diegoiua

Anyway, I found my way through the problem by bringing a switched 12v line directly from the fuse box. I marked in red in the picture below which like of fuses are switched 12v. If you remove the two torx bolts, the fuse box drops enough to allow you to remove the back cover and access the fuses from the back, so you do not need to pin-in the cable from the front. Then I added a 15A fuse to my cable, brought it up to the radio and I fixed it so it doesn't move around. Finally, I removed the 12v pin (yellow cable) from the radio ISO connector and I connected it to the switched 12v cable that I brought up. And problem solved! No more current drainage, as this line is immediately switched off when removing the ignition key.

On the front looks the same, but on the back it doesn't. I did. Doing this I found out that if the can-bus is not connected, then none of the buttons of the front panel of the radio work. Only the touchscreen. No, there is only one power cable, yellow, which is the 12v permanent, and of course the black one for ground. There is no switched 12v red, which is the typical installation that you find in almost all the radios so far. In fact, search for "android drain battery" in youtube and you find loads of videos showing the same solution: cut the red cable. Well, they forgot that in some cases there is no red cable. There is however a thinner yellow and red coming out of the can-bus box, but I've tried cutting them (one at each time and both together) and the only result is the can-bus box no longer working, but the continues to drain the battery when switching off the car.

In the mk3 (which is different in this to the mk2, I had one as well), the ONLY power cable that arrives to the ISO connector of your radio is always feeding current, no matter if the car is on or not, or even if the key is inserted or removed. The other cables on the connector are the speakers and the can-bus ones. Nothing else. So if the can-bus is not switching off the radio, then what is it?

Ok, I will do the current check after 2 hours as you say. Regarding the seller, I bought the unit from Aliexpress (HERE THE LINK) but I wouldn't recommend to buy from this seller. They say there that the product will be delivered from Czech Republic, but it came from Germany. Then when I tried to contact them, they answered via Whatsapp from China. And the support was really bad, they were not able to understand what the problem was, although I was sending them pictures. According to the technical description, is an Rockchip PX3 Cortex A9 Android 9.0 based unit. And where I wrote Golf mk6 should be actually mk7, I've just checked again the cable.

Hi everyone, recently I've bought one of these Chinese Android radios for the Fabia mk3 from my wife, so that she can get navigation and, most importantly, rear view camera :). After creating myself the removal tools for the original radio as these were not provided with the Chinese one, I proceeded to install the new one with the cables provided. The radio comes of course with the Can-Bus emulator box. I mus comment as well that the radio was provided with two ISO adaptors, one for "Golf IV" versions and another for "Passat" versions. I installed it the first time with the Golf VI version, although I was not sure which one was the right one. Anyway, before installing it I've noticed that both the radio and the can-bus box were drinking the main current from the same yellow cable, and there was no second red cable as usual (the one that you should disconnect if you do not want the radio to suck your battery when the car is turned off). So I assumed that by default either the radio was shutting off the current automatically (via can-bus) or the source of current was shut-off by the car. Fool of me, on this first installation I haven't checked the current consumption with the car turned off, and as the car has been stopped some days due to the quarantine, when we tried to start it again, the battery was dead. So after some internet research, I've found out that the in the new VAGs there is no longer 2 current lines arriving to the ISO adaptor, but only one which is always fed with current, independently of the position of the key. The shut-off of the original car radio happens through the can-bus signal. This means, that the original radio is always sucking some current to keep the minimum systems alert (turn on/off thru can-bus). I haven't measured the original one, but I guess the current drain has to be minimal, perhaps less than 100mA, otherwise the battery would be dead pretty soon as well. After the research, I proceeded to install again the radio with the second cable provided (the "Passat" version), to try again and, this time, measure the drain current, which happened to be 200mA. I'm afraid I can't say if at the first installation (with the Golf VI cable) the drain current was the same, as I haven't had time to check both cables, but I shall assume that the current drain was either the same or higher, and it was enough to kill the battery after 4-5 days. So I looked around to see if there was any power cable close to the radio to check if it was shut-off when I remove the ignition key so I can bridge the original ISO connector installation with a shut-off current source. The only thing close to the radio with enough current was the cigarette lighter, but this one as well is not shut-off with the key removal. Therefore here my request for some help: Does anybody know if there is any way to shut-off this current line adding some extra circuitry perhaps (a can-bus activated relay for instance)? If the first option sounds too complex, does anybody know any current source line that I can take, perhaps directly from the fuse-box, that can handle the 2-5 Amps of the radio and it's being shut-off when removing the ignition key? By the way, apart from this issue, the radio works pretty damn well and the integration with the dashboard is perfect. I couldn't try the functioning of the steering-wheel controls as my wife's Fabia doesn't have them, but I guess it should work as the radio does show other can-bus info, like the open doors. Thanks in advance and stay healthy! Cheers, Diego

