Hello guys , suffering again with a badly misted window this morning. This even after cleaning the windscreen with a quality cleaner. Does the AC know when to use air recirculation and not? There is no dedicated button in the car to switch on and off.

As many have said before ,after cleaning the condensation off the windscreen it can mist up again whilst driving off. My mates always going on how his Ford clears in seconds !

Exactly the same situation for me early this morning. Light ice on the windscreen and down one side of the car.

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution and the Fabia 4 is the worst car I've had in this respect. You can be faced with a fogged windscreen within 100 metres.

I now just take my time. Firstly, I open the driver's door, leave it open and go round with defrost spray and scraper tool. I get in and start up with the door still open making sure the cleaning pad on the end of a telescopic handle is at the ready.

Close the door and try to drop the front windows a little bit. Whack up the heat on both sides (independent controls on the mc), press the buttons to turn on boost for front windscreen and also the heated rear window. Work the wipers, briefly when you are sure the rubber isn't frozen onto to the glass. As the windscreen and side windows mist up I use the extended wipe pad to clear the glass.

I don't think circulation mode makes much difference. A big help would be breathing apparatus so your breath doesn't condensate thus adding to the problem. Maybe it's all explained in the handbook somewhere but the Fabia 4 is not my specialised subject.

Our neighbours have Fords too and they are up and away very quickly in this weather.

My Fabia's Owner'Manual indicates that two types of air-conditioning system are possible - manual or 'automatic' ("Climatronic").

Both have an air-recirculation button (marked with the usual symbol)

The button for the manual A/C is between the left and central rotating switches and the button for the Climatronic system is in the head of the right rotating switch.

This link may be of interest

Škoda Storyboard

10 Tips on How to Use Air-conditioning Properly - Škoda S...

You recently had the chance to discover the challenges that go into developing the ventilation system of any new ŠKODA. This time, we want to share some practical tips and correct common mistakes.

Hello , this is different to my 2023 Fabia, it's touch screen controls and no recirculation button or the usual symbol.

My 2024 Fabia SE L Climatronic air-con system is controlled through a mixture of physical buttons and the car's Amundsen infotainment full-touchscreen display .

Having looked at several online Fabia 2023 online adverts, it appears that this model's A/C system was controlled similarly, except the standard infotainment display was the "Bolero" unit that had no 'navigation' and (having a couple of physical buttons) was not 'full touchscreen'.

This image (taken from a 2023 Fabia Monte Carlo advert) is of the Bolero unit

Uploading Attachment...

Edited 18 November, 202518 Nov by DerekU
I can't seem to edit this posting nor delete it, so I've repeated it below. Perhaps a forum Moderator could get rid of it in due course, please.

My 2024 Fabia SE L Climatronic air-con system is controlled through a mixture of physical buttons and the car's Amundsen infotainment full-touchscreen display .

Having looked at several online 2023 Fabia Monte Carlo online adverts, it appears that this model's A/C system was controlled similarly, except the standard infotainment display was the "Bolero" unit that had no 'navigation' and (having a couple of physical buttons) was not 'full touchscreen'.

This image (taken from a 2023 Fabia Monte Carlo advert) is of the Bolero unit

and this image is of the car's air-con controls with the air-recirculation button green-arrowed.

Last December there was a long forum discussion about Fabia Mk 4 windscreen condensation.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/528895-condensation-on-inside-of-windows-takes-ages-to-clear-even-with-aircon/

Edited 18 November, 202518 Nov by DerekU

For what it's worth...

I notice that the design of the Amundsen infotainment touchscreen on my Fabia SE L (built on 16 January 2024) was revised for later models. Images of the two screens are shown below (oldest first) and it will be seen that the 'look' of the virtual buttons and their position differs with the more recent (lower "Welcome Ben") screen.

Perhaps more significant for a Fabia Mk4 driver are the modifications made to the controls for the Climatronic air-conditioning system.

The controls on my car are as shown in this image

and it will be seen from the image below of the later controls that the MENU and OFF buttons have been relocated upwards and their original positions now have manual buttons to decrease or increase the fan speed, rather than (infuriatingly) having to do this through the infotainment touchscreen.

I don't know exactly when the changes were made, but the online Owner's Manuals show the 'old' controls in the 19/6/2023 document (that applies to my car) and the 'new' controls in the 15/1/2024 version.

Ahh forgot to say it's a monte carlo

6 hours ago, DerekU said:

My 2024 Fabia SE L Climatronic air-con system is controlled through a mixture of physical buttons and the car's Amundsen infotainment full-touchscreen display .

