DerekU

Since 1964 I've been driving/owning vehicles that have included six VWs (5 Golfs and a Polo) and two Skodas (a 2009 Roomster and a 2024 Fabia Mk 4). If my memory serves me correctly all the VWs had, as standard, the swivelling slotted-head design of jack shown in my last posting (as does my 2009 Roomster). However, the Fabia Mk 4 has a different standard jack that is the traditional scissor type (image below) where the head is not slotted and has a quite shallow central lateral groove that abuts against the reinforced metal seam of the jacking-points beneath the car. As has been mentioned above pucks/pads are not intended for use with the jacks provided as standard with VAG cars, but it might be practicable to glue the type of pad shown here on to the head of the Fabia Mk 4 jack if one so wished, or to glue a rubber/plastic 'block' each side of the groove to facilitate positioning on the metal seam. (Me, I just stuck a couple of layers of Gorilla tape on my Fabia's jack-head to give a little extra 'grip' between the head and seam.) When removing/replacing road-wheels on my vehicles (that have included three 3500kg motorhomes) I have never used other than the "Jack of Doom" provided as standard. My attitude is that, if I HAVE to change a wheel myself, this will be the jack I'll have to use, and it makes sense that I should fully familiarise myself with the standard jack's capability well in advance of any 'emergency' requirement occurring. Over the years I've successfully used the standard jack in emergencies several times. More recently I replaced my Roomster's failed windscreen-washer pump but, as that was done at home, I made 100% certain that the car was not supported solely on the standard jack before scrabbling underneath it. Years ago, while in France with a rear-wheel-drive Ford Transit-based motorhome, I asked a garage to check the oil-level in the vehicle's rear axle's final-drive unit that I knew had developed a slight leak. A French mechanic directed me to drive the motohome into a shed with a badly broken concrete floor and proceeded to raise the back end of the vehicle by positioning a single trolley-jack beneath the centre of the final drive unit. The vehicle wasn't 'chocked' and the hand-brake was, of course , not operating with the rear wheels off the ground. The mechanic then slid under the motorhome beneath the vehicle's rear entrance step. At this point I told my wife, who was standing next to me, "Go and wait at the reception office" and later she asked me why I had said this. I replied that, if the motorhome had fallen off the jack, the mechanic would have been crushed to death beneath the step and it would have been a pity for her to see that happen. (I was far more concerned with the repercussions a dead mechanic would have on our holiday.) Anyway, the jack didn't topple, the mechanic didn't die and the oil-level was OK. But it's that sort of foolhardiness or incompetence that generally injures people, rather than the inadequacy of the jacking equipment being employed.

The head of the standard VAG/Skoda scissor-jack (image below) has a slot in it designed to fit around a reinforced metal seam on the car's underside. To avoid direct contact between the slot and the seam I stick a layer of Gorilla tape in the slot to act as a buffer. This provides a useful degree of protection for the seam and, when the tape gets scuffed (and offends my visual OCD) it is easily replaced. Rubber 'pucks' are advertised as being appropriate for use with a scissor-jack (example below) but I'm wary whether these would fit securely to the head of a standard VW/Skoda jack, or be any better protection-wise than my Gorilla tape ploy. At least, when I fit the jack to the seam of my Fabia (or to the seam of my Roomster) I can see that the slot on the jack's head is properly located on the seam.

According to the Skoda 'configuration' website the standard specification of ALL latest Fabia models now includes Wireless SmartLink for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

The Fabia Mk 4 "Monte Carlo" model has 17"-diameter wheels as standard, or 18"-diameter wheels as an (expensive) option. There is plenty of on-line discussion about peculiar 'noises' from VAG cars fitted with the 1.5TSI motor that has ACT (Active Cylinder Technology) but there's no persuasive reason to think ACT should produce vibration in the steering. The common-sense approach for Scott to take would be to test-drive another Fabia Monte-Carlo with the same specification and check if it behaves in the same way.

