BasilHume

I saw it advertised, and thought it must be one of the best spec’d SELs out there. If it were a petrol, I’d have tried to buy it first. Enjoy.

There was probably around £2.5-3k "spread" factored into the price you bought at, and are now being offered trade-in values at. That is to say, the car's trade value when you paid a retail price of £17.5k in July was probably about £14.5-15k. So, in the trade, your car hasn't depreciated much at all. What you have done, however, is paid a one-off and upfront fee for a dealer to find, prepare and warrant your current car. If you buy another car from a trader, then you will be paying this again. One analogy would be house moving costs such as stamp duty, estate agent & removal fees etc. Trade prices generally rose throughout 2020 to late 2022, meaning that a 3-year old car cost more in 2022 than a 3-year old car did in 2021 etc. This trend hid some of the above costs for a while, but the consensus is that this has now peaked. It's unclear whether ongoing supply factors such as model consolidations, long waits etc will be outweighed by a fall in demand as borrowing and living costs increase. So, I disagree that there has been any substantial underlying depreciation in this example. Costs of purchase are normal, and have been borne - that's all.

Is that a green one per chance? Great spec either way.

Alternator bearing would be my guess. You might be able to unplug it in situ and therefore rule in/out, while the engine is running.

Depending on the year, you should expect a Colour Edition to have cruise control, 16in black wheels and roof contrast over the SE spec. VW have made the current base 1.0 3-cylinder petrol engine for over a decade, though turbocharged models were introduced later from 2016ish elsewhere in the VAG empire.

1.5 year report The Fabia is continuing to do great service as our local urban runabout, being comfortable and practical in equal measure. I am still impressed by its 1.2 110hp engine and DSG drivetrain combination, which can make pretty rapid progress when needed. I'm sure mature Briskodians appreciate the simple pleasures of a car so well-suited to its intended uses as this Fabia. I took a few snaps today away from the packed urban street it lives on. I think it's a smart-looking little thing, albeit free from fussy design details and low on aggression. Being the mid-range SE model, I am still finding it a reasonably-finished cabin (certainly when looking ahead) with an intuitive head unit that includes smartphone mirroring. The combination of compact proportions and well-sized rear accommodation have proven absolutely essential as this car gets used 3-4 times per week for sports and out-of-school activities. It's been quite liberating to feel no worries as very muddy post-rugby kids have clambered into the back or indeed been sick in the car. The whole rear bench comes out quite easily and the fabrics repeatedly clean-up well. Not pictured is some driver's side bolster wear, which came with the car but isn't getting better with our use - the only thing not consistent with the car's 22,500 miles. I debadged the rear bootlid after one of the letters came loose during a cleaning session. I'm not 100% sure about the resulting look but I suppose it goes with the simple vibe. I mentioned before that I get a lot of satisfaction from maintaining my cars and so this one gets just as much love as its stablemates. Spend since the update has included: - wiper blade (£16.25) - replacement wheel centre caps (£6.99) - replacement interior LED blubs (£2.56) - interim service & MoT (£232.02) - lower front suspension arm bearings replaced (£226.80) I'm keeping the car clean and well-pampered by the standards of almost any other Fabia, though it's continuing to attract minor urban damage including what looks to be a fair whack to the rear bumper: The paint is cracked and so I'm pricing up a repair for this one, which leads me to consider sorting a few other things. It's left me in a bit of a quandry... On the one hand, I recently placed an order for a brand new Polo to arrive sometime next spring as a replacement for the Fabia. 2 years would seem like good going and the advantage of replacing with a new car is that this is the one car we need to always work. It's the one we use most often and will likely be driven by our kids as they grow up. The Fabia also continues to be worth around 10-15% more than I paid for it, which means net-zero cost motoring if sold at this price. On the other hand, spending a little time in the Fabia today made me appreciate it. It's going to be 6 years old soon and smells a bit inside thanks to all our activities, but it's in good nick. Its 110hp and drivetrain and tech are still pretty modern. Decisions, decisions.

Being able to come on this forum and talk about Fabias is worth the price of entry. 😉 Hopefully things like the mats, door sill protectors and cleaning indicate that this one is loved just as much as our other vehicles... it's just that this one is more akin to a careworn teddy bear rather than the figurine in a glass case. It's an offer of a free oil change service and MoT, which I might as well take as it's only due the lesser of the two VAG services for a low-miler anyway this year. It'll get its full inspection service at the interval in 2023. The 3 VAG vehicles I have at the moment are quite different products, but the one common thing seems to be the lower suspension arm bushes. These squeak on all the standard front-end (i.e. not R/S3) MQB-platform cars I've had, including the Fabia... which half qualifies as I believe it has the front section of an MQB platform bolted onto the original Mk1 Fabia chassis?

