jme808

Had my track rod ends done on Weds this week - noise from 3,500 or thereabouts and work done at 6,000. They (Blade Bristol) gave me paperwork for the work carried out without me requesting it.

I've not had a license for 3 years or so now. I've been told as long as I don't watch live TV I don't need one by the licensing agency. They did suggest I needed to disconnect my TV from the ariel which I had already done - they're always fine when I contact them. It's the same old crap on TV - celebrity not as famous as I want to be island bake-off dancing on ice in the jungle. Am hapy with Netflix and the occassional box set from amazon, and am saving about £50 a year overall. I really don't miss it. I did have someone come to my door about 2 years ago wanting to ask me about what TV programmes I watch - she turned up on a Sunday morning at 11am. She had apparently travelled from Cardiff to Bristol especially to see me, but would not confirm that she worked for the licensing people (I was in an area known for weird scams at the time). Didn't let her in do don't know if it was related or not...

Thermostat for the radiator? Locate it, and cross the wires - should activate the fan. If this works, but the fan doesn't come on when the engine is running hothot this would be my first guess... Never tried this on a fabia though, only old bangers!

My car is on variable servicing which is dandy, but I will be changing the oil and filter mid-dealer change (so likely every 7.5k miles or so. From what I understand this shouldn't interfere with anything in the car as the oil life is calculated from driving style, not an actual oil used-ness sensor or anything. So, I'm just wondering if it would be best to stick with variable spec oil and if anyone has used an extractor on this engine to change the oil from the top? - worked a treat on my 1.6TDi but the dipstick seems a lot shorter on the 1.2 and I know some engines don't take the reading from the sump.

In fact... http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/skoda/fabia/postcode/bs14ua/radius/1501/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/sort/default/maximum-age/up_to_2_years_old/engine-size-cars/1l_to_1-3l/maximum-mileage/up_to_5000_miles/fuel-type/petrol/body-type/hatchback/seller-type/trade_adverts There are a few very similar to the car I think you're describing on these listings... If the link works that is...

Some Fabs are on variable servicing which is different from the old 12 months / 10k formula - the car will have a service now message on if it's due - you can check how many miles / days are left until the next service is due. The brakes will be fine - they always have a little layer of rust when not driven for a few days - a drive or two will clear them off. Some Fabs don't have a spare - you can buy them seperately or just do without and get breakdown cover. Have a look at autotrader for prices of what's around - you can pay for Parkers but they're not always accurate. 70hp is fine, but won't be sporty! I beleive the chain issues were sorted by 2013? You'll still have some Skoda warranty left on the car too.

I've worked at Portbury for the importers (Toyota & Lexus, Fiat & Alpha mainly) - some of them are moved around a lot while at the docks. Most guys there were really nice, some thought they were rally drivers. There were quite a few write offs in the short time I was working there. They normally got to the docks with 3 or 4 miles on the clock, and went through having radios put in (I guess every country has a different unit or setup or summit...) and some other checks. Massive waste for some cars - the Lexus GS400s that came with in had a new set of tyres put on the car at the docks - the 'used' tyres (all brand new bar 5 miles or so) were shredded, the cars then taken to dealers on transporters.

What sort of mileage is it on? I've had similar from brakes in the past also - caliper bolts not done up correctly, and movement from the pads.

Last time I checked, Skoda were actually pretty competitive, £399 incl the water pump. http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed/pages/default.aspx I only know of any indies in Bristol, they were VW mainly and quoted £450 for the same job.

In the middle cubby hole yes, there is a rubber cover for the cup holder so they could be easily hidden - or would not be visible at all if you went for the genuine part instead. I'm sure you could get / cut some dimply rubber to cover them though. Or just stuff it full of sweet wrappers...

