Hi Everyone,

 

my 2012 1.2 tsi fabia gear indicator and spanner symbol have started flashing alternately. Any ideas? Isn’t showing anything on my OBD2.  
 

And it isn’t the Mechatronic as I just had that replaced 6k miles ago. M

 

 

Thanks in advance. Car has done 100k miles. 

Usually means a gearbox service is due.

1 hour ago, sepulchrave said:

Usually means a gearbox service is due.

I stand corrected. Oil leaking from gearbox unit. 18 months it lasted 😞

The Flashing Spanner with the DQ200 did not and does not mean a service required.    (You do get flashing spanner service warnings which is why Dealership staff got things badly wrong.)

Sadly there were owners that were told that to their cost / expense, by people that should have known better, or tried to find out.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/446780-vrs-dsg-fault

 

2 hours ago, Meridion said:

I stand corrected. Oil leaking from gearbox unit. 18 months it lasted 😞

 

Oh dear, still, if you had taken it for a service they'd have diagnosed it for you soon enough!

Sounds like the hydraulic accumulator has a crack in it , it’s a relatively cheap fix if done by yourself 

6 hours ago, thomasaspin said:

Sounds like the hydraulic accumulator has a crack in it , it’s a relatively cheap fix if done by yourself 

Got a tutorial??

They are on youtube. 

Some very good ones.

 

See vids in here.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/509953-dsg-maxidot-gear-blinking

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/483018-gearbox-issue

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 September, 20232 yr by toot

@Meridion How many months ago was that 6,000 miles ago when the MCU was replaced and how much did that cost?

?

Have you no warranty on that MCU? 

 

Was it over 2 years ago, and did you get a new or refurbished MCU?

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/478852-automatic-gearbox-problems

 

Edited 3 September, 20232 yr by toot

On 03/09/2023 at 07:37, toot said:

@Meridion How many months ago was that 6,000 miles ago when the MCU was replaced and how much did that cost?

?

Have you no warranty on that MCU? 

 

Was it over 2 years ago, and did you get a new or refurbished MCU?

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/478852-automatic-gearbox-problems

 

I got my unit refurbed. About 15-20k miles ago. £700. Garage offers 6months no quibble. 
 

do you now if this gearbox has had the flaw sorted out by a certain year? I don’t want to go back to a manual, but I don’t want this happening every year or so either. Any reliable Dsg boxes out there?? For a budget friendly car anyway 😅

33 minutes ago, Meridion said:

I got my unit refurbed. About 15-20k miles ago. £700. Garage offers 6months no quibble. 
 

do you now if this gearbox has had the flaw sorted out by a certain year? I don’t want to go back to a manual, but I don’t want this happening every year or so either. Any reliable Dsg boxes out there?? For a budget friendly car anyway 😅

 

No, there are no reliable DSG gearboxes, basic slushboxes are reliable, SOME manuals are reliable but most Tiptronic or DSG type flappy paddle gearboxes are overly complex and rely too heavily on sophisticated electronics and computerisation.

They're the solution to a problem nobody was having.

10 hours ago, Meridion said:

I got my unit refurbed. About 15-20k miles ago. £700. Garage offers 6months no quibble. 
 

do you now if this gearbox has had the flaw sorted out by a certain year? I don’t want to go back to a manual, but I don’t want this happening every year or so either. Any reliable Dsg boxes out there?? For a budget friendly car anyway 😅

I retrofitted a dq250 into my fabia instead of the dq200 as they are just ticking time bombs in my opinion, the clutch system and wet clutch design in the dq250 is far superior in my opinion the only thing better about the dq200 is the gear ratios that make the acceleration feel super aggressive 

2 hours ago, thomasaspin said:

I retrofitted a dq250 into my fabia instead of the dq200 as they are just ticking time bombs in my opinion, the clutch system and wet clutch design in the dq250 is far superior in my opinion the only thing better about the dq200 is the gear ratios that make the acceleration feel super aggressive 

Is it right that they only fit the dq250 on 2 litre engines and up? Would really like a small engine automatic. London traffic isn’t friendly on the pocket with a big car 

57 minutes ago, Meridion said:

Is it right that they only fit the dq250 on 2 litre engines and up? Would really like a small engine automatic. London traffic isn’t friendly on the pocket with a big car 

 

In London you want a slushbox, no clutch(es) or synchro to wear out and driving on easy mode in traffic, slightly thirstier than a manual but lower running costs in reality because zero maintenance costs.

22 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

 

In London you want a slushbox, no clutch(es) or synchro to wear out and driving on easy mode in traffic, slightly thirstier than a manual but lower running costs in reality because zero maintenance costs.

What cars have a slush boxes and a small petrol engine? 

13 minutes ago, Meridion said:

What cars have a slush boxes and a small petrol engine? 

 

Most small hatches with auto boxes have slushboxes, they're usually owned by old people and have very low mileages and amazing service histories.

