spember

I've got a 2010 Fabia II 1.4 estate, and couldn't understand why the cover wouldn't stay in place when I closed the rear door. I eventually realised that the trim on the inside of the rear door was sticking out slightly more than it should, due to a snapped fixing stud, so was touching the luggage shelf when the rear door was closed, pushing it down slightly and triggering the retracting mechanism. I confess that rather than take off that part of the door card/trim and replacing the stud, I just did a pretty amateur fix by using several strong sticky pads to keep it in place - not ideal - or a permanent solution, but it seems to have worked so far.

Thanks Wino, that's what I thought too - (I had a mk Fabia 1 before) but the gaiter just won't budge. That's why I wondered whether it was fixed somehow - with clips or something, from the other side. (Which would be a pain, as then I'd obviously need to take the door card off.) I've tried prising it with a ruler, in case it was just glued/sealed in place, but it wont move! Grrrr!

Thanks for the replies guys. I think maybe didn't explain properly rhinopower - I meant the other end of the broken wire in the picture already goes into a terminal in the connector/socket, so I think the rest of the (broken) wire is in the rubber boot somewhere - that's why I thought I'd need access 'inside' the rubber boot to get to the wire & repair it. I take your point about the tightness of the cable tie hutchysrs50 - I'll definitely do that once I've got this wire sorted, so it reduces the chance of it happening again. Still not sure if I can remove the door end of the rubber boot though, or if I'll need to remove the door card? Thanks again.

Hi. I know there are lots of comments about this issue already and I’ve learned a lot from previous posts, but I just wanted to ask for some additional help regarding my own particular issue. Basically - I have a 2010 Fabia mk2 Estate Scout and a few months ago the electric windows stopped working. This was the case on main driver’s door switches and all other switches that operate the windows. The windows do open/close using the ignition key/ re-set method, so at first I thought it might be the switch itself, but having taken it out and cleaned it thoroughly, I found that wasn’t the problem, so I followed the advice of previous posts and unclipped the rubber boot between the door and body of the car and sure enough found a black & blue wire was broken near the connector end. (*See picture) Initially I thought the wire had just come out of a terminal in the connector, but having tugged it slightly I can see that the other end of the wire is still attached to the connector, so I think the rest of the broken wire is somewhere just inside the rubber boot. As far as I can see this is the only wire that’s broken, so I wanted to have a go at repairing it, rather than replacing the whole door loom. (Using an additional piece of wire and connectors/heat shrink, as I don’t have a soldering iron.) Obviously, at the moment I can’t get access to the wire, and as I’m pretty much a novice at all this, I just wanted to ask a couple of (probably rather dumb!) questions. Firstly: Is it possible to remove the door end of the rubber boot on its own, or is it actually a fixed part of the wiring loom? Secondly: If it is possible to remove it, can it be done without taking the door card off? Thirdly: Would the additional piece of wire need to be 12 gauge or higher?) As I said, I don’t have much experience with this sort of thing and I should probably just get on with my knitting! (Okay, yes I am female and getting on a bit!) But, having successfully replaced the window regulator on my last Fabia I a few years ago, with the considerable help of this site, I’m willing to give this one a go if I can. Many thanks

Just an update... I bought the car! Looked fine, drive fine, so I went for it. Fingers croosed it'll be a good 'un! Cheers all

Thanks again all. I think - 'take a careful look and a test drive' seems to be the best option. Good to know I could get a copy of the full service info if I need it too. Watch this space I suppose! Cheers

Thanks for the prompt replies guys. Very useful. ( I thought the dealer may be trying to pull a fast one - so good to know the reasons why service records might be retained) I'll definitely check the car out. Cheers

Afraid the connector which is damaged is the 'female' section - so nothing I can get at to bend or adjust. (Looks like one of the pins has been pushed further back into the body than it should be) I called TPS though, (not MK branch initially) and they say they can order the part (I made a mistake with one of the digits on my first look - 973, not 979) - They just call it a 'block connector' apparently, so I shall contact 'Diddy' as advised and hopefully get one ordered. Many thanks again for help & replies. S.

