Fabia MKIII - "Error:start stop check your MDF settings"

[Hassan_skoda]

I have a 3 years old Skoda Fabia with 20,000 KM on it. I have unplugged spark plug electronic switch to check the spark plugs condition as I have not changed it since the car is manufactured. However, I did not had the right tools to get the spark plug out. So, I reconnected the spark plug electronic switch and tried to start the car. It starts giving me "Error:start stop check your MDF settings". Does anyone know if this error can be triggered by disconnecting and connecting the spark plug switch back on?  How can I get it fixed ? Thanks

[Eccles]

Hopefully someone will reply soon but you are not supposed to change spark plugs until 65,000 km so why are you messing about with them? I think you mean MFD not MDF which stands for muilti function display which is of course that black screen sitting in the middle of the dash board. There are number of "settings" on it which can be accessed and I can't go any further than that but have a look through them as It may be reasonably obvious which change needs to be made.

[rum4mo]

Sorry for not posting to this thread earlier, but I don't think that removing the plug to any spark plugs and then refitting them will have caused this.

 

The reason why you are getting this warning I can't say, maybe the charge level was low in the battery when you next tried to start it.

[Hassan_skoda]

Thank you for the replies. It misfired the first and second time after I unplug/plug the electronic switch attached to the spark plug and gave me the error (MFD) above. The error disappeared itself after I restarted the car the 3rd time. I'm not really sure what happened but apparently it was triggered by pluging and unpluging of the switch attached to the spark plug.

[Hassan_skoda]

On 19/05/2021 at 12:52, Eccles said:

Hopefully someone will reply soon but you are not supposed to change spark plugs until 65,000 km so why are you messing about with them? I think you mean MFD not MDF which stands for muilti function display which is of course that black screen sitting in the middle of the dash board. There are number of "settings" on it which can be accessed and I can't go any further than that but have a look through them as It may be reasonably obvious which change needs to be made.

Are you sure the spark plugs need to be changed at 65000 Km? The dealership told me that you're supposed to change it at 40000 km or after 4 years. The car is 4 years old now but only 20000 km driven. So, I'm wondering when shall I change them?

[Fabia-format]

Renewing the spark plugs after 4 years is nonsense. The wear happens during sparking, not when your car is parked, so use the 60.000 km as renewal period. I renewed the spark plugs of my Fabia III after 3 years and about 62000 km. Some parts get worse just by aging (as tyres and other rubber parts for example), but not a spark plug.

 

@Hassan_skoda40.000 miles is about 64.400 km, so I think the dealer mixed up miles and kilometers.

Edited 23 May, 2021 by Fabia-format

[rum4mo]

I always just stick with whatever the manufacturer recommends when it comes to service items, the " 4 years" term will correspond with many engine starts for each 100 miles travelled  and shorter journeys whereas the 40,000 miles will corresponds with fewer engine starts per 100 miles travelled and so longer journeys.

[Eccles]

On 23/05/2021 at 20:49, Hassan_skoda said:

Are you sure the spark plugs need to be changed at 65000 Km? The dealership told me that you're supposed to change it at 40000 km or after 4 years. The car is 4 years old now but only 20000 km driven. So, I'm wondering when shall I change them?

1. Don't always believe what "dealers" tell you, sad to say that there are quite a few who are dishonest as I have found in my now 50 years of motoring.

2.Fabia-format is probably right because my own dealer told me 40,000 miles not Km when I asked him a while back.

3. Whenever I move house I always get on Facebook or similar and try to find peoples' opinions of garages/mechanics in the area and don't go on just one or two opinions, you need more than that. This time I got lucky (about a year ago) and found a mobile mechanic with lots of "likes". He turned out to be quite knowledgeable and very reasonably - £35/hour. He did an inspection and oil change on both of our cars for just £78 although I did buy the oil myself because I know where to get it for a sensible price.