DerekU

Currently there are five UK-marketed Fabia Mk4 models SE Edition Design Edition SE L Edition Monte Carlo Edition 130 and (assuming Skoda's data on the online Standard Equipment data are correct) SE Edition and Design Edition models do NOT have the "Hill Hold Control" (HHC) driver assistance feature, whereas SE L Edition, Monte Carlo Edition and 130 models do have it. HHC is mentioned in the Driver Assist systems/Braking and stabilising systems/Overview section of my late-2023-built Fabia SE L model's online Owner's Manual (and in later Fabia Mk4 Manuals) Hill Hold Control (HHC) The HHC system helps with hill starts by braking the vehicle for approximately 2 seconds after the brake pedal is released. Operating conditions The gradient is at least 5 %. The driver's door is closed. I don't know if my car actually has the HHC assist feature and - as my Fabia has DSG transmission and my two working feet can simultaneously operate its two foot-pedals - I've no real need for HHC. My last motorhome (Fiat-Ducato-based, left-hand-drive, 3500kg weight with manual transmission and a handbrake designed for people with a long left am and gorilla muscles) had a hill-hold system and that was really helpful starting from rest on a steep hill. There is some discussion on the OBDeleven forum about activating HHC on Fabia Mk4 cars that do not have HHC as part of its standard specification. I don't know if it can be done on your 2025 car, but you could explore that possibility if you really like the idea of having HHC.

Thanks - I tried to provide a link to the £11.59 AliExpress advert I found, but, as its URL-length is very long, I used my usual URL-shortening app to cut its length down. I checked, after posting my comment, that the shortened version was OK, but it did not work, so I edited it out. Hopefully, using a different URL-shortening app, this link does work. https://shorturl.at/TE9KS (And it seems to...)

@Prillerthriller May I ask from where you obtained the kit comprising the two Hella horns and that included the supplementary 'splitter' wiring harness? I notice that there's a current advert on AliExpress for the two Hella horns and splitter harness for £11.59 + £7.39 delivery. For around £20 and (reasonably) straightforward installation, it would almost be a no-brainer.

The Fabia Mk4's single horn's performance was previously criticised here last year https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/530845-feeble-horn/#comment-5926126 The standard horn's sound quality and output don't concern me enough to bother swapping it for something more tuneful/savage, but it's useful (for me) to learn exactly what's involved in removing a foglight just in case a bulb-replacement should ever be needed.

My late-2023-built Skoda Fabia Mk4 SE L model (1.0 TSI motor, DSG transmission) apparently does NOT have an active cooling shutter system. The images below show the shutter arrangement (a set of horizontal ‘slats’ moved by a small electric motor) and I'd expect to see this when looking through the air-intake grille in the car’s front bumper. But there’s no sign of it - just a naked radiator. Looking into the engine compartment from the car's front, the only thing that would impact on the airflow is a group of (unpowered) top-hinged plastic flaps on the left of the radiator that air pressure would cause to swing upwards when the car was travelling at higher speeds - but that’s nothing new or revoluionary as my 2009 Skoda Roomster has something similar. It may be that all Fabia Mk4 cars had cooling shutters when the range was first marketed, but this feature was dropped at some later date. Or UK-marketed Mk4s never had them, or UK-marketed Mk4s with the 1.5litre motor have them, but 1.0litre cars do not. As the shutters's stated purpose was to improve aerodynamics and (slightly) reduce fuel consumption, perhaps it was soon decided that the cost and complication of fitting a shutter system could not be justified.