Having looked at several online Fabia 2023 online adverts, it appears that this model's A/C system was controlled similarly, except the standard infotainment display was the "Bolero" unit that had no 'navigation' and (having a couple of physical buttons) was not 'full touchscreen'.

This image (taken from a 2023 Fabia Monte Carlo advert) is of the Bolero unit

Uploading Attachment...

Mine is the upper screen and the upper control panel. I've started leaving air-conditioning on automatic, and watching the mpg get less and less. The 1.0 monte carlo isn't very good on juice at all , I avg around 49mpg

The AC is not operating if the ambient / outside temp is below 4*oC.

ALL Skoda Fabia Mk4 Owner's Manuals carry this information on the air-conditioning's operating conditions

The rear page of my car's EC Certificate of Conformity carries WLTP fuel-consumption data (litres/100km). The combined figure given is 5.7 equating to 49.56 British MPG.

The fuel-consumption of one of my 1970s cars (a turbo-enhanced Reliant Scimitar GTE) could drop below 20mpg at the least provocation, so - if my Fabia can produce a genuine average consumption approaching 50mpg - I'll be delighted.

Edited 20 November, 202520 Nov by DerekU

That Worldwide Harmonised Testing is not bothered about all around the World as it is kidology and not Real World any more than the RDE2 figures are. Certainly the testing is nothing to do with vehicles having to breath air in with is below 10*oC. TSI,s do love colder / denser air. Then if the same tyres are fitted as in the summer the road surface might well have less friction. But for swings and roundabouts there is the extra warming up times and loads put on the battery if turning stuff on.

What makes you think an average 49mpg isn't good for a 1.0, 3-cylinder, turbo Monte Carlo version of the (modern, heavy) Fabia Mk4, what are you comparing it with, did you have the car at this time of year last year or before under same driving use and conditions to compare against?

There is a Skoda website relating to the current UK range of Fabia cars and each model has the WLTP combined fuel-consumption stated. All models, from the 'basic' SE Edition to the 130, have a WLTP datum of at least 50mpg.

It should be obvious that, if an owner of a Fabia SE Edition drives their car gently to consciously minimise fuel consumption and an owner of a Fabia 130 thrashes their car mercilessly, the amount of fuel used in each case will vary substantially.

However, to the best of my knowledge, there are no alternative-to-WLTP recognised data available to provide 'more realistic' fuel-usage information.

Edited 20 November, 202520 Nov by DerekU

Useful as a comparison between different cars that went through the WLTP regime. People will get better or worse or maybe exactly what the WLTP figure shows. Even a stopped watch is right twice a day. There is the system in the USA which is more realistic. EPA. It catches out the likes of VW Group. For ICE or EV,s it tends to show the consumption that EU / European Motoring Journals when doing reviews / group tests get in comparison to the WLTP. I do know a US Gallon is different from a Imperial Gallon. That is taken into account.

Edited 20 November, 202520 Nov by Evolution13

Nice that in North America & Australia and other world regions you can get a 1.4 TSI non ACT with an 8 speed automatic. There the emissions are what they are and not what the queered testing in the EU / UK can give.

Only two Fabia models are currently marketed in Australia, both with 7-speed DSG. Their specification is listed here:

A significant difference to the UK is the Skoda (Australia) 7-year warranty.

Hmmm, that didn't go too well - though the reference works OK when I tried it on another forum I'm a moderator on that also runs on the Invision Community platform.

Anyway, these are the fuel-consumption data for the two Australian Fabia models

This 2025 Australian review might be of interest

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2025-skoda-fabia-review

Edited 20 November, 202520 Nov by DerekU

I was not meaning Fabia with 1.4 TSI,s and 8 speed autos. Skoda Fabia are not sold in the USA.

The thread has lost its way as is common on here. On the next freezing cold damp morning I followed my routine and it was 13 minutes before I was safely away. The ice was concentrated almost exclusively on the windscreen and I had to get out for a second go with the de-icer spray before all was cleared.

An AA adviser on BBC TV this morning gave useful information. Up to 15 minutes delay to driving off may result from challenging conditions. Forget the recirculation button which will make things worse. Don't ignore sun glare which can be deadly in winter too. Any accumulation of snow on the roof while not illegal brings the danger of it loosening as the roof heats up then sliding off and blocking vision when applying the brakes. Avoid throwing hot water over the windscreen as I've read this can result in breaking the glass.