 

The home counties are lousy with them, Yaris, Jazz etc. they're like a filthy rash but often have panel damage from terrible parking. The trade pay a premium for minters but you should be able to outbid them easily.

On 05/09/2023 at 18:49, sepulchrave said:

 

No, there are no reliable DSG gearboxes, basic slushboxes are reliable, SOME manuals are reliable but most Tiptronic or DSG type flappy paddle gearboxes are overly complex and rely too heavily on sophisticated electronics and computerisation.

They're the solution to a problem nobody was having.

I always buy manuals as I keep cars for a relatively long time and I want something simpler with  "less to go wrong."

 

Exactly the reasoning for avoiding DSG because it is asking for trouble.

 

But, what problems do the Fabia manual boxes have? Is there a particular mileage that they're generally good for? 

The only Fabia manuals that really give trouble are the six speeder in the VRS Mark 1, usually in tuned cars because there's so much torque and the five speeder in the SDI which also struggles with the low RPM torque.

19 hours ago, briscaF1 said:

I always buy manuals as I keep cars for a relatively long time and I want something simpler with  "less to go wrong."

 

Exactly the reasoning for avoiding DSG because it is asking for trouble.

 

But, what problems do the Fabia manual boxes have? Is there a particular mileage that they're generally good for? 

I think I’m gonna make the switch to bmw. They ZF auto box seems to have a much better rep for reliability 

1 hour ago, Meridion said:

I think I’m gonna make the switch to bmw. They ZF auto box seems to have a much better rep for reliability 

From people I know with BMWs, they've had quite a few engine problems but how widespread they are, I don't know 

 

Basically, I think you get problems with any car or manufacturer. I work in automotive electronics sector and I know from experience that a lot of expensive to fix issues come from wiring, faulty sensors, solenoids etc so, ironically, I tend to avoid complex mechatronic systems on cars I want to run cheaply. I also tend to avoid diesels as thet generally have DPF or dual mass flywheels for the same reason.

 

Just my personal preference as I'm a bit tight 🙂

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, briscaF1 said:

From people I know with BMWs, they've had quite a few engine problems but how widespread they are, I don't know 

 

Basically, I think you get problems with any car or manufacturer. I work in automotive electronics sector and I know from experience that a lot of expensive to fix issues come from wiring, faulty sensors, solenoids etc so, ironically, I tend to avoid complex mechatronic systems on cars I want to run cheaply. I also tend to avoid diesels as thet generally have DPF or dual mass flywheels for the same reason.

 

Just my personal preference as I'm a bit tight 🙂

 

 

 

 

I’m also tight. 😅 just want a reliable little petrol automatic for London driving. I service and repair my engines like OCD, but auto boxes are beyond me. 

21 hours ago, Meridion said:

 but auto boxes are beyond me. 

I had automatics for 25 years but always conventional hydraulic transmissions (Vauxhall Carlton, Vauxhall Cavalier and a Volvo S40). Over several hundred thousand miles I only had one issue. A carburettor issue with the Carlton was letting petrol down into the modulator valve for gear changing and the seal perished and ended up sucking the transmission fluid out of the gearbox. A quick call to a transmission specialist diagnosed the issue and he supplied  a new valve for very little money. I replaced it myself, topped up the transmission fluid and with the new carburettor fitted (from a breakers) was on my way for many more effortless miles. I would love another automatic but would never consider a DSG or a CVT.

If you want a cheap and cheerful automatic why not go with something like a rover 25 or mg zr automatic ? 

1 hour ago, thomasaspin said:

If you want a cheap and cheerful automatic why not go with something like a rover 25 or mg zr automatic ? 

Don’t like anything about them unfortunately 

On 02/09/2023 at 14:16, Meridion said:

I stand corrected. Oil leaking from gearbox unit. 18 months it lasted 😞

May i present you my cheap bandaid fix..

 

First of all, going on a few assumptions here, first is that the mechatronic unit has been leaking slowly since day 1 of replacement, then that the garage cowboys used tiger seal instead of the real gasket that should be used. I'm assuming that because that's exactly what happened to mine.

 

Now, if you can remove the battery, battery tray and pull the air filter box to the side enough, you'll see the breather black cap on the mechatronic. Assorted torx bits and set of sockets with extension bar needed. Once you find the right torx and hex socket they're good for the whole job. Oh and a set of pliers. That cap comes off harder than expected

 

My unit started throwing faults at around 600ml (measured left in unit) out of 1L, so 400ml of "MVCHF" comma brand central hydraulic oil from halfords will set you good. It's £10 or so, chf11s spec so matches oem.

 

The little valve is around 8-10mm outside diameter and 5mm inside diameter, syringe or funnel with a hose should work just fine to top it back up. If you want to do it the proper way, assuming it's a 1.2tsi, starter motor needs to come off, so don't bother, just use the breather hole and slowly pour in what you need, and if it stops shake the hose to force a bubble out. 

 

I'm doing this for the past year and a half and 50.000 miles. Once topped up it's trouble free for half a year or more, depending on gasket gods mood that season