HeavyMetalRich

I would tend to agree with @SurreyJohn, it certainly seems like you have a loose electrical connection somewhere. Check your fuses first, sometimes they can work loose. After that you'll want to check the connectors at the switch and air-conditioning pump. The switch one won't be very easy to check, you'll probably have to start taking some of the dashboard apart. If those are all fine you're into checking continuity of your wires and function of the switch and pump. Good luck!

The trim pieces on the door of my Scout are wood but the bits on the dash are piano black. I think the interior would look a bit more cohesive if the dash trims were wood as well. I also find myself getting blinded by the chrome pieces of the steering wheel and vent surrounds. I am seriously considering giving them a rub and having them sprayed alloy silver to match the wing mirror caps and bumper trim pieces.

Had to replace my key battery today after no warning to say it was going flat. I did get a warning that the key couldn't be detected first thing this morning but the car started after I moved the key towards the start button. But after the day away from the car, the key couldn't be detected at all. Changed the battery and all is well.

The mirror switch should be removable on its own. Whether or not this can be done without taking more of the door card off, I can't remember off hand. It's been a couple of years since I did the wiring loom on mine. You could try prying it out with a plastic trim tool. You should be able to tell once you get the door handle grip off again. And by that point you're just a few screws/bolts and a good pull and it's off anyway and you'll be able to check the plug is in or push the switch out if you need to go further in-depth.

I have experience of this problem on an Octavia with the same engine. I wasn't involved with the fixing of the problem but I believe that the same sensors were changed with the same negative results. The problem turned out to be broken wires in the loom under/near the battery tray. It might well be something different on your Fabia but it's worth investigation. Best of luck to you.

I have a 40 mile commute on single carriageway A-roads and got into the low 40's mpg consistently with mixed driving while using my 2015 TSI 220. It was a very enjoyable drive too. I have a TDi 4x4 Karoq now and don't get much better at ~46 mpg.

Agreed with using a g-clamp if you haven't got a piston winding tool. They aren't expensive anymore for a kit that is decent enough to use once or twice a year. You should get a better push on the piston than you can with a tyre lever and providing there is no rust on the piston, it should go right back with no trouble. Another unfortunate consequence of having the brake overheat is that the piston can warp. This can be quite difficult to diagnose until the brakes get warm again sometimes. While this is more common with the bacolite (hard plastic) pistons some manufacturers use but I have seen it happen to metal pistons too. As you suspect @cello, the pads should be a snug fit but be able to move freely. The old pads that you had to put back in may well have swelled up a bit with rust and there might still have been a bit on the carrier where the pads sit. Don't be afraid to crack the carrier bolts, remove the carrier and get a wire brush and even a file or a little zip wheel in the end of a battery drill into those pad seats to get them nice and clean. Then get a nice layer of grease on the pad seat. Hopefully you'll find things go a lot more smoothly.

The only way, as I'm sure you well know, to get anything done is to start doing it. In seriousness though, I would be doing the head gasket first followed by the front struts and then whatever of the smaller jobs takes my fancy first. That way if you find anything while doing the head that you might have to wait for (parts/reconditioning etc), you can do the other jobs while you wait. But yeah go for the biggest job first I would say.

You should be able to tell if the brake itself got overly hot as any rust about the disc will have gone from a dark brown to a very reddish-brown. Another possibility is that the hand brake lever on the caliper has been sticking slightly but has managed to release itself and is now back to working as usual. Hence why you can't replicate the heat. This may have been caused by the MoT tester pulling on the handbrake more that it normally is pulled on to get a decent reading during the test. Worth getting checked out though. Also might be worth saying to the garage that this has happened, you never know, they might check it out for nothing seeing as they'd recently worked with it. But if you don't ask, you'll never know. Hope you get it sorted.

I would agree with this. It looks very much like some kind of lubricant used for the door handle is getting washed out a bit with the amount of rain. Have you had the car serviced within the last six months? It could run out for a while after application.

A front wheel bearing will change sound with a change of direction too as the loading moves. So you can try listening on a road test. It will disappear in one direction and be louder in the other. A buzzing I would think would be a loose undertray or trim. So you'd be worth checking your undertray fastenings if your car is a diesel (petrols didn't have them) or around the front bumper and wheel arch liners for something loose. If you can't find anything you'd be best to inspect the rest of the front of the car (engine bay, suspension, brakes etc). Maybe also have a look with the car running but keep your hands clear. Hope this helps and you get to the bottom of it.

If you need to check they're working properly, have the engine running, brakes on and in Park/neutral, push the switch on the dashboard to turn on the sensors and go for a walk around the car. You might need the window open but you'll be able to hear the audio alarm going off. Stand in front of each sensor and move away from it to check they're all working the same. But if you haven't noticed any irregularities in the way they work with normal driving I think it's not likely they've been affected.

Yeah they're Origami's from a Yeti L&K.

My Karoq Scout with its winter boots on.

You could try a "magic sponge" with a bit of soapy water to get rid of the scuff and then a bit dash shine or silicone spray to get the shine back. Try a little bit of the scuff first to make sure it's not going to make it worse but that is what the "magic sponge" is supposed to be good for. Best of luck.

It is still a tough vehicle to replace. Nobody makes anything as practical in as small and comfortable a package with as many options as the Roomster had. I know what you mean about the noise, most of the time it never bothered me but occasionally I would find myself wishing it was quieter. You could put more sound deadening material over the wheel arches and in the spare wheel well to help with that. We upgraded to a Karoq Scout and while it is a nice car, I can't get to love it. And the Vario-flex seats are wasted in it, they aren't as easy to use and there's a horrible step from the boot floor down to the actual floor which is useless for larger items. I always thought the Golf SV looked like a blown up Roomster but for it being a larger vehicle, I don't imagine it has any more space in it. I've never had a chance to look at one though. Berlingos are comfortable enough, they just don't feel as well built as a VW Group product. The newer ones are a lot bigger now too. And they're still just a van.