nta16

Jenny, the following video came up on my YouTube feed, it's from the excellent Hat Boy Harvey, it relates to a Mk1 Fabia with diesel engine but the principles remain the same and it shows real world reset of gear clutch cables too. HTH.

That doesn't sound original so may have been replaced. If you've got a scan tool you could check if/when the battery was changed perhaps. Engine oil change is easy, taking the plastic under cover off and putting it back on is the most PITA bit for me. Personally on a car new to me, especially a VW with stop/start that is low mileage I would ASAP fully (to 100%, not VW car around 80%) using an appropriate battery charger maintainer and its instructions and the instructions in the car's 'Owner's Manual' and then just keep an eye on it and see how it goes (with use the car's computer will want, and get, it back to around 80%). If you don't have the paper printed copy of the 'Owner's Manual' you can get a free VWŠkoda pdf version download off the VWŠkoda 'Owner's Manual' website. - https://www.skoda-auto.com/apps/manuals/Models At 9 years old despite its low mileage unless it's been kept in a dust free garage it might have needed two engine air filter changes and unless the garage was heated and dehumidified changes of cabin filter (an unusually very easy job on a VWŠkoda, up to you how you feel about 9 year old 20k-miles spark plugs. For engine oil filter I can particularly recommend the Mann oil filter. Much more important than the engine and its oil & filter changes of course are the brakes (band brake fluid) and tyres, tread depth remaining being only one aspect of them. Lack of use isn't always kind to brakes and tyres. The rear door (inner) seal(s) may still have gone if the car wasn't in a cosseting garage but you'll find out if the car is left out in heavy rain. Did you get two remote keyfobs with the car and are they KESSY type?

Possibly plus lower quality (VW) clutch fitted to the car from the factory. The photo you've put up is not like what I was expecting, others will know though. (ETA: as proven, I was still typing as usual) In other cars you might check gearbox oil level but not so straightforward with the gearbox in my wife's TSI and I've no idea about this box, more information on your gearbox may be in the Citgo section and forums. If you can do the work yourself and it's a (relatively as its a VW) easy straightforward job then I'd do a thorough change of oil as the car is new to me, it might not solve the issue but might help to ease the matter whilst you find out how to sort it or improve it more. You can't overcome the original VW design and build and match of gearbox to car. VW's tend to be heavy cars and they force this on the VWŠkoda brand too it seems and possibly a Citgo (UP!?) engine and gearbox might be more pushed in the bigger Fabia (Polo-ish) car so more care and attention is need with them. Years ago now the Dealership frighten my wife by say the clutch (pedal) was "heavy" and quoted over £1,000 to replace the clutch which worried her as a previous cars have had clutch problems. I said so what if the clutch is "heavy", that's in comparison with other cars with less use of clutch and that it could remain that way without issue for many years and it has. If there was/is clutch slip or problems engaging gears (other than the usual old crude VW design) then that is a different matter, that stage has yet to be reached on her car (75k-miles, lots of frequent short journeys as well as longer mileage journeys).

Bear in mind all sources of information can include errors and omissions including from manufacturers so do check and cross reference with other reliable sources all data you get, Haynes tend to explain things from the ("bleedin'") obvious to quite technical with big gaps in-between the two but can be a useful back up to manufacturers' workshop manuals. I always recommend having ad reading the car's original 'Owner's Manual' as it not only tells you about the car it can help prevent the need of adjustments and repairs - prevention is better than cure. Also checking here with very experienced owners and in some cases daily users of the car can save lots of time and bad experiences, often with ****-poorly made modern made parts. Do let your son be a hands on maintainer and repairer of the car and encourage him to read the car's 'Owner's Manual' and carry out driver/owner's checks and maintenance. Good luck.

20k-miles in 9 years isn't always as good as it sounds for everything on the car, cars are designed and built for use, but 20k-miles with great care of the car can be better than 54-90k-miles of lack of care of the car. It'd not be usual for Comma oils to be used for the car when new, perhaps used by local independent garage(s) but not VWŠkoda Dealerships AFAIK (Castrol claimed with my wife's VWŠkoda Dealerships engine oil changes). Be interesting to know if the 12v battery has been changed because if not at that very low mileage it might show a more careful owner than average. Have you known the car since it was new?

Charlie, hi, welcome. If you have searched through the forum posts then you will know everyone has their own answer and oil belief, personally I think the answer for you is very easy and you already have it. Personally I use, in my wife's 2015 1.2 TSI, Millers C3 5w30 EE Performance because I've used Miller oils in the past (engine, g/box, rear diff) and as it's a British blender (but I only support British products if they are good). As you're a VW fan (I'm not) and want to follow their (additional) specifications Millers C3 5w30 EE Performance covers VW 504 00 / 507 00 and VW 502 00 / 505 01. Important is that the oil change is timely and thorough, for me that's existing oil is hot before drain (H&S care of course), left to drain out as long as is practical, then a small flush through with fresh clean oil (warmed by solar or other) before careful refill to 'Min' mark on dipstick and small top-ups to get near to 'Max' mark with top up(s) as required next day and/or drive to 'Max' or just under. HTH.

