newskoda
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Posts posted by newskoda
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im in the south east and so far now snow where i am.It is very frosty though. I hope it does snow a bit and i get to try out my snow tyres.
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I'm sure this has probably been done to death, but I just want to double check the situation to make sure I'm using the correct engine oil for my 1.2 petrol Mk1 Skoda Fabia.
I have a few bottles of Shell Helix Plus 10W - 40 (API SL/CF, ACEA A3/B3, VW 500.00, 502.00, 505.00). Is that oil OK to use on my car? Or could it damage the engine or cause potential problems over a prolonged period of time?
Also what is the absolute best oil that Skoda recommend for the car? I've looked in the Skoda owners manual and Haynes manual and it's all there but it's double dutch to me and about as clear as mud!
Many thanks...
what year is your fabia and is it a classic or comfort? or something else
generally 10w40 is a bit old hat and they normally now run on 5w30 vw504 spec.The 5w30 would also be more fuel efficient and better in cold weather
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the fabia's heating system isn't that good imo and coupled with leaky door seals...well it just aggravates it further.
Can't really suggest anything but giving your internal glass a good clean because dirt on the inside tends to make fogging up worse as it has something to latch onto. Also worth keeping a demister pad or good quality microfibre cloth in your glove box if not already.
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are you lads running that size of tyres on a fabia vrs? That was the only size i could get but i kept getting told i wouldnt get away with that size without rubbing issues so just had a mahoosive ball ache finding winter tyres in 205/45/16 and now waiting 6 days on them coming from germany.
Ready to kill someone atm :S
i think you can run a different size but i went for the standard 205/45/16. I'm amazed how much softer the rubber is compared to summers....you can really feel the difference when you press the tyres by hand.
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I got my winter tyres fitted today which i'd bough 3 months ago.Looks like i've timed it well because snow is expected this week around here, although even if it doesn't snow then the low temps are still a justifiable reason to have them on. It's already 5 degrees outside now and will get colder.
Secretly i am hoping it does snow so that i can see how got the tyres are...and if really gets bad or i get stuck i've also got snow socks in my boot as a double buffer.
I've inflated the tyres to 34 psi., The manual states 0.2bar more than summer tyres which i think is about 2 bar approx. Normally i run my summer tyres at 32. Just wondering what other people with winter tyres have as pressures and whether you've experienced driving on snow with them on?
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I buy 4x4ltrs of Q8 505.01 oil for about £54 inc vat or£3.38p a litre. It isn't VW approved but it does meet the 505.01 spec and I get it cheap.Once it runs out I will probably switch to Motul or morris
digressing a little here(probably quite a lot)...the Quantum brand is currently using castrol but it could change next year depending on who gets the contract. Dont get too excited over castrol as although it is a well known name, be aware this could be their dregs (why would they use their best quality base oils) and it is NOT VW approved. It meets the VW requirements as does the off the shelf additive package, as do most 505.01 or 507 oils but it actually isn;t officially tested by VW germany. So quite funny really as VW's own brand Quantum isn't actually VW approved.
The only oil i'm aware of that is fully 505.01 approved is motul VW 505.01 specific. Opie sell this. Morris lubricants also do an excellent PD 505.01 spec oil which can be bought from their website and it is VW approved. it's quite expensive compared to Quantum but you're paying for the better quality base oil and additives, and specifications.
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I've owned several induction kits in my time and including the K&N 57i. A waste of money in my experience as the gains are minimal if any and some have reported a loss of power. Also you would have to ensure the intake was drawing in cold air and not hot so you'd need some protective carbon fibre shield or similar to protect the kit from the heat in the engine bay.
As said earlier, a bigger intake like the PD160 trumpet would only help if you had a custom remap to go with it that is set up on a rolling road. If that is not done then you could end up running a bit rich on the mix. Some go a bit further and couple the bigger intake pipe with a performance air filter but bear in mind these are designed to let more air in and dirt also will find its way into your engine. Also independent tests have proved that there is very little difference in gains from doing this. Only upside is you may get a bit less smoke ...however there is another way to achieve this.....see my next paragraph.
I personally dont bother with any of the above(i tried and tested them all) and have found the best performance to economy ratio can be found by changing your standard air filter every 3 months, oil every 3-4 months to keep the turbo running sweet and giving the air box a clean and a shot of forte every couple of months. Much cheaper and your engine and turbo will thank you for it.
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Hi,
I'm considering getting my front and rear springs and shocks replaced with original equipment Skoda parts. This includes the bump stops, new bolts. Cost would be £600+VAT.Not including alignment.
Do you think it is worth doing on a 5 year old vRS thats done 52k?
my car's been subjected to the worst road you could imagine. Its a private road and the people that own it at work havent repaired it. Some cars have actually fallen into the craters/pot holes. Plenty of flat tyres.
I'm leaving this place of work, but i feel as though my suspension deserves an overhaul,Is it worth doing or is the vRS suspension a lot tougher than i give it credit for?
when i get in and out of the car it creaks sometimes and i can even hear it when the hand brake is on especially. I have to pull it up fully to stop the creaking. Seems to be from the back.
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lol yeh the air gun junkies I call them.
The number of wheel places that will tighten your bolts up using an air gun is enough to fill a small country. Usually the end result is if you get a flat tyre and try changing it yourself dont bother as you'll need a breakers bar or scaffold pole for leverage.
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I would avoid KF like the plague. Their attempt to do a timing belt maybe too complex a mechanical feat for them. Remember they specialise in tyres and exhausts and even that they can’t do properly. I’ve heard so many stories from customers complaining about them.
