chrisgreen

Just to close the loop on this (and in case it's helpful to anyone), I ordered the roof box today. Decided in the end to go a different direction. I ordered the Halfords Advanced 540L Soft Folding Box (with help from a friend's staff discount). So quite big (540L - 140L bigger than the Amazon one I was looking at), but much easier to store, and hooks around the aero bars rather than using U-Bolts. There's also the possibility that I could replace the hooks with T-bolts in due course. But given I only need the roof box 3-4 times a year at most, this seemed like a good balance of size, cost, ease of fitting and ease of storage when not in use. It's also openable on either side. It folds flat and folds over (and has a storage bag) when not in use.

I think you might be flogging a dead horse either way @bfg101 based on that information.

As above, you need to have made at least 20 posts (please make them worthwhile, not just 20 posts for the sake of it) in order to unlock the direct messaging feature. It’s a measure to reduce instances of members getting spammed.

The shorter Amazon Basics roof bars arrived about half an hour ago - and they are a perfect fit! So, with that sorted I'm turning attention to roof boxes. From Halfords, there's this one (which I can same some money on via a friend's staff discount): https://www.halfords.com/motoring/roof-boxes/halfords-advanced-470l-roof-box---black-338374.html From Amazon, this slightly smaller one seems to offer very good value for money: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TANGZON-Extra-Large-Roofbox-Opening-Waterproof/dp/B0C77CLCQX?th=1 Both have claws that wrap around the bar, rather than T-bolt or U-Bolt fitments (and they are geared so you can't over-tighten them).

Get the cheap one - it fits. I have one in the drivers side rear door of mine.

@Colin170CR I completely get your mobility point. Three years ago I got rid of my Rapid Spaceback (mine was one of the very first ones to arrive in the UK) after 9 years of good motoring for two primary reasons - 1) it had the most uncomfortable seats outside of a church pew and 2) getting in and out was a bit awkward as it was even lower than the Superb (by design, I didn’t lower it or anything). Had it not been for the seats, I would have continued to live with the slightly awkward getting in and out for a while longer. I replaced it with a brand new mk2 MG ZS SUV (1L petrol automatic, top spec). Getting in and out was much easier due to the higher riding position. But that was its USP. The boot was 30L smaller than the Spaceback, the interior electronics were riddled with software bugs that MG never bothered to issue fixes for, the engine was unrefined and drank petrol - 36mpg in the real world and while the seats were a huge improvement over the Spaceback, they were not designed for the ample British backside. I may as well have been driving a fridge freezer. It was a capable but forgettable consumer good. So after two years I pxed it for the Superb. Best car purchase since my Rover 75 back in the mid 2000s. Yes. Getting in is a bit awkward due to being lower down (getting out is fine though), but that is the only compromise and one worth making for the rest of the car.

I wouldn't - unlikely to be a tidy retrofit, plus that middle section of the rear seat is nowhere a grown human would want to sit out of choice.

A quick update. the Amazon Basics roof rails arrived the other day. Very good quality aero rails with T-channel and rubber filler strips for both the top track and the lower foot track. One problem - There were too sizes available and I bought the cheaper of the two, which turned out to be slightly too big for the car. Even with the clamps set as far in as possible, it wasn't quite enough. They are going back today and the other, smaller, size is arriving on Monday. But, beyond that I'm pretty confident with these. Build quality seems very good, supports up to 75KG load (which is in line with the roof boxes I'm looking at), has the option for T-track attachment of the roof box or a bike holder (I already own a Thule roof bike holder with T-fitments), easy enough to maneuver and fit on my own and seem to grab the Fabia's rails firmly when done up (was able to test this with the ones going back). Oh, and the replacements are still £15 inside my budget, so all good there. Next challenge is going to be the roof box. Went to Halfords yesterday. I'm looking at boxes in the 400L+ range. After looking at what they had, I have decided that I need a box I can open from either side (mainly to make it easier to get it on and off the car and attach it), and ideally one that's easy to fit and undo (so no U-bolts). The Halfords Advanced 470L and Thule box of a similar sizer have these great claw fittings that wrap around the roof bar and are geared so they can't be over tightened. That said, the cheapest option Halfords had at the size I want with all these features is £440! More than I wanted to spend if I'm honest. There's one on Amazon - the Costway 400L box - which has all these features and is only £250. Anyone have any experience of this one?

Hi @ColinD The way I see it, the size of the car is irrelevant. The relevant question is, do you need two cars in the household? If the answer is yes (and I suspect it is), the solution here is to keep the car. As you've said, it is a good car in great condition (with some minor and normal wear and tear work in need of doing, so not an issue). Given the money already invested in the car, which you won't recover selling it, you are better off keeping it if there's a need for two vehicles in the house. Replacing with a "smaller" car is unlikely to deliver any meaningful insurance or fuel savings, and you will be less happy driving it. The current generation Fabia is very impressive (arguably the best - and biggest - iteration yet), but it's a small car and rides/handles like one. Fix the Superb, keep it, bask in the warm glow of happiness that comes from driving a car you like being in.

