Everything posted by DerekU
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Pathetic single tone horn upgrade
I eventually decided to replace my Fabia Mk4’s ‘peepy’ single horn with the Hella twin-horn set-up described in detail by @Prillerthriller above. I won’t be doing this until the weather gets a lot warmer, but some comments now on sourcing the necessary parts may be of interest. @Prillerthriller managed to obtain the Hella twin-horn kit and add-on ‘splitter’ wiring harness as a single order from Aliexpress, but I was unable to do this. I bought the add-on wiring harness alone from Aliexpress for £17.24 (£9.79 + £7.45 delivery-charge) but sourced the Hella horns though ebay (£16.51 including delivery charges and with a discount voucher). To allow immediate connection of the Hella horns to the add-on wiring harness, care is needed when sourcing the horns. The appropriate Hella Part Number is 3FH 012 010-021 that gets you a box marked TE26 SET TRUMPET HORN QUICK FIT. The box just contains the two horns (one 500Hz, the other 400Hz) and an instruction leaflet - but no wiring harness. I suppose this makes sense as the length of each 'branch' of the Aliexpress add-on wiring harness is about 500mm - which will be plenty long enough for a Fabia Mk4, but may be too short for other VAG models.
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Tyre recommendations
For what it’s worth… I notice that, when I said that Skoda only advised that a single 2.5bar inflation-pressure should be used for the tyres fitted to Skoda Fabia Mk4 cars, that was not correct. The ’correct’ tyre pressure for Fabia Mk4s was discussed here https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/522596-correct-tyre-pressure/ when I provided the following photo of my own Mk4 SE L car’s pressure-sticker. It will be seen that the 2.5bar front- and rear-axles pressure recommendation applies only to ‘normal’ loading (3 people + 3 suitcases) whereas 2.7bar (front axle) and 3.4bar (rear axle) are advised for ‘heavy’ loading (5 people + 5 suitcases
- Jack pad inserts Octavia Mark 4
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Glove box light missing
This Fabia MK2 discussion may be of interest...
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Front wiper blades on 2026 SEL
For right-hand-drive Skoda Fabia Mk4 models, this current ebay advert for the Bosch A864S pack of Aerotwin wiper blades at £20.60 (free delivery) is probably as cheap as can be found online. https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/248788032 Bosch advise that the wiper blade for a Fabia Mk4's rear screen is A303H and this ebay advert has that blade at £11.83 (free delivery). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116310032781
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Front wiper blades on 2026 SEL
This 1-year-old topic may be of interest https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/536354-wipers-very-noisy/#comment-5981475
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Tyre recommendations
The current UK-marketed Skoda Fabia range comprises 5 models and (depending on the model) the road-wheel diameter can be 15", 16", 17" or 18" and ALL of those wheels are fitted as standard with XL (Extra Load) tyres except for the tyres fitted to the 15" wheels. The Load Index/Speed Rating of the original-equipment (OE) tyres are 15" - 88H 560kg 210 km/h 130mph 16" - 91V 615kg 240km/h 149mph 17" - 91W 615kg 270km/h 168mph 18" - 89W 580kg 270km/h 168mph Car manufacturers will ALWAYS specific OE tyres that have Load Index/Speed Rating values that significantly exceed the car's weight and speed maxima. The unusual thing with the Fabia Mk4 is that, irrespective of the specification of the model, the tyres it has and the 'load it is carrying, a single 2.5bar (36.26psi) inflation-pressure is recommended - and that's going to result in a firm ride. It's more common for a range of inflation pressures to be recommended that depend on the load the car is carrying, (eg. 2 people + some luggage, 4 people + a lot of luggage) - that's the case for my 2009 Skoda Roomster, but not for my 2024 Fabia Mk4. My Roomster's has 15"-diameter alloy wheels and its current tyres are Falken 195/55 85V. Its OE tyres were same-size Continental products, but with an "H" speed-rating (and an unpleasant propensity to 'tram-line'). The Falken tyres I chose happen to have a V Speed Rating, but an H rating would be perfectly adequate for the Roomster. If I inflate the Roomster's tyres to the recommended '2 persons' pressure of 2.2bar/32psi, its ride is quite firm, but if the pressure drops to 2.0bar/29psi (say in very cold weather) I can notice the