Reset Service Message

[greenline 11]

Fabia Greenline 11 Diesel on a 61 plate. Car has been serviced [by me] and can't now reset the service message which pops up for about 20 seconds when the car starts. Handbook says visit a specialist garage for them to reset it but knowing the Skoda dealers they'll want an arm and a leg for doing it and probably can't fit you in till 'next month'. Is there a way it can be reset without visiting a dealer? Sequence of buttons to press perhaps?

Would be grateful for any help.

Joe

[Scribbler]

I reset my octavia by holding the oddometer button in before turning the key to position 2 and then after about 10 sec turning the button

to the right / left and then disengaging the key. Not sure about a fabia though may require VAGCom or similar.

[mannyo]

By doing a service yourself you have invalidated any warranty you had remaining, since to maintain warranty the service is required to be carried out by a VAT registered garage using OEM parts. You are also missing any workshop service campaigns or software fixes that are carried out free of charge at the time of a main dealer service.

Instructions on how to reset are usually printed in the owners handbook. If the book states a dealer visit, then it will require this or someone with VCDS to reset the indicator.

[@Lee]

you can do it on the Mk1's by holding down the mileage reset and turning to the right for ~10 secs while turning on the ignition IIRC, don't know about the Mk2's though; maybe there's a similar way?

Just found this post #9 looks promising.

[greenline 11]

Hi Mannyo.

What you say about dealers and servicing and invalidating warranties is incorrect. Some years ago I took legal advice for another marque and won my case. The manufacturers merely 'recommend' that you have your car serviced at a V.A.T. registered garage and CANNOT require you to have it serviced there. Only last week my local dealer tried to wiggle out of replacing an EGR valve under warranty because the service light was still on from its first 10K service. Skoda/Vag Germany 'ordered' them to do it in the end, though the dealer did bugga me about for days!

Over to Scribbler, how do, I'll go give it a try. Thanks

[greenline 11]

Hi Scribbler and Lee,

Tried it, but to no avail. Very Frustrating! But thanks anyway. Any one else?

[Scribbler]

Its worth noting i never saw the text 'service' when i turned the key (possibly because the fuel light came on and obscured it) and it took a few attempts but in the end it got rid of the 'service now' symbol indicator. I too serviced my car as its out of warrenty and i use a lot better oil and parts than the dealers do. In your circumstances though i would have probably taken it to a garage seeing as your still in warrenty to avoid the legal wranglings you mention above. If you shop around you can get some surprisingly good deals and you can specify the oil you want putting in it. Bare in mind that if your on longlife service intervals then resetting it in this manner wipes this function and will go back to the standard on year / 10k millage etc.

Regards

Scribbler

[Scribbler]

Hi Scribbler and Lee,

Tried it, but to no avail. Very Frustrating! But thanks anyway. Any one else?

have a few goes its a bit tricky it doesn't apear to have done anything even when succesfull on mine i never heard a beep or an onscreen notification it just stopped saying service now on about the 8th go. Think your probably not holding it to the right long enough and i think you need to un-depress it before turning to the right.

This is my method and it worked but not sure if its right or not.

Hold down the oddometer (clock adjust button) turn ignition on (dont start car) keep held in for 10 secs. let button pop back out and then turn to the right and hold for 10 secs. turn of the ignition and then hey presto it worked for me.

[FAB59]

I'm pretty sure this procedure is actually included in the owner's manual, worth having a thorough look in it.

[32KOFDATA]

[FAB59]

Just gone ahead and looked in the owner's manual. Found the following:

• Press the reset button with the ignition switched off and and hold it down.

• Switch the ignition on, release the reset button and turn the reset button to the

right. The service interval display is reset.

This is taken from the manual of my pre-facelift fabia, without maxidot or even a trip computer. Manual does not state different methods for cars with different displays however, so should be the same for all models.

It's on page 18, I hope this helps...

[greenline 11]

Trouble is, I seem to have a lot different dash layout to the utube clips. Mine is a Fabia 11 Greenline.

I've tried holding the odometer button in then switching on for several seconds then switching off but no joy.

As an aside I don't even have a coolant gauge on mine.

[greenline 11]

Here's my layout

[irfant]

Here's my layout

Have you tried to push long on the "0.0" button?

[stratosg]

It has to do with the reset button 0.0 (right one) at the dash as irfant wrote above. I think you can reset it by pressing the reset button by pressing it for more that one seconds while the message is flashing.

Remember that by pressing the folder button (left one) at your dash you can move from clock setting to remaining time / days / miles / kilometres (in my car) then you can try to press the reset button in order to reset service interval, if I am not wrong this is able when the indicator shows <=1000 Km (in my car) remaining due to service.

The reset operation is referred at page 17 of owner's manual.

