Breezy_Pete

It's one of those "may lose up to 10% per year" things. That's not the norm, that's the worst case scenario. Our Fabia got regassed for first time aged 7, and again last year aged 14. No other A/C maintenence or servicing other than periodic pollen filter changes or interim hooverings. (Oh, and importantly, making sure rad fans are fully functional. Very common for that not to be the case).

I came close to topping this just now. Aimed to change a set of steel wheels with legal tyres onto a friend's Golf with neither, only to be thwarted by not having thought about conical- vs radius-seated bolts. Rapidly realised that the first conical-seat bolt to come out meant mission abort. Broke the bad news to friend then cleared away tools and wheels, agreeing to try to source a cheap set of suitable bolts and revisit then. Most of an hour passed before I remembered to go back and unchock the back wheels...

In my experience, the plastic insulation cracks, letting in atmospheric moisture and oxygen. This gradually corrodes the copper strands, turning them into green dust. Once enough corrosion has happened, the wire struggles to conduct enough current to make the solenoid actuate. Sometimes the first symptom is non-start due to it breaking completely, sometimes it goes intermittent for a while first. Clouting it may just help it by overcoming mechanical stiction; reducing the current required to get it to move.

FWIW Mk1 Fabia didn't/doesn't really retain water inside the doors, so much as leak it through the door structure into the cabin. Sub-optimal all the same.

Could easily be the starter solenoid wire almost busted, rather than starter motor itself. If so it shouldn't cost you much at all, especially if you can DIY. Super-common fault, vibration makes the wire fatigue and crack just where it comes out of the single-pin connector housing. Certainly worth checking visually or pull-testing 'cos if it is that you'll kick yourself if you change the starter and it still plays up.

Invest a few pounds in a suitable cable, download VCDS-Lite and you'll get better info yourself than you have got from the first two scans.

Issue 2 will be the buzzer on the cluster circuit board. Issue 3 could just be the key barrel, repair kits available on ebay and not too tricky to do. See youtube, probably. Issue 4 could well be dry joints on the connector in the back of the radio, so may disappear if the radio is swapped out. Borrow a radio to test?

Item 9 or item 15 here, I guess? https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/citigo/cit/2015-727/8/825-825000/ With yours being 2015, it'll be the last listed part number in each case, the one ending in B, whichever side it is. Unclear to me why the descriptions refer to left and right 'front'?

The wires always break in the rubber bellows between a-pillar and door, never undr the door card as far as I know. Easy enough to pull the rubber off its mounting at the a-pillar usually. Trickier to get back on properly but by then you'll probably have found bust wires and be well on your way to solving it. ☺️

Maybe then just a link to this thread in the shop?

JJL-code gearbox. I reckon the release bearing and lever have both been subjected to trauma due to bent fingers 'ravaging' that general area. I remember struggling more than previously to get the gearbox back aligned/on after the box change. Bet I clouted those fingers with the input shaft. I'm surprised it's taken over a year to really affect the running of the car, and in such a limited way, although I suspect it wouldn't have been much longer before there wasn't enough clutch mech travel to find gears any more. Must get some fresh oil in there as well.

Yep, two broken off, one or two others bent, most of them machined a bit by incorrect contact, release lever also machined a bit (see bluing of side nearest camera). Right old mess. The only time it really showed itself (other than the low biting point) was in the last couple of months, when taking off from a standstill without first giving it some revs. 😮 Then there was the violent lurching/jumping described in the first post. There has been a high-pitched whine occasionally audible with front windows open, but I put it down to an aero effect like when you have one rear window open and get that throbbing. I guess that was actually something rubbing. New clutch kit ordered, should start going back together again after work tomorrow. Planning to be super-careful with alignment as engine and gearbox come back together again! 😁

Not the best pictures in the world, better ones to follow, but the misbehaviour may have finally been diagnosed. 'Finger trouble' almost certainly caused (or started off) during the gearbox swap of Easter 2019. I'm fairly sure the fluid evident in the bellhousing is coolant that's worked its way down there very recently, as the engine head was removed yesterday too. Plenty of metal fragments and swarf about though. ☹️ Looking like a new clutch cover, new release lever and release bearing reqd, as a minimum? No amount of peeing about with the clutch hydraulics was going to overcome this little mess.

Thinking about it, it's probably easier to unplug the relay from its socket, then test from (unplugged) ECU loom connector pin 49, to each of the contacts in the relay socket. It should have continuity to one of them. There's a fella down your way (ish) with a mk2 Fabia, who used a local auto-electrician last year, and had good success, let me try to find the thread. Hmm, maybe not that close, but could be worth getting in touch: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/435889-fan-runs-on/?do=findComment&comment=5319349

Those points are either end of the same wire. Yes, the engine bay fusebox. Connectors nearly always have pin numbers marked on one half or the other of each plug/socket, if not both. PM me if you get stuck, or post photos of whatever connectors you find.

If you do a bit of searching around the forum in general, you'll see that this question comes up pretty regularly. Just good old 21st century upselling. Just say no (thanks).

Use a different garage, preferably one that is aware of how often wires break in this part of mk2 Fabias. Better yet, inspect the wiring yourself before involving any garage.

Some pics from @Fred66 relating to steering wheel removal:

And now a question about ETKA that I would like to understand, if anyone knows? In this screenshot of roof lining part numbers (for a 9N3 Polo but I don't think that's relevant) there are a bunch of two-letter codes, and some two digit numbers. In the same column as more readily understood terms like 'rear' and '4-door'. Anyone know what the two-character codes are referring to?

Many of us will have done something similar or worse, fair play for owning up. 👍

Looking at this image from an ebay listing, the starter hole is going to give much better access for viewing than the slave cylinder; looks like it might be hard to get round the release lever from there. Still might try there first 'cos there's a lot less disassembly involved, two screws.

Seemed firm as judged by the push-back as I inserted the latest slave cylinder. Thanks for your continued interest by the way. I'm now wondering if I could get USB endoscope camera in via that hole (or any other?) to get a visual on the clutch cover plate. Thinking I may have damaged some of the fingers while fitting replacement gearbox??

Not sure whether this parts diagram helps at all https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/pick+up/pick/1998-97/1/115-115020/ ?

Looking at all the OEM numbers associated with each of those across both pages of results, the Metzger one near the bottom of the page 1 is the only one that claims equivalence with your exact 6R0953501C part number. They add it in bold in the part title too, uniquely amongst the whole selection. That's not to say none of the others will work, but it's the one I'd be most confident of. Not currently in stock though. I'd get in touch with Mike here probably via the Facebook link offered, he'll have up to date catalogue info, and might do you a good deal on a genuine item https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/479022-genuine-parts-sponsormikes-back/?tab=comments#comment-5375418 He'll need your VIN or reg number so have one of those ready.

Gearbox code can be found on the build data sticker on boot floor and sometimes in service book. Then you can look up oil part number and capacity on 7zap.com; and probably find 360° pictures of one in ebay listings which can help to spot things like drain and fill plugs.