TMB

Did ya get new valve stem oil seals fitted?

It's very easy to remove the instrument cluster. I would try taking the two plugs and and off a few times and then spraying the cluster pins and plugs with contact cleaner spray. From my own experience I have found the cluster plug connections to be a bit fussy. There's also the possiblity of dry solder joints inside the cluster but I would try the plugs first. Why the battery is draining I don't know, though. I would clean that earth up too. This video is about the immobiliser but shows how to pull the cluster out and remove the plugs. For 20 mins work you have nothing to lose...

The job on the head is miles better than the one I got. Great stuff

Yes, those are correct for the brake and reverse

Yeah, that's definitely a TEMAC one with damaged lettering. Was hard to tell from the other pics.

I can see that your catch mechanism is stuck and needs freeing off, and/or the return spring may be broken (unlikely but you never know). On yours, the black bit in the orange circle is stuck back from the cable end... A pic of mine showing cable end in contact...

............ Redundant post

Your car has the factory head gasket but it's not the modified TEMAC one as far as I can see from the pics? It's done well to last this long if it is the non-TEMAC one.

Nice work, Mike Your cylinder head face looks a lot better than mine did!

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/369663-yet-another-fabia-immobilizer-thread-solution-included/

Before you bought all that stuff did you check the immobiliser solder joints inside the cluster? Very common issue...

That second kit (and possibly the first kit) doesn't have the correct tail light bulbs. The Fabia uses 566 offset pin tail bulbs which are twin filament 21/4 watt. One filament sevrves as the tail lights and one the driver's side fog light. The left fog filament is redundant. The number plate bulbs are also wrong in that kit (should be 239). No correct indicator orange bulbs either (should be 581). The kit also does not contain a H3 main beam bulb. Some of the Fabia's fuses are mini blade fuses and those kits look to only have standard size blade fuses. Brake light bulbs are P21W (382).

You mentioned a compression test - did you do one and if you did what were the results?

Error

Are you going to fix the cut wire too?....

^ Excellent!

Yeah, the PAS pump might be cycling on and off for some reason. The on and off load on the alternator would affect the idle.

What if you tried running the engine without the aux belt on so that the alternator is not turning and see if it makes any difference to the idle?

I'd be the same

Personally, I would set them as you are having the head skimmed. Probably makes not much difference but you know they will be right. It's a pretty straightforward procedure. I just jacked one side of the car up, put it in fifth gear and turn the jacked up wheel to turn the engine.

Two turns of 360 degrees. It doesn't have to be absolutely bang on, it's just to get the lifter pistons set at about half way down the lifters.

OK, well here's a copy and paste of the solution...

No problem

OK.