Rear screen washer - vRS

[jeffmaddin]

Had my black beauty a couple of months now and the rear screen washer has stopped working. Or more to the point, it's not working properly.

I think a pipe has come loose behind the big plastic cover of the tailgate. I can hear the motor going and then water appears to seep from the bottom of the cover into my boot. So using my Sherlock Holmes 'like' powers of deduction, A pipe must be disconnected around the wiper blade mechanisium?!?!?

I could and probably should take it back to the dealer to sort, but has anyone removed a tailgate cover before? I've had a little tug, but don't want to damage anything. If it's quite an easy job I'll remove it myself and fix problem as I don't want to part with the vRS for any length of time unless absolutely neccessary!

I've read on another thread that this has been a problem on Fabia's mostly, with pipes becoming disconnected at various points on the car......strange eh?!?!?!?

[robmawer]

The tailgate cover comes off easy enough - it's clipped in by small clips around the

edges. However, I'd recommend it as a two person job due to the unwieldy nature

of the cover, and the fiddliness of the clips.

Sounds to me like the hose behind it has come disconnected - mine was like that

when I bought it, took me two weeks to figure that I should actually have a rear

washer...

Rob.

[devonutopia]

I had the rear washer hose pop off under my bonnet. I could also hear the motor running, but all I got was a trickle of liquid dribbling out behind one of the front wheels. It turned out that the cold has a habit of popping off these hoses, and mine was re-attached free of charge by the dealer, and I should think they secured it a bit better than the factory did...

[GAFF]

jeffmaddin,

I have an RS and mine came off a few weeks ago.

Open the bot lid, on the lock side of bootlid pull either side of the plastic down. It is held in by 2/3 plastic type fittings (they go in and out easy as it has "fins" to keep it in place). Just pull it down a bit as the side connected to the glass is also conected.

The plastic (beside the glass) has 4/5 metal type fittings holding it in place, this has to be pull parallel to the glass as they fit onto part of the metal in the bootlid.

As Robmawer says its really a person job, especially when putting it on, and don't forget to feed throughthe strap to close boot before reassembling.

I suppose you could tie wrap it on so it won't come off but then it could break off somewhere else the next time and that may be harder to get to.

Hope this helps.

[jeffmaddin]

Thanks guys, I'll have ago.

[ncarring]

One of the things I really miss is a rear screen wiper - mine doesn't have one. Is it available as an after-sales option?

[devonutopia]

I'm not sure I'd cope without a rear screen wiper, as I'm always bloody looking out of it to check I'm not being tailed by some copper. Also comes in handy when reversing (I like it when you hit reverse with front wipers on, and it automatically gives you a rear wipe - very nice feature) - I could probably reverse by wingmirror, but if its raining, they normally have beads of water on too - so I much prefer the old left hand behind the passenger headrest and looking back method.

[DGW]

One of the things I really miss is a rear screen wiper - mine doesn't have one. Is it available as an after-sales option?

Doesn't the hatchback's wiper shaft/spindle come through the rear glass as on the Estate? If so it would be a very expensive mod to fit.

[ncarring]

Ouch! :eek: I didn't realise it worked like that!

[jeffmaddin]

(I like it when you hit reverse with front wipers on, and it automatically gives you a rear wipe - very nice feature)

Is my rear wiper supposed to do that?!?!?....I'm sure it doesn't.....will have to check that out.

[devonutopia]

Obviously the Fabia is a vastly superior motor car to the Octavia...haha The first time it did it, I was so surprised I nearly forgot to reverse into the carpark spot. Once in though I had a bit of standstill play with the clutch in, and going into reverse, into neutral, into reverse.... whilst watching the rear-wiper... Its a bit sad what I'll do when I discover a new toy.

[robmawer]

I seem to recall reading about it in the Octavia manual. Never noticed it though, but

then anyone who's looked out the rear window of an Octavia will appreciate that

there is no point in doing so, and that mirrors are much more useful!

Rob.

[jeffmaddin]

HHHMmm....I've started another thread about this (rear wiper working when in reverse). I agree with you Rob, reversing with my mirrors most of the time, plus the bonus of parking sensors it's a piece of p*ss. Just bothered I might have something not working that should!

[devonutopia]

My parking sensor is that small thud when you gently nudge into the wall / car / pedestrian that gets in your way. I do like the idea of having a proper sensor though (I'd like one to measure how far my alloys are from the kerb - I'm paranoid about scratching them, to the point I'll parallel park about a foot away from the kerb sometimes

[jeffmaddin]

I'm the same with my wheels....bloody nightmare! hee...hee!

[DGW]

I have some very expensive varifocal glasses which make it impossible to park parallel to the kerb, or to park straight in a parking slot (unless driving a car with the steering wheel in the centre, eg the McLaren). When I do park at what looks like the right distance from the kerb, the wheels stand absolutely no chance of getting kerbed and I have to remind passengers to be careful not to step into puddles....

(Varifocals are fine except for driving or going down escalators or stairs).

[devonutopia]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one worried about parking and damaging certain exposed parts of my car (especially when they're only 3 weeks old) - I have to wear glasses for driving, but I'm lucky that my Dad is very short-sighted, and my Mum is very long-sighted. I seem to have evolved somewhere in the middle, and am only slightly short-sighted. I only need cheap glasses to see distance clearly (passed my test without glasses, but was advised to go for an eyetest, when I "mounted" a kerbed roundabout in Exeter

[DGW]

but was advised to go for an eyetest, when I "mounted" a kerbed roundabout in Exeter

Misprint? Did you mean to say driving test, Jason?

[ZootyRS]

Originally posted by DGW in this post

Doesn't the hatchback's wiper shaft/spindle come through the rear glass as on the Estate? If so it would be a very expensive mod to fit.

Yes it does come through the glass on the hatch.

I noticed that the rear wiper was an option in Ireland rather than standard. Presumably this is a factory fit option. If it is dealer fit, then you should be able to get it done.

[devonutopia]

When the roundabout incident happened, I had only been driving for under a year, but it still worried me (but worried my passenger even more ). As it happened my actual driving test went very well, although the sadistic bast**d made me do my emergency stop on a 1:4 uphill gradient, just so he could see my handbrake start. I did a perfect start and muttered something unmentionable under my breath - or at least something that if I mentioned in here I would most likely get modded by Colin for foul language... (would you, Colin?) :soapbox:

[giandougl]

14/01/2009

I have a Fabia VRS 2005, and trying to find whether the washer pump in the engine bay feeds the rear and the front washer jets, or, whether there is also a rear washer pump?

Got perfect washer spray at front but water only reaches mid screen at rear in a very weak squirting attempt.

Have read pipes can disconnect both at the rear and engine bay areas. If there is a rear pump does it have its own reservoir.

[David 8]

14/01/2009

I have a Fabia VRS 2005, and trying to find whether the washer pump in the engine bay feeds the rear and the front washer jets, or, whether there is also a rear washer pump?

Got perfect washer spray at front but water only reaches mid screen at rear in a very weak squirting attempt.

Have read pipes can disconnect both at the rear and engine bay areas. If there is a rear pump does it have its own reservoir.

Try posting this in the fabia section mate you'll get more help as this thread is predominantly octy related.