DerekU

This April 2024 forum thread discussed spare-wheels for Fabi Mk 4 models I obtained the Skoda optional spare-wheel kit for my Fabia Mk 4 and provided the following 'technical' data in the above forum thread. I asked the dealership to obtain the optional spare wheel 'kit' for my Fabia SE L (that has 16"-diameter alloy wheels) and the 1st type (for £200) was provided. My car has Goodyear 195/55 R16 91V tyres, whereas the 15"-diameter steel spare wheel carries a Nexen 185/65 R15 88H tyre. Obviously neither that steel wheel nor its Nexen tyre match the alloy wheels and Goodyear tyres fitted to the car's other four wheels, but the rolling circumference of 195/55 Ri6 and 185/65 R15 tyres is near as dammit the same. So - if I have to bring the spare wheel into play - the car's handling should not be much affected and the distance and speed limitations that bedevil space-saver tyres won't apply. As the rolling circumference of the 17"-diameter and 18"-diameter wheels fitted to some Fabias (as standard or optionally) is greater than that of the 15" and 16" wheels, It's possible that a wheel fitted with a 215/45 R17 or 215/40 R18 tyre would not fit in the spare-wheel well, which might explain why there are two spare wheel options.

As gumdrop's original enquiry was on 17 June, hopefully he was able to sort out the problem himself by now or have had the problem resolved professionally.

The purpose of the CTEK indicator accessory is described here Criticisms generally are about the relationship between the indicator's three LED lights and the genuine battery voltage.

This is CTEK's "Comfort" indicator. There are several versions of this and this is a sample advert. https://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/ctek-m8-comfort-connect-led-indicator-56-382.html I remember visiting a local Skoda dealership (15?) years ago and all the cars in the showroom had a CTEK indicator poking out of their bonnets. Next time I went there the indicators had gone. If you GOOGLE-search on ctek comfort indicator useless you'll find plenty of criticism.

CTEK advertises their CT5 product as being "fully optimized for cars with Start/Stop technology, e.g. AGM and EFB batteries", but the CT5 does not check the battery 'type' (AGM, EFB, etc.). CTEK has tended to indicate a charger's maximum output by the charger's product number (eg. MXS 10.0 = 10 Amps), but the output of a CT5 is actually 3.8 Amps. While the Voltage output of a MXS 10.0 is given as 14.4/14.7/15.8/13.6 V, the CT5's voltage is simply stated as 14.55 V, suggesting (to me) that CTEK has chosen a voltage high enough to charge an AGM battery adequately, but not so high that it might damage other 12V battery types (WET; MF; Ca/Ca; EFB; GEL) What the CT5 does when connected to a 12V battery and switched on is to carry out a battery 'health check' to confirm whether there's any sort of problem that would prevent it being charged safely/correctly - but that's standard practice for CTEK chargers and not unique to the CT5. CTEK markets a wide range of battery chargers https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/vehicle-type/car-battery-chargers?srsltid=AfmBOopSDLlG2YGWvbm1qbYsXo3VpXmm7BUeezVsBtLgCKdKKfsMFtyL I notice that at least one of these (the CS ONE UK) https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/cs-one-uk can recognise the battery type - but the CT5 does not have that capability.

Skoda Fabia Mk 4 battery-charging was discussed at some length earlier this month. This photo was provided showing a CTEK charger connected to the Fabia's battery using crocodile clips. The small protective plastic cover over the battery's positive has been taken off in order to attach the (red) crocodile clip, but this takes just seconds to remove (and subsequently replace!) The CTEK CT5 charger is a simplified version of the 8-stage MXS 5.0 charger that I (and I assume super717) use. I find the standard cables that come with the crocodile clip ends long enough to be led out of the engine compartment and for the charger to sit on the top of my Fabia's front-left tyre. (I can then close the car's bonnet.) The 3-pin mains plug at the other end of the cable is pushed under the car out of the rain. I connect a 10-metre cable to the 3-pin plug and lead that cable to the 230V domestic power-outlet in my garage that's next to where I park the Fabia. A caveat - there is a CTEK CT5 POWERSPORT battery-charger, but this is intended for charging batteries with 5-25Ah capacity range (and includes lithium-iron type).

If the 'cover' is made from ABS, it may be practicable to make a repair if a suitable adhesive were used. However, the photo showing the damage indicates that obtaining an acceptable combination of repair-strength and final appearance would be hard to achieve. This part should not break in normal use and - if fabia960's car is still under warranty - a Skoda dealership should be expected to replace the cover without quibbling. Even if the car is out of warranty, as the price quoted for a replacement cover is just £23.50, a 'good will' replacement would not seem (to me) an unreasonable thing to hope for.

