nevthedigger

It's 140,000 miles.

This is probably an easy one for the experienced, but I'm clueless with cars and hopefully want to sort this myself. Fabia MkI 1.9SDi estate. A couple of weeks ago I set off from traffic lights and the car seemed to be misfiring for about a hundred yards, and then sorted itself out. It's not done it since. However it may be coincidence but around the same time I've noticed a distinct lack of power on hills, and I find myself going through the gears where I didn't have to before. I also notice it seems to be using more fuel and the exhaust smells dirty, like a bus exhaust. As I say I'm clueless but I'm guessing it's air filter / fuel filter / glow plugs?

Thanks, just ordered a new filter as it's a while since it was changed.

Thanks I'll give that a go. Do I need a two foot long twisty neck to get in and see or can it be done by feel? Sorry I'm a bit ignorant with the layout.

Hello, good evening and Merry Christmas :-) I've just replaced the heater resistor thing (whatever it's called) as the first two notches on the blower weren't working. That's fine now but the airflow is still weak to the windscreen (and almost non-existent to the vents for the side windows). I am guessing this may be a damaged pipe or a disconnected one. I can feel a bit of air blowing about when I put my hand underneath near the pollen filter and poke my fingers in. Any views as to what it may be, and whether it's fixable at home? 1.9SDi Comfort estate, Y reg.

Thanks, I'm going to ask another friend tomorrow (also a mechanic) to have a look. To be honest the chap I am seeing tomorrow is the one who I would have preferred to have done the work in the first place, but the chap who did the MOT pretty much made me believe that I would be illegal on the road if I took it to him, even though the previous test certificate doesn't run out til 23rd May. Not sure if he was talking gibberish or not.

Last Monday I took my 1.9 sdi estate for its MOT and it failed on two broken springs, one front and one diagonally opposite on the back. He suggested we replace all four which I agreed to. When I picked up the car the following day it looks markedly lower than it did before, and now the plastic tray below the engine catches on all the speed bumps as I pass over them. Someone suggested to me that they have fitted the wrong springs, maybe ones meant for a hatchback, not an estate. Could this be right? Also the chap who did the work on the car told me that a bolt or nut had sheared off when removing a CV joint so this joint had to be replaced too. I am not technically minded, but again the same friend (he's a mechanic) suggested that they didn't need to remove the CV joint - again is this true? (The front spring to be replaced was offside, the CV joint replaced was nearside.) Please don't laugh at my ignorance if the answer is obvious!! Am I being paranoid or do I need to go back and see them? ...

Morning all, after using this forum a few times from Google searches I decided to join you lovely people. I've a 2001 Y reg Fabia Comfort estate, 1.9 sdi. I've had it for ten years this summer, the longest I've held onto a car. At a risk of having rotten fruit & veg thrown at me I'll say it's the second best car I've owned, second to the 1972 Land Rover I had for half a dozen years. :-)