Breezy_Pete

Pin 1 seems to be the brake wear sensor so I can't really see that being relevant. Do you still have the cluster out? I'd reflow all 8 of those joints, and have a damn good look at all of the ones for the green connector too. Broken joints can be very hard to see without good light and magnification, at my age anyway! Circuits are available to download at erWin Skoda, though you have to pay a small fee for an hour's access. If you want to do so I can talk you through the process.

I either didn't zoom in enough, and/or didn't have my reading glasses, because when I look again I see that the ignition 12V supply is on pin 5, not 6. Will check what pin 1 is in a second.

0.3A is around ten times what is OK if the car is fully 'asleep', so you'll need to check that again.

Stuff all comes from Berlin or Szczezin in Poland, it seems. Same with buycarparts.co.uk; web address picked to look like it's UK local, but not.

Pins 6 5 and 7 of the 8-way need 12V (pin 6 5 ignition 12V, pin 7 permanent), pin 8 = 0V. That should get it going on the bench. Don't be too startled if after a few seconds of being powered up, the piezo tweeter suddenly gives you a long blast of noise! Can't remember if it stops or continues but if you're not expecting it it's loud!

Check cabin fuses 2 and 20 16 and 22 first, before any dismantling.

Well the clocks (in a Fabia is where that CAN signal gets 'understood' and converted into the speedo needle position. Not sure where else the speed signal is utilised, if anywhere. Just clarify please, which bits in the car at the moment are from Fabia, and which are still original to the Arosa? Engine = Fabia? Gearbox = ? ABS ECU = Arosa? Cluster = ??

I think in Mk1 Fabia vRS the vehicle speed is communicated from ABS ECU to Instrument cluster by CAN message rather than a wire. Not sure how that helps, if at all.

Take a photo of what there is and post it in here. Usually about 4/5/6 strip fuses and then about 3 or 4 blade fuses under a cover to the right of the strip fuses.

Removal of the oil cap while the engine is running will, and should, make the engine struggle. I can't picture a piece of wire being effective at blocking that hole. Why not take the cap off carefully, then you can inspect the diaphragm inside, and re-fit it at a different angle to give better finger access to the hole. There are just a few plastic ramp catches around the outside that hold the cap on.

Have you checked that the alternator fuse isn't broken? Strip fuse no.1 in fuseholder above battery.

Not sure how much if at all this will help, but the VW group part numbers for the individual parts are shown here: coupling; before parts order, physical inspection... - Fabia(FAB) [EUROPA 2003 year] (7zap.com) (View on a computer not a phone or most of the useful information will be missing) Which 3 options does ECP's utterly crap reg number lookup suggest? Screenshot?

The substance and the smell will disappear very rapidly. Not worth the cost and effort to replace.

0.3mA is not a plausible reading, do you mean 0.3A? Or 30mA?

You think you get as much discount as a pro?

Just let the mechanic buy it.

Not sure whether there's sufficient access to remove the voltage regulator/brushpack with the alternator in situ, but if there is you could eyeball the sliprings and probably even get some very fine wet-n-dry on them if they do look grubby and tarnished? I seem to remember that the Bosch alts are a bit friendlier to get the volt reg off compared to the Valeo ones. Do remove battery negative before anything else if you do get involved down there, the main +ve cable is fused, but it's a whopper of a strip-fuse so you could cause a big old spark otherwise.

Has the car been unused for any amount of time prior to that shopping trip? I'm wondering if the slip rings have maybe just tarnished a bit. Bosch or Valeo alternator?

There's a pressure equalising port/hole in the cap of the PCV, red arrow pointing at it in this photo. Find a way to block that while the engine is running and see whether it affects the idle speed or smoothness. It should not. If the idle changes, the valve needs replacement.

I tend to agree.

You would have to unplug the oxygen sensor that pokes up through it (connector accessed from below), then there seem to be three or four screws, the two visible on the top, and an awkward one - maybe two - much lower, near the bottom; probably also easier to access from under car. Lots of photos of a secondhand one here: SKODA FABIA 5J MK2 07-14 1.2 PETROL EXHAUST CATALYST HEAT SHIELD 03D253041H | eBay Presumably the photo isn't your car? That one looks perfect?

Happy that you did bump it. I'll fix any broken picture links shortly (Dropbox killed its public folder, meanly). For now I've done the two photos in the post describing the origin of the blue wire above.

Don't see one here: crankshaft; conrod; bearings - Superb(SUP) [EUROPA 2013 year] (7zap.com)

It's a BBZ engine. Not sure whether a dodgy coil or two could give those symptoms, presumably you had the trouble before you started swapping in others?

When it's in 'reluctant mode' does the cranking sound normal, like it's compressing OK, or more even and faster like it isn't? Engine code would be handy to know too. How many miles on the clock?