GOOGLE-search on skoda fabia dsg gear lever button I have a 2024 Fabia Mk 4 with DSG and none of the 'covers' advertised online match the cover fitted to my car's gear-selector lever. My car's cover is made of shiny black plastic (presumably ABS) and, although the plastic is clearly thin gauge, that doesn't mean it cannot have a long lifespan during normal use. Your photos suggest that it's a piece of the plastic cover's rear moulding that's broken off (with this piece holding the cover in place on the mechanical 'button') and - I would have thought - it really shouldn't need a £150 diagnosis to decide whether the breakage is more likely to be due to a manufacturing fault (and appropriate for a FOC repair under warranty) rather than being caused by a car driver's misuse. Did you buy the car from the Skoda dealership that has mentioned the £150 diagnostic 'fee'?

I notice that replacement (chrome) DSG-transmission 'trigger-button' covers are marketed for older Skoda models. But I'm pretty sure these would be unsuitable for your 2022-plate car and I think your only source for a new cover would be through a Skoda dealership It's not unreasonable to expect a Fabia Mk 4's trigger-button cover to last the life of the car. If your Fabia is still within its warranty period, it's also not unreasonable to expect that, if the trigger-button cover breaks, that Skoda should carry out an under-warranty free-of-charge (FOC) repair. If your car is out of warranty and your Skoda dealership won't carry out a 'good will' no-cost repair, I suggest you contact Skoda Customer Services and complain. Chances are that they'll direct you back to a dealership, but it would still be worth trying. As a new cover costs 'only' £23.50, if the dealership will fit it FOC, it might be simpler to grit your teeth and take that option rather than risk the £150 diagnostic charge.

This 2024 BRISKODA forum thread suggests that some SKODA cars have had a 'wet' timing-belt (a 2013 Fabia 1.6 TDI model is referred to). Fabia Mk 4 cars definitely DO NOT have a 'wet' timing-belt.

It's often suggested that disconnecting the starter-battery and leaving it disconnected for (say) an hour before reconnecting it MAY cause the MFD to start displaying again. (This ploy worked with my 2009 Roomster.) However - as you've had a history of bad luck with this car - I suggest you just drive it for a couple of days and see if the MFD spontaneously recovers. If you mess about resetting the system via the infotainment unit (or DIY disconnecting/reconnecting the starter-battery) there's a chance you'll do more harm than good. If the MFD does not come back to life on its own, best you consult a Skoda dealership.

This recent forum thread discussed Fabia Mk 4 cars with DSG transmission and 'driving modes'. As you've said, when in 'normal' mode (D1-D7) the car will coast (D), but coasting will not occur when the driver has moved the DSG's gear selector-lever to 'sport' (S1-S7) or 'manual' (M1-M7). The difference between my own DSG-equipped Fabia and the car owned by Diermot (who initiated the earlier discussion) was that his car apparently displayed ECO on its instrument-cluster when the car began to coast, whereas my own car's instrument-cluster just shows D instead of D7 or D6. (This difference was never resolved.) While there's no doubt that the Fabia's DSG's coasting capability is a fuel-saving feature, coasting does not take place for very long and, even when it's happening, the car's motor is still running at around 1000rpm. Some cars have multiple driving modes (eg. the Hyundai i20N has ECO, NORMAL, SPORT or TRACK) with the ECO mode applying a range of fuel-saving measures that may include reducing the air-con's cooling output. But the Fabia's D1-D7 is its normal 'mode' and it would be very peculiar if the air-con's maximum cooling were only available when the car was in sport or manual mode (and there's nothing in the Owner's Manual to suggest that's the case).

Based on your first BRISKODA forum posting, this seems to be the 4th Fabia you've owned since 2013, including a 2022 SE L. I don't think you've said which model you now have, but as the air-con has 3 control knobs, I'm guessing it's a "Colour Edition" with the controls as shown here The Fabia SE L model's air-con's control will have involved the car's infotainment screen and is decidedly 'fiddly', but - if that car's air-con met your requirements for cool air and that's not the case with your present Fabia - as your Skoda dealership is prepared to investigate the issue further, it would be sensible for you take up their offer. I dislike my 2024 Fabia SE L's air-con (the system gets general criticism for its complexity) and it lacks the rapid reaction of my 2009 Roomster's simple 3-knob air-con when the temperature is altered from hot to cold and vice versa. But my Fabia's air-con will blow cold air when the temperature is turned right down and the controls are appropriately set. I doubt that the issue with your current 2024 Fabia relates to the cabin (pollen) filter, but it would still be worth checking the filter for cleanliness. Gaining access to the filter was detailed (by me) within this thread. This thread may also be worth reading

Front Assist is part of the standard specification of all Skoda Fabia Mk 4 models. This forum thread related to a 2023 'Colour' car.

