jeallen01

I wouldn't worry at all about using relatively mild alcohol based cleaners on vehicle glass - that glass was designed for relatively "hostile" environments, and I've never experienced any signs of damage using whatever cleaner came to hand, and that was often IPA! As for the source of the noise itself, please understand that it still could be the motor itself because putting the arm and blade in contact with the screen causes a "side loading" on the motor shaft. If the top bearing for that shaft has become damaged then the shaft will rotate unevenly in that bearing and so come into contact with the motor stator as it rotates - which could then be the source of the noise (I think it usually is if the motor is faulty).

I REALLY hope not!🤣

IsoPropyl Alcohol (IPA) can also be useful, and doesn't really damage paintwork unless left on for a long time - it's also a very useful general purpose solvent for many household cleaning tasks and so I always keep a can or two in the house.

TBH, I would have thought that that would have been one of the first steps the OP ( and anyone else!) would have taken to try to work out where the problem lies!

Thx, and now I see how you do it (but that just was not obvious when I was looking last night)!😀

Well, I DID try looking at my profile - but I could only get it to show me the posts from the last few months - which was obviously not back far enough, so that's why I asked the question!

@MikeTheThinker Many thanks for finding that!

Quite right - I don't think I've EVER had to give that task to a dealer, garage or retailer - in 50+ years!

Thx for identifying TMD as the current parent group - saved me the hassle of looking for it!

A few years ago, I posted a "how to" remove, (using 4x dining table knives!) and with pictures, the dashboard air vents on my Octy II, but search I might I cannot track it down - therefore please could someone with more knowledge of how the forum works then track it down? Thx in advance!

FWIW, nowadays with many big groups having bought "trusted name" manufacturers in-house, I think it's more a case of searching and selecting the "right" items for your own particular requirements than first selecting a brand name and then the relevant parts from the ranges available from that brand name. PS!: I really would like people to use the correctly-spelt words in threads, and especially the thread titles! - because I don't want them to "break" their cars by choosing the wrong "brake" pads and other braking system components 🙄

I've been a Mintex "fan" since I upgraded the front brakes of my first Mini in 1968 - although I've think I've fitted a few Ferodo bits & pieces as well😃

I think so - it's a big group that often promotes articles in Car Mechanics mag, although I don't have a copy to hand ATM and so can't confirm that group name. In 2016 I got a set of Mintex-boxed & branded 312mm front disks & "2604" "fast road" pads for the Octy, and the braking was like night & day as compared with the standard 288mm discs with Pagid (etc) branded pads bought from local retailers like ECP, GSF etc. Just had to be very careful when stopping quickly for the passengers' sakes - but they definitely saved the day when some idiot in an Audi cut in front of me at speed at a roundabout exit a couple of years ago!

For once we seem to disagree - the price is about right but I prefer Mintex branded stuff for those!

Even Kwiksh1t would be cheaper than that!🤪

I've had more noise from Bosch wipers than from Valeo ones - but maybe the Bosch ones bought from general retail outlets, rather than from VAG dealers, could be "somewhat inferior" "seconds"??? NB: our nearest VAG dealers are much further away than retailers like Halfords . OTOH, I didn't seem to have that issue with Valeo blades bought from retail outlets. FWIW, I won't buy "cheap" blades, as experience showed that they'll probably be noisy and I'd then have to replace them as above - a classic example of "buy cheap, buy twice"!

Personally I always use Valeo blades as I've found them to almost always be very quiet. OTOH, could the noise be coming from the wiper motor itself? In which case, dribbling a little thin oil down the shaft might help, or else the motor needs changing. Over the years, I've had a number of faulty VAG motors and had to replace them - but I would advise avoiding replacements from GSF as I had 2 replacements in a row from them before they finally refunded my money, and I then bought a replacement from ECP which didn't give any trouble! PS: In any case, you do have to make sure that the screen is VERY clean as any traces of dirt or grease can result in noisy wiping.

Could this be the company/site to which you were aiming to refer: https://www.parking-made-easy.co.uk/?doing_wp_cron=1695638930.9240601062774658203125 ?

