wingnut1000

I've replaced the loom with a new one. All good now apart from the nearside mirror not dropping when in reverse; probably a different problem. The pic shows the extent of the damage 3 broken and every other wire was damaged with some badly frayed- I don't think soldering new wires in would have been the answer as it would have meant a lot of heat shrink and the whole thing would have got bulky and stiff. Points for people to note if they want to do a replacement themselves (noting that I am no expert): 1. Prise up the panel of window switches on the handle. Free the 2 connectors and remove the 2 size 27 torque screws. 2. Undo the 2 smaller torque screws at the bottom of the door. 3. Remove the locking switch/connector and remove the remaining torque screw. 4. Pull the panel off from the bottom. There are 3 lugs on either side that will probably break so have new ones. When the lugs are out, lift the top off of where it hooks into the window well. The triangular bit covering the mirror was a bit of a pain but I think it should come off if you pull the top bit away into the car (by about 15mm) and then slide up. 5. Then undo the remaining cables and the door release. There's a video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i-guVmuknM) showing the rear door removal. the front is similar but more plugs, 2 more screws and the mirror bit. Take a picture to remind you how it all looked. 6. All the connectors are different and have little catches that if found make disconnection so much easier. If you have the new one already, study it to work out where the catches are. 7. The hardest connector, by far, was the door lock as it is hidden inside the panel. I drilled out the speaker rivets to remove it to get my hand in but it still didn't quite work. In the end I took the little foam disc off and that enabled a small flat screwdriver in to press on the catch. I'm guessing that's what the hole is for. 8. With everything released, pull the whole loom out through the hinge hole. There you have to push the rubber boot into the door before twisting it to pull it back out. 9. Push/pull the new loom back in through the hinge hole. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Just push each dangly bit through is it comes and reach for it to pull it clear through the side hole. Just don't tug too hard and damage the cables. 10. To get the rubber boot located in the door it has to be pushed through entirely and then pulled back. I found this was easier when I put some washing-up liquid on it. 11. Reconnect all the sockets you can. Make sure all connectors latch properly esp the door lock connector. Cover up that hole. Put the speaker back in. I used 4mm rivets although i think they should have been 4.8mm. 12. Put new studs in the door panel. Hold it in position well enough to reconnect the door catch and the cables. Make sure the remaining cable come through the right holes to connect later. Don't press it home yet. Reconnect the cables to the car and and the door lock/window panel (without fixing properly) and try as much as you can without the door closed, including the mechanical door release. If happy press the studs home, replace the 3 small screws, replace the 2 big screws. Replace the locking switch and window panel. 13. Put the triangular bit back in - slide it down over the 2 lugs then push the 3 lug at the top home. 14. If it all works have a beer. Thanks for your help guys.

Turns out that 3 wires between the body and the driver's door are broken, and what i imagine to be the 12v line in (fat and red) is frayed. Thought about soldering but no room and others are likely go later so I've ordereda new loom (120GBP) and will have a go at fitting it myself. I will add this is poor for a 5 year old car with just 60k on the clock. Would like to think Skoda are doing something about it. I may take some pics of how to do it for others.

Thanks matthewg. Just had a look and sure enough 3 wires broken (green, yellow/blue, white/purple) and a thick red wire badly frayed. See pic. can't see other ends. Short of cutting the rubber shroud off entirely, i dont see how i can fix it. Could I buy a new loom and install it?

I've got same problem. Where was your broken wire and how did you get to it. Ive had the panel off the back door but broke some pegs and one of the peg housings on the panel so don't want to reck the front door more than necessary.

Ok. I'll give it a go when back home. The problem is bigger than the window - the door itself is not locking either !!!

Thanks. I'll have a look when i get home. I realise now that the door itself does not lock either!!!

I've just found my rear offside window is not working and the switch on the door is not illuminated. Any clues to get me started tracking the problem down? Thanks guys.

I've recently got the not folding mirrors problem and just tried the window fix. Thanks guys. Unfortunately the rear offside window is not functioning and it appears no power is getting to the switch as it is not illuminated. Will search the forum for hints on fixing that then try again.