SurreyJohn In the Car Info section of Gumdrop's Profile is "Model Yeti Elegance Outdoor 2WD 110ps EU6, Fabia Combi 1.0L 110 Kamiq 1.5 DSG Monte Carlo" but this recent thread is more informative I also have a Fabia Mk 4 SE L (2024 in my case). By switching on the car's ignition and turning on its Amundsen infotainment touchscreen unit, then pressing the unit's CAR 'virtual button', then SETTINGS followed by INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, a list of 10-or-so choices is displayed. One of those choices is DIGITAL SPEED DISPLAY and this needs to be enabled (ticked) for the car's speed to be shown in the central section of the analogue instrument cluster (as shown in the image on my posting above). First thing for Gumdrop to do is to use the steering-wheel's right-hand controls to scroll through the DRIVING DATA options just in case the DIGITAL SPEED DISPLAY choice is already enabled. (At present on my Fabia, the DIGITAL SPEED DISPLAY is the only INSTRUMENT CLUSTER choice I have ticked. So, when I scroll to DRIVING DATA, I'm just offered either a digital speed readout or a RANGE readout.)

Do you mean like this?

Returning (once again!) to bass2004's original enquiry. Although there are no immediately visible markings on my 2024 Fabia SE L's battery to identify its make, type and capacity, on the label near its positive terminal is the code "692 515 RA". An internet search retrieves a German ebay advert for a new original VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda start/stop battery (€149) that carries that code . The advert includes the photo below (692 515 RA code green-arrowed) and the visible parts of my Fabia's battery match that photo. Consequently, I'm happy to accept that my car's battery is a Varta product and EFB+ type. The GOOGLE-search also retrieved larger size/capacity similar-appearance batteries (all EFB+ marked) said to be original-fit on VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda cars with start/stop. As I said in the past, my car's battery-tray has extra bolt-holes for its hold-down bracket indicating that longer batteries (two different lengths) could be accommodated. So it's possible that Fabias with the 1.5litre 4-cylinder motor and/or that are marketed in 'cold climate' countries have a larger capacity EFB+ battery. However, as bazz2004's 2023 Fabia Monte Carlo apparently has a "TSI 110 bhp" motor, it's likely that his car has exactly the same specification battery as my car's.

I'm well aware that the type of connection methodology used by CTEK is quite common. I'm a long-term (over 20 years) moderator on a motorhome forum. Motorhome owners are obsessive about batteries and their chargers of choice are generally CTEK or Victron. I've no personal experience of the Ring 4A charger, but I have purchased a couple of Ring tyre pumps that soon died. Dismantling revealed poor quality components and design. So, for me, Ring products fall into the "Buy cheap, buy twice" category. (My CTEK MXS 5.0 5Amp charger is 14 years old and is currently charging a 100Ah battery in my garage). Getting back on track... This image shows the starter-battery fitted to a Fabia Mk 4 with crocodile-clip charger cables connected to it. The plastic cover (arrowed in green) protects a 'bus bar' carrying a set of connections, but (in my car's case) unclipping the cover does not help identify the battery's make, type or capacity. Those data are not visually discernible on my car with the battery in situ. I can guess at the capacity (from the battery's dimensions) and my crystal-ball leads me to believe that it's EFB type and (possibly) a VARTA product. But I'm definitely not going to start disconnecting the stuff on the top of the battery just to confirm this.

Re-reading this posting I realise that you misunderstood what would be supplied with a CTEK CT5 charger. The charger itself has a charger-to-battery connection cable with a special CTEK-designed MALE connector on its end. Two connection options are provided - a crocodile-clip option or an 'eyelet' option. Each option comprises two wires (with a crocodile-clip or an eyelet on the end of each wire) and the wires join together in a special CTEK-designed FEMALE connector that accepts the MALE connector. So, you EITHER use the crocodile-clip option OR the eyelet option. With a Fabia Mk 4, you need to connect to the dedicated earth-point that is to the right of the battery and to the battery's positive terminal. Realistically (unless one felt like butchering CTEK's cables!) the way to do this with the CT5 charger is to use the crocodile-clip option. CTEK's advert for the CT5 charger is here https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/ct5-start-stop-uk?srsltid=AfmBOoqTIqPVC_ZFbjlEZQL1KPa5IEUkjkUKZgi0cs2Gb5iz-40eajy1 and includes several useful instructional videos.

