Temperature guage not rising

[r_holmes22]

Good morning. My wife's Fabia 8V 1.4 MPi has a problem with the temperature guage. I drove it to work and back yesterday (20 miles each way) and the needle never rose much above minimum. I topped up the coolant, which was a little below the minimum line in the expansion tank, but this made no difference. Even with the interior heating on full, the temperature in the cabin doesn't get anywhere near as warm as I would expect; the air from the vents is tepid.

Oddly, if I squeeze the large pipe that goes from the expansion tank to the engine a few times, when I start the engine again the temperature guage rises almost to the normal halfway point, but then gradually sinks back downs towards minimum.

Does this sound like something I might be able to fix myself, or should I get it to a qualified mechanic?

[r_holmes22]

Hmm, have just read one or two of the other messages reporting the same problem. I'll try replacing the temperature sensor and see what happens.

[ANDREW2210]

WILL NEED THERMOSTATE HOUSING ,PLASTIC CLIP INSIDE MELTS (comes with sensor)