Skoda Fabia Boot Wont Open! *Fixed* 

Thank you for this video. I bought a lock mechanism off ebay for £20 and fitted it in 15 minutes. You saved me a lot of money & taught me how to fix a problem

Hatchback VAG cars seem to fairly consistently have boot latch issues. At the end of the day they all use more or less the same mechanism. People seem to reckon the issue lies in the way that the rear washer jet feed sits, and having replaced a few now, I'd be inclined to agree.. As the car ages and the rubber decays it washer fluid slowly drips down onto the latch inside the boot and either shorts it out, or corrodes it. My A3 is just in the process of going through its second latch during my time of ownership. Thankfully as you say the parts are cheap and the job is easy enough. Getting the rear wiper off on the other hand is always a bit of a bugger. It might be worth checking whether Sue's wiper is dripping on the inside if you get a chance! Keep up the good work! PS: I don't think German cars otherwise have huge electrical issues. Obviously there will be the odd few, but they seem pretty decent overall!

Owned a Fabia for years and I never knew that trick with the boot lid. That car never ever let me down. A little exploration shows that the Yeti has the same boot lid over ride.

It is very common for vw Audi Skoda and seat to have problems with door and boot locks. And window regulators. See it at work all the time. I actually did my uncles 2007 Audi A4 window regulator and that just went again recently. I like watching your videos keep them up! 👍🏽

Thank you for your help mate. I fixed my fabia because of that video👍

Great vid as always James yours are still the best car vids keep up the good work. Good to see another different car I do like the skoda fabia nice small car

I love his little hat and his gloves, and this was good info I think he is great, keep them coming.

keep up the good work, James! great channel

You saved a trip to the garage and a lot of money. Many thanks

Yes it is common the door lock problems. Also window regulators. Btw the fuse box lid trim has a nice handy little fuse puller in it - much better than pliars!

Thanks for showing how to unlock the boot via manual hatch. Saved me a headache!

Interesting video, good to see how todays cars are put together. Thank you, very clear and helpful. The lady in question must be a good, sensible, intelligent girl to drive a car like a Fabia estate. Credit to her.

I do love to see a Škoda on your channel!!, well done!, a nice easy fix, for a beautiful example of a second generation facelift Fabia combi in oh so gorgeous corrida red!, I’ve owned Škoda’s for many years and have not heard of door lock mechanisms having a tendency to malfunction, certainly I haven’t had that issue on any of my cars, nor have I heard of any other Škoda Owners Club members have this problem.

Thnx man, superb work. No gimmicks.

Great video James. I have had issues with door microswitches on both my audi a3.s and a seat leon rear door issue.so fairly common.

If Sue ever kidnaps me and lock's me in the boot I now know thanks to this video how to escape, assuming I have a screwdriver.

Great video. Really informative. Thank you so much for posting this.

German cars do have a common issue with there door locks and latches...my mk4 golf had issues with the back doors... Nightmare. Another great video mate, I enjoy watching your channel...👍

Nice video mate. I love it when you can do a job for someone and save them a bit of cash. Nice one mate 👍👍

Thank you ever so much for a brilliant video. I can absolutely do this based on your tuition. Cheers!

Hey mate, yeah in the VW Group (SEAT, VW, AUDI, SKODA) the boot latch is commom issue . I have done many of these. Keep doing awesome projects........

When it comes to antifreeze/coolant for VAG cars they tend to be quite picky with the type of coolant to use, it's usually recommended to use VW G13 as it will prolong your water pump. Generic stuff can have a reaction with some of the materials used in the cooling system. It was very good of you to check all of Sue's car fluid though.

Thank James, easy peasy when we a shown.. Great stuff

Thanks man... big HY from bosnia and herzegovina...

Brilliant vid, exactly what I needed and we'll explained

In the MK 1 Fab saloon, there's also a lever on the offside of the driver's seat which releases the boot catch. There are, in fact two levers for this location - the other one operates the fuel filler door.