This February 2024 Skoda Storyboard Škoda StoryboardInterior: Six Design Selections, sustainable materials an...› Many packages, individual options and new Simply Clever features › Sustainable upholstery and door panel materials include recycled fabrics, …states that for 'upgraded' Kamiq and Scala models a 8" Digital Display became standard, with a 10" Virtual Cockpit a an option. 8-inch Digital Display as standard, customisable Virtual Cockpit as an optionThe upgraded Scala and Kamiq come with an 8-inch Digital Display as standard on all models. The optional, customisable Virtual Cockpit offers a 10-inch display. As I said above, UK-marketed Fabias now have a 10.25" Virtual Cockpit as standard EXCEPT for the 'entry-level' SE Edition model that has the 8" Digital Display. The trim levels of current-model UK-specification Fabias are summarised here: https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/model-guides/skoda-fabia-models-and-trim-levels-explained The online Owner's Manual for my late-2023-built Fabia SE L has an issue-date of 19.6.2023 and contains no mention of a "Digital Display", whereas the "Driver information system" section in the next Owners Manual chronologically (issue date 15.1.2024) has two sub-sections - one for a "Digital screen" (ie. the 8" Digital Display) and another for the Virtual Cockpit (ie. the 10.25" instrument-cluster screen). Personally, I'd be perfectly happy with the capabilities of the 8" Digital Display. Although my Fabia has a the big (9") infotainment screen with 'navigation', I've no wish to display mapping in the instrument-cluster - a feature that's only possible with the Virtual Cockpit. But, as I also don't wish to pair a phone with my car, nor play music within it, nor have the radio on, I'm probably not a typical mid-2020s car owner.

As far as I'm aware, all Skoda Fabia Mk4 cars (irrespective of age) SHOULD have adaptive cooling shutters. They were referred to in this February 2021 Skoda Storyboard relating to the then-new Fabia https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-kits/skoda-fabia-covered-drive-press-kit/aerodynamics-innovations-increase-efficiency/ and the information provided reads as follows: Cooling shutters save up to 0.2 l of fuel per 100 km at 120 km/hThe addition of a new type of cooling shutter has been an important measure. These shutters are actively adjustable slats in the front bumper’s lower air intake. When there is little need for cooling, they close automatically, thereby improving the car’s aerodynamics. This results in fuel savings of up to 0.2 l per 100 km when travelling at a constant speed of 120 km/h. To allow for a high level of cooling or to accommodate short stops, the system opens the shutters so that the maximum amount of air can flow in. Also mentioned in this October 2021 Skoda Fabia link https://www.skoda.co.uk/news/details/skoda-fabia-setting-benchmark-in-its-segment Cooling shutters improve fuel consumption ŠKODA has installed cooling shutters in the front bumper’s lower air inlet – the first time this technology has been used in this vehicle segment. To improve aerodynamics, actively adjustable slats automatically close when there is little need for cooling. To allow for a high level of cooling or to accommodate short stops, the system opens the shutters so the maximum amount of air can flow in. To further reduce drag, a larger roof spoiler and side finlets optimise the airflow at the rear. At the front, the air is guided through vents in the bumper, known as Air Curtains, in a particularly aerodynamic manner close to the side of the body and the wheels. Twelve panels now cover a larger part of the underbody instead of three, especially in the areas that are crucial for aerodynamics, such as the engine bay and the axles. (I don't know exactly where they are or how they operate - there's nothing obvious I can see when I look through the bottom and top radiator grilles.)

This link discusses common LED headlight problems. https://homeofheadlights.co.uk/blogs/news/what-are-the-common-led-headlight-problems Clearly there's no point replacing a flickering headlight-unit if the unit itself is not at fault, but deciding if the unit is the culprit (and is unrepairable) or something else that can be replaced/repaired is going to need a professional diagnosis.

There are no traditional replaceable 'bulbs' in a Fabia Mk4's LED headlights. This recent forum topic discussed a Fabia Mk4's flickering headlight (in that case it was the DRL (Daytime Running Light) that was intermittently flickering). https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/540477-led-daytime-running-light-drl-failingflickering-2022-fabia/#comment-6023834 If your Fabia has the basic 'reflector' type LED headlights (not the 'full matrix' type) this ebay advert quotes £395 for a new UK driver's-side unit https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/306812438685 but you may find that a UK Skoda dealership's price for a new replacement headlight is well over £500. As it's the full beam that's the problem with your car's headlight (and assuming that the headlight-unit itself is the culprit and not, say, a wiring issue or connection fault) then replacement of the headlight would normally be needed to cure the fault. The first thing to do is to ascertain why your car's headlight is flickering, but, other than to check that the connections on the rear of the headlight are fully in place, I'm not sure what else you can do yourself. The high cost of replacing a car's 'sealed' LED headlight-units was warned about in this 2018 RAC article https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/drivers-dazzled-by-massive-headlight-costs/