Hi Jenny, welcome. By all means check the cables and reset them if required but are you sure your issue isn't with the the clutch system, do you get noises (other than gear selection noises)? How many miles is on the car's clock, if low the car might have been used a lot for frequent regular short journeys with lots of gear changes and lugged about if the driver followed the silly gear selection recommendations on the dash. My wife's 1.2 TSI has another VW 5-speed gearbox in it old and crude but solid enough but I still changed the "lifetime" gearbox oil (more faff than an any changes I've done but that's German design for ya) at 6 years and for a better oil than VW used. This is a good video and cover your gearbox. -

A well made new rod would always/usually be preferable. You also bring up another point which I might have missed the explanation to, the cause of these bend(s), buckle(s) and twist.

Hence my angle of the dangle test suggestion, looking at photos only gets you so far. This could be tried just for practice once the new part has been fitted and working as it doesn't matter if successful and how successful or not, and it's still learning.

Fair enough, if your car has DSG (I never think of DSG if I can avoid it). You did put non-KESSY. We only have one regular VW driver in our place, it's hard for me to imagine more than one wanting to anywhere else but fair enough I will try to remember there are those unlike me. So, you loved your daughter enough to suggest avoiding the KESSY but not enough love to avoid DSG, well that's families for ya. Post the battery to me and I will test it in the two remaining working remote key fobs we have for full real world function or not I tested something I tried to fix (temporarily at least if not long term) for a neighbour three times to confirm the fix and it was fine but I told him I'd fully pack my tools away and he should test it to evoke Sod's Law and sure enough it did so new component required. Cheap enough to replace as a component (rather than even former lower cost part) but another waste of resources that make up the component that is only partly recyclable, ah, the "improvement" modern fashions and convenience bring.

ETA: always check and cross reference with several reliable sources any information you get from any source (including from manufacturers) and especially compatibility lists. I have experienced and seen errors in these quite a few times over the decades particularly when databases are merged or format changed (such as "putting on to the computer"). Errors and omissions are continued and copied, sometimes even the wrong data applied and presented (such as eBay seller copying the wrong list off somewhere else).

1.6 AEE went in lots of VW models so plenty of info about on it, if there are any differences in parts numbers between the different VW brands at the time I don't know but later parts can have different suffix letters and alternative parts numbers as time goes on. Yours has a VAG number the relevance of the G suffix I haven't a clue but be aware neither do some parts sellers so what they list as 036198401G may be actually part 036198401(whatever suffix) or a different/alternative part number which might be the same part with no difference(s) or some differences, which is why you buy from knowledgeable and dependable suppliers but even they can make mistakes as do the part manufacturers with cataloguing the parts they make. I'm sure the others would know if any particular caution is needed in sourcing a suitable con-rod.

No but it spurred me on to find out which I meant, it was (Bilt Hamber) Dynax-S50. - https://bilthamber.com/product/dynax-s50/

Paying to repair it to keep it is fine as long as it can be repaired, obsolete software or changes of formats will probably do for modern cars. It also depends on how much and what you want the car to do, gentle irregularly or rare use or just having a more or less static garage ornament (as so many current "classics" are) will extended how long the metal and plastics hold together in form. Regular common use is another matter.

And you still married her - must have been love. I once briefly thought about getting a ("classic") Herald ragtop (Vitesse) but quickly came to my senses and switched thoughts to a 1275 Minor ragtop but I got neither. Same as when I briefly considered a short-term ownership of a Jag V12 XJ pillarless coupe. I realised when I put that post that I have been with my wife a couple of weeks longer than I have held a full driving licence. Until very recently I thought I passed my test a number of months before I actually did, there was a delay getting a test date then, a number of weeks but I forget how long.

Is there not a UK club for these VW pick-ups as they seem to be fashionable at the moment, this might give further help and advice on the vehicle and parts availability in the UK, also there must(?) be clubs for the VW cars that use that engine you could enquire with, someone might have an old engine lying around or broken you could get cheap used parts from. Also you could look at "classic" car markets, ebay, "classic" car meets, on t'web or even paper printed media - somewhere there'll be a bloke or blokes with shed(s) full of parts and garden, field or barn(s) of non-working models, this is the UK it's what some car enthusiast do. I saw a VW pick-up pass nearby to where I live and a modified (slamm'd?) VWŠkoda version in town centre a couple of months back and I don't get out or about much!

