Former

Sorry I though you might 'pressing' the other 'button' ('Door unlocking: All doors' instead of 'Central locking') my wife's car isn't available to see if there's a down arrow next to 'Central locking' it's not a facility we'd use so I can't remember if it's even available on her car. At the service was any recall or programs updates done or is the issue starting after the service a coincidence, did the Dealership say £350 to fit the OSR lock would resolve the issue, or was there another reason to replace that lock, as the problem remains. This situation is disappointing but unfortunately not that surprising when dealing with some in the motor trade. If the Dealership doesn't want to be reasonable I think I'd try finding a good auto-electrician, or independent garage, with a VW appropriate scanner to diagnose the issue rather than a policy of fitting a series of parts replacements at your expense.

From the 2016/11 'Amundsen and Bolero infotainment systems Owner's Manual' for Central locking - Automatic locking - Activate/deactivate automatic locking when starting off - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

@Zuglie does your Ancell cover more than basics on the MK3 Fabia and if so how good or not do you find it as a scanner? I know it's heresy here but I personally find the VCDS horrible, old and outdated and now my neighbour has moved away I no longer have access to his Topdon and am thinking of perhaps getting a scanner that also covers some service stuff on the Mk3 Fabia.

Or a part of the alternator, or a wire or connection to it. Did you clear any/all error codes? I hope your daughter knows about very generally how a car works and use of electric in the car (and home) otherwise she might hammer the battery to an earlier replacement especially on a 2019 car. 12.55v is ok but if the battery's not being charged it won't remain that way long, if you're not able to sort the alternator quickly, if your daughter doesn't already know you might want to show or suggest to your daughter she uses an appropriate battery charger and maintainer to fully recharge the battery. Better if daughters aren't fully reliant on any man including their fathers (better for the father too). 😄

You might be better looking at and perhaps asking on the 'Skoda Favorit, Skoda Felicia, Skoda Fun and Skoda Forman' forum. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/90-skoda-favorit-skoda-felicia-skoda-fun-and-skoda-forman/ And perhaps have a look and perhaps post in the 'Skoda Classic Cars & Parts For Sale' forum. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/406-skoda-classic-cars-parts-for-sale/ HTH.

Just driving the car may turn off the warnings and you could also whilst try before driving off turning the power steering wheel from full lock one side to full lock the other side to convince the computers the battery is up to the task. If you get no response to this here you could try posting on the 'Diagnostics & VCDS' forum. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/23-diagnostics-amp-vcds/ Is the alternator ok?

Only last week I checked my neighbour's car for something like a blocked drain as there seemed to be a lot of condensation inside the car. It was very easy to remove the plastic bonnet to windscreen cover and check and that too just had a hole but everything was bone dry in there, Sod's Law I then remembered the bathroom mat/towel thing in the boot. I expect you already know to change the cabin filter and clean (and dry?) its housing as much as possible, that was the cause of the condensation in my neighbour's car a few years back. Drying out the footwell carpet is a bit of a pain but very necessary as the Mk3 Fabia gets enough condensation as it is (if not garaged), I put the two Pingi Car-Dehumidifier bags in my wife's only this weekend (other Pingi bags and other makes and products are available). -https://pingi.com/product-category/car-dehumidifiers/ Good luck.

@HyperDog thanks for your reply. To cover 'coding' the battery first, see following link for someone in your area that might be able to do this for a beer token or low cost but do check that they cover the Mk3 Fabia and double check any data entry they make. There was a post about a paid pro auto-electrician that put 7ah instead of 70ah - now of course if the computer program was actually clever it'd never allow this as it's (so far) out of parameter but that's computer programing for ya. Briskoda VCDS Owners Map (click me) Our noise suggests to me it might be a bush somewhere but it's same causes as your noise, I was hoping the noise might have stopped when the poor quality factory front dampers were replaced (for more of the same) at 6 years old and 41k-miles (I know of 20 and 25+ year old Toyotas with the original dampers on them) but no such luck. When my battery was 'coded' by a local chap (no longer) on that list it was also an opportunity to delete any error codes which I always think is a good idea, any minor upsets or brain-farts to and from the computers are cleared and that might settle the poor things a little (just my non-technical opinion of course). ETA: I guess you might already be doing so, but, appropriate use of an appropriate battery charger will help extend the life of your current and replacement battery, AFAIK which ain't a lot, the car battery remains one of the most oversold car parts, by being replaced before it really needs to (and I'm all for replacing parts before they play up badly or fail, or even beyond optimum but still working).