Thx!👍 I was looking earlier this evening and I think I've seen those advertised - but I could not get back to them ATM

Well, we'll "argue" about whether our Mk III Fabia is a 90 bhp (which Skoda UK seemed to confirm that it is!) or 110 bhp m/c at a late date - maybe the difference is that it's a 2016 build but nominally a 2017 pre-change to the Mk IV model year m/c? As for the front sensors, maybe the difference could be that they came in with the change of engine to the 3 cylinder 1.5l in the Mk IV instead of the 4 cylinder 1.2l in the Mk III?? So, anyway, it looks like I need to look for a 3rd party supplier - so does anyone have any suggestions as to where to look?

Good afternoon As you may have gathered from other recent threads, we've just acquired one of the above (2016 but 2017 model spec, 1.2l 90bhp, Monte Carlo trim spec) and that came with rear, but not front, parking sensors fitted. Unfortunately my wife is (a) only 5ft tall (b) can't see where the front end of the car is because she can't see the end of the bonnet & (c) TERRIBLE at judging distances, especially when trying to park, and is scared of trying to do that !🙄 Therefore she wants me to find someone/somewhere (in W.London!) that could fit FRONT parking sensors - and preferably, I think, get the ECU to recognise them, like, I think, that on the very "best" trim level Fabia does - Otherwise a 3rd party system would be acceptable. Thus, can anyone suggest someone in this general area that could do that? Thx in advance. PS: I think we may have a had a similar discussion several years about a similar subject for another car, but, if so, I can't find it.

Thx for that, and my feeling on this whole issue of the cambelt and related parts is pretty similar in that I'll get the belt checked every 12-18 months, and get it changed if/when I feel that it definitely needs it - especially given that my wife does very little mileage (the Golf did about 300 miles between the last 2 MoTs, and not more than a 1000 or so in the years before that!). The longest single journey the Fabia is likely to make in this next year looks like the 70 or so miles to the Worthing area if & when we manage to move down there!

Well Finally got a reply from Skoda UK, and here it is (pretty much in full), and pretty much as expected after all the discussions and info here, in answer to my query last Friday which asked about the following vehicle: 2016 build/2017 model Fabia 1.2l 90bhp/66kw (Reg DF66 OEA, VIN TMBFM6NJ5HZ055263, CJZC engine) with a recorded approx. 45k miles; Re: Škoda Fabia - DF66 OEA Dear Mr XXXXX Thank you for your recent contact with Škoda UK regarding your timing belt enquiry. Please accept my apologies for the delay in my response. I do appreciate your patience whilst I investigated your concerns. I have contacted our internal Technical Support Team. They have advised that your vehicle is equipped with a lifetime timing belt with the recommendation of 180,000 miles or 15 years, whichever comes first. I hope you find this information useful. However, if any further help is needed, you may contact me using the details below. Kindly be advised that you may receive a survey about the service that I have provided. I would be grateful if you have the time to complete this, as it will help me to provide the best experience possible. Thank you again for your patience and understanding. Kind regards Thembeka Kaspile Customer Relations Advisor T: 03330 037 504 E: *****@*****.tld Škoda UK Yeomans Drive Blakelands Milton Keynes MK14 5AN www.skoda.co.uk www.skoda-auto.com

Thx for the Fabia engine code clarification - TBH, that's what I guessed it might be! As for the shocker situation, I personally think that any sign of deterioration like misting should be treated a failure, as actual total failure is soon bound to follow! As for other suspension issues, like deterioration of link rubbers, those can reasonably treated as advisories unless there's been near total failure (= fail!), but it "all depends"! And, of course, KWIKFIT gave me a prime example of getting this both right and wrong several years ago with the Octy - failed the RH front droplink (fair enough, it was quite bad), but SAID NOTHING about the LH one, which pretty much fell apart when I changed it "as a precaution" - it was actually far worse than the RH one! Regardless of that, badly failing droplinks have less effect on the driveabilty of the car than badly failing front shocks (not that I've ever let a car's front shocks get that bad!).

Our engine code is CJZC - so are you referring to the 1st or 2nd C? BTW 1: as far as the belt on the engine is concerned, the guy who inspected today it seems to have commented that it was dry (as it should be!) but "on the hard side" (but no cracks) - so is that how one would expect to find it after 7 yrs and about 45k miles? BTW 2: The car passed its MoT about 2-3 weeks ago with advisories of misting on both front shocks - the guy (as above) changed them today, and they appear to have both been totally "shot" with no rebound at all - which confirms my opinion yesterday after going over a couple of wide speed bumps and the front suspensioned definitely "bottomed"! How the hell did it pass the test with the shocks in that condition?