nta16

As I remembered it you used a coolant additive to a more-diluted coolant mixture but I might have remembered wrong. If I remember correctly you have experimented with the engine air intake and air filter and an electronics remap or similar, different sized wheels(?) and or tyres(?) and other things I forget, taking the car away from factory standard but it is your car so you can do or not do whatever you want with it. The box for the TRW brake cylinder did not look as if a fake to me but I could well be wrong as I have never seen a genuine box for the item but it was, as far as I could ascertain, genuine TRW master cylinders that were faulty that I referred to earlier, they do not need to be fake to possibly have ****-poor rubbish rubber seals - perhaps even the fake ones might have better seals but I have not heard of fake TRW parts, they may or make not exist it is just that I have not heard of them. With the major and even smaller "classic" parts suppliers (smaller often get their parts from the major supplier anyway) in the UK you can ask how many units they have sold in say a year and how many returns they have had for that part but this is not always a particularly good measure as often if a (smaller) part is faulty they will tell their customer to keep that part and send them another free of cost. These second (or more) "free" parts sent to the customer will have been costed into the selling price of the part and allowed for in their purchase from their suppliers. They often buy very cheap so expect lower quality and returns from that. Some suppliers offer the same parts as cheap and nasty or higher quality at higher price (not always a big price increase either) but they will sell many multiplies of the lower priced cheap and nasty part than the higher quality part. I bought what was supposed to be a good quality reproduction radiator (only 6 returned in a couple of years) and it had the wrong thread for the fixings and I had to clean up the thread for the (lower quality) filler plug, then after finding the fixings in my shed to match the wrong ones on the rad I found one was out of line so was not a good line up for the bracket so I asked for a swap. The next one had the correct fixing threads and lined up (filler plug thread still needed sorting but after it was in for about 18 months the shallow solder spots on one side gave up and the top came apart at that point. Luckily it was only a top trim and the rad is removed with its cowling housing so this was just an annoyance rather than an issue, unless the cowling had to be replaced. Just one (well two really) incidence with parts quality of very, very, very many.

To be fair D.FYLAKTOS has had his car as a "lab animal" with a few things as I remember from his post. I have probably spent more in one month on my "classics" than other owners have spent in a year or ownership for some. I do not put that as a boast because often it was not expenditure I wanted and was a silly waste of money. If I never bought "classics" and stuck to Japanese cars I would be reasonably set up now and not in such modest circumstances. We have a saying here -"do as I say not as I do", I always try to put stuff so that some can learn from my very expensive experiences, unfortunately if it was not for bad luck I would have no luck with cars. Good thing I am lucky in love which is much more important and rewarding. And I have kept my teeth, looks and modesty. 😄 The Westies were plastic copies of the Lotus Seven which originally had different smaller engines (lightweight car, small engine) the Lotus 7 was well known as the Prisoner's car in the UK. -

If you trust the two readers for the car's VW program then as I remember the photo you showed it was for the Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor but I can't remember you referring to or sorting that particular sensor or it connections or wiring, but I might be wrong and I don't want to go in circles, just wanted to post the list and leave the rest to other posters that know what I don't, which is a lot. Hope you sort it soon to your satisfaction, cheers.

If you don't trust the scan tool you used before then use a VW specific scan tool or see if there's anyone local with a VCDS or other VW suited machine to do a full report for you and perhaps delete any error codes to see which immediately return. List of VCDS Owners - https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Td73_uUUqscV3nRm5br_o89PmBU&msa=0&ll=21.259901462991746%2C83.39240985000004&z=2

AFAIK (which isn't much) Brembo quality has dipped in the past, you can't just go on a name or old brand name now (though I've no idea about Brembo). I put some Pagid discs and pads on my wife's MK3 18 months and 12k-miles ago and they've been fine since (I've no idea if Pagid do Mk1). (Pagid left Yorkshire many years back under German rule), I do wish I'd changed the slider pins rather than thoroughly cleaning and lubricating them - if you are the same it might be a cheaper resolve to try changing slider pin sets first to see if it makes any odds if it's not wobbly Brembo disc(s), you could check the discs too to see if it's a complete do over or not. I was going to get Akebono brake pads but they don't list Skoda and I didn't know or could be bothered to find out if any of the Golf listed ones fit, no Polos listed either, I just wanted to give them a try. EBC is our local family owned (still?) brake manufacturer, many seem to like them but I've never had any of their products on any of our cars, no idea if they do Fabia Mk1 or Mk3. I'm out of thoughts now and need to lie down.

