Rob_T

Sounds like the PSB bushes are the way to go. I've seen some generic comparisons but none specific to this car. Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks for the quick reply hutchy. Do I take it you fitted standard ones, they failed, and then you installed the PBS ones? How long did the standard ones last? I'm a little anxious about reports of squeaking on poly bushes, I assume you don't have that problem. Do you remember where you got yours from?

Sorry to revive an old thread. To those of you who have tried non-standard bushings, now you've been driving a few months on them, how would you rate them? I'm trying to decide between fitting the PSB poly bushes and the Seat Cupra ones. It sounds like the PSB poly bushes are easier to fit and that's a huge plus for me! Thanks. (Seat cupra bushings thread: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/92625-fabia-wishbone-bush-replacement-diy-guide/)

Nah there was G30(Red) or G48(Blue) , The guy seemed to think they covered everything in existence and had never heard of G12. If nobody's sure then I prolly did the right thing to order the G12++ off of the internet (same price inc delivery so nothing lost). We'll soon see about the MPG but she certainly runs a hell of a lot smoother at 90. Bill, do you just do short journeys ? If not and your car heats up ok when in traffic with no erratic behaviour of the thermometer reading on the dash then I'd think it might be worth testing the thermostat incase its faulty. Haynes has tests for the part though don't have it to hand to tell you what they are I'm afraid. Thanks again everyone for the help :yes: Good job Jorilly came along with an improved part so it doesn't fail again

Might want to check everything is ok in your car before you head to sound proofing. If your wheel bearings are on their way it can make it sound like a noisy car engine (front) or exhaust blowing (rear bearings). I had no play in my rear wheel bearing and could only just hear it by rotating it quickly while jacked up, but at 70 mph it sounded horrendous! I've also heard the chain (in relevant models) can cause a huge noise issue. I've found that using premium petrol in my engine allows me to hit 70 with lower revs (about 100 - 200 less) and every little helps or an alternative to premium is to get normal petrol and put fuel injector cleaner in there. Cheap tyres can also cause road noise I believe. Don't know how much relevancy some of this has to diesels (I know there are equivalents to fuel injector cleaner etc) and I'm sure you've checked it all. Just thought I'd put it out there in case as my 1.3 MPi while it is noisey on the motor way turning the standard radio up a touch more than covers the noise of the engine at 70, its not noisey until about 85 - 90 ;-)

Wish you'd posted that a few hours earlier! That is a very very good idea ! I already emptied and did the job when I read this though! Don't scare me like that :-P All seems well, managed to wee out some coolant, wasn't expecting that much preassure! She now heats up nicely to 90 and I can't see any leaks from the drain plug. Had to order some G12 to top up as nobody around here sells it. Out of interest does anyone know if you can mix G12 with G30 ? (Both red) Thanks again for all the help :-) O just to add when I took the housing off, the metal bit (actual thermostat) inside was loose and not in position so I assume that was the problem (broken clip ?).

:-S Didn't mean to start an argument, Sorry ! Coolant was changed when I replaced my radiator about 18-24 months ago so should still be ok, though thanks for the suggestion. I'll empty my coolant and do it. Thanks for your help everyone :-)

Yeh it heats up when I rev as you would expect however driving with the engine at 70 instead of 90 seems to be a real kick in the teeth for performance and for fuel economy. (spending around 40 for what would normally cost 30-35). Being at the top of the engine was my theory for not emptying the coolant though wasn't sure how much I'd lose thanks for the info Rich, if its going to be 1.5 litres I guess I should empty the coolant first, guess I was just being lazy in trying to get away with not emptying it. Thanks for the advice :-D

Hi GentleGiant, as I say it doesn't go much above 70 degrees during normal driving though I'm pretty sure it should be at 90 degrees. Just wanted to make sure when I change it I don't waste all my coolant. :-)

Hi, I've found my 1.3 MPi Felicia doesn't heat up during normal driving even after an hour its barely above 70 though if I sit and rev it stationary it does go up. Had a read around on here and it seems that means its the thermostat. Going to order a MK 2 version thermostat from jorilly so it doesn't matter if the clips are broken. Though I'm unsure if I actually need to empty the coolant system or not, Haynes says I do, though drain plugs aren't included in the jorily kit which makes me think I don't need to ? any help or advice would be appricated. :-D

It was a while ago I did it now, but if I remember correctly, I put the engine into 5th gear then had a friend step on the brake while it was tightened. If I need to press the foot brake and do something myself I often use a large golf umbrella and fold the seat as far forward as possible. Wedging the umbrella between the pedal and the seat. Heavy objects do just as well I'm sure :-D

Yeh, so it seems certainly learnt a lot about repairing cars in the 10 months I've owned flick . My coolant has got low enough that there was only a drizzle in the bottom, my bottle is not very easy to see through which makes life a little awkward though. Thought if I was getting gunk in the oil cap that would be where the coolant was going ? The creaking noise only occurs when the shock changes in height so thought that would be linked ? Can I spray some silicon grease or something in the cup to see if that solves it or onto the shiny metal of the shock ? The creaking seems to insult the slightly larger person when the car creaks with them in it so figured I'd try and fix it. Cheers for the reply

Wow ! A lot faster than I thought. Thanks for a great guide.

I lose a very small amount of coolant, have to top it up about 200ml every 2 - 3 weeks and have a have a tiny dolop of mayo (about the amount you'd have with your chips but its light brown and thick rather than white and thick) on the oil cap. No oil in the coolant and the dip stick oil looks the right colour. I do drive short journeys a lot in which the poor car only just gets up to temperature which I thought may cause the mayo before I noticed the coolant dropping. What do you guys think ? Head gasket? Also I have a nasty creaky noise if I have any passengers in the back of my car, I get the same noise if I jack the car up/lower the car at the rear can I put oil or lithium grease on the silver shiny part of the strut to stop the noise ? Any help is much appriciated

How long did it take you to change the head gasket roughly ?