I believe your car has the BOLERO infotainment unit https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/522139-bolero-screen-update-fabia-monte-carlo/ which probably explains why the photo of your display differs from what appears on my car's AMUNDSEN unit. I can't assist with your update question, though I note that there have been problems with Xaiomi phones and (wireless) Android Auto. https://www.androidpolice.com/android-auto-xiaomi-fix-android-14-update/#:~:text=But as longtime users will,whenever mobile data is unavailable. A long forum discussion here, but I don't know if it will help you. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/511569-software-update-available-for-bolero/

It might help to know which infotainment system your car has, as the data on your photo is significantly different to what shows on my 2024-built Fabia's Amundsen unit's screen (photo on this recent forum thread) https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/524942-thinking-of-coming-back-to-a-skoda-fabia/ When was your Fabia Monte Carlo built?

Suggest you try asking on the Octavia sub-forum https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/235-skoda-octavia-mk-iii-2013-2020/

Varooom last visited the BRISKODA forums in August 2023, so probably won't see your request. Besides which, if your 2023 Fabia is like mine, system and navigation updates are carried out OTA (Over The Air) and not involve the car's owner transferring the update data via a SD 'memory' card as used to be the case.

For the latest Fabia, only UK models with the most powerful 1.0TSI motor or the 1.5TSI motor can have a DSG transmission. Given the significantly higher power/torque outputs of the 1.5TSI motor (and the resultant higher on-road performance of the car) compared to the 1.0TSI, it's to be expected that the ratios of the 1.5TSI's DSG gearbox should differ from the 1.0TSI's. However, despite being 'geeky' myself, I can't see this really matters as the driver is constrained by how the DSG transmission behaves and cannot affect it outside what Skoda allows. The "Automatic gearbox" advice in the Fabia Owner's Manual defines what's possible (drive or sports program, manual gear-changing and kick-down) and that's it.

This 2017 .pdf file provides Fabia gear-ratio data - and I'm guessing that current Fabias have similar ratios. https://cdn.skoda-storyboard.com/2016/05/FABIA-en.pdf The power/torque curves for the 1.0TSI motor are shown below It should be apparent from the graphs that (unlike the non-turbo 1.0MPI motor) there is a large chunk of torque at 1000rpm, rapidly increasing to peak at 2000rpm. Regarding JFrankMiller's comment about his car's DSG gearbox changing down lethargically from 7th to 6th when the car was slowed from 50mph to 40mph on a motorway, I'm a mite surprised that the transmission did not remain in 7th at a steady 40mph speed, with a downwards shift only taking place if the driver pressed the accelerator pedal.

Prior to buying a Skoda Fabia I owned a 2021 Hyundai i20 SE Connect. This was a '3rd-generation' i20 (built in Turkey from 2021 onwards) and was the entry-level model that had an infotainment head-unit with a 8.0" display screen and without navigation. Other (more expensive) i20 models with a higher specification had an infotainment head-unit with a 10.25 display screen and with navigation. The i20 infotainment head-unit with 8.0" display had a wireless Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto capability. Conversely, the head-unit with the 10.25" display did not and, in order to use Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto, the phone needed to be connected via USB. This omission infuriated owners of i20 cars that had the 10.25" display and there were on-going complaints (from 2021 onwards) about the lack of a wireless capability on the lines of "When will Hyundai get their ****** in gear and provide wireless Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto for cars with the larger display?" I'm not sure whether Hyundai did eventually provide that capability, but there's no doubt that i20s with the larger display did not have the wireless capability as standard and that i20s with the smaller display did (as I confirmed with my own i20). This situation was not confined to the UK - all i20s with the 8.0" display, wherever they were marketed, had the wireless capability, and all i20s with the 10.25" display (wherever they were marketed) did not. (It was said/claimed that this difference was due to a licensing rule based on the size of the display, but I've no idea if this was correct.) Anyway, as you've advised, to use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay on a Skoda Fabia MK4 (at least one with the Amundsen infotainment unit) the phone MUST be connected via a USB cable and this is made 100% clear when the Android Auto or Apple CarPlay option is selected on the display unit. There's no doubt whatsoever that this is the case as (although I've no interest in using this feature) I found that, once my (old) iPhone had been USB-connected, running Apple CarPlay was very simple. And, when I deliberately disconnected the USB cable while Apple CarPlay was running, that feature shut down. I believe that owners of i20 cars with the 10.25" display would sometimes (with varying results) use a dongle/adapter to sidestep the USB limitation, and I'm guessing Fabia owners could do the same. But, otherwise, there's no alternative to USB-connection.