In your case it could have been mainly the old rubber flexi-hoses breaking down and or more likely the TRW wheel cylinders seals. If so it proves that it does not matter if you use DoT 3, 4 or 5 if the components have ****-poor rubbish rubber seals in them they will deteriorate and quite quickly or very quickly. Not too many years back TRW master cylinders were known to be very poor out of the box or have problems quickly with little use. For my MG I used to (but no longer) have a list of parts of, or with, ****-poor rubbish rubber and a list of other parts that were to be avoided compiled from my own experience and that of repeated reliable reports from others. Some owners were clever enough to have small batches of proper quality parts made to offer around proving it could easily and economically be done if there was the demand, unfortunately generally the suppliers and end customers still want very cheapest, suppliers for profit margins and end customers being what we call "tight-fisted" (keeping a very firm grasp of any money they have). "Classic" Minis could easily use parts with ****-poor rubbish rubber as the systems and (modern made) parts used on them are often the same parts and/or from the same sources as for MGs of the time. In fact I often ordered brake parts for my MG from Mini spares suppliers as they offered exactly the same parts at lower prices, particularly DoT 3 and 4 brake fluid, or sometimes better made, or supposedly, better made, parts. Having bought spare parts for various British "classics" for over 30 years I have seen supply patterns of parts being poor or very poor or abysmal quality then perhaps improved or New Old Stock available for a while then perhaps going back to cheap and very nasty. Even parts made on the original tooling have deteriorate as the tooling ages and the obsession with many "classic" wanting the very lowest priced parts as it does not really matter to them as the vehicle is so rarely actually driven. I had a set of rubber steering rack gaiters, that are a pain to fit with the rack on the car, last less than 6 months of very light use. Another problem is some modern made parts are just wrong so either need altering to fit or will not fit at all. Then also the suppliers keep the original or updated parts number on their parts databases but stock and supply an alternative part as a substitute because in some cross-reference database that substitute is supposed to fit. Over the 30+ years because I have put hundreds of thousands of miles on my "daily" driven "classic" I have gone through many more parts than an average "classic" owner and dealt with major "classic" parts retailers and manufacturers direct (where possible) and found some that will give honest and truthful information about the parts, rather than the usual "you are the only (or first one) to have a problem with the part" or the much more annoying with one manufacture with original tooling that it must be something wrong with my car and not his product, you get to know which ones will never admit to fault. Perhaps things have improved now or will improve in the future but I would not hold my breath waiting for it.

As put previously Let us agree that you could be right and I am, or could be, wrong.

Oh, to live in a perfect and absolute world, and where age and environment have no effects, I hope it always remains so for you.

I could not find the EPA rule quoted - but I am not in America, nor are you so their rules do not apply to us. However, the USA is fantastic for getting different answers to the same question and different opinions and beliefs so if you want to go round in circles with American web info try this (it is military so may be of even more interest to you). - https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1010795.pdf I have no idea which if either, or both, might be real or fake, it is the internet after all. The DoT debate is very old as is what manufacturers want or need with what you use - "The earlier U.S. version of D0T3 would destroy the natural rubber used in early Lockheed and Girling brakes from England. Only Girling "Crimson" and Lockheed "genuine" fluids were usable, and they were hard to get in the US. The later US D0T4 specification seemed to overcome this, as did the change to synthetic rubber for the seals. CASTROL-LMA (Low Moisture Absorption) did better than most." I can from experience assure you that if the wrong type of seal is used with DoT 4 (or 3) then the seal will shred and break apart. If a manufacturer advices against something it can be for many reasons but I would not blame anyone from following the manufacturer's advice/instruction, then you may find they change their minds later, as VW sometimes do. That would only matter if the factory fitted parts are still fitted to the car, if parts have been replaced then it depends on the replacement part. With these types of issues when all things are equal most often it is by far best to do whatever you will be most comfortable with.

