Former

You can get plastic screws for number plates and screws with various colour plastic covers from various street shops and motor factors, or of course the internet. Just as one example - https://www.halfords.com/motoring/number-plates/number-plate-accessories/ Screws or covers may vary depending on if they hit a black character or white or yellow reflective and depending on how much the person fixing the plates worries about such things. I'm not sure VW make too many concessions for UK vehicles but perhaps they do, whether at the original VWŠkoda UK Dealership number plate installer would follow these anyway I don't know, perhaps things have changed for much newer cars.

In my experience the type pf number plate fixings in the UK vary and so do the screw sizes and threads depending on who fitted them. Remove one of the existing screws and measure it, width and length, note the thread type and look them up on the internet with tables for different screws or post a clear background and photo on here of the screw with the dimensions and some one will identify it.

Mine too but this was covered earlier in the thread but I would also be concerned about the quality of the joint(s). Thread drift warning - 😆

Yes and this is why you don't want a "cheap" insurance where everything goes to call centres where the operators have to get rid of you as quickly as possible to get on to the next call and get little training other than to do that. Even with the better and bigger insurance providers things are outsourced but there is at least some level or other route to real customer service enquiries, Often then it's a gamble when you ring as to how much the person on the other end actually knows and is willing or able to help (rather than "computer sez No") or knows how to, or is willing or able, to pass you on to the correct system/business section/person to correctly answer and deal with your needs. Some companies have communication systems that are difficult to engage with let alone get satisfactory help from, including their real live employees, some of whom may not be able or allowed to really help you even if they want to. As I put before "cheap" insurance is fine until you need to actually to use it or even engage with it. It's also the same the other way round for the insurers (or any other business) "cheap" customers who don't read their policies before and after taking them out and expect what they imagine rather than what they have agreed to and paid for and those that to any real extent lie and scam. Such is life. 🙃

To add some positive to matters - because the car looks so good in the photos it is easier to see possible variances and perhaps a higher level of concern about a higher of condition and be more critical over things than in a car that's of a lower standard, somethings are more a very little effort to get things better. No one has any magic powers to see inside the items in photos so can't see if the radiator or engine or rest of the heating cooling system is (reasonably) clean and clear or if that taped electric wire joint is good, it could well be.

Bear in mind Felicia98noob is in Sweden and IIRC(?) put summer(?) temperatures were 18-25c which could be lower even than here in UK, also I'm sure you would never have your car running at such that you needed the cabin heater on full (even with the engine cooling fan permanently wired to on) and perhaps Sweden's lower(?) winter temperatures than Greece or UK have also to be taken into consideration. @Felicia98noob if you want to to, to keep this thread now to the overheating, to save confusion you could start another thread about the radio and wiring generally, I have seen a couple of things in your photos that may be nothing (camera angle, photo perspective) and others I would at least be curious about. Sticking with overheating - for difficult to get in to reverse sometimes if the engine is very hot this transfers some heat to the gearbox which if low in oil level may add to gear selection issues. Again one item or issues affecting another item or issue which is why I recommend as early as possible in old car ownership carrying out whole car servicing and maintenance, checks at least, like gearbox oil level. Better still at some point doing a thorough changing (hot longer drain and perhaps cleaning flush) of the (manual not auto) gearbox oil and using better quality gearbox oil to give better and longer margins of protection. Of course the reverse selection issue may be not affect by the gearbox oil, other suggestions have already been made but one that was only mentioned indirectly was driver training/learning. With reverse gear (and first to some extent) you want the engine revs to be at low idle, foot fully off the accelerator and engine revs allowed to fully drop, then clutch pedal fully depressed and held for a second or so before selecting reverse and ensuring it is cleaning engaged before beginning to lift the clutch pedal and if required touching the accelerator pedal. You can often hear when some drivers do not bother with this procedure.

What about oil and oil filler cap, any milky look to the oil? With that possibly bit of "DIY wiring" I, and I expect others, are wondering if the engine cooling fan was wired by someone to remain working to cover the start or actual overheating before the car's sale, could be totally wrong with this of course just suspicious from decades of experience from association with old cars in one way or another. You should not really be using the car if this is the case as things generally can get worse. It is in occasions like this that timely engine oil and filter changes pay greater dividends especially if better quality engine oil is used that offers better and longer protection at high (and very low) engine running temperatures giving greater margins of engine use. Many go with cheap any standard oil with old cars and not too bothered about timely or thorough change (quick cold drains instead of hot longer drain) which can be the very opposite of what is needed. Same with other fluids like coolant, gearbox, power steering and service parts, if they are working that is good enough, not that they are working fully or reasonably let alone working fully and well.

