Hi Chaps. :yes:

Recently sold an Ibiza FR TDi 130 6 speed. 56 plate. Fantastic car for power and drive. However, some really annoying issues with it which made it a nightmare

Owning a Polo 2003 plate 100 BHP sport petrol. (195 55 15 inch tyres) it had none of the three issues I had with the Ibiza. namely...

1. Ride quality - far too hard, every bump felt. Made motorway driving a nightmare. Backache from the unconfortable drive.

2. Too loud inside the car - bad insulation I guess? also a combination of the stiff suspension vibrating the noise into the car greater?

3. Wind noise - coming through on both driver and passenger doors. Many saying that it is normal and cannot be fixed.

So it has come to the point after many suggesting to me that the Fabia vRS although the same chassis/engine/box. It is a much more confortable car for motorway driving, no wind noise screaming through the door/window frames and very comfortable seats.

Armed with a budget of around £6000, what can you advise me on what is bad on the vRS? As in does the Fabia vRS have any of the three bad points of the Ibiza? Any other bad points that will make the car very hard to live with?

Thanks muchly in advance.

Edited 20 October, 201015 yr by nta

The ride's pretty bad - when I picked up my 2007vRS recently after selling the 2004vRS I thought the ride was transformed - but it was only due to the tyres being severely under-pressurised - at around 26/7psi instead of 33/32psi.

The engine's also pretty loud at tickover when stationary - though quiet enough on the move.

Edited 20 October, 201015 yr by DRJ

Hi

Lost me there on the ride being bad? Ride bad on your earlier vRS or only bad because of tyre pressures?

Edited 21 October, 201015 yr by nta

nta ,

what you put above is what made me buy the vrs ,

really comfy , ace on the motorway and fun when remapped, !

110mph i dont get any wind noise, (on private land ........ )

The ride on the vRS is pillow-soft compared to the SEAT. If anything it's too soft, which is why most folks like the Eibach/Koni FSD combination which firms it up a bit whilst still not rattling your teeth out.

As for noise, it's an £11.5K hatchback with a crude lump of a diesel in it and at 70mph it's noisier than a Golf but less noisy than a Fox, if that helps. It'll be roughly the same as the SEAT.

There is wind noise on my car from the top rear corner of each front window and they couldn't ever fix it, and I tuned it out years ago.

Ultimately, if you want a limo, buy a bigger car with a longer wheelbase and more soundproofing.

I swapped out of a Peugeot 407 136HDI Estate to my 1st vRS and I did 35,000 miles per year plus in it for almost 3 years at which point I got a Passat Estate and it was a sofa by comparison. The Passat was 2 cars ago now and I still have the vRS. That should tell you something!

Edited 21 October, 201015 yr by wja96

Ride bad on your earlier vRS or only bad because of tyre pressures?

I didn't realise just how much of a difference low tyre pressures made

to the ride (and handling for that matter) I've only used mine for popping

down to the shops over the last 3 months. I know I should have checked

my tyres more often but I didn't.

Last weekend I had to go to Bristol to look at a house so before setting

off I pulled into the petrol station and did a few checks. Topped up oil by a dribble

checked water filled screenwash bottle up and checked my tyres.

They were all around 24psi which is very low really. I put 32psi in the fronts

and 30psi in the rears and it felt like a different car when I got going again.

More precise and instant handling, less roll generally and I swear, slightly better

acceleration. I never have any weight in the rear so I thought 30 would be better

The thing is ALL my local roads are terrible. And I think the softer underinflated tyres

did soak that up a bit. I rarely travel faster than 30 and theres a few schools about

between my gaff and the local shops. So I'm barely off tickover most of the time.

Before I went to Bristol I had to visit a mate in Thurrock which is a 15-20 mile run

with a bit of motorway and a bit of twisty. The car felt baggy, uninvolving and a bit

flabby, I knew it was the tyres but I didn't realise how bad they were.

Of course now they are correctly inflated my local roads feel more cattle grid like

than ever. A full set of matching decent tyres should help, I'm looking at smashing the

piggybank open for those soon.

I have "prestivo sports" on the front and gsd3s on the rear. Quite possibly the most

lethal possible combination of tyres available for the forthcoming winter :(

Wish me luck

Edited 21 October, 201015 yr by grr666

Hi Chaps. :yes:

Recently sold an Ibiza FR TDi 130 6 speed. 56 plate. Fantastic car for power and drive. However, some really annoying issues with it which made it a nightmare

Owning a Polo 2003 plate 100 BHP sport petrol. (195 55 15 inch tyres) it had none of the three issues I had with the Ibiza. namely...

1. Ride quality - far too hard, every bump felt. Made motorway driving a nightmare. Backache from the unconfortable drive.

2. Too loud inside the car - bad insulation I guess? also a combination of the stiff suspension vibrating the noise into the car greater?

3. Wind noise - coming through on both driver and passenger doors. Many saying that it is normal and cannot be fixed.

So it has come to the point after many suggesting to me that the Fabia vRS although the same chassis/engine/box. It is a much more confortable car for motorway driving, no wind noise screaming through the door/window frames and very comfortable seats.

Armed with a budget of around £6000, what can you advise me on what is bad on the vRS? As in does the Fabia vRS have any of the three bad points of the Ibiza? Any other bad points that will make the car very hard to live with?

Thanks muchly in advance.

Shame about the window problems. I'd guess that might have contributed to the interior noise too, though IMO the usual reason for lots of interior noise is a plug or grommet missing for some reason (or the windows...). Little brother has an 06 plate FR TDi 5 door. Has to be said the ride isn't the best. Handles nicely though. I don't recall it being loud inside.

At a guess coming from the Ibiza FR to a Fabia. Yes, the ride is likely to be far superior. If you like driving sportily every now and then you'll hate the handling. Beyond a certain point it's like driving suspended on spaghetti, lurch city with no feeling of tautness! Buy one which has had the suspension sorted out.

J.

Shame about the window problems. I'd guess that might have contributed to the interior noise too, though IMO the usual reason for lots of interior noise is a plug or grommet missing for some reason (or the windows...). Little brother has an 06 plate FR TDi 5 door. Has to be said the ride isn't the best. Handles nicely though. I don't recall it being loud inside.

At a guess coming from the Ibiza FR to a Fabia. Yes, the ride is likely to be far superior. If you like driving sportily every now and then you'll hate the handling. Beyond a certain point it's like driving suspended on spaghetti, lurch city with no feeling of tautness! Buy one which has had the suspension sorted out.

J.

I am not wanting mega handling really. i just enjoy the engine torque and motorway and A road blasting. Yes the FR handles mega on the twisty stuff but wont be missed.

The ride's pretty bad - when I picked up my 2007vRS recently after selling the 2004vRS I thought the ride was transformed - but it was only due to the tyres being severely under-pressurised - at around 26/7psi instead of 33/32psi.

The engine's also pretty loud at tickover when stationary - though quiet enough on the move.

Hi

Lost me there on the ride being bad? Ride bad on your earlier vRS or only bad because of tyre pressures?

??? - seems clear to me - here's some additional wording:

When I picked up my 2007vRS recently after selling the 2004vRS I thought the ride was transformed to the better on the newer car compared with the old one - but it was only due to the tyres being severely under-pressurised - at around 26/7psi instead of 33/32psi and once I'd upped the pressures to Skoda's recommended one the bad ride appeared on the newer car...

They were all around 24psi which is very low really. I put 32psi in the fronts

and 30psi in the rears and it felt like a different car when I got going again.

More precise and instant handling, less roll generally and I swear, slightly better

acceleration. I never have any weight in the rear so I thought 30 would be better

The recommended pressures on light loads are 2.3/2.2 bar (33.4/31.9 psi) - if you're heavily loaded the guidance is 2.5/2.8 (36.3/40.6psi) - so you're running a bit low...

The ride's pretty bad - when I picked up my 2007vRS recently after selling the 2004vRS I thought the ride was transformed - but it was only due to the tyres being severely under-pressurised - at around 26/7psi instead of 33/32psi.

The engine's also pretty loud at tickover when stationary - though quiet enough on the move.

I agree with DRJ, I think the ride is cr*p on the vRS and I cant beleive so many people on this forum say how comfy it is?

My Dad has an Seat Altea Sport with the ACC chassis and it is FAR superior for handling and FAR superior for ride comfort.

I think some of the people on this forum need to drive some other cars to realise how (IMO) VW for a period of time seem to have perfected the art of having a cr*p ride quality (crashy) and rubbish handling. Usually crap handling (soft suspension) gives a comfy ride (Citroen 2CV?).

My Bora Sport was ropey handling and crashy ride IMO as is the Mrs' Beetle.

The French seem to have perfected the nice ride & good handling (previously had a Xsara Coupe), same as the Focus.

I think VW has upped its game now - the Octavia now has the ACC chassis. But as small cars go I think the Fabia has a very nice 'big car' feel to it which other small cars dont have - but for a sporty car the vRS suspension as standard is not good.

Hence I spose why most people mod theirs with some quality upgrades.

Lewwy

Edited 22 October, 201015 yr by Lewwy

Some good info coming in guys. Thank you :yes:

This weekend I will go and check a few out at local dealers. Will report back soon.