MijIsTired

I stand happily corrected. I spent many hours watching the RAC Rally on TV and that's my primary Q/quattro reference! There's nothing quite like finding that car that feels... just right. My 1989 Golf Driver was like that.

@gsmdoooh the Quattros were lovely. Somehow had one as a hire car once. I worked in TV back then, so got to drive a lot of different cars, but they were usually Peugeot 205 type level. They must have been busy and it was all they had that week! Made me want to go and throw it around the Forest of Dean though, thinking I was Hannu Mikkola. The Quattro wasn't built to be constrained by tailbacks on the A303 😆

1973 GT Beetle. Learned to drive on it (in the late 80s). 1584cc (later 1776) engine with SU carburettors, synchromesh transmission, and steering so heavy I could feel my transverse abs bulking out every time I parked. My Dad’s Saab 900 Turbo. Not as pretty as the 99, but so incredibly smooth and balanced, and the driver’s seat was heated. Such luxury I had never previously encountered. 1973 Morgan +8. So very burbly and understated at tick over and pottering speed. So phenomenally organ-rearranging when you need to take off sharpish. VW TDI transporter, 2l or above, can’t remember exactly, it was a hire van for work. So much oomph. And I did get to drive a few 7.5t trucks. I enjoyed being that high up. Didn’t enjoy that I had to get out of the seat to get enough leverage to brake hard, cos everything was designed for someone considerably bigger than me.

Thanks, that was my instinct too. The blower resistor (and possibly the driver's door window switch, just because I know when it failed and it's never worked since), apart from also seeming to be connected to sheer age of the vehicle, feels a separate issue. Hopefully my small hands will be a bonus for once, when I try to do that. I definitely seem to have less trouble replacing front lamps (though they're still a PITA) so 🤞 While I'm here: a lot of the threads are quite old now in terms of recommended suppliers / good prices / reliable parts. Is it a 'straight to GSF for reliability' for the resistor pack, or are there new kids on the block?

Thanks @Breezy_Pete and @UrbanPanzer OK, before I do that (and it's gonna be days or next weekend now til I'll get the chance), or perhaps as well as doing that, having read other threads it feels like I'm still likely to be needing to replace the resistor pack for the blowers. So, oh wise electrical-gurus, is there a 'least bad' order to do those two things in? ie, resistor pack change & looking at / potentially trying to do something about the door wiring?

That sounds harder for a home fixer to tackle than the 'under the dash' stuff.

🙂 I did like basic, when it came to engines. If a Beetle (or anything of that era) doesn't start, it's lack of spark, fuel or air. And if something's fallen off, you can see what's missing if you lift the engine cover. I miss that!

Ah, hi everyone, how rude of me to post and ghost. Well, you did ask... [apologies for the bold, can't isolate the damn code from when I copied and pasted]. I wrote this a month or so back. All the time: Driver’s window switch broken (motor works, as responds to key fob) Heat / blowers only work on setting 4 [NB I've read the threads about the resistor now!] Speakers both work, but not always at the same time Regular but intermittent Boot catch doesn’t unlock on central locking (mechanism fine), but does with boot release button on fob Double click on key fob doesn’t always unlock all other doors Power outlets in car and in boot sometimes don't provide power (despite changing cable, adapter or device) Rare Rear windscreen wiper occasionally turns itself on when front wipers are functioning and/or will continue after being turned off Passenger electric window not reliably responding to switch on passenger door Interior lights not always coming on when the door is opened, despite correct switch position selected. This is exactly what I wondered! Partly cos of the random locations of problems; partly cos where there's a lot of movement, there's a lot of wear.

I have a 2011 Fabia 1.2 TSi Combi, that has been developing more and more electrical glitches over the last year. Some are permanent (eg I know the switch on the driver's window control is kaput, but the motor still works as it lowers/raises via the key fob), some very regularly intermittent - within the same day, or week, or month - and a couple very randomly and occasionally. I can't find a pattern or common set of circumstances to explain any of these. It's quite the list. I've searched for a couple - eg I've seen several threads on 'blowers only work on 4' so some are clearly known issues. BUT it feels like there's something bigger going on here. I'm moderately handy on the more mechanical or engine-side basics (or at least I was, with older cars, when you could see and change more bits) but electrics I'm less confident about, and it could be that it's really obvious to the electrically-gifted that 'well if X fuse/resistor has burnt out, it's going to knacker the whole of the Y bit of the loom'. With any fixes, I have to factor in the fact that I have good but limited tools, and no garage or driveway, so I have to factor in doing repairs on the street. It's also our only car so I can't risk getting stuck with the car in bits. Any suggestions gratefully received.

Hello all Not entirely new as I've found myself searching for (and often finding) community knowledge to do my own fixes (most recently the stupid 'falls down between the trim and bodywork' boot cover clip. Great instructions everyone, thanks for the money save!) Signing up properly now, as I'm feeling the financial pinch, and where I used to devolve a good chunk of repairs for things I just didn't have time (or tools) to do, I'm now going to need to do more myself. I don't mind this; I grew up with an extremely talented (if self-trained) mechanic-Dad, and I love the satisfaction of a self-fix. However, I'm small. What I lack in bulk I can usually compensate for with leverage, problem-solving skills and bloody-mindedness. And small hands can be quite handy in some instances (well hello headlamp replacement, we meet again...) I also grew up around grassroots motor sport, learned to drive on a Beetle (taught by Dad, who was also an advanced driver observer - no pressure...), my first car (in my late 20s) was a 1989 Golf, followed by an equally elderly Golf Driver, then my first Skoda as by then a growing family = needed 5 doors and a cheaper car! Looking forward to delving into the phenomenal community knowledge to sort out the many niggles my current Fabia has developed.