Dashboard information display

[jak2586]

Good afternoon guys,

Wondering if any of you guys can help me out with my fairly new Skoda Fabia..

Driving home from work I grab a car towel to wipe clean my dashboard then notice my dashboard information screen has gone blank. Turning on my lights still lights up the screen just there is no information on it, hoping its just a temporary problem I get home and turn the car off then back on again but still have nothing on my screen.

Have I knocked a switch I'm unaware of which turns this blank or do I have a more serious problem?

Please help before I run out of petrol without knowing!

Thanks

[JonA]

My guess would be that the towel and plastic window on the intrument cluster produced static electricity, and that this caused the display to "blank out". It will probably be OK tomorrow :yes:

Hope it sorts itself out!

[jak2586]

My guess would be that the towel and plastic window on the intrument cluster produced static electricity, and that this caused the display to "blank out". It will probably be OK tomorrow :yes:

Hope it sorts itself out!

Thanks for the reply!

Unfortunately it did not sort itself out this morning, and I still have no digital display.. Trying to keep a mental note of my fuel guage right now!

What would you say is the best action to take? Leave it a little longer or contact my dealer asap?

Thank you

[mole]

if its blank tomorrow go back to the dealer.

[jak2586]

if its blank tomorrow go back to the dealer.

Cheers guys

[mrgf]

dont mention cleaning it though, unless you cleaned it with recommended stuff... they may blame YOU!

Edited 15 May, 2010 by mrgf

[radfordln]

Did have this happen a couple of years ago - sat in traffic, used hand to wipe away the dust and screen went blank. Turning engine off/on solved the problem for me.

Hope you get it sorted.

[jak2586]

Still nothing this morning, shall call the dealer when I get chance at work.

I just know its going to be one of those things that fixes itself on the way to the Skoda garage! :wonder:

Only had the car since December from new, a little dissapointed with this to be honest.. But I guess it was my own fault

Cheers guys

[jak2586]

One thing I was wondering, without the key in the ignition they digital display used to stay on with the mileage on show.

I'm thinking with the digital display never usually being turned off it is finding it dificult to reset itself after the wipe of death?

Is there a safe way to reset the internal electrics?

[GeneralPurpose]

The panel display may need to be reset. To do this it may involve disconnecting the battery (I haven't had to reset one on a Fabia before) for a few minutes but you should not do this if you don't know what you are doing as it can upset many other settings...throttle position sensor etc etc. Don't fiddle with it...go straight to your dealer who will fix it. Always use a lightly dampened soft cloth (just in case to protect against static) to wipe the panel display to avoid static discharge. I would add you have been very unfortunate to have this happen, it's not usual and could just be an electrical fault that has developed. It shouldn't just go off after being wiped with a dry cloth so I don't think you are responsible for the problem. The panel may not be earthed properly or the panel fuse may be a gonner. Please let us all know what your dealer finds.

Edited 13 May, 2010 by Estate Man

[jak2586]

The panel display may need to be reset. To do this it may involve disconnecting the battery (I haven't had to reset one on a Fabia before) for a few minutes but you should not do this if you don't know what you are doing as it can upset many other settings...throttle position sensor etc etc. Don't fiddle with it...go straight to your dealer who will fix it. Always use a lightly dampened soft cloth (just in case to protect against static) to wipe the panel display to avoid static discharge. I would add you have been very unfortunate to have this happen, it's not usual and could just be an electrical fault that has developed. It shouldn't just go off after being wiped with a dry cloth so I don't think you are responsible for the problem. The panel may not be earthed properly or the panel fuse may be a gonner. Please let us all know what your dealer finds.

I'll get it to my dealer ASAP then, thanks so much been a great help!

[mrgf]

many cars have "learning" ecu's so disconnecting the battery may be ok... BUT, with the Fabia, you may have the stereo go off and not come back on without the code... You will then have to go to the main dealer anyway, to get this, along with supplying proof of ownership, to get the code.

[jak2586]

The panel display may need to be reset. To do this it may involve disconnecting the battery (I haven't had to reset one on a Fabia before) for a few minutes but you should not do this if you don't know what you are doing as it can upset many other settings...throttle position sensor etc etc. Don't fiddle with it...go straight to your dealer who will fix it. Always use a lightly dampened soft cloth (just in case to protect against static) to wipe the panel display to avoid static discharge. I would add you have been very unfortunate to have this happen, it's not usual and could just be an electrical fault that has developed. It shouldn't just go off after being wiped with a dry cloth so I don't think you are responsible for the problem. The panel may not be earthed properly or the panel fuse may be a gonner. Please let us all know what your dealer finds.