Keep in mind that resetting service manually you put your car in QG0 or QG2 service program (fixed service intervals).

Edited 8 November, 2012 by stratosg

[FAB59]

Hmmm, you have the facelifted fabia, so the reset button can't be twisted.

Still, have a look in your owner's manual, which should be updated and slightly different to mine. You should be able to find this information in the instrument panel section.

Unless skoda have removed it from the manual to force people to go to garages...

[greenline 11]

Tried Stratosg' idea with the oo button but still nothing. If I press the left button then the 'total' mileage of the car comes up with no further carousel [other than the clock of course]

Page 17 of my manual recommends going to the dealer to have it done then goes on to say ***Reset the service interval displays by using the reset button 6> page 15 on the trip counter*** which is of course the oo button on the diagram on page 15. It all sounds so very simple but nothing is happening. Am I missing a sequence or what?

[stratosg]

Tried Stratosg' idea with the oo button but still nothing. If I press the left button then the 'total' mileage of the car comes up with no further carousel [other than the clock of course]

Page 17 of my manual recommends going to the dealer to have it done then goes on to say ***Reset the service interval displays by using the reset button 6> page 15 on the trip counter*** which is of course the oo button on the diagram on page 15. It all sounds so very simple but nothing is happening. Am I missing a sequence or what?

Try the 0.0 button just when the service indicator flashes on your dash, else you will reset the current mileage counter.

Please try this as an alternative. When service is flashing on your dash try to push the reset button underneath the wipers stalk. It is not described anywhere but that button is used to set and reset the speed warning and mileage in counter indicated by number 2.

[greenline 11]

Tried both your methods and still doesn't work. Do you think my oo button is simply faulty when it tries to reset the service . It resets the trip mileage ok but doesn't want to reset the service flag.

However much thanks for all your suggestions.

[stratosg]

Tried both your methods and still doesn't work. Do you think my oo button is simply faulty when it tries to reset the service . It resets the trip mileage ok but doesn't want to reset the service flag.

However much thanks for all your suggestions.

I really cannot understand why method one (as you called it) is not working since it's what is described in owner's manual. My question - wonder is why your dash only shows you only clock settings and total mileage by pressing the left button (with folder sign). Mine brings up a spanner sign and the remaining kilometres to service and to answer your question, no I don't think that your reset button is faulty since it resets current mileage.

My last suggestion is to make a call or take your car at your dealer's and ask them to perform the service reset operation without using their vag computer but manually.

Edited 10 November, 2012 by stratosg

[kite232]

Hi everyone reading this article with interest, I need to reset service interval on my 59 plate Fabia estate 3 1.9tdi. Not having much success was able to reset my two previous estates easily, so watching this forum with interest . Mine as the multidot display.

[Tech1e]

A dealer shouldn't reset the service light if they haven't carried out the service. They have literature forbidding it as legally your qualifying the service, same as stamping the book.

[greenline 11]

I think you make a good point Tech but surely Skoda don't really believe some of us haven't the wit to change oil and filter on a basic service and then put a barrier in the way so we can't then 'qualify' we really have carried out the service. I feel it would be entirely wise to have a specific sequence to follow to reset the service flag to avoid accidental resetting. A sequence to follow would of course mean one has to make a conscious effort to reset. A lot of dealers try to wriggle out of their obligations to carry out remedial work under the guise the car hasn't been serviced properly when they see the flag still up, it's happened with me more than once! Do they think I am happy to pay them £14K in my hard earned cash to then watch my car get mashed because I won't spend forty quid on a gallon of synthetic and a filter a couple of times a year? I don't think so! Many of us like to service our own cars because that way we know it has been done! And on top of that, the usual three hundred pounds a dealer charges for that very same gallon of oil and the filter is just a rip off!

Personally I have serviced ALL my cars for several decades and have NEVER had come back or damage caused through my misuse of servicing. It will be very interesting this week because I intend approaching my dealer with an inoperable service reset button and I want it fixed under warranty. In my enquiries on this post and and the kind answers I've received it seems page 17 of my handbook explicitly says I can reset with the oo button while the service flag is flashing. It doesn't so let's now see what the dealer makes of it.

Once again, thanks all for your helpful advice.

[Jozia]

My car is a Skoda Rapid 2012 1.6 tdi. I turned off the service message, after my boyfriend did my oil change,

by using the manual. You do it using the buttons on the wipers stalk getting the menu up on the dash with the button on the end where it has MFD at the top of the menu, scrolling down to service and choosing the option in there. You select options with the button on the lower side of the stalk.

[kenhes]

Not sure if you got this sorted but I had the same problem. You just need to hold down the button at the end of the wiper stalk for more than 1 sec. That brings you in to a menu where you can go to Settings and press OK on with button at bottom of wiper stalk. Then the service reset option is in there.