AnnoyingPentium

I bought mine on 52k and got it to 120k (and those were hard miles for it) before the chain went, although it had been rattling beforehand and some idiot (me) ignored it... Edit - Changed oil on it between 8-10k miles normally.

Gates or INA would be my recommendations. Used the latter on my old Vectra B and it's somehow still going...

As above, look for the radio code in handbooks, paperwork, etc. - it's four digits. If no luck, there's online services who will decode from the serial number, or you'll have to contact a Skoda dealer. If all else fails, plenty guides online for fitting an aftermarket stereo to these.

If you pull the cap off it replicates the fault codes/symptoms. However, I fitted a known good one and it didn't make a difference unfortunately.

Update - I spoke to @Breezy_Pete over WhatsApp the other day, and he'd mentioned the PCV system being at fault. After procuring and fitting a known good one from a parts engine my mate has kicking about - I've still got the same issue. I get the fault codes as before, but also it feels almost like it's hunting at idle, and on light throttle it genuinely feels almost like it's misfiring. Throttle body has been swapped for the parts one too. There's no air leaks from the pipework now either as it's all new. Everything I seem to think would be wrong with it, just isn't or has been replaced already.

Coming back to this as I've toyed with a few things we thought would fix it. So far, we've replaced the oil filler neck and the cap itself - if you have a leak here it will prompt the same codes (P1504 and P1553) as I have been having. However, this was not what was causing mine after replacing it with a known good neck/cap from a spares car. Chucked a smoke generator on the vacuum system and identified that the intake manifold has been leaking where it meets the engine itself. I haven't fitted the new (used, known good) one yet as not had the time but I'm hopeful this will fix it. If anyone else is doing the same, make sure you replace the gasket too. I'll report back with my findings as soon as I have them.

Not quite the same thing, but my mate (who isn't on here I don't think) and I retrofitted rear electric windows from a donor Elegance to my old 2006 Mk1, although being a later one there were some CAN/LIN incompatibilities. I think the main thing I'd advise is making sure you have a Comfort Control Module that is capable of running these things, as I know there's a certain spec of these that have a stripped down system that cannot be adapted. @Tech1e might know more than I do about this actually.

Yeah it was just to seal it more than anything else. It seems to have done alright, I do it every 2 years or so in various places. It's still very solid though - and ready for me to get it sold now. The red one has been in Scotland since new, and that's not a good climate.

My red one was doing this, perhaps not quite as badly but in winter I try to pressure wash in the arches fairly often. I sanded it back with a dremel, applied copious amounts of rust converter, primer, then rattle canned it with alleged Flamenco Red (which most of the car still is). Was a place in Co. Tyrone (I think) that sold me the paints and they're a bloody good match.

PM'd.

I've got a Launch diagnostic tablet that could take the light off. Happy to have a look if you can bring the car to Ayr. Send me a PM and I'll throw my number across, we can sort something out. Cheers.

Just to conclude. I finally got this thing largely finished, enjoyed it for roughly a week and then it stalled at a roundabout, and when eventually started it sounded like a bag of spanners. Timing has jumped. It will run but it pains me doing so. My best mate has expressed an interest in the rescue of the thing, so rebuild could be on the cards hopefully. New thread for new car is here:

Bought it from Radcliffe! Started life supplied by Robert Eardley & Sons and went to someone in Sandbach who owned it for quite some time. I'm keeper number 5, but the last two have spent decent money before parting ways - not sure how to look at that yet. Main thing is that it's tidier than my last one. I was going to put my own plate on, but I might keep the knob reg for a laugh.

My Mk1 1.2 decided to expire the other week there, and I was left car-less. As many of you will know, this cannot do, nor can owning something made after 2007. Therefore, I've been out and bought this. Things it isn't: newer than my last one, in a colour I'd have liked, and most critically, it isn't functional either. Things it is: better specification, has a longer MOT, didn't cost the earth, and has had a recent cambelt. Oh yeah, and it has knob in the number plate. A belt? I hear you ask, one would presume I'd bought another 1.2 12v, but no, I've taken it one step further. Yaaaaaaarp she's a 1.4 16v, baby! 100 raging ponies... allegedly. Goes like hell when it works at least. Critically, it's a really clean old thing, with 87k on the clock. Dead posh too, with heated seats, heated mirrors, heated washer jets, ice cold air conditioning, alloy wheels, and parking sensors! It's not far off being quite the minter I don't think, bodywork needs minimal attention. Interior needs a couple of trim pieces, etc. that I can take from the red one without affecting its functionality (more on this soon) but it's no more than a couple days' work. As alluded to previously though, I'm having a couple of teething issues with this car. Yes, it was cheap (always important), but I didn't quite expect for it to lose all throttle response on the M6 and it has done a couple of times since then too. It's currently with my mechanic who is struggling to replicate the faults, but I've handed him a printout of the fault codes. It's either an earthing issue, an unknown vacuum leak (checked servo line and it's fine), or an ECU fault. If all else fails, either one of these three godawful possibilities can be sorted fairly cheaply as my mate down in Dumfries & Galloway as quite a few parts for these BBZ engines. I've not got the modification bug for this one like I did for the red one, and I'm okay with that. Primarily I just want to make sure it's as good as it can be without deviating from originality if I can help it. Exciting stuff, I know.

Thanks! The filter didn't help so I may try an ECU reset.

That might do it... Wasn't me, guv. I've just bought the bloody thing. 🤣

Hi folks, I keep getting these codes on my 03 1.4 16v BBZ powered Mk1 Fabia. I keep thinking along the lines of the MAP sensor but not 100%. Both myself and the recovery service I had to call out cannot find am issue with the pipework which I know is a common issue with these. When it fails the car goes into limp mode, with EPC, ASR, and the engine lights all lit. Further it also occasionally loses all power resulting in it kangarooing if the throttle is pressed. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Is it sort of rubber-ey, Pete? It's not like a sort of dampener to absorb vibration perhaps? I removed similar from a Vectra I was stripping, they were fitted to the radiator.

Ayrshire registration... quite far from home!

Best of luck! Should be the best thing you do.

Welcome to the correct side of the border. Sanquhar is quite a nice place. I'm up in Ayrshire, barely nudging D&G and the Galloway Forest. I've heard decent enough things about Park's Skoda in Dumfries. My Grampa went and viewed a few Octys through them before buying a brand new one through a dealer in Bournemouth...

Excuses! (I say this like I'm going)

It sounds to me as if the CD changer on your car has disconnected itself from the stereo, and is not receiving power to eject the magazine. The power/data feed to/from the CD changer is a single cable, which runs from under the passenger seat, under the carpet, and into the back of the stereo. I'd be checking two places: the back of the stereo (blue plug in the slots above the standard brown/black ISO connectors) and also where the cable running from the CD changer links to the loom that runs to the stereo. The line has a wide black connector on it close to the seat - to allow removal of the seat, etc. It's possible this has come loose/fallen out if the passenger seat has been moved about. Hope this is of use to you.

Great progress with this one! Really enjoyed reading it.

Just caught up with this. Excellent work as always. 👍