Are you stopping for a particularly long period, or are we just talking about stopping at traffic lights? Are you engaging the electronic hand brake when this happens?

Thanks. Will keep those in mind. I happened to spot that Amazon was doing its own Amazon Basics ones on offer for just over £40, so I grabbed a pair. They are arriving on Monday, so we will see then if they are any good.

Hello The time has finally come that I need a roof box. A few times a year now I need to hump more stuff around than I can fit in the car. I’ve decided on the box I want, and plan to use it across both my cars. I already have roof bars for my Superb III hatchback, but need something for the Fabia. It’s a Combi and has roof rails, so I just need a cheap set of cross bars that will grip the rails and won’t fly off at 70mph on the motorway. Looking to spend at most £60. Any recommendations please? Thanks.

I've only got a green sticker :( Wonder what they forgot to do.....

Thanks, I've just DMed you the reg

Hello As the title suggests, I am struggling to identify the correct parts for the car. Last year when I was having an oil service, my local dealer flagged up that the rear bushes on the front wishbones were starting to crack and split. I'm taking the car to an independent who does all my big services and repairs on my out-of-warranty cars, and I take all the parts up that are needed. Was going to take a new set of front wishbones so that, if needed, they could be changed out, but both GSF and Euros are pitching several different varieties of wishbones, and it's not remotely clear to me which pair would be the correct ones. It's a 2012 (62-platte) 1.2 HTP Combi. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Chris

Hoping the lithium grease helps. nothing worse that a rattle like that in the car on a long journey. But, at least you know where it is coming from so you can try stuff. Might even just be as simple as putting some extra tape around the metal loop the seat latch locks onto to form a tighter grip. Either way, do please keep us posted.

Given the age of the car (and depending on spec), shouldn't these map updates also be available over-the-air using either the car's eSim or your phone's connection when connected via CarPlay or Android Auto? Again - assuming the OP has a valid Infotainment Online subscription?

I think I paid about £85 for mine from a UK main dealer. I have never used the carpet side and never will, but it adds to the heft of the mat and stops it sliding, so really doesn’t matter if you won’t use that side.

There are two different types of OEM boot liner. The plastic one that has raised edges but is not good at all and very flimsy. The double sided one however is brilliant. Thick, actual rubber on one side and carpet on the other. I had the plastic one as part of my protection pack. Didn’t really fit well and not as useful as I expected and was able to sell it to another member on here, bought the double sided one instead, which I highly recommend.

Well, that didn't go to plan. Just picked the car up from the dealer after its service - complete with a fresh 6-inch scrape on the passenger side corner of the rear bumper (right down to the black plastic). To say I'm angry and extremely upset is an understatement. While they didn't admit fault, the owner of the dealership, when confronted with it immediately said they would have it repaired at their expense without any argument or hesitation. It's going back in a couple of weeks to have that work done. This is why doing a walkaround of the car with a staff member before and after to agree on pre-existing issues, which thankfully i did, is so important.

The Superb went in for its second (my first) service this morning. Just got home from dropping it off. Not a major service, just oil & filter, pollen and brake fluid. Big service will be next year's one. Car has done 13,900 in two years (8,400 in the last year since I bought it).

Yeah - original pre-facelift Rapids (like the one I had - see below) had the little square indicators on the front wing and nothing on the mirror. The indicator wing mirrors were among the first facelift features to be phased in, and I've seen a few crossover cars with both the wing and mirror indicators (and they were not owner mods). Until they used up the pre-facelift metal pressings, there would have been some overlap. However, it is possible on the overlap cars that the wing indicator was just replaced with a reflector to fill the hole and pass the MOT rather than actually having both active units.

when I’ve worn out my Primacy 4s I’m either going Cross Climate or Vector 4Season - both are great so it’s a case of whichever is cheapest come the time.

Hi Robert Welcome to the gang! Regards your tyre question - yes, you will always have a more comfortable ride on smaller tyres with a larger side wall. Your 19inch boots have a very small sidewall and so will be particularly unforgiving on any bumps, potholes, small frozen peas or insects you run over. I run on 17s (215/55/17) which have a good balance of wheel size and sidewall, helping to keep the car wafting along rather than jarring. Also - Bridgestone tyres are notoriously noisy! Had Bridgestones as the factory tyres on my Fabia and they were very loud. My Superb has Michelin Primacy 4s which are surprisingly quiet for quite a hard-wearing tyre (mind you, my last car - MG ZS suv - had the exact same tyres, same size too) and they were also quiet on that. I replaced the Bridgestones on the Fabia with Goodyear Effecientgrip, which are very quiet and have excellent grip. Would recommend both for summer tyres. If you wanted to go all-season, I would suggest Goodyear Vector 4Season tyres. I put a set on the Rapid I had and they were by far the best tyres I’ve ever put on a car. As for the rattle - it’s probably the rear headrest. Make sure it’s pushed all the way down. Mine make a metallic rattle when they are up and nobody is sitting in the seat.

Depends on the part. Things like infotainment probably not.