Both front electric windows stopped working

[Trailerchap]

I have some general thoughts...
It’s been interesting reading ALL the above.

I have an 08 Mk1 Fabia with the front windows working or not. Not for most of the time. 
I know that devices of all sorts rely of an applied voltage meeting a certain threshold level. Let’s say for all devices within the Fabia this is 11.8 Volts

Ohms law is very applicable in DC circuits and within this law you think about Voltage, Current and Resistance. 
As an electrical circuit ages and the devices within it age, the trend is for resistance (R) to rise. Perhaps with water ingress, perhaps with oxidation or just wiring that bends endlessly (as car doors open) and a few strands break perhaps. But the overall result is R increases in various places throughout the car. 
Perhaps the threshold voltages for different devices also change a little with age too.

So it’s logical to me that for a more or less fixed voltage system (circuits) and with R increasing in varying places then some devices or parts of the system(s) will start to misbehave. 
So I wonder if Fabia window devices stop working because (R in their circuits has risen) applied Volts (V) are too low. 
Jiggling fuses is a clue. Opening and reconnecting connectors (door A pillar) is another one. 
so I “think” that the issue is random devices being ok but the applied voltage has dropped.

 

Ohms Law is V= Current x R (So current drops as R increases too... also Power = Volts x Current so as current drops, power in the circuit drops. Hmmm doesn’t sound healthy right!)

 

So do this... Emery paper fuse legs, scratch and polish connector spades. Of course look for cracked wiring and loose connectors. Perhaps spray ACF50 (developed for the aero industry to protect electrical circuits) into connectors and around electrical devices. WD40 may shift moisture that might cause V to track to earth or R to rise. 

Overall I suspect the odd random issues you are experiencing are mostly not device failures, rather R is increasing with age/damp and applied V is therefore dropping too much. 
 

Hop this helps. 
Trailerchap 

P.S. today I removed each fuse from the fuse box and Emery papered the spades until they shone. One at a time. 
I noticed that many were dirty and dull.

Afterward my windows opened fine. 
 

[Badgertech]

Hi guys

had this exact problem with my 2005 Fabia VRS

tried new fuses, new window motors and door switch, no joy !

then i replaced the battery with a decent brand, on this case a bosch

 

tada!!!

 

windows have worked perfectly for 2 weeks!

 

worth a go

[Trailerchap]

Thanks a lot.  

My issue has moved on. 
If I reset the windows by turning the key I’m the door to the unlock position for a few seconds.  
I then get 10 minutes exactly of working windows.  
At 10 mins they stop.  It’s exactly 10. In the handbook it says when the ignition is switched off with keys in (or out I think) you get 10 minutes of basic elec window functionality!

So I deduce that the window system is not “seeing” the key.  
I reset the key (actually tried both keys) and still no joy.  
 

Any ideas?

 

 

[Badgertech]

Hi

 

i would try a new battery, or

borrow one and try that

That solved my issues

[Breezy_Pete]

Same here. Only time ours played up, a new battery made it all work perfectly.

[Badgertech]

Does seem odd because if your car starts fine then replacing the battery seems pointless 

but that is what sorted my issue

maybe a better brand of battery provides a cleaner power delivery

more amps

[1aslak]

We just had our Fabia cleaned inside today, and driving out of the cleaner's, neither window worked. We'd used them driving in to the shop, so it's definitely related. Are there any manual shutoff buttons not mentioned in the manual they could have disabled?

[sepulchrave]

No, allow it to dry out properly.

[tbuccetti]

We have the same issue. Before you start messing about with fuses, battery and motors etc, we found that it has something to do with the key in the door lock. It's happened several times, the longest period without any issue over a year, until we took it for its MOT then AFTER it had passed, the windows suddenly failed...again. 

It's either unlocking or locking the car door and holding the key in that position for a few seconds then waiting for a few minutes and the windows work again.? As this has been going on for a few years & intermittent of over 12 months between problems, I think we can rule out motors, batteries or software otherwise this would be a constant issue. 

Sadly, I cannot say if it's unlocking the car and holding it that position or locking it and doing the same, as each time it happens, I do both then return to the car after several minutes and the windows work? 

Hope this helps 

[Breezy_Pete]

What year was your Fabia built @tbuccetti?

There are two different types of window motor modules, the changeover was sometime between July and October 2004 I believe, They aren't interchangeable due to different connector arrangements, and different communications, CAN-based on earlier cars with modules having part numbers starting 6Q, LIN-based on the later cars with modules of part number 6Y...

