spartacus68

Anyone got a part number for Skoda brake bleed nipples please? This is for a 2010 1.6 TDI. Front N/S sheared off last time I did the brakes, and now I've just fitted Brembo discs and pads I need to revisit as it will need a brake fluid change at some point. Been studying YouTube videos using PlusGas and easy-out tool to extract. It's the sort of thing that go well or badly wrong! Any reasons not to fit stainless steel versions, other than price? Beyond me why Skoda insist on these standard steel nipples that are inherently weak given they're battered with road salt, water and heat on a daily basis.

You must have caught them on a slow day. I've found Skoda staff very easy to deal with on the rare ocassion the car has to go to the main dealer but they certainly know how to charge. Glad to see your lack of shame knows no bounds!

Not really worth repairing professionally unless you kerb it. I run an A4 Allroad and lightly glanced the kerb earlier this year turning the car around in front of my house. No physical damage other than scuffing it. Pretty sure all VAG cars including Skoda use Wurth alloy paint for an exact match. Remove the wheel. Sand the affected area back and flatten down using wet 3M paper with a little detergent, 800 to 1000 grit. Make sure the wheel is spotless, including the inner rim. It's not ideal spraying at this time of year given temperatures and air moisture, but needs must. If you can spray in a garage, make sure the door is open for air circulation. Mask of the tyre. Before spraying, ensure the spray-paint has been thoroughly shaken and is at room temperature. You can float can in hot water, or leave on a warm, not hot radiator. Before spraying, wipe the alloy down with Halfords paint wipes. If you're not used to painting, then use light strokes in the direction of the spokes. This may take 5-6 coats to go opaque. Allow 15-20 minutes between coats. After the last coat of the silver paint, allow it to dry, say 5-10 minutes, then use the clear lacquer which effectively fuses it to the base coat. Lacquer is a dark art with the risk of drips, so same rules apply. 3-4 coats until you see a gloss appear. Paint here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WURTH-German-Alloy-Silver-Wheel-Paint-LacquerS-WURTH-CLEAR-TOP-COAT-LAQUER/190693032823?hash=item2c6630c377:g:SeEAAOSwVWFao-xF

Here's the seller for jack pads. Make sure it's the 20mm slot. https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/trolley-jacking-pads

If you're going to be bother of trying to clean the calipers, do a dismantle and rebuild that way you can inspect discs and pads and avoid any contamination. Good opportunity to regrease the brake sliders and lightly grease back of pads with Copperease. You can remove any surface rust on the caliper with a wire brush, unless of course it's been painted.

Get yourself a jack pad with 20mm deep slot if you plan to raise the car regularly. This engages properly with the sill for jacking with a trolley jack. The onboard jack (aka widow maker) isn't really to be trusted unless you're on level ground, car in gear, etc. Back to the drums. They are an absolute pain. At 42k miles I suspect they're using original shoes. The shoes can develop a surface glaze over time. As the drums are also prone to condensation, the springs and handbrake arm on the shoe deteriorate or seize. It's worth removing the hub to see the overall condition. I also know the wheel cylinders can fail, check for tell-tale brake fluid crystallisation. If rebuilding, then shoes are cheap enough. Use a new spring kit too. One thing to note, as car gets higher mileage then hubs will develop a lip inside. Easy enough to remove with a 3M abrasive wheel flap accessory on a drill. At 100k miles, you may need to replace hubs and new shoes can't make up for the material lost on the hub, hence its is a losing battle to get them to engage properly or reduce handbrake travel, regardless of how much adjustment is made at the cable.

Just did this job on a Fabia 1.6 TDI. All in all not a difficult job. I replaced wishbones with Lemforder and used a Meyle HD drop links. I inspected ARB bushes and they looked fine at 90k miles on 10 plate.

