Breezy_Pete

Just PM'ing something to you, 1 sec.

The 3B2 part was dropped some time ago, superseded by the 5J2, so yes, the right one to get for your car as long as the current one was/is correct. Prices are before VAT, retail from dealers.

Will look forward to more real-world non-fanboy commentary on EV usage with the Mini.

Grommet part number 03F103638? @uwantedme

But the 280s don't, and that must be what's on this '150', no?

Was there a loose 8-pin device in the case, fallen off the other side next to the 'burntest' bit?

Wow, that went 'pop' properly! I thought something like that might be found, but I was hoping it might look a bit more repairable than that does.

Check it again with a warmed up engine (e.g. at the end of a journey) 2 or 3 minutes after you switch the engine off. Hope to see the level somewhere closer to my green lines here:

Oh, that's far too high if it's the true level. Did you pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean and then re-insert it, to get that reading? Following this procedure is important.

Yes, all the oil should be at the bottom of the engine in the sump when it's not running. And you shouldn't be taking off the filler cap when it is. Try to get a better photo of the level on the dipstick.

It will be very loud all the time, I would say.

Can't see the oil level on that photo really. That's your auxiliary belt, not timing. Identify the fluid by soaking some into a clean white rag or tissue.

Did they give you a price? A shade under £360 for genuine. Not sure what you'll find on the aftermarket. Are you sure it's leaking? I share others' doubts. Easy to be swayed by the visual appearance.

That's not the right number to go by. If you sign up to this site Škoda spare parts online store (skoda-parts.com), you'd be able to input your VIN and have that filter the results to get you to the correct OE number. Or you could message me with it, or post it here and I'll tell you.

Yes, I would think they'll be fine. However, phone ECP or drop in and show them how there doesn't seem to be a claimed (by Monroe) match between the ones they sold you and the correct OE number for your VIN/car, and see what they say.

3Q0 513 049 FN is your real OE rear shock part number.

Can't check for an hour or so, just arrived at gym. You may well find that what you've been sold is correct, once we know the real part number we're trying to match.

You can't be far from a place to purchase a second tool from then. I think Sep is right, chances are a previous visitation to that screw has damaged the head a little (probably by under-engagement of the tool), and now it just needs some help with some force. A well lit close-up photo of the screw head may help everyone understand the situation, though I realise that's easier said than done. Do you have replacement screws? Technically they are supposed to be single use. Stick your VIN in a message, or here if you'd like me to find part number.

I can't find a figure for your version of engine, the earlier BBY/BKY engines with manual gearbox suggest a range of 660-860rpm. If you had diagnostic capability, you could find a measuring block somewhere in the engine ECU that would list actual and specified idle rpm, which might give a cross-check. Are your wheels/tyres a standard size for the vehicle?

Idling speed sounds high, let me see if I can find a 'book' figure. It could just be that someone has taken the instrument cluster apart at some point and put the needle back on the rpm gauge slightly wrong.

Yes. where the hard plastic is stretched over the connections it sometimes cracks and leaks air. This could affect fuelling and also the pressure level in the inlet manifold, possibly influencing the gear-change suggestions from the instrument cluster. Lots of other possible problems though. I presume you don't have any warning lights lit? Do you have any way of reading engine fault codes?

Have you ever inspected the brake servo vacuum pipe for cracks at the junctions?

Something is not quite right, you should be going quite a bit further on each litre. According to spritmonitor, your exact car/engine/gearbox/year combination typically averages 6.5l/100km Gasoline consumption: Skoda - Fabia - Spritmonitor.de There will be an element of self selection of those trying to be 'hypermilers' being more interested in being on spritmonitor than those who don't care. Opening up the age filtering to include cars right back to 2007 with same engine size/power etc gives a similar average (6.8) with a far larger sample size: Gasoline consumption: Skoda - Fabia - Spritmonitor.de

Sparks themselves could indeed cause a big problem if the old battery has leaked enough hydrogen, but that's fortunately rare. What many people worry unnecessarily about is the spark that can and will occur when reconnecting the last lead to a new battery, after the car has been without a battery for a little while, such as during a change. In 'times gone by' this barely happened at all, because cars didn't used to have much electronics at all in them, so few or none of the reservoir capacitors mentioned above. Modern cars have dozens of electronic modules, all with such reservoir caps, which will all empty when power is removed for a while. This means that a significant current flows briefly upon reconnection, recharging all of these capacitors. This means a much bigger spark than many 'old-timers' might be expecting. It doesn't cause any problem though. As you are going to keep all these modules charged, you should have little if any sparking anyway.

The OP is determined he's going to do it with back-up power on, so no point in trying to persuade him otherwise, I feel. No need to worry about sparks, they won't do any harm, if they occur. Attaching jump leads or charger leads to the battery clamps will be fine. But he should make a better job of attaching the terminal clamps than the last person to do them.