Hi all - hoping for some helpful hints please! As I don't know very much about Fabias...

2001 1.4 16v Fabia - the ABS kicks in under light to moderate braking, and after a few minutes of driving the ABS dash light comes on.

Can anyone please suggest if there are any common fault areas - with the Volvos it was always the ABS ECU that failed first (dry solder joints) but I bet it's different on these!

Many thanks.

Alastair

Can you actually feel the ABS working through the brake pedal, or is it just the light coming on? Either way, a fault code scan from a local garage or Briskodian with VAG-COM is probably the quickest way to finding out what's up!

My that was quick

Can feel the ABS through the pedal.

Anyone local to St Albans, Herts with the magic VAG-COM perchance?

Edited 1 December, 200817 yr by Al115

What depth have you got on your front tyres. Mine are near their limit and I find the ABS is more inclined to engage. Also, the braking on-mine appears to be pitch sensitive, so that it appaers to bite like mad going downhill.

The offset braking pedal also catches me out. Being > 6 ft, I tend to hit the top -right corner of it, rather than the centre, making the braking more fearsome.

Have VAG Com - Harrow.

Nick

What depth have you got on your front tyres. Mine are near their limit and I find the ABS is more inclined to engage. Also, the braking on-mine appears to be pitch sensitive, so that it appaers to bite like mad going downhill.

The offset braking pedal also catches me out. Being > 6 ft, I tend to hit the top -right corner of it, rather than the centre, making the braking more fearsome.

Have VAG Com - Harrow.

Nick

I was about to ask the same question. One of my colleagues brought his car to a garage thinking there was an ABS fault, because he could feel the "judder", but it turned out that his tyres were to blame.

I had this on my TDI & it was in the dealer for a week, turned out to be a break in the ABS wiring. It was fixed under warranty but my dealer did say that if I had to pay it would have been big bucks to sort because of the labour involved. Thats not to say that this is the same fault with your car it could be something as simple as a faulty wheel sensor, but just bear in mind the problem I had.

isn't there a common fault of water ingress into the loom over the N/S/F wheel arch

Think thats what caused my probelm, tech said it was rusty connector or break in wiring around that area

Cool, thanks guys, lots to look at here. I'll post back with my findings! and might be making that trip to Harrow!

Curioser and curioser. I discovered a new mode of failure today when driving:

Either the ABS warning light is NOT on, and the ABS is hyper-active

OR the ABS light is on, and then the red brake warning light flashes and beeps every second or so

Does this give any suggestion on where I should be looking for the fault?

Yes I have brake fluid in the reservoir :D

Thanks for your help.

Front tyres are fine for tread BTW, just checked

Sounds a bit like the fault on our lasses TDi estate, but without the warning lights. Turned out to ba corrosion on the rear discs causing the rear wheels to try and lock, and a nearly bald tyre

OK, the saga continues.

Set up VAG-com on my PC (thanks again Nick for your kind offer) and read the ABS codes. The only fault code was the "rear right ABS speed sensor" or similar, so I reset the codes, swapped that sensor with one from the Dead Fabia and went for a drive. ABS light came on again so I read the codes again and lo! a new fault code, for the "front left ABS speed sensor". I'm a little suspicious at this point, but I went ahead and swapped THAT sensor too. Now, after my second test drive, the ABS light is still on and the "front left ABS speed sensor" is still faulty... which I can't believe!

Any ideas guys and girls? Are the ABS ECUs known to fail, or does this point to the wiring problem mentioned above... or maybe something else?

I'm confused!!!

could be either of those faults, especially as the fault keeps moving about