I have a 1999.5 mk4 VW jetta, built in Mexico. I have repaired 3 of the 4 door lock modules where the micro switch goes bad and the car doesn't know if the door is closed or not. I have also done one door (and soon the right side) on my friends wife's 2007 Beetle ... same problem

Great video lad 😁👌🏻

James - The MK1 Octavia's, MK4 Golf (and the rest of the platforms) are bloody terrible for their door locks. The main issue are the wires between the pillars as they frey over time, or the whole module fails. I've repaired a few. And only recently fixed my passenger door which was deadlocked. That means ripping the doorcard off and cutting into the motor to whind back the deadlock. Not fun! But it can be fixed within an hour half/2 hours.

Usually you can unscrew the tip of the usb charger and you should find a small 5 amp fuse that blows quite easily. Just a thought

Yep. Door lock problems are a common VW issue. I have a Skoda Fabia mkI Estate myself and my locks are working for the moment. But I already downloaded the videos to prepare myself for the inevitable.:) Aside from that, these are great little cars. They are cheap. Which means they go bad from time to time. But at least they are cheap and relatively easy to fix. Plus I don't really need more to nip around in town.

You are inspirational my friend

Great help today. My Skoda Roomster boot locked on me. New part ordered from ebay. Many thanks.

hey buddy great show love it where did you get the ratchet screwdriver from that’s in this video thanks

Good video, good instructions, thank you 👍

Thank you for this - as a resut of watching your video I have managed to fix the tailgate lock of my wife's Citigo. The only real difference is the torx bolts are different. Took me 20 minutes to fix and only cost £14 plus my time as opposed to the £122 that a local garage quoted to do the job. Happy days!!

Yes I've got audi a6 2003 and had to change three door locks in 2years I'm thinking it's the Chinese motors tht they use I could be wrong ...keep up they good work oh yer wht is your main job you do for a living..👍👍👍

Great video my boot lock on my vag vw Passat on a 03 plate estate is starting to play up noticed in the comments it's though the vag range 😂

it's very popular my ford mondeo mk3 with german electrics and is a vw under the ford body and the rear passenger door central locking has failed it works but after you have unlocked the car you have to open from inside what could it be ?

Where was the long extension ratcheting screwdriver purchased from? Wouldn't mind one myself for my daily job!

You need a "long neck" USB charger for use on VAG cars, my daughter had the same issue. Worked OK in her older Ford Fiesta but not on a 3 year old A1. Dealer tipped us off about this

Hi yes I have a Skoda fabia and have the same problem with the boot. Thanks for the great video.

The driver's door lock mechanism in my Golf 6 2010 is a bit moody at times, as well. Checked it with a diagnostic software - throws an error code. But still works most of the time, so I'll let it be for now. The Start-stop system also shows error codes, but the ignition still works, so it doesn't bother me too much.

Thanks a lot for the instructional video!

James - Fabia bonnet release to the left of the passenger footwell is pulled to open. But sometimes, it then needs to be pushed back afterwards, otherwise bonnet won't latch.

Good video James, From an electronics engineer point of view, check the voltage where you expect it first and then work backwards. Eg, cigarette lighter has voltage, that proves that the wiring and fuses are all working so check external sources first and then go back from there.

Volkswagen fox. Very similar to the Fabias and polo 9ns have alot of broken manual book locks. Happens around the 80k mark usually.

Hi man!! Just an hint.. when you are changing fuses or need to replace one on the plastic trim there's a plastic tweezer that i find quite helpfull!! just an idea.. Great work, I'm sure you friend will love it!!

its nice to help friends out

My Ibiza estate (same age and mostly the same underneath as this Fabia) had the microswitch inside the switch assembly (behind the badge on a Seat) stop working. Was difficult to get apart, but managed eventually. I keep forgetting to buy a new microswitch, been using 2 wires crimped around the old pins off of the old microswitch for months now! To buy a new switch assembly was quite expensive for what it was. My latch assembly was stiff and I freed it up a lot by cleaning and greasing it, before I realised the switch was the problem on mine. Was the latch on this Fabia not fixable just by doing that?

nice job pal.. i wish i lived near you .

It's wonderful. Just I have qusestion. Why not to fix the lock instead of replaced? Is there any way to fix the locker? Thanks for this.

