Sfmk1

Hello, I want to go on a trip through Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic and I have some issues with the car. A metallic gate opened into my front door and bent the body, leaving a vertical line on it. The paint is kinda ok, but the line is pretty visible and the rocker under the door is 2-3cm depressed in that area, too. Will I have any problems driving like that through those countries? It's pretty visible that it's not a hit and run thing, since there is a vertical line across the car. Will I be in danger of having my circulation right suspended or getting a fine? Also, I have different pattern tires on the front axle (left different from the right, that is) and with different wear level, and I need the same information about this as well, will I have problems because of this? This is easily fixable by changing tires, but I was thinking of going through another half a year with them, since the thread is still a few mm above the wear mark on the more worn out of them. I'd be grateful for information from people living in these countries or people that travel through them. Also, is there a tendency to stop foreign cars more often in these countries? I'm from Romania.

I did it from below. It's a bit more difficult than the normal ones, but it's ok. I did it in a ditch, at my parents' house. I changed all the filters. The guy at the shop laughed about the fuel filter, he said I was crazy to change it after 1 year and that he kept the same one for about 10 years without problem. Well, I don't know what to say, I too know somwbody that only changed the oil and the oil filter once in 11 years of ownership and the car runns perfectly. It's a strange world.

I have this problem, too. I once got into an accident because of it, it prevented me from stopping the car in time, when I got to about 20kmph, the brakes started slipping with a grinding feel in the pedal and let the car to advance almost free of braking and got me into another car. First I thought it was the tires skidding on the asphalt, but then I tested it and it seems there's some electronic systems that kick in and prevent you from stopping the car safely.

Ok, thanks a lot. So, I have to access it from below the car, right?

Hello, I have a Fabia 1 1.4 BUD, the 80PS version, and I can't locate the oil filter. Is it under the plastic hood of the engine? The plastic hood is much smaller than on the 75PS version (the air filter seems to be separate, closer to the windshield).

I've changed the player and it sounds ok now. The previous had a powerful muddy bass, it functioned a bit erratic, so maybe it had some EQ set or an issue. Now I have very little bass, but I'm pleased with the sound. Bass sounds nasty in the car, anyway, it rattles the panels and there's all sorts of crazy waves, it also annoys the people outside.

Well, I figured it out after I had 4 big people in the car + luggage. Got over the speed bump like a Rolls Royce. This only means one thing: heavy duty setup, the only thing that loosens that much with increased load. I knew that something was off, but sports suspension didn't make sense on a 80PS car with fairly large ground clearance and owned by a lady with kids.

Thanks. I haven't noticed the tweeters, although I've looked around, because the 13+cm woofers seemed a little too big for a 1-way. I've talked to a car audio installer, but he is partially clueless, he's asking me more than he's giving answers. Can I easily change the tweeters, too? I can buy adapters for the woofers and some 16.5 under 55mm deep woofers. Can I use coaxial and disable the mirror tweeters? Or am I forced to use a dual speaker setup? I know the woofer can be fitted eventually, but the tweeters...I'm not sure, it doesn't seem like a standard fit.

Hello, I want to change my door speakers. They're pretty old, paper cones (that may get bad over time from humidity and splashes). They sound a bit distorted and weak. I need something just a bit more resolute and not necessarily a lot more bassy or powerful. I want to change them with some 2-way plastic or metal cones. The problem I have is that I don't know what size they are. From the outside I can see they're 13cm from side to side when measured from the exterior edge of the rubber suspension. I know there are 2 more common standards, 5.25" (13.3cm) and 6.5" (16.5cm) and that these sizes are usually calculated at the exterior edge of the metal frame. I can't see the frame of my speakers, but I suppose they're something like 15cm. This would place me in between the 2 common standards. I really don't know what to buy. Also, I'd prefer to avoid taking the door insides off just to see the speakers and measure the hole distances or the frame. I don't really know if I need some adapters (I've seen Golf IV being mentioned online) or if I can adapt 16.5cm to replace what I have. Thanks in advance for your help.

Ok, thanks. I'll buy something just a bit better than the minimum available.

I can manage with the physical characteristics, what I need to know about is the electrical specs, the Ah number. The more expensive, the higher the Ah. I need to know what is minimum, what is optimal, if there is a maximum ideal number and what are the disadvantages/advantages. PS: There are models with different Ah for each battery physical size.

