does anybody know if there is a easy way to disable the octavia FL headlamp washers, this weather i am driving with lights on and have to wash windscreen a lot, trouble is every few sprays the light washers come on and its using up the washer fluid so quick, so i just need an easy way to disable them.

take the fuse out should be a separate fuse for the headlight washers, have a look in your handbook for fuse assignment

Sounds like a good idea as the amount of fluid these items use is vast.

Got both a Mk 1 with the fixed washers and then FL ones that pop out of their flush housing and to be honest I think the MK 1s are better.

Flush ones not flush most of yesterday as they got stuck in the out position and they are pretty flimsy and could easily get pulled of if someone caught with their leg if retraction did not work like yesterday.

Thought Skoda would be well capable in snow coming from Czech Rep but washer nozzles got blocked easily ie not prominent in under bonnet position which is dangerous.

Mk1 bottle holds 5.5 litres ie 1.2 gallons not sure about Mk2 but must be about 5 litres as I put in 3 litres in 2 days this week!

Taking out fuse 36 (20 amp yellow) fuse in the fusebox at the end of the dashboard will stop the headlight washers from working. However, this will also throw up a fault on VAGCOM/VCDS as the headlight wash being defective. This fault code will need to be cleared at some point later when the fuse is reconnected.

You can disable the headlight wash in VCDS. On the pre-FL, the option is in controller 09, Central Electronics, Byte 1, Bit 1. Uncheck the tick box for "Headlight Washer installed". Not sure exactly where the option will be on the FL models, but would assume it would stil be in Central Electronics somewhere.

I disabled the headlight wash on mine last night, having gone through a full bottle in 48 hours. It's not sa if the headlight wash is very effective anyway!

Whilst out with VCDS, I would strongly advise disabling the tear drop wipe for both front and rear wipers as well, as there's nothing worse than that final wipe smearing a load of salt over your newly clean screen.

Hope this helps

Mike

i don't have vcd's so i guess its out with the fuse then.

I disabled them as well with VCDS and not just because of too much water wasted but on every fifth spray, i was spraying people around town like an idiot.

Could anyone confirm how to disable this headlight washer in O2 FL using VCDS ? (which bit in what byte should be unticked/ticked)

The headlights  going dim with the first wash is also a pain. Like driving on DRL and still startles me. Not sure either of their effectiveness.

But many years ago, a one off situation, the headlights of my Morris Marina got dimmer and dimmer on a long trip up north. They were heavily incrusted with salt. IIRC I had to improvise a cleaning session with available fluids and tissues.

 

Must be time to start the first Lidl washer fluid message :wonder:

I pull the fuse in winter, come the better weather back it goes to refresh hot and sweaty cyclists who think it's clever to cycle two or more abreast despite causing traffic queues.

Whilst out with VCDS, I would strongly advise disabling the tear drop wipe for both front and rear wipers as well, as there's nothing worse than that final wipe smearing a load of salt over your newly clean screen.

Hope this helps

Mike

Hisses me off every time.