VanhireBoys

That car really looks very well in that color with the vRS bits on..... At least you have brought her back from the jaws of the crusher You are a good bit of teh way there now !

My brother in law had a 00 Golf IV SDi which had astro miles on her. We put about 8 litres of petrol in the fuel tank and drove her around for 1/2 a day .. We absolutely reddened her up and down the motorway in 4th gear for about 20 miles. By the time she got to the NCT she was cooking.... This was an annual activity that we carried out ...! That Golf now resides at the farm - If you need anything engine wise just say for she is doing nothing !! To be honest your wee car probably failed due to lack of use .... A good dose of petrol and a good reddening is all she will need to pass the test. You know the old expression "Short journeys kill Diesels" . Get her built .. Get her booked .. Get her reddened and Get her passed .. !

Them seats look really smart ! That wee car is deffo on the way back ! Compared to what she was like you have done great work ! With her being 20 years old I wonder would she qualify for a limited use policy ? If you are over 25 it's no bother ! Campions in Roscommon are really nice ! If you even get your owl fella to insure it and have her open driven any one of your family could use her ! Worth checking it out ! As she nears completion it would be good to be able to test run her !

Hi All ! I was tasked with my mother in laws 08 K12 Micra which the wipers had failed on ! I looked in the Fuse box and fuse 1 was blown I couldn't find one lying about so I took one from my Fabia ! Fuse 24 in fact a 10a - I just pulled it and forgot about it ! The wiper linkage was gone on the Micra so that was it ! I forgot to reinstall fuse 24 and tried to start the car later on ! The car started and immediately cut out - I remembered the Fuse and reinstalled Fuse 24 and the car started up again showing both the glow light and the EML. I got our local spanner to plug in and clear both faults Moral of the story is - don't just pull a random fuse out of the car even you are under pressure from the in laws 😂

Great work there lad .. Fare play to you ! Seats are really nice ... Are you considering the NCT ? Just a watch out on the oil pressure sender - I thought I would be smart and got a 2 post M10x1 VDO copy sender. The gauge works perfect but the warning light needs a normally open contact - The sender I got is normally closed, so the switch is closed with no oil pressure and opens once the engine is running - opposite to how the original sensor works. The light in the dash cluster was flashing and beeping like the blazes when connected to the oil sender so I just ran a ground wire to the plug. Now if you don't start the car within 10 seconds she alarms......! I got an LED from Demon Tweeks which I have put in above the hazard light switch. 12v side to the ignition the ground side to the sensor - It works well ! If your sensor is gauge only you will need a t-piece so you can fit the original switch and avoid all the fun that I had

The picture of that switch fills me with so much sadness ... I so miss Maplin's ..... What a great shop .. Great for a browse and a look see ... Not the same waiting on the postman ...

I had a problem with the key fob itself .. What I thought was a duff battery was actually where the little contact fingers connect with the PCB. There was a hole worn in the copper pad and I put a small piece of tin foil just the right size to cover the pad. I gave the contacts a careful bend up and bingo solved. This might not be your problem but just my 10p into the ring. This would be very handy to have the right info ! To ask a question with sketchy details does not help. Its very difficult when you are not standing beside a problem so details are key ... Lads here are very knowledgeable and experienced but they lack the skills in reading a crystal ball !!

That does answer it for me lads ! Great explanation Thanks a mill 😉

Hi All What's the max amount of 100w spots the 90amp alternator in a vRS will run without causing draining problems ? There was a formula that I saw many moons ago to calculate this but I can't find it now !! Typical !! Thanks Lads in Advance !

I had a Mk3 Cavalier years ago and had a suite of VDO gauges in her - A big clean up was done at our homeplace and the gauges resurfaced .. So it was rude not to fit them to the Fabia .. as can be seen they do carry the correct 23 year old patina ... !! My car originally came with a cheap an nasty turbo gauge which just dominated the instrument panel for no reason whatsoever .. It was tacky and nasty so I just ditched it and discovered I had warning lights ...! I work in a calibration department where we have access to all manner of instruments - After a recent upgrade to some of the production line hardware a few instruments were got rid of ! The small square gauge is an SMC ise40a-01-r-x501.. This is actually a pressure switch which can be set to show any of the pressure units you want. I set it for bar naturally. It runs on 8-24v dc so perfect .. I ran a new 6mm SMC pressure hose under the bonnet. There is a trip point which you can set as well. I set it for 0.75bar. As it gets to 0.70bar it turns orange then red after 0.75bar. You can also use the secondary set of contacts so you can do whatever you want it to do. It might suit you to wire this feature so that the theme from "Fast and Furious" plays and also your full interior turns red at 0.75bar.... Japanese cars are over hyped, over priced rotboxes. Me I pay little or no attention to my gauges even though I have them fitted - You will know from feel or noise that sommit is not right !

