Many thanks, Pete Yes, that is what it is. Obvious really! Duh!! I have never done this procedure before and what flummoxed me was there was nothing present between the clip and the sensor body not even a sign of debris. No wonder the clip came out with my finger! I can only conclude that the O ring has completely disintegrated and perhaps I wasn't long from losing the coolant should the sensor come loose. I have to confess that 99.9% of my maintenance experience is on classic cars before O rings became commonplace. An Fabia Mk1 is a modern car to me. This is my second Fabia and as both have been very reliable I have done little to them, just oil changes, brake pads, etc. Thanks, again!