When I started the car yesterday I had a red low coolant low warning come up. As I was only doing a short journey I half filled the deficit with water and carried on. After 20 minutes the warning light came back but there was still enough in the header to finish the journey. Letting it cool down for ten minutes on arrival I then checked the level again and it was just below the bottom of the prongs.

As I was by now very close to my local Skoda garage, I took it there for investigation. They showed me that pump seal had let go in a big way, and by now it was dripping fast, almost a stream.

They said that the 1.6 engine had a history of pump failures and that a new version is now fitted. Mine had the new version from the factory.

As coolant had been on the timing belt, they will replace that at the same time. Luckily my warranty will cover all material and labour.

My question is: Does anyone know the background to pump failure; is it common on this engine; is the 2.0 litre (same layout and common parts) equally affected?

Is it usual for pump seals to fail so quickly?

Thanks, Mike

I have a suspicion it's a common fault, assuming it's the same engine as mine 1.6 Greenline superb (2013) as mine has just failed slightly shy of 3 years and 52k. Fortunately under warranty and like yours Skoda paid for a cam belt as well, so apart from inconvenience of a failed car, a result.