A lot of moons ago I had a 1990 130bhp SRi Cavalier - I then got another SRi Cavalier which was 1991 The 1990 pulled a lot better than the 91 and the 2 were identical 2ltr 8v cars - Both had the 20SEH engine. There is a lot of variation in breed .. I wouldn't get excited over stuff that just doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. How long is that piece of string anyway...? No two are identical and as they get older the differences become more pronounced !

This might be worth looking at - When I got my gearbox changed last year this exact scenario showed up on the test drive and turned out to be a loose connection on the gearbox speed sensor. Pushed it fully home and no bother since ! Might be worth a wee look .. Would the sensor have got disturbed while the flexi was being changed ? Just a random hat into the ring suggestion ..

I'm with you on that Lee ! As a check you could just take off the plug to the motor and run 2 wires up to the battery - see which jet squirts. If its the rear then reverse your two wires and see if the front squirts. This will prove the motor out Was it a new motor you fitted ? A second hand one could have bits of crud playing havoc especially as we are now working with 15-20 year old cars !! If the motor checks out and does what its told every time then put a meter on the motor plug and see if you are getting +12v and -12v as you operate the front and rear wash - It dosent matter which is which as long as you get a direction change - But I doubt it will come to that in fairness. I cant see how the stalk would swap directions randomly ..! But I've been wrong before .... A strange one !

You deffo worked on a 944 Porsche before Wino

Hi Lofty A good few years ago a good friend of mine sent 2 seats for a 924 Porsche and had them recovered https://www.volkswagen-classic-parts.de/ These lads had the material - whether it's only classic VW I'm not sure - maybe worth a shout ! I'm sure you looked at dyeing as a last resort ?

Hi Rob Yeah the most of your issues are well covered on the forum I have #5 and #7 and still putting it off ! #3 is the only issue that will give you hassle at MOT time ! Get her rested then tip away at the other issues yourself ! Good clean and fix the leaks will make a big difference - nice to see another survivor getting a second chance !

Well I got the Fab back this afternoon after 3 days solid and 22 man hours work ! Well I must say BC V1 coilovers first impression is very favourable! We set the car at about a 30mm drop and set all 4 shocks in the middle at 15 clicks Turn in is very positive and accurate - no body roll and she puts the power to the road put of the corners ! Reminds me of a friend's 205 GTi the way she is planted ! I didn't get a proper cut this evening as the traffic and rain were not on my side. I will leave the settings as is for 2 weeks and see if any adjustments to the shocks or ride height are necessary ! Delighted !

You crack me up everytime 😂 I wonder why the OP wants to do this ? What is the benefit? This is a needle swap ! https://youtu.be/nNCb3bSeF5s

Hi All Firstly lads Sorry for bringing this thread back again I had a noise like a whistling scraping type - about 2k to 3k RPM beginning just after spool up - no boost reduction - no smoke or oil loss Started before Christmas and got steadily worse ! I had a fellow primed to refurbish the turbo ! I was all set to take out the turbo with the instructions from this forum and had the top half stripped. Once I got under the car and started I discovered a discoloration of the downpipe flange and a loose bolt ! Gasket was missing ! The turbo impeller blades were perfect and bearing endfloat was negligible. I put a new gasket on and new bolts. Put all back together and all is good ! Again lads I could not have done this job myself without this forum. Great resource - when the noise started I thought worst case but was well pleased to find the cause !

