Hi,

Ive just bought a Fabia vRS, love the car great fun to drive! But ive noticed a damp smell in the car when I first get in, Ive changed both air and pollen filter as they hadn't been changed for a while but I'm still having the same problem.

Any idea what could be causing it?

Also.. ive checked for anything rotting/dead in the car :p

probably leaky door seals letting the water in and its soaking into your carpets, very common problem in fabias. check your rear footwells, if they are like swimming pools ( mine were) then thats the problem. do a search theres plenty of threads on how to cure the problem and even a video on youtube.

probably leaky door seals letting the water in and its soaking into your carpets, very common problem in fabias. check your rear footwells, if they are like swimming pools ( mine were) then thats the problem. do a search theres plenty of threads on how to cure the problem and even a video on youtube.

Just checked my car, and that looks like the cause, under the footmats the carpet is wet so ill look into it.

Thanks for your help!

There's a guide on how to seal them yourself on the following web site.

www.fabia-vrs.com

Unfortunately, at the minute the site seems to have exceeded it's bandwidth limit but check back and once it's back up look in the technical guides section.

If it's an 07 registered car then you may have some warranty left and the dealer should sort it for ya.

HTH

Rob.

Think theres a video in the tech guides section on the forums? Definitely a fairly easy diy job, although i'm glad the weather was a bit warmer when I did mine!

To seal them up it's just a case of pping the door cards off and siliconing around the door carrier where it connects to the door

Dealer charges a fortune to seal em and Skoda claims it ain't a common fault (even thought it happens on most Fabia's) and won't repair under warranty.

Edited 22 February, 201016 yr by Big Mikey

Just checked my car, and that looks like the cause, under the footmats the carpet is wet so ill look into it.

As MoggyTech suggested elsewhere, filling the footwell with scrunched up newspaper will draw the water out well - just need to change it regularly to stop it from getting sodden.

have the same issue even though its been "fixed" by skoda. In everyday use its not as bad but if left to stand for a few days I normally put on of them moister pots that draw up any dampness, works fairly well.

How much do Skoda charge to repair it? It's just I had mine done during the warranty period, but it looks like it's leaking again.

If I do it myself when it's a bit warmer, will normal white bath sealant do, or does it have to be the black silicone stuff?

...and Skoda claims it ain't a common fault (even thought it happens on most Fabia's) and won't repair under warranty.

I have had all 4 doors done under warranty, then the rear NS door done again under warranty, and finally had the rear NS door carrier replaced under warranty after the dealer sought technical advice from Skoda at MK.

How much do Skoda charge to repair it? It's just I had mine done during the warranty period, but it looks like it's leaking again.

If I do it myself when it's a bit warmer, will normal white bath sealant do, or does it have to be the black silicone stuff?

Use Unibond 3 in 1 sealant. Silicon doesn't adhere to the zinc galv on the carrier very well and leaks again after a few weeks.

The unibond stuff will even stick to damp surfaces.