Asketi

My super high mile Fabia 1.6TDI is back again with my brother. Still going strong. On another Fabia 1.6TDI (64 plate) with nearly 120k on the clock now. Great car and drives exceptionally well, and is still tight with no knocking or complaints as I go over bumps. The Aircon is a bit wheezy at times and I have replaced the drivers side electric window switch which got wet in rain and stopped working. I also replaced the centre arm rest lid which was worn - cheap mock leather one from eBay for 12 quid. Done two long runs up to Edinburgh which it probably needed, and am getting 65mpg on motorway driving, 56mpg in mixed driving. Before me, it had been used by a sales rep who retired and bought it from his firm. I may be wrong but I would prefer a car with high miles that were put on from long journeys on motorways rather than loads of short journeys. Servicing history is great - every 10k miles while it was going big miles then every year since. On its original clutch, second cam belt and water pump. Am doing a monster run upto the north of Scotland then down to the South coast for work in Aug will be good to see how it goes!

Just a little update. Now at 290k miles. The good - Engine is just awesome. Not using oil at all. - MPG - Don’t obsess over it but I average 65mpg but do a lot of motorway driving - Servicing…. Cheap, and has remained so with a brilliant local garage - Still (and this is remarkable) very tight to drive and the shocks still ride as they did on day 1 The not so good - Cruise control works but can’t be switched off on the left stalk (not a big issue) - Aircon has developed a wheezy on / off routine. Never been degassed and still gets v cold though! - Lots of dings from supermarket trolleys and folk on owning doors onto her - The second arm rest is worn (replaced the first one some time ago) - No flux going to the rear washer I am not joking to say this is the best car I have ever owned, but such a long way. Never broken down, never let me down and just is soooo efficient to run. Having owned Range Rovers and Mercs that were horrifically unreliable and expensive I will never go back.

I have exactly the same car, model year etc. I also had this issue when my car was a year old. The noise was a crunch and seemed to come from the passenger side of the vehicle. It only ever happened when going over larger speed bumps. Skoda changed the control arms (didn’t fix the issue) but the problem eventually was identified a problem with the steering rack (didn’t make sense to me). But it fixed it!

Hi All I am needing to get a car that passes ULEZ in London. My 1.6 Diesel doesn’t do this. Has anyone here made the switch from a 1.6 Diesel to 1.0 Petrol…. I am particularly interested in motorway driving and overall performance. cheers

Just a little update. I “borrowed” back my high mileage Fabia from my brother who has been using it as I needed to do a trip from Cambridge to Edinburgh to Bournemouth. My wife is using her Fabia which we share. I have to say what a joy it was to be back behind the wheel of my Fabia. A full tank and off to Edinburgh - she just cruises superbly and effortlessly. My apologies overall economy for the trip was 63mpg - all motorway. I notice no real driving differences between my wife’s much lower mileage Fabia and mine. I had the misfortune to drive a Vauxhall Astra a few weeks ago and even though my Fabia is “old”, I would choose her any day over the Astra. No oil used at all, the only thing I noticed that needs attention is the rear washer connection - no fluid making it to the nozzle. Cheers

Nice wheels. The reason for my post was actually around winter tyres. I have been offered a set of the same sized wheels from a Mk1 as is on my Mk2 - complete with pretty much unused winter tyres. Good to know they will fit! Cheers

Thanks all.

Many thanks - Much appreciated.

Hi All Just a quick one on wheel studs. Are they the same configuration between the Mk1 and Mk2 ie will Mk 1 wheels fit on Mk2 hubs? Many thanks

I think my Fabia with really big miles had relatively few problems because: - Much of the driving was on motorways - It did not really get used for short journeys. Most journeys were 50 miles to 300 miles in length. - I followed 10k miles service intervals - for most of the cars life. - Used my local independent garage for servicing - high quality servicing. Cheers

Take a look at my posts. My 1.6 has huge mileage (now 250k) with almost nothing but regular maintenance. Not the same for all but mine is great.

Hi @threadbear I agree about keeping Skodas. I looked up my old Golf Mk3 and it is still going 20 years after I sold it! Definitely keeping the two Fabias that we have in the family. For me they are super cheap and reliable motoring. Both of ours are are a little scratched and the upholstery worn somewhat but they drive perfectly. Both are absolute workhorses! Here is to keeping the 1.6 Diesels going until they are truly worn out! cheers

Just an update - my Fabia clocked up a total of 268k miles, really trouble free. The 1.6 TDI is a superb engine in my opinion - still not using oil and sweet to drive. I kept to servicing at my trusted local independent garage every 15k miles with no problem at all. The centre arm rest needs replacing - fabric worn out and the central locking button stopped working after a coffee spill. I don’t drive as much now because of Covid, but my brother does so I give it to keep racking up the miles. He has a big Merc but loves the economy of the Fabia. We have my wife’s Fabia Mk2 that I am now using - 102k on the clock and I am going to keep putting on the miles until it becomes uneconomical to run. For me the mk2 Fabia has been the ultimate “workhorse” car that I have owned.

I am certainly not to old or proud to learn! The grease monkeys at my local garage definitely know best!

Hi All I am not new to car maintenance and do a basic set of checks each weekend. My Fabia had big miles and I still do a lot of driving, so like to do a weekly check at the weekend. Last weekend, I checked the headlights and - nothing. All other lights worked but the headlights were both dead - they had been fine a couple of days previously. I was short of time to diagnose, so left it and asked my excellent independent garage to have a look as part of the MOT. I’m pretty handy with repairs and maintenance but very busy at work so let them handle it. Lo and behold...it wasn’t something complex but was simply bulbs - which must have blown pretty much at the same time.... I was expecting a more complex problem - the garage said that it is not unheard of for bulbs to go at the same time and kindly gave me a cheap set of spares for the glovebox. So it could be co incidence or maybe some sort of surge? Who knows...lesson learned, check the basics first!