The battery "Changing" advice in my 2024 Fabia's Owner's Manual reads as follows: Have the replacement carried out by a specialist garage. The new 12V battery must have the same specifications as the original battery. (My Manual defines a specialist garage as "a workshop that carries out specialist service operations for Skoda vehicles. A specialist garage can be both a Skoda Authorised workshop or Skoda Partner who is authorised to proved services as well as an independent workshop"). The image below is of the UK-nearside part of the engine compartment of a Fabia Mk 4 with 1.0litre motor. I've green-arrowed the earth-point and an (easily) removable protective cover over the battery's positive terminal is red-arrowed.

bazz2004 I use an elderly CTEK MXS 5.0 5Amp battery-charger. Both of my 2021 Hyundai i20's starter-battery's terminals were easily accessible and I 'permanently' attached the charger's eyelet cables to those terminals making subsequent charging very simple. My 2024 Fabias starter-battery terminals are less accessible. So, rather than using the 'permanent' eyelet connection method, I use the charger's crocodile-clip cables, connecting the positive crocodile-clip to the battery's positive terminal and the negative crocodile-clip to the dedicated earthing point to the right of the battery (as described in the Owner's Manual). This may be less convenient than using the eyelets, but it avoids having to mess about with the battery terminal-connectors to fit the eyelets (and I'm also not certain that the eyelets on the cables that come with the charger are the right size to fit on the Fabia's battery terminal-connectors). It's perhaps worth adding that attaching my CTEK charger's positive crocodile-clip to my Fabia battery's positive terminal needs a modicum of care to ensure that the clip is firmly connected.

The print version of the Skoda Fabia's Owner's Manual includes a good deal of information about the starter battery. However, it does not provide 'technical' details of the battery itself (eg. the battery type, capacity, etc.) However, this is far from unique and my 2021 Hyundai i20 car's 650-page Owmer's Manual was little different. Although the car had Stop/Start, the battery was a dinky little conventional wet-acid thing (not EFB or AGM). It was possible to see the top of the battery and the labelling on it, and replacement was easier than on a Fabia (or on my 2009 Roomster). But the assumption with a modern car is that owners won't (and shouldn't) be DIYing battery changing and the Fabia Manual makes that clear. As my Hyundai's original battery needed very regular charging (either by driving the car or using a battery-charger) to maintain its charge-state, I wanted to find out when it was made but this proved to be impossible. I got in touch with Hyundai UK, but they didn't know and then contacted Yigit Aku (the Turkish battery manufacturer) who refused to tell me as the battery in my car was not sold retail but provided direct to Hyundai. In the end I swapped the battery for a new Yuasa (build-date unknown!) and that discharged in exactly the same manner.

I asked this question last year on this forum about my 2024 Fabia SE L and was (reliably) informed that it was EFB type. (There's nothing about the battery type in the Owner's Manual.)

This is the forum thread you refer to Placing the windscreen wipers in the 'service position' (as described in the forum thread below) should make replacing the driver-side wiper blade easier. As you've advised, protecting the windscreen with a a cloth is a wise move to prevent the 'bare' outer end of the wiper-arm accidentally smacking down against the glass. I don't have much difficulty removing my 2024 Fabia's original Skoda wiper blades and replacing them with the Bosch equivalents. Conversely (as I mentioned in the first thread above) removing/replacing my 2009 Roomster's Bosch Aerotwin blades - that use the same design of 'press button' attachment fitting - is a real swine.

When my Fabia is 'coasting' (D showing on instrument-cluster) this is the symbol that appears above the "trip" distance figure. It simply indicates that the car is in fuel-saving mode and that its automatic transmission and motor are 'idling'. Other than your car's central digital mph speed readout being replaced by "ECO" (which I wouldn't like either) I really don't see why you should be concerned about this feature. All the Fabia's DSG transmission does is to reduce fuel consumption by disconnecting the transmission from the motor and to lower the motor's rpm to a fast tick-over. Touching the brake or accelerator pedal while D is showing should instantly reconnect the transmission and motor and the motor's rpm will speed up. If you dislike the feature so much and are uninterested in your car's fuel consumption, just put the transmission selector-lever in its "S" position when you start to drive and it won't 'coast'. I'm unconvinced this feature would "catch out the unwary". I've driven all sorts of vehicles for almost 65 years and, if I were approaching a tight corner at a unsuitably high speed, I'd use the brakes to slow down. And if my Fabia's transmission were in D (fuel-saving mode) when I braked, it would shift out of that mode. If I were in a real hurry and driving with my youthful disregard for speed limits and common sense, my Fabia would very seldom be in D as It would either be accelerating or braking. If you want to drive like that, you've purchased the wrong car: you should have bought a Hyundai i20N that has 4 'genuine' driving modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and Track) and 204PS. The Fabia Mk 4's instrument-cluster settings are many and I'm guessing that all those settings will originally be 'ticked' by default (or if the car's system is reset). The reason I suggested you check your Fabia's "Eco Tips" setting is that "ECO" does not replace the digital speed readout in the centre of my own Fabia instrument-cluster and my car has the "Eco Tips" setting unticked. There's nothing I can find online to confirm that ticking the "Eco Tips" setting will result in what's happening with your car, but I can't think of any other possibility and "ECO" and "Eco Tips" have an obvious family relationship. Try unticking the setting and - if it stops "ECO" obliterating the digital mph speed readout - please let the forum know.