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Mike Austin

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Interests
    Buddhism, technology
    Work for Airbus on wing stress analysis methods
  • Location
    Bristol, UK

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  • Model
    Skoda Fabia 2.0i Elegance 04/2005 (35.3 ave mpg)

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  1. I have just traded in the best car I have ever had - my Fabia Elegance 2.0i, bought nearly thirteen years ago in April 2005. It had covered over 126,000 miles and was very comfortable, reliable and a joy to drive. It was my second 2.0i - I traded the old one for the new one after two years. I was beginning to get concerned that something major could go wrong. There was a slight creaminess in the oil inside thr rocker cover at one point - maybe temporary due to the weather, who knows? I have replaced the Fabia with a one year old Polo Blue GT with 6,000 miles on the clock. The body shape fits in my small garage, whereas new Polos and Fabias do not fit. I would have preferred a new Fabia if it were smaller and if there were one with a bit of poke in. My Fabia averaged 35.2mpg. Over the last 25,000 miles, the running costs were 26.6p comprising maintenance 4.4p, tax/MOT 2.9p, insurance/breakdown 3.2p, fuel 16.0p. When I write off the cost of the car over the 126,000 miles, it cost 38.1p/mile. I am expecting another 10mpg out of the Polo on average. Factoring in higher parts and service costs over a ten year life, it will cost 38.9p/mile. Not much difference. The Polo is on £20 road tax (March 2017) whereas the Fabia had been hiked to £240 over the years! The Polo handles better than the Fabia, of course, but not quite such a comfortable ride. The Polo is noisier in some respects and quieter in other respects compared to the Fabia. The engine is quieter - particularly at high revs - but there is more of a rolling noise from the wheels/tyres/axles. I put this partly down to tyres because it has low rolling resistance tyres and they are also lower profile. There is a noticeable advantage when I take my foot off the accelerator - it just keeps rolling without much slowing down! There is a lot of electrical gadgetry and silver trim on the dashboard. I so much preferred the subdued, all-black dashboard on the Fabia. Then the Polo wheels will be a swine to clean. The Fabia wheels had a simple and easy to clean. On the outside, the Fabia was a Q-car with no obvious signs of extra power. I will probably debadge the Polo. I have not been coming to this forum recently, but I spent some time here when I first got the Fabia. I hope I can find a Polo forum where the members are equally as friendly and knowledgeable.
  2. I get that mileage from my rear tyres, but I have never achieved it from the front tyres on any car that I have had over the last 35 years (2 Fabia 2.0i and 3 Golf GTIs). The very first set of fronts were changed at 19,900 miles, which obviously included some running in. They were Dunlop SP2020. I now run Firestone TZ300. Do you swap your tyres round?
  3. I have checked with a local VW specialist that has the Hunter Alignment equipment. It seems that the alignment and camber adjustment via the sub frame is going to cost £80+VAT, so it will pay for itself when I have reached about 180k miles (or 4-5 years). That is assuming it can be exactly balanced. I don't imagine I will still have the car then, so I guess it is best left as it is.
  4. For me, information is of value if I can do something with it. £45+ will not be wasted if the alignment can be corrected. That is what I hope to find out before spending the money. At the moment, I estimate that I have wasted maybe £40 on unnecessary tyre wear over about 42,000 miles. Bearing in mind the high mileage of 120k, it is debatable whether there will be a net saving before the car's end of life. As it happens, I have no worries about how the car drives and handles at the monent. It is only the asymmetric tyre wear.
  5. Thanks. That was interesting. What I had done was not accurate only because the rear tyres were used to hang the instrumentation, not the rims. So the toe is probably OK but the camber is clearly not right. I could book it in for a Hunter Alignment, but if the camber cannot get adjusted suitably, it would be £45 down the drain. I need to check what they can do before booking it in.
  6. What is a 'proper' four wheel alignment? When I had my tracking checked yesterday, it involved attaching measuring equipment to all four wheels. Was this 'proper'?
  7. Thanks for your replies. The car has done nearly 120K miles. I had the console bushes replaced at 73345 miles. Since then, I have got through a pair of front tyres from 60758-78510=17752 miles, 78510-90054=11544 miles, 90054-107345=17291 miles and lastly 107345-119786=12441 miles. There was one damaged tyre replaced at 68830 miles. Although the history is not entirely consistent, the last two sets lasted 17291 and 12441 miles - both being a long time after the console bush replacement. I had the offside CV boot replaced at 92143 miles and I had new front discs at 102033 miles. Can console bushes 'move around' due to such work?
  8. I had to buy a new front offside tyre today due to wear on the inside - after just 12,500 miles. I usually get about 17,000 miles. There was hardly any noticeable asymmetric wear on the front nearside tyre. I had the tracking checked and it was fine. I have roughly checked the camber using straight edges and a level and it appears that the nearside is more-or-less vertical while the offside is leaning maybe 10mm in (measured at the rim). What can be done about this? How much can the sub frame be moved to accommodate asymmetry?
  9. Had an EPC light on my dash (Mk1 Fabia). Reckoned it was the brake light switch. Motorline Canterbury were a couple of miles away. They did a diagnostic test and verified it. I wanted to buy the part and fit it myself (I live in Bristol). They did not have it but found one a mile away and arranged for me to collect it. No charge for the diagnostic. Great Service!
  10. Thanks for this! Initially had the brake pedal down/up problem, but it worked when it was up. The part I bought was VW part 6Q0 945 511. It was not all black - there was some white on the plunger.
  11. I just had cam belt, water pump and alternator belt fitted plus a service at my local garage (non-dealership). Parts £222.38, labour £260 plus VAT - total £574. I asked for the old belts and pump, just out of interest. There was no noticeable waer on cam belt or pump. The bearings were not loose and the blades were not pitted. The alternator belt had a cut across most of the ridges, but it looks like damage caused when removing it. The car has done 111,460 miles. The last cam belt replacement was by the dealer at 44,000 (probably much too soon). The lack of any signs of wear indicates to me that these cam belts are durable and long lasting.
  12. Yes, I had seen that. I have just put Nigel's SDi in graph form: He has a better average per mile cost (3.8p vs my 5.1p), but it is shooting up after 240,000 mile (9.0p vs my 6.7p). So I had better start watching out after the next 129,000 miles!
  13. Mike Austin

    Running costs

  14. I think the recirculation flap sticks from time to time - but not a problem. I have no leaks in the car as far as I can see. Console bushes were replaced at 73,000 miles. I have my second new heater resistor pack to fit (the previous one failed on fan speed 1 after two years). So, fit a new cam belt / water pump and roll on the next 111, 000 miles then?
  15. Thanks. At the fourth service in 2009, the dealer included a new cam belt (at only 44,000 miles!) at the total cost of £448. I go local now, so I should expect less. Repairs and maintenance over the 11 years and 111,000 miles has only been £2000, which I think is good. Here are my running costs: I am just aware that the repair costs could begin to tilt upwards at this sort of mileage.
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