As with most of my questions this may seem a little strange!

Will be taking delivery of my new 26 Fabia DSG on Tuesday coming.

This will be the first car I've had since those heady days of my 1963 Morris Minor that has a START button rather than the key turn method (back to the dark ages?)

Now, technically speaking .... key fob in my pocket and press the button to start ... does this mean that the key fob is transmitting a signal to the 'system' which impersonates the ignition? (or something like that)

If so then does this mean that the battery life in this type of fob will be less that in a normal fob?

And .... as my wife usually carries the spare key in her handbag, in case of emergencies, might that mean the BOTH keys could have shorter battery life than the usual fobs?

Yes fob battery life is greatly shortened (I change mine annually when MOT is done) important to change spare fob battery too and use it approx. once every 3 months (to re sync with the cars rolling codes)

Thanks for that useful information.

So, not such a daft question really.

This 2022 Skoda "Storyboard" article may be of interest.

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/skoda-world/the-approach-of-the-keyless-age/

(I vaguely recall experimenting with what changing the key-fob battery of my (bought new in April 2024) Fabia SE L DSG involved and - although the instructions in the Owner's Manual were accurate - actually doing it was tricky!)

The computers will ensure that it's not as reliable as your 1963 Morris Minor. You also need to keep on top of the state of charge of the car's 12v battery, even if the headlights seem bright enough and the engine starts easily (the battery has to be very low indeed for the engine not to start) the state of charge in the battery might be too low for the computers and they could throw up all sorts of unexpected warnimng lights and messages, unseen error codes and issues on the car. Loads of thread and posts on this here for all models and the never the car the greater the likily.

If you know of rubber cased batteries, small generators then you miht be familar with occassion reventive battery charging with an appropriate battery charger (stroke maintainer now) well we have 'progressed' back to those times. If you want to get more than 2 ,3, 4, 5 years out of the expensive battery then you may (probably) not be able to rely on driving the car to be enough as the VW programming only allow usual alternator charging to about 70-80%. Occassionally charging the battery (low amps, slow, long time) to 100% full will extend the battery life and prevent (some) of the possible compter wobblies. Read the instructions in the car's 'Owner's Manual' and for the charger maintainer.

Good luck.

My wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3, in winter, but the battery also discharges (and self-discharges more) in hot summer.

Slightly off-topic, but this recent YouTube video may be of interest as it covers replacing a Skoda Fabia Mk4's 49Ah EFB starter-battery wth a larger-capacity battery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFP-L-Y93JA

If a Mk4's starter-battery is to be charged, it's perhaps worth mentioning (based on my own experience) that it can be tricky getting a firm grip on the battery's positive (+) terminal (image below) using the type of crocodile-clip connectors that battery-chargers normally come with.

I also notice on the video that, when a (longer) 60Ah EFB battery was installed, the 'fuse-plate' that sits on top of the battery was at a slant, so fitting an even longer (large capacity) battery might not be practicable without modifying the cabling.

Useful video - but as you'd expect from me a few notes about that video,

I would fully charge up the battery before fitting it to the car (shouldn't take too long)

check the terminal clamps are clean inside

he said he bought the cheapest battery he could get and it wasn't specific to the car so no wonder it wasn't the best fit to the car and that he's the type that needs a new battery after only 4-5 years

I'm not sure that bottom battery locatiing clamp was that snug to the battey base, seem at and angle from being at a corner of the battery.

You do get to see the unweldly VCDS programing, even for such a simple thing as 'coding' the battery and VW having kindly make things a bit more of a pain by returning to those horrible afterthough connections on top of the battery, so much for engineering design and improvementsd, luckily the Mk3 missed out on such a thing.

4 hours ago, DerekU said:

it's perhaps worth mentioning (based on my own experience) that it can be tricky getting a firm grip on the battery's positive (+) terminal (image below) using the type of crocodile-clip connectors that battery-chargers normally come with.

Good piont.

Perhaps connector leads could be fitted for occassional preventative battery charging. Ring is just one possible example. -

Fitting ring-type 'connector leads' was discussed in this earlier forum thread

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/533259-ctek-ct5-startstop-battery-charger-12-v-and-why-i-bought-it/#comment-5951535

that included a photo of a CTEK MX-5 battery-charger connected to my car's battery with the standard crocodile clips.

The snag with fitting ring-type connectors (which I had done with my previous 2021 Hyundai i20 MHEV that had a really large starter-battery parasitic drain) is that, with a Fabia Mk4, doing this will normally disconnect the battery and some work will then be needed to recover settings. This may not matter much and can be sidestepped, but it's something to bear in mind if a new owner is not technically oriented and does not take this into account.

My 2024 Fabia is similarly my first car with a starter button since owning a Turner Sports Mk2 in the 1960s. I've never owned a Morris Minor, though I have driven them and I did work for a while in the 1970s with an American who had acquired as an investment one of the 30 Morris Minor "Million" models made in left-hand drive.

Regarding Morris Minor reliability, I recall the need for regular greasing and the model's propensity for front suspension trunnions to become detached if that was not done. I well remember seeing a Minor languishing at the roadside with one of its front wheels folded up under the wheel-arch.

Edited 24 May24 May by DerekU

Now Derek you know full well I never recommend CTEK, your link takes me to a post that links to a CS CTEK.

I did not mean you connect to the battewry positive and negative terminals but to connect to the positive teminal and the earthing puiont on the cjassis ad per the car's 'Owner's Manual', PHEVI'm sorry if I didn't make that cleart to you.

I can't speak for a i20 MHEV directly but can't understand how CORRECTLY installed any unconected leads could be ANY drain what sdo ever.

I've no idea if an 2021 Hyundai i20 MHEV was the right car for you, at that time, but how a 2024 Fabia Mk4 is better than a i20 non-hybris is beyond me personally - but as always each to their own.

Yeap, if you didn't grease your front suspension nipple you could have issues, that was servicing maintenance not random xcomputer brain farts (and not poor quality computer p[rogramming). You may not know or forgot that until 3 years for the previous 16 years my one and only everyday car, used all year round was a 1973 MG Midget which I used to grease the front suspension every 3 months and just before an MoT. Definitely a PITA nut not as much so as dealing with my wife's Mk3 and watching out for it's computer programming and poor quality VW parts and of course Delerships and UK Škoda cons. 😉

Pedentic matching, yeap, on the spectrum , as we all all but poassibly more mildly(?). 😁

Consider becomimng a Moderator(?). 😁

Time for "tea" (diner), no tea for me.