Bear in mind mileage alone doesn't dictate longevity of engine or car you also have consider the use and time.

Perhaps the battery she got was well out of date or not stored correctly or counterfeit. There also seems to be the assumption that it is the battery at fault rather than perhaps the remote key fob faulty - we've had a VWŠkoda remote key fob fail at 7 years old (but not 7 years of use it got alternate use). Did your daughter try the battery from the working remote key fob in the non-working remote to confirm it was the battery? I've used pound shop type CR2025 batteries and they have been fine, I check voltage before installing them but of course real world testing is required as conformation. I always suggest synchronising the key fob remote after changing its battery, this is very easy and takes literally a couple of minutes in reality, or some would say seconds. I also suggest using "spare" key fob remote(s) not as spare but in use on the car in whatever time period rotation suits you this means you know all key fob remotes operate and there is more even wear on the batteries, keyblades and key cylinder(s) plus you are less likely to lose the other key(s) as you know where they are.

OFF Topic warning I had a 1981 2.0S Capri from 2006 to 2007 it needed the least amount of work I've ever had with an old car (called "classic") it was a fill in as I waited for a restored 1973 Triumph Mk3 GT6. It was 4 days short of the no "road tax" that was an omen for ownership as that was by far the most expensive "classic" to keep. The Capri was bought from me by an enthusiast for his wife and kept as a daily user and show car, featured in a video and is still in some use today, the GT6 I doubt but it went to Ireland after me so I can't check. Other than the Capri which I got from my neighbour and I knew the car from new the GT6 and other "classics" I had were a very lot more than £80, I can't think of paying that little since just after passing my driving test 48 years ago this month.

All these marketing acronyms hack me off, like when Aldi whoops, Audi claimed thousands of patents on the cars, bent screws, washers and bits of plastic I expect. I couldn't be arsed to arsed to read it but in case you want to, enjoy. VW's VAQ 'diff' explained

A bit of (old) engine oil on that end of an alternator was a way to unseize it, off or on the car.

Can't tell with the photo but is the bend only in one, or that. direction, it might be the optic of the photo and the way the rod is resting on the ground and in relation to the piston. You could support the bottom of the four pistons with a couple of lengths of say wood across a gap and see how number three rod hangs compared to the others at the four faces, put a light, straight edge, laser, whiteboard, whatever, just to check the angles of the dangles of number three being an outlier.

That doesn't necessarily work out, lets say you average 10k-miles a year or less then that's reasonable annual mileage but once a year engine oil and filter change not waiting for 20k-miles at possibly nearer two years from last. Unfortunately VWs need more service than some other (better and "lesser") brands and are less reliable so more timely regular service is required and the VWŠkoda (UK) servicing and "maintenance" isn't over comprehensive (other than the UK con of changing the cambelt at 5 years) so you take their servicing recommends as more of a minimum than optimum. Sound like you drive it reasonably for the turbo which does need working reasonably hard without being silly. Short journeys where the engine oil doesn't get fully warmed (90+c on oil temperature, not coolant) are to be avoid especially if stretching oil changes. You've already found the poor quality (front?) dampers but other suspension bits aren't always great on these cars (decades of other on other (better and "lesser") brands) depends how much you are prepared to put up with or spend out to have replaced to avoid annoyance. Electrics and electronics (computer systems) may be issues but at least you have a 2017 rather than later years. Unless you perhaps do preventative battery charging with an appropriate charger maintainer you might find expensive 12v battery changes come around sooner and more frequently. I'm not sure about seat fabric durability but high mileage user might know more. You could look on here and see if there are any common issues on 2017 models. You might want to consider change of the "lifetime" manual gearbox oil and engine coolant at say 10 years (or 100 or 120k) DSG box depends which one for oil and perhaps reliability. It depends what you use to coat the underside some things can hold decay unseen from the other side, rust proof and painted or keep the original paint in good condition might be better, I used Waxoyl for years then Dyn?someat 50 but mates with just paint and cleaning seemed to do better against rust. Personally I would look at selling this and getting an older good Japanese car if I wanted long term ownership (my last car I had for 16 years and was 50 years old when I got rid of it to a mate and is still being used). Good luck.

In that case perhaps you might have an issue or fault in the system then(?). Not always. Up, A2 now Fabia, you're obviously a VW fan, as you can tell I'm not, but then I'm not a fan of modern cars, until a couple of years ago my daily car was from 1973 and you had to lift the bonnet to turn the heater on but the fresh air ventilation was plenty. Let us know how you get on. @rum4mo is a VW fan and will know more about their air-cons and climate systems and their practical use.

Do you have a Superb or Caddy or both?