My octy has gone for a tailgate respray (under warranty, to fix the last bodge job they did), and as punishment I have been loaned a 1.2litre fabia"1" mark 2, with a cylinder missing from under the bonnet

This an 08 with about 12k on the clock (service overdue), and seems to drive a bit like a bag of spanners. Anyhow I have to travel about 120 miles every day in this thing till I get my car back, and ideally don't want to fill it with too much fuel, thus I am looking for rough MPG figures.

My route is Weymouth to Salisbury, taking A roads (generally outside rush hour), so able to (eventually) reach 60mph. My TDi Octy would use about £9 of fuel when driven properly (55-57mpg). I am guessing that is I nurse the fabia along (does not seem to be much else it will, certainly does not accelerate up a hill!) it might manage about a 40mpg, or am I being rather wishful there?

Cheers,

Matt

Hi, depends if its the 6v or 12v version. 12v can easily get 40-50 mpg brim to brim. Never seen it drop below 40 even with air con on all the time. Just adopt a laid back approach change up about 2000 rpm and accelerate gently.

David

The girlfriends Seat Ibiza 1.2 12v does about 80-90miles to 1/4 of a tank. But that is mainly urban/extra urban driving. On a run i reckon it would do nearer 100-110miles if sat at 56-60mph

My octy has gone for a tailgate respray (under warranty, to fix the last bodge job they did), and as punishment I have been loaned a 1.2litre fabia"1" mark 2, with a cylinder missing from under the bonnet

This an 08 with about 12k on the clock (service overdue), and seems to drive a bit like a bag of spanners. Anyhow I have to travel about 120 miles every day in this thing till I get my car back, and ideally don't want to fill it with too much fuel, thus I am looking for rough MPG figures.

My route is Weymouth to Salisbury, taking A roads (generally outside rush hour), so able to (eventually) reach 60mph. My TDi Octy would use about £9 of fuel when driven properly (55-57mpg). I am guessing that is I nurse the fabia along (does not seem to be much else it will, certainly does not accelerate up a hill!) it might manage about a 40mpg, or am I being rather wishful there?

Cheers,

Matt

Realistic terms I would say 40mpg like you say, my parents get 45mpg trip, thats 43.7mpg Brim to Brim on the 70bhp engine, I would guess £12.50 a day for a good rule to thumb those roads can be a bit rubbish between Weymouth and salibury.

Any idea how long it is in the B/S I am guessing it is in Loaders in dorchester would imagine, they specilise in skoda's. Currently turn around in B/S's are fast so i would not worry about the length it in for.

I would guess 3 days max so £37.50 max fill

hope this helps

Added - Be sure to ring them everyday to a status check,you willfind things get done quicker that way (Based from experience... due to job)

I get about 25-35mpg in my 6valver.

But then again, thats pushing it to its (very low) limits half the time on windy hilly roads.

Hi, depends if its the 6v or 12v version. 12v can easily get 40-50 mpg brim to brim. Never seen it drop below 40 even with air con on all the time. Just adopt a laid back approach change up about 2000 rpm and accelerate gently.

David

Ahh right, I didn't realise there was a 6v version! This would explain some things!

It has a red HTP on the boot, so I am guessing that is the massive 70-bhp model. The fuel light came on last night on the way back (3/4 of the way home). So playing safe I stuck £15 of fuel in (94.4p/litre), which seemed to show on the bargraph a fraction over half a tank (till I pulled out of the filling station).

I think I just need to get used to the fact that the car is not very fast, and that me being used to driving a diesel is doing me no favours - although I am sure my old 1.2 Nova was faster :-) The car is overdue a service as well, so that probably does not help its lack-luster performance!

The Bodyshop is indeed Loders in Dorchester. The car went in a year ago for them to deal with a warranty rust issue on the boot, and due to their poor worksmanship it is going back in again for another rust treatment & respray. When I first got the car back from them the tailgate was on off-centre, the plastic internal boot trim broken, the washer jet pushed back into the high-level brake light and so on. Generally a pretty rubbish service. I would have been well pee'd off had I actually had to pay for this poor quality.

To then make matters worse, the paint has worn off at both ends of the external trim/handle. I went back to Loders, who blamed the gasket on the back of the trim - saying it had failed. Strange that it was fine for the 7 years before they touched it. It should have been replaced under the warranty job, but they were cutting corners. They refused to deal with it (and even failed to quote me for the cost if I were to pay to get it fixed), and so did Skoda customer Service (the woman there failed to get back to be after a few months, and then changed her story!). Eventually I went to Loders Skoda in Yeovil who initially raised the warranty job and then LARC in Dorchester who then looked at the car again, and booked it back in the rework.

Cheers,

Matt

It has a red HTP on the boot, so I am guessing that is the massive 70-bhp model. The fuel light came on last night on the way back (3/4 of the way home). So playing safe I stuck £15 of fuel in (94.4p/litre), which seemed to show on the bargraph a fraction over half a tank (till I pulled out of the filling station).