Sorry I've no idea of the gap you need but it used to be with NGK plugs that the end number was the preset gap, I assume but don't know that this is still the case, if so then 11 would be 1.1 mm gap. All databases have errors and omissions and I've found this includes Haynes publications sometimes. ETA: I always check the gap in case the plug has ben dropped or swapped and always buy from a reliable source to avoid cheap fakes.

Why not?

Interesting comments in that thread, some have very good experience of silicone over many decades and decades of use, others find problems quite soon. One poster dared to suggest that those with problems at altitude might be due to driving technique or driver, I could not possibly comment on this. As I put a mate's had, as far as I know, the same fill of silicone in his "classic" car for 20+ years with no issues and he is not a fool, liar or braggard. Granted rubber seals might have been better quality 20+ years ago but it was only a few years later I was experiencing ****-poor rubbish rubber products and in car parts. As with so many things if you do not agree with it, or believe, then that is fine each to their own. I used to hear similar about certain oils, that they would damage the components, rot my teeth and ruin my looks, often from people who rarely drove their "classics" whereas mine we used as dailies for work, holidays and club events and tours. I found no damage to any of the components in any of the cars in decades of use, I still have all my teeth (including a 'baby' tooth) and looks. 😄 But, as I put I've never used silicone brake fluid and I am not twisting anyone else's arm to either.

Yes a much better idea but the car manufacturers did not care about cars that were old enough for the average person to think about changing the oil in a gearbox or those that might want to do preventative maintenance. Right. That' is all good to me and much more what I am used to (other than perhaps having a droptop). It is probably those people that have cars with worm seals that say you cannot use the silicone or those that do not do such thorough work at changes of fluids. From my experience I guess It must either be worn seals or rubber hoses, or commination of both, that had your two year use brake fluid so black. I often thought about changing to silicone fluid in the brakes and clutch but never got around to it as failures happened at inconvenient times and never coincided with service changes.

I am not sure what new and better system you mean. I used the one man (me) and a jar fluid sealed system and gravity or I pump pedal and fill reservoir if I want to go less slowly. I've never had a problem, apart from the time I let the reservoir get too low but that was totally my fault. I drain-flush double the system capacity, on brakes and clutch. I have also help on the two man system with no problems. But I have heard of others having problems with trapped air in brakes and clutch on the same model of car I had using two-man system and when using easi-bleed (a system I do not like) and other push drain systems. I have never tried the bleed valve back to reservoir system. And there are other methods of getting air bubbles out. I have not heard of problems with sucking out systems from top or bottom. The suck it through from bottom to top sounds a good idea to me as air wants to go high. The two-man system is pushing from top down which is against what the air wants for escape, but as I put I have never had a problem with one-man and a jar or two-man systems. I think it is more a matter of what time and care is taken. I always wonder about old fluid residue in ABS blocks but I have never done a change on one.

Graham, I've done a scan of the 'Complete record' from 27/10/2020, two A4 pages, to give you more idea. Note the 'Workshop remark' for a Recall. The first service listed is interesting, when my wife bought the car in April 2017 I insisted on a paper printout of the service history as the car belonged to the Dealership and I guess it'd been ordered as a demo model of the new at the time Mk3, then perhaps used as a courtesy car and perhaps on to pool car for garage and/or management family. The salesman was reluctant to get us the printout and said it needed office staff to deal with this and it wasn't necessary, so I offered to go and find someone in the office and ask them to deal with it. At this he went off and was away a long time before he return with one A4 bit of paper for a "10,000 mile service" on 31/12/2016 at 10,303 miles. On seeing the date and mileage I thought the whole thing suspect and possibly the Dealership had perhaps never serviced the car. Only doing these scans for you have I noticed the mileage is 10,303 yet on the 'Vehicle Order Form' dated 10/4/2017 has the mileage at that time as 10,301, perhaps a typo, I don't know as I never drove the car I sat in the back and only remember the car being advertised at 10k-miles but not exact figure, my wife was buying the car for herself so I have very limited input.