This guidance on the link below covers 'running-in' a new vehicle and is from the UK's AA (Automobile Association). It will be seen that (besides advising that a car's motor be treated carefully for a while) the AA highlights that a brand-new car's brakes will not yet be at full efficiency and neither will its tyres have reached their maximum adhesion capability. https://www.theaa.com/car-buying/running-in-a-new-car A Fabia Mk 4 (whatever motor and transmission it has) can be driven hard (hard acceleration, hard cornering, hard braking, high engine revs) but, if that's the way someone chooses to drive habitually, it's certainly not going to be beneficial to a Fabia's long-term reliability if they drive like that from the moment the car leaves a Skoda dealership's showroom. It may be that, if JeffffeJ cruises his new Fabia for hours at the Slovenian highways maximum permitted speed of 130kmh, it will do no absolutely no harm and not in the least impact on the car's longevity. Conversely, treating the car with kindness during the first 1500km will do no harm either and, in my view (and I've been driving for over 60 years and consider myself a reasonable mechanic and technically competent) should be worthwhile.

Suggest you refer to the Fabia on-line Owner's Manual.

Guidance here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgKSKeBO490

My understanding is that a Fabia Mk 4's service interval will be 'calculated' rather than (as historically) a fixed maximum mileage or time interval. My 2024 Fabia's information display predicts that the first service will be at 2-years, however the salesman told me in passing that, if the car's annual mileage was low (which it will be) a service at 1-year would probably be recommended. A recent on-line comment about current Skoda servicing policy. Oil change interval is BETWEEN 15km and 30km and between 1 and 2 years. Dashboard display will show when the next oil change is due based on a range of factors that include readings from oil level/quality sensors, number of engine cold starts, outside temperatures on engine cold start, driving distances from engine start, etc. Basically, if you do a lot of starts only to drive 5-10km each time, the dashboard display will advise that the next oil change is due towards the beginning of the interval (let’s say 15k km/1 year). If you start less frequently and drive long distances each time, the next service due will be towards the end of the interval (max 30km/2 years). This 2018 discussion on the Karoq forum related to the gear-change indicator https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/452335-question-about-the-gear-change-indicator/ My 2021 Hyundai i20 (6-speed manual transmission) had one and regularly suggested a 2-gears upwards change that might have been possible for ultimate economy but I seldom reacted to. I don't know if the gear-change indicator on modern vehicles works solely on vacuum-pressure - I think it's a bit more subtle than that nowadays. My 2nd Golf GTi (bought in the early-80s) had a precursor 'drive more economically' system that probably was vacuum-pressure triggered. It comprised a simple blue LED in the instrument cluster that illuminated to suggest that fuel consumption could be improved by driving less hard (with a Golf GTi???) Snag was that the headlamps-on-main-beam indicator was also a blue LED and this could be really confusing when driving at night. I used to alternate between driving so that the 'drive more economically' LED was on as much as possible or on as little as possible. In the end I got fed up and stuck a piece of black tape on the cluster's 'glass' to mask the LED. The only vehicle I've owned where I found the gear-change indicator beneficial was a diesel-fuelled 2015 Fiat Ducato-based motorhome, where I'd occasionally notice that I was blithely bowling along in 5th gear rather than 6th. The system would also suggest a down-shift and, when it did, there was no doubt that this was correct.

For my last several vehicles I mounted my Garmin sat-nav on an adhesive disc stuck to the top of the dashboard, but I'd rather not do that with my Fabia. Using one of the USB sockets to power the Garmin device would be tidier than using the 12V socket, but I'm pretty sure that's not practicable without using a special 3rd-party cable. (More on-line research needed.) On my Roomster I use the dashboard disc and the car's 12V cigar-lighter socket, but the latter is further forwards not far behind the gear-lever. The navigation on my car's Amundsen infotainment system may be fine for many drivers, but I'm used to Garmin sat-navs and they suit the way I plan trips.