VAG's in general up until 2012 are notorious for these kind of issues (I've no experience so far with VAG's from this point onwards), most noticeable with the MK4 Golf and others across the range from this VAG era - door locks, boot locks and windows. The Golf MK5 / MK6 were improved but some still suffered and in particular with the bonnet release mechanism where if the bonnet hadn't been opened for sometime, the mechanism would seize and cause the cable that leads to the handle to split from the joint - that or you were able to get it open, it would not catch when trying to close it.

For your possible interest my Skoda Superb has the split tailgate arrangement, with the separate boot flap. In cold weather, the flap lock clicks when operated normally from the key, but the lid only goes up a fraction, remaining "half locked" I have to do it a second time, with my hand pulling up the lid, which then releases. The "spring mechanism" which should raise it completely the first time, is I believe, separate from the tailgate gas struts. I've not been into the mechanism yet and wondered whether anyone knows if the spring force is adjustable, since increasing the upward opening force a little, should cure the problem. Any advice appreciated a bunch.

The locks on VAG group cars are terrible! the number i have done is incredible, its always good fun getting into the door when its closed and locked solid.

My dad had a ford mondeo 1999 which had lock issues. He had the n/s rear door one replaced and then 3 months later the o/s rear door decided to pack in. I used to set the alarm off all the time as when it was locked you could still open the rear doors and he used too get pissed 😂

Best way to check a fuse is in situ. You can do a continuity test using the exposed parts on the back of the fuse

My girlfriends mums Passat had all the latches fail, a garage charged her 1400 for four door and a boot latch. I was on holiday at the time 🤦‍♂️ Great informative video. Just one thing to keep in mind, mixing some washer fluids can make them congeal and block the pump, pipes and nozzles. Keep up the good work bud.

Can you advise me please. Both my boot stop opening and my number plates lights? All was working fine . Thanks.

Good video. I know of 2 Up! and 1 Mii with failed boot door button switch failures (ie not the latch) - the switch unit kinda falls apart inside the boot door if the boot door is slammed too many times. Not good. New VW part is £60 and fairly easy to fit tho'.

I think its a common thing for CDL motors to go on most cars to be fair James just one of those things 🙂👍

Locks are known to go mate on my mk4 golf the alarm would go off and it also used to put the boot open warning lamp on , swapped the boot lock out for a new one and it worked , apparently the micro switches go inside the lock

As the owner of 4 VW's i can say that boot and door lock mechanisms are common faults. I've replaced 3 boot mechanisms and 4 door mechanisms. Also from when i owned a bmw i know certain 12v sockets are different and not all the plugs fit them all, One worked in all the VW's that i've owned perfectly but wouldn't work at all in my bmw but some others did and the cigarette lighter worked.

My wife has got a 2009 Fabia Sport and the 12v socket (Cig lighter) stopped working recently. The 'tangs' inside the metal housing had been pushed flat over time so USB socket was a sloppy fit and the connection was none existent. I pulled the tangs back out with a screwdriver and all is working well again now. The boot locks often fail on VAG cars due to the rear wiper/washer motor leaking fluid and frying the electrics on the boot lock (this happened on my 2009 Octavia VRS.....TWICE)

I’ve got a 2015 Octavia. I’ve had to change the fuel filler cap mechanism and on older ones the doors constantly stopped opening. They also have the dustiest engines ever. Mines has to get an engine bay hoover every couple of weeks. After 137k miles though and absolutely no major repairs I’m pretty happy with it.

Yep, VW products have a lot of latch/lock/door handle issues, expect to change door handles also.

If you press the cigarette lighter in, it should heat up, proving that it works. It used to in the old days, I wonder if it still actually works as a cigarette lighter these days? My Roomster boot lock catches sometimes, and takes a while to get it open. I am concerned that it is going to go sometime. Thanks for the tip about the screwdriver hole. I will try that today.

Good Morning, who did you use online to purchase the replacement lock, cheers ta...

Well done james

Passat used to get water in passenger footwell and all the body electrics would get wet as they were under the carpet. This caused central locking faults and alarm faults.

