Hi All, thanks for letting me join and here`s hoping I can find out some info from you seasoned owners. My daughter`s Fabia Mk 2 has quite a few issues, but the first one I would like to tackle is the broken driver door wires, which are causing no end of problems and now I have to fix them. Can anyone please suggest a decent replacement loom for the car door in question, as I have made some enquiries with some sellers on ebay, but had little response so far? If I don`t replace the loom, then I realize it`s a case of repairing and extending the wires, what sizes are the wires and where is the best place to get them? Thanks in advance

Hi Hawkander and welcome to Briskoda.

 

Have a look on the Bay of E for "Febi Wiring Harness / Cable Repair Kit for door".

A couple of guys on the Yeti Forum have used these successfully, and I expect there would also be a version for the Fabia II

Thanks for that, I have emailed them and asked about the plug, as it`s showing as a single, but on my daughter`s car it`s 3 or 4 smaller plugs and are the wires the same colour system, so just waiting on a reply. I don`t suppose you happen to know the sizes of the bulk of the wires, because worst case scenario, I will extend and solder them to get the car usable again?

12 minutes ago, Hawkander said:

on my daughter`s car it`s 3 or 4 smaller plugs

That sounds more like a mk1 Fabia? But a 2011 1.6tdi Fabia has to be a Mk2 🤔

Can you tell me the VIN, I can look up loom part number for you, and wiring info with that.

 

It`s definitely the Mk2 and has a number of issues. I spoke to a Skoda dealer today and they want some crazy money for some of the issues with the blower and wiring in general, so will have to try and sort myself.

VIN  TMBKJ65J9C3105777

I have also contacted 3 different suppliers for the wiring on ebay, but no replies so far. Do you happen to know the size of the wiring that would be ok to repair, if I strip it all out and solder extension pieces in as a possible fix. Thanks  

Will check wire sizes after I've eaten, but that VIN gives 5J0971120HG as the current part number for the loom, at £98.70 + VAT retail.  That has a single (28-way) connector at the A-pillar, like what you're seeing in the repair sets suggested earlier though.

 

 

Skoda quoted me £118 for the loom, which I thought wasn`t that bad, but wanted 2-300 to fit, so I wasn`t that impressed. The plug/plugs going into the A pillar appear to be multiple plugs and not a single, unless someone in the past has tried some sort of fix with it.

I think that last bit about someone having a go before must be the explanation for what you're finding.

£118 sounds like £98.70 + VAT.

The thickest two wires (power and earth for the window motor) are 1.5mm² cross sectional area of copper, the others are either 0.5 or 0.35mm², so if you used 0.5mm² everywhere except the two thickest, you should be OK for repairs.

 

 

I was surprised by the cost from Skoda, but the £105 an hour labour and the guy wasn`t totally convincing about the duration, so I think it`s something I will have to do myself with my limited electrical skills. Would I be right with 1.5mm is 16 gauge   and 0.5mm which the majority of the wires are, will be 24 gauge, sorry for my ignorance , but not at all electrically inclined, more mechanical?

Correct on the 1.5, but according to this, 0.5mm is 20 gauge:  Metric-to-AWG Conversion Chart | Technical Resources | Lapp Tannehill

I`m curious, with the Febi kits on ebay, they show a cable length of 420 mm, is that longer than the original loom cables, because I would think it would be better with a slightly longer cable to help avoid this issue in future? Would I be right in assuming that the cables are a push fit into the plug and then use an inline connector on the other end?

The idea with those repair kits is that you push the necessary number of wires into the relevant positions of the new plug, then splice-join to the existing loom somewhere well inside the door, so the joints do no flexing.

 

I'm struggling a little to picture what you've described with the multiple smaller connectors at the A-pillar on a mk2. How does the rubber boot seal it all up against the elements?

I have just checked with my son in law and he tells me it`s one plug like the ebay kit,so apologies for that, I was confusing it with some connectors on my car. Really appreciate your help, so many thanks, hopefully hear something from one of the ebay sellers tomorrow, so that I can order it.

I know I should have asked, but is this a common problem with these Skoda models?

Mk2 Fabias are notorious for it. A few other Skoda models too.

 

 

 

Many thanks for the help, will hopefully get it done on the weekend if parts arrive and then move on to the next problem.

Even if the plug in the kit is incompatible you could use just the wires and pins, de-pin the broken conductors, insert the new wire and pin and join within the door.

 

I have a kit for when I first get problems, not if but when! If it happens at a busy time like at any time in my current life I will probably only replace the broken conductors and any other suspect ones and accept that I may have to do it again one day, and again, and again, and............................ 😄

Do I need some sort of tool to de-pin the wires if I have that problem or can you suggest a tool please?

I have just had a reply from Febi regarding their loom, but they can`t offer any advice about how to make the connections at the plug regarding any tools required, which seems a little odd, considering they sell these looms. Can anyone tell me if I need some sort of special tool to make the connection at the plug or to de-pin the existing plug? Thanks

You won't be able to de-pin whatever that means. These like countless other connectors have crimp and insert/latch in housing once only male/female pins. You will need to source new unused pins (unlikely to be available to general public), you will need some kind of tool to remove the existing housed pins (unlikely to exist if even possible) and then some decent wire stripping and crimping tools, the crimping tool is usually designed for the particular range of pins and so expensive and difficult to identify and source.

 

How do I know all this? Because I had an electronics manufacturing company and spent considerable monies on tooling for various connectors which I still have in a cupboard somewhere.

 

Whats wrong with just cutting out the bad section of wire and replacing with new wire? Solder or crimp and of course decent flexible correctly sized sleeving.

Edited 30 August, 20232 yr by xman

The kits being referred to tend to be an unpopulated connector plus an ample supply of wires with appropriate pins pre-crimped to one end, ready to be just pushed into the connector housing.

Typically then you'll get a supply of inline/butt crimps to make the other end's connection to the existing loom.

 

This listing lacks the inline/butt crimps but shows the general idea.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394789687716

 

Hi Pete, I assumed it was just a case of pushing in the connectors into the plug and  make the connection inside the door with some form of inline connector or crimp, but wanted some form of clarification. The only thing I wasn`t really sure about, was the way the connectors fit in the plug, as in did I need a special tool of some description, but from what you are saying, they just push in and providing the new plug is compatible it shouldn`t be an issue. Can the connectors be taken out of the old plug, without damaging them?

Would you happen to know if Febi are a good alternative to the cheaper ones advertised on ebay?

4 minutes ago, Hawkander said:

Can the connectors be taken out of the old plug, without damaging them?

I would expect so, but usually require some sort of tool, usually with a pair of stiff wire prongs an appropriate size and spacing.

It might take a bit of finding, but I think a while back I acquired a connector like this with a set of pins, which I could experiment on with the various depinning tools I have.

 

Was your plan to use the existing connector and most of the existing wires, but just de-pin the broken/damaged wires and replace with ones from the kit?

Do you have an idea or photo of how many wires are damaged?