nta16

Just for general info, just been setting up computer stuff on my wife's new (2025) secondhand car and it seems like you can set the dash(?) service interval by any number of days and miles, I've no idea if this is also the case with the 2025 Fabia MK4.

You might be better looking and or asking in the Octavia Mk3 or Octavia Guies or Octavia Projects forums. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/ HTH.

Recovery should have tried at least the opening the bleed nipple if not disconnection the ABS, for at least when the vehicle isn't moving. Have a look at the brake fluid in the reserviour, if you need to take the reserviour cap off to see then wipe the cap and surrounding neck to and reserviour top with a clean cloth to prevent grit and muck getting in, place cap on clean part of cloth face down. The brake fluid shuld be clear but can be a bit black if in older car but it shouldn't be denser black. The colour of brake fluisd varies a bit but you can often, not always, tell if it looks very old. If you can't release it enough then driving it will get the pads and disc very hot meaning it will more likely seize up again sooner, especially if you use the brake pedal. A neighbour's car had an intermitent problem with a caliper that applied the pads, then onced the car was parked and cooled down the caliper seemed fine, garage couldn't find anything wrong but on driving back from the garage the fault returned so the car was turned around and back to garage and resulted in new front brakes from flexi-hoses on (the car was 17 years old very low mileage and next to none recent years use, and not VW parts costs).

There are threads and posts here about how useful (or not) scan tools can be on these cars but even with the latest cars and best scan tools for them they are just another diagnosis tool, not as some believe the absolute ultimate to give exact answer. Sometimes they do pinpiont the cause of an issue but even then this should be checked and cross referenced with other diagnoist tools (multimeter, human senses, common sdense, ect.) and often the scan tool just pionts out what/where the error code is reported from and many just shoot the messager without thinking or checking or cross referencing further. A car of this age will tend to give more generic error codes that might, or might not, help and only tell you what you already know. Any scan tool that has the programing for the model and year would pull up error codes and the OBD 2 codes mandated at the time. Of course if it's AI generated it'll be 110% correct everytime. 😆 IIRC there's a period video(s?) on YouTube with the diagnostics (machine) training on the Felicia that might help with the level of the systems at the time, IIRC(?) I posted it in a thread on here (or perhaps I just watched it?).

Well done on sorting it and reporting back. I think this shows the level that some scanners are at but all scan tools at all levels have good and bad pionts. IIRC, and I'm not on fantasy island again, I think the scanner I have I can input the mileage figure but I might be wrong. As with the car's 'Owner's Manual' translation from German to it sometimes seems Chinise, to translate to English, brings up some funny words and sentences.

Another thought, might be rubbish be easy to try - take the fuse out of the ABS or electrically disconnect the ABS pump block then see if you can turn the wheel, I don't know if you would need the ignition on but you might as well as that release the steering lock (on non-key starting model at least) and you can check which warning lights are working and those that should go out shortly after turning ignition on.

How come the recovery didn't free it off or recover the car to your home or garage? Others may have other and better deas but all I can think of at the moment is as follows. Depends if you want or can work where the car is and safely raise the front wheel off the ground to try turning it, if so I would try just slightly opening the bleeder valve on that brake caliper so a slow trickle of brake fluid comes out and try turning the wheel. Don't forget to close the bleeder vavle when required and don't touch the brake until you have fully closed the bleeder vavle. If required I might remove the wheel and put my two "wheel alighnment tools" in two of the (bloddy stupid) bolts (instead of studs and nuts) as pionts to rest a bar or tube against to get greater leverage to turn the wheel (trolley jack handle, peice of wood, ect.). If above didn't help then you might have to cosider removing tha caliper if you can which might take some leverage and/or force and not be pretty. It might also be handy to have a ssecond person spraying brake cleaner over the area of pads and discs and perhaps caliper (bleeder vavle closed and nipple cover fitted) at the same time as try to turn the wheel or remove the caliper. Note tarmac doesn't like brake cleaner so a bowl may be needed to catch spray and drips.

Hi, welcome. If you've not already seen there are many forums on this site (Briskoda) including the Fabia section that includes Fabia Mk4, Fabia Guides and Fabia Projects. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/ HTH.

