Hello,

 

I recently acquired a new Fabia MK1, and it has several electrical problems. I’m a complete newbie when it comes to DIY car repairs (or any car repair, for that matter), and I’m not entirely sure how to perform detailed surveys on this website just yet. I apologize if this has already been covered elsewhere.

 

Here’s the list of known electrical issues:

1. High beams not working

   • The high beams do not turn on when the lever on the steering column is pressed.
   • I checked all the fuses in the side compartment with a multimeter (continuity check) and confirmed that all the slots with contacts were populated.
   • Two fuses were fried, one related to the radio.
   • The high beam indicator on the dashboard does not light up when the lever is depressed.
   • Both bulbs have been replaced.

2. Fog lights not turning on

   • Both dashboard lights turn on when the fog light dial is pulled out, but the fog lights themselves don’t work.

3. Constant automatic locking

   • The car locks itself automatically:
     • After 10-20 seconds of driving
     • After being parked for over a minute (this led to me locking the keys inside, and I had to break the small back window to regain entry). Fortunately, it seems like a cheap part to replace.
   • The driver-side unlock button does not work.
   • Both the driver and passenger doors look like someone may have attempted to work on them before.
   • The car appears to have an auto-locking feature that’s difficult to disable, and it’s even locked one of my parents inside without the ability to escape.

My main questions:

1. Is there a dedicated relay for the high beams on the Fabia MK1? 1.1. If not, has anyone had this problem before, and if so, what was the remedy?
   1.2. Does the car have a Body Control Module (BCM)? If so, where can I get a replacement?

2. I’m not sure where to start with the fog lights. Are they related to the headlights at all (besides sharing a common ground)?

3. Is there a way to safely disable the auto-locking feature?

4. Are there any recommended OBD scanners for diagnosing these issues?

 

I don’t have a good OBD II scanner and am not sure if this car requires a specialized one. I currently use a “mucar OBD2 Scanner Universal OBD II code reader.”

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

1. No

Wiring goes from stalk switch to fuses 30 and 23 (both 10 amp fuses) for left and right main beam bulbs respectively. Check for voltage at these two fuseholders when main beam is selected on stalk.

 

1.2 Yes, e.g. ebay, but why do you think it needs replacement. Minor config coding required if it is changed, unless with an identical part number including suffix, and from a same-model car with exactly the same features.

 

2. Check bulbs first if you haven't. This thread has info on bulb types as well as fuses.  The MkI Fabia Fuse Layout Post *updated with bulb types* - Skoda Fabia Guides - BRISKODA

 

3. Yes, with VCDS or registered copy of VCDS Lite, if that is what is happening.

The self locking when parked (if a door has been opened since unlocking with button on keyfob) suggests there may be a problem with recognition of the door having been opened. This is often caused by problems with the microswitch, its wiring, or the solder joints of the connector on the lock module, on the side of the car where door opening isn't being 'seen'. 

 

Auto locking when in motion is related to a minimum speed being achieved (15kph?), rather than a time since departure; so a very slow crawl away from standstill may help to decide if it is or isn't the autolock function.

 

4. VCDS Lite, freeware downloadable from here: Ross-Tech: VCDS-Lite Download together with a laptop to put it on, and a third-party FTDI/KKL interface cable.

 

 

 

 

 

A large quantity of useful info is available here, including wiring info: MK1 Fabia workshop manuals - SKODA Fabia - BRISKODA

 

Please note that the wiring info even in the later of the two documents there may not be a perfect match for your car, which being 2005 will be a facelift model.

I think the later document amongst those only goes up to the end of pre-facelift. Feel free to ask if anything seems different to what you find on the car.  erWin Skoda can be used to download the more recent circuit pdfs, for a small fee.

 

Ok, so it’s been a while, but I’ve managed to get through a lot:

1. High beams not working – I just got the stalk replaced today and now the high beams are working, and the turn signal is working too. (New problem, though – the cruise control no longer works. But I’ve got light now and will be doing some troubleshooting to see if I can find the problem.)

2. Fog lights not turning on – The bulbs and the two new housings were busted up. They both work perfectly now.

3. I’ve not messed with VCDS. We’ve gotten around the auto-locking by having a dumb spare key (no chip) to unlock the car if it auto-locks. By the way, it auto-locks when parked and the key is in the ignition – no motion required. I’m inclined to think it is the microswitch, as Breezy_Pete suggested, since when I took apart the door someone had already been in there, cut the wire for controlling the passenger window, broken both speakers, and unplugged the mirror control. I’ve cleaned that up a bit, but I’m still not sure about the auto-locking.

My old seat altea locks and unlocks when driving. I read on the Seat forum its probably a fault in the door lock circuit board/microswitch. Could be a dry joint or bad cable. I never did get round to fixing it as it only happend when driving and not when parked and the car was used as for work (more like a skip/shed really). Not sure how to disable autolocking but I assume it would need VCDS. I never use cruise control simply because I really dont like it.

Alasdair