I think I just need to get used to the fact that the car is not very fast, and that me being used to driving a diesel is doing me no favours - although I am sure my old 1.2 Nova was faster :-) The car is overdue a service as well, so that probably does not help its lack-luster performance!

The Bodyshop is indeed Loders in Dorchester. The car went in a year ago for them to deal with a warranty rust issue on the boot, and due to their poor worksmanship it is going back in again for another rust treatment & respray. When I first got the car back from them the tailgate was on off-centre, the plastic internal boot trim broken, the washer jet pushed back into the high-level brake light and so on. Generally a pretty rubbish service. I would have been well pee'd off had I actually had to pay for this poor quality.

To then make matters worse, the paint has worn off at both ends of the external trim/handle. I went back to Loders, who blamed the gasket on the back of the trim - saying it had failed. Strange that it was fine for the 7 years before they touched it. It should have been replaced under the warranty job, but they were cutting corners. They refused to deal with it (and even failed to quote me for the cost if I were to pay to get it fixed), and so did Skoda customer Service (the woman there failed to get back to be after a few months, and then changed her story!). Eventually I went to Loders Skoda in Yeovil who initially raised the warranty job and then LARC in Dorchester who then looked at the car again, and booked it back in the rework.

Cheers,

Matt

Not going to comment on Loaders, but If you can persuade Skoda to let you have the work done else where then talk to Fran at Dorset Bodyworks (Same estate as Loader ARC) they will see you alright. 01305 267457.

If they insist on skoda approved, and you not to worried of how far to take your car the I highly recommend Poole ARC 01202 733866 most likely the lovely Emma will answer the phone They have perfect costomer service and quality of work in second to none

Not going to comment on Loaders, but If you can persuade Skoda to let you have the work done else where then talk to Fran at Dorset Bodyworks (Same estate as Loader ARC) they will see you alright. 01305 267457.

If they insist on skoda approved, and you not to worried of how far to take your car the I highly recommend Poole ARC 01202 733866 most likely the lovely Emma will answer the phone They have perfect costomer service and quality of work in second to none

I have happily commented on LARC before, I guess they tend to have the area sown up for warranty work. If they bodge the job again, then I'll either try the Yeovil bodyshop, or look at someone else, so thanks for the suggestions of who else to try.

Shame I might miss out on the lovely Emma (are you on commission for sending customers that way?!)

I think I have started to figured how to drive the thing. Put £5 in it last night when I got home. It was just sitting on the top of the lowest 3 bars (ie. when the fuel light comes on). It seems that each "section" seems to equate to about 3 litres. Anyhow I drove in pretty carefully this morning, never going over 60, more like 55mpg (in the NSL sections, of course), and only overtook a white van and a supermarket lorry just after coming off the A35 heading towards Blandford up the first hill. Generally changed gear around 3k, and the fuel guage seemed not to have moved by the time I got to work. I expect it will be on the warning light when I get back in to go home! never know accurate these digital things are.... would feel happier to see a slight bit of movement all of the time!

However LARC phoned up yesterday to say that my car *should* be ready tomorrow afternoon....

I've quite liked the 3 cylinder engine's I've driven, considering one myself!

Hi

No not on commission just after being in this part of the trade for a year, I get customer feedback and it makes a picture of who's Hot and whos not (And I am talking bodyshops not the girls...lmao)

Seriously, though they are good bodyshops and worth having work done there

Good to hear you'll have your car back soon then you can go back to the Fuel of the Devil

TL

I am guessing that is I nurse the fabia along (does not seem to be much else it will, certainly does not accelerate up a hill!) it might manage about a 40mpg, or am I being rather wishful there?

Cheers,

Matt

I think I used about 20% more fuel in a 1.2 Fox than my Fabia vRS, but I was thrashing it.

I think I used about 20% more fuel in a 1.2 Fox than my Fabia vRS, but I was thrashing it.

This got some abuse on the first day, till I realised it made no difference how I drove it, it was always going to be slow. Makes some weird noises too, so it might be knackered.... 13k miles and not serviced yet!!

Hi

No not on commission just after being in this part of the trade for a year, I get customer feedback and it makes a picture of who's Hot and whos not (And I am talking bodyshops not the girls...lmao)

Seriously, though they are good bodyshops and worth having work done there

Good to hear you'll have your car back soon then you can go back to the Fuel of the Devil

TL

mmm, devil fuel and good to heard feedback from alternative bodyshops - hopefully I won't need to venture there however!

Makes some weird noises too, so it might be knackered.... 13k miles and not serviced yet!!

They do make a weird raspy sort of noise anyway.

It will be the 6v one I think with it being the '1' model.

They're decent little engine really but like you say have to be nursed to get decent fuel economy but guess that gomes with any petrol engine anyway.

Phil

They do make a weird raspy sort of noise anyway.

It will be the 6v one I think with it being the '1' model.

They're decent little engine really but like you say have to be nursed to get decent fuel economy but guess that gomes with any petrol engine anyway.

Phil

you can get the 12valve on the 1 trim