Former

@Chug41 getting there. But the link although not displaying does include the path stream of your whole route rather than just the destination. On the ebay page, in the address bar at the top, delete everything after the last number in the item (itm) number then copy & paste. - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386172681935 Looks the same but isn't, place your cursor on the link you put up and see the full address on it then do the same with the link I have put up. As for the jack I'd prefer more like 2 ton, "heavy duty" nowadays often means previous light duty, yet a proper heavy duty made product often costs the same, or a bit more or even bit less and I'd keep the jack lubricated (GT85) as if you ever need to use it usually it's not at the best of times and circumstances.

Sorry I missed your post. I remember pages in service books for body corrosion warranties but not seen them since VW ownership. The tick sheets we got we first called "Maintenance list" they look low quality design so could be computer program print off from VWŠkoda UK but who knows, I'd hope VWŠkoda mothership would have more money and design but perhaps not all legacy computer stuff as the motor trade hardly deals in cutting edge stuff for this sort of thing (or in their cars) to keep the costs down and profits up. The Dealership list printouts look better but also can be amusing and/or concerning depending on which of us reads them. I can post up any you want to see (with "redactions" for security and privacy).

I checked my wife's car for another thread this spring(?) and it would be 90+c in 7-8 miles, I think (but can't remember for sure) this would be the same in winter, can't think why not. Not that I have to much faith in the sensors/programs/dash read outs given the outdoor temperature reading on the dash, they seem to suffer with solar radiation gain, at various times we play "guess what temperature the lying VW car says it is", who needs all this infotainment stuff.

I thought it was tighter than that but I've not seen or tested for any actual confirmed figures. I can remember learning about it in 1999 (last century and millennium and just about when German car quality was worth noting) when I noticed how steady and good the dial reading was on my then brand new Japanese car. All my Japanese cars were always very good, boringly so for me being used to old and brand new British (English) made cars.

I wonder about that with the longer life plugs. Have a look here for 'Mounting instructions' (assuming they're correct) and the choice of filters if you do the job yourself. - https://www.mann-filter.com/au-en/catalog.html I got the idea that they only had one scan tool and not all were allowed to use it even if it was available. 🙃 I know there would be error codes to see in my wife's car as I caused them but unable to delete them as my neighbour had moved away taking his scan tool with him (so selfish!). Possibly or just a way of getting extra revenue. This is why I prefer to do the oil change myself, I drain when the oil is hot, when down to dregs drips I pour some fresh new warmed oil in the engine and let that drain through as a sort of mini flush. Some garages/mechanics will do a cold quick drain or even perhaps a suck out, who knows, anything to save time. As I put at 5.6k-miles per annum you are more like to need at least annual engine oil and filter changes. A good practice is to ignore a dial and needle coolant gauge for when the engine is fully warmed as it's biased to show 90c even when it is somewhere above or below this and moving around, better is to set to display your engine oil temperature, it wants to be around 90c for the oil to be warm enough not to cause additional problems. My wife's car on most days would not get to 90c by the time the engine is switched off when she parks at her workplace and sometimes in winter might not get to the minimum display figure of 50c. In the USA where, oil is king, they do 3k-mile and 5k-mile oil changes and show videos of sludge in the engines from supposed build up from supposed 10k-mile oil changes but who knows just as you get good and bad in the motor trade you get good and bad customers who flat out lie about lots of things.

If using an extendable wheel brace always tighten the wheel nuts or (bloody stupid) bolts with the handle contracted so as to reduce the leverage and not overtighten the wheel nuts or (bloody stupid) - sounds obvious I know but think of all the garages and tyre places that overtighten (or miss thread) with a rattle gun and then put a torque wrench on. I had a mate that was an ex-mechanic and he couldn't shift a wheel nut on one of his cars even using a three foot pole.