ride has softened until the tyres warm up. There is plenty of online information about reinforced tyres and their pros and cons (example here) https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/reinforced-tyres-advantages-and-disadvantages?srsltid=AYCX9vIGhJmxcwleoqvmkKT3jXlu30Pdd7Xvt3STUArNoCiiXKa but the reality is (and whether you like it or not) except for the OE tyres fitted to Fabia Mk4 cars with 15" wheels, Skoda has chosen to use XL tyres and - unless you change your car's tyres to the non-XL variety in the hope this will make a real improvement comfort-wise - if a Fabia Mk4 has 195/55 R16 91V XL tyres, all that can be done in order to obtain a softer ride quality is to reduce the inflation pressure. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/539692-lower-tyre-pressures-to-improve-ride/#comment-6014748
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1.0 TSI manual: difficult to pull away smoothly
The "small battery" will be the back-up battery for the Fabia's emergency SOS eCall system and was discussed here in February 2026. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/538090-backup-battery-trouble-code-b1916f4/ Online comments suggest an average reliable working life of 3 to 5 years and, although a new battery may be (fairly) inexpensive, to actually replace it can be a very labour intensive task as there's no standard place in cars for the battery to be located. At least from your comment, it sounds like the eCall battery in Fabia Mk4 models is reasonably accessible.
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Adaptive grille ahutter
I received a single reply (shown below) to my enquiry on the Skoda Fabia Owners Club Facebook group. This part was installed based on the PR number and region. I own a 2023 model with 1.0 , 70 kW engine. It’s in a cold climate, and the car is equipped with this. If one has access to the EKTA parts catalogue (as Breezy Pete does) and knows the car's VIN, it should be possible to check whether or not a particular Fabia Mk4 has the 'radiator louvre' unit. Otherwise, as the stated purpose of the unit's shutters (when closed) is to improve the Mk4's aerodynamics by preventing air from entering the wide grille in the lower part of the front bumper shining a torch through that grille when the car's motor is cold should confirm the presence or not of a shutter=unit. If the lower part of the radiator is clearly visible (as it is on my car) it definitely does NOT have the shutter-unit, but if the lower part of the radiator is not visible because there's a set of black plastic horizontal slats in the way, then it does.
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Service notification remove
There was forum discussion here https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/537030-skoda-fabia-24-inspection-reset/ but I'm not sure if the advice works. There's also this YouTube video where the guidance offered is much more complex.
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Tyre recommendations
@Alasdair1 The specification of the tyre fitted to the 16"-diameter wheels of Skoda Fabias Mk4 cars is 195/55 R16 91 V XL with the 91 Load Index figure indicating that the tyre has been tested as being capable of carrying a per-tyre load of 615kg. The V Speed Rating indicates the tyre is suitable for a car with a maximum speed capability not exceeding 240km/h (149mph). And XL indicates Extra Load (ie. reinforced construction). Assuming you plan to fit replacement tyres with that specification, there is plenty of choice at a wide range of prices. Each different tyre should carry a label having the data explained here https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/tyres/what-do-your-tyre-labels-mean/ (The Noise Rating relates to the noise the tyre produced when the vehicle is being drive, but it's reasonable to assume that, if a tyre produces a lot of 'external' noise, that noise will find a way into a car's interior.) However, although the tyre label is helpful and independent testing and car ownership comments can confirm the accuracy of the label, the 'softness' of a 195/55 R16 tyre and its ability to absorb the bumps on poor-quality road surfaces will depend directly on the pressure that the tyre is inflated to. The Skoda recommended pressure for Fabia Mk4 tyres is 2.5 bar (36.26psi). This is on the high side for a car of the Fabia type and undoubtedly will result in a firm/harsh ride, particularly on rough roads. This has been discussed here a couple of times in the past, but, for a genuinely 'softer' ride, the only realistic option is to use a tyre-pressure well below the 2.5bar recommendation - say 2.1bar (30.46psi).
