raisbeck

My paint is ok but at less than one year old the rear hatch 'Skoda' badge is corroding badly around the edges

Its not just the CR that doesnt like lugging. The 1.4 PD Greenline is very poor around 1500 rpm. 5th is pointless below about 60 mph. The 5th gear is really only useful at motorway + speeds. Need to keep that boost on ! I guess with the 4 cylinders and CR injection the smoothness of the engine hides the fact your not in a good economy/performance region. Try doing that in a PD in 5th gear at 1500rpm.....it complains, a lot ! 74 mpg on the trip today. Thats about 67-68 in real figures. I may consider a GL2 in a year or so if its proven as efficient as the PD GL 1.

I am on my third Fabia. They all seem to attract extra crud on the rear.

On the subject of aircon.... My drive home has a long steep downhill section. I find the aircon makes for a wonderful brake and cools me down as well ! Saves my brakes anyway. I dont use aircon unless its sauna conditions. Makes a huge difference on economy in my car. Maybe as the GL is more efficient anyway you notice it more. If aircon was an option I wouldnt have it, its just useless extra weight most of the time and even in standy it saps a little power as its always driven. Besides, when its warm out I take the motorbike Window misting.....never had a problem. In fact the mk 2 is much better than my mk1 as that always cleared the passenger side first. Opening the windows a bit until the cars warm helps.

Shiny dash is also a pain on the GL1 . That window reflection is really annoying. My old Mk 1 never had that problem.

I have the GL 1 Contrary to popular belief it has never had low rolling resistance tyres from new. Mine had standard Dunlop SP10A tyres. They are narrower than standard Fabia tyres at 165 diameter. They are just inflated higher to near 38 psi front and 36 psi rear. Grip has never ever been a problem. In fact its much better in the wet than my old 1.2 Fabia As for snow, its brilliant. Worse thing in snow is wide tyres, which is why all those BMW drivers slip about so much in snow. In the recent snow I found mine to be better than the average car.....I bought snow socks just in case but never needed them. Before I got the GL I remember another winter when i got stuck unable to get over the South Downs. The only car that made it was a Citroen 2CV !! Narrow tyres you see..... Deep snow might be an issue as the GL has less ground clearance. My GL 1 now has Uniroyal rain experts on it. Very quiet with a smoother ride and excellent grip. Not so sharp on steering responsiveness in faster bends but generally a great improvement over the Dunlops. Still returns near 70 mpg in summer and mid 60's in winter.

Hmmmm, sounds a bit like one of those fuel statements like "can save up to 10% in fuel". The important part is 'up to' which means anything from 0.0001% to 10%. Of course firmer tyres save fuel. It was the quick cheat way to make the GL1 more efficient. Just change the px placard on the fill door to make standard tyres go from 32 psi to 38. There is always a point of diminishing returns. The 3% figure is probably only valid for a few psi of a range then tails off significantly. Of course its always good practice to check your pressures. I always slightly overdid mine on my previous Fabia. The GL1 just makes this practice official by bunging on a different set of elevated pressures. Always check mine every week. Had to let some air out as the warmer weather put them up to 40 ! Should be 37.7 on the front.

The DPF sensor measures the pressure drop across the DPF. Its just a hose to the inlet and another to the outlet. These hoses connect to pressure switches that convert the pressure to a signal for the ECU. You can knock out the DPF core but the tricky part is reprogramming the ECU to make it think there isnt a DPF fitted. This also makes the DPF sensor redundant. If you dont reprogram your just going to get error warnings. As previously posted its already done on many PD engines. Better to fit a pipe and remove the DPF so you can refit it if u sell it. Currently the MOT test only tests for smoke so even a car designed with a DPF will pass same as cars without one ever fitted. Pretty much everyone who has had it done on then pd engine has had positive results. Just google 'DPF delete'.

Pretty sure they never get changed.

Fuel filter I believe is at the 40000 mile service along with the pollen filter and air filter. As for spark plugs....haha very funny. Not April 1st is it ? Just checking....diesels 101

The HTP is a petrol engine and uses a cam chain (I owned one)Not to be confused with the 1.2 litre diesel.

