kpugh

@mark_irl You are absolutely correct this is a very well known design fault with Fabia's, Polo's & Ibiza's of this generation & there is a TPI to rectify it. VW should be issuing a recall instead of charging customers for a TPI. I have exactly the same spec Fabia as you just the hatchback version & had exactly the same issue at very similar mileage all as described in your original post. This generation of engine was manufactured in VW's South African factory & basically they were putting the cam bolts in without loctite hence why over time they work themselves free & the first escaping bolt starts hitting the cam cover - if one removes itself completely it will very likely go into the cambelt causing damage I'd rather not even think about! In my case the dealer was good immediately switching the car off, advising they may need it for up to 6 weeks dependent on damage & parts required. What then happened was a TPI was oddly immediately available & fitted as quickly as possible & I was back driving it 10 days later. After some discount the final invoice was approx £950 which I had no option but to pay as I needed the car back. It did resolve it & thankfully no issues in the 6 months since. However I felt very strongly this should be a recall so took it up with VW directly (which was another long story) I eventually agreed on approx 70% goodwill payment not the numerous offers of service packages that include very little in the T&C's. This really, really should be a recall - I just hope this assists someone in the future.

Yes I agree with @roxby_fabia it is an integrated/combined unit. I can’t comment on fitting as dealership carried it out. However I will say it completely resolved the issue been fine ever since even in the recent much colder weather.

Just under £300 realise I could have saved by fitting myself but the chances of me fitting it & it actually working are virtually nil! Hopefully this will be useful info to others I suspect this may be a common issue as temperatures start to drop.

Hi All! Finally resolved by main dealer it was the the relay however it is a combined relay/fuse box unit on this model so I paid them to carry out the work & since picking it up no errors so far! From what I could glean it sounds like this type of relay struggles when the temperatures dip. Insisted on a full battery check & they were adamant it is spot on & does not require replacement. The start/stop does seem more proactive since collection. As a general point since owning this car I have found independent/local garages either politely unwillingly/unable to work on the car (or mis-diagnose it as original post above) yet I walk into a Skoda dealership & they have a pretty damn good idea what the route cause of each issue is just from the symptoms. Clearly going to have to continue to use main dealer potentially for the duration of ownership - VAG really do like to squeeze every last £ out when you own one of their vehicles!

Thanks again for responses. I’m just not happy committing to ECU change until at least had a second opinion as I do not feel it’s a 100% guaranteed fix or even necessary I do remember them saying “I do not think it would be wiring” or in other words they’ve not bothered to check this hence now lack of confidence. So I’m also questioning if they bothered to check battery. I have taken a recommendation of a different authorised Škoda dealer who happily booked me in early next week & sound keen/confident of repairing it (Complete contrast to my usual dealer!) Will report back with progress next week 👍

Hi Both, Thank you very much for your replies it is appreciated. So I was not given a read out unfortunately, his plug in machine looked modern. Today it came up with the above errors & then '12V Battery not charging stop the vehicle' this has not ever come up before. Surely the garage would have eliminated the battery as a cause as a basic check? I'm keen to eliminate Relays/Fuse Box etc as a cause & a second opinion prior to committing to the cost of a ECU change with no guarantee it will solve it. As you can probably tell I am no mechanic! Thank you again.

Hi All! I have a 2019 Škoda Fabia 1.0TSI 110 Monte Carlo. For the last month it has been not starting in the morning with ‘ACC Unavailable/Error Stabilisation Control (ESC)/Error Gearbox You can drive on/Error Tyre Pressure Loss Indicator/ACC & Front Assist Unavailable’ showing. None of these issues exist & the car always (so far) starts on the 5th/6th attempt & then starts up ok the rest of the day. Dealer cannot see it for many weeks so local garage plugged it in & said communication issue but not confident in resolving it. Local indie VW garage said definitely not ABS Wheel Sensor & is pointing towards ECU replacement at absolutely eye watering cost. Would be really interested if anyone has any experience of this/similar issue please.