Gonzini

I'm happy with my 2019 110PS SEL. Its got the 6 speed box, great on a long motorway runs. Good on fuel, can be pretty quick if you what it to be. I came from a 1.8T VW Bora before these Fabias (i had a mk2 1.2 / 4 cylinder before the mk3) Didn't miss the grunt of the 1.8T at all with either car. For me wouldn't buy anything other than the 110PS version though. Only thing you will have to work the gearbox harder in some situations as its a smaller engine, but i think that's the same whatever brand you buy of this engine size. Its good to give the engine a workout anyway. Infotainment system is good, listen to so much music in the car now as its all on a USB thumb drive. Only downside is the tax on the new one, i went from £30 to £200 with the new one. The robbing bastards.

I can get like a bumping thing going on when cold, notice it more in the winter months to date. Once the engine had warmed up think it went away. Might of been battery related though as just been through all that, not noticing it now. Its was a very mild symptom though so probably not related to your problem. But annoying!

@nta16 As I've read though previous threads on the subject, the cars seem to want to keep the battery around the 80% SOC, so around 12.4V which i think i recall seeing happening on mine. Though this new battery is sitting slightly higher so I'll take that. I have watched a few videos on the battery coding on these, looks fairly straight forward. If i had the tools i would do it myself but what i do have available won't do the job. Should try the blue tooth OBD adapter i have though as can check / clear fault codes, if it see them all of course. Yes, i was going to mention about how on this car leaving it in gear on over run doesn't really slow the car down like cars I've owned of old. Kinda got used to it after 4.5 years now. Tester can live in the glove compartment. Its actually cleverer design than you might think. Its uses a PIC micro so its all done in software from the A/D readings it takes. Just for interest... Over V Chrg Defect 15.32V Chrg Func Max 14.33V Chrg Func OK 13.06V Fully Chrg 12.47V Half Chrg 11.90V Very Lo Chrg 11.50V

@nta16 I'll see if i can find someone, might be someone on here local. When i asked at the local VAG specialist garage up the road they said £150 odd to change it over. I asked about coding the battery with that and he said they never bothered with the smaller cars like the Polo's etc. So I'm sure there plenty of places out there banging new batteries in cars and just sending them out the door. Not saying that's best practice you understand. In light of that i thought i might as well just do it myself and save £50. I've got one of those cheap battery / alternator testers that Lidl where selling a while back, put a cigarette lighter plug on the end of it and been using that. That can just live in the glove box then. Would be nice to have one that had better resolution over the window of interest but does the job. Actually i just picked another one up yesterday for £1.19 as they were selling them off. Mainly to see how accuracy is compared between them. It goes green at around 12.5V then amber, then red below around 11.5V. Then the higher voltage alternator LEDs kick in. Been making more use of engine breaking and over run, though i tend to drive like that anyway. Im sure on certain journeys the battery wasn't getting much charge at all. Probably save a bit more fuel as well in the process.

I see, i guess it might learn the new battery characteristics over time though, unless it really does need resetting. You've done well out of your battery then.

That's what i ended up doing, not sure how i would know if its charging at a higher rate. Its definitely working though!

@nta16 Same here with looking into the battery stuff, I'm much more clued up about it now. I'm more aware now of over run when driving, connecting the DVM up has lifted the veil on what goes on. At around 22.5K on the fabia, so quite low mileage for the age. Covid helped keep the mileage down in the first 4 years of the PCP i had on it, brought it Sept 2019. Had a few VW, Mk2 / Mk3 GTI Golfs, 1.8T Bora Then a Mk2 Fabia then this one. I liked the Mk2 Fabia, definitely felt better built / quality than the Mk3. Used to go well, was the 105PS version 4 cylinder. Did look at a Mk4 Fabia but wanted to stop paying out for stuff so passed on it. Also still wanted a smaller car, all new cars a huge these days. So kept the Mk3. I don't know what the latest is with a cambelt change on these, I've certainly not done the miles. I thought it used to be 7 years or 60K. Will probably leave the shunt cable attached, if i think I'm having issues with the battery SOC i might try unplugging it.