I was under the impression that, by 2025, all Skoda Fabia cars had, as standard, a 10.25" Virtual Cockpit. However, I now realise that the SE Edition model is the exception and its standard 'screen' specification is as stated below Infotainment and Navigation DAB - Digital radio reception Wireless SmartLink for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 8" Skoda Infotainment touchscreen display 8" Digital display There's a video about the 8" digital display here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-REdqHbOqs Although you will not be able to have the separate round rpm and speed dials display you were asking about and that's available with the 10.25" Virtual Cockpit, there's still quite a lot of flexibility. The full digital 'look' is very tidy (image below) and what I used to use on my 2021 Hyundai i20 that had a similar type of instrument cluster.

This 2022 Fabia-related video may also be of interest as it shows a variety of different Virtual Cockpit displays.

This link is to a set of Skoda Fabia Mk4 tutorial videos, including one for the "Virtual Cockpit" (VC) https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/new-fabia-videos The specific VC video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4-6j3XseEM A traditional pair of circular dials (rpm and speed) is possible (example below) plus many other variations. The Virtual Cockpit has a 10.25" dimension and a 2025 Fabia could have an 8" or 9" infotainment system (touchscreen). My understanding is that inbuilt 'navigation' is only available with the 9" touchscreen, but that should not prevent separate circular rpm and speed dials being displayed (as shown above) if the car has an 8" touchscreen. My 2024 Fabia came with a hardcopy (paper) Owner's Manual booklet - about 150 pages - that includes 'essential' advice for a new owner. That information is copied into a much more comprehensive (and less handy!) online manual that can be accessed through this webpage. https://www.skoda.co.uk/apps/manuals/Models

I notice that resetting a VW Group DSG gearbox has ben discussed online ever since this type of transmission was introduced and there are numerous YouTube videos describing the required resetting procedure (example here) https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eJBc-IusOZA It is commonly claimed that the software of the ECU that controls a DSG transmission uses fuzzy-logic that allows the transmission to adapt its behaviour to a driver's driving style, but that would mean that a 'poor' driver could cause the transmission to adapt negatively and function worse than when using its original baseline settings, or that a 'good' driving style could result in the transmission's original behaviour improving. The following comment appeared in 2015 on a VW-related forum Some have said that the DSG transmission adapts to your driving style but this is incorrect. The DSG transmission shift behaviour adapts to variables like internal wear, D or S mode, and other input factors like throttle position and rate of change, uphill or downhill, and applies these variables over an existing shift map. Learning or adapting to your driving style is the wrong term since it would mean acquiring new knowledge that wasn't present before. The transmission cannot learn anything new, it just applies variables to existing maps. The perception of a reaction to driving style is the result of the change in a number of variables applied to the shift maps. So Yes the transmission adapts but not how most people think. Although "learn" might be used in marketing literature, it's not the right word to use when describing technical operation. As the video says, if your car's DSG gearbox is behaving in a way that you think it should not (eg. the shifts are jerky) it would be worth using the reset procedure to see if that improves matters. But, whatever the cause of the jerkiness, it won't be because the gearbox has learnt 'bad habits' from the car's driver(s).

This reddit recent-ish discussion may be of interest The original enquiry relates to a 2023 Fabia Mk4 Monte Carlo (1.0litre motor) with DSG transmission that was making 'clunking' noises. The following advice was provided First thing I would do, is do a DSG reset, there are guides online and need no special knowledge to do. ================================= To reset the DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox) on your 2023 Skoda Fabia and clear its adaptive learning memory, perform a manual throttle-kickdown reset: Turn on the ignition (do not start the engine) so all dashboard lights illuminate. Press the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor until you feel the "kickdown" button click. Hold it down for 10 to 60 seconds. You may hear faint clicking as the solenoids adjust. Release the pedal and start the car normally, or turn the ignition off and restart. Why Do This? Over time, the DSG's Transmission Control Module (TCM) adapts to your specific driving habits. If you experience jerky shifts, delayed throttle response, or clunky gear changes, a reset forces the gearbox to "forget" these patterns and relearn a smoother shifting profile. Post-Reset Advice After resetting the transmission, ensure you drive normally and gently for the first few miles. Avoid heavy acceleration or hard braking so the gearbox has a smooth, controlled environment to relearn the ideal biting points and shift timings. Note: This procedure resets the transmission's learned driving habits but will not clear mechanical faults. If you still experience severe hesitation, shuddering, or warning lights, the vehicle may require a diagnostic scan tool (like VCDS or OBDeleven) to check for deeper issues or perform a basic settings adaptation. ================================= Once that is done, if you still get issues, get it booked in for a full DSG service. I'VE NO IDEA IF THAT ADVICE IS VALID