I've already put up a post with a link to another thread post with my procedure for thorough cooling/heating coolant cleaning, it's nothing special at all, very simple, just thorough, ideal to do in the warmer/hotter parts of the year as you can also cool yourself if you want. 🙂

I don't there is anything wrong with the fan but just in case a simple, quick easy test is you could check the fan is turning in the correct direction, wire to to be on then get some smoke in front of the radiator and see if the fan pulls the smoke through the radiator. The engine cooling fan and the fan in the cabin blower running uses a fair bit of battery power. Having to turn the cabin heater on to full is an emergency short term measure to overheating, it should not be relied on, this is defiantly not a good sign. Sorry I am not sure what you mean by this, the radiator will be hotter at the top and should be hot once the stat (thermostat) has opened. The stat starts to open at around its stated figure but is not fully open until a higher figure. Possibly but you waste a lot of time (and money) just guessing you need to follow a logical path of diagnostics to resolve things fully and keep in mind the issues(s) may be from one or more sources of problems. Such as, and I know you do not have a coolant leak but if you did even if you find a source of leak you still look and check for other possible leaks. A Dealership/garage/mechanic may stop when they find a leak to leave another leak because they have not fully checked, you want to do better for yourself and your cars. When the battery was in reasonable state of charge did you have any hesitation in the engine firing up at ignition either before or after the overheating? The car and engine will not be running as well as it should or could if the engine is overheating, it affects the running of the engine and who wants the heater on full in summer heat, if this was a new car you would not expect it and there's no reason why it should be so on your Felicia. Where were the leaks before? I'm not sure about that but I will leave @D.FYLAKTOS who travel in mountains to comment on that. I do not really understand when this overheating started have you always since you owned the car had to have the cabin heater on full to keep the the gauge needle on 90 or did the overheating only start after the first few weeks of your ownership? If second, then did anything else happen around or at the the start of the overheating?

Then you would wonder why you would want or need an override switch if the car is running fine and cooling fine, I know some like to have a dog and bark themselves but for an owner that has had the car from new and barely drives it perhaps before selling, perhaps it was just belt and braces but seems a bit odd to me other than bodge. Or could it be extra wire for extra pin if the three-pin switch was previously fitted instead of two pin switch, how is the two speed wired. ETA: some people have their own logic to their wiring which can be "unconventional".

It might be, in photos, but it's not working properly. Have you checked the lever arm and bar with a straight edge, checked cable and pedal settings, could the pedal pivot point (or bush) be oval'd? That is me totally out of ideas.

I could not get enough zoom on the image to see well enough but am I the only one to think the connecting set up below does not look factory standard. The red(?) (thinner?) wire, from the two-way joint off the orange wire and whole wire set up and presentation looks DIY to me, am I wrong?

Get it fully charged not partly charged or nearly full and charge it low and slow. You will have to find the User and wiring instructions for that radio. It will may have two live inputs, one switched with radio part and other(s)? permanent live hopefully with its own fused supply but there are other ways to wire up good, not-so-good and bad. This and the phone wiring and connection set ned to be correct or it might drain your battery again. Do you have a multimeter with you? It is good that the car looks so good in the photos and no disrespect meant to you but how do you know everything is working fine rather than just working, have you longer term experience of cars and older cars, have you driven other Felicias even if not a 1.6. Shiny show cars look very good but can be poor runners and not run anywhere as good as they could or should, whereas as very scruffy cars can be very very sound and run very well. I have seen and travelled with lots of very shiny "classic" (over-priced, over-valued old) cars, some very expensive, and they have been poor runners because their owners don't expect enough of them as the cars are not driven, used, serviced and maintained enough for the owners to know how well they should or could go. Your car might have everything working fine, except the fan, but that would surprise me a little given its extreme low mileage, but I could be wrong. For the fan, as D.FYLAKTOS put earlier you could bridge the switch supply to the fan, or run a direct supply from the battery to test the fan works.