9 month report Overall, this Fabia is proving to be a resounding hit. I'd predicted that our needs would change as my wife and kids' local activities burgeoned and that has proven to be an underestimate if anything. Ongoing new duties include muddy rugby club runs, local errands and walks, plus pick-ups from school and post-work sport for my wife. It's only doing around 200 miles per month - more illustrative is the 3-4 times per week it's used. Given where we live, it doesn't bear thinking about how this sort of use would have worn-down something like my now-gone Audi S3. But of course the inevitable urban battle scars don't matter on a 5-year-old Fabia. As mentioned earlier, the Fabia is so competent that I did briefly think how it could in fact become our only car... ...before more happily using it to make the case for a new-to-me Audi RS3. 😉 This lives in a local lock-up garage, while the Fabia remains accessible on the street. City use and a dowdy colourscheme mean that it doesn't get very dirty on the outside, although I do keep it clean. Products like quick detailer keep it looking nice but I haven't given it proper detail on the outside: There's not much point going beyond this on the bodywork because it's already picked-up some marks like this, which deform the panel and won't polish out: The cabin is quite pleasant and has remained clean with some attention to remove the inevitable food packets, mud & dirt etc that a family generates: It does seem to steam up a fair old bit when cold / wet, but overall it's a very good setup considering the price. My wife also uses the Mirrorlink for giving navigation, which is again impressive for a car of this sort and age. Although (not pictured) it is worn on the driver's bolster and in places like between the seats - I actually went over this with a fabric de-bobbler, which improved things but won't work miracles. I guess it was caused by carrying something between the rear seats a lot? The back seats get a battering from our kids' in-car eating, where it's not exactly luxurious with scratchy plastics and wind-down windows... Things under the bonnet look good and the car drives very nicely now that I'm used to its DSG gearbox. I wondered whether it had a new battery before it reached me at 4 years' age, looking at how the sticker is upside down? As mentioned in my first post, I bought some original mats, door sill protectors and boot liner when the car was new to us. I added a boot net from my old S3 as well. More typically the boot looks like this, though - also being our family's welly boot store! Doing around 2,500 miles a year but with frequent short journeys means that it will need an annual oil change around June - when I'll also get the brake fluid for the first time. Cazoo (who supplied the car) offered a free service and MoT for the sub-par buying experience. I'm inclined to go with that offer rather than my preferred VAG specialist, thereby saving a few pennies for the two other vehicles in the household.

I’m not sure why that picture wouldn’t show - thanks for sorting. 😀 In other Fabia news, I’m pleased to say that the DSG experience seems a lot better now. Whether it’s me or the gearbox adapting to each other remains unclear, but the result is much smoother and more intuitive shifts. That very minor judder also seems to have disappeared. I still miss Hold Assist. I also find that the car doesn’t have enough power at idle to creep forward / hold on slopes like all other automatics I’ve driven. This invites me to go into neutral and put the handbrake on, which then seems to confuse things and require a return to P and a full restart before take-off. Bah! It’s a minor set of grumbles I suppose and probably fixed by driver retraining.

It's been a week of missed opportunities... but first, I present my latest spend on the Fabia: [img]https://i.ibb.co/kywynbw/IMG-0109.jpg[/img] This M10 spline socket was bought with the intention of removing the driver's seat, which is something I've not done before in 25 years of tinkering with cars (admittedly only to a modest degree). As mentioned before, the bolster nearest the door is almost worn through the fabric and the seat itself reclines while driving. I'd spotted a reasonably-priced replacement SE seat on eBay. This appears to have sold within the last few days, so I'll need to see what else turns up. In the meantime, I'll practice removing the existing seat. At worst, I'll at least be able to clean under the seat thoroughly, as this Fabia is a bit dirtier on the inside than I'm used to and there looks to be plenty of debris between the seats and central tunnel. A positive Covid test earlier this week for my daughter also put pay to the appointment I'd booked to sell my S3. By the time I'd had the chance to re-book 5 days later, the best valuations had dropped by ~£1k / 4%. I don't need the cash, so I'll stick with it until spring at least and see how things look then.