Yes

I understand that a Skoda Fabia Mk4 bought new in Israel will have a 2-year warranty and (presumably) that warranty's terms and conditions will be similar to those of the UK warranty that includes this exclusion. Damage caused by industrial pollution, climate, external heat, chemicals or mechanical force. It seems much more likely (to me) that 'fading' of the black trim surrounding the window switches will have resulted from a fault in the trim's plastic material rather than from Israel's climate, but Yogev's Skoda dealership might argue the opposite and not support an under-warranty replacement. Having looked, not too closely, at the plastic trim around my 2024 Fabia's switches, I think the trim+switches should not be too difficult to remove. (That's just based on there being a small slot in the lower edge of the front part of the trim behind the door handle.) Realistically, a new replacement trim will only be available from Skoda and the chances are small of finding a secondhand trim from a smashed-up Fabia Mk4. This link relates to black trim restorers and may be of interest https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-advice/maintenance/the-best-black-trim-restorer-to-freshen-up-tired-plastics/ As Evolution3 mentioned earlier, it would be worth Yogev asking a Skoda dealership what the cost of a new trim would be (It would almost certainly need to be ordered). If a new trim is fairly inexpensive (and the 'fading' really annoys Yogev), a replacement could be fitted: or, if the cost is high, Yogev could try a trim restorer - though they can be pricey.

The bought-from-new cars owned by me and my wife have included 6 VWs and 2 Skodas. All of these (and the other makes of vehicle we've owned) were all serviced by their manufacturer's main dealerships and - to the best of my knowledge - none of their brakes were ever stripped down, pins greased etc. Brake pad thickness and brake disc condition were checked and reported on, but this was only using a visual inspection and without the road-wheels being removed from the car. That doesn't mean that our cars' brakes were never stripped down, as I used to do this myself on my cars and on my wife's last VW (a Golf diesel estate), but this was primarily when I was replacing the pads to try to improve the brakes' performance rather than me feeling a pressing need to do this. Do you know which car manufacturers have included (or now include) a brake strip-down as part of their standard servicing? I expect a VW/Skoda main dealership would include brake strip-down/pin greasing as a supplementary task during a service if an owner insisted (despite the pads' thickness being adequate) but current labour charges would bump up the cost significantly.

This link may be of interest https://www.sunset-derby.co.uk/how-do-you-fix-your-vws-squeaky-brakes/ You said in your original posting "...my brake pads seem to be well worn...". Assuming it's your car's front brakes that are squealing, received wisdom (example here) https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car-maintenance/brake-pads/ is that, if the pads' thickness has to reduced to 3mm, the pads should be replaced, but that advice obviously depends on a car's annual mileage. My wife's bought-new-in 2009 Skoda Roomster has only covered 27k miles, does under a 1k miles annually nowadays, and its original front and rear disc pads still have plenty of 'meat' on them.