Hello, I have to buy a new battery for my car and I don't know what specs to choose. They start from 40Ah to 100Ah. I've seen people recommending minimum 70Ah for diesel engines, but I don't know what to buy for my 1.4 16V petrol. I don't need recommendations for brands, only the generic specs. I do 10-15 minutes drives most of the days and a 30+min drive once a week. I let my car unused for one week at most in the winter, maybe two weeks if there's some situation when I go somewhere without the car. I use AC in the summer and have a regular mp3 player which I use and 2 regular speakers in doors. I need to know if there is a minimum battery spec or an ideal spec. I'm willing to spend extra money only if it's worth it. Thanks in advance for your help.

It was the fuse. I swapped it with the one for the interior lights, which I don't use. I'll replace that too, so I have a backup one for the next time, it's safer there than in the glovebox.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check it first thing in the morning. I remember to shut it properly. Also, the wipers worked well for a few minutes before going crazy.

I've heard about the fuse 15, but can there be a possibility that the fuse is blown and the front wipers can still work sometimes?

Hello, I have a Fabia 2006 Combi and my front wipers went mad. If I turn the lever up, the front wipers don't move at all. If I pull the lever towards me (which should start the front wipers) the back wiper starts instead or, very rarely, the front and back wipers start together instead of only the front ones. So, why do the front ones don't work when I pull up. Why do they work only 1 in 5 times if I pull toward me and why do the back ones start instead of the front ones? Normally it's fuse or the motor, but they work 1 of 5 times, but only in one setting, the middle-down position (on the vertical) and when pulling the lever towards me. I went to a car service and the guy told me to return tomorrow and that he didn't know what it could be. Help, please! PS: Windshield washer pump doesn't work either.

My technical abilities are severely limited, unfortunately. How is it done? And when you say 'one end', I presume you talk about the top end vs bottom. Which one is easier to tackle? A mechanic took a look at then ans said none of them are leaking so I'm good to go, but I guess they can go bad without licking either. I wrote licking first instead of leaking ,sorry if I got people confused, it's not my first language and when I'm tired it shows the most.

The rims are 14inch steel, I would go downstair with the car without any worry if it all depended on rims and tyres. I replaced the tyres since they were 11 years old but didn't see any changes in ride comfort and also the bushings on one side. The bushings were ok when I bought it (according to the mechanic's report) and needed replacing on one side 3 months later. Don't know if it's because of the roads in the past 3 months or because of their 12 year life if they have never never been replaced. I'm not driving through potholes especially, I try to avoid them, but sometimes a patch is missing from the road and you can't see it because of the cars in front of you which are driving fast (I would too if I had a good suspension) or the road is all with small craters all over and there's an annoying rattling. It's bad on deep potholes when the car is rocking violently, but also on rough textured roads, when it's trembling. Took the Bora again today, and daaamn, 40-50kmph on rough roads was a charm. Felt the wheels trembling and rattling a bit, but it didn't transmitt much of it to the actual car. Maybe it's equally damaging on both cars, don't know. I would't mind the problem that much if I knew I'm not more at risk of losing a wheel with the Fabia, despite the comfort issue.

Thanks for the confirmation. Time to ditch the Fabia. I don't need a 80PS car that rides like a Zonda through potholes. Too bad for me I didn't find out before buying it, nobody talks about it, despite being important. One last question. Horrible comfort aside, how bad is driving fast through potholes with a hard suspension compared to a soft one for the car itself? Would a soft suspension protect the car bushes? If it's equally bad, at least I could try to disregard the discomfort and get fast where I need without worrying about losing a wheel in the middle of the road.

Then can you think of another car that you've driven and found it to be firmer than the Fabia? Except sport versions or fitted with aftermarket parts.

or Renault, or Dacia, or Peugeot, or everything else I can't remember now. I know older cars used almost exclusively off road that don't have this problem. So, if this car didn't win Paris-Dakar, there has to be something special about it's suspension: firmer from factory, very low quality shocks (bad lot), some aftermarket suspension. Right now I tend towards the first possibility. Also, it's not that subjective. If it's harsher than anything I tried, it has to be pretty harsh in an objective way. If there are some softer than stock suspension kits on the market, it can only improve the situation, the problem is nobody knows of such kits. So, as long as nothing on the market can promise what I need, I have to find another Fabia to try out.

Can you explain all the other older cars being a lot more comfortable?

160k km. I drove 250k km+ cars all without suspension issues.

That's because I tend o exaggerate things a lot :)) But it's definitely harsher than anything I tried (affordable German and French hatchbacks and compact sedans) Thing is I hate to always reduce speed and avoid manhole covers, I'm not used to. And if there's a poorely signalled working area with a patch missing from the road, 8-9cm level difference, with the Bora I curse and forget about it in a few minutes. With the Fabia it's violent enough to make me think about the banging the whole rest of the trip.

Thanks. Now I need to know what to buy. I'll get my hands on another Fabia to make a comparison and if it's the same, I'm lost without a softer suspension recommendation.