Carlston

I'm not suggesting that the OP purchase four new tyres and rims. I have simply pointed out that due to having an expensive wheel size, ie. 215/45R16, fixing the problem won't be as cheap as it might otherwise have been if a less expensive wheel size had been used.

The OP may need to purchase a new rim if that's what is causing the slow air leak, ie. a damaged or corroded bead area on the rim. However, as you can see below, the 16" option is far more expensive than the 15" option. The speed of the air leak isn't affected by how fast the car is driven, how many miles the car is driven, or what load is carried in the car. The tyre will lose air at exactly the same rate whether the car is used or isn't used, and whether it's heavily loaded or unloaded. For example, if a car tyre's air pressure goes down from 35psi to 32psi in two weeks, how much the car is used or how many passengers the car carries is totally irrelevant. The air pressure will still go down from 35psi to 32psi after two weeks. Some people incorrectly think that a car tyre will only lose air if it's driven. They say, why has my car tyre gone down when I haven't driven it much. They don't realise that a car tyre loses air pressure all the time, and that the rate of lose of air pressure isn't affected by how much they use the car or how fast they go or how many passengers they are carrying, etc. Fabia MK3 7Jx16 ET46 alloy rim (about £150 each) https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/cs_CZ/alu-kola/c/alloyWheels?q=%3ApriceAsc%3ArimDiameter%3A16%22%3AcarType%3AFabia%2BIII%2B%282014%2B%29&text=# Fabia MK3 6Jx15 ET38 steel rim (about £37.50 each) https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/vw-w7760#22523336

Swap the wheel with the slow leak with a spare wheel. Then don't put it back on the car until the slow leak is sorted out. It doesn't help that you are using 215/45R16 tyres fitted to 7Jx16 ET46 rims, because cheap steel rims aren't available in this size. If you had 185/60R15 tyres, you could have purchased a cheap steel 6Jx15 ET38 rim and swapped the tyre with the slow leak over to this steel rim. 185/60R15 fitted to a 6Jx15 ET38 rim is one of the standard tyre and rim sizes on the Fabia MK3. One of the benefits of using 185/60R15 tyres compared to 215/45R16 is that they are a much cheaper tyre size.

Wet stopping distance Quatrac 47.1m CrossClimate 49.2m (4.5% longer braking distance) Wet lap average speed Quatrac 46.3mph CrossClimate 44.6mph (3.7% slower speed) Fuel consumption Quatrac 50.8mpg CrossClimate 49.8mpg (2% less mpg) 2022 all-season tyre review (195/55R16 tyre size) https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm Before you purchase tyres online, I suggest you get a list of local tyre fitters that don't have a problem fitting tyres that you have purchased online. You could try websites that sell car tyres online, such as camskill, blackcircles, mytyres, etc. to see if they have a list of tyre fitters in the UK who are willing to fit tyres that you have purchased online. You could also try mobile tyre fitters that come round to your house or place of work in their van.

Z speed rating isn't used much nowadays, as it's been largely replaced with W and Y speed ratings. Z means over 240km/h (150mph) W means up to 270km/h (168mph) Y means up to 300km/h (186mph) Over-specifying tyres, such as fitting a higher speed rating than you need, and/or XL (eXtra Load) if you only need SL (Standard Load), can make the ride harder. I doubt you need more than an H speed rating (up to 130mph) or more than a 91 (615kg) SL tyre for an Octavia MK3 110HP. Some good 205/55R16 91H all-season tyres with soft and flexible sidewalls should help the ride comfort, such as Vredestein Quatrac. Other good brands of all-season tyres include Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, Hankook, Michelin, Vredestein, etc. See tyrereviews for the latest reviews. However, Vredestein Quatrac 6 aren't available in sizes above 16" except for 225/45R17 and 225/50R17. Therefore, most tyre reviews above 16" don't include the excellent Vredestein Quatrac 6. Vredestein Quatrac 6 205/55R16 91H https://www.camskill.co.uk/m139b0s8003p202103/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac_6_205_55_R16_91H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_70dB

Not all the build codes are shown on the white label in the spare wheel well area under the carpet. There might be around 180 build codes in total. There's a seller on ebay that can supply the build codes. It costs about 3 Euros. skoda vin decoder https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224631127243

It's always nice to match things front and rear with things like tyres and shock absorbers. However, many people will fit aftermarket rear shock absorbers that don't exactly match their original front shock absorbers if their original rear shock absorbers start leaking. I doubt it will cause any safety issues.

On another VAG forum, people stopped using Koni shock absorbers due to corrosion problems.