In that case silicone brake fluid could have been used, good to to add it when most of the components are apart and new empty parts added with the remaining parts cleaned and flushed out. Though in reality as the two fluids do not mix so one will push the other out with flush changing after draining the existing, you just need to avoid any pockets of moisture being trapped in the system. Its main advantage as far as I am concerned is that you do not need buckets of water and wet raags around in case any gets on to the paint. Imagine fitting a TRW master cylinder to a freshly restored and painted engine bay and the seals go overnight spilling horrible cheap ancient technology DoT 4 all over lifting the paint. Not having to change the fluid (or so often) is another advantage especially in what can be damp UK. It is also better at heat and my mate said you can not tell any other difference, I have never driven a vehicle with it in that I can remember. I think it is kinder(?) on seals too. You can use it in ("classic") hydraulic clutch systems too. Plenty of "classic" cars in the UK use it especially the restored ones that do not often turn a wheel. - https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/dynolite-silicone-brake-fluid-dot-5-946ml-ggl862110.html

There were "filled for life" gearboxes and such, of course the life they meant was to out of warranty or the engineers would expect the "life" to be a lot shorter than what a customer might expect. You know I am all for changing gearbox and such oils even though many (including engineers) say it is not necessary or worthwhile but I have always found it worthwhile, as you did with the steering fluid. In fact I would have changed the fluid twice by the time you changed it the first time so as we say here "you are preaching to the converted" with me. 😄 I've never heard of lifetime coolant but I used to use (Forlife) 4-LIFE coolant in a lot of my new and old cars but that had a stated life of 10 years.

You posted just before I pressed 'Submit reply' - see above post. Just out of interest to you, I have read of someone who bought a 1950s and on doing a brake fluid change on it discovered car to find the previous owned had mixed DoT 4 and DoT 5, presumably by mistake, the new owner had been driving the car on very intermittent journeys for IIRC a couple of years and found the brakes to work fine. As you say the two do not mix so when he changed the fluid it was easy for him to see the change in colour of the two fluids. My mate put the silicone in his 1960s car over 20 years ago and said he has never touched it, I would probably flush it out with new every 10 years just in case there was any water trapped but he said he has had no problems and he deals with "classic" racing engines and cars every working day so has some experience and that is on top of owning and running a "classic" car as a daily driver and his "Sunday classic".

🤣 Some parts are very good, others good but others are not made to the same standard as previously, it depends on who bought the brands and what real interest they have in making a reasonably good product against the cheapest they can for the highest profit. Some of the parts, particularly those made in places like India or China can be abysmal, may not even work on initial installation, that's if they fit correctly. If you compare some original parts with some modern made parts, especially if you open them up it is obvious why one part can last decades of use and another perhaps minutes of use, if not seconds. That is not to say that India and China are not capable of making excellent quality parts but greedy European companies are not interested in that sort of business. Shame as WD-40 Company own GT85, perhaps they only sell to UK because we know how good it is, same perhaps with Saint-Gobain reintroducing the old British brand of PlusGas and only selling it in the UK. Any penetrating releasing fluid, even WD-40 Multi Use, is best applied thoroughly to a cleaned fixing and then if possible left to soak in for as long as possible, overnight or more is good, then if possible you try to first tighten to break any rust or crud seal before loosening, if does not work first time repeat the whole procedure. If you have time and patience you can leave the chemicals to do the hard work for you and you do not need to be as thick in the arm as some mechanic (or head for some too). Sorry I was thinking of cars not as modern as yours with ABS, I will cross that bit through.

