Harry Brooks

I don't actually know what they did - I assume both front sides were done, but the invoice just says "wheel alignment". I phoned them up and it seems that £95 + vat is their standard charge - they said that it "takes about about an hour" of work. I don't mind paying a fair price but I hate feeling ripped off.

I paid £114 (£95 + vat) for front wheel alignment at an independent VAG specialist today. Is this excessive?

Yes i agree about the poor quality of the Mark2 Fabia interior - it's a relief to get back into my lovely old Mark1. It's puzzling that Skoda would risk all that money spent on improving brand awareness by trying to save a pound or two on door handles. And it's a mystery why Skoda thought it necessary to "facelft" the exterior, which never seemed to be a problem, rather than attending to the design and quality of the interior which has been criticised from all quarters since its introduction.

I didn't mean to spark such controversy. Have you ever wondered how vans reverse? By using the mirrors. Have you noticed how modern cars have much less rearward vision because of bulkier rear bodywork, shallower rear windows and muliple headrests? It makes reversing by looking out the rear window much more risky because of all the blind spots. The upside is that modern mirrors are far better. The answer to how quickly the parking sensors pick up eg a child behind the car is immediately and far more relaliably that trying to peer out the back window. So the safest way to reverse a modern car is by using your mirrors and the sensors. Happy driving!

I have to say that i woudn't be without parking sensors now. I had a courtesy car this week which didn't have them and I forgot that you have to turn your head when you reverse. It's one of those things that once you have it's difficult to do without. The main option that is essential to me though is the sunroof. It's so pleasant to have in all sorts of conditions and I can't understand why so few cars have them - air conditioning is a useful addition but no substitute. My last Fabia didn't have one and it was a great relief to have one again in my present fabia. I wouldn't buy another car without one.

I noticed that too, but the fabia sunroof option appears to have been removed from the Skoda website - as has the sunroof option on the Yeti and the panoramic sunroof on the Roomster.

Has anyone else noticed that the sunroof option seems to have been deleted from the new Fabia? That would put me off getting one. My first Fabia didn't have a sunroof and I really missed it. I have a sunroof on my current Fabia and I think it transforms the car.

Has anyone noticed the effect which outside temperature has on fuel consumption? I recently drove my Fabia 1.9 TDI on the same 60 mile route in similar traffic conditions and on the same tank of diesel. Apart from the temperature, the weather conditions were similar and I don't think that my driving was much different. The first journey, when the temperature was reading about 3C, gave a computer read out of 62.5 mpg. The temperature on the second journey was about 9C and the fuel consumtion read 72mpg. The other thing I have noticed is how much the fuel consumption has improved with mileage. This car has now covered over 60k. Until it had done about 40k I never seemed to get a fuel consumption averaging over 58mpg.

Its maybe the brake light switch - I had that problem on my last Fabia and the garage changed the switch to a later design which solved the problem.

Leaking door seals I think - the water goes under the carpets so sometimes they don't feel wet. My Fabia hasn't had any problems with condensation since the four door seals were replaced under warranty.

I had that problem in my previous (Y plate) Fabia. Not a very high tech solution, but jamming a rolled up cloth very firmly between the windscreen and the top edge of the dashboard stopped it, although it worked loose after a while and needed pushed back in place. I think I read that that there was a change in the dahboard mountings and I've not had this problem in my current (2006 model) Fabia.

I had a fabia 2 for a few days while my Mk1 was getting the door seals fixed. I thought it looked quite nice on the outside actually (orange with a white roof). But the interior is a disaster I think. Looked like it came from a different car. Horrible seat fabric, absolutely no style in the design of the dashboard and door trim, cheap grey plastic, fake alloy trim. My Mk1 elegance looks, well, elegant by comparison. The ride seemed a bit softer, which i quite liked. But the 1.4TDI engine didn't impress - rather noisy, poor low down power compared with my 1.9 and, judging from the computer, significantly less economical.

Getting very fed up with the number of rattles buzzes and squeaks in my '55 elegance tdi. I think it's inexcusable. The most irritating are the glovebox - an infuriating plasticy creaking/clicking noise from somewhere behind it that comes and goes, as well as the lid rattling (the lid is also very stiff to open, dont know if thats related); a chattering from the panel where the light switches are (goes away when I press the panel but comes back as soon as I let go); and a rattle from the top of the drivers door which goes if I lower the window. Theres also a buzz from somewhere around the passenger seatbelt housing area. Some other ones as well. When one goes another starts, sometimes they are all on together. Its still under warranty, but Id like to be able to direct the dealer to what needs done since Im sure the rattles will all go away once Ive put it in. Any similar experiences?

The car has now done 25k miles. The last 400 miles was a mixture of motorway cruising, 70-80mph and easy rural driving. Worked out at 52mpg. Admittedly the weather was cold and sometimes snowy. I think I might try that Millers additive discussed here. By the way, I had the egr valve gasket changed by the dealer and I think it has improved the stutter a bit, but still noticeable sometimes when warming up. The garage also flushed the engine at the same time and that made a noticeable difference - revs much more easily.

I think that the "face lift" mark 1 Fabia 1.9tdi seems to have significantly poorer fuel consumption than the earlier ones. I can never get more than about 52mpg over a tankful whereas people with older ones seem to approach the sort of figures i got from my sdi, over 60mpg. Does anyone know why?