Hi,

As I was driving my Fabia 1.9 SDi to work today. Everything was going pretty well at first, I had a lemsip, wrapped up, I had cleared my car from all snow and frost and left it running so it was nice and warm, I didnt chance going down the hill on my street and went a more flat route. But just as I was round the corner (literally 80yds) from my depot I took a street corner too fast, front wheels skidded, and bam! passenger side front wheel into the curb. Then realised the car didnt want to move much, got out and then my fears were confirmed. The wheel had been pushed in so that it was touching the arch. Anyway after ringing my breakdown and waiting several hours I got it on the truck and we had a little look at the damage. Turns out the wishbone/ lower arm/leg (they are all the same thing right?) has been bent in, which has brought the wheel in as its shorter. Now as I havent got much money and dont want to get ripped off I want to order the part myself and fit either myself or myself with the aid of a mechanic friend. But he isnt available until friday, and I really need to diagnose it before then so I can order the parts, fit and then get the tracking re done and be back on the road next week. As far as I can tell its only the wishbone thats damaged.

Here are some pictures of the damage, are there any other things that are likely to be damaged? How easy would the job be to do on the street using jack/axle stands? Thanks in advance for any help. Much appreciated.

Edited 30 November, 201015 yr by fabia19

In all honesty, you really should get the guy that is fixing it to have a quick look before ordering in parts. That TCA is now u/s, but is the TRE and track rod still okay - and will it need a new lower swivel? I'd reckon only he could say. Sorting it on a driveway with axle stands is possible, but it would take a tough mechanic to work in these conditions if it is snowing or freezing - not for me I'm afraid.

Good luck though.

Ok thanks for the extra info (though I did have to google the acronyms and have learnt TCA=Track control arm (lower wishbone)

TRE=track rod end U/S=Unservicable).

But surely I wont lose anyting by ordering a TCA/lower wishbone in advance to speed the process up a little. Only problem is that ebay is full of different ones at different prices. Some with ball joints, some with rear bush. Some without any or both.

Any advice on which one to get? I should probably get one that has both a bush and a ball joint right?

Cheap and includes bush

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SKODA-FABIA-LOWER-WISHBONE-ARM-REAR-BUSH-NEW-/330282219927?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4ce65ab997

More expensive, no bush, but claims thats its higher quality

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FCA6103-NEW-LH-Wishbone-Skoda-Fabia-1-9D-8v-SDi-00-06-/120594995590?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c14059986

My requirements:

Model 2002 1.9 SDi Fabia hatchback classic

Part needed: passenger side/left front lower wishbone

Has anyone got any experiences with ebay derived parts, are they reliable in their quality? Or anyone know of a better place to get a TCA/lower wishbone? Cheers again.

Get a genuine part or one from GSF or another quality supplier.

There has been some real cr*p floating around ebay. Not saying it all is, but is it worth the risk.

i recently done the same and needed the following

-wishbone

-hub

-cv boot

-track rod end

possibly something else but cani mind :'( oh aye a wheel

hopefully you won't need all of the above

I'm in the Snowy Kerb Club too! Feb 2008 for me!

My list went.

Wish Bone,

Tracking Arm (track rod end)

Antiroll bar bushes

Drop link

Outer CV joint

Outer CV boot

The CV Joint / boot looked fine.. but upon close inspection was found to be fracturing around the edges on one spot.. We only realized when the boot kept leaking. It was because the joint kept throwing tiny shards of metal through through the rubber.

Bent wing with broken paint (left this until recently and hid it with a mud guard)

I got new console bushes at the same time.

It took 3 alignments to get it driving straight again.

The steering rack was removed and sent off for a professional check as my guy had seen very strange things from invisibly damaged steering racks.

My mechanic took chassis measurements as well for fear of shell damage or sub frame damage.

Parts that, strangely, are still going strong..

Hub & Bearing

Alloy

Top Mount.

In all seriousness.. And I'm only saying this to be honest, you may have done more damage than you think. Although, I've seen quite a fey bent wishbones on here now that have been fixed and then fine.. so it seems they are designed to absorb extreme impact.

Mechanical repair came to appox 1200 including cupra bush retrofit on both sides.

Wing straightened out and painted was £150 about 2 months ago.

Edited 1 December, 201015 yr by Rob.

Well im gonna try my best to do it on the cheap. I bought a £30 TCA with rear bush off ebay. Possibly not up to VAG standards but it will do with a bit off grease and anti rust treatment. They include a rear bush, but ive just thought, what about the front bush on the TCA? Will I be able to get away with using the currently installed one you think? And also, with regards to bolts, you think they will be included?

Also whats a good thing to use as lube for getting the bush in? Ive got moly grease, silicon grease, bike oil, gun oil, wd 40, vaseline, washing up liquid?

I know its not an ideal setup and yes its abit of an amateur hour job as im only 20 with a little bit of mechanical experience, and I would rather try and do it myself and learn. And I will get it checked over properly and the tracking done. It just a matter of getting it to a drivable state.

Hopefully the cheapo bush wont affect my handling but atleast ive got powerflex bushes on my anti roll bars.

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to get all bases covered so when my TCA arrives I can fit it as easily as possible.

Thanks in advance, and I will be making use of the wishbone bush tutorial and well done to whomever made it.

