Calling all 3 cyl 1422cc TDI Pilots - Greenline & Standard models

[Guest]

Now I know the 1422cc 3 cylinder Fabia's don't have issues, but there is one thing that has bugged me about mine over the last few months. I understand this may affect a few others too. I'm talking about a seriously noisy reverberation/rattle from the passenger dashboard side...near the airbag upper glove box area. It's engine revs related and occurs on light or no throttle usually around the 1500rpm range either going up or going down in revs, and if you linger in that area as in town work it will drive you crazy. Sometimes it's loud and sometimes just a slight rattle. Those of you that have it will know what I mean. It's not the glove box doors or hinges as many of us have been thinking. Many of us have searched relentlessly in the dashboard area both under it, behind it, and along it. I've taken out the glove box internal panel and looked behind but there's nothing to rattle anywhere. I've been all over the engine bay looking for pipes rattling against the bulkhead, underneath the car, but nothing. It's been a mystery.

Not able to do much physical stuff at the moment, I called into my Skoda dealers and asked if a technician was free to take a look. A cheerful chappie at Underwoods Colchester, my dealers, appeared and we promptly went out for a spin. He said it was unusual for anyone to request a trip out with a techie as nothing ever went wrong with the Fabia Estate 1.4TDI. Feeling somewhat smug at this, I told him that I secretly knew that. However, he soon realised there really was a reverberating rattly sound coming from the dash in the airbag area. We stopped, he examined and did all the things I had done. He crawled around under the dash and in the engine bay, he touched everything in sight, almost, but to no avail. We revved it and drove it some more, he stood on his head and I drove backwards and climbed to high altitude, then did a loop the loop and dived down again, but nothing! I booted it to 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds!! (only joking!) but still nothing. We drove back to the dealership with long faces, mines like that anyway!!! He said we better book it in for a longer visit. But just before he went, he popped the bonnet one last time and got me to rev the engine some more and hold it at 1500rpm. Then guess what? We could hear the noise but it just wasn't clear where it was coming from, so in order to hear it more clearly he leaned into the engine bay and in doing so placed a hand on the AIR INDUCTION PIPE where it joins the front grill/scuttle area. Immediately, the noise stopped!! Bloody brilliant...success! AT LAST...WE KNEW WHAT WAS CAUSING IT.

The problem was simply the air induction pipe from the air filter box where it goes into the front scuttle housing. It's a tolerance fit and can start to rattle in the female housing that joins the front scuttle. It may do this after a service when the pipe may be disturbed, mine did. It's held in by four locating lugs. These lugs are not designed to actually hold the pipe (the male part) tightly in the female part, just retain it. It can't come out or cause any problems except the rattle. But the noise travels around the front scuttle, into the bulkhead and makes it sound as if it's the dashboard that has something inside it that's rattling loudly. The noise gets amplified as it travels and you think it's something really loose or about to drop off something, somewhere.

THE CURE: withdraw the male pipe from the female housing part, clean the area, then apply some fuzzy tape (one side/part of velcro tape does it) to one side of the male pipe were it inserts into the female part, and the problem is cured permanently. Just make sure it sticks firmly by cleaning the area very well first. Your male part will then be a very firm fit into the female part of the housing and stops the reverberation/rattle. Phew!!

Hope you all understand what I'm going on about. Below is a very unprofessional photo or two showing the part I am talking about. You will note some temporary tape over the lugs, used during an experiment to prove a cure. I now drive around without any annoying rattle (engine excepted...I love that PD sound! lol). Hope it helps someone. Cheers buds!

Induction pipe where it meets the scuttle housing

A better look at the problem area

IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: it's come to light since starting this thread some other models of the Fabia (petrol engined) are experiencing the above noise irritation and can be cured using the same or similar method as outlined above. However, do be careful whether petrol or diesel to make sure that after fitting of any sticky type tape...do make sure the locating lugs engage properly in the outer housing. On some models especially petrol engines, it seems the induction pipe is linked to part of the engine and as such will have movement and stress placed upon it whilst driving. If the lugs don't engage properly, the induction pipe could be pulled out of the outer housing whilst driving with potentially disastrous results.