Hi all, it's been a while I'm not around, so I decided to update my status. One year ago we sold the Fabia mk2 HTP (70hp) from my wife and we bought a brand new mk3 with the same engine, but 60HP instead of 70. We were looking for a new car with a good deal to update the old Fabia, and after looking around (several other brands as well) we ended up buying a this Fabia 25-Years-of-Skoda-in-Austria Edition, which was already at the dealer, so no options possible. Of course, the idea was to keep the expense as low as possible, and this car was having a very competitive price when compared with other alternatives (we end up paying 10k€). I think is the perfect option as a second car, considering that we have two kids and the Fabia wins the space battle by far when compared with the options on the 10k€ range (with the exception of the Dacia Sandero, but it was never an option for us). I bought now an Android radio with 8" screen which after installed drained the battery, but that's a different story that I will share in the proper forum. Cheers and remain healthy!

The Ibiza restyling 4 doors is nice... but the Estate has only 430liters of trunk, against the 530 from the Fabia... And perhaps it's just visual, but the Fabia with the sport suspension looks lower than the Ibiza...

Hi goneoffSki, the Ibiza is ok, but it's smaller than the Fabia, taller, and I like it less... but with the 1.4TSI will be a great option, but I don't think they will do it... perhaps as an FR version, yes. Thanks for the comment regarding the engine. With 9,6s for the 0-60 I was wondering how "sporty" was the feeling of the engine, and mostly with the DSG, but it seems is just normal... Anyway, I'm more worried about the torque than anything else, as the engine only has 175Nm torque, which sounds like ok for the size of the car but not too much (I had a 1.4TSI 125CV Leon II with 200Nm torque and it was not too much, but the car was heavier, so I expect a similar "feeling" on this Fabia). And yes, my "dream" combination will be a Leon or an Octavia with the 1.8TSI... I'm in love with that engine since I saw its grandfather version in the first Audi TT 1.8T 180CV like 18 years ago... yeah, the new one has nothing to do with that old one, but that combination of 1.8 liters and 180CV sounds like "armonic" to me... But the problem is the tax... 720€ per year... just road-tax...it's not that I can't pay it, it just that it hearts...

Hi torslunde, thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them. Yes, even without driving the Fabia III I can imagine that is not "sporty", but compared to a 1.7 tons 140PS VW Sharan, believe me, the Fabia will be very sporty The 5 places is important, because we are 4 at home but sometimes I need to ride my sister-in-law or my mother with us, so I will need that extra place... and the problem are the child-seats, that they occupy the full place, without leaving any free space in the middle for an adult... so with the 2 child-seats it will become a 4-seater basically... and that's right now a big CON... but the a similar situation will happen with a Leon or the Octavia. I need to go to the size of a Passat or a Touran to get a real usable 3rd seat behind (always considering 2 child-seats mounted). When I said "wheeldrive" I was refering to the steering-wheel... sorry for the misunderstanding... The Fiesta is not an option, I need a small estate car... Thanks!

