After a particularly spirited drive this evening, the pad wear indicator light has just come on.

I don't currently have the pad wear indicators connected as I am running Boxster front pads and didn't buy the sensors separately. I noted the first time I put it all together that the wear indicator didn't illuminate so I assumed it was either not coded. I also read a comment recently that suggested the Octavia (when compared with the Golf) didn't get the pad wear indicator. I'm going to code it out but I'm interested in why it should only just have come on after being disconnected for some time.

Rears?

Check the fluid level as well.

I changed my front pads to ones without the indicators built in(long story). To keep the wiring plug clean I cut off the old pad leads and plugged them into the loom. Found that the old wires needed to be connected together or the indicator light would come on. Later It happened to come on once and I had to remake the connection to put them off.

I think the indicator light needs a circuit to keep the light off, Usually it works the other way .

Yes the sensor needs the wires to be shorted together to keep the warning light off, it is a bit counter intuative

I had a Sapphire Cosworth that had the brake indicator come on once... 6 months later it was making pretty sparky effects out of the front wheels. It looked really god coz it was bonfire night!

Check the fluid level as well.

That's a good call as the brakes did get some abuse yesterday. I noticed that the warning had gone off this morning though and hasn't come back on.

The front pads are 1000ish miles old, the rears no more than 5k and fluid was replaced at the same time as the front pads. I have also noticed there is no open circuit shown on VCDS either.