hanseandy

Thanks for all the responses everyone, very useful. I think my preference is the 1.9 tdi, I'm actually not too fussy if it's a mk1 or mk2. That said if a 1.4 comes up for sale locally I'll give it a go Andy

Cheers everyone! That's great to know. Not actually tried the 1.4tdi in a Fabia yet - any good? Tried it in a little Audi A2 years ago and it was OK round town but I didn't get chance to try on a longer run. Andy

Hi all, can anyone offer advice on which is the 'better' (reliability is my primary concern) of the older Diesel engines? Looking at either the 1.4tdi or 1.9tdi to replace my Octavia Vrs, as I only need a small car now. If possible I would like to avoid dpf equipped cars, so if anyone knows which model years this applied to please help! General advice on what to look out for with the Fabia would also be welcome. TIA - Andy

Ok that's great Rob I'll take those please. Will PM shortly.

Hi Rob, do you know if these would be suitable for the TSI estate?

Ok cool what brand are they? Just wondering if I can get hold of a replacement rear shock. The stock shocks seem pretty soft already - running lowering springs, gets the wheels waaaay up in the arches with all the kids in the car!

Hi turbo bell - did you say you had some budget coil overs for sale?

Hi all, Have a strange issue with my Tsi. Hoping someone can advise? At 2000rpm I get a noticeable surge in power. 2500rpm the power drops right off accompanied by a very slight rattling noise. Power back at about 2700rpm then off again, then back at 3000rpm. No more 'drop offs' After 3K. This happens in any gear, at any ambient temperature, and at any engine temperature. It is much more noticeable when accelerating gently. Car has Shark stage 1 with turbo back blueflame exhaust inc 200 cell cat. New inlet manifold fitted 2/3 months ago. If you have had similar issues with yours it would be great to know what the diagnosis was. Also any pointers for troubleshooting would be great! Thanks for reading! Andy

Hi, what sort of mileage p/a are you doing? Lower miles = probably the Tfsi. IIRC there was an issue with a cam follower wearing on the Tfsi, sure someone will correct if I am wrong. Sorry no idea on cam belt lifespan - might be an idea to get it done (for your peace of mind) as part of purchase. Huge difference in price, and age between the Derv vs Petrol cars you've linked - could buy a lot of fuel for £3/4K. My last few cars before the Skoda were Tdi's (GM and Nissan) had nothing but trouble! The Tsi has been almost faultless in the 4+ years and 50K I've owned it - inlet manifold needed replacing last month.

Just over 50K from front and rear pads - discs still ok apparently!

For reference timing chain and tensioner plus all guides etc... was just under £600 fitted by Skoda, had it done about a year ago.

Cheers for the responses, @ Mike no the windows are not slow moving at all. I will try some gt85 in the runners, fingers crossed that does the trick! Andy

Hi all, Anyone had a problem with a drivers side window that winds halfway up then stops and goes back down? My Octavia has just started doing it and my Touran does it too - is this normal or is there a solution? Thanks all

Sounds about right to me - 320/350 round town 400 on a run.

Up for another meet, hopefully be a bit warmer this time. Rutland would be good, can bring the kids too!

As mentioned by others the vast majority of cars eventually suffer breakdowns of some sort. Reading other forums (as you have been) gives the impression that a lot of vehicles share similar faults, (dual mass flywheels, dpf's etc...) Previously bought a car (Nissan) based on its excellent reliability reviews - turned out to be the biggest lemon I have ever owned, I begrudged paying every bill because I bought it with my head not my heart. The Vrs was bought on impulse 4 yrs ago - test drove it and had to have it! Bills never bother me with this car, it gets what it needs to keep it tip top. I guess the point I am labouring to make is: doing your 'homework' is important - but buying something because it's what you really want matters more.

Cheers for the help everybody, @ Cleo - will 17s clear my brakes?

Looking at 8.5 x 19 with 235 35 tyres.

Hi all, Looking for some different alloys, can anyone advise what the effect of fitting alloys with a 45 offset would be? Iirc the the standard alloys (Neptunes) are 52. So would a 45 offset wheel sit further out towards the wheel arch? Cheers!

Don't mind tbh! Probably a chain pub? Not 100% sure what's out that way... Think there was a Toby carvery out by Serpentine green - big Tesco's that way too. Any others with suggestions please chip in!

Can do the 19th. Anyone else interested? Might help sort out a location. I'd be travelling from near kings lynn.

Up for this too. Don't mind where P'boro or Cambs fine for me.

Hi thompson8, had a quick search through the forum, seems others have had problems with upper gearbox mount on the TDI. Searched engine mount failure Hth

Ok thanks all, Looks like I have to pay for mechanical diagnosis at Skoda then, will have a look myself in case it's anything really obvious. Didn't know if this was standard now, certainly the VW and Ford dealers I have used in the have past included it as a part of the service, guess I have just been lucky up to now!

Hi all, Just had the Vrs serviced, and been informed that there was an issue with it. There is a minor oil leak somewhere on the engine, but it was not located. The dealer asked for £60 to have a look for the leak, and then said they would quote based on what they found. Is this standard practice? I would have expected this sort of diagnosis to be included along with a quote to repair by the dealership. Am I expecting too much? Feedback appreciated.