According to wheel-size.com, the Mercedes C-Class AMG (around 2012 model) uses 235/35R19 fitted to 8Jx19 ET45 front rims and 255/30R19 fitted to 9Jx19 ET54 rear rims. wheel-size.com do often make mistakes but let's assume that's correct. The outside diameter of these tyre sizes are about 1" too small for the Superb MK3. You could fit 235/40R19 and 265/35R19 to them, but I suspect the rear would rub. As you can see in the chart below, the narrowest ETRTO approved rim width for a 235/40R19 tyre is 8J and the narrowest ETRTO approved rim width for a 265/35R19 is 9J. So your rims are wide enough, if that the width they are. A 235/40R19 fitted to an 8J rim has an actual width of about 235mm, and a 265/35R19 fitted to a 9J rim has an actual width of about 265mm. So by changing to a 265/35R19 from the 235/40R19 size, you are adding 30mm to the width of the tyre, which is 15mm each side...and because you would be changing the rear offset from ET44 to ET54 you would need an extra 25mm of space on the inside of the tyre to prevent any rubbing. I suggest you get the car on a car lift and take a look to see if there is 25mm of space available, and you would need a little more than that because the suspension moves when the car is subjected to lateral forces. I would want more than 30mm of space between the inside of the 235/40R19 tyre and anything a wider tyre might come into contact with. I doubt there is over 30mm of space, but feel free to check yourself. There shouldn't be any rubbing on the outside with a 265/35R19 fitted to a 9J rim with an ET54 offset as this tyre and rim only needs an extra 5mm of clearance compared to the standard 235/40R19 fitted to an 8J rim with an ET44 offset, of which that isn't likely to be a problem. So the only real concern I would have is the inside clearance. 255/35R19 has a significantly smaller outside diameter to 235/40R19 so wouldn't be suitable, especially for a 4x4. ETRTO approved rim widths 235/40R19 8.0-8.5-9.5 265/35R19 9.0-9.5-10.5

If you've got 5Q0511115R rear springs, then changing to these 5Q0511115S rear springs should help. About 5% to 10% stiffer than 5Q051115R and will increase the ride height by about 10mm (more if the current springs have started to sag). Considering that there's not much labour involved in changing rear springs, it might be worth doing. If you PM Pete with your VIN, he can check if your factory rear springs are 5Q0511115R. Eibach R19953 (matching 5Q0511115S) https://www.autodoc.co.uk/eibach/18259209 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275598016886 As you can see in the chart below, 5Q0511115S is one up in the hierarchy compared to 5Q0511115R. No Part code Title Note Quantity Model suspension impact padding for vehicles with sports suspension PR-1JE 1 5Q0511115M Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YA 1 5Q0511115N Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YB 1 5Q0511115P Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YC 1 5Q0511115Q Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YD 1 5Q0511115R Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YE 1 5Q0511115S Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YF 1 5Q0511115T Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YG 1 5Q0511115AA Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YH 1 5Q0511115AB Coil spring 2 PR-1JE+0YJ https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/OCT/805/5/511/511003

Kerbing a rim is when the rim is marked/scuffed/scratched/dented with it has come into contact with a kerb stone, usually when attempting a parallel park...although it can be caused by hitting a kerb when driving at speed. Usually not serious, just a scuff/scratch on the outer face of the rim. If the steering racks on Skodas can't cope with that everyday event, then the cars aren't fit for purpose. However, moderate kerbing is unlikely to cause any harm to the steering rack. Probably best to get a second opinion. If there was much truth in "kerbing will easily damage your steering rack", then independent repair garages would be well aware of the problem as they would get an enormous amount of work in fitting new steering racks because kerbing is a very common everyday event.

As you can see in the chart below, 255/40R19 tyres have a 8mm bigger outside diameter than 245/40R19 tyres. So even when the tyres are new, the 255/40R19 tyres will have a 1.2% bigger outside diameter than the 245/40R19 tyres. On a front wheel drive car, the front tyres tend to wear a lot quicker than the rear tyres. So it wouldn't be long before the rear tyres had an outside diameter over 1.5% larger than the front tyres. This might cause problems with the traction control, ABS, etc., because the front tyres will be spinning a lot quicker than the rear tyres. Also, it's useful with a front wheel drive car to be able to rotate the tyres front to back to even out the tread wear. Fitting wider rear tyres is more of a rear wheel drive thing. Front wheel drive cars tend to understeer not oversteer, so fitting rear tyres that are wider than the front tyres seems a bit pointless on a front wheel drive car. Outside diameter of tyres 245/40R19 678.6mm 255/40R19 686.6mm (+1.2%)

Some owners use those small 12V electric pumps that you plug into the cigarette lighter socket. When you unscrew them from the valve after they've put some air in the tyres, they lose quite a bit of air, perhaps about 3psi. So some owners using those electric pumps will overinflate their tyres by 3psi so that their tyres end up at about the right pressure. However, it's more accurate to overinflate and then reduce the air pressure to the correct level using a tyre pressure gauge with an air bleed valve.