I agree but we are of a certain different generation (not better or worse overall but different) and as I put maybe the OP has yet to come to a conclusion. I would also like to see posters return and give the resolve, if there was one, or to say it remains unsolved, so, if resolved, we can all learn what was right and wrong in the situation (not that I'd remember) which I think is also just good manners but as I put for reason this might just be forgot. I too agree that the use of the "Like" button emojis(?) at least acknowledges some sort of response if not a very nuanced tool. I may put a like "Like" to a post that I don't full agree with or think is fully correct but help and an answer has been offered and may even put likes to what appear to be contradictor posts, more than one answer, belief or opinion can be appropriate or correct.

As said that is a bit of work and may be totally unnecessary. The sniff test is not a good name or description for non-UK and what actually happens. You can get small test kits off eBay (and other places that test for combustion gases in the coolant, either litmus test strips or liquid test kits, just as one example. - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123735248113 You can also read up on symptoms but these are not always that obvious particularly on an engine that might not be fully set up correctly - but your engine might be set up reasonably or well, we do not know. Best is to get your dad to explain and show you how to do cylinder compression tests on the engine. With an old (or any car really) car you should always have all electrics (other than safety ones) switched off if the engine is not running and not turn them on until the engine is running. A good routine to get into is to turn all electric (except safety) items off before you turn the engine off and certainly before you get out of the car. When you get into the car and seated, turned the ignition on, but do not start the engine, check all the warning lights are on that should be and those that go out do go out, whilst you are doing this you can put your seat belt on. Once you have your seat belt on check the handbrake is on and car out of gear and start the engine. When you have started the engine do not turn any electrics item on yet (especially radio and phone) but instead listen, look. smell, feel, the engine and car for anything unusual, if all OK drive off. I am not sure about your present wiring, if there was a three pin fan switch fitted before and you have replaced it with another three pin switch assuming the correct part was fitted, when it was not, that is one issue that might explain the joined wiring but if it was a two pin before it is more of a mystery to me. The radio and phone added items are another area I would check. You may not need to get a new battery. If you check the existing battery has electrolyte (acid) "water" covering fully all six cell plates and the plates do not look too damaged or buckled that battery, top up if required before recharging, older cars give more chance for the battery to be recharged to give more useful life (subject to the wiring being correct and not draining the battery unnecessarily. You best to use a suitable charger (maintainer) with low not high amperage or setting, 2-amps, 3-amps, 4-amps, certainly not more than 6-amps for your 62 Ah battery. The lower and slower the recharge then, for want of better words and description, the deeper and longer lasting the recharge, this could take many hours, probably overnight perhaps longer depending on how low the battery is and charger amperage. Car batteries are one of the most oversold car parts, often prematurely replaced as "distress sales" as with you now, preventative charging before they get too low will give much better and longer life. Neglect of battery is the number one reason for breakdown call outs in the UK. Some notes if you want them, some of the information varies and expands the between the links, some obviously is repeated. Best check your car battery now - (why?) [ summer ] - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/506654-best-check-your-car-battery-now-why/#comment-5688832 Car battery, now is the time to check it [ winter ] - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/499006-car-battery-now-is-the-time-to-check-it/#comment-5598720 flat batteries on the first working day of each year - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/519903-flat-batteries-on-the-first-working-day-of-each-year HTH.

£1300 let alone £820 sounds very cheap to me for a 245PS VRS for someone in their early 20s given some of the figures other youngsters quote, IIRC 21 and 25 years old are thresholds now for age but of course there are many other variables that affect the premium asked for. As suggested to OP if you are out of pocket and have legal cover on the car policy (previous I think but if you have it on any check) pass it all over to them, or if you have legal cover elsewhere it could include the accident. Are you sure the third party took responsibility and didn't just want the repairs to go through them (through Auxillis), my wife's recent (own fault) claim on her Fabia went through Auxillis including the loan vehicle and everything was done well, all very local too, premium would have went up significantly with Churchill but she changed provider at a less premium and this was just after the accident and before the repairs started. .