I've had diesels for years, but the writing is on the wall for them. My last cars included an Audi 80 1.9 TDI (1Z engine) and A4 2.5 V6 (AKN) and were no nonsense diesel cars. The worst that could happen was a leaking Bosch fuel injection pump. Got a 2.0TDI Allroad quattro now, but it's for hauling trailers and I use it 2-3 times a week as it only returns 40mpg. I've got a 1.6 Fabia for the daily commute and I have put 60k miles on it in 4 years. It's a gutsy thing, great in snow with decent tyres, but it's not frugal. Best I've achieved is 60mpg during the summer driving like Miss Daisy. I've never towed with it. Had my share of EGR, glow plug wiring, DPF sensor and air intake issues. Given I've committed to keeping it for another year or so, then it owes me nothing, but if I were you, then I'd go down the petrol route. A central armrest is useful given your miles, as is cruise control. Headlights are shocking, so look at upgrading bulbs for better reflection and definition at this time of year.

Nope, replaced just about every damn part on my wife's 1.4 TDI. At 120k, replaced shocks on all 4 corners using BOGE kit. Lost count the number of times I replaced the front suspension top bearings, then did the front, new wishbones (Meyle) and the subframe console, ARB bushes, droplinks, rear springs and bumpstops. I had to get local garage to press the wishbone into the console bush. The drive was okay, but after renewing it, I expected more. Sold it at 150k. Old technology. Yes A2 is an appreciating classic, but main Audi dealer looked down their noses at it. It was ahead of its time with aluminium body shell, and frugal fuel consumption. Down side, horrendous, no shocking headlights, dreaded 'moo' EGR valve, no rear wiper, never mind rear view visibility, tight engine bay and don't even get me started on fuel filter location. Tools, then I'd be looking for Audi A4 pinch bolt removal tool. Laser make a drift, so I'll investigate that. A bearing tool would be useful, but like most things, it's getting the use out of it to justify it. Back to the Fabia. I'm back on 16" Kumho winter tyres given the forecast for the weekend. Ride has been transformed following the suspension work. The tyres make it lighter steering than conventional summer 17" tyres, but I'm impressed. If you've got a jarring clunk over potholes, then change the wishbone bushes.

After renewing the suspension on my wife's then Audi A2, I'm sceptical of home press tools. I agree the actual mounts are very cheap, but there's nothing quite like old part out, new part in. My time is pretty limited too. I'm on holiday this week and weather is half decent. I can imagine trying to do this job is rubbish weather and access is tight unless you have ramps.

For once, suspension work wasn't a complete pain in the a**e. Skoda dealer noted the wishbone bushes needed replacing when the car was in for an engine management light which transpired to be goosed air intake sensor wiring. They do like their health checks! Car is 1.6 diesel on a 10 plate with 90k miles. I opted to replace the droplinks too, given they can be a pain to remove. As it happens, they are probably no more than a year or so old. Meyle HD kit, you can't beat it. I've boxed 'em up. They can be my spares if needed. Fitted Meyle HD droplinks and Lemforder wishbones. £50 a side for the wishbones and £24 all in for the droplinks which is pretty decent in my book. Good thing with this car is the lower balljoint is a bolt on part, so no reason to break the joint, just undo the 15mm nuts (x3) which hold the wishbone to the lower ballpoint. The main bolts and nuts are 18mm to the wishbone bushes. Nothing a extension bar can't sort. I sprayed PB Blaster on all exposed threads and wire brushed too. Use a little marine grease on the withbone to ease it back in. Good opportunity to refit the winter tyres too. If you're attempting the job, two trolley jacks are required, one to lift the car, and the other to lift the strut to align the droplink.

Driving like Miss Daisy or booting it, at the end of the day, it's an interference engine. If it goes, so does your engine. Your 2010 Fabia is probably worth £3k, so a broken timing belt will reduce it to scrap. As a rule, 6 cylinder diesels, certainly VAG ones, then allow 80k miles or 5 years, 4 cylinder diesels, then 60k miles or 5 years. Renew water pump and auxilliary belts as a matter of course.

No particular reason. The pollen filter, even the genuine one with charcoal isn't particularly expensive. The air filter is pretty crucial on this engine given the catalogue of issues the 1.6 TDI seems susceptible to, so it's a preventative measure rather than anything else. Driving in Scotland is no different to anywhere else. I sit in traffic jams like the rest of us in Aberdeen and Dundee, so it gets dirty. The fuel filter is easy to access, and again isn't expensive if you use Mann parts.