Edited 9 January, 2011 by Estate Man

[raisbeck]

OOOOOHH

I shall investigate this first thing tomorrow morning and report back !!!

Many years ago I had a vauxhall astra..........it made horrific noises, culprit was the induction pipe to the grill

Edited 7 January, 2011 by raisbeck

[The Plumber]

Hi Estate Man,

interesting; my son's Fabia I HTP has a similar problem to that you describe :wonder: Been wondering if it was a loose heat shield, however despite a different design shape the induction pipe connects in the same fashion and position. So this is now the prime suspect I feel.

Many thanks,

TP

[lemonvrs]

Mine turned out to be the passenger airbag cover, dealer said its been a known issue from the very start. They used some insulation tape in a few places and its sort of cured it. Just need to find all the other rattles now

[Guest]

Mine turned out to be the passenger airbag cover, dealer said its been a known issue from the very start. They used some insulation tape in a few places and its sort of cured it. Just need to find all the other rattles now

Hi Lemon, it might just be worth a look at that front scuttle air pipe location housing if you still have some rattle from the dash. My neighbour up the road has just seen my post and quickly went out to his Fabia estate and touched the very pipe I'm on about and it's stopped his rattle dead! He too had tape put under his airbag lid by the dealer which modified the sound but didn't stop it. So I think the airbag thing for some people may be a red herring. I've just put another link to a better piccy in my post to help. On petrol engines, because the engine is much smoother it won't rattle in quite the same way but some noise will be there I bet. I remember it being a problem on other customer vehicles too years ago but I forgot all about it with time. Bottom line is most manufacturers set the air induction fairly high up on the front to protect against water induction, but it may rattle. See what you think.

[horkin]

Nice write up Estate Man and sure to save a lot of people a huge amount of time and worry. I had read in the Fabia reviews prior to buying mine, that they were prone to 'dash rattles'. Maybe they too were fooled by the induction pipe problem. Simple. not serious but these noises can really do your head in, so nice one mate...

[raisbeck]

Hi Lemon, it might just be worth a look at that front scuttle air pipe location housing if you still have some rattle from the dash. My neighbour up the road has just seen my post and quickly went out to his Fabia estate and touched the very pipe I'm on about and it's stopped his rattle dead! He too had tape put under his airbag lid by the dealer which modified the sound but didn't stop it. So I think the airbag thing for some people may be a red herring. I've just put another link to a better piccy in my post to help. On petrol engines, because the engine is much smoother it won't rattle in quite the same way but some noise will be there I bet. I remember it being a problem on other customer vehicles too years ago but I forgot all about it with time. Bottom line is most manufacturers set the air induction fairly high up on the front to protect against water induction, but it may rattle. See what you think.

Just had a good ole rummage about in my engine bay. Everything seems good and tight at the moment so my occasional rattle sounds more like the airbag as suggested.

I couldnt quite see precisely what part you are talking about. There is a flexible host that attaches to a sort of scuttle insert thats held in by the clips you have taped on the scuttle body. Are you referring directly to the flexible pipe itself where it attaches to the scuttle insert ? This part is just a 'push on' type fit.

Now the weather has warmed up a lot of my liitle rattles dissapeared.

[Guest]

I apologies Raisbeck for my pathetic photo's...they don't help much to identify the exact area. I'm not meaning the section of induction pipe that just pushes onto the front scuttle induction mounting, but the bit where that induction section with the pipe attached fits into the female scuttle housing that's bolted to the scuttle. The locating lugs (where I've put the tape on mine temporarily) don't actually hold the two sections together tightly, they just locate the two parts together leaving enough room for some very small amount of movement. Being a diesel engined car, this has enough vibration at certain revs to set up this heavy reverberation that manifests itself as a nasty irritating noise inside the car on the passenger side airbag area. I don't have any clips holding mine together, just four locating lugs that require gentle use of a screwdriver to tease the male part out of the female part...Ouuuch!!!!