@nta16 Most likely, i do with most things 😆 I know much more now about it than i knew when i first posted this thread up. I'll have a read in the manual about this then, i looked at it ages ago but i probably glossed over that bit not realising. EPC light was the first sign of something going on. Before that i wasn't aware of any problems brewing. I've never seen this low battery warning others have seen. Done well with car batteries over the years. Might of changed 2 or 3 in 36 years of driving. I've always looked after them in the past. I'm sure the plugs will get changed on the next major service, I've just let Skoda advise on all that. I'll check out the PDF's, been down lots of rabbit holes tonight, there's lots of good info on here. Those PDF's look good, I'll have a better read later! Cheers

@J.R. Yeah, see what your saying. To be honest i just want to drive that car and not worry about it which is what I've done for the last 4.5 years and its been fine. Batteries lose capacity over time and need replacing, just a fact of life. So at what point of SOC would you say is a trigger to externally charge it? I am aware Im doing fairly short journeys week days, 9 miles each way. But i can get some over run charging in OK. Always hated the stop / start, I'm surprised the disable button hasn't worn out..

@J.R. I get whats going on now with it, i just didn't fully understand how these modern charging systems are working. Mainly because i haven't had to think about it until now! I know we're dealing with a semi different battery technology with the EFB over the old school SLA, but running it at 75 or 80% charge seems bonkers. Especially with all the issues people are having related to battery charge states. I realise now its dumping at lot charge back in on the over run, I'm used to the old school charge ways. I'll bear that in mind whilst driving now. I think i do it a lot anyway trying to save fuel. Not sure what rating the alternator is on mine. Might be a sticker visible on there. I'll keep an eye on it anyway, if it looks like its dropping below 70% charge at rest maybe I'll give it a maintenance charge. But I'll see where the numbers settle at in use.

@AGFalco Chassis ground and positive terminal, as required. I'm southampton way, just outside of. What would be the main benefit of updating the battery coding seeing as its like for like? I guess its stored a log over time of the old battery performance but imagine that will just continue to be updated and its suddenly (hopefully...) got better. When i asked a local VAG specialist garage they quoted £150 but they didn't bother with the recoding which i queried. I'm out the warranty now so don't care what the dealer thinks. They shouldn't charge so much for replacements. They blind quoted me between £300 ~ £400. For a 1L f'in Fabia, what are they thinking. Varta D60, £104 inc VAT / delivered by Bardens (now known as EcoBat) sounds much more realistic, which is what i did. I didn't realise these charging systems are so different from the cars of old. But i understand battery technology has changed a lot of late and its charging requirements. Its just figuring out the best way to manage the charging whilst driving in my use to get the most out of it and periodic maintenance charging. As of today it seems to be be keep foot off the go pedal as much as possible. Really helped understand how it works having the DVM attached. I guess there will be times when it has a constant charge when it feels like it, I've seen that already a few months back when i was checking it out. But obviously now i realise its not always working like that. Been reading a few threads of all the problems people have been having with the start stop on the mk3's, all seems to be pretty much battery related and charge condition. I mean, you just get in the car and drive right. Its starts, you go.