My conclusion is that not getting heat onto the windscreen quickly enough is a complete failure by car manufacturers fixated with electronic gizmos. This is the sort of basic weakness Skoda should be eliminating rather than offering Winter packs at eye watering prices.

Edited 29 November, 202529 Nov by DerekU
Unable to edit this posting properly

...My conclusion is that not getting heat onto the windscreen quickly enough is a complete failure by car manufacturers fixated with electronic gizmos. This is the sort of basic weakness Skoda should be eliminating rather than offering Winter packs at eye watering prices...

All Fabia Mk4 Monte Carlo cars have a "Climatronic" dual-zone air-conditioning system (as does my own SE L model).

It's stating the bleeding obvious, but in cold weather, if a car's windscreen is misted/iced up, it will need warm air blown over the screen's inner surface to de-mist/de-ice it.

Catch 22 is that the quickest way to obtain warm air from a car's heating system is to drive the vehicle, but if the driver can't see through the windscreen, he/she will have to run the car's motor at tick-over until hot engine-coolant is passing through the heater's matrix allowing warmed air to be directed at the screen and, at tick-over, it will take some time for the car's engine to get hot.

My 2009 Skoda Roomster has a smaller-area windscreen than my Fabia Mk4's and the Roomster's heater/air-con controls are much simpler, with the 3-rotating-switches type found on 'basic' Fabia Mk4s.

With the Roomster, it's easy and quick to set its air-con to provide maximum warm air aimed at the windscreen and, once the screen has de-misted/de-iced, to reset the controls to provide a comfortable cabin temperature.

This is not the case with my car's Climatronic air-con that is controlled through a mixture of buttons and the infotainment display-screen. Experimentation has shown that my Fabia's motor at tick-over is no slower than the Roomster's to warm up and that the volume of air that can be directed towards the windscreen is no less.

The snag is that, although it's possible to set the Fabia's Climatronic system to maximise its de-misting/de-icing capability, doing this is more complicated than with the Roomster, plus, when de-misting/de-icing has taken place, Climatronic is more complicated to reset to provide 'cabin heating'.

The Fabia Owner's Manual includes a reasonable amount of advice on the Climatronic system, but - to get the best out of it (or even use it effectively) - gaining familiarity with the system will be required.

So in conclusion the Fabia Mk4's Climatronic controls, at least, are (unnecessarily) over complicated.

My wife's Mk3 Fabia with 'basic' heating and ventilation controls still takes a very long time, despite a few "hacks" to speed the process, to clear the windscreen safely for driving so the car has to remain parked up with the engine running which is wasteful and not best practice for the engine.

This is yet another example of the continuing misconception that German car engineering (design and build) quality is high, most of the high quality left the German car marques last century.

Ive got heated windscreen do all Fabias not have it ?

Frosted window clears in about one minute and ive never had an issue with steamed up windows 🤔

No UK-specification Fabia Mk4 has a heated windscreen as standard.

When ordering a new Fabia, one of the options is a Winter Premium package (current cost £560). This package comprises

Heated windscreen

Heated front seats

Washer fluid level indicator

Heated front seats can be chosen as a stand-alone option (currently £250) but, if a buyer were uninterested in having heated seats, it's not possible to specify a heated windscreen as a stand-alone option. If a buyer of a new UK Fabia wants a heated screen, the Winter Premium package must be opted for.

nta16

So in conclusion the Fabia Mk4's Climatronic controls, at least, are (unnecessarily) over complicated.

This 2022 CARWOW article details the difference between car air-conditioning and climate control.

https://www.carwow.co.uk/blog/air-conditioning-vs-climate-control-0044#gref

As part of the most recent Fabia Mk4 facelift

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/fabia/362932/skoda-fabia-goes-bigger-slice-supermini-sales-2024-updates

the manual controls for the Climatronic system were revised (photos in my 20 November posting above). I also notice that, on the infotainment-unit, the format of the display for the Climatronic system has been altered beneficially to take advantage of the fan-speed adjustment having been migrated from a 'slider' on the display to an extra pair of press-buttons on the manual controls.

Although the revisions should make life simpler for a new Fabia owner, even the earlier system can be used effectively for heating/demisting once an owner has become familiar with its operating principles/controls (and doesn't expect miracles).

Multi-zone climate-control systems are now commonplace on modern cars and I suspect that the Skoda version of Climatronic is no worse complication-wise than equivalent systems on other makes of car. Climatronic is not an intuitive system, but neither is using a mobile phone and even little children and old codgers (like me) can manage that