Sorry for the delay in letting you guys know what has happened - been busy with exams this week.

Took the car to the dealer this morning, after extremely unhelpful customer service (Promised to call me back but didn't, then when I call them they put me on hold and then cut me off and generally pass me around the office to explain my problem for the fun of it) I've just picked it up a full four hours later.

What was done in this four hour service? Well...

Not a lot at all, apparently the Fabia has a dashboard that cannot be opened up so any damage caused to it always results in a entirely new part being ordered and fitted. Why this couldn't have been explained while I was there to save on multiply journeys I have no idea.

So to conclude, entirely new dashboard required for a Fabia barely 6 months old. With a headache from Skoda's diabolical service...

Central Skoda - Tyburn road Birmingham - Think twice before use!

[Fabia00]

Surely its just the cluster which should be replaced and they should know this anyway, that is bad service especially as you have had to go out of the way to show them the problem when it looks like a manufacturing fault with the cluster?

[cfcrules]

The same thing has just happened to my car, have it booked in for tomorrow, I assume it'll be covered by the warranty as its nothing of my doing that has caused it to go wrong

[fatjons]

me too after wipeing the dashboard with swiffer the lcd went blank and still is. i don't know how it is possible. very disapointed with skoda qislity.

[Leon-y-k]

Some dealers don't always have the best common sense in dealing with things like this. Their lazy and its easier for them to just dispose of the old dash etc...to me that's a really wasteful. Fair enough if it gets reconditioned but if the next person came along and needed a new pod I'd expect a factory fresh one if they say its new.

They should have a reconditioned approved part for 2nd hand users maybe?

I hope they fix it fast for you. My new fabia will have maxidot I hope it isn't that easy to cut all its fuses!

Good luck with better service

[bigherb]

This just happend to my brothers one, disconnected the battery for a couple of hours and it has reset it.

[32KOFDATA]

Which screen you got? the maxi or the plain green one?

[mrgf]

STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

BEFORE LAYING OUT MONEY, FEELING LIKE A TOTAL PRAT ETC,  DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FOR A SHORT WHILE. I HAD THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPEN AND IT STAYED OFF FOR A FEW DAYS UNTIL I DID THIS. IT CAME ON AGAIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER RE-CONNECTING THE BATTERY. I ASSUME IT WAS STATIC CAUSING A SORT OF SHORTING OUT BUT I HAVE DONE THIS TWICE AND IT CORRECTED BOTH TIMES, WITHOUT COST OR THE FEELING OF STUPIDITY OR DISASEMBLING STUFF, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE DISCONNECTION WHICH ITS-SELF WOULD REMEDY THINGS!

[bigherb]

Which screen you got? the maxi or the plain green one?

just the plain one.

[32KOFDATA]

I asked because 3 times I changed that type of tacho on my Fabia. 2 years after I bought the car the middle screen even though it was illuminating it lost all its information. Nothing could rectify the issue.

I went back to the dealer and replaced it under warranty. Six months later same thing happens. No info on the middle screen but illumination working.

 

At that point the dealer had to send an email to Skoda so they could advise. They send through a new tacho which (they said) was an "updated version" and that except me there were a few other customers of theirs that had the same issue.

 

One year goes by and more malfunctions. Not the screen this time but the chime when your leave your lights on while exiting the car. That was the last drop plus I was out of warranty.

 

I looked on the web for a good price on used maxidots and since then I got one installed and no issues. I hope that is the last of it and I hope yours doesn't give you any more grief but as I said it is a known issue to Skoda.

[Jonjen]

My husband disconnected the negative terminal only from the battery for a few minutes and when he replaced it the display was back.  In this case, possibly because the live was still attached, the radio didn't require code re-entry.

 

Many thanks for the tip!

[Sergeantcookie]

Sorry to bring up an old thread. Exactly the same thing has happened to my mrs car. I cleaned it out yesterday for her and now her display isnt working. Ill try the battery disconnect later. What a poor design if that happens. How are you supposed to clean it in future?

[Caz54]

I have just done this to my skoda cleaned the display went off disconnected the battery display came back but now won't go off when turning engine off and draining battery