Ok so my new wishbone complete with front and rear bush (looks pretty good quality for £30) arrived yesterday when i got in from work. It was dark and snow still on our road but thought I better crack on with it and set up the inspection lamps out side.

I jacked the car up, removed wheel and engine under cover. Managed to very awkwardly remove the nut from the ball joint bolt, and then attempted to remove the 18mm front bush bolt. But it was no good with 18mm spanner. So thought I would use an electric impact wrench, but we dont have an 18mm socket. I tried the nearest imperial equivalent (3/4 I think), but it ended up rounding it a little bit. Its on very tight. I sprayed plenty of WD40 on it but just wont budge. I also thought maybe it was frozen on, so would heating the bolt be a good idea to ease it up? Anyway, I gave up without trying that as it was getting late.

So today I managed to borrow an 18mm socket from work, and my plan was to try again, maybe using that heating method i thought of.

(Although if you read my other topic you will see that other problems have now struck me!)

Any ideas? cheers in advance.

that looks like it might have bent the knuckle to me aswell, not just the wishbone ?

though im not certain on the angle it should be at when they straight, so i may be wrong

also dont bother with WD40 for siezed on stuff, its a water dispersant, not a penetrating oil, you need Plus Gas

Can I just ask what the "knuckle" is? Well I said WD40, but its some aldi/poundshop spray called super maintenance spray.

It says it penetrates, lubricates etc.

By the way, my other thread on todays incident. (my parked fabia hit by hit and run coach driver) is here. http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/183363-oh-great-more-bad-news-for-me/

Edited 8 December, 201015 yr by fabia19

Ok update. I got an 18mm socket and tried to get the 18mm front wishbone bush bolt off, I used wheel wrench, and electric impact wrench (and knackered it, lucklily I have a spare). But just ended up rounding the bolt head, its on very tight indeed. And judging by the comments on the fabia wishbone bush replacement guide thread it seems to be quite a common problem for these bolts to seize. Sometimes resulting in having to replace the whole console.

So today I booked my car in for Wednesday to have the wishbone fitted by a fairly local VW and Audi independent specialist for an estimate of £45. I asked them if they would have the 18mm bolt to replace the rounded one and they said they should have. But I thought I might as well try and get one from somewhere anyway just to be sure that come Wednesday there wont be any trouble.

So I went to the local VW dealer Smith Knight Fay to order the part (Bolt for Front Wishbone Bush - Part No N10141801 (VW Part No)) but on ordering I stated that it was for my Skoda Fabia. Once I said that he said that they might not be able to order it for me. He went in the back and must of asked his superior and came back and said that they can only order parts for VW cars, and not for Skoda, Seat, Audi etc. He said it might as well be a Ford. Now is this just some stupid policy? Or is that part really Skoda Fabia specific and not found on the Polo or other VAG cars? Anyone else had trouble at VW dealers for parts? In future I will just keep my mouth shut and say its for a VW.

Also, my only option to get my car to the garage on Wednesday is to be towed by truck. Now do you think my breakdown cover will send a truck to my house to tow me to a garage? I will have a read of the terms and conditions of my breakdown cover. Perhaps I will have to bend the truth a little. :p

If its a part found in other vag cars then just tell him to order it. However, the dealer themselves probs wont know which part is common between the various cars. Even my local TPS cant tell me without going into each cars list and checking the part numbers. Its down to us to do the leg work im afraid.

Matt

I got a coolant expansion tank from a VW garage - they said they only had 1 machine with Skoda parts software on it, but no problems at all, in stock too!

Had the same problem as you,needed a new wishbone got one outa the local autozone...on the packet it said vw polo o2>

So I presume a bolt from a polo would fit...howcome you need the bolt aswell?

Got away lightly compared to a friend of mine.

He hit the curb, shoveing the whole wishbone/driveshaft/gearbox across into the engine smashing the oil sump. Not quite sure how it smashed the sump, but it did.

Two things that know should know, brand X dealer's parts department will never knowing sell you parts that you are confirming that you are going to fit to brand Y. I know to us that have copies of ETOS etc, that we can confirm that these parts are compatable, but the different VAG marques no longer have the official electronic cats to find the other marque's listings.

That is where TPS comes in, they were set up to handle all VAG marque's parts and do support all VAG dealers in the areas that they could in the past handle themselves, for instance, pre TPS days, my VW van dealer could order in any VAG parts that I could provide valid numbers for - now in TPS days, that option has gone. Usually I do check if the parts I need are also used on VW vans, and if they are then my VW van dealer can order them.

So, as you have discovered, if you are ordering in VW parts for Skoda, you must keep quite about it - that way you will get what you need.

Its all fixed now anyway, Tameside VW and Audi of Ashton Under-Lyne fitted the wishbone and had the correct bolt anyway all for £120.

And last week I got the bus company that damaged my rear arch (other thread) to pay for full repair and spray by Tameside Accident and Repair also of Ashton Under-Lyne and I got a 2010 Fabia 1.2 HTP for a courtesy car for 3 days which was fun. So now Im going to fit my new skoda emblems and front and rear wipers, and when the weather is better I will touch up my stone chips with the paint I requested from the repairers. So all worked out well in the end.

And Ive learnt about parts from VW dealers and TPS, thanks for all the help

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