ok i need a guide to removing the number plate recess.

a way of removing the bumpstrips and a way to fix them back on once painted.

and handle i can manage

thanks people.

I've not been near the number plate bit, but for the side strips, use a hair dryer and either thin fishing wire or a credit/store card.

Matt

Number plate holder should unclip from the the rear (once bumper removed).

cheers fellas, so defiinate bumper off job for the NP recess?

I reckon it`d make it a lot more easier. Its only a few nuts either side, not as hard as it sounds.

Matt

cheers fellas, so defiinate bumper off job for the NP recess?

You might be able to get enough access by removing undertray, but I think the rad and aircon rad gets in the way.

The body-shop I used had major issues with one of my handles. It's a long story but I was without a rear door card for over 2 months due to it! I'd highly recommend getting someone who knows what they're doing to remove and re-fit them as it's very easy to mess up.

Basically the guy at the body-shop I used colour coded my handles and when I got home one of my rear doors wouldn't open. He then had to remove the rear door card without the door being open and then fiddle around trying to unlock the door without removing the metal door-card. In the end he had to drill the rivets out of the door-card and mess around with it for a good 30 minutes before finally getting it open. I drove home and boom it's dead-locked itself again... Another 3 hours of fiddling with no luck and he was convinced it was the door motor, ordered a new one (which took a week to arrive) and that didn't make any difference so it was booked into a local VAG garage who also couldn't figure it out.

Of course Ali at Unit 18 made it look simple and got it unlocked within a minute but the guy who owns the body-shop has been doing this for 15+ years and struggled with it massively so I really wouldn't risk it yourself, I've heard nothing but negative things about the design and what not even from Skoda dealers themselves. What made it worse was when Ali got it open the rear door wouldn't lock itself any more so the guy at the body-shop done lots of electrical tests with no luck, booked it into another VAG garage for them to have a look with no luck and so on... But then at SeatCupra.net's rolling road day we tried Gareth_1.8T's rear door and it also didn't lock and then it became obvious that a few weeks ago at Briskoda's rolling road day a guy used VAG-COM on several Fabia's there to activate the 'single-click' locking and must have done something wrong which stopped the rear doors from locking! I then felt like a massive twit as the problem I was blaming the body-shop for was actually nothing to do with him. Ali fixed that problem too and then it was just a simple case of putting the door card back on (along with sealing the bottom to stop water leaks).

I'm sure it's a easy when you know how but if you haven't done it before it might be worth getting someone who knows what they're doing to do it for you as at-least you then have someone to go back to if it doesn't go to plan!

So yeah, that's my story: I think that was the hardest job on the car so far to be honest. I never thought to try the other rear door and it didn't come into my mind that the guy with VAG-COM broke it!

I'm sure yours will be a lot easier (I'd hope so anyway!) but it still can be a pain.

Edited 12 March, 201115 yr by xa0sx