Craig01

Had something similar a few years ago when a friend has this with an Octavia. The insurance offered £3k (at the time it was worth minimum 4k) so he said that was too low and they came back with £3500. After collecting classified ads etc they finally gave him a cheque for £3800. It might be worth a haggle as like other have said they will always go low ball to start.

CAR NOW SOLD Via Briskoda. Cheers.

Yeah, cross country driving 50-60 mph it does really well. Especially if it's hilly as the extra torque means the engine is not working hard compared to an equiv petrol in same conditions. The Fabia was actually bought to replace a MK1 Focus 1.6 petrol, with man maths being used to calculate the extra MPG would pay for itself. Sadly due to failures I figure I should about break even at now on the additional outlay at around 750,000 miles.

Yeah the trip I have found to be rather optimistic, just like my laptop banner ads constantly telling me about lonely women in my area looking to hook up. I sold my Pug 306 due to it basically dying (14yrs old) and thirst, real shame as they are great cars. It averaged 32 MPG (1.8 16v 112hp) so I sold it and now my Clio (2.0 16v 182hp) gets 36mpg average. Fabia trip consistently sits around 50+ mpg but it's more like 48 after using a calculator at the fuel pumps. Combo of city driving and motorway c85mph. If you sit at c70mph is and do some Stobart drafting you can get it up to 60mpg+ but I don't have National Trust membership and a metallic AA badge yet so I don't ever drive in this manner.

You could call it Tony Benn out of respect (heavy smoker)

I had to do this on my Clio, the inside of the Renault diamond on the steering wheel was pretty nasty and I cleaned around the gap between the gearknob top and the leather with a pin. Dred to think what was imbedded in that gunk, probably a mix of nasal mucus, skin and monster munch.

Not much beats this, there was actually stuff growing in it.... http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?733924-Discusting-farm-clio/page3

No worries. 3rd gear is always hilarious the mid-range is incredible in the Fabia and powertrain it makes an awesome daily. Just a shame there is no decent noise and I find that when you go to have fun in Wales etc the power delivery just doesn't work as well as a performance NA petrol when you want to thrash it. TURBOOOOOOO....oh..flat spot. Still, instant access to loads of torque is just a different kind of fun. I did consider selling it earlier in the year but actually for what it's used for (partners 60 mile daily commute) not much can tick all the boxes - Bit left field, compact, economical and farking quick. Maybe I'm getting old now but I wish they had made a L&K version like the Octy with David Dickinson spec leather, the same powertrain, and better (softer) suspension for a daily hack. Would be like a mini sleeper GT car (bit like Alfa GT JTD) as I think it works better as that than a 'hot hatch'. No-one would have bought it mind, suspect faux rally pedigree is better for marketing. You also have to tell everyone that it's the best car ever made and basically is a VW Phaeton underneath. Keep quiet about some of the shoddy build bits. Tell everyone you get 9000mpg while doing 0-60 in 4.2 seconds. This is how we aim to keep the residuals so high for an old Skoda hatchback.

I bought mine at c80k with FSSH etc. Suspension bushes turned out to be knackered shortly after and at c90k the turbo went pop. Worth replacing the bushes with Cupra ones if/when they go as they don't perish in the same way as the factory ones and don't cost any more so it's a nice 'mod' to do. Also be sure to check that the rear doors are not leaking from the bottom as it's a common fault. The wheels also go porus/corrode, so watch for loosing air from the tyres. I had to get a refurb on one for £60 as it would literally go flat within 24hrs so defo worth the refurb you are getting and make sure they do the whole wheel and pay attention to bead area. I have also resisted the temptation to go anywhere near any 'mapping' on the 1.9 130 as from what I've heard without other upgrades it will just kill the clutch/turbo/your soul. Fair enough as long as you accept the other upgrades required as it can be turned into quite a weapon. If you're coming from a car that handles very well (Mini,Peugeot 306) watch out for understeer, it's very nose-heavy. I sometimes forget to adjust my driving style (moronic) when going from the 182/205 to the Fabia. Enjoy the torque that will annoy 118d drivers and constant 48MPG even when you drive it like a rental. Ross Tech1e is your man for retrofit cruise etc.

Ok, I think I'll give it a try myself before bodyshop and if I make a total arse of it I'll get a bodyshop to do it. Either way I'll post the results for your entertainment I had seen this I'm not too fussed if it's not perfect as it's not a particularly visible panel, and it's usually covered in several layers of filth as it's used as a motorway hack.

I'm thinking of having a crack at repairing the lacquer on the spoiler of the Fabia - I've done quite a bit of detailing etc before on various cars so I have a basic understanding of how to do it but just wanted to know if anyone had tried a DIY job before and how much success you had? An alternative might be to wrap the spoiler, which I might have a go at if it goes wrong! I'm thinking of sanding the lacquer back, and just re-lacquering with some clear lacquer.

Apols for late reply, notification never came up for some reason. The Turbo that failed at around 85k was a KKK and Ross replaced it with a recon Garrett unit.

D'oh! That was stupid! I've struggled ever since 2011 as I ran out of counting fingers. Amended.

No longer for sale.