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Adaptive grille ahutter
Alvin600 I now see that I got the car ownership back to front ! I did look beforehand at your respective forum Profiles, and yours says that you own a 2025 Monte Carlo (hence 1.5litre motor and DSG transmission) while BACUPIAN's Profile says "2026 FABIA DESIGN EDITION 1.5 TSI AUTOMATIC - FULL WINTER PACK,SPARE WHEEL,MUDFLAPS, F&R DASHCAMS". I thought that the shutter-unit might be fitted to all Fabia Mk4 models with the 1.5litre motor and not to versions with the 1.0litre motor (my own car has the 1.0litre motor + DSG transmission and no shutters) but that's plainly not the case. Very mysterious... I have enquired (twice) about this shutter thing on the Skoda Fabia Owners Club Facebook group, but - although I have no difficulty replying to existing threads there - when I create a brand-new thread it gets passed to a moderator for approval and then never appears.
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Adaptive grille ahutter
Thanks for checking - it SHOULD be obvious whether or not a Fabia Mk4 has the cooling-shutter unit. Interesting that your 2026 Monte Carlo has the shutter-unit, but @Alvin600 's car evidently does not. I believe your car and @Alvin600's have the same 1.5litre engine and DSG transmission, so one might (perhaps!) expect them both to have a shutter-unit, or neither to have a shutter-unit.
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Spacesaver spare wheel
I've listed below the current five UK-specification Skoda Fabia Mk4 models, showing their possible road-wheel diameters (standard diameter first) SE Edition - 15" or 16" Design Edition - 16" or 17" SE L Edition - 16" or 17" or 18" Monte Carlo Edition - 17" or 18" 130 - 18" For the SE Edition model Skoda offers two spare-wheel options. If the car has 15"-diameter wheels, the spare-wheel option is referred to as being "full size" comprising a 15"-diameter steel wheel with a 185/65 R15 tyre (plus there's a tool-kit in a polystyrene insert that fits inside that wheel). If a SE Edition model has 16"-diameter wheels, the spare-wheel option refers to an "emergency" wheel that is suitable for Fabia Mk4 models that have road-wheels with a diameter of 16" or 17" or 18". This option comprises the same spare-wheel 'package' as the "full size" spare-wheel option for 15" wheels, except the steel wheel carries the labelling shown on this image It will be noticed that, although there is a 50mph/80kph maximum speed limitation, there is no stated limitation on maximum distance (as is normally found on the labelling on space-saver 'skinny' spare wheels). It's possible (as Carlston has said) that the tool-kit's polystyrene insert would sink deeper into the inner part of a wheel with a larger diameter than the standard 15", but there's the spare-wheel's hold-down mechanism beneath the polystyrene insert that might stop this happening. I don't think this is a show-stopper, as it should be easy enough to adjust the height of the insert so that it provided support to the floor of the boot - I'd be more concerned about whether a 16" wheel with a 195/55 R16 tyre would go under the edge of the boot I marked in red above. As RedSkoda2's 2026 Fabia has 16" wheels with 195/55 R16 tyres, if he has the necessary equipment to remove one of them, he would be able to confirm whether or not there's any problem putting that size of wheel/tyre combination in the car's spare-wheel well. My own 2023 Fabia Mk4 SE L has 16" alloy wheels with 195/55 R16 tyres and has the Skoda "emergency" spare-wheel option of a steel 15"wheel with a 185/65 R15 tyre. If I had to change a wheel, I'd hope to be able to temporarily store the 16" alloy wheel in the car's spare-wheel well, but it would not break my heart if that was not possible. When I bought the car, one of the first things I did was to remove the spare-wheel and confirm that it would fit OK on the car's front axle (ie. that it would not contact the brake disc/caliper). I could have easily checked at the same time that the 16" alloy wheel with 195/55 R16 tyre would fit in the spare-wheel well, but it never crossed my mind to do so. Before the Fabia, I owned a mild-hybrid 2021 Hyundai 120 SE Connect model that had 16"-diameter alloy wheels with 195/55 R16 tyres . The car had a small 48V lithium battery in the spare-wheel well under the luggage-compartment floor, so no space to carry any sort of spare-wheel there. I'd been caught out abroad a couple of times with punctures, so I wanted to carry a full-size spare-wheel in the i20. I bought a secondhand Hyundai alloy wheel that would fit the car. added exactly the same Michelin tyre as on the four road-wheels and bought a suitable jack. I then found that this wheel/tyre combination was too wide to fit flat in the boot (!!!) so I used to carry it in a storage-bag upright behind the front passenger seat. I only took the Hyundai abroad once, never needed to use the spare-wheel and sold the i20 not long after the trip.