[AnnoyingPentium]

11 minutes ago, Wino said:

There are two different types of window motor modules, the changeover was sometime between July and October 2004 I believe

 

Around the time of the facelift as well. If that helps.

[Breezy_Pete]

Probably; it's odd Ryan, if you look at ETKA for part numbers, the changeover is between July and August 2004, but if you look at the circuit diagrams, the change comes at start of October 2004?

When was the facelift exactly, please? 

[AnnoyingPentium]

56 minutes ago, Wino said:

When was the facelift exactly, please? 

 

I'm not sure and it's hard to tell with some cars, Pete. Since there was 54-reg pre and post-FL models, possibly late reg too. Some 05's were pre-facelift but that's pretty rare due to late reg etc. Maybe someone with more experience/knowledge than myself will be able to fill in the gaps.

[Breezy_Pete]

Maybe there was a gap in production, so none were actually made in August/Sept 2004? Is summer shutdown a thing in Skoda factories? Got a feeling it might be.

[AnnoyingPentium]

This thread is 11 years newer than the car and production times we're discussing certainly, but it may help IMO.

 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

Following a little research on the last page of the Fabia Guides section, it seems Model Year 2005 was probably the start of the use of the new-style (6Y...part numbers) window motor modules, as it started on 2nd August 2004. That fits with the July/August 2004 change info in ETKA.

 

The last MY2004 car went out of the factory on 31st July; probably with the old style modules.  

 

You can look up your production date from VIN, to within less than a month, using these threads and the pdfs contained.

 

 

Tenth digit of your VIN is the Model Year number. 4=2004, 5=2005, obviously.

 

[WezFab]

Just now experiencing this same issue with our mk2.. 

 

im guessing there is a thread for Mk2s but google sent me here.

 

Hoping the wet/cold weather and damp are the issue as none of the non invasive tricks I’ve tried have worked so far.

 

I’ve just removed the roof bars that have been on there far to long. I have always wondered about water ingress where the roof bars breach the door seals 

 

will let you know if drying out helps.

[Breezy_Pete]

Intermittent, or stone dead? Door bellows wiring is a prime suspect on mk2s

[WezFab]

13 minutes ago, Wino said:

Intermittent, or stone dead? Door bellows wiring is a prime suspect on mk2s

Intermittent, but by units of days working/not working. Car mostly sits on drive these days tho.

 

I was having the yearly hoover of the boot, floor mats and toddler carseats this afternoon - took the opportunity to try the key locking/unlocking combos, single and double key combinations, lifting the windows switches and holding etc… nothing changed.

 

I did inspect the driver side door bellows which looked to be sealed very well, I didn’t open them up to check the connections, would you advise this course of action? 

[sepulchrave]

Yes, open them up, you won't see broken wires THROUGH the bellows unless you have x-ray specs!

[Breezy_Pete]

10 minutes ago, WezFab said:

I did inspect the driver side door bellows which looked to be sealed very well, I didn’t open them up to check the connections, would you advise this course of action? 

Maybe; the mk2 has an unfortunate design here where the wires go straight across from body to door, so they must bend/straighten every time the door is moved. On the Mk1 there's a vertical dogleg in the boot, so the principal movement of the loom is a twist rather than a bend, which seems to result in far fewer problems.

 

Intermittent problem makes it less likely to be a broken wire though.

[WezFab]

24 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

Yes, open them up, you won't see broken wires THROUGH the bellows unless you have x-ray specs!

point taken.

 

and oh my word!!.. I see copper all over the place. 
 

would you guys just patch these up (bit of soldering and heat shrinking) or replace the door loom (if that’s a thing) ?

 

[Breezy_Pete]

Depends on the balance of skills versus richness/ poorness. I'd repair, personally. Lots of kits to do so on ebay.

fabia door loom repair | eBay

Edited 9 January, 2022 by Wino

[sepulchrave]

Repairing it is less work, cheaper and just as effective.

[Trailerchap]

So anyway… my mk1 windows will still work only in basic mode (which means for 10 minutes after the key has opened the driver door) then they stop working (exactly at 10 minutes). it’s been like this for one year almost. 
No windows after 10 minutes. Have to stop, put the key in the door and unlock IF I want another 10 minutes. 
 

Anyone had and fixed this problem?