Sorry I've never looked, have you a photo or have you not yet took off any plastic covers between bonnet and screen. I think, IIRC, the earlier models were just a hole, but I sit to be corrected, and as the Mk1 and Mk2 seemed to be built better than the Mk3 I'd not expect the additional expense of a plastic cover for the Mk3, but I could well be wrong and my wife's car isn't here to look (and I'd not risk braking any plastic covers on my wife's car especially when it's cold, dark, autumn, unless was absolutely necessary).

I don't know how alike or unalike the VW stalks are to each other but the other thread attached might, or might not, give you a related/unrelated idea. Servisol Super 10 Switch Cleaning Lubricant might, or may not, help more than switch cleaner alone.

@HyperDogsorry I've lost the knack of quick(-ish) searching on here. There are posts where some have said they done a like-for-like battery change without coding and the car and battery charging were fine after months / years of use (IIRC) - but I offer no evidence of this and I have a poor memory. 😀 Perhaps given that you know about b*ll*cks 'advice' from VW and Skoda UK (wished I'd seen about the lack of need for belt changing, £460 unnecessarily added to the local Dealership's turnover, about £1,000 for a mate's VW only earlier this year too) you may be able to accept the following linked post. If you have easy no-or-little-cost access to a suitable scanner then just changing a digit on the original serial number is all that's required to let the lord and masters VW cars' computers know a new battery has been fitted (see attached at bottom of this post). I think you're right not to trust VW /Skoda as far as you can draw fresh breath away from one their earlier diesel products. Battery coding post. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/499676-battery-causing-various-errors/#comment-5607340 Attachment. - VCDS How to adapt a new battery.pdf HTH. P.S. Does your Fabia have the slight clunk/knock over humps and occasional amber triangle-of-doom warnings when not required and tardy warnings when required?

Well done on keeping your battery so long. Loads of posts and threads on this site about if there's a need to 'code' on an identical battery change (same type, i.e. EFB for EFB or AGM for AGM, same (or near enough) Ah) and real life experiences. Short answer is some have found it not necessary. The VW coding numbers that the old batteries had new ones don't too. You can search for yourself and/or I'll put up some links to threads after I've had my/me dinner/tea.

Note: this is not a fitting guide for changing rear brake discs and pads but notes and tips from when I done so. Hopefully this will also give encouragement as if I can do the job just about anyone can. For the rear ("230 mm") brakes of my wife's 2015 Mk3 1.2 TSI SE I needed 13 & 15 mm spanners, Torx T30 driver and borrowed a mate's rewind tool with suitable end plate that turned the piston back. There was not a need to remove the caliper carrier cradle to get the old discs off and new ones on, a [ ETA: H7(?) or H8(?), I forget, see following posts ] hex would have been required if I had needed or wanted to remove the caliper carrier cradle. The discs are held by one T30 headed short screw, one of these screws had already fell out on one discs but the other side was in so tight I wished I had loosened them before removing the caliper and pads so my tip would be to loosen these off whilst you can still apply the handbrake or other easy bracing. I also personally recommend using (two) screw-in wheel hanger fitting/removal alignment guide pins when removing and refitting each road wheel. Normally only one is used but two is better. One, or two, of these could help prevent getting a back pain from the silly VW wheel bolts instead of fixed wheel studs (guess how I know this). I used the Pagid brand for both pads and discs as that's what I put on the front a few years ago and they seemed OK in use. Rear Pagid pads included new (thread-lock applied) screws. Replacing the discs & pads is a very dirty but uncomplicated job but being brakes needs to be done thoroughly and properly, don't worry about any macho boasting of how quick it can be done rather allow multiples of time to do the job thoroughly and well, plus Sod's Law you'll find other stuff that you should do whilst you're there. Hope some of this helps and applies to your model. I also wrote a notes and tips post/thread for the front discs and pads previously. -

@CReese123- if it's not too late, or you've not already seen the post, I put the following post with notes and tips about rear changing discs and pads including a link to an early post about changing front pads and discs. I've not changed that many sets of brake discs, pads (and shoes and drums) but the rear for the 2015 Fabia were the easiest I've ever done and front pads and discs second easiest, though its still a messy job yet with cleanliness required and like all jobs on cars can involve a bit of awkwardness and Sod's Law will ususally apply, well it does for me. The post (and post within post) - HTH.