I will add I opted for the side and width wise nets. Its a combo pack, you get both. The other net you can buy stretches over the floor. IMHO the side nets are the most useful

I cant really comment on most of your post but as for regens. Mine does a VERY MILD regen every 120 miles or so. Has done this ever since I have owned the car. The PD engine maybe has to do it more often as its not so good at post fueling as a CR would be. The average from what i found on the net is regens every 200-300 miles for other makes. I like you have no idea what is considered normal for regens. Mine doesnt use any extra fuel as I can notice and the regen is easily missed its so mild, especially when at speed. My dealer also cant answer the question as to what is normal for regen. Some other people with a Greenline 1 dont report ever having a regen.....imho they just dont recognise when its doing it. So if it makes you feel any better. After 20,000 miles I would have had about 166 regens......if what I think is a regen is actually a regen

I have the boot nets. Bargain at £16. I fitted mine a little different to the installation instructions. There is one net across the back of the rear seats and one along the LH side. Very useful indeed. You could buy 2 and have nets all round. As I now have a spare wheel rather than just the foam and compressor I put those items in the nets. Very secure and stops stuff sliding about

Have to concede on that point. If you put my GL1 in to 5th at 45 it pretty much stalls. I dont even use 5th unless I am going to be going faster than 60. It can go in to 5th at about 50 if you want to but the car doesnt like it. Sort of sounds like its labouring and the pickup just isnt there. Thing is, 4th gear in a GL 1 is near as makes no difference the same as 5th in a standard Fabia. I change gear even less than I did in my old 1.2 HTP petrol. You just have to relearn how to drive, took me a while but now I love the longer ranges. I can see why people wouldnt like the GL 1 gearbox. They just dont know how to use it properly. Lugging the engine low down gives poorer economy and a vibraty engine. I see 80 mpg on the trip display when in 4th at about 60 mph. You either love or hate the PD engine. I like the rattles and love the huge torque from such a tiny engine. I am not sure thay having a GL 1 means sacrificing anything really.....Its really just a Fabia 2 that can go a few more miles for the same amount of fuel. As I do 24000 miles a year I thought it was worth it when I bought it. If you want to compare gear ranges. At 60 mph mine is at 2200 rpm. 70 mph is 2000 rpm in 5th. I had thought these ranges were the same as the 1.6 CR standard Fabia. The extra piston and CR engine makes more of the range useable imo. I really should drive a CR Fabia. That way I can tell if I am talking b****** or not

Mine has the thinner tyres (165) on 14" wheels. There is some body roll on corners. TBH I think the suspension is the same as any other standard Fabia. Doesnt feel in the least sporty. The tyres are 37.7 psi at the front and 36 ish rear. It is a harder than normal ride but its not bone jarring. I havent ever had an issue with grip, in the wet its better than my previous Fabia....plows through puddles rather than slips over them . In the recent snow it was brilliant......sailed pass all the stuck BMW's. I cant say the Greenline is better value than a standard car. I got mine as it was almost the last available before the facelift and engine change. Paid less than a standard Fabia which is why I bought it. I thought the new Greenline had standard wheels ?

Thats a fair point. I gained approx 5 mpg once mine reached about 8000 miles. Ignoring economy and just driving with the traffic 'within' speed limts my daily commute in summer gives around 70 mpg. The bonus I guess with the gl 2 is that it can do this without having thinner wheels and maybe a softer ride ? How does the 3 pot cr engine compare with the PD as regards noise and vibration ?

As its a Greenline your bound to see just how far you can eek out your fuel. This is all well land good but not advisable during the run in period. Just drive the the thing like you owned it for 20000 miles already. Its not rocket science. Just dont thrash it or labour it by pootling about. Avoid steady rpm for long periods. Let it warm up fully before you give it some beans. I ran in my Greenline by just driving normally. Has now loosened up nicely and burns no oil at all. Be prepared for lower than expected economy for the first few thousand miles. I was very surprised how much of an improvement in smoothness, economy and driveability I gained after about 10,000 miles. Technology has moved on since iffy tolerances on engine manufacture. Doesnt do any harm to be sensible though.

