BalancedOne

OK, final update for this post: the clutch replacement and the service cost £292 all inclusive(cash money), so not a bad result after all. Service included: cabin filter, air filter, oil filter, gearbox and motor oil changes. The annoying squeak when starting the car was down to the starter motor axle and was cured by some lubrication. I will keep the car and spend some more money and efforts towards getting rid of the musty cabin smell, fixing the central locking and the in-car stereo. The other bits are not a priority and merely annoying. It is not a bad car and it deserves another chance. She has covered 71K miles from 03.2001 to 03.2009, 8K from 2009 to 2013 and only 5K miles since 2013. The man who sold me the car never paid any money back and he decided to remain a low lifer, a liar and a cheat. His miserable life, his choice. Yet he got to keep a 100% feedback on eBay and about that I am not too happy . Oh well... Thank you all for sharing, contributing and the helpful comments. All the best, Michael

Hahaha...you are a good man JW

Yes, will do mate. Problem is finding the time to actually implement the fixes. By the way, that's what I had said too: 'eBay biased against sellers'. Which is the same as 'biased towards buyers'. Hehehe...

Thank's for the vid JW, very informative. Actually went to Youtube and thumbed up and subscribed, the guy seemed very genuine and nice. And thanks for the tip about the bolts too, I shall make sure he does the job properly, as I will be watching and chatting to him while he is doing it, he is a friend of mine. That's how I learn a thing or two myself, as I am a bit weary working on cars, despite my trade being a general builder and C&G Lvl3 electrician. I don't know why, I could fix buildings all day long, but when it comes to cars, I lose all motivation. The latest on the eBay case. The guy went and complained to eBay about the negative feedback, which has been removed. I spent about 1 hour on the phone with them, being passed back and forth from the US to the UK and God knows where else. In the end, it is like this: I didn't pay through PayPal, so no cover for me. And now the feedback having been removed, I can't leave another feedback. So the guy's account is clean as a whistle and he can go ahead and do what he has done to me all over again. How lovely is that? I lost confidence in the eBay feedback mechanism. Not that I had much faith in eBay as a company to start with, they seem to be biased against sellers anyway. Only to now discover that their feedback system is a joke and can be exploited by unscrupulous people. Lessons to take forward: 1. Always pay via PayPal in eBay 2. Don't assume that just because someone is a certain nationality, he will confirm personal beliefs held about that particular country. I guess no 2 people are the same, after all. 3. Feedback system in eBay is flawed and not be used as a tool for gauging people's honesty And a few other valid bits and bobs suggested by you guys along the way. In the end, I'm not bitter about the car, it's still a Skoda . Thanks to one and all for all the contributions, you are a lovely and helpful bunch. Stay blessed.

I called eBay and they have informed me that they can't offer any buyer protection for cars and real estate sold on eBay. They said that all they could do is investigate the case and put restrictions on the account, potentially leading to a permanent suspension. I also contacted the seller via eBay contact system and text messages. He insisted he had no knowledge of the faults and that he only knew about the clutch, after taking the car to the MOT. Yeah, right, after admitting driving the car himself and having intimate knowledge of it. I have given him ample opportunity to come clean and refund some of the money, to meet me towards the costs arisen from his undisclosing the faults. He declined, so in the end, I left a negative feedback, taking his rating to 98% from 100%. Oh well, I have learned my lesson. I thought it could not go wrong with this one, on the basis of: 1. The seller being a mature seller(in his early 50's) 2. Him being a proper Englishman(assumption, mother of all screw-ups, indeed) 3. The car belonging to his late father 4. Him being the director of an established and apparently reputable charity and recycling centre On the basis of probability, I thought I stood more chances of buying something legit and as advertised. This just goes to show you can't make educated guesses these days anymore. Oh well, like some of you have suggested, just take the loss, repair the car and move on. On a more positive note, I have managed to secure the clutch replacement for £220(labor£140, clutch £80), which is very decent for London. The mechanic will even throw in the cabin filter and auxiliary belt replacements labor costs for free. The only gripe remaining is that my wife has discovered mould infestation inside the car. I do remember the front windows being lowered by about 2 inches when I went to pick up the car. But I just assumed they had been left open that day, in order to aid ventilation to the interior, after it had been sat for a while. Now that I think of it, they could have been left like that for some time, allowing rain to come in and mould to develop. When we did wash the inside of the car, we did notice some small dark mould dots on the front doors interior panelling(with it being a beige colour, it showed). After spending about 30 min in the car, my wife, who happens to have an allergic rhinitis, told me she had problems breathing. Her condition always flares in mouldy environments. So there, another 'bonus' thrown in by good old Andy. Bless him. I told him about this, but he just ignored my texts. Anyone knows of a good mould remedy?

