Hi! I am new to the forum, so my apologies for any 'newbie' errors that I inadvertently make.

 

I recently took on a 2007 Fabia MKII TDi. While there is a lot to like about this car, the water-feature in the boot (spare wheel well brimming with water) wasn't one of them. Others on the forum have had the same problem and, having traced the problem to badly fitted vents behind the bumper, we stripped the car down, re-attached the vents with an adhesive sealant, and reattached the bumper and rear light clusters.

 

The new problem is that the parking assist no longer works. We were careful with the wiring loom and sensors but evidently something has gone awry.  An OBD reader is not providing any help (no error codes) and I am really struggling to identify the cause from the range of potential options (the loom, one or more sensors etc.).

 

Is there any member of the forum near Cardiff with a VCDS diagnostic tool for a MKII Fabia that would be willing to help, please? Again, apologies for the things that this newbie is missing. Thank you for any help.

Had a simular issue with my old MKII bumper off to stop water ingress, reattachedc bumper no working sensors, but had a chat with a mate and he said if the car inside makes a beep sound when selecting reverse it could be the connection un it in the boot, in my estate it was on the right hand side looking into the boot behind the plastic panel not far from the filler pipe, but was a pain to get at as the panels take ages to get out, the unit was not faulty but just needed a clean on the connections why this happened by taking bumper off i'm not sure but they started working agin, he also told me that sometimes the vcd check might show that the offside rear sensor is faulty but will in fact be the nearside one that is so confusing

Hi Murdockman. Many thanks for responding.

 

When the ignition is initially turned on and reverse first engaged, there is the usual initial beep and the parking assist display activates. After a short delay, there is a second longer beep and the display goes blank. After this there is no further sign of life from the system until the ignition has been turned off and back on again. Based on other posts - and the manual - my understanding that this is expected non-specific presentation for a 'system fault' with the parking assist system.

 

The connection unit in this car is on the left, just behind the rear wheel arch. As you say it is behind a plastic trim panel, but these have all been removed from the car (and they won't be going back until I get this sorted!). I have had a close look at the unit and can see no evidence of any issues but I note your experience and will have another look. To be honest, I am loathe to disturb things unnecessarily as experience with 'older vehicles' has taught me that doing so can create as many new issues as I manage to solve!

 

Thanks again for your help and advice. Much appreciated.

check ALL the connections are good, clean / corrosion free,

Hi UrbanPanzer. Good advice.

 

Given that the alternatives involved increasing 'worlds of pain', we checked and cleaned the connections to the control unit as suggested by Murdockman (no difference - but we were surprised by how little protection the circuits in the control unit are afforded), and then removed the bumper once again and checked and cleaned the connections to the sensors. Bingo! The parking aid system is now functioning as it should be. I now just need to remember how everything goes back together!

 

Many thanks to you and Murdockman for taking the time to respond and for the advice offered. Much appreciated. 🙂