Hello. Skoda Fabia 1.4 (2001).

Bit of a long story but i'll try to keep it brief.

This problem is when the immobilser stops the car from starting. This happens every now & then but mainly when the day is hot. Initially the car would not start & then would after a short time ... and would then start first time for a while. After that it would not start & I'd have to disconnect the battery & then re-connect after 5 mins.

A briegf history ...

Had the immobiliser stop the car from starting last summer - got towed & was told it was the key. Got a new key.

Problem re-ocurred and went to Skoda dealer. Was told it was the pick-up coil in the ignition. Got a new ignition fitted.

Problem happened again this summer. RAC man confirmed that the immobiliser was getting 'confused' and solved the probelm in the short term by unplugging the battery & then reconnecting it (after 5 mins). Went back to dealer & was told it was the key again - I said not but was assured it was.

problem happened again the next day. have just come back from the dealer again & they have said I need a new dashboard - I mean the bit behind the steering wheel with revs/speed etc (sorry, I'm not very technical). I am slightly dubious about this and as it will cost £500 to do would like an opinion from the forum.

My question is what is it in the dash that could cause this problem? could it be something else? if the problem is likley located in the dash, could it not be fixed by replacing a part rather than the whole thing? (I was told the dash is all 1 unit and has to all be replaced).

My feeling is that it is some sort of computer hardware problem - the 'turn it off, turn it on again' fix is the basis of this hunch. 'Re-booting' the car sorts the problem out in the short term every time ... but doesn't stop the problem re-occuring.

Anyway - thanks - any advice gratefully received.

Jon

London

PS anyone know how I can post this in Ask A Tech - don't seem to have access to post to this forum

Edited 19 July, 201015 yr by JonD808

It is most likely to be the dash cluster as you have been advised, however there is no reason to buy a brand new one. If you can buy a second hand one then we can code it in for you for a fraction of the cost (£60).

Thanks - based in London so a bit far to travel. And I wouldn't know what to buy & where from. :}

Hi,

I'm having the same with my '06 fabia vrs. I have also noticed that it seems heat related, but in the way that it happens after i've done a short journey in the car.

I have not tried the disconnect / reconnect the battery yet, but would have loved to have known that the other day when i had to leave it in town and ended up with a parking ticket as the space was a 1hour space.. which would have been fine if the car had started after popping into a shop for 5 mins.

Does anyone know specificly the part that is going wrong.. and part numbers if possible? Is something overheating or is there a known dodgey connection somewhere?