Broken loom wires at drivers door hinge connection, Fabia II

[peteonimac]

I'm very disappointed with our Skoda Fabia Greenline Mk2. It's not even 5 years old and the drivers side electrical loom wires are breaking near the door hinge connection. The alarm, wing mirror electrics and courtesy lights do not work from this door now. The courtesy switch also warns you that the door is not closed and that the lights are still on when leaving the car. Angela had a flat battery as a consequence and had to be rescued!

Just not good enough Skoda, car doors have had electrics in them for at least 50 years, this should not be happening in a modern car after only 5 years (60307 miles).

Has anyone had the same problem and challenged Skoda about it?

 

[LGM]

I recently suffered the same problem at around 7pm the other week! Worse thing was my window was down so I had to fix it. I simply crimped some spade connectors together and reconnected them with some tape around them.

Mine is a 60 plate so 5 years old the same as yourself.

Edited 22 November, 2015 by LGM

[peteonimac]

I would like to upload a photo of the broken wire problem, but can't see how to put images into my media.

[peteonimac]

[LGM]

I would like to upload a photo of the broken wire problem, but can't see how to put images into my media.

Easiest way is to upload to imageshack or something and take the direct link then put [.IMG]link [./IMG] without the .

Edited 22 November, 2015 by LGM

[peteonimac]

Tried to upload image from Flickre, but did not work. Now can't delete this post. Not a very intuitive forum controls! :-(

Edited 22 November, 2015 by peteonimac

[LGM]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/50983228@N06/22594641913/in/dateposted-public

I had the exact same problem as you, good job I had spade connectors in the shed. You don't really get that much length of wire in the rubber sleeve so might have to extend the wires if you plan on fixing yourself.

Edited 22 November, 2015 by LGM

[peteonimac]

Skoda RH Door wires 22Nov15LR by Pete Mitchell, Scotland, on Flickr

[Turboweisel]

There's a modified loom for a yeti there may also be one for the fabia

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[peteonimac]

This reply came in from a Skoda dealer today:

Sorry to hear of the trouble you are experiencing with your Fabia. Unfortunately this is a common problem on Fabia, Yeti & Roomster models. It may be worthwhile getting in touch with your local Skoda dealer to see if anything can be done about it, or you could try contacting Skoda Customer Services - 03330 037 504

 

A new OSF Door Wiring Loom will be about £76 inc VAT, but will it last more than 5 years? I assuming it will be a modified loom because, surely, they're not going to be selling the substandard ones, are they? It will be interesting comparing them to see if there is a visual difference.

Edited 23 November, 2015 by peteonimac

[Turboweisel]

The looms slightly longer or the mounting clips are angled better to help prevent broken wires

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[davesnr]

Hi Guys,

Had and possibly still got similar issues with my 2008 1.4 Tdi Sport, it has 85000 miles and I have owned it from new, I simply love the car - apart from the electrical issues.

About a year ago the windows would open and the alarm would go off, having read various threads on here I checked the connections on the driver side motor  - no corrosion or signs of moisture so then checked the door loom, there were a few wires with split insulation and one wire broken which was N/S wing mirror , I repaired the wires and insulated them, reset the window travel with the key and all seemed well until a couple of weeks ago.

This time the car unlocks itself, the windows go down and the alarm goes off and you can here the locking relay clicking on and off as the doors repeatedly lock and unlock.

Have yet to see if the repair has failed again as I have removed the window and alarm fuses.

The central locking still works, I have no problems with interior lights etc. so fear that it may be something more serious - I have seen threads about the 'comfort ecu' ?

I am reluctant to take it to a dealer due to various horror stories about ineffective and costly component swaps which don't cure the problem.

Good luck with the repair

Davesnr   

[mrgf]

Could this be partly due to colder climate? I had a single wire go in the both the drivers door and the passenger door but not at the same time. I am not sure if it was in the cold season and I live in London so in Bonny Scotland, the weather may be more extreme, causing the wires to stiffen more. They will naturally warm and flex with current running through them although most of the door loom will be very small amounts of power at occasional intervals. This warming/cooling of wiring will make it brittle over time and the effect will be exacerbated by the opening/closing of the door, shortening the (Already very thin) Wiring's life. A genuine replacement should have a two year warranty but even then, I'd expect more... An updated, more durable loom SHOULD now be the norm and at a heavily discounted price, due to the knowledge that replacement is often "When" Not "If "!

 

I had an old 190E Mercedes, years ago, and they had a small problem with the heated washer jets (One unit, double jet) Packing up. Despite a car parts retailer stating that they could cost anything up to around £50 to replace, M.B. Charged a little under £3 for the modified version, the manufacturing cost, as this was a Known phenomenon and quite often would need replacing. This, despite the car being around 7-8 years old at the time, with as many previous owners and way out of warranty.

[peteonimac]

This has nothing to do with the winter conditions in Scotland because I have had many cars that were much older than my Skoda. We haven't even had a severe winter to speak of since I bought it in 2011. These Skoda door looms are obviously substandard and Skoda clearly recognise this because they have modified the loom. What with this and the engine software scandal, I probably won't be purchasing a Skoda again.

Thank god I have a 1993 Landy 200TDI Defender which never seems to break down and has no electrics in the doors!