JeffffeJ The graph below shows the MPI 1.0 motor's power curve (white line - PS (horsepower)) and torque curve (orange line - Nm (Newton-Metres)) Torque is a measurement of a motor's 'twisting force' and (basically) the higher the Nm number, the greater a cars' pulling power. Torque is what you need to start from stationary and in order to accelerate. You'll see from the graph that, at 1000rpm, torque is at its lowest, as is power. By 2000rpm the power figure has not risen much, but the torque figure has increased significantly and peaks at 3700rpm. Regarding 'labouring' there's really no Yes-or-No answer. If your car's motor were turning at 1500rpm in 5th gear and you were driving on a steep downhill slope, the car would still accelerate quite quickly if you depressed the accelerator as not much torque is required in that situation. However, if you attempted to accelerate in 5th gear at 1500rpm on a steep uphill slope, not only would the car be unable to do this, but it should be apparent to you that the motor did not 'like' being treated in that way. My Fabia has automatic transmission, but the "Economical driving style" section in my car's Owner's Manual indicates that Fabia Mk 4 cars with a manual gearbox have a gear-changing prompt feature (my Manual says "Follow the gear changing recommendation on the instrument cluster display") Nowadays most modern cars with a manual gearbox have an indicator showing the gear the car is in and - if the car's computer 'thinks' a higher gear could be used for better fuel-economy - it will be 'suggested' to the driver that he/she changes up. This feature can also operate vice-versa so that - if the computer 'thinks' the driver is in too high a gear (when the car may well be 'labouring') - it will recommend a downwards change. You will need to get to know your car to decide how best to drive it, but - for now - the gear-change indicator should give you a reasonable idea of which gear you should be in.

Welcome to the BRISKODA forums, JeffffeJ - a good choice for a first car. Performance data for the MPI 1.0 motor are shown here The motor is normally-aspirated (no turbocharger) with a 5-speed gearbox and a relatively low power output. It will need to be recognised that the (quite heavy) Fabia Mk 4 fitted with this motor will not be a 'rocket ship', but that's fine. This 2016 forum discussion related to running-in/breaking-in/driving-in Fabia Mk 3 cars. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/387337-new-fabia-running-in-advice-please/ Apparently Fabia Mk 3 Owner Manuals contained the following guidance Driving in the engine The engine has to be run in during the first 1 500 kilometres. During this period, the driving style decides on the quality of the driving-in process. During the first 1,000 km ,we recommend not driving faster than 3/4 of the maximum permissible engine speed, not to drive at full throttle and not to use a trailer. In the range of 1,000 to 1,500 kilometres, the engine load can be increased up to the maximum permitted engine speed. I cannot find any equivalent guidance in the the Fabia Mk 4 Owner's Manual, but the advice above will apply similarly to your car. During the breaking-in period, when cruising on a motorway/highway at a steady speed - in your case (say) with the motor running in the 3000-4000rpm range - traditional received wisdom has been to let the revs drop occasionally (say to 3000rpm) to give the motor a 'rest'. However, as the MPI 1.0 motor's maximum power output is at 6300rpm, you need not be concerned about using 3500rpm. Drive the car in a manner you are comfortable with. As Classic has advised above, avoid letting the motor labour in an over-high gear and don't thrash it This (Australian) article may be of interest https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/do-you-need-to-run-in-new-cars/

It would be worth you browsing through the on-line Owner's Manual that would be relevant to a 2022-plate Fabia. https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models There are three potential locations for USB connectors 1: On the rear-view mirror 2: In the car's rear passenger area on the back of the central arm-rest's base. 3: In front of the gear-lever, beneath the air-con controls. The USB connectors at the 1 and 2 locations are for charging only. The USB connectors at location 3 can be used for charging or for data transfer. (My car just has the two USB connectors at location 3 and I believe that this is all you get with the Fabia's standard specification.) A couple of Fabia long-term tests that may be of interest https://www.parkers.co.uk/skoda/fabia/review/long-term/ https://www.whatcar.com/news/skoda-fabia-long-term-test/n25189