Nice Pic BTW.. I use mine as my commuter as well ... I'm in exactly the same position as yourself .. For me it was a tossup between a 07 Nissan Tiida diesel or the Fabia vRS ... Well I still have some semblance of life in me yet and not ready for afternoon naps, incontinence and Wharfmen tablets ...! My commute is like a rally stage as its over backroads for 20miles and then the final 10 is motorway .... ! I got the Fabia and for me it is just the right tool for the job. Fair enough with a 15 year old car you will have issues but the way I look at my car is if its in need of anything I upgrade or use good quality. If you keep on top of things and always drive with a fair degree of mechanical sympathy these wee cars are fantastic - From now on things will start to wear out. My gearbox does exactly as you say but only if she is cold - I just slur the 1-2 change and take no heed whatsoever ...!! Wost case is a full gearbox which are still readily available from the breakers. You are on about the driver side door bin light ...? Well mine is missing altogether and it dont bother me ... Oh yes my radio reception is really bad.. And my heated rear screen doesn't work.. The back washer ... mmmm - The glovebox light ... oh yes the aircon has been taken off mine .. And the heater is only tepid not hot ! These are issues that I am currently experiencing but these don't bother me in the slightest. My original plan was to drive my car for a year then when the test was due get rid and get sommit else .. That plan has now been totally shelved due to the emotional attachment I have for mine.....!! Its going to cost 2-3k at least to run a car per year - If its older it will cost on maintenance, if its newer then its going to cost on repayments ...... ! Just keep on top of major stuff and if minor stuff really bothers you then fix it yourself.....!! This forum is an absolute life line for me..!

That looks very very well.. ! Simple but effective detail !

Hi All Thanks a mill for all your suggestions and tips ! I've come to decision to fit these https://www.dcperformance.co.uk/uprated/bc-racing-v1-series-coilovers/skoda/fabia.html These are in stock and this was the big factor for me ! The set should be here in time for Santa ! I gave my trusted spanners Dave and Ross my options and they said that they could set the car up properly ! She will be going in after the break so fingers crossed she will be right in time for the NCT ! I'll keep yous posted on the progress !

Yeah sound lad - Thanks for the heads up - hard to beat this forum for advice and info - I'd be lost without you lot !

Thanks a Mill for the replies lads. I phoned Balance Motorsport and the lad there was more than helpful - He has the same trouble with Bilstein - One customer waited 15 months for a suspension for a 911 Porsche .... He said he will get on the ball on Monday and see who has what as there is no point in looking for sommit that turns ot to be unavailable !! At least now I have reputable names to work off and if I get sommit that you lads suggested and he has Im going for it ..!! I have all the bushes, drop links, track rod ends, full wishbones even a Whiteline RARB so all ready to go when the suspension comes. Someone once described their 2.0 Fabia after a full B12 Suspension and all the above bits as being like "A Tarmac Rally Car" ... I just cant think for the life of me who that person was

Hi All I am in a bit of a dilemma and need some advice ! I ordered a Bilstein B12 Prokit on the strength of reviews and comments on this forum last August. The fellas I ordered it off have been through the mill trying to get me sorted. They have been given the "middle of next month" story from both Bilstein UK and Germany and have advised me that it may never appear. They do have the 4 springs and 2 rear shocks but have to manufacture the front shocks. My car has nasty lowering springs fitted by the previous owner - Now the car has a nice stance but the standard shocks are now shot completely and she is now a crashey bouncy rattley nightmare to drive. I have actually banned my wife from driving it at all .. ! I'm no Sebastien Loeb but I like a good handling car and its worth it to me to have a good properly sorted car. My commute consists of narrow twisty and bumpy backroads for 20mile and motorway the last 10mile - So last 6 months have been driven with a fair degree of mechanical sympathy and awareness of where exactly where the bumps are !! I had my heart set on getting the B12 kit and unfortunately now due to supply I have to get sommit else. Another issue is Brexit as well which will cost me an extra 23% in import duty if Boris dosent get a deal of some description - Another problem is my NCT is due next month and I want the wee car sorted for this ! What I need Good compliance and handling with some degree of comfort Ready set up fixed suspension - I dont want to be messing about with coilovers Complete kit 4 springs and 4 shocks matched if possible If not names of decent springs and shocks that are decent - Not cheap and nasty sub standard stuff Drop of around 30mm but not a stupid unworkable low I know all the above say B12 Bilstein and if I could I would but thats the way im left now ..... Any advice would be greatly appreciated lads as I have myself driven demented .... Thanks in Advance Donal i