That is the original eBay advert and since we are talking about being true and honest, let us do a bit of naming and shaming too: the man's name is [redacted]. Selling his late father's car, a dear old man, or at least that is what I was lead to believe. In case you ever come across him, beware. He is not what he would like you to think he is. I bought the car from him because I thought I was buying a car from a genuine man, with a 100% 409 positive feedback account. Not for much longer, if he fails to meet me halfway with the expense bill. I don't expect him to pay for all the repairs, but I do expect him to agree to paying some of the money back. For that money is blood money, not honestly earned.

SKODA FABIA 1.4 16v 100hp ELEGANCE 5 DOOR MODEL VERY NICE SKODA FABIA WITH THE MORE POWERFUL BUT STILL VERY ECONOMICAL 1.4 16v PETROL ENGINE. CAR JUST PASSED THE NEW M.O.T TODAY SO HAS A FULL MOT UNTIL APRIL 2019. THIS CAR HAS A FULLY STAMPED SERVICE BOOK PLUS 4 RECENT TYRES ON NICE ALLOYS AND HAS ALL THE EXTRAS SUCH AS HEATED SEATS, CLIMATE CONTROL ETC. GENUINE MILEAGE OF ONLY 84K CAR DRIVES VERY WELL AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION APART FROM A FEW SCRATCHES HERE AND THERE BUT IT WILL NEED A CLUTCH AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE SO IS BEING SOLD AS SPARES OR REPAIRS ONLY This was my late Fathers car so the vehicle is well known to me. FEEL FREE TO CALL TO VIEW 07*** ****** NO WARRANTY GIVEN OR IMPLIED NO PAYPAL PAYMENTS PLEASE. NO V.A.T TO ADD.

Sorry I didn't update anything for a few days, busy with work...I went to the mechanics and here is what he has found: remote control fobs not responding, electric windows working erratically, rear wiper blade motor dead, driver's back windows override button not working, air conditioning system faulty(needs a regas), boot door only opens from inside the car, CD player not original and faulty, petrol flap mechanism faulty, auxiliary belt squeaky and worn, tyre thread close to legal limit. I see skidpan taking sides here , so I will address that first: my issue is not with the car: it is what it is. A 17 year old car. Of course it will have a few things wrong with it that will need to be addressed. Like the particulate filter being old and smelly and needing a new one. What I take issue with, however, is people being dishonest and not mentioning faults they knew about, some of them rather major. Take me, for example: I am selling a Corsa with a fried head gasket. Do I advertise it as: 'losing coolant'? 'It is overheating'? 'It doesn't go as it used to'? Or do I just spell it out loud and clear: 'THE HEAD GASKET IS BLOWN'? I just like being honest with people, hence I do not like others overlooking serious faults, while sleeping easy at night, at my expense. Period. I don't mind having to pay for something I knew of and I had been told about. But I don't like paying for other people's lies. Bottom line is: this guy came across as an honest man, selling a car that belonged to his late father. That in itself was put there to mislead genuine people into thinking they are buying something. The man is a con man that used even his late father's good name to sell something that was not advertised at is should have been. The guy is as low as low can get. Who on God's earth would trash his father's name like that, I ask you? THAT is what I take issue with, dear Sirs, not the condition of the car.

Lol...I liked the bit about the spanking at the end :-P. Thanks for the info, I will stick with the 1.4 for now, then, as I mostly drive locally, short distances and no real daily commute. The Corsa was actually a 2003 reg, whereas the Fabia is a 2001 plate, 31.03.2001 first registration. Maybe it is down to laws and the dates they had been passed. I seem to have been unlucky, it was March already. Do you suggest I should look into engine testing/optimization, or are these engines fine as they are? I was thinking that after 17 years, an engine could benefit from a tune-up.