This 2023 thread from the BRISKODA Octavia MK3 forum may be worth wading through. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/515830-timing-belt-advice-changed-by-skoda/ Having inspected my Fabia's motor more closely, at the front of the motor is an alloy cover that, if removed, would permit the condition of the timing-belt to be checked.. Removal of the cover looks reasonably straightforward and quick, though (obviously) the motor's crankshaft would need to be rotated so that the full length of the belt could be checked. My Fabia SE L has the Amundsen infotainment system that has 'navigation'. I've yet to come to terms with it and it was certainly providing incorrect speed-limit data when I first used it. This photo shows my car's system information I assume the "24/6" relating to the Navigation database indicates June 2024, so (presumably) the mapping is now up-to-date. Updating is Over-The-Air (OTA) so my car may have received an OTA update since I last drove it. (We'll see...) I'm accustomed to Apple products (iMac, IPad, iPhone, etc.) that are deliberately designed to be (fairly) user-friendly, but my Fabia's tech is decidedly bloody-minded. I suspect I'll continue to rely on my Garmin sat-nav that I'm comfortable with, can regularly update myself free of charge and that I trust. I have a 'beanbag' mount for the Garmin, though having to plug the sat-nav's power-cable into the socket in the Fabia's central armrest compartment is a bit irritating. (I know why the socket's there, I just wish there were another 12V cigar-lighter socket nearer to the dashboard.)

The car you are interested in should have the same motor/transmission specification as my Fabia Mk 4 SE L DCT (built on 16 January 2024). My car's EC Certificate of Conformity indicates that the motor is a Volkswagen AG product, has an engine code of DLA and is a 3-cylinder 999cc petrol-fuelled unit. But that's all... This motor has a 'dry' TIMING BELT, but I can't tell you what the official Skoda (UK) advice is regarding the belt's expected lifespan or replacement intervals. When I inspected my car prior to purchasing it, it was not immediately obvious visually (to me) whether the motor had a timing-belt or timing-chain. I asked the salesman, who wasn't certain either, but he did say something on the lines of "I shouldn't worry - it has a 15 years lifespan." (Fair enough if that were the case, as I'd be aged 95 then and well beyond worrying about timing-belts/chains long before that!) As 15-years seemed unusually long for a timing-belt's expected lifespan (5 years used to be a 'norm') I did do some research. There's plenty of on-line discussion/argument about this and I eventually lost heart (plus I didn't much care anyway). If you REALLY want to know the official Skoda (UK) recommendations, your best bet would be to trot along to a friendly Skoda dealership, tell them you are considering buying a 2022 Fabia, ask to speak to the workshop manager and see if he/she will show you the maintenance schedule. My Roomster is in for a service in a couple of weeks at the Skoda dealership that sold me my Fabia, so I might do the same myself to satisfy my OCD.

I have now been able to check what tyres were originally fitted to my 2009 Skoda Roomster. The original tyres were Continental "ContiPremium Contact 2" pattern with a 195/55 R15 85H specification. The maximum inflation pressure shown on the tyre's sidewall was 61psi (4.2 bar) - so well within Skoda's 3.2bar (46psi) recommendation for when my Roomster would be fully loaded (5 people and 3 large suitcases).

An acquaintance of mine bought a new Fabia last September and, within days of having taken delivery, the car carried out a violent autonomous emergency stop for no apparent reason. I know that the dealership that sold him the car had it back for a day, drove it for 20 miles or so, but could not find any faults. He was threatening to reject the car, but I don't know what the aftermath was. As you've said, it's a quite common issue (not just with Skoda cars) and - after your Fabia is 'fixed' - please could you let the forum know what the garage did.

There have been general complaints (from owners and journalists) about the infotainment systems of later VW Group cars. An example here https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/opinion/355800/latest-infotainment-systems-some-vws-arent-fit-purpose and a GOOGLE-search on vw group infotainment system complaints will retrieve masses of bedtime on-line reading. I wouldn't class my Fabia's Amundsen infotainment system as 'utter rubbish', but its operation is not intuitive and tends to be user-opaque rather than user-friendly. You haven't said what cars you've owned previously, but there's no doubt that coming to a Fabia Mk 4 from vehicles with simpler systems can be a shock. I don't like it either and I suspect other Fabia Mk4 owners don't too. Will I get to love it - definitely not. Will I get to tolerate it - probably.

There's absolutely no standardisation of where a car's tyre-pressure 'sticker' will be located. The reverse side the petrol-filler cover is a convenient and fairly common location (eg. Roomsters and earlier Fabias). But that position is unavailable for a Fabia Mk 4 as that 's where Skoda puts a dinky little ice-scraper. Taken from my Fabia's printed Owner's Manual The 'sticker' for my 2021 Hyundai i20 was on the the door-pillar frame to the rear of the driver's door (ie. the right-hand door for RHD cars and the left-hand door for LHD cars).