Hi guys its my first time posting and already asking questions :p... not good.

I have just brought a 2001 Fabia 1.9tdi Elegance 100bhp Hatch 5 Door.

Seller listed it as having ABS and power steering lights on, thing is my dad brought the car home and the PAS problem existed but no light, and the ABS seems to be working fine, (new front disks and pads).

The faults are as follows:

1. Power steering very heavy and not working at below 5mph and standstill. (no warning light!)

2. Central locking not working, changed battery on remote still no luck. Tried both keys. (Car has to be opened manually which is a pain! atm)

3. Rear electric windows not working but can be opened and closed from the front???? (Can't find a rear control child lock)

There is a thick red wire from the battery bolted to the car (probs a ground or something), it seems to be slit in half and has some corrosion around it. Could it be the route cause to the above faults???

Also when the interior light is on and two windows are operating, the light flickers!!!

Other than that it pulls real great, big difference from a 1.0 polo e. ASR AC everything working.

Planning on getting a remap file from a German site for 20 euros and chipping it myself

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Edited 22 November, 201015 yr by Faaaabia

first of all, change that lead, it won't help matters at all, i'm sure this might solve the power steering problem but not the two others!!

the windows sound like the switches, my car works fine from the front and it's the two passenger ones that don't work under their own switch!! The lock for the windows should be on the door between the front and rear window switches if thats what you are asking...

The key problem i had also, changed batteries and nothing, you need to reprogramme the keys, easy job though but you do need both keys..

Put one in ignition and turn till all the dash/ignition lights come on,

Get out and close the door, lock it manually with the other key,

then push either the lock or unlock button, wait two-three secs and then quickly push it twice,

you should hear a 'chirp',

Job done, repeat for other key

First off, I would not trust a 20 euro German "chip" It will be nasty and probably do more damage than good to attain more power. Save up for a proper remap which will be good for the car, and ultimately in the long run, good on the wallet in terms of repair bills. You'll also get much better fuel economy as likely the 20 euro chip will just be a temp sender fooling device.....

For the faults, best off finding someone with vagcom local to you. The PAS could just be leaking from the rack and it has run out of fluid - No fault / warning light would be generated for this. To get to the PAS reservoir you need to get under the battery - there is a green cap there and it is immediately obvious when opening, that it is empty I just changed my rack on car of same age, so they do go. Tend not to leak badly though - just enough to be a pain as they need topping up every 6 months or so (use proper green VAG fluid too!)

Whats the state of the battery generally?

I'm far from an expert but I'd do some checks on it.. How old is it? (should have a date sticker on it somewhere.)

Is it holding a proper charge? Whats the voltege reading when the engine is running and when it's off.

My spider sense would tell me to look into that first.

first of all, change that lead, it won't help matters at all, i'm sure this might solve the power steering problem but not the two others!!

the windows sound like the switches, my car works fine from the front and it's the two passenger ones that don't work under their own switch!! The lock for the windows should be on the door between the front and rear window switches if thats what you are asking...

The key problem i had also, changed batteries and nothing, you need to reprogramme the keys, easy job though but you do need both keys..

Put one in ignition and turn till all the dash/ignition lights come on,

Get out and close the door, lock it manually with the other key,

then push either the lock or unlock button, wait two-three secs and then quickly push it twice,

you should hear a 'chirp',

Job done, repeat for other key

Thanks for the Key Fix will ring my dad to try it!

The windows do seem to probably be a fault leading to the rear switches or wiring to the back doors. Will also check it out.

Hopefully changing the battery and changing that horrid wire, may actually fix the PAS, fingers crossed. Will also check the fluid, definitely.

Thanks for your time and help.

Appreciate it.

First off, I would not trust a 20 euro German "chip" It will be nasty and probably do more damage than good to attain more power. Save up for a proper remap which will be good for the car, and ultimately in the long run, good on the wallet in terms of repair bills. You'll also get much better fuel economy as likely the 20 euro chip will just be a temp sender fooling device.....

For the faults, best off finding someone with vagcom local to you. The PAS could just be leaking from the rack and it has run out of fluid - No fault / warning light would be generated for this. To get to the PAS reservoir you need to get under the battery - there is a green cap there and it is immediately obvious when opening, that it is empty I just changed my rack on car of same age, so they do go. Tend not to leak badly though - just enough to be a pain as they need topping up every 6 months or so (use proper green VAG fluid too!)

You're right mate about the remap, changed my mind after speaking to a few people about it, I would love a Revo Remap but costs too much.

There are local guys who remap for half the price, probably will have to find the most decent guy.

What do you think a remap of my engine will produce bhp and torque wise???

It spins in first and second depending on conditions without ASR. Will it have similar performance to a VRS once remapped?

I want to keep the car standard (only remap) and suprise a few people when they get too cocky.

Thanks mate.

Someone like Jabbasport will get 140bhp / 230 (ish lb/ft torque from that car. Then it will be on a par with the vRS fabias which tend to be around 140 as stock anyway. Worth the trip to Peterborough. Also Awesome GTI are up your way, as are JBS, but I would personally avoid the latter personal opinion only.