[raisbeck]

I apologies Raisbeck for my pathetic photo's...they don't help much to identify the exact area. I'm not meaning the section of induction pipe that just pushes onto the front scuttle induction mounting, but the bit where that induction section with the pipe attached fits into the female scuttle housing that's bolted to the scuttle. The locating lugs (where I've put the tape on mine temporarily) don't actually hold the two sections together tightly, they just locate the two parts together leaving enough room for some very small amount of movement. Being a diesel engined car, this has enough vibration at certain revs to set up this heavy reverberation that manifests itself as a nasty irritating noise inside the car on the passenger side airbag area. I don't have any clips holding mine together, just four locating lugs that require gentle use of a screwdriver to tease the male part out of the female part...Ouuuch!!!!

Aha !

Now we are getting somewhere. When you said 'pipe' I assumed you meant something round

The pipe you are referring to then is actually square, or rectangular. I forget now but its dark and cold outside so I will just guess rather than check. By adding the tape to one side you mean one edge of the part that 'clips' or 'locates' in the the female housing. Indeed that part on mine is quite wobbly. To fit the tape you need to gently prise out the inner box part that locates via the four lugs in to the female scuttle body. Then attach the tape to one side of the male part to effectively remove any slack.

As I am cleaning the car tomorrow I will take another look.

[lemonvrs]

I will have a look at mine to be sure, thanks for the heads up... brilliant site this. But my other rattle is from the drivers side dash. Seems to be from the air vent area as is if press around that area is stops, even if I put my finger between the door and dash it stops.

[raisbeck]

I will have a look at mine to be sure, thanks for the heads up... brilliant site this. But my other rattle is from the drivers side dash. Seems to be from the air vent area as is if press around that area is stops, even if I put my finger between the door and dash it stops.

Mines the same. If I wedge my finger between the dash and the pillar it stops. I may put in a little block of rubber to see if it helps

[lemonvrs]

It does for a while, but it starts again. It has to be airvent related or maybe the headlight switch?

[Guest]

Aha !

Now we are getting somewhere. When you said 'pipe' I assumed you meant something round

The pipe you are referring to then is actually square, or rectangular. I forget now but its dark and cold outside so I will just guess rather than check. By adding the tape to one side you mean one edge of the part that 'clips' or 'locates' in the the female housing. Indeed that part on mine is quite wobbly. To fit the tape you need to gently prise out the inner box part that locates via the four lugs in to the female scuttle body. Then attach the tape to one side of the male part to effectively remove any slack.

As I am cleaning the car tomorrow I will take another look.

Indeed, you have homed in on the part exactly. Sorry my explanation hasn't been very precise. My part wiggled about too but not very much and yet it made quite a noise inside the cabin. You could hear it above the radio at times and always when driving slowly in the 1500 rpm range. If your pipe wiggles about too, then I bet at some point it may be causing some noise of some kind. There is no need for any movement in that coupling as you can see, since the actual induction pipe travels between two 'fixed' points, the airbox and the front scuttle induction housing.

[The Plumber]

Hi again Estate Man,

top tip that, thanks very much

Fitted a strip of sticky back 'soft side' Velcro (from Boyes; 50p for 50cm) this morning before nipping into town; noise now well and truly banished

Regards,

TP

[Guest]

Hi again Estate Man,

top tip that, thanks very much

Fitted a strip of sticky back 'soft side' Velcro (from Boyes; 50p for 50cm) this morning before nipping into town; noise now well and truly banished

Regards,

TP

Splendid TP...well done, and thanks for posting back with a result. Oh...just keep an eye on it for a few days to make sure your male part doesn't drop out of the female housing. If that were to happen you don't want to start inducting water into the engine on a rainy day that could be disastrous if the pipe is hanging down low in the engine bay. Just be sure the lugs are still engaging properly and the tape doesn't interfere with that process. The pipe in your photo is not a statically mounted version and will get some pressure on it, so properly engaged lugs is important.

Edited 9 January, 2011 by Estate Man

[The Plumber]

Splendid TP...well done, and thanks for posting back with a result. Oh...just keep an eye on it for a few days to make sure your male part doesn't drop out of the female housing. If that were to happen you don't want to start inducting water into the engine on a rainy day if the pipe is hanging down low in the engine bay. Just be sure the lugs are still engaging.

Thanks for the advise, will keep an eye on it

Regards,

TP