Buying Fabia VRS SE today

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Hi all! Just sold my mk6 golf GTD yesterday and buying a cheaper car today. I'm off to Falkirk to buy a fabia VRS se off one the forum members. vrs se no 748 with 57,000 on the clock, milltek, eibach springs etc. Are there any things to look out for on these cars? Had loads of VW's but never had a skoda.

Cheers John

[wilsonian]

Mainly the common faults. I've own mine from new and these are the issues I've had:

 

Door leaks on rear doors.

Replacement Console bushes (These are the wishbone rear bushes at the front of the car). Its hard to check with the car on the ground.

Passenger side door lock is on it's way out - makes a noise when moving

Alternator power cable snapped, car might fail to start (even turn over the engine).

Turbo seal leaking oil - this was picked up in the first year service, skoda repaired it and so far so good.

Fan resistor fail blowers only go on full or off. £10 replacement part but fiddly to re-fit.

 

I've also heard about issues such as stuttering (usual BLT engine issue, I haven't noticed it) and the rear washer pipe popping off in the boot causing water damage.

 

Then theres just the usual car buying checks. How much are you paying for it?

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Thanks for the info! I'm getting it for a fair price not the £6000+ that some people are demanding!

[sepulchrave]

Had loads of VW's but never had a skoda.

 

It is a VW, it's a Polo 9N in drag wearing a Skoda badge.

[mattbvRS]

The boost hoses on these are pretty rubbish, they often leak due to the connections. Simple enough fix with some zip ties or if you're a bit more adventurous self tapping screws.

 

I've had mine a year and half and not really had any issues other than the starter wire snapping, which again is a common issue and easily fixable. 

 

Couldn't really have chosen a better car for saving money while still being sporty looking and having a bit of grunt. Was exactly the reason I got one! It ticks all the boxes in that regard. 

[SEVrs]

Welcome to the SE club  :clap:

 

They're great little cars and I'm sure you'll enjoy yours.

 

Things to watch for (I've had two now with similar issues):

 

• rear door seals go after 4 or 5 years sometimes. Remove door cards (easy job), clean panels down with meths or similar and apply a decent width of Plumbers Gold sealant to lower joint to about half way up door, problem solved;
• Rear wash wipe: washer fails at the drop of a hat (rather the joint between pipe and underside of washer bottle or at the joint under rear of car) if plentiful screenwash concentrate isn't used in winter.  Never be tempted to skimp on at least a 25% solution to avoid this happening;
• Front suspension bushes probably could do with replacement about the same miles you have on the clock.  It cures a lot of knocking noises, improves handling and reduces tyre wear;
• If standard, the car has a tendency to pitch and roll into corners which is alarming if pushed too hard on occasion, due to the weight of that lardy 1.9 lump up front.  A rear anti-roll bar (Whiteline is good for £150) transforms the handling making things a lot better and safer;
•  Intercooler pipework frequently leaks gungy oil and needs cleaning off and the joint can need re-set if the problem persists;
• EGR can block with short trips, causing a loss of section for air flow and preventing EGR closing properly. It can cause engine stutter at lowish revs.  Best removed, cleaned, and replaced with blanking plate fitted at turbo manifold and EGR coded out of ECU.  Engine will run smoother, with better pick up, and better mpg in most cases.  EGRs are the spawn of satan.

Sort those main issues and you'll have something that'll run rings round most golf diesels with mild tuning.  You don't have to spend a fortune or go mad.  Even an "economy" tune on the ASZ engine delivers close on 165BHP without overstressing transmission, turbos, clutches or eating tyres (unlike full power remaps and a heavy right boot).

Edited 16 May, 2015 by SEVrs

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Managed 61.8 mpg on my 335 mile trip to work today!

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Car has quite a few extras. Eibach springs, whiteline rear arb, Milltek exhaust, poly wishbone bushes, cone filter in the air box, ebc grooved discs front and rear, alpine dab stereo with upgraded front alpine speakers and apline amp and sub woofer in a box. Also was 168bhp on rollers before shark map then 178bhp.

[Wet Kipper]

Don't forget the fading /peeling paint on the rear spoiler

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Spoiler has been painted!

[stevobeavo]

Rust on the boot is fairly common.

[DRJ]

Don't forget the fading /peeling paint on the rear spoiler

 

Yes - mine's just succumbed to that in the last few months - checking out on here what repainting is going to cost. Annoying!

[Jrjg]

Yes - mine's just succumbed to that in the last few months - checking out on here what repainting is going to cost. Annoying!

It will just need re-lacquering. Not re painting. Unless the paint underneath is badly effected?

Don't forget that as it is plastic it will be a slightly different shade/tone of blue to the panels. Also after relacquering the spoiler will go 'flat' (dull) and will require polishing (by machine ideally).

Still, it shouldn't need either should it really!

JRJG