I carried out several online searches about this, relating to Skoda Fabia Mk4s and to the equivalent-age VW Polos, but the results were inconclusive with it being suggested that a pad-wear warning system might not be fitted to lower-spec or lower-powered cars, but could be fitted to higher-spec or more powerful models. My own Fabia Mk4 was built in late-2023 and UK-registered in April 2024. It's an SE L model, has the 999cc 3-cylinder TSI motor with a maximum power-output of 81kW/110PS/108bhp and has a DSG transmission. Braking is the UK-specification front discs and rear drums system used on Mk4 models that have the 999cc motor. I put my car on full right lock and drove the right front wheel up on to a 3-inch wooden block. Lying on my back, I was then able to get my head fully behind the front wheel, shine a powerful torch on to the brake disc and caliper and also feel around the caliper and the area near to it. There was no sensor-cabling and, consequently, no means to warn (via a dashboard warning light) if the brake-pad thickness seriously reduced. Just in case, I then did the same for the left front wheel and there was no sensor-cabling there either. As my (fairly powerful, fairly high-spec) Fabia Mk4 with 999cc motor does not have front-brake sensor cabling and @Breezy_Pete has said that his wiring diagram for a Mk4 does not mention a pad-wear sender, it now seems that (despite the brake pads-related references in the Fabia Mk4 Owner's Manuals) at least Fabia Mk4s with the disc/drum braking system probably do not have a worn brake-pads warning system that would cause a dashboard light to illuminate. I don't think Lar has ever said which motor his Mk4 has, so if it has the 1.5litre 4-cylinder power-plant and disc/disc braking system, it's possible it might have a worn-brake-pads warning system. Not too difficult check as suggested earlier, or a Skoda dealership should be able to advise.

@Breezy_Pete Dunno - based on the Owner's Manuals I'd EXPECT all Fabia Mk4 models (or any 2020-onwards car for that matter) to have a brake-pad-wear warning system. Perhaps you could do as you suggested to Lar and "Look to see if there's a wire coming from any of the inner brake pads" with your Mk4. This 2019 topic discussed Fabia Mk3 brake pads https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/468756-brake-pad-wear-sensors-on-mkiii/ so some Mk4s may have pad-wear sensors and some may not, depending on the car's specification.

Lar Every Skoda Fabia Mk4 Owner's Manual refers to there being an orange/yellow warning light for "Worn brake pads". The light looks like this and is shown in the "Indicator lights" section near the front of the Manual and in the "Brakes" section further on ("Brake Pads" in the Manual's index.) I believe it can be safely assumed from this that all Fabia Mk4s have a brake-pad wear-sensor that will trigger a warning light when the pads become unduly worn. I did check whether that particular warning light would appear on my 2024 Fabia SE L's instrument-cluster when I turned on the car's ignition. It did not, so I presume it only illuminates when worn pads are detected. (Your forum Profile suggests that your Fabia Colour Edition is a 2022 model, so I'm doubtful about the mention that "...it has done 2k miles..." in your enquiry. Perhaps you meant "...it has done 20k miles..."?)

In my posting above perhaps I should have made it clearer that the light-units I arrowed as being LEDs did not have LED BULBS in them when I said: LEDs are used in the two number-plate light-units and (on the right side of the hatch) in the fog=light/reversing-light unit. The light-unit on the left side of the hatch is a dummy and has no LEDs in it. Left-hand-drive models will have a LED fog=light/reversing-light unit on the left side of the hatch and the light-unit on the right side of the hatch will be a dummy. with no LEDs in it. On the car's 'hatch', only one of the fog-light/reversing-light units is operative (the right unit of RHD cars or the left unit of LHD cars). The fog-light and reversing-light outputs come from small individual LEDs. (There are four separate LEDs in the reversing light-unit and these are visible if you shine a torch into the underside of the reversing-light's reflector). The units are 'sealed' and neither the fog-light nor the reversing -light can be upgraded by fitting higher-output LED bulbs. I agree that the reversing-light's output is poor and I'd like a reversing-light on both sides of the hatch - but that's the way it is. LED bulbs could be fitted in the outer rear light-units, but this would be illegal in the UK. It's also near certain that replacing any of the 3 halogen bulbs in each light-unit with a LED-bulb equivalent would trigger a dashboard 'light failure' warning. I've thought about replacing the boot-light W5W halogen bulb with a LED equivalent (as I did with my Hyundai i20) as the boot-light gets pretty hot, but I probably shan't bother. For spare rear-light bulbs, I managed to obtain a pair of OSRAM "ULTRA LIFE" W5W and P21W bulbs reasonably cheaply, but finding a good quality inexpensive WY16W bulb has proved trickier and I'll probably opt for a Halfords bulb if I'm passing one of their branches.