[mrgf]

Thats why I said "Partly"... Skodas' having an issue with wiring are gonna be even more likely to have issues if subjected to frequent changes in temperature. I wasn't for one minute suggesting you are having the problem due to living in a particular climate, just that it might increase the tendency. As stated, I too, have had issues as have many others. It would be handy to find out if climate/usage, etc played a part in how often these wires snap.  I am a driving instructor, so open and close the doors quite frequently as would, say, cab drivers etc. A typical commuter might only jump in and out once a day or so, creating less strain on the wiring then I do, I would reason. (Hence my clutch, brakes etc wear quicker then a typical driver's).

 

Has anyone had the newer upgraded wiring fitted? Would it be fitted to newer vehicles from the factory? Has it cured or even lessoned the likelihood of the occurrence? Will Skoda admit a fault is present and upgrade the wiring as a matter of course? These questions and more need addressing!

[peteonimac]

I've now replaced the drivers side door loom with a new modified loom from Skoda spares dealer which was about £88 inc P&P. Here is how I got on with the job:

1. Make sure the window is fully up to make access to the loom easier when the door card is off
2. Prise rubber boot off the car hinge connection from the top and disconnect the loom by swinging the yellow plastic lock lever down, then pull the multi pin socket out
3. Removed 2 small T10 star drive screws at bottom of trim card
4. Prised off handle trim and removed two T35 star drive handle bolts
5. Carefully prise off the door card at front and rear edges until the stud clips pop out (Replace if they break)
6. Slightly pull out the card from the the door frame and at the same time push the whole card up to unhook from the top
7. There are cables connected to the card that need to be disconnected before the card can be moved sufficiently away from the door to work on the loom
8. You can leave the mechanical door release bowden cable attached to the card
9. Drill off 6.5mm rivet heads and remove the door loud speaker to allow access to the loom at the hinge end
10. Carefully pull off the soft foam cover over the door lock access aperture
11. You can now disconnect the loom from all the door electrical components and pull off the loom anchor studs.
12. To remove the loom through the door hinge aperture you first need to force the rubber boot from the inside via the speaker aperture by squeezing the top plastic lugs until one corner pops off. It might be easier to initially force it into the door if you don't have very strong fingers.
13. Carefully ease the loom forward and out of the door, noting its routing around the window guide channel
14. Fit new loom in reverse order. I found the easiest way of fitting the door end of the rubber boot, was to feed the whole boot end into the door, then push it forward into the aperture so that the rubber lips pop over the aperture edges to form the intended seal.
15. Once you have connected everything,check that it all works before forcing the card trim studs back into their respective holes.

It took me about 1½ hours to do the job which is the same time the garage said it would take, which I find quite surprising considering I've never done this on the Skoda before.

Here are some photos:

Handle trim piece removed to access T35 bolts

OS Door Handle trim 06Dec15 by Pete Mitchell, Scotland, on Flickr

 

General loom layout with door card off

OS Door Card Off 06Dec15 by Pete Mitchell, Scotland, on Flickr

 

Loom removed, please note the speaker was removed to gain access to the loom at the hinge end of the door.

OS Door Access 06Dec15 by Pete Mitchell, Scotland, on Flickr

 

I hope all this helps someone in the same situation.

Edited 6 December, 2015 by peteonimac

[LGM]

Very nice detailed work, might be worth posting your own post in the technical section as this has happened to a few people including myself.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/167-skoda-fabia-technical-guides/

Edited 7 December, 2015 by LGM

[peteonimac]

Very nice detailed work, might be worth posting your own post in the technical section as this has happened to a few people including myself.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/167-skoda-fabia-technical-guides/

 

Ok I'll give it a go

[peteonimac]

Ok I'll give it a go

 

Done 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/380918-skoda-fabia-ii-broken-wires-in-hinge-loom-of-drivers-door/

[GraandSon]

Hi. How did you get the rubber boot/ bellows off, as I have tried but it does not unclip, any tips?

[peteonimac]

6 hours ago, GraandSon said:

Hi. How did you get the rubber boot/ bellows off, as I have tried but it does not unclip, any tips?

From memory, I had to prise off the top end of the rubber boot so that it hinges about the bottom hooky bit, then then lift up and out to unhook the bottom end. When prising the top end you need to unclip the tab in the photo to be able to hinge it on the bottom plastic hook. The black plastic bottom hook can be seen better in some of the previous photos. 

Edited 2 April, 2018 by peteonimac
Photo added and text edited.

[rum4mo]

20 hours ago, GraandSon said:

Hi. How did you get the rubber boot/ bellows off, as I have tried but it does not unclip, any tips?

 

@GraandSon, now that you have the answer, you should go back to all the other threads you posted this question on and confirm that your question was now been answered, makes life easier for other users now and in the future. 

[GraandSon]

Thanks for the helpfull reply .

[mrgf]

...So regarding the modified loom. As most issues arise from within the below, between the door and frame, what was the difference between new and old loom? I would suspect something like thicker, more pliable wires and perhaps a bit of extra padding to help prevent pinch/chaffing.

[Sittingbull]

I'm currently waiting on auto electrician calling me back to arrange a time for getting our door wiring loom repaired/ replaced, unfortunately I lack the confidence to have a bash myself.