If you can afford it and want it then buy it but you don't need such an expensive make and model, my mate has a couple of them and they show different on the same battery, not impressive to me. A neighbour and others I know have bought the £15 ones from Lidl or Aldi (I always mix the two shops up) and they have all worked great, my neighbour's must be at least 6 years old and is used frequently on his very low use car. Here is just (another now) example (4-amps is a good size) RingRSC904 (4-amp Smart Battery Charger & Maintainer) I've had the previous version for a few years now for my wife's 2015 Fabia (I prefer numbers to lights as you can tell where you are more). - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RSC904 Just because the cart starts doesn't necessarily mean the battery is fully good, good enough to start the car yes but it could still be in a low state of charge that upset the car's computers and programs (numerous posts threads on here about the issues that can arise) until the battery is charged by driving the car or use of a battery charger and the battery's useful life could have been shortened. Another neighbour had a car that sat for about 2-3 months outside, it had to be driven to try to clear the rust off the brakes disks, of course the engine started fine but the battery wouldn't fully charge even when taken off the car. The car remained parked up, later the car was taken for it's annual service and first MoT, a couple of miles away, then returned to remain parked up. Bit later and the car is bought by one of the big dealerships and I'm sure the same battery will be on the car when it's sold but will need replacement soon after. ETA: minus 2c or 3c overnight

I've never seen a diagnostics report other than tick sheets, perhaps the tick sheets are/were the diagnostics reports. I'm not sure a scan tool gets plugged in unless you pay extra(?).

Sorry I don't know your car, its wiring, what might be controlled by what, which switch or kits might be any good or not, I can do simple electrics and no more. Your installation might be extremely easy or they might be some considerations needed on top of dealing with 24 year old connectors and wiring and installation.

In my experience that is not always the case. If you ring or call in and speak to the people in the parts department and give your reg or VIN they can look up the part and sometime superseded part numbers and give you the correct (if VWŠkoda's database is correct) part number(s) and prices and stock availability. You might be pleasantly surprised at the cost f some parts. The same part (with perhaps a different letter at the end) might cost more or less for the other brands that VW own. Up to you how much time and lifeforce you use up investigating. In another life I used to order parts for customers and the same part could have entirely different part numbers for different brands because the part was made and sourced from the same part manufacturer so I would order the one that was priced the lowest knowing it was the same part so would look, fit and work exactly the same even if fitted to the more expensive brand item.

I've seen videos for the 1.0 MPI and the air box just pulls off on that but I've not idea with the 1.0 TSI, not difficult on the 1.2 TSI just a PITA awkward. You do need the deep thin (and best magnetic) long socket about IIRC £20 for a Laser one, perhaps you can get away with not buying a coil puller and grease to ease future removal, you could put in the standard plugs or more expensive longer lasting ones, plus you only need three of them and not four. Even with the more expensive plugs, plug socket, coil puller and grease I doubt it'd be £141. A couple of years back for a service I took my wife's car to an independent garage that a neighbour had used and if anything it might have been a few pounds more for the work than the Dealership. I have been recommended a chap that uses the end lift at a local tyre place his prices seem low but I don't want cheap work but reasonably good work which seems so hard to find in the motor trade. I know what you mean about a bad back and not wanting to get your hands dirty, I loathe working on our cars not that I know much or are any good at mechanics (but I don't mind simple jobs on my neighbours' cars) but this year I think I might do the engine oil & filter change as I know I will do a better job of that because I care about doing it properly and I can use better quality oil as my wife's car frequently does very short journeys and the annual mileage is low at 8,000 miles a year.

@D.FYLAKTOS you are missing the British humour in the replies, as put if you want a central locking button you fit one. I was tempted to put you might be driving too fast and/or you suspension is bouncing your body around the cabin but as those subjects have already been fully exhausted before I didn't. 😁 (smiley to be sure) IIRC(?) in Australia you can't drive on the roads with anyone putting their limbs out of a window.

Why not take the car to another garage/mechanic. £141 does seem a bit steep for three plugs. On my wife's 1.2 TSI it was £99 which by the time I'd bought the plugs and tools and wrested with the PITA engine air filter box to get at the plugs wasn't worth it for what might be a one-off job. That could be other things including perhaps the computer programs doing their bits but that to me is more encouragement to at least look at the plugs and if paying someone else to do that you might as well fit new plugs. Also if the 1.0 engine air filter box is the same PITA to deal with as the 1.2 then change the engine air filter too or at least take the air filter out and clean it and the airbox, again if paying someone be best to change the filter. The plugs might not be worn out but be past their optimum and fully reliable use, age and the environment of the engine effect them not just milage lack of mileage and use effects the engine with it not being at at reasonable running temperature proportionately for longer periods and more heat cycles, same for the engine oil (so perhaps needs changing more often and not less often.

