Various Boot Opening Problems - Fabia Mk1 Estate 53 Plate

[Hawthorn654]

Hi all

 

For quite some time now I have had problem whereby the boot does not always open first time (using the electro-switch above the number plate).  It always opens after a few presses though so I have not been overly concerned.  

 

The last few days though, the boot has done absolutely nothing when that button is pressed.  No opening.  No noise.  Nothing.  I've got it to work in the end on these occasions, by locking/unlocking the car a few times, possibly by opening and closing doors as well.  I can't totally remember tbh as I was just stressing to get the thing opened!   It has happened twice, maybe three times in the last week.  On other occasions it has worked fine.  

 

1.  I've read through some boot problem threads and all seem a bit different both in terms of the symptoms and the diagnosis.  Does my set of circumstances point firmly to anything?     

 

2.  Something else I read is that there is a switch or lever by the driver's seat to open the boot.  Do I have this or is it only on some models?  

 

Many thanks for any help

 

Max

 

[KenONeill]

@Hawthorn654 - It would help if you stated the trim level; some of this kit is trim specific.

[Hawthorn654]

Thanks Ken.  I'm happy to do that but am not sure what it means tbh!  How can I find out what trim level I have?  

 

Ta

[Breezy_Pete]

Classic/Comfort/Elegance, later Comfort was replaced by Ambiente.

[Hawthorn654]

Aha - I see.  It's the Comfort.  Thanks for explaining.  

[Breezy_Pete]

Our 2005 Ambiente has the boot releasable like yours from above the numberplate, but no release by the driver's seat. (Except for the fuel cap).

[TMB]

1 hour ago, Wino said:

Our 2005 Ambiente has the boot releasable like yours from above the numberplate, but no release by the driver's seat. (Except for the fuel cap).

 

Mine has both and it's only a Classic. Work that one out. No remote fuel flap release though.

Edited 8 January, 2018 by TMB

[Breezy_Pete]

8 minutes ago, TMB said:

 

Mine has both and it's only a Classic. Work that one out. No remote fuel flap release though.

Central locking on your car Lee, or not?

[TMB]

Yes it has central locking.

[FollowingGhosts]

Does the interior light come on when you open the driver's door?

 

Does the car chime at you if you open the driver's door with the lights on?

 

Mine does something similar and the usual fix is to open one of the rear doors, or to use the lever. Double-clicking the key will sometimes work, but not always

 

FWIW, my 2002 Comfort Estate has the electronic button release and the release by the driver's footwell as well. It has remote central locking

[Hawthorn654]

5 hours ago, Wino said:

Our 2005 Ambiente has the boot releasable like yours from above the numberplate, but no release by the driver's seat. (Except for the fuel cap).

 

Yep, that's the same with me, presuming a boot lever would be obvious.  Unless it is hidden/hard to see it is not there.  

 

3 hours ago, TMB said:

Yes it has central locking.

 

Mine does too.

 

1 hour ago, FollowingGhosts said:

Does the interior light come on when you open the driver's door?

 

Does the car chime at you if you open the driver's door with the lights on?

 

Mine does something similar and the usual fix is to open one of the rear doors, or to use the lever. Double-clicking the key will sometimes work, but not always

 

FWIW, my 2002 Comfort Estate has the electronic button release and the release by the driver's footwell as well. It has remote central locking

 

I've just been out to check now that the car is back home.  

 

No, the interior light does not come on when the driver's door is opened.  It DOES come on when any of the other doors are opened.  

 

No, there is no chime when the lights are left on. I remember it chiming recently though so this must be a new thing.  

 

Whilst out there I tried opening the boot as well and it opened fine. 

 

Does that make it clear what the problem is then?  Let me know if I need to test anything else.  

 

Many thanks for the help.

[FollowingGhosts]

So it sounds like one of your problems is that the door-microswitch has failed, the one that tells the car the door is open/closed. Mine's the same. 

 

The bad news is, replacing this is a pig of a job and I'm putting it off as long as possible until it really really annoys me. It did cause me to lock the keys in the car the other day as it re-locked itself rather quickly which wasn't ideal. 

 

There are a few threads about doing the switch, but it involves disassembling a lot of the door to get to as far as I know.

[retro]

The next time it doesn’t open before doing anything try opening the rear left door and closing it then retry the boot. Both my 2003 VRS & my wife’s 2001 Comfort the boot release on the boot sometimes doesn’t work once the car is unlocked and on both cars if we open the rear left door and then press the boot release on the boot it opens. Weirdly it only works on the rear left door none of the others will have any effect on the boot.

Edited 8 January, 2018 by retro

[Hawthorn654]

Thanks for that tip retro.  Some "get out of jail" knowledge is very handy, not least of all because we've got dogs who will be pretty peeved off if they get locked in the boot!!!  Would give us some peace and quiet in the house mind you...  Just to clarify, when you say "rear left" do you mean driver's or passenger's side?

 

Thanks to you also FollowingGhosts.  So it would seem that the door-microswitch is the problem, which is good to know.  The car is booked into the garage tomorrow for some other work.  I wonder if the mechanics would consider doing it...?  No idea what kind of price they charge for something like that.  If it is too much I'll just have a go myself when I get time.  

 

So, is this likely to be the cause of the boot problem then?  I just seems at odds that yesterday the beeper didn't sound with the lights left on, and the light didn't come on with the door open, etc. but the boot still opened fine.  I could be getting 5 with my 2+2 here, but shouldn't the boot not be opening problem be happening when the rest of the stuff to do with the door-microswitch is happening?  

