Flopsy

Thanks for the reply nta16, I've now tried the WD40 Contact Cleaner and, sadly, it hasn't helped. Time to call the main dealer i suppose but as it isn't a safety issue I'll wait until later in the year as I'm a bit strapped for cash at the moment.

The thumbwheel switch that selects Distance Travelled, MPG etc is no longer working consistently so I'm wondering if it's an expensive job or not. Although the car was first registered in April 2016 it has only done 12000 miles and the switch hasn't had that much stick really. Has anyone any good advice on the way forward with this please?

Was the car serviced at Skoda dealership or a non-franchised garage? If the latter it could be that a cheap 'pattern' oil filter has been fitted which doesn't hold oil up close to the camshaft so you get a metallic rattle for the first few revs. There should be a non-return valve in the filter that stops oil draining back when the engine is switched off.

This debate has reminded me of our last Mark 2 Fabia which we had from new and was very low mileage. IIRC the car came up to its fourth birthday and our local dealer wanted to swap the cambelt when it went in for its service and MOT. I asked him if they checked the date of manufacture on their stock and threw away all belts over four years old. There was one of those silences... I didn't get the belt replaced. We now have a 2016 Mk 3 from new at 8500 miles and I'm wondering when to get its cambelt changed. One of the things to take into consideration is what's the recommendation in other European countries. Don't forget that Skoda UK is not Skoda but simply an importer/distributor of cars so it will make recommendations based on keeping main dealers happy.

Fabia April 2016 1.2 TSI 90 Can anyone give me a detailed description of the how the maintains the correct voltage for the EFB battery. Had the car from new and experienced the usual 12v Battery Low warnings, mainly in winter, and got myself one of the CTEK chargers. The thing is back in the olden days if a car battery needed topping up the control circuitry would simply activate the alternator and all would be well. Nowadays, even after 40 minutes driving and being left overnight the Battery low warning kicked in. I'm trying to understand how, when and where from does the battery get topped up during normal driving on my little Fabia? I couldn't give a stuff about the Stop/Start system I just want rid of the damn warnings.

just a quick thank you to all the contributors who came forward with the knowhow. Now happy with my car as it doesn't nag me anymore.

Thanks Roottoot.....should have said that i do keep an eye on the car & it's only done 8000 miles in the four years that i've had it from new. When not on the road it's in the garage not on the drive. Just curious about this technique for re-setting service timer.

dumb question perhaps but does it matter whether you press the SET side or the 0.0 side? My 16 plate (april) was serviced a year ago and I've only done 2000 miles; because of that and the 6 month MOT extension it seems pointless having it serviced for another 6 months.

Many thanks everyone for your help, it's put his mind at ease now.

He paid alright, about £600: as for whether it's new or second hand we don't know. I have a Mk 3 and have warned him that i don't trust this dealership; I bought my last car thru Drive the Deal after this dealership offered me a poor deal on my Mk 3. I had previously bought a new Mk 2 from them and was trying to trade up to a new Mk 3 but their offer was insulting: they also ripped me off on service charges. Webuyanycar and Drive the Deal save me over £1400.

My brother has a Mk 2 Fabia Estate 1400 85hp registered November 2008 and has been having engine problems.It started in September last year when the car started losing power, eventually stopping: no warning lights came on and after the Green Flag technician had connected his diagnostic kit up the fault code PO685 was displayed . After a while the car started and they went home. This fault kept returning and the local Skoda dealer had no interest whatsoever in the fault code found by Green Flag. Long story short, the dealer has eventually replaced the ECU with what they say is a compatible VW part . I have attached a picture of the 'new?' part and would like to know if it is fully compatible with my brother's car. The car seem to be running OK but he lacks the confidence to make any long trips in case he ends up at the roadside again. If the part isn't the best will the correct spares be available anywhere at all please?