I don't foresee used car market valuations bursting anytime soon, but perhaps a natural decline to do with age / mileage from this new high-watermark. I'd normally expect to have lost a fair amount in the time I've had the S3 - so I'm just going to cash-in while the going is still this good and I don't feel the need for 3 vehicles. I don't think I'll be able to step away with money in my pocket from running a car like that in the future. The Fabia isn't meant to be a direct replacement and in fact the van will be used for many of the family journeys again, where being big and slow are offset by its massive capacity and easygoing driving experience. I agree the Fabia's performance will be quite reasonable where I am using it in substitute for business miles and other long trips, but I won't be using it to go chasing performance cars anyway. It's more about comfort. The 185/60/15 tyre combination is about the smallest and slimmest on a Fabia these days anyway. I would still take a car with 350hp over one with 110hp for fun, but it won't matter from next week anyway... 110hp will be what I've got!!

Well, my latest update is that the Fabia is going to be driven a little more. We're doing a lot more urban driving due to children's school changes and so the Fabia has been a bit of a hit so far. I've also found it refreshing to have a car that I don't feel compelled to pamper or get upset when it picks up a bodywork mark. As a result, I've succumb to the tempting used car prices and have arranged to sell my S3. I'll miss the performance and luxuries, but these are overcome by infrequent use and what I feel is a one-off valuation window. If all goes well with the sale, it will have been a free car. The Fabia and our van (which was our main wheels for many years) should adequately cover our needs. Fabia "to do" list: - Fix driver's seat, which is reclining involuntarily and has a threadbare side bolster from prior use at only 20k miles. An eBay replacement for £70-100 might be the way to go if I can remove the old seat. - Look into smart repair for a side scuff that appeared on the front wing. Having said I'm not upset about it above, I do still want to keep this car to my standard! - Transfer cherished plate from S3 onto this car. I do some very long drives on business from time to time, so I will probably use the Fabia on the next to see how I get along. It's nowhere near as comfortable as some of my past cars, but perhaps it'll be better with the driver's seat being fixed...

I idly Googled this subject as I am finding exactly the same thing with my 2017 Fabia. I could have sworn I was going mad, so it's good to hear that I might not be. The symptom for me is the same: having to make small adjustments frequently to bring the recline of the driver's seat back to its normal position. Unfortunately mine's out of warranty. The driver's seat bolster in my Fabia is also heavily worn at a mere 20k miles (probably due to a portly or mobility-limited former owner), so I am tempted to replace the whole seat for £70-100 with a used eBay purchase. Is this likely to resolve the issue, or are all seats affected?!

The part was 6V0012115 K. I’m not near the spare wheel, but it looked like a space saver.

Bah. The tray that arrived wouldn’t fit - a waste of a fiver! It was apparently the right part, so I’m not sure if I will bother again and just make do!

Thanks to all. I managed to find a polystyrene tray for £5 on eBay this morning.

My 2017 SE has a spare wheel complete with jack and spanner. It looks like they may have been used previously, which tallies with the car having come to me with mismatched tyres at the rear. My question is how should I store the jack and spanner within the rear wheel / well? These are currently moving around inside the spare wheel unsupported, whereas in other cars there's often a polystyrene tray of some sorts.

Perhaps I am a little younger, but I certainly have enough grey hairs (and a bit less of it!) to tell anyone who looks at me that I am over 40... and surely eligible to at least hold associate membership of the illustrious old fart club. On a more serious note, all the advice and wisdom from many years of experience is very welcome - no problem at all; we all need motoring dads. Nonetheless, being able to plant one's right foot from standstill without a care should be a given in a performance car with auto transmission and 4WD. I've had enough of them in the last 23 years to know by feel when something's not right. Driver training, lower speed fun and so on are all good points and well noted (although I'm obviously a driving god anyway ). My priority for now will be fixing the car I've already got... and maybe mentioning more of about the Fabia!

Tyres and tracking done on the Fabia: I am completely bowled over - it really drives like a different car! Smoother, softer and grippier by a long shot. Really, if anyone ever doubts the value of new high quality tyres then I don't think driving cars is for you. I then took it for a good old Italian tune-up on a favourite quiet loop and think this has helped. The 1.2 110hp lump seems quite potent especially in Sport mode via the DSG, which itself is working pretty smoothly through all the gears. I'll keep an eye on the slow speed light judder (I've had the DQ200 DSG on two other cars, as well as the wet clutch variants on higher power cars), though I'm satisfied with that the DSG is working as it should on the whole. I tend to remap most of my cars, but I hadn't planned to with the Fabia as it's not going to be used much outside town. This is something I might consider again as a good remap tends to unlock some of the easy performance I like and the Fabia drives better than expected now. Ironically, the Fabia's traction is a lot better than my all-wheel-drive S3's on the same route - confirming my suspicions that the S3's Haldex must be borked. Yes, it's wearing four premium tyres with perfect tracking and no fault codes showing... just wheelspin in situations where the Fabia would grip and go. Not what you expect it a 4WD car!