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led lights, what happens when you are stopped at night because one or more have failed??
My late-2023-built Fabia M4 SE L model has LED headlights and the rear foglight, reversing-light and number-plate lights are also LED units. My car's only exterior lights that have 'traditional' halogen bulbs are the rear brake, position and indicator lights (and I carry spare bulbs for those) and, when the Mk4's specification was revised (in 2025?), I believe those lights also became LEDs as standard. Realistically, if any of a Fabia Mk4's LED lights stops working, unless the cause is something simple (eg. a blown fuse) and not the light-unit itself, there's nothing that the driver will be able to do to 'cure' the problem - and that's also likely to be true if a member of the AA, RAC etc. is called out. And, even if an obsessively pessimistic owner carried a full set of spare LED light-units, fitting replacements at the roadside probably would not be practicable.
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Spacesaver spare wheel
A couple of earlier BRISKODA forum links relating to the spare-wheel/tool-kit for Fabia Mk4 models. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/522682-spare-wheel-and-central-tool-holder/ https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/533394-fabia-spare-wheel/ The image below shows a spare-wheel and the correct tool-kit for a Fabia Mk4 installed in the spare-wheel well. From the "Tyres engineered in Germany" marking I think the tyre is a Continental product and, based on the space between the tyre's tread and the inner wall of the wheel-well, it's probably a 185/65 R15 tyre fitted to a 15"-diameter wheel (ie. the wheel/tyre size of the Skoda spare-wheel option). This is the wheel/tyre size of the spare-wheel of my Mk4 and (as I mentioned above) when it is fitted into the wheel-well, part of the tyre goes beneath the plastic trim where I've red-marked the image. Realistically, the only way to know if this might present a problem putting a 16"-diameter wheel with a 195/55 tyre into the wheel-well would be to try doing it.
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Spacesaver spare wheel
The link you quoted advertises a Skoda Fabia 2015-2026 spare-wheel/tool-kit, suggesting suitability for a Fabia Mk3 (2014-2020) AND a Fabia Mk4 (2021-2026). The accompanying photo refers to a Skoda Fabia (NJ). NJ is the Type reference for a Fabia Mk3 (the Fabia Mk4 has a Type reference of PJ.) and the jack shown in the photo is clearly the compact 'cantilever' design used with the MK3 and unusable with Mk4 cars. The 'scissors' jack in the Fabia Mk4 tool-kit could probably be used with a Fabia Mk3, but not vice versa. I had a look at the 'official' spare-wheel/tool-kit in my 2023-built Fabia Mk4 to see if I could spot a tool-kit Part Number, but, although there had obviously been a paper label stuck on the top surface of the polystyrene 'box', this was no longer there. Anyway, I'm sure that the correct Part Number for a Mk4 tool-kit is 6VA093860A My car has the standard 15"-diameter steel wheel fitted with a 185/65 R15 tyre and there is a reasonable amount of space between the tyre's tread and the sides of the spare-wheel well. However, when inserting my spare-wheel into the wheel-well, it needs to be slid beneath a plastic trim-piece at the rear of the luggage compartment (ie, on the rear bumper side) and I'm not sure if a wider 195/55 tyre would allow this to happen. The other caveat relates to the polystyrene 'box', A Fabia Mk4's luggage-compartment floor is just made of thin hardboard and weight placed on it is supported by raised areas on the top of the polystyrene box (some of those areas are green-marked on the image below). If a wider wheel/tyre were used, it's likely that the polystyrene box would sit higher up and the floor would not close properly. But I don't see this as a major problem, as modifying the box (ie. reducing the height of the raised areas) should not be difficult.
