Bizzy

This solution just worked for me too ! ( 2001 1.9 TDI Estate ) Thanks to docdlb for flagging this one up. This is the second time Briskoda has saved me a fortune !

Thanks for the quick replies. The light is available on Ebay but it is new - didn't really want to pay so much for such an old high mileage car. It's unlikely that I will find an estate or saloon at the local breakers so I'll just have to bite the bullet and get the new one.

I have broken the rear light on my 2001 Fabia Estate. I want to get a replacement from a breakers yard. Does anyone know if the rear light unit in the hatchback is compatible with the estate ? Thanks.

I have tried reading other posts on this topic but I'm still unclear how to diagnose this problem. I have central locking on my 2002 Fabia. Key only - not remote. When I turn the key to lock, all the doors lock and then instantly unlock. To secure the car tonight, I have entered through the passenger door, used the internal central locking switch and closed the door. This worked OK - all doors locked. Tried WD40 in the keyhole to no avail. Anyone got suggestions or similar experience ?

I'm talking about the realtime display. Up until this problem started the display would function normally. So as I cruised at a fairly constant speed the values would only change a bit. I used to keep an eye on the reading to see if could maximise my mpg. Now they just shoot up and down, anything from --- to over 100, even though I'm maintaining a fairly constant speed.

For a few months my MPG display has been behaving erratically. From moment to moment the reading will take enormous jumps in value. One moment it could be over 100 next it could be 20. Often the display goes blank to three dashes. ( --- ) All the other readings such as external temperature etc seem fine. Does anyone know what might cause this and if it is expensive to fix ?

The first time the light came on was immediately after a change of alternator due to battery charging problems. Subsequently the charging problem returned so I took the car into a Skoda dealer who attempted to solve the charging problem by putting a new battery in. They simply reset the light without any comment on why it was on. The charging problem returned yet again. Thanks to Briskoda forum I was able to correctly diagnose a break in the blue "exciter" wire which connects to the alternator. Anyway, my mechanic fixed the wire but immediately the airbag light came on again. So I'm guessing that there is nothing wrong with the airbag - it's the tinkering with the alternator electrics which makes it come on. On both occasions the battery had been removed from the car - could that be relevant ? Surely if I clear the fault code memory and there is a genuine problem with the airbag the light will come on again anyway ? Any comments or insights would be much appreciated . . .

My airbag light came on after replacing the alternator and I had to get it reset by a Skoda dealer. It has come on again as a result of some more work around the alternator. Can I do the reset myself with the shareware version of Ross-Tech VAG-COM or do I need the licenced version ? Most of the functions in VAG-COM are "out of my league" technically so I don't really want to invest in the full version.

My airbag light came on after replacing the alternator and I had to get it reset by a Skoda dealer. It has come on again as a result of some more work around the alternator. Can I do the reset myself with the shareware version of Ross-Tech VAG-COM or do I need the licenced version ?

Regarding resetting my airbag light. I might have a go at this myself. Does anyone know if the shareware version of Ross Vag-Com would allow me to reset the airbag light or do I need to buy the full licence ?

At last ! I told my mechanic to check the infamous blue wire. Today he phoned to confirm that it was broken. All fixed now. Airbag light on now but this happened when I changed the alternator - just need reset. A BIG thanks to all who posted replies. Ain't Briskoda and the internet cool ?

I read the thread about the blue DFM wire. If the wire was broken or detached, would this cause the battery light to be off ?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. My local mechanic is going to explore behind the dash lights tomorrow. I'm not sure that he will succeed. Anyone else recognise these symptoms or suggest a remedy ?

About one month ago I was driving through Scotland and my 1.9TDI electrics failed. Lots of dash lights came on, power steering went, etc. Turned ignition off. Completely dead when I tried to turn on again. Breakdown garage tested the battery but it seemed to be charging OK. So they suspected an intermittent alternator fault, replaced it and I continued on my journey. About four days later the electrics failed again in England. Went to nearest Skoda dealer. Again, they weren't sure but replaced the battery. I continued on my journey. Today the same problem returned. Dead Fabia. My local garage man put another battery in and noticed that my battery light does not come on at all when the ignition is turned. All the other lights come on OK. He thinks that this could be the problem. Any opinions would be much appreciated. If this is so, how do I fix it ?

Another beginners query : Can someone please explain how to remove the glovebox door. I need to replace one which is badly scratched.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Just finished the job in 5 minutes by pulling out the tray underneath - a doddle really.

I'm trying to install a new Sony head unit. I need to get underneath and behind the unit to pull some of the wires, connectors, aerial booster etc back out of the way as they are preventing the unit from sliding in fully. Never having done this before, could someone please explain how to get access below ?

Did you pull the belt out between the eye and the base to see if the fault actually lies with the retractor mechanism ? I have had this problem, particularly with the passenger side. I was thinking of replacing the whole unit but on closer inspection it seems that the problem lies with the belt not passing through the eye on the pillar properly. I have used a quick clean on the eye and a bit of WD40 - seems to have helped a lot.

Thanks to several contributors on this forum I have eliminated the dreaded dashboard creak. As described in other posts, I was able to remove the central air vents cover using a credit card to gain access at the bottom and then a big screwdriver to gently prise off. I poked on the plastic bits below the bracket with the big screwdriver and indentified the left hand one as the offender. In the end I used a single ( brown ) rawlplug on a knitting needle rammed in on the extreme left side. All is now silent

I installed an aerial booster for the JVC head unit a couple of weeks ago. Worked fine. Car went to dealer for power steering pump replacement. Now aerial booster not working. Got replacement booster from shop. Still no joy. I can't think of what the mechanic could have done to cause this. ( assuming that's what caused this problem ) He will probably have disconnected the battery and reset the computer. Can anyone think of what's causing this ? I've run out of ideas.

The booster is just a generic brand. I don't have the packaging any more. I really do think the booster should be OK. The first one I bought worked great for a few weeks - I thought it was faulty and got a replacement which has not worked at all. So I now suspect that something else has caused the problem. Radio working OK. Power to booster working OK. Booster working OK ( I think ) So what else can be wrong ? A techie friend has questioned the earthing of the booster. Where would this be and how do I check it ? You mentioned the aerial base, VRStu - can this be easily checked ?

It seems that I have misdiagnosed the problem. I have put a test meter on the aerial power output and it seems OK - about 12 volts. So power is getting to the booster. This problem appeared immediately after I got he car back from the dealer who replaced the power steering pump. Can anyone suggest something that might have been displaced or damaged by the mechanic to cause this problem ?

I have recently bought a 2nd hand Fabia which contains a JVC head unit. The radio was not picking up any stations and thanks to this forum I realised that I needed an aerial booster. I duly bought a booster and used the electric aerial output from the JVC unit to power the booster. This worked fine for about a fortnight but then stopped working. Took the booster back to the shop who gave me a replacement but suggested that the power output from the JVC unit may have failed. It seems this is a fairly common problem. Unfortunately it looks like they were correct - the new booster is not working either. Does anyone know of a solution ? Is there another way to power the booster from the JVC unit or will I have to get a new head unit ?

I'll try to buy some graphite powder tomorrow. Just one more point. Lubricating the driver's door lock should be easy to do as there is a keyhole for access. Anyone tried to do the same for the locking mechanism on the rear doors ?

Thanks for all the replies. Now that I have examined the problem more closely, it does look like it's the loop above which is causing the incomplete reeling in. So I will try a bit of cleaning and maybe a bit of silicone spray.