Removing a wheel and wheel arch liner is a PITA and lot of farting about with cars for me, I've alreasdy had too much of that - but that's the process.

I would test the existing pump first, if it works return the new pump as modern made replacement parts can be of poor quality and not very long lasting.

As soon as the new pumps arrives if you can test that it works before fitting as you don't want that not working and confusing things.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Turns out the screenwash pump had died. Changing the pump cured the problem.

Of course the job wasn't quite as simple as that sounds.

Minor aggravations along the way included the following:

1. Unused as I am to modern cars, I was shocked to find no jack or wheel brace in the boot. I don't know why I was surprised: they hadn't given me a spare wheel (just a bottle of get-you-home sealant) so why would they need to provide the means to change a wheel?  Fortunately, I have a trolley jack. Oddly, they HAD given me a little plastic grippy thing for removing the plastic covers from the wheel nuts. I also discovered they had provided an electric air pump that runs off the 12V lighter socket, which is smaller and lighter than my existing one, so I can retire mine now. Thanks, Skoda!

2. When the fault first showed itself, front and rear WIPERS still operated, although the WASHERS did not. Then the symptoms changed, such that the rear WIPERS also did not operate. I re-checked all the relevant fuses and found nothing wrong. I still don't know the reason for this. The rear wipers worked again after I changed the pump.

3. Before changing the pump I thought I would just check that electricity was reaching the pump. I pulled the connector off the old pump, switched on the ignition, held a voltmeter to the two terminals in the connector, and had an assistant operate the stalk controls for wash-wipe. I didn't see any voltage across the terminals. Aha, I thought, it's a fault in the wiring, or in the stalk controls. I was about to call a garage, but on a whim, I connected the new pump electrically and repeated the test. The new pump ran. Moral of the story: a voltmeter might not be the preferred way of checking for voltage?? Maybe my probes weren't making proper contact, who knows.

4. The front WIPERS do not operate if the bonnet is open, although the washers do. This confused the post-replacement testing. Presumably this is a safety feature to prevent the wiper arms from fouling on the bonnet lid. There must be a microswitch somewhere to detect the bonnet being open. I'm not used to this level of automation!

5.  The wheel arch liner is held in place by about 12 screws with T25 Torx heads, that go into spire nuts. After reassembly, I had two screws left over, and couldn't find where they should go. I think the lighting conditions were the main problem. I'm not going to worry about it - I don't think the liner is going anywhere.

Hopefully, quite soon, you will try to compare by feel or eyes, where, when compared to the other side, these 2 screws should fit.

I'm sure that VW Group will not have fitted extra screws just for a laugh.

Hi rum4mo - I did what you suggest, and found where one of the screws belonged (underneath the front spoiler area), and put it back. I also found another screw on the floor that I had missed, which turned out to be one I had removed unnecessarily, which also belonged in that same general area, but wasn't actually holding the wheelarch liner on, but another piece of trim under the front end of the car. I put that back too.

So I'm still down by one. I think the last one belongs in the rear face of the wheel arch, holding it against the subframe, but the corresponding hole in the subframe doesn't have a spire nut in it, so the screw won't hold. I was under the impression that this problem already existed before I started work, but maybe it was my doing, after all. I can't find the spire nut on the floor and I don't have another one.

The other side of the car is slightly different in its placement of screws, apparently by design. The other side also has one screw missing, and must have been that way for at least as long as I have had the car (nearly two years). I suppose I could put my "spare" screw in that hole.

Certainly VW Group will not have fitted extra screws "just for a laugh", but I have to assume they have followed sound engineering principles and built some redundancy into the design. I propose to leave it as-is.

Well done on sorting it, and real world report.

Many of the electrical connectors are two small/tiny for ordinary meter probes and adapters are needed.

With cars fixings are often black to (once) black plastic bits in dark or black areas, all to add to the 'fun' of things.

C'mon Mike you know you should consult the car's 'Owner's Manual' so that some of the details you listed didn't come as a surprise. The bottle of sealant is dated and has a three year life so it's probably out of date now, just use the electric pump provided to get you to home or other place to fix a deflated/deflating tyre. Many spare wheels have under inflated or flat tyres siting in the boots for years untended and unused so that time of need a tyre inflater (and reliable pressure gauge) is needed for them before they can be fitted to the car anyway. And if the wheel isn't used then it's jus unnecessary weight being carried around in the boot (along with brace and jack), not that it matters much on overweight modern cars anyway.

Any sound engineering is for VW's benefit much more than their customers, if you still fall for that "German engineering" you are sooooo last century.

ETA: when holding bits of plastics together on the cars best to have all the fixings fixed/fitted, even with wunderbar VW fantastic plastics.

If the column stalk plays up or wiper(s) not working let us know as VW had this issue/fault before but not seen reports of such on newer Fabia models (yours is a 2022(?) Mk3).

Edited 10 April10 Apr by nta16
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