ETA: I was still, as often, one-finger typing as Oootofhere and you posted Up to you if you want to change the plugs, it's your car - I would as low mileage and lack of use bring their own issues. Misfire are often from spark plugs. If you have a scan tool you could look for records of misfires or look at live figures as the engine runs. You have three plugs so if one plays up that's 33.3% of the set and cylinders. Some people would never bother changing the brake fluid, I do, I like the brakes to be good (tyres are a very important part of the braking system, and steering and suspension systems too). Personally the engine air filter I would not leave 4 years or 6 years to replace or even check to see how dirty it is. Depending on where you park your car you could get dirt in from the car just sitting around doing nothing. Sitting around also effects the tyres (there's more to them than just tread depth) and the state of charge (and life length) of the car's battery, If that gets too low then the computers can throw up all sorts of unexpected issues even before warning lights and messages and even if the engine starts fine and the headlights look bright enough and leads to premature (expensive) battery replacement. Pollen filter should be straight forward (though often including a bit of awkwardness for "fun") let us know how you get on with that, perhaps even put a guide in the 'Skoda Fabia Guides'. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/167-skoda-fabia-guides/

If you want central locking for the sake of it that is up to you. But if your elbow is hitting the the door lock pin then keep your arm nearer your side and not sticking out, you have a steering wheel not handlebar, perhaps alter your driving position. This in combined with selecting gears with the gear lever inappropriately then you might need more physical restrain with arm-ties, HANS and seatbelt harness, or driving more appropriately for car/road conditions. Otherwise you might want to check body coordination with a medical practitioner. Unless you're well over 2m tall and struggle to fit in the car.

Even if you use the use the keyblade to open the door in an "emergency" the bloody silly (or not if you're not stealing your own car) car alarm will go off as soon as you open the door. I was on the same lines as Ootohere, a visible deterrent rather that computer stuff would probably be more effective. Only saying today (for those old enough to know what I mean) having a choke on a car is enough to stop most from stealing it, a sign saying the Tw*tNav is out of action is probably enough now. I'm from a time when the Škoda badge was enough of a deterrent, no need to even lock the car. 😄 (yet quality dropped when VW first took over, as now(?))

Daniel, I was going to suggest a solar panel but was concerned it might get nicked when your car was in a public car park when you're doing your walk. I'm glad to hear the solar panel works well for you. The suspension issues on my wife's Fabia, and others, was more to do with the lower quality parts VW used from factory build, I have a mate and a neighbour with 20 and 20+ year old Toyotas on factory suspension travelling on many of the same roads as my wife's Fabia but the front dampers ("shocks") on my wife's car failed about 6 years old and the VWŠkoda replacements were a potential MoT fail at less than 12 months old, "misting" ! That's discounting all the other suspension noises. Perhaps the 2016 cars are much better. Until a couple of years ago my one and only everyday car for the previous 16 years was a 1973 MG Midget so I'm very used to engine noises (tappets, induction) let alone the gearbox and back axle whine, I like the sound of the machinery as long as I know the cause. This morning I was driving the Fabia, the car's computer thought the outside temperature was 28c (it wasn't) so high idle and loads of noise, after satisfying myself it's faulty sensor(s) and computer programming I just drove off, accepting the swings and roundabouts of modern car computer programming (I drive my neighbour's 2023 car so I know things got worse, thank gawd it's not a Tesla);. Enjoy as much as you can for as long as you can, cars are just lumps of metal (and much plastic now) if they serve their purpose that's great.

Yes but I'm old and I forgot - and as I'd never bothered with such stuff on the road my mind wouldn't retain it as I've managed for decades with a (manual) foot pump for my needs, I realise others can't or don't want to but I value myself and others above lumps of metal and plastic (VW and others) cars and whatever caravans and motorhomes are made of now, but as always each to their own.

To me the groove doesn't look as deep but I've never seen it in the metal. Yeap with the characters for marque but whether that matters on such an item I don't know, you see plenty of VAG marked parts across the VAG range of marques and models, including their Aldi Bentleys, when the skin is off but perhaps those parts have some alteration(s) again I don't know. Links was only for clarifications I realise without being a Freedom or Freedom Lite member you were unable to edit. Let us know how you get on.