Worn bushes and things like worn-out front dampers as on my wife's 2015 are examples of the poorer quality parts used on these cars which aren't suffered on other marques, German engineering quality . . . 😒

Andrew, sorry to say I agree and think that you trying to get any type of warranty recourse would be more pain for you and fruitless. If the BCM is the cause of the faults then you could also consider having it repaired or replaced with a used one to save money on the cost of the part. I don't know where the BCM is located but it possibly involves a bit of labour to get at it and put things back again but labour rates can vary from Dealerships to other garages and methods of getting to the BCM and putting things put back may (I don't know) vary too taking less labour time so less pounds per hour for less hours. Personally I'm surprised we don't see more faults with the car's computers, car build and general parts from the times of covid, car chip shortages and later general car parts shortages. Personally I'd not want products from those times so might prefer to consider an earlier (or later, as even newer cars get broken for parts) used BCM, subject to it being suitable of course. Good luck with whatever routes you take, I've had many (some expensive) car parts poorly made or fail when they shouldn't have so I know how you feel and how useless it can be to try to improve matters beyond replacing the part.

Could be lots of things which may or may not be directly related to the work you've just had done. Having the car up on a lift and looking underneath might show some faults with the car or the work done on it (or to it). The problems caused by tyre fitters and mechanics / "technicians" can be unbelievable to those not well experienced with people in the motor trade. On the other hand my wife's car has a sort of clunk / knock when going over potholes and bumps and I've seen on here other Fabia Mk3 owners have similar and unable to track down the cause. VW design, build and parts quality isn't as good as its past reputation, same for the other German marques. I would also suggest returning the car to where the work was done as if you're lucky you might encounter some of the decent people that are in the motor trade (but they often move on as they don't fit in). Sometimes even good people have bad days and not so good people can do decent work so even if either don't want to admit to a mistake it could be put right.

That TotalCarCheck has sent me cross-eyed and made my head hurt, IF it's accurate the figures don't add up, I'd not put too much faith in any of these types of report even the much more expensive ones, not all accidents and repairs are reported and recorded and all databases have errors and omissions. You can check MoT (and "road tax") and MoT history with the gov for yourself for free and verify some of the TotalCarCheck figures. - Check the MOT history of a vehicle - https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history (and if you have the V5C reference number the station(s) that done the tests). Check if a vehicle is taxed - https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax (see if the road tax was as tardy as the MoTs appear to be). What was the advisory about EPC warning light? You can ask a Skoda Dealer for the full service history of the car to see if other servicing work was done in addition to oil changes and inspection, such as brake fluid / engine air filter / spark plugs / etc.. Offside Rear Seat belt damaged (7.1.2 (b) (i)) - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/7-other-equipment#section-7-1-2 First MoT wasn't done until 7/11/22 according to TotalCarCheck so doesn't tie in with March "road tax". I think you need more information about this car and the mileages verified, and more info on what, if any, additional servicing, maintenance and repairs have been done. You can ask the Dealership for and about these things and if the car was leased, if they don't want to help then walk away from them. Even those experienced at driving cars may miss or not detect issues with a car on a test drive, the computer programs and all the driver aids on a 2019 car can give a false feel plus a 2019 car makes the driver so remote from the mechanics and feel of the car - so if quite experienced or quite a noob a car might seem fine on a test drive. Don't worry about asking any questions, none will be silly (although some answers, especially some of mine sometimes, can be confused or wrong). Anything on the GPF? What are all the tyres like, same make/model, condition and tread? What are the brakes like, wear, (the braking system, which includes the tyres, is the most important thing on the car, followed by steering and suspension)? General condition of exterior and interior? This might be a good or even very good example but if not there are plenty of other cars for sale.

Seat belt damage on a 4-year old car doesn't sound good. A car that's been sitting in a Dealership and/or not used for a long time could have a low car battery that might charge up fine but I'd not trust a Dealership to do that proper so would insist on a new CORRECT battery if I was to buy the car then you know you have a new (hopefully correct) battery in good condition and only you can be responsible if it doesn't last long or goes flat. A low car battery can throw up all sorts of warnings before the lights and warnings actually spell it out to the driver that the car battery is low and lack of proper use of the car can also contribute to possibly warning lights and messages but so can other issues and problems. Plugging in a VW appropriate scan (diagnostics) tool may give you more information towards the why the EPC light was on if the Dealership has been too lazy to clear all codes (never under estimate how lazy or careless Dealerships/garage/mechanics/"technicians" can be. If I seem cynical it's because of decades of dealing with English Dealerships/garage/mechanics/"technicians", even if you buy a decent Japanese car like a Honda or Toyota you still deal with English Dealerships, well in Ingerlund at least. There's no telling on a site how good or bad a car is to buy, look at the condition of the car ,look at any servicing history (is is full or bits missing) look at the mileage, when was it done, higher mileage can be better than low mileage and lack of use. It used to be that the Dealerships only kept the car for two months before moving it on if it didn't sell but I've no idea in the times of Covid, parts shortages and recent times. A 2019 VW car is more (over) VW complex than even (over) complex earlier VW cars so I'd suggest you approach it with even more care, the car's lack of use may be easily overcome if it has previously been well used and well looked after and maintained and fully serviced on time. The failed seatbelt may, or may not be a sign of something, or nothing. If you want a more carefree purchase you may consider looking elsewhere.