Not on this car but another make and model the release bearings (5 in your diagram) were rubbish even from a formerly respected clutch manufacturer, have you still got an original release bearing before these new ones to compare them. I take it you have not altered the clutch cable or replaced it and checked it and connecting parts for full movement and position when the clutch and gearbox were fitted to the car. Did you also check the three parts of the new clutches against the original clutch new parts to see these are all the same and same dimensions, batch faults and packaging faults are not unknown, nor is a supplier listing and sending the wrong parts (all databases/catalogues/websites have errors and omissions) I have has this happen to me a number of times (I have also ordered the wrong part in error),

Might be a couple of reasons for the duplication of threads and if the OP has read until 8th July that covers the replies on the other thread at least. It maybe that the OP's situation and final decision is ongoing so yet to return with resolve but many threads or posts remain unanswered and that's up to the posters, Personally I think it helps to have some sort of reply or acknowledgement - but this is the internet - or perhaps things are just forgotten particularly if many different sources are tried.

ETA: unable to post when typed as I had to help a drunk get home, care in the community. 😃 Hi welcome, The car may not have been driven enough for the computer program to pick up the car now has a (hopefully) fully charged battery. Perhaps, though I've never been able to test this idea of mine, if you connect up an appropriate battery charger maintainer, but first read the Fabia's 'Owner's Manual' and the instructions for the charger before doing so to make sure you're doing it right then the computer program will see the battery is being charged and then is up to full charge. Charge slowly with lower amps (see instructions) not a quick fast charge and up to fully charged then you know your starting point of the battery's state of charge (and health). You are best to get the battery 'coded' then you have reassurance, and at the same time any error codes that are in the computers can be deleted. There are members on here with the correct level scan tool that can give you a full scan report, delete error codes and 'coded' the battery, many for beer tokens, though not all some are professionals, as was done for me, - Briskoda VCDS Owners Map (click me) It is important that the 'coding' is done correctly for the type of battery (EFB) and the Ah figure (or very close) and to change the digit or characters on the "serial number" to show a change of battery the manufacture and actual serial number is no longer of any consequence (as long as it's 10 characters long and different from previous). As merely an example see below from when mine was 'coded' by a Briskoda member from EFB to AGM ("fleece" to VW). The car battery state of charge and health is very important to the car, especially if start/stop is used at the required point preventative charging by suitable distance driving or better still fully recharging slowly as above with a suitable charger maintainer will help particularly if the car does lots of short journeys and periods of lack of use. The computer programs do not like the battery in a low state of charge and will throw up all sorts of unexpected issues and unseen error codes and perhaps warning messages and lights and this can be before the battery warning and the engine still starts and the lights seem bright enough. Even though your battery is new it's still just a store and with the right amount of use / abuse / neglect the store can be depleted, it will be restored better and quicker when new(er) but is still slightly diminish from going too low. Notes for future if you want them. - Best check your car battery now - (why?) - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/506654-best-check-your-car-battery-now-why/#comment-5688832 Now - is the time to check and recharge your car battery - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/499686-now-is-the-time-to-check-and-recharge-your-car-battery/#comment-5607056

I am not saying any are but also never rule out a faulty new part - always test before fitting where possible. What temperature(s) is the thermostat supposed to (start) opening at and switch to operate?

ETA: One-finger typed so I missed latest posts. Other Felicia owners, that have already posted, can help you with wiring diagrams and info on switches and/or you can look at other treads on this forums that cover such subjects. As Thefeliciahacker suggested earlier it may still be worth checking the head gasket as signs of failure are not always immediately obvious and until you know for sure trusting gauges on an old car is not a good idea - but we are only only guessing about a car over the internet (though the photos have already helped). The Owner's Manual is very useful to have and if you have it read it and refer to it when required (it would tell you about a/c and heating/ventilation too). For repairs (allowing for errors and omissions which you get in all publications, including from the vehicle manufacturer, and databases and websites) is there not a Haynes (workshop) Manual available for you, paper printed or downloadable. I do not like the look of the two wires to one (perhaps I am wrong as I do not know the wiring on these cars) but even if I am old and forgetful I have seen enough suspect looking wiring to be suspicious, you can now perhaps see why I put about checking the wiring and the quality of some peoples work. It is also why I put to do the servicing and cleaning, with fresh new coolant and whatever else needs cleaning, fixing, repairing or replacing on the the cooling, heating system, including the engine, it gives you more margin for when things get warmer, hot or overheating, longer running, more chance to get home with less issues. Same for the other engine cooling (other than air) the engine oil, fresh clean engine oil and filter will give more margin and better oil will give even more margin. Same for brakes not dragging or engine labouring or not timed correctly or ignition parts that look OK but are well past their best and may even be faulty, brakes that don't drag in any way, clear exhaust. One thing affects another and can help or hinder. The car looks a very good basis but it is possible for older people with old cars to get poor work done to them and their cars, this may or may not include your car and may only be very minor but until you fully know the car by using it all year round for at least 12 months you want to check everything that was and is done on it, including by yourself or others (even your dad, we all make mistakes, I've repeated many).