Sorry but TWR is one of those companies I was writing about before, an old brand name no longer manufactured as in the past. Now part of a company called ZF Aftermarket in the UK at least. The quality of TWR brake parts was described as variable in 2017 (and later) at least. As an example Lucas, a very famous UK company of the past, the Lucas brand name is owned by at least two different companies making different parts and the electric and ignition parts at least are not made anywhere near the quality they were decades ago. Despite the jokes about Lucas being "the Prince of Darkness" and bottles of "genuine Lucas smoke" the parts were made well and some are still on cars and working 50, 60, 70+ years later. Some modern made copies and you are lucky to get 70 minutes use out of them, if that long. I have probably mentioned this before, 😄, WD-40 is OK but better as a penetrating and longer lasting lubricant is GT85 with PTFE, if it is sold in your location. If you have reasonably good quality tools then you can get away with using them on the brake unions but getting the correct sized flare nut spanner is a very good idea and takes some of the risk away. I must admit if I was doing a complete brake system refresh I would now be very tempted to use (DOT 5) silicone brake fluid, a mate has had it in one of his - [ETA: "classic"] - cars that he restored and rebuilt himself 25 years ago and it has been fine, and he does not drive slow. Good write up and photos, well done.

If that's the case for VW it was more recent with another manufacturer at least (might have been Volvo but I forget). I'm used to vehicles with very comprehensive service history full of detailed bills for work with names, addresses and car details and mileages, previous MoTs, even tax discs in the past, comprehensive history from the DVLA (no longer allowed). I took stamps in a service book as only conformation against other paperwork. Sometimes interesting to see the annual services done at 18 or 24 months because the mileages were low or a few years missed as the car was out of warranty or different owner or just no longer "new". I sold a car at auction with three very full ring binders of history in the boot, it was bought by a trader who immediately sold it on to another trader as he'd bought another car and could only driver the one car back. 18 months later when I saw the car at the NEC the new private owner said when he bought the car there was only one ring binder of history in the car and not an expensive spare ignition part either. I noted the four new tyres, I'd forgot putting them on shortly before selling the car, I should have put a higher reserve. 😒

In that case perhaps they weren't done, a lot of owners only want the very bare minimum to pay for, others think an engine oil & filter change is a full service. I'm used to service very old cars which involves checking and servicing the whole car and more regularly. Unless you check things like brake fluid, filters, plugs, gear oil, brakes, tyres, etc. you can't be sure of their condition and if they've been changed, certainly without records you can't assume the work has been done, even then entries can be made without the work ever having been done unless there is other evidence. Still plenty of people willing to cheat and lie in the car trade, or turn a blind eye.

Can't remember, I was told on here, later than I expected, possibly beyond 2015 but I'm not sure when. What was on the the top of the paper sheets, what system was used to extract this information, I believe erWin gives fully info of what was put on the system but it's not receipts and such. ODIS(?) I don't know. Just go into a Skoda Dealership and use your charm and good looks, well charm at least, well just ask for a full print off. Complete record (sample of). - Individual (service) record (sample of). - Hope these help a bit. There's no reason why an owner can't keep the actual paper receipts and worksheets too (I've a ring file full already) but many people lose them or can't find them (like the "spare" key) when it's time for the car to leave them - or they have never bothered anyway. Or the selling garage(s) lose them (or spread them around several cars if the vehicle details are loose, less likely now but still possible).

Don't just take my opinion of course, I dislike modern cars, I had the "joys" of ****Nav and mobile phones many decades back so they hold no appeal to me and I used to like to drive a car doing the thinking rather than be a passenger behind the steering wheel of a car that's already doing a lot of the thinking for me. Now I'm back to wanting the easiest ride from A to B (always that's in someone else's car where I don't have to worry about the running or driving of the car at all). I'd not like too modern Toyotas and Hondas either. Sorry I'm not sure what additional (if any) safety elements would be on a 2018 facelift, @toot would probably know (pedestrian safety). Again I'm not sure what you mean by front front assist braking, my wife's 2015 has the thing that gives a warning and then applies the brakes if it think you're too close to the car in front (deactivates if a large leaf gets in front of the sensor) and possibly loads of other electronic systems for assisted braking in various circumstances, some assisted braking systems have been on cars for a couple of decades now (others much longer). I can't decry any safety devices but if you've been driving really old bangers then you're probably more aware than modern drivers only used to newer cars and the best thing is for the driver to be fully alert of driving conditions and situations rather than perhaps fiddling with all the distracting toys on very modern, or even older, cars. The quality and wear of the tyres fitted to any vehicle will make a difference to it's braking performance (and the way the car is being driven). Get as much information as you can from as many sources as you can and cross reference they're correct. You may find, as almost all Fabia owners here, that you like the model, it was the roomiest interior in it's class when my wife bought hers, but that depends on how big you are and how many in it, we're short and fat and rarely carry more than just the two of us ( I do notice the difference when driving with two or more passengers than just wife my wife as passenger but the car is still very capable where we are at least. Don't get too worried about horsepower (PS / KW) figures, I've run cars with much, much less, easily at motorway speeds and up steep inclines without any problems. Going along normally you use very little of the power available, it's only getting going from standstill and keeping speed up steep inclines or very heavily loaded where you use more of the available power.

