys something the same colour as their customers´cars but in a million bits to sweep up. My previously impeccable forest green Mk1 has now been riddled with mini-dinges and small digs as a result of ending its time as the inter-city cruiser and beginning its life as the inner-city shopper. If you want to keep your car panels and paintwork good, drive it a lot and don´t take it to Tesco!

Hi, Can´t help you with the diesel issue but can suggest that you watch the pollen filter and internal drainage channels for servicing. I don´t know if it´s part of the current problem you have with the erratic heating, but I found the interior ventilation system filling with water as a result of the filter and channels becoming blocked with fallen leaves, road debris and other gick. Every time I went round a roundabout, a pour of water would dump onto the passenger side floor. I was getting the car serviced by a dealer at the time, and they managed to flood the workshop floor with about two gallons of water when I brought it in, so that´s also something to watch for. Only other thing I´m finding problematic is door-car connectors which affect the central locking and e-windows. Checking them for breaks and corrosion could make sure that the locking doesn´t fail on the car like it has on mine!

Hi, Good luck to you with the new motor. My Blaupunct radio light went out when the car was about 3 years old and has never come back on again, despìte asking for and getting the other console illumination replaced. I find that you just remember where the buttons are after a while so it´s not missed - it may be something that the unit needs to be taken apart to access. All the console lights have gone out since, save the HRW and petrol cap buttons, and it´s actually quite nice at night not to have so much light in the car. I´ve desperate trouble with my 99´s central locking as a result of what I suspect to be corroded door connectors. Hearing that a window´s not working yet seems to be connected suggests that you might investigate the flexible connectors in the rubber boots between the door and the car. Can´t advise specifically about motors for the E-windows as mine´s gym-windows. Hoping that´s of use.

Hi all, Hoping for some advice. My 99´Octavia has been suffering from increasingly temperamental central locking and door lock failures. It´s reaching the point that I´m concerned I won´t be able to lock or unlock the car. I´ve never had remote locking, it´s a key-in-the-door only system and the problem seems to be age/use related. Usual symptoms: sometimes only the driver´s door will unlock with no further action from the central locking - doors can be opened from inside once the ignition´s on (tho not the boot!) boot lock has failed completely- locks and unlocks only from the driver´s door broken lock barrel on passenger side (spins round uselessly) - swapped by a friendly mechanic from the driver´s side. I wondered if there was any mileage in raiding the scrappers for door lock motors, or in members´ experience, is it better to change the units completely? Are there any implications for the computer´s comfort package when this is done? Not very technically minded here (if you hadn´t worked that out already). Not taking the car near the dealer as there´s no money for or point in doing an outright replacement of the system. Your opinions please! P

Hiya, Catalunya calling. Expat Irish here with an ´99 RHD Octavia now living outside Barcelona.... the looks we get even after nearly three years driving a right hooker on Spanish plates! My Octavia is one owner from new and, as it´s starting to show its age, I´m hoping for some technical advice/assistance. See y´all in the forums. P