Cosmetics are beyond me other than keeping the car clean inside and out (including many years back under the wheels arches, all of the boot, doors and bonnet shuts and the engine bay as much as reasonable). Now I only regularly clean the lights, windows (mirrors) and reflective number plates - see and be seen. I'd have the smallest wheels I could get over the brakes with high profile narrower tyres for comfort and because I like to drive the car rather than the computers driving me. I'm old so used to the least of electrics let alone electronics, safety was seatbelts which I always chose to wear even though it wasn't mandatory for a good few years. For braking improvement (and steering) and improved suspension, grip, handling (ride comfort and noise) better quality tyres are the thing to get when reasonable, As you put I'd expect a VRS to be fitted with good quality pads and discs already, all the fashionable fades with holes and grooves and harder pads does very little in the real world of road driving. Despite EBC being a Northampton family business from the 1960s IIRC I've never used their products as I had a mate that worked for Pagid Performance Braking before the German bosses of the time took the business away from North Yorkshire. As with a lot of things in life tyres and wheels aren't that much about the size, tyres are a very complex and underrated car component by most people (not race and track though) how good the tyre is is about the design, build, composition and compounds - again tread pattern are more a fashion and market/sales thing. Note, I'm old, I don't like the Merc/VWAldi black badges and letters as it just makes me think the chrome finish has come off. 🙃 Best tuning you can do on the car is to have the whole car fully and timely serviced, maintained and repaired (and that not the Dealer/garage/mechanic type of servicing), without that solid basis you can't fully successfully progress. A properly serviced, maintained and repaired whole car can give surprising gains over those that are just serviced and maintained to the Dealership service schedules. Something that is even better tuning and it can be transferred to other cars is further driver training, I don't mean track training stuff but real world driving on our roads (such as they are, you'll learn to drive smoother which will also be, quicker if you want and safer. You want to build up your NCD so you can get it protected and keep your insurance costs down. Not - never get cheap insurance as if you need to claim it can turn out to be very expensive, always get good insurance that fully covers your needs. With the above you can have the start of a bit of a Q-car (well except for the VRS badges and 18" wheels). 🙂 You don't want to worry too much about PS/HP figures ("Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races." as apparently Enzo Ferrari used to say) or numbers on a dash dial it's how a car feels to you, a small very low powered car can be much fun to drive than a very powerful very fast car on the roads, it's all about how it feels to you, whatever you get others have lots more and often less is more. Some mods and "improvements" can turn out to be detrimental and worse than the standard vehicle, that has been proven often. From the little I've seen of FB (I thought that was now for old folk) there are quick questions and quick answers many incorrect as the subject isn't explored or expanded enough, on a forum there's lots more time and space, as my post proves. Others will be along or you can look and/or also ask in the relevant model and year forum on her for your car or the Projects section of that. Good luck.

ETA: I don't know what the bracket in the air vent is for both if it's for any add in electronic or electrics of any kind check that wiring too.

You have what we used to call 4/60 air-con, wind 4 windows down and got at 60 mph. 😉 Whilst on side issues, any wires, cables, hoses that are close to the suspension bracing strut I would over-sleeve to stop any wear from rubbing vibrations. Your radio doesn't look like it was from 1998 so as I mentioned before check the wiring installation of that, messed-up wiring can cause all sorts of strange effects and issues, may not have anything to with the Bosch cooling fan but these things are always best checked.

Car looks very good in your photos. Oil filler cap upside down ! 😆 Any idea what that white plastic female wiring socket, in the engine bay near sub-loom, is for?