Hi All,

Ive literally just got a brand new Fabia SE L.

I opened the small tray below the steering wheel to access the fuses as I wish to fit some dash cams. I was very surprised to find wires cable tied together and the reversing sounder just hanging by its wire.

Does anybody have a picture or diagram as to where it should be mounted so i can fasten it back up. Also where should these cables clip to. (I believe they are the OBD connector).

Im not sure why it would leave the factoy like this unless the supplier has fitted something im unaware of.

Kind regards Andrew

(Darwen, Lancashire....... Hello all.... :-)

The location of a Fabia Mk4's OBD socket was discussed here in 2024

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/523363-obd2-socket-in-fabia-mk4/

and theres photos show its position

Uploading Attachment...

Edited 27 January27 Jan by DerekU

(My ancient Apple Mac desktop compute and the BRISKODA forum have an unhappy relationship where loading photos are concerned, so I'm not sure whether my last posting will display properly.)

Anyway, when I last examined the fuse-box (some time ago) of my 2024 Fabia SE L DSG it was very neat in there, with nothing like the mess of wiring shown in your two photos - no hanging reversing-sounder and no cabling sprawled across the front of the fuse-box.

As your car is brand-new, I strongly suggest you do not attempt to tidy up the cabling yourself. I definitely would not expect a new Fabia Mk4 to have left the Skoda factory in this condition. As you've said, it's possible that the Skoda dealership needed to do something to the car between receiving it from the factory and you taking delivery, but It's still not right and you should tell the dealership about it and insist they sort it out.

Edited 27 January27 Jan by DerekU

3 hours ago, DerekU said:

Derek, in this photo the indented cut out looks a very odd shape is this from factory as it looks like the type of work I'd do with a junior hacksaw blade and my unsteady hand and wonky eyes?

ETA: the photos seem fine on my MS powered PC but I also see in your post a dud grey 'Upload Attachment... Unavailable' box.

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

Derek, in this photo the indented cut out looks a very odd shape is this from factory as it looks like the type of work I'd do with a junior hacksaw blade and my unsteady hand and wonky eyes

The location of the OBD socket is shown in the 1st photo in my posting. I took the 2nd photo myself using a phone in selfie-mode pointing upwards from the depths of the driver-side footwell and that's why it looks peculiar. The photos originated here.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/523363-obd2-socket-in-fabia-mk4/#comment-5850034

My iMac desktop is 2010-vintage and its operating system and applications software are well out-date and cannot to updated further. The machine is slow and can be 'techy' but, most of the time, adequate for what I need and, of the several forums I participate on, only posting images to the BRISKODA forum presents difficulties. If I wanted to I could side-step this by using my current-model iPad instead, but it's harder work (and my wife hogs it!)

As a Moderator on a forum that runs on the same platform as the BRISKODA forum, I've got many more privileges and I can play about with and delete my own postings without leaving a trace. I'm reluctant to experiment on the BRISKODA forum to find a work-around for my photos/images issue as it would inevitably leave 'dirty footprints'.

I've just removed my 2024 Fabia Mk4 SE L DSG car's small dashboard storage-box that's in front of the fusebox and the above photo was taken through the resulting 'hole'. The fusebox is some distance back, but the photo shows very clearly that there are no 'loose' wiring/connectors or reversing-sounder obscuring the fuse-box's front.

Edited 27 January27 Jan by DerekU

3 hours ago, DerekU said:

I took the 2nd photo myself using a phone in selfie-mode pointing upwards from the depths of the driver-side footwell and that's why it looks peculiar.

No I don't mean the angle of the photo but the cut out shape of the plastic to allow OBD plug into port, is that shape really from factory or do you have really young grand or great grand children that took a blade to the bottom of the dash! Or has a piece of the plastic broken off there.

I agree that the dashboard moulding 'cut-away' permitting connection to the OBD socket is not aesthetically pleasing when viewed from below, but the shape of the cut-away's profile is not otherwise visible. (Obviously, if there were no cut-away, the lower edge of the dashboard moulding would prevent the OBD socket being used.)

As the Fabia Mk4 will have primarily been designed for left-hand-drive, It's quite possible that the moulding is initially produced with a straight base-line and - for RHD cars - the cut-away section is chopped out in the Skoda factory as a secondary procedure. If that were the case, it may be that my car's cut-way removal was poorly executed. Alternatively, it may be that all RHD Fabia Mk4 cut-aways are similarly asymmetrical. (Perhaps other Mk4 owners could comment and satisfy your curiosity?)

This video describes removal of a RHD Fabia Mk4's dashboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_TiufV57dI

The base of the lower plastic moulding to the right of the steering-wheel is not apparent, but (about 8 minutes in) the fuse-box is visible and it will be seen that there's no loose wiring.

Edited 28 January28 Jan by DerekU

C'mon, a blind man wouldn't be happy to see that and he'd slice his fingers open if he felt it. Let's be generous and say a bit of plastic has broke off and it's not by design and build. 😄

I'm unsure why the shape of the dash panel's 'cut-away' seems to fascinate you so much - it's not as if you own a Fabia Mk4 or (based on your many negative comments about modern VAG cars) ever likely to.

The cut-away's is completely invisible unless viewed upwards from the driver-side footwell using a phone or a mirror and, as is evident from my photo, on my 2024 Fabia the cut-away's shape does not exactly parallel the shape of the OBD socket. But, as the OBD socket is accessible and the cut-away's minor misalignment is unnoticeable, "Who cares?

Yesterday I needed to check/replace one of my Fabia's dash-panel micro-blade fuses (Fuse 52 15A) so I was able to get up-close and personal with the 'cut-away'.

It would be ridiculous to believe that the cut-away (that's obviously intended and necessary for the OBD socket to be accessed) might somehow be the result of 'breakage'. I suggested earlier that the cut-away might have been formed by a secondary procedure in the Skoda factory (though the LHD/RHD 'theory' was of course just a joke!) However, having closely inspected the bottom edge of the dashboard plastic panel visually and by feel, I'm now certain that my car's panel was made in one piece that included the cut-away. It seems likely (to me) that all RHD Fabia Mk4 cars would have the same 'non parallel shape' cut-away, but I'm not going to photo/fondle other Mk4s' dashboards to investigate that premise.

My Fabia's Owner's Manual includes advice on fuse replacement, mentioning that a 'clamp' stored in the ENGINE-COMPARTMENT fuse-box should be used. The clamp is a small white plastic fuse-puller tool mounted on the underside of the engine-compartment's lid.

https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5q0941802-tool-bag-for-mounting-the-flat-fuse-skoda-31264.html

The fuse-box on RHD Fabia Mk 4 cars (and possibly on LHD cars too) is set far back, many of the micro-blade fuses are close together and accessing the fuse-box is through a quite small hole in the dashboard panel. So, unless you have a tame octopus and have trained it to manipulate Skoda's fuse-puller tool, it's far simpler and easier to use needle-nose pliers instead.

Edited 29 January29 Jan by DerekU

The cut away doesn't fascinate me I just noticed it and pointed it out. The breakage was a joke. 😉 😁

Understandably you defend these sort of things but I don't need to and anyway have always pointed out the warts on the cars I've owned, and they had many, but I also give credit where it's due, even to VW products. 😀