Get the car scanned first to narrow down. Engine management light could be any number of things. I had an engine management fault recently which turned out to be broken wiring at air temperature sender. It's low down on the car at driver's side (under engine tray), but is susceptible to vibration given its location. Offski's suggestion is a good call, but in my experience Skoda dealer will do anything to get out of warranty claims, and quite difficult to prove if related to original fix. They'll charge you for initial investigation then pass you their traffic light styled vehicle inspection report which is frankly scare-mongering. Anyone close to you with VCDS that can scan the car?

Personally I'd stick to 10k miles and use fully synthetic 5w-30 oil. Fuel filter, change every 20k miles, air and pollen filter every service. Timing belt is due ever 5 years, along with water pump. Brake fluid is every 2 years. I change the glow plugs every 40k miles. At this mileage (I have the same car) at 90k miles, then suspension maybe getting tired. I had to do rear bump stops a couple of months ago as they'd deteriorated, plus I am away to do front wishbones (worn bushes) and droplinks in a couple of weeks. Brakes (fronts are straight forward) as it's discs and pads. Rear is drums and shoes. I've constantly to adjust handbrake. It's had 2-3 sets of shoes in its life plus replacement brake cylinders. The adjustment is necessary as the rear hubs are worn. Only proper fix is to replace the hubs. I also find it eats rear bearings.

I have a 2010 Skoda 1.6TDI (105PS). Had this car when it had 30k miles and was 4 years old and I've added 50k miles in 4 years so I have a pretty decent idea of fuel consumption. First off, accept this is not a frugal car. A member of my family has a Volvo V50 1.6 diesel and that can achieve 70+ miles per gallon. During the summer I think I've squeezed 530 miles out of a full tank and the display was 55-60mpg. That's mainly on A-class roads and motorways so 60-70mph. That's running on 17" alloys with Kumho summer tyres. At the end of this month I'll swap back to 16" steel wheels and Kumho winter tyres. Unfortunately this car has rear drums, and frankly has been a nightmare. They're prone to seizing, and the handbrake always needs adjusted. I've also replaced both rear bearings at 90k miles. Back to your predicament. Get the car fully serviced, including the fuel filter and air filter change and an oil change. I've had the VAG software update and haven't noticed much difference. I'd chuck a can if Forte diesel fuel conditioner in it and blast it down the motorway. I'd also get it hooked up to VCDS to see the DPF is doing its job and is regenerating. Any advisories at MOT?

If you can afford to, then just get a set of winter tyres on steel wheels. I've been running Kumho winter tyres for the last 4 years and dropped down to 16" wheels. Fantastic grip, passing 4x4s with summer tyres, it's probably the best investment you can make. Hit ice and you'll slide like everyone else, but reassuringly good tyres.

Forte diesel conditioner is about the only thing I'd add. Garages use it on older diesels to reduce emissions prior to MOT. You can add to fuel tank, or for maximum effect, remove fuel filter, drain diesel from it, then add Forte. Connect up and drive the car hard in second and third gears. It'll smoke like a Russian Battleship on a frosty morning, but it soon clears. Renew the fuel filter afterwards, top up with fresh diesel, reconnect fuel lines and turn over. Will help the injectors too. Only word of caution is that you know your timing belt isn't due any time soon as you're putting a degree of stress on the engine.

My wife sold her 2003 Audi A2 diesel with 150k miles last year and opted for a 2-year old BMW i3 REx. The REx stands for range extender. It has a real world range of 75 miles on electric, and probably the same again on petrol. Just 13 litre fuel tank. There's actually thing called range anxiety, and until you start driving one, it's hard to explain. We spent a good 3 months researching. Right now the infrastructure still isn't there for electric, although it's developing quickly but the market is still quite fragmented. In Scotland you can get a £500 grant towards a home charger which is fantastic. Definately test drive an electric car if you're thinking along those lines. The BMW wasn't cheap, but it's got a 100,000 or 8-year warranty on the battery, and to be fair they've honoured warranty claims on torn shock absorber dust sleeves and a fuel pressure sensor. It's got more toys than Hamleys and the acceleration is addictive. What put my wife of the Zoe was renting/leasing the battery. She wanted a one off cost, then simply the maintence of the car in terms of running costs. Give the technology another 2-3 years and we'll hopefully be seeing cars with 250-300 mile electric ranges. At that point, given costs aren't prohibitive we'll probably see a seismic shift towards them.