Fair enough. You have covered the important components and items like brakes (tyres are included in brakes, steering and suspension) and one of the reliability items the car battery but I would also advise you to by an appropriate battery charger maintainer and read the car's Owner's Manual and battery charger maintainer instructions and fully charge the battery slowly with low amps (2, 3, 4-amps) which can take many hours before you go away and then as required. The battery is a store and even a new battery can be depleted. Keeping the battery well charged will help to keep it working better for much longer. A battery in a low state of charge can cause all sorts of unexpected issues and unseen error codes even before any warning lights or messages and the engine will still start and lights seem bright enough. Using the car for longer distances should give the car's alternator a chance to do it's job without wearing itself out too soon. Personally I can only suggest looking for a local independent VW specialist or general garage with a good reputation, but do not expect to save too much on servicing costs or go with the VWŠkoda Dealer. As for the 2 year servicing plan you put up I think it is the wrong way round, the second year wants doing first, but it depends on exactly what was done previously. IMO 6 years is far too long to leave an air filter in without at least inspections and perhaps cleaning certainly replacement sooner, every couple of years or so for me. This is a job you could do for yourself generally with just a screwdriver and pliers (depending on your engine). Spark plugs you may get away with given your very low mileage but I would pay to have them changed, which involves removing the engine air filter box so you might as well replace the filter then. Again you could change the cabin filter yourself (and chose the type you want) like the engine filter it's not a difficult job but may have a slight awkwardness to it (no jobs on a car are fun to me), I've never changed one on the Fabia but the instructions don't look too bad. Engine oil and filter really need doing once a year (in fact more so if journeys are frequently short) again a very simple job but easier done with a lift and also the underside of the car can be checked and suspension and exhaust. Hopefully with such low mileage your suspension should be longer lasting than on my wife's 2015 Fabia but you might get the various noises with more use, like the various engine noises at various times I've (almost) got used to ignoring them. The front dampers were replaced on my wife's car, unfortunately with the same sort as it was a distress purchase at end of MoT, the other noises others seem to have and never find to resolve so I put up with them. The various engine noises I put down to the computers doing their job so I put up with them to, I've always found VW 4-cylinder petrol engines to be noisy (diesel like) so am biased - and I don't particularly like VW products but to be fair the Fabias aren't bad cars. Best of luck with whatever you decide and your walk.

@Chug41 for jack, in another thread here DerekU put up the following image for Mk4 jack. - Carlston's links take up less post and page space but still contain the stream of your original links, hover your cursor over them to see. Cutting and pasting, up to the question mark gives the edited direct inks. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166908147442 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404611200470

I don't know Torquay so have no idea of costs down there and going rates. You have the Škoda service and maintenance charges as a starting point plus whatever your mobile mechanic charged. If he had to take and return your car from an MoT you must expect to pay for his time to do this. At 5,600 miles as you have already found the costs are very disproportionate and items need replacing and attention because of the lack of use of the car. I guess but could be totally wrong that ATS replaced the brakes two years ago because they were very rusty from lack of use. Which would make me wonder about the state of the tyres through lack of use despite the tread depth left on them and the state of health of the car battery - but it might be that the car is kept garaged with a battery maintainer on it. What you spend your money on is your business but you may want to look at how much longer you will keep this car to work out what you what to do about servicing and maintenance and the costs of these given your extremely low mileage. I have experience of this for myself (I no longer own a car) and with my neighbours, two have got rid of their cars through, well, more like no use at all but still costs of ownership. The past is the past and nothing you can do about it but the present and the future you can. You might consider cutting your losses, you have a depreciating asset with ongoing costs. But your circumstances might be entirely different. Many years ago I worked out buying a new car for less than 3,000 miles use per year was very expensive and I could have taxis everywhere, and/or hire cars as required, for similar costs or les and none of the storage and use hassles, costs might be a bit different now but it would be an interesting exercise to work things out.

Do always check any information you get from any source, including from manufacturers, especially off the internet - I have never owned a Felicia (my wife had a Favorit in the early 1990s) so I don't really know anything about them so have no real idea if I have given you the correct part numbers as I have just taken them from the Škoda-parts website (all websites, databases and catalogues have errors and omissions). If you have a factory original part on (or off) the car with a part number on it then that is the place to start from, of course over the decades (especially with VW) that part and/or part number might have been superseded. Also you have learnt another valuable lesson with the leaking plastic part - always double check, then check again what you have double checked already and never assume that even if something has been checked a number of times that it is not worth checking again if required. Even in a clean car like yours many parts and items are bleck against a dark or black background so you need a good light on them, also a magnifying glass (with good LED under lights) is useful to check parts for things like small cracks or damage (or part numbers if you have old eyes). Digital cameras (phones) are good to zoom in with also and can get to places difficult for your head and eyes to get to.

ETA: What is the previous service history and maintenance of your car? Have you had the car from brand new?

Hi, welcome, Do you mean low mileage of 56,000 miles or 5,600 miles?