Hiya,

I'm a new driver in Carlisle, just bought a 53 plate Fabia, 94,000 miles and finding a few things with it which need attention.

Are there any issues which tend to develop in the Fabia at its age? Any general points that I should keep an eye on would be appreciated

Already found a leak in the radiator and had the flexi pipe from the exhaust system replaced. Currently trying to figure out why the washers don't work (The pump does activate)

Thanks a bundle

Aj

What Fabia?

its on his profile - 1.2

Probably find the pipe is disconnected - you didn't say it it was front, rear or both ?

People tend to use them when its freezing without defrosting car, I think its a common fault for them to pop off ?

If its the rear then you can apparently remove the rear cover on the tailgate, if its elsewhere then there there will be loads of threads on it here if you search.. Might be closer to the bottle itself ?

If thats all you have wrong at the moment then you are doing well !

As said if rear washers ,then three places - on bulkhead inside engine compartment. Or behind rear passenger seat ,or at washer heads . Frost or PURE water can force pipe joints to part . Best option is to use mini9mum of 50% wash mix all year and 100% in winter .

If in engine compartment -look for water under car .Back of rear seat - wet around boot. Under tailgate - water will tell you .

Thanks for the answers and apologies for a late reply, too accustomed to email notifications.

Yes it's a 1.2 Petrol, and the rear washer is the one in question.

I managed to remove the tailgate cover and couldn't find any issues there, cleared the jets out too.

Have noticed that when using the front jets, washer level goes down by a minimal amount, using the rear drains the washer bottle in roughly 10sec and leaves the road under the engine compartment drenched - So thinking the pipe which leads directly from the bottle and rear washer motor may have split or come off?

Waiting to get the front bumper off to get a look at the bottle and surrounding area.

Other than stated issues, battery is now deciding it's had enough (appears to be the original so fair enough, hunting for a new one), intermittent engine and oil warning lights and the power steering occasionally cuts out (checked reservoir, is at a suitable level) - I've booked a service now with the last three points being out of my capabilities

Get your battery form EuroCarParts with 25% off voucher. Probably can bag a Bosch S4 for the 1.2 for circa £45 delivered

Oil light I can't comment on but I'd mark this as a priority.

Power steering is battery related if you're battery has had it. Battery went on my last car and steering would go completely heavy until I fitted a Bosch S4. Only other things it can be is poor grounding but sounds more like batt issue

Firstly buy a Haynes, it'll give you a lot of useful info to better understand your car and identify the jobs you can do and those you can't.

Washers are a 60 second fix, it's just the pipe near the bulkhead most likely, you can push it straight back on. If you aren't sure where this is fill the bottle and get someone else to pull the wiper stalk, the pipe peeing water all over is the one you want

PAS I tend to suspect the angle sensor especially if it's the origional type with a plastic base. If it's not fluid level it could be the fuse (fuse box and the flat ones in top of the battery), battery - you already know this is suspect so replace it first, or the pump itself or a poor earth. The pump is in a foam jacket to quieten it but all it does is hold water, that's not good long term and the electrics tend to suffer. A new pump isn't cheap and a used one may not last but it's up to you. Either way battery first.

As for the oil light I'm not going to mention the first thing that comes to mind and instead ask if you have access to a laptop. A generic VCDS compatible lead (£7 ish) and a copy of VCDS lite would be a good investment.

Thanks for the answers and apologies for a late reply, too accustomed to email notifications.

Yes it's a 1.2 Petrol, and the rear washer is the one in question.

I managed to remove the tailgate cover and couldn't find any issues there, cleared the jets out too.

Have noticed that when using the front jets, washer level goes down by a minimal amount, using the rear drains the washer bottle in roughly 10sec and leaves the road under the engine compartment drenched - So thinking the pipe which leads directly from the bottle and rear washer motor may have split or come off?

Waiting to get the front bumper off to get a look at the bottle and surrounding area.

Other than stated issues, battery is now deciding it's had enough (appears to be the original so fair enough, hunting for a new one), intermittent engine and oil warning lights and the power steering occasionally cuts out (checked reservoir, is at a suitable level) - I've booked a service now with the last three points being out of my capabilities

Right hand side of engine bay, just behind and beneath the ecu, you will see a black cord that runs into the passenger footwell bulk head.

If you really can't find it, get someone to squirt whilst you look - you'll soon identify it! It's just a case of clipping them back together - can be a bit fiddly, but you will feel a solid click when it is in place.

If by any chance it isn't the connection on the firewall, don't bother removing the bumper to get access to the washer bottle; it's the nearside wheel arch liner you want to remove:

Actually there may be enough access without even removing this, just remove the engine undercover bit, and come in sideways. Visibility of the pump/motor may not be as good that way though, as the PAS pump will be in your way.