ETA: anyway of overtyping, or entering, or entering service via a different route, to get the mileage to 9,400 on the existing scan tool program? (specoial functions, service resets, other)

Sounds like a scan tool error(s) I would report it to the scan tool manufacturers for upatding (assuming you updated the scan tool program befre using it, always a good idea). In UK/USA metric (km) can get confused with miles (imperia) measurements as of course VW work in metric. 4,700 miles would be for "servre" conditions of use (lots of short journeys, uphills, heavy towing, dusty enviroment, ect.) but it would also be a 6 not 12 months time interval. Many UK cars could do with 6-monthly engine oil changes because of the lowe(er) annual mileage and use but VWŠkoda seem to ignore the "serve" servicing (and maintenance) for the sake of maketing appeal.

I spoke with someone that used to work on UK VWŠkodas who went over to one of the Czech Republic plant and the great set up they have there with three generations of the same families working there and the Porche bodies that were sent there for spraying. Werll know that the quality control is higher there than the German plants, same as back in the day when Nissan was really Nissan that the Japanese wanted the British made Nissan because of the higher quality! (I wonder if Renault put a stop to that.) German engineering (mass) car quality dropped decades back, certainly last century for Mercs and not that far behind for BMW and VW.

Yeap very common, VW German quality engineering !

Yesterday we had to go to a place in Leicester and before leaving I clicked on the place's weebsite'sto get directions to get locate the builds' entry and exit as it was in the city centre and on a one-way part of an inner ring road. Directions were via Google Maps, which many seem to favour, what a laugh. As always it wanted to take us on the motorway, M1, a bit of a pain to get to from our side of Northampton, or for some strange reason take us via Kettering(!?) which takes you out of the way. Neither route is the usual sensible route a driver that knows how to get from our part of town to Liecester city centre (A5199, or A50 as was decades back) even according to Google Maps the sensible route only takes 6 minutes more than going out of the way to get onto a motorway rather than more pleasant straightforward country road. We never need worry about the Yanks invading us as they'd be lost once here. :shakeshead: 😄

You might be better looking or asking in the Fabia Mk4 forum (or other model similar fittings to a Polo) as your issue might just be one of the general reasons or more specfic to time of car or radio production. You might be referring to a different car but your 'Author's stats' show "Location: Cork Model: Polo TL 1.0 M5F 65 hp (petrol) Year: 2019" so they might, or might not, need updating. HTH.

Hi, welcome. I'll ask* a Moderator if your post will be better served in the Fabia Mk2 forum where lots of Fabia Mk2 owners and others will be able to help you with real world experiences and advice. HTH. (* by clicking on the three dots at the top right of posts and then selecting 'report' from the drop-menu)

Tw*tNavs have there place and are useful if you know know where you are going on part of the route but like all computer stuff to blindly without thinking follow them is how people end up at a wrong place or in trouble enroute. If you don't know where you are going and you have put in the correct destination and the Tw*tNav is up to date and programed correctly then it will get you there, whether that was the best or shortest or quickest route is another matter. Tying the road speed limits into the Tw*tNav is like doubling the potential for speed limit errors. System like the Automated(?) Cruise Control are on the cars to be tested out widely in the real world for future use, like with previous British cars, particularly low volume producers, the customers/end-users are finishing the product developement. Only yesterday my neighbour was saying how the didn't like the ACC on his car (Honda Civic) as accelorators to the changed speed limit quickly. Personally I onced used regular cruise control in the 1980s and didn't like it so have never used it since. A couple of decades or so back a mate showed me the speed limiter on his BMW and I thought that was a good idea but it's on my wife's Fabia and other than testing it works when she first got the Fabia I've never used it since, useful though it might be. If I'm driving the car I like to drive the car not be a passenger behind the steering wheel, I am fully responsible for my actions as potentially I could kill people or animals. To those that like all the systems on modern cars, great, good for you but don't switch your brains and senses off and totally rely on these systems.

Hi, welcome. Along with all the other sections and forums on this site is a section for the Octavia including forums for Octavia MK3, Guides and Projects. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/ HTH.

As put if you take it in after 12 months / 9,400-miles(?) for a "service" (engine oil change and not much else ETA: as put already now) and the service interval isn't changed then it'll be 24 months / 18,800 miles before the screen reminds you. Unless you're doing about say 15,000-miles a year engine oil change at the 9,400 miles or 12 months whichever is the sooner, if you do say about 5,000 miles a year or less this might be what is called by other car manufacturers "servre" (lots of short journeys, dusty enviroement, lots of uphills, heavier towing, ect.) and 6-monthly or 5,000 miles (4,700?) oil changes, which would be better if keeping the car longer term. I'm sure there'll plentay of annyoying messages and lights particularly if you let the 12v battery go a little low and the computers moan and play up in all sorts of unexpected ways. Good luck.