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Spacesaver spare wheel
A GOOGLE-search on "6VA093860B" retrieves no entries, while a search on 6VA093860B just retrieves this one (that does not include that specific Part number). https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/set-for-spare-wheel/p/6VA093860 Conversely, a search on "6VA093860A" retrieves masses of entries, including the advert shown below that shows the polystyrene 'box' and tools that include the necessary jack and extension handle. https://shop.ahw-shop.de/original-skoda-fabia-4-pj-werkzeug-reserverad-notrad-fuellstueck-wagenheber-6va093860a (I don't know why you have concluded that 6VA093860B is the right Part Number for your Fabia Mk4, but everything points to 6VA093860A being the correct number.)
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Spacesaver spare wheel
The spare-wheel tool-kit for a Fabia Mk4 (Part Number: 6VA093860A) is advertised here for £89 (plus delivery charges) https://shop.wingsskoda.co.uk/products/skoda-spare-wheel-fabia-iv As I think I've highlighted before, a critical difference between the Mk4 and earlier Fabia generations is that the Mk4 requires a jack that can be attached further under the car. This link shows the Fabia Mk3 tool-kit (6V0093860B) that includes a sort of compact 'cantilever' jack https://shop.wingsskoda.co.uk/products/skoda-spare-wheel-tool-kit-fabia-iii whereas the MK4 kit includes a more conventional 'scissors' type of jack, plus an essential extension handle to allow the jack to be wound up once it has been attached to the strengthened metal seam beneath the car. My 2023-built Mk4 SE L model has the 'official' spare-wheel + tool-kit where the wheel is 15"-diameter with a 185/65 R15 tyre. I'm (reasonably) confident that the standard 16"-diameter alloy wheels with 195/55 R16 tyre (that my car has) would fit into my car's spare-wheel well. However, without taking off one of my car's wheels and checking (and I ain't going to do that!) I can't be certain. There should be no problem putting the tool-kit into the 16"-diameter wheel, though it's possible that the extra width of that wheel's rim and of its 195 tyre might mean that, when the tool-kit was in place, the floor of the luggage-compartment might not hinge down fully flat. (It would be worth you checking with The Wheel Shop what the make and exact specification is of the 195/55 R16 tyre fitted to their spare-wheel package. If the tyre has a load-index or speed-rating inferior to the tyres factory-fitted by Skoda, it should really be considered a 'temporary' spare-wheel and thus subject to speed limitations.)
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Adaptive grille ahutter
While that will happen, Skoda's stated reason for having fitted adaptive cooling shutters to the Fabia when the Mk4 version was introduced in 2021 was (as I highlighted in my posting of October 17 above) to improve the car's aerodynamics and reduce its fuel consumption - the same reason for Skoda fitting 'aero' trims to some Fabia Mk 4 wheels. My late-2023-built Fabia Mk4 SE L car's standard specification included the aero wheel trims, but the trims were dropped from the specification for the following model-year. My car does not have the cooling shutters and, apparently, neither does the 2025 Monte Carlo Fabia owned by @Alvin600 This May 2026 article compares the Skoda Fabia Mk4 with the Mazda 2 https://carvago.com/articles/car-battle/mazda-2-vs-skoda-fabia Active cooling shutters are mentioned in the "Aerodynamics and innovation" section of the Fabia review, but I suspect that this is an assumption based on Skoda's press releases rather than the reviewer knowing it to be true. (Perhaps @BACUPIAN could check if his Fabia has the shutters?)
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Adaptive grille ahutter
I found another Part Number reference and a link that relates specifically to Fabia Mk4 models. This drawing shows the 'radiator louvre' assembly and there's no real doubt about what it looks like and its position on the car. There's a Skoda Fabia Owners Club Facebook group and (when I have a moment) I'll ask owners of Mk4s if their cars have the cooling-shutter unit and, if so, which country their car was bought in and its age and specification.