@rum4mo Well having the DVM measuring the voltage while driving was an eye opener. It seems, in its present charge cycle it only charges on over run or when changing gear for a split second. Even running the aircon on auto and windscreen wipers going (its raining and started to fog up...) it didn't persuade it into thinking that maybe putting some charge back in the battery might be a good idea. It was getting up to 14.8V, even at quite slow speeds with the foot off the go pedal. Battery was sitting at 12.2V whilst driving for the main part, once i got home and turned the engine off it slowly started to recover. Last i saw was 12.4V I guess there's different charging cycles then it runs as when i checked it before i had the bonnet open and measured the terminal voltage with the engine idling and it was sitting at 14.8V. At the moment i wouldn't see that, would be like 12.2V which just looks plain wrong to me! I think you have to drive for hours with all accessories turned off with lots of over run to put back in the battery what you took out starting. There's no way my journey home earlier put back in what got taken out starting. It was fully charged at 12.7V when i left, it seems these don't do fully charged as what i know that to be on older none previous stop / start cars I've owned. I always turn off the stop / start, I'm surprised the switch hasn't worn out yet 😆 Have seen the disabled behaviour though when it has been on, which i totally get why its happening. @nta16 Cheers for the links, l'll have a read through. As for letting the battery get too low, i don't think you get much choice with that in normal driving usage from what I've seen then. I will now periodically give a maintenance charge over weekends when it's parked up on the drive, now I've seen how it goes about its business. Take it there must be different charging profiles it runs over time? Overwise I wouldn't of been able to measure 14.8V across the terminals sat idling with my head under the bonnet. I wouldn't of measured that checking today and was the case earlier. So going by what you guys have said i think its probably working as intended then, even though to me its seems like its being very under charged. I'm doing a 200 mile journey up to the midlands in a few weeks so will be interesting to see what it does on a longer journey. I guess if the EPC doesn't light up again then replacing the battery has cleared the problem. Just been using the car for the last 4 1/2 years, other than the yearly service just left it alone to do its thing as since before Dec last year just not had any need to get involved with it. It seems if you were to measure the terminal voltage at anytime it would appear to be always less than fully charged. So i guess today I've learnt something about the charging system on this car, seems a bit bizarre setup to me TBH. But it is what it is. Just have to see how its gets on then, I've put the battery charger back in the box....!

Seemed to stack up with what was happening and with help on here. I've strung it out since Dec, regular charging during Dec when it was cold. It's only where the engine management light came on last week i thought I'd better sort it out. (if that was what caused it...) Pretty much had the start / stop disabled from new, just sometimes i forget only to be reminded when i stop in traffic. I usually swear at it, F'in thing... Charged the old battery up today, but hard to measure its real capacity if i can't load it up and look at the discharge rate over time. Can see if the open terminal voltage drops dramatically over the next few days though. I've just made up a cigarette socket DVM adapter so can check that out later. I'd heard about that current shunt hack on the minus terminal, someone said they just disconnected it. I guess that's one way to test it. I'm just finding it hard to get my head around that it appears it hasn't attempted to charge the battery on the journey in today. Hopefully the DVM should help see what's going on.

Cheers for the replies guys, appreciate it Maybe i should just chillout then and come terms that the battery will be in a semi discharged state all the time, by design or ****up by the sounds of it... I guess it would be telling me something wasn't right, but not sure how reliable that is on these... Good call on measuring the cigarette lighter socket voltage. I'll make a cable up at work so i can plug my DVM in if i can find a plug. If i set it to peak hold should catch the highest voltage it measured. If i connected the laptop to the meter it can do logging, might be a bit over the top though that but an interesting exercise maybe to see what's normal behaviour. Its just where i have measured it charging the battery before. This morning the voltage across the terminals was lower after driving the 9 miles than when i left so set the alarm bells off. So sounds like if the aircons on and lights that should set the charging off then. None of which were this morning. No, not had the battery coded (yet..) I've read replacing like for like should be OK, but if i can find someone capable locally to do that i will i think. I can't talk to this car with any of the older diagnostics stuff i have kicking about. Actually i do have a a cheapo bluetooth OBD adapter that did work with the mk2 Fabia so maybe i could at least look for any fault codes if that one works. It use's the android Torque app. The old battery will be 5 years old end of August, so i just presumed it was getting near the end of its useful life and with the terminal voltage dropping and EPC and engine management lighting up with the start/ stop error message at times... I always disable the start stop / anyway, if i remember. It drive me nuts, i can't see how its doing the engine any good of time if its stuck slow moving traffic and constantly cycling. All I've done with this car is drive it and get it serviced by Skoda every year. Maybe check the tire pressures once in while. I'm not even very good at washing it of late 😆 I'm not sold at all on all electric cars either, battery anxiety must be off the scale with those FFS.