Hi My 2002 Fabia Estate is beginning to fall apart(!) and I'm looking around for another Skoda. I've noticed a Fabia Scout, which is 3 years old - low mileage- but it's a former Motability vehicle. (One owner) There is no handbook/service record - only invoices to show it's two past services. I was told by the dealer that Motability vehicles have their service records retained once the contract has ended. Is that true? Does anyone have experience of buying a Motability car? Cheers.

Hi. Thanks for the prompt reply. I did take a look at the part number on the connector, but I'm not sure I took it down correctly, (1J0 979 202) as I guess the '1' & '0' could also be letters or numbers? I couldn't find any reference to it on any parts search - but I'm probably not looking in the right places! I'll do as you suggested and contact VW / TPS and ask them. Otherwise, I did notice the same year/model as mine advertised as being 'broken' on ebay - & wondered if that might be worth a shot. (I'm located in Hemel Hempstead by the way.) I know it's not critical, as I can still use the car - but I'm a complete novice at this and so I would like to finish what I started! Many thanks once again

Hiya I posted a question a few days ago about the intermittent problem with the coolant level alarm light on my Fabia Estate 1.4 (2002) which kept coming on - and following great advice, I set about replacing the expansion tank today. I got one from ECP) All went well until the very end, when I came to re-attach the sensor/connector which plugs into the expansion tank. No way would it go back in! I did press firmly on the top and bottom clips, but one side in particular would not go more than half way in. I re-tried it on the old expansion tank (which was pretty filthy by the way) and it would no longer fit back on there either. Looking closely, I think one of the terminals of the connector may be damaged. (The ones that connect with the 'prongs' inside the tank.) I'm just trying to find out what this 'connector' part that plugs-in is called, in order to replace it. The pictures I've seen of 'coolant sensors' look nothing like what I'm talking about. Any help appreciated! Many thanks

Many thanks for all the replies. Seems like a new expansion tank is my first port of call. I'll definitely have a go at fitting it myself, based on advice given here. (Although, as I don't have a garage, i think I'll wait till the snow's gone!) I also take the point about the head gasket - something to be aware of, definitely. (I guess no car parts go on forever do they!?) Thanks again for prompt and helpful advice. An invaluable resource, as always. Cheers

Hi there. I followed a previous thread dealing with this problem (ie: Coolant warning light comes on after starting the car, but temp. gauge is normal and coolant level fine.) but can't seem to locate some of the suggested parts of the car in order to try and solve the problem. Namely: I decided to see if the 'prongs' were gunged-up inside the expansion tank - but on opening the cap, there seems to be a small plastic resevoir sitting inside inside the top section- with no access to the tank itself, and so no 'prongs' or anything else visible to clean. Also - is the 'sensor' mentioned the black plug-type thingy which fits into the back of the expansion tank? (Thought I'd try giving that a clean too, if that's the case). Finally - If I can't solve the problem, can I replace the expansion tank myself? (And do I need to drain the system in this case?) Sorry to sound a bit dumb! I'm not very technically-minded, but as a female who doesn't mind having a bash, I've been given some really clear and helpful advice on this forum in the past. (By the way - my car is a Fabia Classic 1.4 Estate 2002) Many thanks

Hi there. I looked at this thread as I seem to have the same problems as a few people before - namely the coolant warning light coming on intermittently when the temperature gauge is normal and the coolant level is fine. As advised earlier here - I decided to see if the 'prongs' were gunged-up inside the expansion tank - but on opening the cap, there seems to be a small plastic resevoir inside the top section - with no access to the tank itself, and so no 'prongs' or anything else visible to clean. Can anyone offfer advice on this please? ie : Will I need to replace the expansion tank itself, and if so, could I do it myself without draining the system? Also - is the 'sensor' mentioned the black plug-type thingy which fits into the back of the expansion tank? (Thought I'd try giving that a clean too, if that's the case). I'm a not-very-technically-minded female by the way - but have had some very helpful and do-able advice from this forum in the past! (My car is a Fabia Classic 1.4 Estate 2002) Many thanks

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think the best thing to do, is probably to get the brakes & shock absorbers checked out at my local garage. I'll take along your comments too - so they know I've looked into the cause. Much appreciated as always.