Quick update. Had the mot and service done to VW standards, £154 all-in; took just about an hour and a half. They checked the brake fluid quality as Skoda say it should be changed after two years, but advised that it didn't need swapping as it was fine. It hadn't been done by the main dealer at the two-year service. Had a little wander round Darwen but not much to see at 8:30am. Anyone in the area not fancying paying dealership prices but wanting the job done properly without being charged for unnecessary work should consider LodgeBank. Well worth the little drive from Preston.

i didn't even know you could do this, let alone that there was an update portal; thanks for the info everyone. Pity my new Honor 8X isn't listed as compatible yet, I'll wait a while.

as someone who has kept an eye on, and joined in, these threads I wonder how many people actually have starting problems as opposed to just seeing the warning. Our Fabia is three years old this month, has done 6800 miles in that time and occasionally shows this warning in winter. I've never noticed it struggling to turn over but i find it hard to believe that it can take a couple of hours of driving before the stop/start kicks back in. Are Skoda using the full output of the alternators once underway or is their output controlled in some way. I got a CTEK smart charger last winter and have used it twice so far but to be honest i won't bother again unless the car is struggling to turn over. Our old Mk 2 Fabia, owned from new for 6.5 years, never struggled to start and was going strong when we sold it with 23000 miles on it. The mileage rate reduced for the last three years to similar to our current(no puns please) rate.

thanks Kenrw8, have dropped an enquiry in to them.

We have a Fabia Mk 3 that we have owned from new, April 2016, that is coming up for its first MOT and an Oil and Inspection Service. The car has only covered 6800 miles since we got it (yes we should get out more) and had a rather expensive but not too comprehensive service a year ago at our local dealer. Not too keen to give them money for nothing this year so does anyone know of a trustworthy dealer out there for our final service during the warranty period? Looking no further than 25 miles away say Morcambe north and similar east and south.

from my experience with a Mk 3 Fabia(April 2016) you should have nothing to worry about the engine turns over quite well. I've seen this warning quite a few times in Winter and even got one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FC42HAA/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item just in case. I've used the charger a couple of times but I'm beginning to think it's a luxury now. For the record our car will be 3 years old at the end of this month and has only covered 6700 miles to date: I won't do less than 4 or 5 miles per journey as it's bad for the car generally. I'm currently wondering where to get the car's first MOT and second service done so if anyone knows a good Skoda dealer within 25 miles of Preston let me know.

takes me back to my Mk 2 which when, I think, 4 years old had a cam belt change as it was recommended 'by Skoda'. Car had only done about 16k miles from new with me and when i asked the dealer if they checked the dates on any cam belts in stock, they gave me a funny look...so i asked them if they threw new belts away if over 4 years old; another funny look. Seem to remember that this is recommended by Skoda(UK) who are not part of Skoda the car manufacturer. Recommendations vary by country. My Mark 3 will be 3 years old in April and I'll be looking for a trusted independent! My last service was done by the local dealer who charged me more than the menu pricing on Skoda's website and didn't do all the task on the list. Only found out too late but don't assume that all Skoda dealers can be trusted especially if you're keeping the car. Paying them might give you a false sense of security.

this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sonax-Xtreme-5L-Antifreeze-Clear-View-Car-Screenwash-Concentrate/132839548819?epid=19018961795&hash=item1eeddaa793:g:Ge0AAOSwR6Bb2ZmN:rk:3:pf:0 Started using it in 2016 when i got my Fabia; never had anything as good as this in the 40 years i've been driving. Great for summer too(lower concentration); shifts everything off the screen.

xman:- i hear what you are saying but Varta appear to disagree in Item 5 of the following article. https://batteryworld.varta-automotive.com/en-be/charge-car-battery

have used the same charger on AGM setting and the car is fine, it even managed to stop/start afterwards. Be careful to NOT connect directly to battery negative terminal and always connect to positive first only plugging charger in once both connections have been made. Not trying to teach you to suck eggs but helping keep your battery safe.

Treat as AGMTreat it as AGM, i found that out on the VARTA website in a previous post Click the arrow top right

according to the Varta website charging for EFB and AGM batteries is the same by the way. https://batteryworld.varta-automotive.com/en-be/charge-car-battery

you're right, it's an EFB more cheapskate than AGM. Had the charger on it for about 5 hours yesterday and it was quickly through stages 2-5, skipped 6 and then onto stage 7. Car actually Stop/Started a couple of times today, first time in a long time.

Cheers Mithane, will try next charge.