sandrogalli

Yes those are the jacking points I normally use too when working on the motor, as well as under the console bush arm. Thank you, this is helpful. I actually have some Tetroseal, but ideally I'd like the garage to admit their mistake rather than try and lie their way out of it. Still waiting to hear back and see what their position is, and I'm hoping they will be sensible rather then let things get silly. Feel like I have had only good experiences with garages for a long time now so this one has been a bit of a shock. If it comes to it, I'll certainly apply some new underseal to keep the car running. Ah, yes I believe it's the same stuff as under the sills. Where the floorpan is now exposed it still looks like fresh paint, no signs of rust so it seems to have done a good job protecting the metal.

I understand where you are coming from, but still hoping for some help from any helpful members. Perhaps I didn't explain clearly enough... The garage showed me photos they had taken of the section between the jacking point and the sill, where the vehicle should definitely not be lifted, and the non-metallic underbody material has now been torn. I have worked on this car a lot having recently done the CV joints. This damage was not there before taking it to the garage. They said the car was too rusty to lift and that they had not lifted the car, saying the metal had gone soft from rust. I initially took them at their word as I tend to trust people unless they give me a reason otherwise. The reason I'm posting is to find out more information as I have to admit that if the garage is being dishonest and this is due to a reckless lift, that is a real bugbear of mine. I'd much prefer if things could be settled like grown ups. The material is not in fact metal, and underneath is the painted metal chassic which is not showing any signs of rust. However due to the age, I'm not sure if this material is a thick anti-corrosion coating that is painted on and become more solid over time, or if it's a distinct seperate layer of material. I'm hoping to find out exactly what this material is, which is non-magnetic and has the consistency something like tough cardboard when torn. I'm not able to take a photo right now but the photo shows the area in question, and the greyish material I'm trying to find out more details on. I've cropped away the arrow pointing to the exhaust hanger in case it is confusing, and the red circle shows the point the material has been punctured.

I have a Skoda Fabia mk1 1.4 tdi that has been the most reliable car I've ever owned. Unfortunately I took it in to the garage and it looks like they have lifed the vehicle in the wrong place, between the jacking points and the sills, causing damage to the underbody material. According to the manuals the Fabia's jacking points are placed according to the diagram included below. The garage have place the lift arms just off these points on the non-metallic underbody material. It appears to be a non-metallic material that tears away like a tough cardboard. Due to the age of it I can't tell what it is. Just hoping for any advice on whether this can be fixed or how to best approach it with the garage, who are blaming it on rust and are currently not admitting that the vehicle was lifted or damaged. Does anyone know what this material is called, should it need to be ordered for a replacement? The second photo i've attached shows the greyish material i'm talking about.

I changed out the coilpack and lo and behold, it is up and running again. thanks for the great advice, this forum has been amazing in helping me keep the old motor running.

It isn't really an intermittent issue, I meant that the stuttering started up after I'd stopped the vehicle for about 20mins and I was wondering if this would have exacerbated an issue. The engine still turns on now but stutters heavily and does not fire on cylinders 1 and 2. But that's fair, I will look to get the fault codes read, hopefully through someone I know or failing that I will look to pick up a cable. Thanks again for the responses.

had the breakdown mechanic take a look yesterday but because it was so busy in the heat yesterday there wasn't time to read the codes. unplugging injectors 1 and 2 showed that those two cylinders weren't firing at all (made no difference to the stuttering idle). plugs 1+2 also had a smell of fuel indicating that they weren't firing. because the coilpack and plugs have just been changed the mechanic suggested it was possibly the head gasket, or the exhaust inlet/valve. he was kind enough to give us a tow back home despite the fact that it was so busy yesterday. I'm a bit confused because the car ran fine for 3hrs or so of motorway driving before stuttering. When it broke down, I had stopped for 20mins or so before starting her up again it started stuttering and failed about 10mins after that. Would this be an early indication of a possible head gasket on the way out? Also curious whether it could be a faulty coilpack or spark plug that could cause this kind of problem, as I've been reading through the forums and there have been a few threads on faulty coilpacks. I'm aware that it's going to be a fair commitment to get the old banger back on the road but i've put a lot into the car recently (two new wheel bearings, new master cylinder, bushes, temp sensor, thermostat housing) so if it's possible to fix her with normal tools i'd be inclined to give it a go. Also only has 65k on the mileage so feels wasteful to scrap it. Grateful for any tips and advice on what members would share / do next?

thanks for all the replies. message taken about really needing to see the codes... I have breakdown insurance and it's currently parked on the roadside so I will call tomorrow and see if they are able to get a read on the problem. I did change the coilpack and think i secured it pretty firmly but it's interesting that there was a modified mounting bracket produced. I'll check mine hasn't worked it's way loose at all. I hope it hasn't failed already as it was a new part and £60 from Euro Car Parts. I have the day to try and get things sorted tomorrow so I will update as a go.

My 2001 Fabia 1.4 mpi recently developed a misfire while driving in town conditions at <30mph. It resulted in a sudden lost of power and ended up having to get it towed back home. The recovery mechanic advised changing the spark plugs (Bosch FR78s) and coilpack which I did and the car started working again and all seemed well. I also changed the air filter at this time. However, after a 2hr drive (mostly motorway), it started stuttering again, and again experienced a major loss of power. For all intents and purposes it seems to be the same or a very similar problem to before. I appreciate it's not easy to diagnose the problem without a computer (unfortunately don't have one of these) but just hoping for some advice on what would be the most systematic way to diagnose and fix. Would it be worth changing the spark plugs again? Or could this be caused by the fuel filter? As it's an old car I don't mind swapping out old parts that are well overdue servicing, just would like some pointers at what I should be looking at. Thanks in advance.