Thanks for reply. Fair enough, with VW's over complicated computer programs who knows, not I, just that I'm confused as to how you got in the car if neither remote would unlock the door(s), unless the door(s) were already unlocked using the key blade sets the alarm off in my experiences of my wife's VWSkoda car ownership. Not to worry, I'm glad you're sorted as my wife had to buy a new remote, £143 and £41.40 to 'code' it, both from VWSkoda Dealer. I always suggest not thinking of the second remote as a spare but to use both keys alternatively in some respect as that way both remotes and batteries get regular use so wear more evenly and you know both work and where both remotes are, rather than one put somewhere forgotten about and possibly with a low battery anyway. Also for others, my wife's had a non-working remote after a battery change because the battery wasn't fully located against the connecting peg (a GM Vauxhall car and Dealership changing the remote battery as part of the car's service), I'm not saying that was the issue this time as it happened with both remotes and I wasn't there as I was with the GM Vauxhall remote. Again thanks for your feedback and info.

@chris666 thanks for reporting back But are you sure you didn't just do a key (remote) synchronization as in the first part of AGFalco's post on 5th October, as detailed in the Owner's Manual? From 2017/11 Owner's Manual. - If (the VW) "emergency" unlocking the driver's door using the key blade as soon as the driver's door is opened the alarm goes off.

Just for those not in the UK, 25th was a typing error, it would be 22nd MoT pass, and congratulations to Mike on those, as in the UK the first MoT is due when the car is 3 years old. And I totally agree about not swapping it for a new modern car, of any capacity.

@Hassan_skoda personally I suggest you buy an appropriate battery charger and maintainer (I use a 4-amp) and recharge the battery, it simple, cheap and very little effort and you will know the battery is full (if you leave the charger and maintainer on long enough). Check your Owner's Manual for the procedure. Recharging the battery this way way when required, or before as a preventative measure, will help with the battery life and more avoid the various warning messages and lights that a low battery can cause, a good battery isn't cheap and can be a bit of hassle to replace particularly if not like for like in spec. Just driving the car often isn't enough to fully restore the battery and the more often and the lower the battery is allowed to get the more likely the battery will need replacing sooner and various warning lights and messages might show. It depends when you took this reading, best taken after the car has been parked for a few hours so it's not showing the recent journey charge, and you want the car's computer systems have settled as much as they might as they may draw 0.2v or 0.3+v which you will have to allow for. Hot weather affects car batteries which shows up more at this time of year and winter because of usually additional load on them because of the weather and longer nights so the likes of the AA get busier with their number one cause of callouts.

All was merely as example, you have the choice of many different engine oils. Personally particularly for a car engine of your vintage I would ignore the added unnecessary VW numbers compliance (with my wife's 2015 Skoda you only get the VW number and not the multigrade weights specified). But anyway. - https://www.millersoils.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/7708-EE-Performance-10w40.pdf API oil categories. - https://www.api.org/products-and-services/engine-oil/eolcs-categories-and-classifications/oil-categories#tab-gasoline

Just read the discussion, people get stuck on grade numbers being absolute when they are not and do not allow for degradation as the oil is used in the engine with better oils staying at their figures for longer plus offering more and further protection, one 10w-40 might perform differently to another 10w-40 even within the same oil blender's range of 10w-40 oils. As I've put before oil seems to be a lot about beliefs. A big oil producer/blender will possibly have more consistency with their base oils and additives, on the other hand smaller blenders may use those base stocks with their own additive package which might be better, or perhaps not quite as good. You as a consumer have so much choice. If you had a a factory stock car your baseline would be an oil that meets VWSkoda's 23-years old specifications, you could chose to take advantage or ignore any beneficial advances in the oil products since API SH (pre-2001). You may also want to comply with the VW 50* ** commands relevant to your model. - https://addinol.de/en/products/lubricants-for-the-automotive-sector/engine-oil/specifications/#OEM As an example only for you as I know you can't get Millers this is the type of oil I would look at, having had a 50 year old engine, that was designed over 70 years that is still going strong now and was uprated for performance, used through English summers and winters ( -10c to 30+c) for 16 years. - https://www.millersoils.co.uk/products/ee-performance-engine-oil-10w40/ I will end my contributions to the thread with my usual oil viscosity chart attached, cheers. -