Hello everyone..I am a new member...I bought a used Skoda Fabia 2001 1.4 16V 101bhp a couple of weeks ago and I am dealing with a lot of problems. The car has 145.000 km that were mostly done on international motorways.

I knew that the car needed several repairs when I bought it, but problems keep coming up... I took the car for a FULL service to an independent garage (recommended by friends) and I spent 900 euros (~820 pounds), 700 was the cost of parts and 200 for labour. They changed a lot of things including: timing belt, diskplates - brakes, oils and all kind of filters and liquids etc.

The problems that the car has right now are:

1) When I bought the car the 'Check Engine' and 'Airbag' lights were on, that indicated then to the lamda sensor and high resistance of the airbag cable. The mechanic cleaned the sensor in an effort to avoid the extra cost...(the airbag issue was ignored because of low budget). The light came back on after 500 miles, but this time on vag-com showed problem with the EGR valve, that the mechanic suggested changing for the price of 150 euros (~135 pounds). (I think I experiense some relevant symptoms when stopped at traffic lights...the rpm are moving beetwen 600 and 700).

2) The steering is extremely 'heavy' in low speeds (parking) and works fine when moving in higher speeds (>5 mph).

3) I have, the very common as it turns out, flickering headlights!!!

My questions are:

A) the flickering lights are more likely caused by a problem at the battery - alternator, or should I link the issue with the steering problem looking for a probem at the angle sensor? From what I read in forums the problem with the angle sensor makes the flickering more intense when making a turn, something that doesn't happen to me.

would I damage my engine if I delay changing the EGR valve?

Thanks in advance for any answers and please forgive my bad english (and btw greetings from Greece!) and keep in mind that my knowledge in cars is very limited!

Heavy steering and flickering headlights are probably linked - a defect in the charging systems and/or earth problems are possible.

Check out the alternator output, the battery and the main earths between the battery and chassis. A new battery may fix the problem.

I would first of all clean the EGR valve and check that the throttle body is clean where the EGR pipe connects to it. You can check the operation of the EGR valve in VCDS ('Output Tests') - it will click. When you've clean it you then adapt it in Engine Controller - 074 then O4. Once its adapted, take the car for a drive and run the EGR system test in 075. Start the test, accelerate with full throttle in 3rd or 4th gear to about 100-120km/h, then take your foot off the throttle. VCDS will say 'Test running' and then 'System OK' if the EGR valve is working properly.

Thanks a lot for the tips!

I'm expecting the vag-com cable to come next week...in the mid time I must clean the EGR valve. The problem is that I cannot do it myself...do you know approximately how much it costs to get it cleaned?

Is there anyway I can check the battery using my voltometer or should I visit the garage for this too?

To check the battery you need to apply a load to it and then measure the voltage. A failing battery will have a higher internal resistance and therefore will show an excess voltage drop when drawing a large current. In the UK some motor parts suppliers will test your battery for free - or a workshop will do it for you for a small fee (it only takes a few minutes).

You can clean the EGR valve yourself - you only need to remove a few nuts/bolts. A workshop would probably charge you 30 minutes of labour time. It is best to renew the gaskets on the EGR system after its cleaned. They cost very little, and any air leaking into the EGR system will cause a fault code to be logged.

Thanks again Hauptmann!

I did find some detailed guides on how to clean the EGR, but I read somewhere that I must reset some settings after removing the EGR valve and I am a bit worried in attempting to do this (as this is my first car and my mechanical knowledge is extremely limited!)...

I will take the car for a battery check this week (it is quite cheap afterall) but just out of curiocity....if the engine is idle can't I make a proper measurement with a voltometer?

No resetting off anything required to clean the EGR.

You can check the batt. voltage at idle ok, just switch the headlights on, that will give enough load. Measure across the batt. terminals and should read 14v. or a little more, this will tell you the alternator is charging ok. Then turn engine off and do a test, if dropping well below 12v. suspect the battery and have it tested by a motor factor.

Re-adaption of the EGR valve is desirable after cleaning it (you will need VCDS, as per my instructions in post #2). If you fit a new EGR valve then adaption is essential. Either way, its a good thing to run the EGR system test (in 075).

System voltage with all electrical loads on should be >13.5V measured at the battery. Battery voltage with engine off and no loads >11.5V. This does not test the battery's internal resistance though - for that you need a load-dump as the motor factors will have.

A common problem with the electrical system is breakage of the two little wires that go to the alternator load-sensing terminal. These wires run to the third connector down on the connector support plate at the front of the engine (just below the starter motor). Take the splash shield off from under the car and look up at the wires going to the lowest connector - check them for breakage! A broken wire here will lead to voltage fluctuations when electrical loads switch on and off (like the power steering) and the idle can be unstable.

Thanks a lot guys for all the info....I will try some things as soon as I find some spare time and keep you posted on my progress!

Really appreciate all the help!