Indeed, the Fabia does have Hold Assist - so it's Auto Hold that I am missing! The S3 is on 24k miles and 3.5 years old. I bought it earlier this year and immediately had the Haldex oil changed at a trusted VAG specialist, bang on schedule at 3 years. I've always suspected that it's not giving the full AWD experience as on my old Golf R32, S3 and A3 quattro - and I'm now pretty convinced it's the Haldex pump that's at fault. This seems like a common issue with these cars even at low miles. Otherwise, the S3's a great running mate to our VW Transporter and Fabia.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. The new Fabia is getting more use than expected at the moment - not big miles, but 4-5 trips per week on errands with the kids seems good going. Probably because it's the summer holidays. I must say that it's been great so far. It's booked-in for four new Goodyear EfficientGrip tyres in the standard 185/60/15 size, plus tracking. I've fitted the aforementioned door sill covers (to cover-up some scratches), replaced the front wiper blades and added a £30 1980 / W-reg plate to hide its age. It's all non-essential stuff but this should be a keeper and already looks like it'll be the vehicle we use most often. Mainly because of its transmission, I can't help but compare it to my S3. I'm still yet to master smooth take-offs in the Fabia and I really miss Hold Assist. I find the shift from 1st to 2nd seems to be quite jerky, plus there's a little judder in 2nd and reverse at minimal throttle that disappears once more throttle is applied (I'll need to keep an eye on this). The Fabia rides more comfortably than the S3 at first, but hitting potholes reveals a lesser capacity for absorption. I'm finding the materials inside solid and very well lain-out, though they are scratchy and the previous owner seems never to have cleaned inside the car, judging by the amount of debris built up in the small crevices between trim. I must add that I am quite sensitive to these things and that the Fabia is still mightily impressive overall, not least because it cost a third of what the S3 did. Incidentally, the S3 has decided to become two-wheel-drive (just out of warranty ) and so it's likely I'll be driving the Fabia even more as I get this fixed.

Thank you! I agree replacement of the tyres is a top priority. Replacing the legal but mixed rears needs to be done - it's just a shame that the dealer put rubbish tyres up front: they look brand new. Looks like a set of 4 is needed as I mentioned at the beginning.

The car has been with us a few days now and I'm pretty pleased with it. Actually getting it from the seller involved a few more hiccups. Through a combination of being polite and persistent, I did manage to get next year's MoT & service on the house (delays) and a £100 refund (missing the keyless start option it was listed with, which I don't care about). The car's cosmetic condition is pretty good. Probably never waxed and with a few blemishes, but it came up nicely with a bit of attention. I'll need to watch some pretty severe (for 19k miles) driver's side bolster wear though, because this is looking pretty thin. I've also ordered some door sill covers to go over some pretty harsh wear to the metal door sills in places. The 1.2 TSI and 7-speed DSG seem pretty characterful and smooth respectively. I've tried to "reset" the DSG with the old trick of turning the ignition and then holding my foot on the accelerator as its a little jerky in some situations and I definitely miss my S3's Hold Assist and electronic handbrake. Strangely, it seems more sensitive on take-off than my S3. It's only been driven locally, which is of course going to be its main use, though I'm sure it'd be fine for longer runs. Overall, it seems like a good car and matched well to its intended use. I've done a couple of runs with us as a family of four and there's plenty of room, it's easy to park and there are some good practical features. I just need to decide whether to replace those mixed budget tyres now (2x Landsail up front, 1x Nexen & 1x Autogrip rear).

I'm afraid I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my possessions... Not in an obviously OCD way, but I do look after my stuff - probably because I lost all my worldly possessions in a house fire when I was 12. I'd certainly repair a bumper scrape on a £9k 2017 car. (Or indeed alloy wheel scuffs, which are a common occurrence on my S3 due to a combination of my wife and huge kerbstones outside our house). But overall this Fabia will be prone to damage due to urban use and I am hoping therefore hoping to let go of usual standards with this one!

Oh dear. The Fabia was due to be delivered to me tomorrow, but the supplying dealer rang this evening with some bad news. They were very apologetic that the car has sustained some cosmetic damage to the rear bumper while in transit - they'll update me on Monday once the bodyshop has viewed it. The rear bumper already had a couple of imperfections and I'm realistic that even brand new cars get the odd repair before delivery, but this is disappointing nonetheless. (Not least because my S3 will now be pressed into service with my wife, ferrying kids and their friends to activities... which always makes me wince!) :(