Thanks for the reply No possibly not, Don't want to risk getting stuck here or on the journey home. But how to i get it to start charging so i can measure it as proof its working? I know it does its own thing, I've read somewhere it doesn't even charge the battery fully when it working as intended. As I've been having these issues over the months and then the engine management light flashing the other day seemed like it was time to change the battery out.

Hi all Not a long story but some history of a problem that's seems of been brewing since Dec. 1> 200 mile drive up to Lincolnshire, all motorway. 160 miles in EPC light come on. Get to destination and realise the start stop has been disabled with an error. Check next day, EPC light is off all looks normal. Check the battery terminal voltage and it something like 12.2V. Check its being charged when running and appears that it is. Charge it over night, all looks good. Check voltage few days later and its dropped down to 12.2V again. Suspect the battery at this point. Charge it for a few days so i can get home. EPC light back on after 60miles this time, make it home putting off using any high drain things like the lights until i had no choice... 2> At home charge it on the drive and back to work. No EPC light seems OK again. Check it being charged again and some point later and appears to be, between 14 ~ 15V max. 3> Since been warmer not needed to charge, but aware i do need to get battery changed. VW quote £300~400, independent £150 but they don't do the battery coding. 4> Last week, start car and engine management light is flashing for like 5 /10 secs then goes out. Think its needs a charge again so did that. Not seen the engine management light since. 5> Brought a new EFB Varta N60 stuff it in over the weekend. All seems good, check the terminal voltage whilst engine on idle and its sitting at 12.3V so not charging. Leave it on the drive again and give it charge as not going anywhere for a few days. 6> Check this morning, voltage is at 12.7 then drops to 12.3 at idle. Then drive into work, 9mile journey. Check to see if it being charged when i park up and voltage is sitting at 12.2V. Doesn't seem to be charging.... I've stuck it on charge again so i can get home..! Confidence has gone. How can check or provoke it into charging as it seems there's another issue and I'm not confident all is good having seen that. I've searched on here but didn't find too much. Any thoughts? I've held off ringing the dealers yet to get them to check it out. Dash looks normal, no warning lights (yet...)

Given it a charge today, its come up to full and left it on a maintenance cycle. It didn't take very long as it goes. I'll let it recover and measure the terminal voltage again and see where's it at. Probably get the charger back on there end of next week before traveling back. I managed to bend the bonnet arm whilst closing the garage door, it just clipped the front edge of open bonnet..,. Then while trying to keep the bonnet up with my head and attempting to straighten the arm out i put my back out ffs. Its all very silly but guess it is xmas and I'm not even ****ed yet... I got the arm out in the end and straighten it in the old workmate.. can't say the same for the back.... Yeah, that auto switching of the aircon is a battle. It thinks it knows best.

Its microprocessor controlled, it will do a maintenance charge once its completed main charge. Its not a fast charger dumping lots of amps into it. 12V SMPS, they're regulated so 12V means 12V not 15V off load etc Just the cabin recycling setting were it shuts off the external air intake and just recycles the cabin air. Its just a motor driven diverter flap. Don't think there's a leak, coolant level has remained unchanged in 4 years. Door seals seem OK. Its just were it builds up over time and i did take a number of plastic bags full of wet leaves up the dump a few weeks back... With mine water will run off the roof straight into the car when i open the door.