For full warming of the engine I forget about the coolant guage and go for 90+C with the oil temperature. ETA: if you're doing the work yourself you can take more time and care than masny garages do, so slightly underfilling means you can top up as and when required from your use. Some engines when they're older find their own fill level and you learn this from all the oil changes you have done on the car and from when you check the oil level between oil changes. Of course the first thing to check everytime you lift the bonnet isn't the relatively unimportant engine but the level and colour of the brake fluid, often very easily done by a quick glance at the plastic see-through resioviour. Whether you can stop is more important than whether you can go.

Some will be gone certainly but hopefully not half as it's an ale guide rather than just pubs, a few pubs have been in the guides since we started in 1979 but yes sadly some have gone, some reopen and for years now micro-pubs have been opening, not all servingbest ale quality but at least serving. My wife has the 2026 guide, I 'don't get out much now', the 2027 guide will be out in September. About 20+ years ago I was in a car with two others that each had their own handheld type Tw*tNavs of the time in the countryside miles from home going to a business meeting stopped at a crossroads with those two arguing that their Tw*tNav, opposing, direction would be correct, I opened the CAMRA Good Beer Guide I had with me turned to the county we were in in looked at the quarter-page county map and gave the deciding direction based on the fact there was guide entry in a village on the signpost. In those days you had to wait for 3?, 5? of the 5 satilites shown on the devices to communicate before the Tw*tNav could work and that could take many minutes or loose and have to start again, particularly when we went to that-there-Lundun. I'm not a Luddite just old enough to have seen the progression and regression, my neighbour had a GPS device many decades back, mate had a 'mobile' phone in the mid to late 1980s, I was learning about computers (punch cards and paper tape) in the late 1970s. The promises were great the realities not alsways so.

As Warrior193 has put plus as follows. IIRC there is/was a recent thread(s?)/posts about throttle body resets (I forget the exact details) in this forum, no need for scan tool IIRC. I'm a big fan of properly cleaning a throttle body (off the engine). Loads of posts on temperature sensor. Look up how to check crankcase breathing, there's an easy way, saves taking all the hoses off but if you do you could clean them inside and out of you want. Valve stems might be covered in the forum or in the Guides section. What you see from exhaust might just be lack of use and/or a minor fueling issue. When you've done the full servicing, cleaned the throttle body, checked the breather hoses then, if available to you try filling the tank with a petrol that has a highr cleaning additive package (higher octane ones in the UK) then once you are into that fuel, or add a fuel system cleaner get the engine fully (oil) warmed and give the car a sustained "Itailian tune-up" (more about high revs than high speed) that might help to blow some **** out. Engines (and cars) are designed to be used not sitting getting damp and stiff.

You're preaching to the converted, I don't use Tw*tNavs. These type of things are what I use for route planning (old photo).

That Amazon link didn't work for me but the image shows on the can label with VW spec 507 00 (504 00 is for petrol) and API SN. The car's 'Owner's Manaul' will give you the engine oil spec VW want (if not the quantity and multigrade). Link requested. - https://www.oilspecifications.org/volkswagen.php Depending on how the mileage is done 10k-miles (9,400 by book IIRC) and once a year would to me be a minimum. For engine oil changes personally I get the oil hot and drain hot - observing safety required - filler cap off and drain for as long as possible. Once old oil and muck is fully out I tip a quanity of fresh clean oil (warmed if required, solar or other) and let than fully drain before replacing sump plug and slowly refilling in stages, to check level. I always stay below 'Max' on the dipstick until the car is on level ground and all the new oil has settled. I usually check and top up the next day or after the first run of the car. Depening on the wet refill quantity your engine requires and what will be left out of 5l you might want to be generrous with the mini-flush I mentioned. Longlife is more of a marketing term, a good oil is a good oil. Some Yanks change their oil every 3k-miles and their engines can hold huge amounts of oil and they travel greater distances, though some using 'fully synthetic' engine oils might change at 5k-miles, but some don't bother much about engine oil changes until the oil sludge starts effecting their engines. I hope all of that helps.

Yes and that is the problem, same for all the other driver "aids" and "assists" on the vehicles now. I know humans are very far from infallible and these systems may sometimes help but I do wonder about more modern drivers that fully rely on them and those that believe computers without question, mental passengers behind the driver controls. As I put I've known some of these systems for decades and have seen improvements but they now seem in a period of a sort of regress in reliability.

Or put some dye in the coolant, if standard coolant and no leak repair liquid have already been added to the coolant. Leak dye kits freely available from the likes of eBay and elsewhere.