t140pete

I've fitted some 17" rims to mine - see the Alloy Wheel Archive thread - and I reckon they look OK. The car feels a bit more planted and the tyres have a softish compound giving good grip. Certainly can feel the road now, and looking at the wheels I took off I probably need to look at the tracking sooner rather than later. Not sure if I'll stick with them (good tyres on the original rims might have been a better choice TBH), but I do like how they look.

Short-term, give the engine a quick rev up beyond 2500rpm - the alternator should kick in then even when the revs drop back down. Needs sorting though.

Excuse the phone image - I'll get some proper (and closer) pics with a real camera when time allows. ATP 17" fitted today to replace the tiny 15" standard rims. Running 205/40s. I like them, they look the right size in the (standard ride height) arches - and the ride feels more "planted". The colour being similar is the reason I bought them, a bit different. Those centre caps need replacing sharpish though. lol.

I bought and fitted a pre-flashed "plug & play" ECU from Livewire via eBay and thought I'd share my thoughts on this low-cost offering: (Fabia PD100 Combi) Prior to this ECU Remap I had a (albeit fancily packaged) resistor on the fuel temp. sensor wiring - this (approx 170 ohm) worked to an extent; torque at low revs and just coming on turbo was improved, but as it approached 3k revs there was little (if any) difference to standard. Main difference was at low revs before turbo woke up, decent response and would happily pull a higher gear. The ECU was for PD100, claiming to take it up to approx 140hp but of course without a rolling road session there's no way of knowing actual figures for any individual car. Fitting was easy enough (filter housing gets in the way - easier to do with this removed). I had to reset fault codes (the seller mentioned this would be necessary) but no problem once done. I haven't had a Furby remapped before, so only have the resistor mod and standard to compare with. If I get a chance I will try to get some 0-60, 40-70 etc times but not sure when my next free day will be. The main impression was one of smoothness - no sudden torque spikes, just a smooth build up of power - very clutch friendly - and pulls into the 4000s (as standard it seemed to run out of chuff by 3K, it was still increasing but no urgency if you know what I mean). Very "drivable". This encourages using the revs and not labouring the engine or having a huge dollop of low-rev torque break traction or stress the clutch. Gear changes seemed smoother though this might be placebo effect. Smoke was noticable by its absence . The Fabia definitely feels livelier, like it has lost weight or had rubbing brakes before. I don't know the actual figures, without getting it on a RR, but it would be interesting to see the torque curve. Because the power feeds in gradually without a sudden surge, you don't realise how quickly you're getting up to speed, but you are getting there quite quickly. Rain & traffic put paid to any further testing but overall I'm pleased so far - especially with the price ! (also get to keep the original ECU to put back to standard when selling) Tempted to see how the resistor mod affects the map, but for now I'll get used to how it now drives.

I know this has been covered a thousand times, and I apologise to those that have already described the procedure, but having done this this afternoon I thought it might be helpful to newer members to see how straightforward it is to sort out this problem. My symptoms were: ASR light coming on after 10 mins then could not be switched off until engine restarted, and alternator not seeming to charge until car had been revved a bit (noticable in this weather by the fan speeding up). The battery symbol was not showing in the dashboard when ignition on (engine off), and a final confirmation was no voltage at the alternator connection with ign. on (eng. off). After searching this and other forums for info, the main suspect was the "load sense wire" located beneath the starter motor - a common VAG fault caused by pennypinching and saving an inch of wire :( In preparation I bought a connector from eBay (VAG part # 1J0 973 722 ?) and soldered appropriate coloured wires in place, using approx 6 inches to allow for corroded original wiring. I got the front end up on ramps, and removed the undertray (T20 Torx screws - 9 off), the wires and connector are beneath the starter motor, front nearside (UK) of engine bay. As can be seen from the following images, the wires were indeed both snapped clean off, and corroded. I had to cut back the wires about an inch to get to clean copper (not green muck), which made joining these to my new connector & wires a little bit tricky (best method is soldering these together then sealing with heat shrink tubing) but patience and perseverance pays off. Once correct operation was confirmed, all was wrapped up, tied away (not too tight lol) - now working as it should There's no need to be all the way underneath - to get a good view I only had my head approximately in line with the wheels. You could use crimp connectors, or even a terminal block, but expect to have to do it agail some time in the future. You could also bypass the connector altogether. Tools needed : T20 Torx bit/driver, gas or 12v soldering iron (or mains if accessible) and solder, penknife or wire strippers, heatshrink tubing and tape/cable ties Anyone wanting to do this should be able to do it well within an hour, brews optional. Make sure you trim the wires back to clean shiny copper before soldering, and be careful as it's a tight spot and solder drips hurt - use eye protection and make sure the back wheels are chocked. Safety first ! If you're out of your comfort zone, any competent mechanic or auto electrician will have this sorted in a jiffy. Hope this is of help.

Lol yes, 2005 not 1995 ! - and it won't let me edit to cover up the alzheimers moment - still, the music was better then lol

Cheers - the handling is , after my last car, a bit like a drunk giraffe on roller skates to be brutally honest. I like a bit of straight line power but don't usually push it on country roads (nobody round here seems able go right on a bend without cutting the corner on the wrong side of the road so it's better safe etc.) I'm not wanting a track car, so the diminishing returns can diminish away. The wheels, it was more for the looks - to my eye they are poorly proportioned and look odd. My wife has a Cooper S with 18" wheels and tyres about as thick as a rubber band - looks great, handles like a go-kart but yes, every bit of neglected cr@p road can be felt. I might consider 16" if some come along cheap (probably more choice in these too).

Cheers Paul

Mine is standard, and skips on bumpy corners - it can cause clenching !

Hi, I have a 1995 1.9 TDi (PD100 eng. code ATD) estate/combi. I've sorted various issues from when I bought it, and like so now I'd like to improve a few things. I currently have one of those overpriced resistor boxes that masquerade as something more than what they are - although when adjusted to its lowest resistance (170 ohm) does make it noticably more lively without obvious clouds of soot Would a flash remap from such as Shark, Celtic etc give me much of an improvement in power over this (which could in all honestly be achieved with a few pence worth of resistor and tape), and therefore be worth shelling out for ? I'd like decent acceleration so as not to be embarrassed by builders vans and those hideous Nissan Quashquais :( - the resistor box (now I've sorted out its potentiometer properly) helps a bit but I'd like more power (wouldn't we all ?) without having to replace turbo/injectors etc. I believe the inlet/exhaust flow reasonably well as stock so no need for meddling there ? (although I do like the "owl" noise on mufflerectomied TDis so might look into this) Also wheels, the 15" alloys with 195/50s do look a bit like buttons, I'd like 16" or preferably 17" - I'm guessing most VAG rims will fit without rubbing ? (I'm not planning to lower it, but ARB might well be a future fitment. Any suggestions for cheapish breakers' yard rummaging, that will give similar circumference with the standard tyres from another model (Octavia/Golf/ Audi etc) ? Cheers in advance, Pete

Just a brief introduction :) and to say "Hi !" I have a Mk1 Fabia estate, 1.9TDi , 175000+ Miles. I have owned and worked on all sorts of vehicles in the past (last car was a Jag XJ6). Based in North Lancashire where it almost never rains ;) Planning on getting a bit more power/torque and improving the handling (albeit on a budget) Cheers, Peter