I'm going to see if my charger still works in the morning, not used it in ages. I did fix it up some time back. Its an 'intelligent' job. I did check the meter out earlier against some 12V regulated wall warts. It just reads a tad low on the scale I'd have to use for 12V. Also remembered i had a battery / alternator tester which luckily was in the boot. The folks had one as well which seems more accurate than the one i have. It just a very sensitive restricted ranged voltmeter that covers from 5v to 15v with an LED at the main voltages of interest. So 12V 12.5V 13.0V 13.5V 14V. I find the Fabia does mist up very easily, it drive's me mad trying to clear it. Even when engaging the cabin recycling over night. I use a window vac which makes quick work of clearing the glass, but then have to blast it with hot air when i get moving then reduce fan speed heat as it clears when driving. I try to leave the windows cracked open if it a dry sunny day to try and clear the damper air. I used to have a VW Bora that was bad for misting up as well. Annoying design thing with the mk3 Fabia is rain running off the roof straight into the cabin when you open a door.

Well it started OK and EPC isn't lit at present. Bit limited on meters here being at the folks so only option is a small cheapo Altai analogue mult tester. I can't be sure on its accuracy and have no way of comparing it to a 100% known voltage. Anyway it measured 12V which is low in my mind but i can't 100% trust the meter so it could be reading slightly low. A fully charged battery should be in the region of around 12.8V open terminal. On starting and getting the rev's up a bit it got up to just under 13V so alternator is doing 'something' I don't know what's normal on these but used to seeing 13.8V under charge on all the other cars I've owned. I'll give the battery a charge later and keep an eye on it, but I'm starting think its just got run down over the past month or so with early morning cold starts with the heater fan going full chat until windscreen cleared and aircon on. Also lights on that time of morning, same on the way home as well. I'm only doing like a 20 / 30 min drive there and back at low revs really, its an 18 mile journey week days. Its not going to be enough to get it back up again. Thinking back i did turn on the lights at one point on the A1 so maybe that was enough to trigger it down the road, it was only doing like 2000rpm in 6th gear so probably not enough of a charge going on even after 160 odd miles at that point.

Hi Yeah for sure. All the previous VAG cars I've owned I've always been able to check for fault codes. I brought this one new back in 2019 so i never updated the OBD interface or software. The one i have might actually work with it, not needed to use it in years. I don't even know where the OBD socket is on this one! I'm going to check the battery voltage in a bit then attempt to start it and check to see if the alternator looks like its charging. Cheers

Thanks for the reply. I guess its a fairly generic error having looked a bit more into it. Only way is to scan for fault codes. I'm in Sleaford, i see there's a maybe a VCDS user in Cranwell which is just up the road. I did think battery as aware it can cause problems. The whole journey is pretty much motorway then up the A1 for a bit. It normally sorts the car out giving it a good run up here and back. Going to swop cars around tomorrow and stick it in the garage for the week, I'll measure the battery terminal voltage tomorrow i think and see where its at. It obviously the wrong time of year for getting in at a dealers, I'm not even sure where the nearest Skoda place is, maybe Lincoln which is around 20 miles away. Luckily i extended the Skoda recovery a few days ago if things go really south...

Hi all. On the run up to the midlands today about 160miles into the journey, noticed the EPC warning light on. I was on the motorway just cruising along in 6th gear. Didn't notice any change in engine performance or anything bad happening so kept going. When i got to folks place kept the engine running and had a look in the car menu. There were no alerts but there's a message about start stop error. I always (if i remember..) disable the start stop as it drives mad so i never use it anyway. When i enabled the start stop feature the start stop error flashed up on the cluster info LCD. No means to read any faults codes either. Parked up now, hopefully it will start OK when i need to move it. I did search previous posts and only one mention of what sounds like the same issue. The fault code they pulled said about an air intake temperature sensor. But then it seemed the problem went away and nothing more said, so no leads there. User manual isn't much help, just says emergency driving is possible with caution and seek professional help. Any ideas?

Used to be 3 which felt right, there's a bit of movement before the ratchet kicks in anyway. Just feels like the lever is getting a bit high. I'll see what i can get access to without trashing anything! Cheers

😆 No worries, thought you might of been there before!