CyberCynth

Ha ha! I like it. Already done plenty of gulping when working out how much money I spend just on petrol. Now, where did I put that bus pass....?

Washed it! - much overdue. I tried some polish that was in my Autoglym pack; some stuff called Aqua Wax. It was certainly easier to apply than traditional wax polish but I'm wondering whether it'll stay shiny for as long. I usually give the bodywork a good waxing before winter sets in, to try to protect it all from the muck, grit and salt. I noticed I have a few tiny chips in the paintwork, one of which has already gone rusty. Aaaaargh! How does everyone treat paint chips/rusts spots? DIY job? I've no idea how to identify the paint colour, any clues, anyone? Thanks.

Hi folks, I've just been reading this thread with some interest as I wondered what the depreciation on my car would be. It's a Fabia 1.2L Petrol DSG 105PS 2011. It cost a smidgeon under £11k when I bought it as a 6 month old car. It's got just under £46k miles on the clock. Anyone any ideas, please?

The Fabia was serviced (a minor service) at a Skoda dealership on 4th August. I asked for the oil leak/excessive consumption to be investigated. The car was returned to me with an advisory: 'Oil leak at the back of the engine. Return the car to the dealership in two months time or if the oil warning light is illuminated, in order for the technicians to gauge the amount of oil being lost through leakage' I was advised that the leak was probably from an oil seal, which would not involve huge expense to correct. We shall see.

Oooh, all these questions.... my brain hurts. I don't remember having a recall re: the DSG box.

I must admit I tend to check the oil level when the engine is cold. I think the 'irritating rattle' is some fitting under the bonnet which vibrates at times. It is not constant.

Isn't there an 'edit' button on this forum? I've just found my old thread about the problem of excessive oil consumption; I see it was April this year that I was getting concerned about it, and have only just asked Skoda to investigate the problem. I have learned one lesson at least (belatedly): Stick to dealership services and buy an extended warranty! It seems like a lot of money when Skoda ask if you want to purchase one. However, with the possibility of a large bill to pay, the warranty would have been the cheaper option. Easy to be wise after the event. Cynthia.

Hi folks, I have to confess i only come onto the forum when I've got a problem with my Skoda - which isn't very often thankfully. I have been searching for an old thread I started on this subject but can't find it so will have to start again! My Fabia is now drinking oil for England. I've used 1/2 a gallon in the last 2 months. It has actually just gone into the Skoda dealership for a minor service and I have asked if they will investigate the reason for the heavy oil consumption (or leakage?) I'm hoping someone might be able to have a guess at the problem before the workshop rings me up with a quote of £1000 to fix it! Symptoms: None! No loss of power, no 'missing', no smoking, no oil patches on the driveway, no splatters of oil on the tailgate or on the front of the caravan after towing, The only difference I have noticed is that my petrol consumption has also increased. I used to be able to get 60mpg on a run but max lately has been 45mpg, approx 38 if only used on local runs. The car is 5 years old and is low mileage, at 42K. It has been serviced regularly and not thrashed! Oh, and yes, I do check my tyre pressures regularly. Still waiting for a call from the Skoda dealer but I'm hoping I won't have to do an equity release exercise on my property to get this car sorted out! A friend suggested that it could be something as straightforward as a leaking oil filler cap, but surely I'd be smelling oil in that case? Any ideas/comments would be welcome, thank you. Cynthia.

Thanks guys. I don't know why potentially expensive outlay always comes along when you're already skint. Sod's Law in operation I suppose. I think I will just have to grit my teeth and get the car looked at. Thank you all for your ideas and input. Wish me luck!

Hi everyone again, and thanks for the input. I have just been out to the shed to see what type of oil I have been feeding my Fabia lately. The last time I bought oil was mid-journey, 'cos the oil light on the dash came on. I dashed into a Sainsbury's superstore but being faced with all the different types of oil on offer I couldn't remember which one I should buy. A young sales assistant came up and asked me if I needed help; he was very kind, and keyed in my reg. number in his mobile to check what I should be using. The result was 'Fully synthetic 5w30', so off I ran to the check-out so that I could top up my engine before progressing my journey. However, I noticed when I got home that this oil is labelled as being for high mileage vehicles, which mine isn't: a 5 year old car with 38400 on the clock. Thanks Vxh 26 for your recommendation to the Good Garage Scheme, that's really useful.

Ok, these replies give me some food for thought, thank you all very much for your input. I could ask the independent garage what sort of oil they'd used at the last service; they seem a pretty decent crew and I think they'd probably tell me the truth? (Ever the optimist!). I must admit I hadn't thought of it leaking oil only when on the move. I'll have a jiggle underneath and see what I can see. It will be handy to have some ideas of what might be wrong before taking it to a garage. I've only just moved house (and area) and don't know anyone in the area to ask for recommendations, so perhaps a visit to Yell.com to see if there are any good reviews for workshops in the area. You can imagine the scenario, can't you; female senior citizen wanders into garage and says 'my car's burning oil', Although I do know a little bit about the workings of an internal combustion engine, it's still very easy to baffle me with science and technology... Oh, and no, I haven't had the car recalled for any reason, let alone the DSG box. I am slightly concerned about talking to the customer services manager at Skoda, as said already, I'm worried about how much it will cost if it gets taken into a Skoda workshop! Really, in my current financial state I'm beginning to wonder whether to just trade in this car against a cheap-and-cheerful old Nissan. Have had one before and it was the nearest thing to perfect as regards reliability that I've ever owned. But saying Nissan on a Skoda forum? Have I just committed a major faux pas?!

Thanks Old Webbo! Will have a look to see where to shove some padding. The rattle isn't constant; yesterday it was as quiet as a church mouse. If as the dealer said, all Skodas are like that, I'm amazed nothing has been done at manufacture to stop it!

Thanks for that. I have had the car serviced at the prescribed intervals, but after 3 years I took it to a non-Skoda garage as I couldn't afford the £95.00 per hour labour charge! Equally, I would struggle to find £300 for an extended warranty at the moment because of a series of very expensive bills from other sources. So I guess I will have to just keep tipping oil in the top end for now!

Hi Folks, I haven't posted for a long while now because my Skoda runs like clockwork and I have other interests to follow! However, I am wondering whether the problems that have cropped up recently with my Fabia are to be expected of a 5 year old car. It's a 1.2TSi S Estate, 105PS 7Spd DSG, 2011. Mileage 38400. 1. For the first 3 of years of ownership I never had to put in any engine oil at all. Last year it used about 1 litre every quarter. This year I have already tipped in 3 litres! There is no loss of power; no smoking, no oil leakages, no overheating. Petrol consumption averaged out at 41mpg last year. 2. The central locking system doesn't always include the tailgate! 3. There is a very irritating rattle under the bonnet when the car is idling. I took it to a Skoda dealer last year who just said 'Oh, they all do that! Nothing we can do about it!' I find that hard to believe. Hope some forum users can throw some light on these issues. Thank you.