Just recently purchased a 22 plate SEL 1.0tsi with this awful covers on, got them off asap and put centre caps and nut cover on, looks so much better, they have damaged the wheels when they have been taken off before but its not too noticable. The wheels were awful in terms of brake dust etc, i really do not understand the attraction of them.

When trims were popular they were placed on ugly steel wheels to cover them up, i get that, it makes sense. But to then cover up a lovely set of alloy wheels just makes no sense. They have gone, and will never come back.

These no longer seem to be supplied on the latest cars. Likely not worth the extra production costs and the negative feedback. Each size wheel requires a custom aero cover.

I now clean my mc with a jet wash and have removed the aero wheel covers a couple of times. Yes, it's true the wheels behind are likely to get marked when removing and replacing them. It's easy to see which covers come from the front because they are coated in a gravy browning coloured coating on the inside. Most of the Fabias have drum brakes at the rear so if you have disks all round they are only shown off without the aero covers. Our car has low annual mileage and jet washing the car brings everything up looking good including the wheels and aero covers.

If only the wheel covers were the sole contentious add-ons for these cars. We find all the electronic "aids" to be the biggest annoyance. You get very little in terms of useful kit supplied as standard with a Fabia 4.

1 hour ago, bazz2004 said:

We find all the electronic "aids" to be the biggest annoyance. You get very little in terms of useful kit supplied as standard with a Fabia 4.

What 'useful kit' do think Skoda should fit as standard to a current model Fabia Mk 4 that it does not already have? The Fabia buyer already gets handy sunglasses storage, an umbrella and an ice-scraper, so it's hard to see what other enhancements would be worth having. 🙂

(I chose to add a spare wheel and related tool kit for my 2024-built car, but providing a spare wheel as standard on new cars nowadays is virtually unheard of.)

Actually, I was unhappy with the sun glasses storage. I bought some wrap around lightly tinted sun glasses but they rattle around inside the cubby hole. It was very annoying. I managed to find some foam and glued it in where the sunglasses are kept.

The car punished me this morning for negative comments because I'm getting the replace battery key warning for the key fob.

^^^ Good that that function works to give you forewarning.

If you carry a spare battery with you it can be long enough before it even needs to be used.

The battery in both keys was showing low after 18 months of not a great deal of use. Changing the battery is not intuitive. I watched some YouTube videos about the Fabia keys but those covered were unlike our Fabia 4. Got there without breaking anything but Skoda could have designed it a lot better. It took a narrow bladed kitchen knife to prise open the not easy to identify battery cover.

Battery replacement for my 2009 Skoda Roomster's remote key-fob is straightforward once one knows how. But I wouldn't describe the method as 'intuitive' and I still have to remind myself how to do it before replacing the battery.

Key-fob battery replacement for a Fabia Mk 4 is explained (with drawings) in the "Key, locks and alarm" section near the start of the Owner's Manual. If the fob has a fold-out key, battery replacement is quite simple. However, that's not so (and definitely not intuitive) if the fob has a removable key part.

For the latter fob type, the Owner's Manual's recommendations are accurate.

but I found difficulty getting the first action shown to actually work and loosen the battery cover.

This YouTube video for this type of key-fob says it is a EASY DIY task

but - even after reading the Fabia Owner's Manual and viewing the video - I still did not find the first action easy.

The advice in the Owner's Manual and on the video is certainly correct, but - if your Skoda has this design of fob and you want to be prepared for battery replacement - it might be wise to practise the technique.

It seems that manufacturers have difficulty in designing a fob where the battery can be easily replaced as that in my Volvo XC40 is a right pig and you don't get a low battery warning as I found out on more than one occasion when I couldn't open the door!

As regards the wheel covers fortunately ours came without them, though I'd already told the dealer to remove them if they did come fitted. After washing the car a few times now the only trouble is that as the wheels were designed for the trims you have a big groove which is difficult to clean behind the spokes and holds water when washing the wheels, not a biggie though.

56 minutes ago, VAGCF said:

After washing the car a few times now the only trouble is that as the wheels were designed for the trims you have a big groove which is difficult to clean behind the spokes and holds water when washing the wheels, not a biggie though.

With the trims on, the big groove is impossible to clean and you can't clean the spokes properly. Designed by someone who has never washed a car!