 

Thanks again 

[FollowingGhosts]

1 hour ago, Hawthorn654 said:

So, is this likely to be the cause of the boot problem then?  I just seems at odds that yesterday the beeper didn't sound with the lights left on, and the light didn't come on with the door open, etc. but the boot still opened fine.  I could be getting 5 with my 2+2 here, but shouldn't the boot not be opening problem be happening when the rest of the stuff to do with the door-microswitch is happening?  

 

Thanks again 

I'd be interested to hear how much a garage charges, my concern is it's a couple of hours of work fiddling around at least and labour isn't cheap.

 

Mine's been doing for the year and a half I've had my Fabia and opening one of the doors with a working microswitch fixes it every time. However, it will sometimes open from double pressing the unlock key, but other times won't.

 

I've a feeling it's an partially an assumption from the car that if none of the doors have been opened, then the boot should stay locked which makes sense when it knows when they're being opened and closed. 

[Hawthorn654]

I'll let you know what the garage say...  I hope it's good new - having just read through TMB's post again on how to replace the Micro Switch, I think it is unlikely I'll be trying to do it myself!  A bit beyond my DIY skills.

 

Would be interesting to hear from TMB or anyone else who has had the MicroSwitch problem whether with a faulty MS the boot played up, or whether the only problems were with the interior light and the lack of a buzzer when headlights left on.  I can't quite get my head around why the Micro Switch problem would affect the boot.  I can find no consistency and the problem seems more random than repeatable.  But perhaps in time and with more experimenting things will become clearer.  

 

Cheers

[TMB]

19 minutes ago, Hawthorn654 said:

I'll let you know what the garage say...  I hope it's good new - having just read through TMB's post again on how to replace the Micro Switch, I think it is unlikely I'll be trying to do it myself!  A bit beyond my DIY skills.

 

Would be interesting to hear from TMB or anyone else who has had the MicroSwitch problem whether with a faulty MS the boot played up, or whether the only problems were with the interior light and the lack of a buzzer when headlights left on.  I can't quite get my head around why the Micro Switch problem would affect the boot.  I can find no consistency and the problem seems more random than repeatable.  But perhaps in time and with more experimenting things will become clearer.  

 

Cheers

 

My boot did exactly the same as yours when the microswitch was faulty. I had to open any other door with a working microswitch before the boot would open.

[Hawthorn654]

Thank you - that's very helpful to know.  Well, fingers crossed for a good quote tomorrow or else I might just have to give it a go myself one of these days!  At least I'll have your guide by my side   

[TMB]

You're welcome.

 

A further thing to try to test the microswitch is this - unlock the car with the remote key. Open the driver's door and leave it open for at least 30 seconds. Does the car relock itself with the door still open?

 

 

[TMB]

Bear in mind that your microswitch may be working intermittently, so sometimes things might work normally.

[Hawthorn654]

OK, I'll try that in the morning.  

 

And if or when I come to fix it, I should change this Micro Switch as well:

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/439225-fabia-mk-i-53-plate-can-the-auto-central-locking-be-disabled/

 

Cheers

Edited 9 January, 2018 by Hawthorn654

[TMB]

^ I think your issue is more likely to be the driver's door microswitch rather than the one in the boot lock. Certainly from the symptoms you've described so far!

 

It's a massively common problem across a wide range of VAG cars because the design is absolutely terrible. Microswitches without roller levers are designed to be directly pushed, not have a cam continuously dragging laterally across a tiny, flimsy plastic button. That's how they are set up on these locks and it causes premature wear and failure. Basically, the cam is slowly filing the button away every time you open/close the door. Of course, the driver's one is the first to go as it gets opened/closed the most. Ever since I repaired mine I have periodically lubricated the cam with silicone grease to try and prolong the life of the switch button.

 

A lovely specimen here...

 

 

 

Edited 10 January, 2018 by TMB

[Hawthorn654]

Thanks TMB - very helpful.  

 

Regarding the boot MS, I meant more than this is gone on my car AS WELL AS the door one.  The symptoms with the door are new.  The problem in my other thread linked to above (car auto locking after 30 seconds with the boot open) has been happening for a long time.  But do please correct me if I'm wrong.  

 

So, I've been out this morning and the car does indeed autolock after 30 seconds with the driver's door open.  The driver's door does not actually lock, but the rest of the car does.  Is that to be expected?  

 

As for fixing it, in your thread explaining what to do, will it always be that involved or did you have to take extra steps because of "the plastic covered cam that operates the switch [was] shredded too."?  Or is that always likely to be buggered?  

 

For the benefit of anyone else reading this in the future, here's a link to TMB's handy dandy thread / guide:

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/330840-door-microswitch/

 

Thank you so much for the time and help.

[retro]

I mean passenger rear door or near side rear

[TMB]

@ Hawthorn654

 

Ah I see. Yes, your boot one must be failing as well then.

 

Yes, if the car locks itself with the driver's door open it is definitely the microswitch. And yes, it is correct that the driver's door can't lock itself when it's open.

 

The plastic covered cam might be damaged, I would be surprised if it wasn't tbh. You might be better off getting a cheap lock unit off ebay as they have the microswitch already fitted.

 

You're welcome.

 

 

Edited 10 January, 2018 by TMB