Yes, you are all correct in what you are saying. And you seem to be a nice bunch of people in here, I am glad I have joined :-). I shouldn't have expected perfection or a mint condition on a 17 year old car. And the most important part of a car is still the engine, which seems to run fine. I can already say that it is more economical that the 1.2 I had in the Corsa that I previously drove. It has used about £10 worth of petrol over a distance of about 120 miles(I put in 30 quid in and the needle went to 3/4 of a tank, it was half empty when I got back home). I wonder what the 1.9 diesel engines can achieve, if a petrol one does that. The only other niggle I had was the expensive road tax. I can't understand how they can charge you more for one car, even though it is more economical? The road tax for the Corsa was about £130 for the whole year, if I'm not mistaken. Now, I have paid £126 for 6 months. I think it is because the Corsa was 75bhp, whereas the Fabia has 100. In your opinion, is the 1.4 petrol engine better than the 1.9 diesel, in terms of expenses, power and maintenance wise? Could someone who has had experience with both give me an idea? I had a look around the net, but I couldn't find any helpful comparisons.

Yes, TLC always works magic on most things, doesn't it :-)? Thanks for the encouraging words Sepu. It seems like I am in the right place for help and advice. I will come back with the latest tomorrow evening ;-)

Hello fellow Skoda drivers. I just bought a Fabia on eBay and wanted to share my experience plus ask for some advice from the more experienced owners in here. I got it at auction for £573, Y reg with 84000 on the clock. The advert said it belonged to the late father of the seller. Sold as spares or repairs with FSH, the only problem being that the clutch was on it's way out. So far so good, I went from Croydon to Chippenham to collect the car, about 200 miles round trip, but all worth it, right? I mean, a buyer's dream, great car with relatively low mileage and FSH, Elegance model, owned by a dear old man for the last few years(since 2009 to be exact). Before that, it had one owner from new, another gentleman by the name Church. With me being a religious man, it seemed a match made in, excuse the pun, heaven :-). Now, back to the real world... I left the house at 11 AM and got to Chippenham at 16.30, after a pretty long 2 bus ride. I did not want to take the train due to the prohibitive and extortionate £57 fare that they were charging. I ended up paying £39 going by bus instead. Not much of a save, but I will not stand for the blatant robbery the train companies are practising these days, out of principle. So I meet the seller at the coach stop, he picks me up in his relatively new Audi estate. We drive a few miles to the place where the car was kept, having a chat about his late father, why he didn't want the car anymore and things like that. We get there and the first thing untoward that I notice was that the car remote control keys did not work. He mumbled something about the driver's door lock having been changed and he opens the door manually, with the new keys. I thought 'Hmmm, not nice to be told this now...', but hey, what can you do, one can't expect perfection from a car 17 years old. I will fix that, fingers crossed, it won't be too expensive...The next thing that caught my attention was that upon starting the engine, there was a loud squealing noise coming from under the bonnet. It lasted for a second, but it got me thinking. Around the car we go and I notice the rear windscreen wiper stuck in a halfway up position. It looked like it didn't work. I go and sit inside the car and I notice that the CD player had been changed with an aftermarket JVC. Other than that, the car seemed fine. Now, here is me, obviously having been misled by the advertising, having noticed a few irregularities with the car that had never been comprised in the description. What do I do, after having travelled for the best part of 5 hours and ending up in Chippenham with a less than satisfactorily advertised car? I decided to be an honourable man to the end and handed over the £573 that the auction demanded. I distinctly remember the way he clutched at the £3 coins I handed him at the end. He wanted it all, he did. No thought about me, the car not being as advertised, the fact that it had almost 0 fuel inside(it was in the red, of course) and that I would have to spend quite a bit of money to bring it up to working order. OK, so I hand the money over and pick up the keys and the (not working)fobs from him and he offers to take me to the nearest petrol station to fill up :-). Great, I think. We get there and he waves goodbye. I fill up and stop the car in the car park, in order to pay for the road tax. Easier said than done. I go online to DVLA only to find out that the car was on a disabled, exempt category. With no way to change that but by going to a participating Post Office and sending off the relevant form. Great, it was a Saturday before a Bank Holiday weekend. No Post Offices were open anymore. And there I was, sat in a car that was illegal to drive as it was. 100 miles away from home. Nice. Hotel booking for 3 days, anyone? So I call the man. No reply. I text him explaining my conundrum. He keeps me waiting for about 30 minutes before calling back, saying he had to pick the wife up from work and had the phone in the car. He mutters excuses about having no idea about the car being on