I was in a similar position to you a couple of months back. Finance aside, I own the car, it's a 2010 Fabia 1.6 TDI Elegance with 90k miles. Have a full set of winter wheels and tyres, summer alloys unmarked and zero rust on bodywork. Car just got a new tailgate under warranty and timing belt is good to 2021. This is my daily driver so gets well used, not short run start and stop journeys. That said, I've had my share of glow plug wiring issues, DPF issues and just lately the air intake temperature sensor. Only thing needing doing us couple of lower suspension bushes and I'll put new discs and pads on in a month or so. I was in two minds what to do, so got a quote via webuyanycar. Came back at £2k. Reckon it's easily worth £2,600 to £2,800 privately and there is the predicament. It's just £30 road tax a year, and although not particularly frugal will return 55-60mpg. I agree the diesels are goosed long term. The choice now is either petrol or electric, or indeed a hybrid. Diesel technology won't be supported long-term, so regardless of whether it's the latest Euro 6 with Adblue, it's a potential money pit as soon as it goes outside warranty given it's loaded with sensors. I'd be tempted to hand it back if you can trade to a new car as I think you may struggle to sell at the right price. Obviously do your homework first. If you can't be bothered with more finance, buy it and just run it, it's a cheap motor, and engine is good for double the mileage. I'm holding on to mine and plan to sell next summer.

Should be pointed out that to recover that £1,000 the car needs to be stripped and parts documented and photographed and put into storage. If the scrap yard is part of a group, then there's a fair chance they'll shift the parts via online shop. If not, you're looking at EBay or Gumtree and that's a long haul plus postage and time wasters. For the record avoid breakeryard.com (absolute shower to deal with).

At 175k miles, then I'd be inclined to call it a day. If the cam-belt needs done, then you really need to change the water-pump too. Skoda will do it for £500, but I know you've quoted an independent. One thing to point out is that Skoda parts are guaranteed for 2 years with unlimited mileage if you intend to keep it. http://www.skoda.co.uk/finance-and-offers/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed I've got a 2010 Fabia 1.6 TDI (105PS). I've had glow plug wiring issues, DPF issues, the exhaust has a hole just before the cat (patched at the weekend) on 90k miles, so half your mileage, and this is with me doing the work and VCDS to read and clear codes. It was back in the garage a couple of months back for a faulty air intake temperature sensor, that was another £300. Search Mr Muscle straight into the turbo. A can of Forte diesel conditioner into the fuel filter then drive hard in 2nd and 3rd gears will give it a new lease if life, but fundamentally you're just buying time, not actually sorting it.

Good news. Think once you've repaired the doors and wing, that sill may bother you. Would be easy enough to use plastic padding and paint. The finish isn't critical given it's location.

Fabia and severe brakes aren't things you normally see in the same sentence. My wife used to have a Nissan Sunny, that had great brakes. Damn thing could stop on command. Given mileage, then it probably needs a full brake strip down. Contrary to what people think, a car running short distances is likely to be problematic. Probably seized brake sliders. If its siezed, then run the car for say 10 miles and coast to a stop without braking. If the rotors are hot, there's your problem. Don't touch them with you finger, hold your hand against the alloy.

Glad everyone was okay. So what are we looking at here? New wing, passenger door, rear door and not forgetting the wing mirror. The fact the air bags didn't deploy is a bonus, it was a side swipe. The car will have a DVLA insurance category N against it (formerly category D) so insurance and selling on will be an issue, if that's not a problem, then crack on, especially if you know the history. Quick check on Autotrader assumes a retail price of £5-£6k, probably less given specification. What would I offer? Start at £600... what have you got to lose?