Your 2022 Fabia should have been originally delivered with a fairly slim booklet-format Owner's Manual with an 'issue date' on the outside of its rear cover. The booklet Manual for my own 2024 UK-registered Fabia SE L car has the issue-date of 06.2023 on its rear cover and, when referring to the relevant online digital Manual, the 06.2023 reference allows me to choose the relevant file. For the Fabia, Skoda has used a 2-pronged approach for Owner's Manuals, with 'essential' advice being in the booklet and the same advice plus more complex information being in the digital Manual. When a particular subject is dealt with only in the digital Manual, this is stated in the booklet Manual. LANE ASSIST is covered in its entirety in the booklet Manual (Pages 108/109 in my car's booklet) and how to turn the steering-wheel vibrations ON/OFF is shown in the Settings section (Activating/deactivating the steering wheel vibrations). Turning the steering-wheel vibrations ON/OFF must be carried out using the car's infotainment display-screen's Lane Assist menu. This Skoda Fabia video is about Lane Assist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoktYazaDso It shows a car that has an Amundsen display-screen (as fitted to my own car) where the Lane Assist menu looks like this A green tick in the Steering wheel vibration 'box' indicates that vibration has been turned ON. Unticking the box will turn steering-wheel vibration OFF and the chosen setting (green tick=ON, no tick=OFF) is then saved until that setting is deliberately altered. Turning OFF the vibrations will not turn OFF Lane Assist, that will still enable automatically each time the car's ignition is switched on. I turn OFF Lane Assist before driving my Fabia, but, when I occasionally forget to do this, I can't say I find the system's corrective operation particularly intrusive or 'strong'. The Owner's Manual says "The system is designed primarily for driving on the motorway", but on twisty rural roads It's just an irritation that I don't want. (And I definitely don't want additional xxxxxx steering-wheel vibrations!!!)

The instructions below were copied from the digital Manual for a 2022 Skoda Fabia Mk4. No option is provided to turn off the Lane Assist feature permanently - it will be turned on automatically every time the car's ignition is switched on. However (as the final paragraph in the instructions says) it is possible to turn off Lane Assist's steering-wheel vibration through the car's infotainment display-screen's settings menu and, once this has been done, steering-wheel vibration will not take place. Lane Assist will still turn itself on every time the car's ignition is switched on, but there will be no vibration of the steering-wheel when Lane Assist 'intervenes'. BURTEQ offers a 'save the settings' memory module for 2021-2023 Fabia Mk4 models https://burteq.com/products/skoda-fabia-4-iv-memory-module and it may be possible to override Lane Assist's automatic activation on ignition switch-on using a diagnostic/code-modifying tool like OBDeleven, VCDS or Carista.

The rear lights of Skoda Fabia Mk4 cars can be 'all LEDs' or be a mix of LEDS and conventional bulbs. This 2023 forum enquiry was about the latter type. https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/513749-rear-light-bulbs-for-mk4-fabia/#comment-5760144 and (for right-hand-drive models) the 'mix' is as shown below, with the outer light-units having bulbs, while LEDs are used in the two number-plate light-units and (on the right side of the hatch) in the fog=light/reversing-light unit. The light-unit on the left side of the hatch is a dummy and has no LEDs in it. Left-hand-drive models will have a LED fog=light/reversing-light unit on the left side of the hatch and the light-unit on the right side of the hatch will be a dummy. with no LEDs in it. The bulb-changing guidance in the Fabia Owner's Manual is fairly good and the types of bulb involved are shown in the image below Gaining access to the bulbs should be straightforward. Pull off the black plastic cover that's next to the light-unit; remove the two T25-head retaining screws; pull the light-unit straight backwards. There's a small plastic ball (purple ringed on the image) that engages with a small plastic socket in the bodywork and a small amount of force may be needed to get the ball to disengage. The Manual suggests that the light-unit be disconnected, but that should not be necessary just to change a bulb. I found that removing the P21W (brake light) and WY16W (indicator light) bulb-holders was easy, but removing the W5W (tail light) bulb-holder was fiddly. The P21W and W5W bulbs were OSRAM-marked and I assume that the amber WY16W bulb. was also an OSRAM product.