Seems to be common on German cars, I had a mk5 golf both rear doors wouldn’t unlock and also had issues with an 07 fabia

My 2004 Skoda Fabia estate has an issue with the rear boot catch. It wont open sometimes. It sounds like its engaging in the lock mechanism itself but just stops as if its siezed. It does eventually open with enough tries.

door locks and tailgate locks seem common on the VAG range.....done a video on an Ibiza door lock myself

Thanks mate!

I had two golfs mk5 both with central locking issues so yeah I think there is a thing on the german cars and their locking system.

Bril video mate, did you do one on drivers door as mines just gone on a fabia mkii 2013 . 113 000 miles on clock , my boot has always been temperamental but still works

I know it a common thing for vw locks to stick I used to work at a vw specialist garage and we did a few one we had to keep activating the lock while another person kept pulling the outside handle to get the door open before we could fit the new lock and I had to take the window and the regulator out to fit a proper pain

nice easy fix on a lovely low milage skoda

mines an 02 reg golf - it has all of the electrical gremlins. sometimes the key locks all doors and sometimes just the drivers. sometimes the same key lets it start and sometimes it doesnt communicate with the security immobiliser properly and cuts out. the windows dont go down unless i use the convenience to put them down, sunroof doesnt work, temp gauge works sometimes.... i can carry on lol

MY 2006 SKODA OCTAVIA HAD THE BOOT LOCK REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT LESS THAN A YEAR OLD.

Had exactly the same problem with my Fabia 2002 they charged me £250!!!! Pounds at kwik fit, NEVER TOOK the car back to them

Hi, yeah pretty common. I had a BMW 320 CI convertable and had a lock issue. Would lock but struggled to unlock. Then had a VW Golf MK 4 lock issue on a rear door, my current car Is a Golf MK 5. Door locks seem ok but 3 of the 4 doors throw up a fault something about a locking save motor fault. I have ignored it though as it all locks unlocks ok. So yeah German cars are great but def locking issues.

I have always found the the VW automotive group vehicles seam to be the worst when it comes to the reliability of door locks and mechanisms.

Thank you 👍

You should buy a car from Copart fix it and sell it on for a profit, Great content

Iv an o6 plate fabia vrs the boot also won't open on it, the front windows are electric and now they won't go down so I'm not sure if these issues are related or not

Hey bro Same problem with mk1 2007 Skoda Octavia rider 1.9tdi diesel. Boot got jammed. What is the cost of boot catch? Thank you

The copper contact in the bottom of cigarette sockets corrodes. Wrap a piece of sandpaper around a pencil ✏ (rubber end) and sand up the copper contact. Then use your finger to rub some Vaseline or grease on it to stop it corroding again. I bet that will solve your problem (made my usb charger work perfectly after months of trouble).

This is great thank you! I have a Citigo and the bolts that hold the latch in are slightly different. They have 12 slots instead of 6. While hunting around for the correct size screwdriver to get, I have come across the term "Triple Square". Just wondering if anyone knew what size these would be. I have checked the user manual, and scoured the internet

Where did you get the part from, I've tried buying a part already but it's the wrong 1 and all other sellers parts look the same lol

I had a seat leon with exactly the same problem with the boot. You will see alot of seat and VW with floppy badges at the back were boot has gone

Will it be the same method for a 2020 Fabia TSI?

VAG cars locks always go after a while...otherwise most things on them are pretty easy to change out and most share same parts and have similar layout so easyish to work on

Similar set up on the many Renaults - normally its the switch that fails due to water ingress

I have the same issue, apparently I need the original looker from TPS . I bought 1 from eBay but it didn't work .

My fabia co driver has door stucked....please advice how to open

My son has owned several Audi's and things like the window regulator's fail quite often. I think the problem lies with manufacturers sourcing out the smaller components (getting them on the cheap). Ive recently had my BMW off the road due to the egr cooler recall. Cheap parts originally from Korea apparently. A complete shambles with parts on order and cars off the road for weeks, shame on BMW.

YOU SHOULD GET A LITTLE SHOP FOR ALL YOUR CARS AND VIDS IN WINTER

Volkswagen has issues with Door Latches and Boot Latches pretty much since the Golf Mk4 (ca. 1998)

Have you repaired)replaced cigarette lighter in a Fabia Estate??