You can easily add some air to the car's tyres at home using a bicycle "track" pump. It saves a trip to the garage to use their airline.

If you don't have a good tyre pressure gauge with a pressure release valve for easy adjustment of the air pressure, then Halfords do a reasonable looking one. The gauge goes up to 4Bar (60psi). Avoid ones that go higher, such as 100psi because they won't be accurate enough for car tyres and are harder to read. When it comes to ride comfort, it's easy to notice a 3psi difference. So that's the first thing to do as it doesn't cost any money except for the price of a pump and pressure gauge. What are all the tyre pressures at the moment? https://www.halfords.com/motoring/motorcycling/motorcycle-accessories/oxford-tyre-gauge-pro-dial-type0-60psi-461054.html

New shock absorbers will firm up the ride, they won't make the ride softer. Are you using the correct tyre pressures? Check the inside of the fuel filler flap. There's often two sets of tyre pressures given for each tyre size. One set for a lightly loaded car and one set for a heavily loaded car. What tyre size are you using? 225/40R18 and 225/35R19 will give the hardest ride. 195/65R15 and 205/55R16 will given the softest ride. 225/45R17 is somewhere in the middle. If you haven't owned the car from new, check that someone hasn't fitted sports/lowering springs. These can be a lot harder than standard springs. The easiest way to check, is to look at the unladen ride height of the car. Are the gaps between the top of the tyres and the bottom of the wheelarches similar to similar other cars? If the gaps look noticeably less, that would indicate that someone has fitted lowering springs. Octavia MK3 with standard ride height springs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Škoda_Octavia#/media/File:2016_Skoda_Octavia_SE_L_TSi_Estate_1.4_Front.jpg Octavia MK3 with sports/lowered ride height springs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Škoda_Octavia#/media/File:2015_Skoda_Octavia_VRS_TDi_CR_2.0_Rear.jpg

There are four rear springs listed in the Skoda parts catalogue for the Fabia MK2 with lowered ride height. As you can see below, the 6Q0511115BB rear spring is the first one in the hierarchy with build code 0YA. The other three rear springs further up the hierarchy (which are likely to have a slightly longer uncompressed length and/or a thicker wire diameter) are likely to be for cars such as the estate version and/or tow bar versions. No Part code Title Quantity Model suspension Shock absorber (spring cyl.) for vehicles with lowered running gear PR-1JD,1JC 1 6Q0511115BB Rear coil spring for vehicles with lowered running gear 1 paint mark 1 paint mark 1 paint mark orange white blue 2 PR-0YA 1 6Q0511115AF Rear coil spring for vehicles with lowered running gear 1 paint mark 2 paint marks 1 paint mark orange blue white 2 PR-0YB 1 6Q0511115AA Rear coil spring for vehicles with lowered running gear 1 paint mark 1 paint mark 2 paint marks orange blue white 2 PR-0YC 1 6Q0511115AB Rear coil spring for vehicles with lowered running gear 1 paint mark 1 paint mark 3 paint marks orange blue white 2 PR-0YD https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/FAB/608/5/511/511020

Can you find out the OEM part number of your rear springs? This could be useful information to help further assess the suitability of the 6Q0411105K lowered ride height front springs.

