mike53

Hi rum4mo - I did what you suggest, and found where one of the screws belonged (underneath the front spoiler area), and put it back. I also found another screw on the floor that I had missed, which turned out to be one I had removed unnecessarily, which also belonged in that same general area, but wasn't actually holding the wheelarch liner on, but another piece of trim under the front end of the car. I put that back too. So I'm still down by one. I think the last one belongs in the rear face of the wheel arch, holding it against the subframe, but the corresponding hole in the subframe doesn't have a spire nut in it, so the screw won't hold. I was under the impression that this problem already existed before I started work, but maybe it was my doing, after all. I can't find the spire nut on the floor and I don't have another one. The other side of the car is slightly different in its placement of screws, apparently by design. The other side also has one screw missing, and must have been that way for at least as long as I have had the car (nearly two years). I suppose I could put my "spare" screw in that hole. Certainly VW Group will not have fitted extra screws "just for a laugh", but I have to assume they have followed sound engineering principles and built some redundancy into the design. I propose to leave it as-is.

Turns out the screenwash pump had died. Changing the pump cured the problem. Of course the job wasn't quite as simple as that sounds. Minor aggravations along the way included the following: 1. Unused as I am to modern cars, I was shocked to find no jack or wheel brace in the boot. I don't know why I was surprised: they hadn't given me a spare wheel (just a bottle of get-you-home sealant) so why would they need to provide the means to change a wheel? Fortunately, I have a trolley jack. Oddly, they HAD given me a little plastic grippy thing for removing the plastic covers from the wheel nuts. I also discovered they had provided an electric air pump that runs off the 12V lighter socket, which is smaller and lighter than my existing one, so I can retire mine now. Thanks, Skoda! 2. When the fault first showed itself, front and rear WIPERS still operated, although the WASHERS did not. Then the symptoms changed, such that the rear WIPERS also did not operate. I re-checked all the relevant fuses and found nothing wrong. I still don't know the reason for this. The rear wipers worked again after I changed the pump. 3. Before changing the pump I thought I would just check that electricity was reaching the pump. I pulled the connector off the old pump, switched on the ignition, held a voltmeter to the two terminals in the connector, and had an assistant operate the stalk controls for wash-wipe. I didn't see any voltage across the terminals. Aha, I thought, it's a fault in the wiring, or in the stalk controls. I was about to call a garage, but on a whim, I connected the new pump electrically and repeated the test. The new pump ran. Moral of the story: a voltmeter might not be the preferred way of checking for voltage?? Maybe my probes weren't making proper contact, who knows. 4. The front WIPERS do not operate if the bonnet is open, although the washers do. This confused the post-replacement testing. Presumably this is a safety feature to prevent the wiper arms from fouling on the bonnet lid. There must be a microswitch somewhere to detect the bonnet being open. I'm not used to this level of automation! 5. The wheel arch liner is held in place by about 12 screws with T25 Torx heads, that go into spire nuts. After reassembly, I had two screws left over, and couldn't find where they should go. I think the lighting conditions were the main problem. I'm not going to worry about it - I don't think the liner is going anywhere.

Thanks nta16, I reached the same conclusion myself. I looked up on Youtube the procedure for changing the washer pump. The pump and washer bottle are behind the front bumper, and to access it (and its electrical and water connections) the first step is to remove the front wheel and then remove the wheel arch liner, which is held in place by several T25 screws. After that, the rest is easy. If that's how it is, I only want to do the dismantling step once. So I have ordered an aftermarket pump for £10.48 on Amazon (it was the same price on eBay, but on Amazon I can get it next day). We'll see how I get on.

Hi, I have a 2022 Mk3 Skoda Fabia estate with the exact symptoms described in this post: front and rear washers not operating via stalk on steering column. I cannot hear washer pump motor running. Wipers do operate. Washer bottle is full. I have checked all 5 of the fuses mentioned here (2, 22, 27, 31 & 46) and all are good. We have not had any wintry weather since washers were last working, and in any case I always put the car in the garage overnight. Ideas anyone?

I have just bought a used 2022 Mk3 Fabia petrol 1.0 TSI automatic, first registered 31 Aug 2022, from an independent dealer. Newbie question: Am I entitled to the balance of the 3-year Skoda Roadside Assistance package, or is it only for the first owner from new?

Hi, I am a retired computer specialist. I acquired my son's 2012 Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S TDCI in 2017 when he changed it for a 2016 Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI, but 5 years later we had to admit that while the Fiesta was nice to drive, it was a bit too small for fetching DIY materials and taking stuff to the tip, and it being the 3-door version made things worse. So we changed it for a 2013 Fabia Combi 1.6 TDI, which was the biggest estate that would fit in our small single garage with everything else that was in there. It certainly does the job we bought it for, the only issues being: - I didn't realise until after buying that it had the least powerful variant of the 1.6 diesel engine, the 55 kW (74 hp) one, and that there are 66 and 77 kW versions. The only difference between them is the engine management computer mapping, but I haven't bothered getting mine remapped. It goes fast enough for my needs. - I've had some issues with electric windows (solved) and central locking (just today), but I'll go to the appropriate forum for that. Meanwhile my son has swapped his 2016 Fabia for a very nice 2019 Octavia 2.0 TSI vRS DSG. We seem to be a Skoda family these days!