Here's a post you'd not expect here - my personal opinion. Post 2017 gets you into other build regulations (what and which others would know better than me) and possibly more gadgets and computer stuff but perhaps thinner materials. Personally I'd certainly not go for any cars built during the Covid manufacturing crisis period or the (ongoing) car computer chip shortage but then I'd not get a 2017-on car. I'm sure there'd be plenty of 2017-on car owners and 2017-on Fabia owners that'd totally disagree with me. Depends on your want or needs whether a 110 or lower Fabia is wanted or needed (a few recent threads on here have discussed this) and what type and manufacturers of old bangers you're used to as to how rough or smooth you find the VW 3-cylinder engine, personally I find my wife's 4-cylinder (1.2, 90) rough sounding, though it performs well. Also depends if you're expecting to keep the car a short, long or very long time before changing and the use you'll put the car to. Low mileage is not always a good thing in itself, it depends on how the mileage was done and how often and long the car sat unused. A very high mileage car that's used regularly and almost all miles done on motorways will have better wear, other than perhaps the interior. You buy on condition and history, unfortunately service history now often boils down to engine oil and filter changes and not much else but this is considered a "full service history" when often it's not even a full service of the engine let alone the whole car. Plenty of threads and posts on here about buying, servicing and maintenance, repairs, model problems, check for appropriate model and years. IIRC the rear seats don't lay flat but threads and posts are on here about how much you can get in the boots (estate, check appropriate Mk (3)). The Skodas being a VW product have the complex VW computer programs and plenty of the VW/VAG fantastic-plastic everywhere (I accept that many modern cars may well have plenty of plastic instead of metal bits too now). I recommend you read the 'Owner's Manual' for the year (or part year) of the Fabia you are considering as it'll tell you a lot about the car what's available on it for various trim levels and options. If you read a lot of it you may then know more about the model than the person trying to sell it to you. Free VWSkoda pdf downloads are available from here. - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models Any admitted Recalls can be checked with the VIN here. - https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/recall-campaigns Personally I'd look at an older (the better) Toyota or Honda product - many on here might disagree. Fabia section of site for lots more guidance. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/166-škoda-fabia/ As for negotiating at a Dealership I've no idea how desperate or not they are for sales of used stock at the moment, the salespeople used to make much more money on selling the finance and any other add-ons that the actual car so it might depend on what extra they can sell you, or if the salesperson is well below target at that time or if the particular car needs to be moved on. At times I've been in sales and (real) customer service so I'm always polite with car salesmen (I'd much sooner deal with women, and women mechanics) but also very firm, I find no pleasure in visiting a car showroom. Also how up to date and accurate is Honest John's expected price range, I've no idea and it makes no odds if the Sales Manager wants want. Don't be afraid to push the salesperson as much or more that they push you, keep sending them back to check with the Sales Manager if you are not happy with any part of the proposed deal between you and them. Same for the Business Manager (or whatever the current term is for the person sorting the finance agreement). Personally if I've pushed them as much as I could or wanted to and the deal still isn't good enough I'm more than happy to either accept the deal is as good as it'll be at this time and buy the car or just walk away - no good having buyer's remorse when it's too late or not being able to consider looking elsewhere. Good luck.