Can any of you guys please please let me know what is going on with my 1998 MK1 Octavia.

Today we came out of tesco and the car wouldnt start and diagnosed a flat battery we got it going again by firstly trying to bump start it but to no avail then we got it going by jump starting.

The only thing now is that the brakes dont work and you have to press really hard on the pedal its like there is no spongyness (travel in the pedal)

The other way i can describe this is its like when you are in the car being towed without the engine on the brakes are the same as that.

The mrs is scared stiff now . Surley the brake servo unit hasnt packed in at the same time as the battery going flat, I have checked the brake fluid and all is ok and the reservior is filled correctly.

Worst case is the vacume servo unit if it is this is this an expensive part?

Thanks for any help you can give me on this guys.

Probably a split vacuum hose, pretty common on the older Octavias

Probably a split vacuum hose, pretty common on the older Octavias

This may sound silly but will this mean i have a brake fluid leak, can anyone tell me what these hoses looklike and where they are under the bonnet.

wouldn't think it would be leaking break fluid as the pedal would probably be vey soft and travel down to the floor. would imagine the vac hose would be somewhere on the brake servo.

This sounds very much like a leaky vacumn hose to me. Start the engine and have a listen around the RH side for a hissing noise.

It seems like a co-incidence too.

Thanks guys it was a vacuum leak it looks like the previous keeper has put electrical tape on the vacuum hose just above the head of the engine where it goes into a 3 way split junction as time has gone by the tape has worn and let air out.

It looks like i need the whole hose from the vaccuum servo to the head (or whereever it goes)

For now i have sealled it temporary using self algamating tape, but it needs sorting.

How much will these hoses cost from skoda.

Thanks again for the help, least i have some breaks now

IIRC the price used to be around £20.

Skoda had a recall/workshop camaign on theses (can't remember which). Have a look at item 4 here:

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/search.asp

Phone your dealer with the VIN and they can check to see if it has been done, if not they may well do it free of charge.