Always trust a good independent, specifically one that is a VW specialist or works on them a lot. You can always tell a good garage from a bad one by asking them what oil they put in their customer’s cars. If they say 10w40 in everything then you know they haven’t a clue.
here's a bit of a story and slightly OT. I have learnt from experience and once took my car to total motor care in Kent. They are a big garage and offer all kinds of services.They look a bit like Kwik fit. I got the timing belt done on my ford and a week later I had to pay out again(a different garage) to redo the mess they’d made of it. When my timing belt was examined they’d found that TMC had overtightened and sheered the bolts.
They wouldn't know their arse from their elbow and unfortunately its the case with many garages inc KF
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Blue, green, pink, purple these are just dyes to help identify coolants.
As a rule never mix longlife(4-5 year) pink/orange with blue/green as these tend to be the shorter 2 year life ones.
G12 can be mixed with G12+ and i'm pretty sure you could mix longlife coolant with this(any brand)
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It can be any of those as you mentioned and i've heard this noise before but not just on this car.
You could examine your drop links first. If you dont have a ramp then turn the wheels to full lock and get down and have a look at them. Lube them up with some white grease containing ptfe.Unlikely it will help but worth a shot.
If its wishbone bushes or ARB then this will need proper attention but worth checking that the bolts are tightened up OK. Worth checking your wheels and caliper bolts also if that doesnt solve it.
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You may have already tried this but have you opened the bonnet and sat in your car with it open? and get someone to examine the engine while you hear this noise and rev it?
perhaps something exhaust/cat heatshield area is knocking?
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Been out and bought some Redex Advanced fuel system cleaner, was quite pricey at £15 but figured it will do no harm.
Thinking about getting a Magnex de-cat too, not too expensive and gets rid of a part that can go wrong that I dont even need.
Forte are very good and it does work.
Getting a decat is fine except it could increase the risk of turbo failure if it is over boosting. So it could be a false economy...i.e. you remove the cat only to **** the turbo
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the other danger of putting too much oil in is it causes the seals to swell up as there is greater pressure in the crankcase. The oils looks for the best way to expell itself and usually this means damaged seals and bearings.
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I think its perfectly normal for it to leak oil from that area. Usually happens if after a run you down allow it to idle for 30 seconds before switching off...or another cause its not being given a good blast out on the motorway
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Hi
Can anyone tell me if i’m going to get my car lubed up where the areas are to cover? I know the wishbone bush would be a good starting point but are there are others that need lubing?
but should i be using a non petroleum based grease as this stops the rubber being attacked?
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A friend of mines looking to buy a new car and has considered the Alfa Mito 1.3 sport, Fabia vRS and Swift sport.
Now we know the vRS is 130bhp and does 0-60 in under 8 seconds standard, has 6 gears,has traction and cruise control(some models) and returns anything between 45-60mpg in the real world. It also pulls a very large amount of torque at 229lb/ft which packs a large punch. The torque of course is all important as it determines how quickly it accelerates
Does anyone know the spec of the Mito sport and swift and would you say these are better options? opinions please
He doesn;t know much about cars and tends to base performance on looks so he reckons the Mito is faster.lol
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I'm waiting to for temps to drop before i put my winter tyres on. Its not cold enough here now...been mainly 15 degrees. when it hits 5 consistently then i will.
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Ah yes. I do seem to get higher MPG on fast roads (especially the motorway).. but unfortunately there's a lot of bends around where I live.
I do check them now and then, they never seem to go down. However, I'm not 100% sure on the PSI to use. The last owner told me 30psi all round, but I'm not convinced...
go by what is in the manual or should be on inside of fuel cap. 30psi all around is sounds OK in general. You could try putting them upto 32psi especially as the weather starts getting a bit colder.
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Have you had them check the nearside engine mount, pads and discs, as well as the bolts at that back of the caliper for any looseness? top mounts,springs and shocks checked over? possibly even front near side tyre
Does the noise get louder with speed or harsher surfaces? have you tried popping it out of gear into neut just as its making that sound to see if it stops?
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Avoid like the plague.
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Hello
I have a Skoda Fabia (2001) Estate 1.4 and I'm getting some pretty poor mileage on it. £10 will get me 70 miles tops which works out at about 28-30mpg.
Am I right in thinking this is poor for this model? What am I supposed to get? (the trip mpg calculator is useless btw)
I have 17" tires on it... would that make a noticeable difference?
What else could help my MPG?
Have you checked your tyre pressures? sorry to try to sound like i'm teaching you to suck eggs but it should be checked when cold and use at least two guages to be absolutely sure one isn't up the spout.
If you want to help your economy i'd suggest changing your air filter every 3 months to start with and try filling up with a better grade of fuel if not already.
As the weather gets colder you will see a worsening mpg
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Have you checked the oil level today? it might be best first doing that as you haven't mentioned whether you've done that check yourself? you would need to ensure the car is parked on a the flat and ideally wait a couple of hours at least for the oil to have drained back in.
If you have been running your vRS with little or no oil(or even the wrong grade) in it for a few months, then the noise could be the result of worsening metal to metal contact of the engine. Which could have caused quite a lot of damage to the cylinder walls,pistons,valves etc.
A suggestion earlier was a slipped down air filter. Unlikely to happen if you've got an OEM filter but worth checking. Open the bonnet, look at the airbox. If all is well you should be able to see a squarish pink/orange or blue rubber surround gasket located under the airbox. I say pink/orangebecause 90% of oem manufacturers color their air filter surrounds this color apart from UFI who use blue.
Correct Engine Oil
in Skoda Fabia Mk I (1999-2007)
Posted · Edited by newskoda
no worries. I can help with this as learnt a few things and collected information when I worked in technical for a lubricants company.The first choice would be 5w30 meeting VW504 spec alternatively you can use 10w40 shell helix. I'd stick to a standard drain interval for the 10w40.I hope this helps