^ I just undid the first 3 screws from bottom up of the wheel arch liner and managed to re-clip mine back on. It had come undone both at the bulkhead as described above and by the pump as shown in that picture.

If by any chance it isn't the connection on the firewall, don't bother removing the bumper to get access to the washer bottle; it's the nearside wheel arch liner you want to remove:

Actually there may be enough access without even removing this, just remove the engine undercover bit, and come in sideways. Visibility of the pump/motor may not be as good that way though, as the PAS pump will be in your way.

Ah ok, Haynes 0 - Wino 1, that's a helpful bit of info

Get your battery form EuroCarParts with 25% off voucher. Probably can bag a Bosch S4 for the 1.2 for circa £45 delivered

Oil light I can't comment on but I'd mark this as a priority.

Power steering is battery related if you're battery has had it. Battery went on my last car and steering would go completely heavy until I fitted a Bosch S4. Only other things it can be is poor grounding but sounds more like batt issue

Do I not want to get a battery at a similar level to what I currently have? S4 looks like a great battery, 52Ah and 420cca, still £60 with discount though.<p>This is what's in an the moment

Get your battery form EuroCarParts with 25% off voucher. Probably can bag a Bosch S4 for the 1.2 for circa £45 delivered

Oil light I can't comment on but I'd mark this as a priority.

Power steering is battery related if you're battery has had it. Battery went on my last car and steering would go completely heavy until I fitted a Bosch S4. Only other things it can be is poor grounding but sounds more like batt issue

Do I not want to get a battery at a similar level to what I currently have? S4 looks like a great battery, 52Ah and 420cca, still £60 with discount though.

This is what's in an the moment https://www.dropbox.com/s/j15xhedoghqtpxh/2013-04-08%2015.56.26.jpg

Edited 8 April, 201313 yr by Ajspanner

I was looking for someone with a 1.2 AWY polo and thought i saw it for around £44. My bad, it must have been the S3 with a 30% discount. So long as the battery fits (i.e same size for the battery tray) then the higher the cranking amps the better. Not such an issue with a petrol but I'd still go for the best you can afford. Certainly don't hold off if you're having PAS problems. As Avalon says, the steering angle sensor is a common fault but is more expensive to replace and you should really get a copy of VCDS lite (free) and the cable to read fault codes to establish if thats a problem.

Bosch S4 is cheapest on CarParts4Less as you can use £5 off £50 spend.

I was looking for someone with a 1.2 AWY polo and thought i saw it for around £44. My bad, it must have been the S3 with a 30% discount. So long as the battery fits (i.e same size for the battery tray) then the higher the cranking amps the better. Not such an issue with a petrol but I'd still go for the best you can afford. Certainly don't hold off if you're having PAS problems. As Avalon says, the steering angle sensor is a common fault but is more expensive to replace and you should really get a copy of VCDS lite (free) and the cable to read fault codes to establish if thats a problem.

Bosch S4 is cheapest on CarParts4Less as you can use £5 off £50 spend.

Ah right ok, thanks for the advice. I'll aim for the best I can get, but I don't want to overload my electrics.

Is the sensor you and Avalon speak of on the steering column or rack then? Or a sensor in the reservoir?

You can't overload your electrics so to speak. Battery is 12V regardless, everything is designed to run off that as is. Current is based upon demand. You turn on one thing you draw X amount, you turn on two things you draw Y amount. The more current available, the less electrical problems you'll have with the car, ESPECIALLY with steering

(Sensor is on the rack I think)

I'm getting the impression my car is going to teach me a great many things

PAS can be a pain on these cars but is usually power (i.e. new battery), sensor or fluid related. Sensor is most expensive at £105ish after rebate when you return the old part.

Most other electrical niggles are cheaper to sort should you experience any

The sensor is visible on the steering column, I don't have a pic on my phone from when I changed the one on my car but it's visible with the car jacked up/wheel off, look for a plate with two bolts screwed into it and a cable coming out. If the base plate is plastic it's the old style version that tends to cause problems, if it's the metal version it should be OK.

Edited 8 April, 201313 yr by Avalon

Just to say thanks for the help again, got a new battery in now (S3), no more issues with PAS light or cutting out, rear wiper was the connection at the bulkhead from engine bay to passenger side - glaringly obvious once pointed out

Looked into VCDS, will bear it in mind but would need to pick up a copy of XP being a Mac user so will leave the engine light to the garage for now

cheers

OH-

Ajspanner - Get a copy of Haynes. In meantime- you can always PM me for what haynes says on yer car . i'm opposite to you - old driver ,new car ,and still remember the feeling, and love to try and help .