a disabled category. Then he remembers that he knew something about it. But that he thought one didn't have to pay anything, so it didn't matter, that he and his brother had driven the car like this for ages and it had been fine...and on and on. None of that helping me or easing my situation. He ended up saying that I should drive it to London without worry, seeing that the car was exempt. I reminded him that it may have been that way while his late dad was driving it, but with me as the driver it was a different story. He insisted that the Police would not stop me, as they would see that the car was OK, without the need of a tax to be paid anyway. Again, I reminded him that it would get flagged, seeing that it had been SORN'ed. He looked confused and he said he had no idea of that being the case and that maybe his brother might have done that. OMG! In the end, I manage to get him to meet me back at the petrol station, to at least give me a receipt for the sale of the car, as I had nothing. He came and apologised for putting me in that situation, but insisting that I would be OK to drive to London and even if I was to get pulled over by the Police or caught by ANPR's I could just say that I had no choice, with it being a Bank Holiday. Very reassuring. I wonder if he would have been just as optimistic about him having to do that, instead of me. So he hands me the receipt, 'Car sold as spares or repair, sold as seen'. And I start praying while driving back to London. In the end, I got back home without any problems, but certainly not stress-free. Where I notice that the petrol filling cap flap did not close and I could not fix that by reinserting the detached cable...and that the brake disks are pretty rusted and worn out and the car squels upon braking...and that the CD player and the surrounding trims pop out upon accelerating...that the tyres have very low thread and a couple have chucks bitten off the side of them(he only pictured the best looking one, saying that they all had been replaced recently...he forgot to mention that the replacements had been second hand, used...)...that the seat wells are rusted and won't- allow for the seat to travel forward or backward...that the mirror control knob has a mind of its own and adjusting them is a nightmare that takes about 10 minutes...that the electric windows work intermitentlly, while the back windows can only be controlled from the front, but not the rear...while the wife noticing a few more dents and scratches that were not supposed to be there, according to the description...where will it end :-)? Here I am now, needing some advice regarding this. I have decided to fix the car myself and invoice the seller for the expense, seeing that the faults were not mentioned in the advert. I know some people may say 'good luck with that mate'. But I am still hoping he will try to avoid a negative feedback and the potential adverse reaction he might experience from eBay as a result. I am saying that due to the fact that my faith in following procedure had been restored. I was on the phone with eBay today, regarding 2 unpaid case situation I had experienced. The buyers did not answer my 2 invoices(each) sent to them after the sale. They advised me that I should write to the buyers and explain that buying and not paying on eBay is tantamount to theft and that I should file reports with the Police, while they will provide all the relevant information and aid to them, in order to gain payment or the items back. I did that and almost immediately I received emails from the buyers, saying that they will pay(first one) and return the item back to me(the other). So here we are, good old threats do work, in the end. Sadly, the times where people were true and honest to each other seem to have died, or they are slowly getting there... Tomorrow morning I shall be visiting my mechanic friend at his garage. I will then find the extent of the extra problems this car has, if any. My concern is that he might find a few more, lurking beneath the hood...Updates to follow :-). Kind regards, Michael

I have the same problem with my 2001 Elegance 1.4 16v I just bought. The petrol cap flap is not closing, so I had a look online. I did what other people suggested, went in the boot, found the cable and it was popped out, re-inserted it in its place. The cap closed perfectly this time around, but when I tried to open it from the release lever lear by the driver's seat, it won't work. The lever is now stiff and won't move up. I then went back and took the cable out, while asking my wife to operate the lever. When it is not inserted in its place, it works fine. I think it is because the cable bends back on itself when in it's operating position and that can impede movement. I squeezed some oil inside the cable sheathing, but to no avail. I think the previous owner had the same problem and in the end decided the best course of action was to leave the cable out and live with the petrol cap flap semi-open. However, with me being a perfectionist, that just won't do :-). Anyone had a similar problem as myself?

Wow, only one reply!? Oh well...Thanks for the help The Zee, it has been useful to me too, as I was currently deliberating between the manual and auto. Also, great post Shahmonger, very well written and comprehensive. Peace.

Hi Pat. Nice to have you here mate. As Wheelie has just said, your English is quite good, so no worries there :clap: . Enjoy your stay here and your new hatchback .