Hi there, 3 years ago I bought a 2nd-hand VW Sharan 7N 2.0TDI for the family... I was looking for a Touran but I've found this Sharan and I bought it without doubting, supposing that it was going to be a good choice for long trips and for my wife's everyday. Meanwhile, I bought as well a Skoda Fabia II 1.2 HTP (70hp) 2007 for my daily commuting to work, to keep the travelling costs down. However, I've found myself driving the Sharan everyday because it was too big for my wife, and also to avoid screwing up the DPF with small trips in the city. The problem is that the Sharan is very boring for the everyday drive... and this one has no DSG and the driving position is not so nice as in a car (typical SUV position), and even worst if you are taller than 1,80m... So, I'm studing possibilities for a future change... but I have several constraints that are limiting my "freedom" of choice: we live in Austria and the cars here are charged with a tax that goes directly associated with the PS of the engine. For example, I pay 500€ yearly for the 140PS TDi of the Sharan... and I don't want to pay more than that (so I need to find a "light" car that gives me plenty of fun with less than 140ps) In addition, I don't want to spend more than 25-27k€, which will demand a small investement if I give the Sharan as a part of the payment. Of course, it needs to be big enough for the family (2 kids) and the luggage, and I'd prefer a State rather than a SUV. I'd like to have a solar roof and sport suspension. And, last but not least, the DSG is a must. So, putting all these boundaries on the table, I have very few options left: - Seat Leon ST 1.4 TSI DSG (to get a "sporty" version in Austria I need to go to the FR, which won't cost less than 28k€ new) - Octavia State 1.4 TSI DSG (even more expensive than the Leon, and less sporty) - the same cars with the 1.2TSI DSG (cheaper, will get in my budget, but with the risk of a too small engine for the size and weight of the car) - a 2nd hand 1.4 TSI DSG Golf Variant (difficult to find one with low km and all the equiment I'd like to have, and with a price that justifies going to a 2nd hand car, because most of them are very close in price to a new Leon ST) - other brands which I don't like too much (Peugeot 308SW automatic, etc), but we are again in the range of the price of the Leon ST. - OR... a Skoda Fabia State 1.2TSI DSG with all the possible optionals, including panoramic roof, 17" wheels, sport suspension, maybe the installation of the Octavia wheeldrive with the shif-pads, etc etc, that won't cost more than 23k€ with all the condiments... PROS of the Fabia State: - car mass, good relationship mass/power - price for new - fuel eficiency - equipment for price (in comparison with the other mentioned alternatives) - lower tax rate in Austria (for 110cv I'll pay 380€ per year instead of 512€ that I pay now) - CO2 is lower than 120 g and in 2016 it seems that we'll get a tax for that as well CONS - interior space, with almost no option to carry a 5th person with the 2 kid-seats installed. - engine maybe not "fun" enough (I haven't driven it so far), or too "short" when the car is fully loaded - maybe no shift-pads on the wheeldrive (I still need to confirm that the installation of the Octavia's wheeldrive is possible) - sport-suspension maybe not enough to get a real "sporty" drive feeling... - maybe (I don't know) too noise on highway at limit speeds compared with a bigger "brother" Sorry for the long text, but I'm really in doubt about this... I'm not in a hurry because I'm not thinking in changing now, but I'm trying to collect opinions and facts to justify the crazy decision of downsizing from the Sharan in such a radical way... Thanks for your help in advance!!! Diego

Could you please give us an idea of how much they charged you for replacing the steering wheel and coding-up the octavia's? Thanks and congrats for your very nice car!!

hi there, has that noise come back? I think I have the same noise (your youtube video has dissapeared I'm afraid)... it's like a bearing noise that goes up in frequency with the RPMs, and it's definitely coming from the belt because it happens no matter if you have a gear in or you're in neutral (so, I'm deducing it can't be the transmission train). I'd like to do the work myself, but I'm not sure if it's the belt tensioner, or maybe one bearing of one of the accesories (alternator, ac compressor, water pump)... Anybody changed it?? Thanks, Diego

Hi guys! I joined briskoda in 2007 because I was looking for info for a possible Fabia mk1 that I was going to buy, but I ended buying a VW Polo and, to be honest, I've never joined in again since then... In 2007 I used to live in Spain (I'm originally from Argentina), and since 2011 I live in Austria... and since 2007 and the VW Polo (it was a 9N from 2003, 1.9TDI 100cv) loads of things happened (got married, 2 kids, a Seat Leon 1.4TSI 2009, the move to Austria...) Last year my second child arrived and the Leon ended his short live by my side (2009-2011) and made place for a 2011 VW Sharan 7N 2.0TDI, 2nd hand with 30000km that I'm still driving... But my return to this awesome forum is because I've just bought a 2nd hand Skoda Fabia mk2 1.2 from Dic 2007, with around 62000km to commute to my job everyday and try to save some km to the Sharan... The Fabia has some scratches in the paint (nothing important) and seems that the previous owner was a smoker because even though the interior is in good shape, the ceiling is quite dirty and smells to cigarrette. I tried to clean it using Megiars for carpets, but it's still dirty... so I will use some water with amoniac that I've read that works fine. Apart from that, the car seems to be mecanically OK... I'm still getting used to the tri-cilinder 1.2 engine, and I wish not to have surprises with hidden stuff... cross fingers... Well, I don't want to bore you... I leave you some pics of my machines... Cheers,

One of the best preparations I've ever seen... Excellent work!

Awesome color and great decision! Enjoy it!