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Adaptive grille ahutter
Pity... Although I had no difficulty finding drawings/pictures of this part, I couldn't find any photos of it installed in a Fabia Mk4. So I had no real 'feel' for how large the unit was and, if present, what I should expect to see it when looking through my Fabia's front-bumper air intake. Thinking laterally, I found a couple of videos relating to non-Skoda models and this link was helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGYKACL1Kk This image shows the shutter-unit in place on a VW Jetta and it's plain that this is a substantial piece of kit that goes behind the front bumper and in front of the lower part of the radiator. If my Fabia Mk4 had the shutter-unit, this would be obvious when looking through my car's bumper's air intake, but (as I said earlier) there's absolutely nothing there to obstruct/control airflow to the lower part of my car's radiator that is fully visible. I'm quite glad that the shutter-unit is 'missing' from my car. Like the aero wheel trims, the aerodynamic gains will be quite small and (for me) the shutter feature is one more thing to go wrong and, if it does, a labour-intensive task to fix.
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Adaptive grille ahutter
Idle curiosity, but was this ever resolved? This 2021 BRISKODA topic in the Skoda Octavia Mk4 sub-forum refers to a similar enquiry about the presence (or not) of the cooling shutters. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/490404-radiator-blinds/ This advice was given They do exist and are easy to see. Just take a peek below the license plate after the car has been parked and you will see them closed. I always forget to try to see them open. The shutter unit (pictures in my last posting) apparently has the Part Number 5Q0122323A and the same unit seems to have bee fitted to quite a few VAG Group models (not just Skodas).
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Fabia 2024 SE comfort mpi fault
@Sklinda This link is to the earlier forum topic that discussed your Fabia's problem. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/541431-any-luck-with-intermittent-limp-mode-fault/#comment-6031427 and this link is to the Motor Ombudsman website's guidance on the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. https://www.themotorombudsman.org/knowledge/what-is-the-consumer-rights-act/ You seem to be under the impression that the type of fault your car is experiencing - sudden loss of power and (as I understand it) the fault clearing if the car's ignition is switched off and the vehicle restarted - is commonplace with Skoda Fabia Mk4 cars and that Skoda is well aware of this. Many thousand's of Fabia Mk4 cars will have been sold and - while there's little doubt that some of these may have gone into 'limp-mode' - there's nothing to suggest that this is a known and widespread problem with Fabia Mk4 models. Most (all?) modern cars have a built-in limp-mode capability - it's a protective anti-damage feature. But there is no single reason for them doing this, nor any single well-publicised fix. In the earlier topic @bazz2004 referred to the issue he had with his 2023 Fabia. But his car is older than yours, has a different engine and, when the problem occurred, fault codes were found (which you were told was not the case with your Fabia). Your car is still within the Skoda UK 3-year warranty period and any free-of-charge repair work within the terms and conditions of that warranty will need to be carried out by a Skoda dealership. @bazz2004 said that his car's problem was finally addressed successfully by installing a necessary software update, but, as you bought your car from a non-Skoda dealership and the fault is being investigated by them, if a Skoda software update were required, it's unlikely that 'your' dealership could install this. If there are indeed no recorded fault codes and your car is currently running perfectly, it's going to be extremely difficult for your dealership to accurately diagnose why it has suddenly lost power temporarily on three occasions. If your dealership cannot assure you that they found the cause of the power-losses and are confident that they have cured the fault, you may want to try insisting that they take the car to a Skoda dealership and ask that dealership to investigate further. Otherwise, you may have to fall back on the Consumer Rights Act. (If you think you may have to go legally head-to-head with your dealership, you should keep a record of discussions with the dealership and email them about what's been said and done.)
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Digital cockpit.
Suggest you contact OBDeleven support about activating the Hill Hold assist-feature on your car. https://obdeleven.com/support?srsltid=AYCX9vIwlFscsdEPBYvC0PS44GKToWgQzUtm4NLBco8rQYEs9xV1V50E There is some online discussion (forums and Facebook) about doing this on Fabia Mk4 cars that do not have the feature as standard. But it may well be that -when the Fabia has been built recently - it will be much harder (or even impracticable ) to modify its software coding to enable/disable the Hill Hold feature. This potential limitation was highlighted here: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/532808-obdeleven-coding-and-adaptations/