I know how you feel. Had a similar experience with a failed head on my old 1.2 HTP. Even though i looked after my car it still failed. It does shake your faith in the brand. People say they are isolated incidents but they arent the ones with a busted engine and big bill. We have had 3 Fabias now. I was tempted to change after my incident but opted to stick with the Fabias as I do like them. I have the Greenline 1.4TDI now which is slowly restoring my faith in Skoda No second chances after this one.If it goes wrong badly like yours or my 1.2 HTP I will change brand. We need a new car to replace our ageing 1.4MPI. I may get a new Fabia, but I am also now open to other options like the Suzuki Alto and Toyota Aygo. Its more a case of best deal now than brand loyalty.

Thats book figures surely ? If I drive just below 60 I can easily get 73-74 mpg. In all the postings I have seen regarding the GL 2 I have yet to see fuel figures that beat mine. Best I ever got was in town going along the coast to worthing. I got 84 mpg indicated (in reality thats about 79). I dont know why this is. Maybe mine is looser or I somehow drive it in a more economical way......no idea. The PD engine is certainly less refined and noisier than the CR. But it has more power with a bigger punch in the torque range. Its also efficient when used in the right way. The PD has a much higher injection pressure than the CR. I really would like to try a GL 2 on my journey to work. Then I would see if it is up to the hype. I will happily eat humble pie if its more efficient than mine. Might even go buy one myself

Forgot to add to my original post......I havent ever driven the new GL 2. The mpg reports from current GL 2 owners have similar figures to my own car. The new GL 2 appears to have a lot more specific technology in it. Start stop system, power recovery and I believe a unique engine. My GL1 is as near as makes no difference a standard 1.4 TDI Fabia 80 hp based on the Fabia 2. Main differences are the longer gearbox, thinner wheels, extra aerodynamic bits, 1 inch lower than standard and a remapped engine that produces its max torque lower in the rev range. The injector cams are modified to allow for DPF regen.

I have the GL 1. Its been brilliant. Save loads in fuel costs. 70 mpg in summer is realistic and 60-65 in Winter is normal. The long gearbox takes some getting used to. I dont even use 5th unless I am going over 60mph and in town your going to stay a lot in 3rd. The ride is a little hard on the tyres mine came with. They are inflated high, around 37 psi which makes for feeling the ride. I now have Uniroyal rain experts on and the car is much quieter with a softer ride. Touch wood it hasnt missed a beat. The DPF regen is a total non event and easily missed unless you really pay attention to whats going on. Never had the DPF light come on. It does take some getting used to driving this car properly. Mostly due to the gearbox. At 70 mph your just over 2000 rpm . It has thinner 165 tyres but to be honest, you dont notice any lack of grip and even the most expensive tyres are cheap due to the size. The only thing I would say it lacks is cruise control. The GL 2 has it and it would be of use on the GL 1. I do loads of miles and get a tired foot on the motorway. I am glad I bought mine. I suggest a good test drive. Some folks cant get on with the gearbox and also some dont like the slightly noisy engine (rattles when cold but is quite smooth when cruising along). One negative point is the headlights. They are a bit crap. I upgraded the bulbs using phillips xtreme and they are now adequate. I get roughly 550 to 600 miles between fill ups. Economy is best around 55 to 60. Recent trip to Essex over 200 miles I got 62 mpg at a steady 80 all the way on the motorway. This would be even better mpg in summer imho. If your doing loads of miles like me then its a good buy. If you doing average mileage then a standard Fabia would be equally as good. I was going to buy a standard 1.4TDI. With the vat off offer and limited stock available I decided to get the Greenline.......so far its been a wise decision.

My Greenline 1 came with jack and wheel brace (March 2010). No spare, just the tin of gunk and a compressor. This was standard. I bought a steel rim and put on a tyre as a proper spare. I then went to the scrappy and bought the internal plastic box the Mk1's have as standard. All the tools fit in nicely and I now have a proper spare bolted down.....as it should be.

Your car is designed to run on any forecourt diesel. Its all ULSD that conforms to EN590. Just because its a CR type diesel doesnt mean you have to use special fuel. If you want to do the best for your car as far as clean engine and minimal emissions then 'maybe' V power will help in that regard. Diesel is expensive enough as it is. The extra you pay for V power sort of negates the extra mileage you get from owning a diesel. Personally I will use the fuelsave with an occasional tank of V power or some other brand of premium fuel for an extra clean, be it real or placebo.

The question begs, how fast could a Greenline go if the electronics didnt stop it ? :think: