Skoda's success in Auto Express's Driver Power survey has been posted about in other forums here, but specific to the Fabia I:

The Fabia finished 70th, down from 35th last year and from a high of 5th in 2006. It seems to be mostly a case this car is starting to show its age. Their comments pretty much sum up my own about my vRS:

" All good things must come to an end. Having previously featured in the top five twice, the old shaped Fabia has slumped to 70th overall. While drivers are still enjoying the low cost of ownership, they have lost confidence in the brakes, are fed up with the firm ride and cannot get comfortable in the cabin".

Worth pointing out the difference in score between 70th and 1st. 1st was 91.16% and 70th was 83.13% (not a lot in it!).

The Fabia came 39th overall for performance which would suggest the number of vRS owners in the survey was very small. 63rd for reliability was a surprise but maybe just reflective of an older car. 53rd for ease of driving was also strange to me, I mean how difficult is it to drive really???

Full results in this weeks Auto Express - well worth £2.30

I got the mag too. I thought it was unfair. My Fabia is great and much better than the C-max which I had before and that finished above it. The C-max was a proper load of crap!

I got the mag too. I thought it was unfair. My Fabia is great and much better than the C-max which I had before and that finished above it. The C-max was a proper load of crap!

Honestly Ive had 2 CMax's now, 3 if you include the one I rejected at the dealership! I havent had many cars, but my god the C Max is a stinker. Its a good family wagon when its working properly but that's about it.

John

Hmmmmm,

I think the problem here may lie with the fact that the Fabia has a strange habit of refusing to work properly when small things fail that maybe other cars wouldn't.

Coolant sensors make starting a pig.

Fuel pump relays cause random stops and impossible starts.

PAS angle sensors cause dash lights and heavy / light steering.

Brake pedal sensors cause Dash lights.

I know all cars have these problems, but it does seem the Fabia suffers just a little more than most from sensor issues. I also accept they're mostly easy to put right, but Joe & Jan Public would just see a trip back to the dealer, half the time on tow.

Don't get me wrong, I think my lil Fabia's great and I'd much rather these little issues than major ones but I just think maybe the frequency of failures is a teeny tad bit high, it's just unfortunate that the cost and scale of repair isn't taken into consideration.... or is it? I've not read it, lol.

That's probably about right - if it wasn't for this place and my copy of VAG-COM, I'd have had to throw thousands at our two Fabias to keep them on the road.

But things being as they are, full of the spirit of all our dads fixing their Cortinas on the drive, and with the friendly assistance of the parts desk at the local TPS, I've been able to keep them running nicely for not much money...

Probably partly my fault - I can't remember if I did the survey this year, but if I did I probably had a rant. Rear doors that leak even after three visits to the dealers. Suspension that is creaking like a 95 year old Lada. Dealer that is totally useless. I love my vRS but I'm losing faith in it and the dealer isn't helping. My last Astra made less noise and felt more solid at 6 years old and 135,000 miles than my three year old vRS with 28,000 miles on it does. Looking forward to replacing it with a proper car within the next year...

That's a bit of a shame, as both of your problems are easy DIY fixes, with very little required in terms of outlay...

We've had our Fabia for nearly a year now and I still love it. OK its not a vRS, its only a 1.2 HTP Silverline, and its a 53 plate so not a facelifted model either, but it is so comfortable and light to drive compared to my Bora. Only had one problem with it over the year that cost £3.20 to fix. Will be hanging on to it for a good while yet and getting a few mods done

That's a bit of a shame, as both of your problems are easy DIY fixes, with very little required in terms of outlay...

Assuming that you are anywhere near competent in diy. Anyway I have a warranty. What's the point of a warranty if you have to do the work yourself. All I ask is that they actually fix the problem that I take it in with. Is that asking too much????

The door leaks, fair enough. But the suspension is not really a diy job (at least not for me). You can't possibly say that it is a diy fix with little required in terms of outlay given that you don't know what the problem is. The dealer simply says that you have to expect it given the state of the roads nowadays. Things start to wear as soon as you drive off the forecourt apparently.

Edited 22 April, 201016 yr by 'Little' John

i dont tend to pay much attention to mags/top gear because there probly paid by the top end boys anyway

...full of the spirit of all our dads fixing their Cortinas on the drive

Ahh those were the days

Jumpers for goal posts etc etc

You can't possibly say that it is a diy fix with little required in terms of outlay given that you don't know what the problem is.

But I do know what the problem is - two Fabias and the best part of six years on here have taught me exactly what to expect!

If your car's reached about 60k, then it will be the console bushes - which I admit is not a DIY job for most, but then the fact that the warranty lasts 60k gives an indication of expected part lifetimes.

But if not, it's almost certain that the ARB bushes are dry, which is something you don't even need a jack for - just point the wheels as far to the left and right as you can, and give the bushes a skoosh with WD40. As yours is an SE, it will have the newer ARB with the collars, so the ARB and the bushes themselves should be in good nick...

As for the doors, there is a design flaw, but it's as much to do with water building up as it is with the seals not keeping it in the right place. As long as you open the rear doors from time-to-time and let the water out (especially after washing the car), it shouldn't be a problem...

HTH

personaly i wish more younger/ teenys/twentys people had them the fabia is a great first car and yh mine has faults but a younger person is more likely to put up with faults than the typical older person i see driving many a fabia! im the youngest guy ive seen in a fabia, granted the vrs sporty hot hatch has a younger age group but thats not gona drag the average down alot compared to the sheer number of 1.2/1.4 fabias out there....unless its seperate of course i duno . Im looking at getting a vrs and all the bad things ive heard i still want one now ive had a skoda it would take a lot of perswading to got back to a ford or any other type of car...the mazda 3 my dad sold me i hate because its like driving a spaceship, i feel like i should be saying stuff like warp 5 mr data...engage

My moto is why have a vw when you can have a skoda (haha vw took your advert and turned it on its head! )