Hi, Im really interested in buying a Fabia VRS and have driven one at a local independant dealer. Before I took it out i raised the issue of the big 60,000 mile service that should be due and that usually meant a new cam belt. He said if it was due then it could be done. So i took it out for a spin with another member of staff. When i got back he said that he had just checked in the service manual and showed me a 'continental' sticker with a cam belt on it saying it had been replaced.

So I was relieved but now the pessimist in me is thinking that it would have been possible for him to have stuck that in himself while i was out. I know it is probably paranoia but just wondering if it would be easy to check if i went back and had a look under the hood myself? It was only supposed to be done in a couple of months ago which makes me more suspicious as why would someone spend about £400 on a car they would sell about a month later?

I asked the dealer if he knew if the pump had been replaced and he said it would have been done at the same time, so again is this easy to check? Sorry if this seems very irrational but would like to make sure before i buy it and it went on me. Im not sure what comeback i would have as he could say as far as he knew it had been replaced.

Anyway I have to say i was even more impressed with the VRS than i thought i would but my mates are giving me a bit of stick but if i buy it i think they might change their tune when they actually get in it!!

Cheers for any advice (appart from stopping being so paranoid ;-))

You can take off the top cam belt cover (you will need to take off the intake pipe, it unclips easily) and have a look see if it's cracked and tensioned properly or showing wear signs but it can be hard to tell how old the belt is. The belt itself is not the weak point it is the tensioner and pump which fail.

The same with the waterpump you would end up stripping it down by which point you may as well replace the belt and pump at that stage. If the waterpump fails it could rattle and overheat especially at higher speeds.

At what mileage was the belt changed? If the dealer didn't carry out the work how can he assume the pump had been changed. It seems a bit convienent for the dealer to say it's been done. Have a good look at the service book to see who carried out the cam belt service and if possible speak to them. Otherwise price the car that the cambelt needs replacing.

If you distrust the dealer , just walk away from the deal , plenty of other cars out there !

could you trust them to do any warranty work ?

As above - if in doubt walk away. Whether an independant or skoda dealer, they should keep a record on their systems of any servicing work carried out. Surely you can request a copy of the invoice for the work done?

thanks guys, yeah I was speaking to a guy at work today and he reckons if i find out the garage that serviced it should have its own record of what work was carried out. I may just ask the dealer for the name of the garage to ask if they fitted the water pump too, which is a fair question. But I've just seen another one that is a bit more expensive but way less miles on the clock so thinking that might be the better deal if i can perhaps bring him down a little on price to fit my budget. What would you guys do - the first has done 61,000 and on for £6000 54plate and the second 16,000, £7,500 56plate? The first guy reckons he would give me £1000 for my car and wasn't budging on price - not been to see the second one yet. I think im in a strong position for bargaining now and wouldn't be disapointed with either although my head is telling me spend the extra cash for the newer one and peace of mind over the cam belt, but The older one is in silver which I prefer to the black.

Anyone got any advice on barganing tactics or oprinions on which to go for?

Cheers - what a great forum!

If you can afford it grab the 56 plate with lower miles. 6k for a 54 with 61k on the clock seems a tad pricey?

If not, definitely find out where the cam belt was changed and ask for details. Won't take 5 mins and will give you peace of mind.

the first has done 61,000 and on for £6000 54plate

I paid £4500 for my mine 53 plate with 53000 on it did need a cambelt tho but did have some extras on that saved me a load of dosh if I wanted to put them on myself! I was lucky. £6000 Seems a little high

Low mileage or the colour you prefer.

That's a tough call.

I paid £4500 for my mine 53 plate with 53000 on it did need a cambelt tho but did have some extras on that saved me a load of dosh if I wanted to put them on myself! I was lucky. £6000 Seems a little high

Definately tad pricey buddy, I paid £5,300 for a 54 plate FSH (skoda) and half the mods in my sig with 60k on clock.

I'd wait and keep an eye out on here for one in the sale section. People tend to look after them and you know who the owner is and what work has been done. Good luck though and welcome aboard

If your paying cash for the rest of the car, i would flog your motor, then just go looking armed with cash. The way things are at the moment, you would be very tempting turning up offering a resonalbe price on any car!

Cheers guys, and thanks for making a noob welcome. Its interesting you say sell my car first - that might be a good option as i've had a quote from that webuyanycar.com site for about £1000 too so I could potentially get the same as the dealer was offering, although it means more hassle.

So say I get that grand for my car how much do you think i should be paying for each car? say £500 less than they are each asking? Or even more, even the dealer said it was a buyers market!