JJBaxter

Hi Adam, I didn't, as the reception at the time seemed pretty good. The core reason for wanting to replace it with the bee sting is that my roof box bends the standard aerial almost 90 degrees, so I figured a bee sting would be the ideal compromise. Thanks, Jordan

Hi all, After a few months of ownership, the old Fabia is approaching 5000 miles under my ownership (coming up for 167k). In this time, it's had a full engine service (plugs, filters and oil) and the replacement of the timing chain cover gasket - a total piece of work to replace! After that, I waited until my next pay day to iron out the ridiculous pull to the left of the steering, which turned out to be a snapped drop link and a worn console bush. Following their replacement and wheel alignment, it's mostly gone. Other things that I've done: - New Skoda badges - New numberplate - New roof bars - Replacement of Head Unit and Speakers (the most effective change!) - New roof box However, having added the roof box, I noted that my already worn out aerial was split at the rubber, and it reminded me that the radio reception isn't all that great. I'm using a Kenwood unit and a stock aerial, so I'm just wondering if there's a decent 'bee sting' type aerial that's known to be good, and if there's something I can do about the dire radio reception? Thanks!

Hi David, I had a similar issue with mine, although it packed up on one channel before long so I simply replaced it. Being honest, the stock HU isn't all that great - the sound quality is not brilliant (in my experience) and doesn't output all that much power. I replaced mine with a used Kenwood I picked up from eBay for £30 - while it doesn't have BT as standard, it does have an AUX in and the capacity to add 6CD in, which can also be used to add an iPod in. I've gone down the cheapskate route of just chucking a cheap £5 Tesco bluetooth kit into it that plugs into the AUX, allowing me to get calls and audio over Bluetooth. Personally, I'd advise this over any potential investment in the stock HU, although a signal booster can be bought off eBay for as little as £5, which might solve your issue - although I don't know if this will cause any problems with the HU itself, as I believe the VAG ones have built in signal amplification. However, if you do upgrade your head unit I'd advise replacing the speakers also - the stock ones are not particularly good. Jordan

Although I've not had mine (1.4 MPI) too long, I'd be inclined to agree for the most part - mine's done just short of 165k in its 14 years, and aside from a timing chain cover gasket and an oil pressure switch it's been pretty good. Slightly petrol thirsty, but more refined than the Zetec Rocam-engined SportKa (on just 65k miles) that preceded it - although a damn site slower. I actually kind of like the slightly rough nature of it, as it's easier to work on than most and offers more opportunity for home repairs than most 'modern' cars.

Thanks guys. Thankfully I haven't sealed the door as yet, as I'm still tinkering with my audio setup. I'll have a look into which door is causing it, as the car seems to do this all at random - tonight it's performed flawlessly, but during the day it was doing the same as normal.

Hi all, My Fabia has recently started acting up electronically. The issues are as follows: - Convenience light doesn't go out when the doors are closed - Car doesn't always give a warning sound when a door is open and a key is in the ignition - Car locks itself at random when unlocked (even if a door is open) I think this could be the convenience unit, but I'm not sure. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks

Raw deal... I actually can't wait to move back out again, I'm not a fan of living with my family as I have no space to myself (I got the box room, which literally has space for a bed and some clothes) so I prioritise leaving!

Normally I'd be the same - however, my mum is emigrating and I have literally zero storage space outside of uni so I'm somewhat dependent on moving as much as is humanly possible. On a further note, after £160 of remedial work to the timing chain cover gasket, my oil pressure sensor has decided to become yet another outlet for oil -_- I'm sure it's just the switch, as the garage I sent it to dropped the sump and did an oil & filter change at the same time, so I'm sure it's this - it only comes on when above 2k rpm and then is cleared when the car is turned off, and happy idling. I've ordered a part off Amazon (the only one they had in) so hopefully I'll see the back of the leakage problems I've been having!