So, just to update for any future searchers... It's in, all good. Is quite wobbly compared to the Genuine part, this seems to be because it only attaches to the plastic of the console between the front seats, not to the chassis like the genuine part. It also appears shorter, so great because you can use the handbrake easier, but if you're a shorter person and have the seat forward you may be perching on the edge a lot more... or may not make use of it at all if you've got the seat all the way forward. It's bigger on the inside too. Than the genuine part that is, not like a TARDIS or anything... Anyhow, thanks for the tips. I'd be happy spending a few quid more for attachments that fixed this to the chassis, but am happy with it for the price, and is as comfortable as the genuine for me. Also - if you fit one of these, I suggest you drill some pilot holes for the screws. Makes life much easier!

Oh I'm used to it now, I seem to be a magnet for weird dings - had a Mondeo years ago, first weekend of owning it I went to a park to walk the dog and parked away from everyone else to be safe - someone flew a kite into it and dinged the roof... It's not too bad, might try to polish it out but it's not bad enough to rust so will probably just leave it. I'd never keep up if I tried to keep it like new all the time.

Chars - much better than the swing in terms of choice and reception! I could only ever get a small number of stations with the swing unit for some reason, and lost signal alot as I do a fair bit of mileage, am in the process of putting god knows how many Gb of audiobook onto a memory card to see how that works... The Nav is useful for me too. I managed 2 days before someone marked the side though... ah well, had to happen some time.

PIcked up yesterday. Will miss my Fabia scout, but was time (and mileage) for a change. Am looking forward to getting to know it.

Thanks chaps - will update when installed (might be a few weeks though). Not worried about putting it in, I like a tinker... Thanks for the pic though, should make it easier to get inserts out etc. Oh - the dealer quoted £130 (normally £140) to supply just in case anyone was thinking of getting one! I've already paid deposit and done the deal as it were so not worried - actually interested to see the cheapo one now to compare quality.

Thanks all for the responses - I've got some money in my Paypal account at the moment, so I'll give the £50 one a shot and see how it compares to the OEM. If it's not so good then I'll chuck it back on ebay and get the OEM.

That's the OEM part Jonro.

This is what I was going on: http://www.theskodashop.co.uk/product/Centre_Arm_Rest_%28Fabia_08%3E14%29_DAO700001 (apologies Admin if I shouldn't post this link). If it's £170 I'll def go with the ebay one I think, as it's worth the risk...

I've been looking at that one - it's about a third of the price and does look to be a bit more comfortable than the original Skoda part. Am waiting to hear back from the dealer to see what price they can do one for (I'm guessing £150).

Wiperblades.co.uk for me. Prices have been good, delivery to my door and always fitted well.

I'm switching from my Diesel Scout to a nearly brand spanking new petrol Fabia Black estate. It's got lots of stuff that I want, but no arm rest - the Skoda armrest in the car going in for exchange is brilliant, but is a little hard and has worn quite alot in the 2 years I've had the car. I'm likely going to buy the skoda rest and fit myself, as a look on previous posts suggests that most others are a bit pants for various reasons - not fitting well and being bouncey etc. I'm just wondering if anyone has a non Skoda armrest on their Mk 2 Fabia that they're happy with?

Does it have an aftermarket air filter? Could explain the louder than normal tubro noise. Have you had the rear wheels off to have a poke around? Have had a similar noise on a merc with one of the springs going but having never driven a VRS there could be some common faults I don't know about.

How easy is it to get at on the Greenline? If it's an easy out job, I would clean it to see how it goes - if it's a pig out job then I would change it... Is the light still on at restart?

We used to see a few odd ex-police cars through the auction I worked at in Glasgow years back. Most had amazing history but the dashboards were pretty knackered - lots of screw holes and bits of panel missing + holes in the roof (plugged).

Alternatively, you could find a good local indie garage and stop using a main agent, cancel the warranty and hang on to yours. Sounds like youve had a pricey few months but you know its been well maintained and should have plenty of life left. I know its not what you asked, but it seems to me like if you get one exactly the same you could potentially have to pay out for all the same problems again. Ive got the dpf diesel and am at 70k with no dpf related issues as yet. Tax and insurance are reasonable too, and at 25k a year its less polluting than petrol engines (as far as i understand it...).