6Q0411105K might be a suitable alternative to 6Q0411105AQ, ie. a similar spring. It's two weight ranges lower than 6Q0411105M which Kilen sell for the Fabia MK2 1.2TDI with lowered ride height. Now, the 1.2TDI engine is likely to be a little heavier than the 1.2 12V 51kW petrol engine, so two weight ranges lower should be about right. A pair of Kilen 25110 front lowered ride height springs (which match 6Q0411105K) are available on ebay for £72.97 including shipping. You might want to compare the below specification with your current 6Q0411105AQ front springs. The wire diameter of the current springs could be measured while still fitted to the car. Sachs list the wire diameter of 6Q0411105K as 12.00mm which I suspect might be correct, rather than 12.25mm, because the 6Q0411105M spring is two weight ranges higher but also 12.25mm. Kilen don't list the specification of their springs but it's always worth taking measurements before fitting any new springs. If there's a discrepancy after fitting, perhaps the vehicle is too high or too low, you can then refer to your notes for further investigation. Specification of 6Q0411105K (according to Optimal and others) Length 306mm Diameter 139mm Number of coils 5.3 Weight 1.8kg Wire Diameter 12.25mm (Sachs list the wire diameter as 12.00mm) Actual photo of 6Q0411105K lowered ride height front spring (notice the approximately 5.3 coil turns) https://www.autodoc.co.uk/kilen/9381388 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143320363712 Here's a selection of Fabia MK2 lowered ride height front springs that are shown in the Skoda parts catalogue. Notice that 6Q0411105K is two weight ranges lower than 6Q0411105M. 1 6Q0411105K Coil spring 2 paint marks 2 paint marks red green 2 PR-L11 1 6Q0411105L Coil spring 2 paint marks 3 paint marks red green 2 PR-L12 1 6Q0411105M Coil spring 3 paint marks 1 paint mark red green 2 PR-L13 1 6Q0411105N Coil spring 3 paint marks 2 paint marks red green 2 PR-L14 https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/FAB/608/4/411/411020

Have you got a photo of the white build code label that's in the spare wheel well area under the carpet? This would confirm the engine code. White build code label that's in the spare wheel well area under the carpet

Is it a hatchback or estate? If it's a BZG engine, why are the CO2 emissions 140g/km? According to wikipedia, the 1.2 petrol 12V 60HP/70HP engines have CO2 emissions of 128g/km, whereas the 1.2 petrol 6V 60HP engine has CO2 emissions of 140g/km. There's a 2010 Fabia 1.2 12V petrol 70HP for sale on autotrader with registration BN60TTX and that has CO2 emissions of 128g/km, as shown on "check road tax", so the V5 would also show 128g/km. Maybe find out the OEM part numbers for the springs and shock absorbers on that car. Then assuming it's standard ride height, find aftermarket parts sold to replace those OEM part numbers.

Purchase the foam and jack kit from a VAG parts departments for perhaps a little over £40. The OEM part number for the foam and jack kit is 6VA093860 Once you have the kit, see if one of your 195/55R16 wheels will fit in the spare wheel well with the foam and jack kit. If so, then order a spare wheel the same size. If you order the tyre and rim separately, you can choose which tyre you want. Using a non-directional tyre will allow it to be fitted correctly in any position on the car. Alcar 6599 6Jx16 ET45 5/100 57.1 steel rim (from Fabia MK4) https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-6955#22920550 Alternatively, order a 15" wheel, ie. 185/65R15 fitted to a 5.5Jx15 ET40 rim. Alcar 4055 5.5Jx15 ET40 5/100 57.1 steel rim https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-4055#23226439 https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=1360399348768339044&rimCode=ALCAR4055

The 215/55R17 tyres on the Superb MK3 are fitted to either 6.5Jx17 ET41 or 7Jx17 ET40 rims. ET54 is too much offset. 225/45R17 is an Octavia MK3 tyre size. Compared to the 215/55R17 tyre size, the outside diameter of 225/45R17 is 5.1% too small for the Superb MK3 as shown in the chart below. Outside diameter of tyre 215/55R17 668.3mm 225/45R17 634.3mm (-5.1%)

5Q0411105HF Lowered ride height front coil spring L19 https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/5q0411105hf?supplier[0]=112&supplier[1]=85 5Q0411105GN Standard ride height front coil spring https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/5q0411105gn?search=OEN 5Q0411105GN&supplier[0]=85&supplier[1]=112&supplier[2]=85&supplier[3]=112 According to Eibach, the 5Q0411105HF sports front springs are 40mm shorter than the 5Q0411105GN standard ride height front springs, and according to KYB they are 36mm shorter. These springs have the same 12.5mm wire diameter and a similar number of coil turns, so these standard ride height springs and these lowered ride height springs should compress a similar amount under the weight of the car. Therefore, the difference between the standard ride height and lowered ride height could actually be over 30mm. There's a similar story with the rear springs, ie. the difference in ride height between the standard ride height springs and the lowered ride height springs appears to be over 30mm. Therefore, you might want to try Bilstein B8 shock absorbers with the Skoda lowered ride height springs. In the worst case scenario, it would simply mean changing the Skoda lowered ride height springs to something like Eibach pro kit springs.

It sounds like you need a new wiper switch. If electricity isn't being sent to the wiper motor, it wouldn't work. You could pull the fuse, but then you wouldn't be able to turn it on.