Thanks for the info. As an aside, would the cruise control kit - BEA400002 - from Rainworth be compatible with my car? It is literally the most basic spec, although it does have remote central locking and electric front windows. Thanks

Thanks buddy. I've seen some OEM ones, but most mention that they fit the Octavia I as well as the Fabia - is this correct? Cheers

Hi all, After a fairly straightforward few months with the Fabia (now at 146k miles) it's had oil, filters and plugs, and the recent replacement of a chain-side gasket by a local outfit (after it decided to become a fountain as opposed to an engine!). I'm just coming to the slow realisation that I'm going to need to use the 420l roof box that's sat dormant in our garage for years if I'm ever to move all of my stuff to Uni this year (my mum is moving to Ireland the week before and the Fabia is all I can use) so I'm wondering which roof bars are best, and where's cheapest? Thanks, Jordan

Thanks for the advice. I have an old torque wrench laying around in the garage, so I'll break that out. I'll see how tight the seal is and then do either, although I think I might go for sticking a screw in it. With regards to the new seal, I'm thinking a large socket and a rubber mallet, if that might work? I think I have some Torx bits so I'll see if I can dig them out and have a go at it. I have to say, for such a small engine it's quite torque-y - it pulls a damn site better than the 100 brake 1.4 engine my girlfriend's 207 has, although that might be something to do with weight! Edited - at least I think it's supposed to be 100 brake, it moves slower than this and slower still than mum's Mii (60bhp).

Excellent! I'm on a long drive tomorrow, so I'll fill the oil up and pinpoint the leak - if it's this then I might even be able to do it on the weekend. Is there anything particular to watch out for when doing it? I remember having a real problem changing just the headlight bulbs on my old SportKa - although when I did them on the Fabia it was a 5 minute job. I'm just hoping the rest of the car is as easy to work on!

That's the one! I'll see if I can source one, otherwise I think the pipe wrench might be the way to go. How long did the job take you when you last did it? I'm probably not going to get 5 minutes to myself for a while so I'll make sure I set some time aside.

According to a service guide I've obtained, there's some kind of screw-based lock on the gearbox casing. I might be wrong, but hopefully someone can throw some light on it

Also, how big a job/what sort of price would I be looking at to get this done, if it's too complex to be done on the drive?

I'll have a look into that. If anything it'll likely be that, the car is relatively high mileage so anything common will probably have gone. Thanks for the advice, you've probably saved me ages trying to pin it down!

Thanks, I appreciate your help!

Nice one, I'll put the horrific thoughts of belts and related failures out of my head! Thanks for the info, it's a big help. Back to parts, are there any preferred sources around here?

I'll have a look under there over the weekend. If it's a cam chain I'll be glad, as I can spend the belt-change money I'd budgeted on other stuff. Does anyone know of any real common weaknesses? As yet, I know there's an oil leak somewhere (I'm keeping it topped up) so I'm planning to do the head gasket and the sump gasket for peace of mind, and do a full service. With parts and bushes, is there anywhere specific that you would recommend? I do my own work, but I'm new to VAG ownership and I'd like to do this properly

Hi all, I posted a while back about the Octavia, but in the end circumstances dictated something somewhat different. I ended up with a 163,000 mile old '52 plate Fabia Classic. It drives nicely, and has all stamps in the book up to 158k (I am planning to do a full service myself over summer including bushes, as it's eating tyres for fun and definitely needs a suspension refresh). However, in the book it makes mention of a cambelt change. I'm a bit confused, as reading online suggests that the 1.4 MPi 8V is a cam chain? I'm just wondering what the reality is, so I can factor this in for servicing. I'll post some pictures up soon - recent purchases always make me nervous!

Hi all, I'm a new member, looking to gather information on the Octavia 2, specifically the 1.9 PD estate. I'm a uni student, and I'm looking to buy one around June/July as my family are emigrating to Ireland and my girlfriend is moving to Cornwall, so I need something big to move all my stuff around. I'll have up to £4k to spend, although I'm hoping I can save some of it for fuel and other stuff. I'm just wondering what to look out for, and what to avoid really as I'm new to VAG stuff (Mum has a '15 Mii, but that's taken care of) and only really have experience of working on Fords. Thanks in advance, Jordan